Once Around - Don't Spare the Horses

AmericaBlog points to this sterling post on the Nitpicker. The question is simple: who is writing al Qaeda's stuff these days?

"Of course, now there are questions about the authenticity of the letter found in Iraq. Look, you can't help but question these guys. Their intelligence is too often either wrong or made up. Are those words too harsh for you? Then how about "inaccurate and wrong and in some cases, deliberately misleading" as Colin Powell put it?

On top of that, it just seemed too well-timed to go along with Bush's recent terror speech. There's a lot of that going around, though. In the end, I can't say whether or not the document is real or not, but neither can any of the conservative bloggers who will trumpet this as an excuse to "stay the course."

As a 13-year veteran of the armed forces, though, I find it repulsive that veterans like myself are put in the position where we're forced to decide whether our commander-in-chief is lying or al Qaeda is--and it's actually a hard decision!"

Convenient letters, scripted and stage managed chats with the troops. The military as props to cover-up failure upon failure.

Speaking of stage managed chats with the troops..... Is there any way to look at Bush's photo op today as anything but propaganda? Eschaton links to this.

"It was billed as a conversation with U.S. troops, but the questions President Bush asked on a teleconference call Thursday were choreographed to match his goals for the war in Iraq and Saturday's vote on a new Iraqi constitution.

"This is an important time," Allison Barber, deputy assistant defense secretary, said, coaching the soldiers before Bush arrived. "The president is looking forward to having just a conversation with you."

"OK, so let's just walk through this," Barber said. "Captain Kennedy, you answer the first question and you hand the mike to whom?"

"Captain Smith," Kennedy said.

"Captain. Smith? You take the mike and you hand it to whom?" she asked.

"Captain Kennedy," the soldier replied.

And so it went.

"If the question comes up about partnering — how often do we train with the Iraqi military — who does he go to?" Barber asked.

"That's going to go to Captain Pratt," one of the soldiers said."

Tower : Tower's radio clearance, over!
Oever : That's Clarence Oever! Oever.
Tower : Roger.
Murdock : Huh?
Tower : Roger, over.
Murdock : Huh?
Oever : Huh?

Democratic Veteran has a strategy for Democrats. If only they would listen.

"One of the themes that the DNC needs to get on right now is tagging every single republican house member who speaks well of Tom Delay as a corrupt crony. True or not, it should be up to them to disprove their feeding at the Teat of Delay. If these House republicans can hold their noses and speak well of the man who is trying for an acquittal by publicity, then they need to be targeted as just as corrupt and malign as Delay himself."

It's sad when a broken down old airplane driver (no offense swabbie) can develop a better strategy than all the pros at the DNC.

Jesus' General is touting the new "gWB" programs. He finds one that seems very fitting. Sounds like some sort of home improvement show - "Closets of Power".