Postcards has a great memo blasting Texas Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick’s blatantly partisan leadership of the House — through his control of which bills get to the floor. Authored by House Democratic Leader Jim Dunnam, the memo includes charts showing that 84 percent of Republicans have had two or more of their bills placed […]

Michael Yon has a great two-parter on the building of a new Combat Outpost (aka Joint Security Station aka Combat Observation Post) in Baghdad as part of Gen. Petraeus’ counterinsurgency strategy. The posts are staffed (and resided in) by American and Iraqi soldiers and police within Baghdad neighborhoods.
He has some great photos as well.
Some people […]

A week or so ago I requested any records about me that are currently in the governor’s homeland security database.
Apparently, my parking tickets haven’t landed me on any no-flight lists — or escape-to-Ardmore hazards.
Of course, by requesting the information, I’ve probably automatically created a file for myself.
The text of the response to my request:

We received […]

MountainRunner has a great post about the shocking but unfelt costs to most Americans of the war in Iraq.
He discusses the impact (or lack thereof) of the war on the general American population, and then compares it to the impact on the Iraqi population.
IRAQ
Population: 27,499,638 (July 2007 est.)
First Hand Knowledge of War: 9,300,000 - 12,700,000
[…]

It’s amazing how eloquent and insightful Jon Stewart is even when he’s not being funny. He’s truly thoughtful. [I’m none of those things — at least, not right now. I just woke up from a nap I started at six-thirty this afternoon after work. Slept till midnight-thirty. On a Friday. Geez.] There was a great […]

I just saw a police officer union rep. walk by with a roll of that yellow crime-scene streamer. Naughty thoughts immediately popped into my mind.
Where are Chisum’s and Patrick’s offices again?

Gen. Petraeus’ comments to the media after the classified briefing to senators in the Crypt in the U.S. Capitol appear much more truthful than those of our previous Iraq commanders. Though he does emphasize the positive more than the negative, I think it is important that he’s telling the American people — and Congress — […]

The rumor is that Rep. Fred Brown said that Speaker CradDICK told him that the House will meet only one Saturday during this session, that being the Saturday right before Sine Die. So for now don’t expect session on a Saturday until May 26.
Memorial Day weekend, doncha know.
Don’t take my word for it. Just […]

The Tank has another great post about giving Gen. Petraeus’ new strategy some time to work.
But I continue to disagree with calling the surge a success. It is the counterinsurgency strategy implemented by Gen. Petraeus that is working. The only thing the administration had to do with this was finally appoint someone with the proper […]

I guess God does save.
In rapid succession, congressional committees Wednesday ramped up their investigations of the Bush administration by approving a subpoena for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and granting immunity to a former key aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
. . .
[T]he House Judiciary Committee voted 32-6 to grant immunity to Monica Goodling, Gonzales’ […]