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Slate - Delusions of Empire
How is Paul Wolfowitz keeping a straight face these days?

The currency of intellectuals is measured in the worth of their ideas, and the swaggering ambitions behind their advocacy of invading Iraq—to establish civil authority in Baghdad quickly after the war, then move on to redraw the map of the Middle East, and finally spread democracy around the globe—are looking particularly delusional just now.

If they so badly miscalculated the ease of controlling a country that (as Donald Rumsfeld often reminds us) is the size of California, then how do they intend to change the planet? More to the point, how do they continue to offer advice on the subject while keeping a straight face?

CSM - Bush's "Credibility Gap"

There's a saying in journalism. "One is an event. Two is a coincidence. Three is a trend." And this trend could be particularly troubling for the president.

Bush's support doesn't come from his positions; it comes from something more personal. People like him in large part because they believe he's being straight with them. If that changes, his ride toward reelection may have more than a few twists and turns.

Kuttner disagrees with me that the Drug Bill is a win-win for the GOP. He sees it as a win-win for the Dems.

If the bill passes, President Bush can usurp a popular Democratic issue and boast: "I delivered a drug benefit under Medicare."

But his Democratic challenger can say: "Bush's Medicare drug benefit doesn't even take effect until 2006. It's a sweetheart deal for HMOs. It has more holes than benefits. The only reason you get anything is that Democrats fought for it and Republicans were forced to go along. Vote for us and we will get you the rest."

Cursor and SF Chronicle I guess share link credit on this AP article: Israel made the decision to kill a Hamas leader's wife and 16 bystanders to get him.

Israel knew that the wife of a senior Hamas militant was with him when it decide to kill him, but went ahead with the airstrike anyway, the air force commander said Tuesday.

In July, an air force F-16 dropped a one-ton bomb on the house of Salah Shehadeh, leader of the Hamas military wing, in Gaza City. Shehadeh and a Hamas activist were killed, along with Shehadeh's wife and 16 other bystanders, among them nine children.

Bush Reelect Numbers Falling Below 50%

In a recent CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll, 50 percent said they would vote for Bush and 38 percent backed the unknown Democratic candidate, with the rest undecided. Those numbers aren't very different from those garnered by Bush's father in June 1991, when the commander in chief was praised for the U.S. success in the Persian Gulf War and the Democrats were scrambling for a candidate.

Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush in the 1992 election.

"With job approval, you're asking how they feel right now,'' said Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup poll. Bush's job approval ratings won't accurately reflect his potential until March or April next year, Newport said.

Bush's re-elect numbers are even lower in the Ipsos-Cook Political Report tracking poll, which showed a drop for the president from April to June, a time when the nation's focus shifted from the U.S.-led war against Iraq to the economy, Medicare and tax cuts.

In June, 42 percent of those polled said they would definitely vote to re-elect Bush, and 31 percent said they would definitely vote for someone else. Bush had a 19-point advantage over an unnamed opponent in the April survey by the Ipsos-Cook Political Report.

BuzzFlash and The Angry Liberal: "Bush is replacing the Death Tax with the Birth Tax."

While the "Death Tax" was only collected after rich folks were completely finished with the estates (They're dead, remember?), the Birth Tax will paid by the living, most of whom aren't finished with their incomes.

While the "Death Tax" generally reduced the amount an estate would hand to an heir (in other words, the heir's unearned income), the Birth Tax reduces the amount of earned income a hard-working American will keep.

While the "Death Tax" went into the general fund to pay for things like health care for the elderly and homeland security, the Birth Tax will buy absolutely nothing.

While the "Death Tax" was paid only once, the Birth Tax will be paid yearly and will likely increase yearly, forever.

Or until we kick the Neanderthals out and stomp them when they are down.

Retirees Getting Irate Over Details of Medicare Drug Plan

"Do you think anybody in Washington has any idea what people on a limited income have to do to live?" asked Ed Human, 68, a diabetic who said he voted Republican. Of Dr. Frist, who is independently wealthy through his stake in a hospital corporation his family founded, Mr. Human said: "He's a nice guy, that's fine. But he doesn't have a clue."

Then why in the Hell did you vote Republican? They don't have a clue and couldn't care less.

US Birth Rate Drops - Now at Record Low.

The number of babies born to U.S. women of all ages dropped by one percent in 2002 compared to 2001. The yearly total of new arrivals was a little more than 4 million.

The birth rate in 2002 was 13.9 per 1,000 persons -- an all-time low for as long as national birth records have been kept -- according to the CDC. Overall, the birth rate is down 17 percent since 1990.

Teen birth rates are also down, falling by five percent from levels recorded in 2001 to 43 births per 1,000 females between ages 15 to 19 in 2002. Teen pregnancies have dropped 28 percent since 1990, the agency reported.

Good news but also a sign of the poor economy.