Unless you consider the Democratic Leader of the Senate holding the FY 2008 Defense authorization bill hostage to a declaration of surrender in Iraq to be "support."

After a rare all-night debate whose outcome was never in doubt, Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a vote on a Democratic measure to require U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq by next spring. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., responded by setting aside the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill “temporarily.”

The failed amendment to the Senate version of the defense authorization bill (HR 1585) has been the centerpiece of a Democratic strategy to force President Bush to change course on Iraq. It would require Bush to begin a drawdown of U.S. forces within 120 days and to complete the withdrawal of most units by April 30, 2008.

I don't.

Michael Yon watches the American military midwife, perhaps, a newer, peaceful Iraq:

On the Oath, the matter was more interesting:
1) I will support and defend the Constitution of Iraq.

Discussion around Point One of the Oath was similar to that around Point Four of the 7 Rules.

2) I will cooperate fully with the Iraqi government.

Point two received some pushback, but again, imagine asking all Americans to comply with “I will comply fully with the American Government.” It would be un-American to agree to that! And here in Iraq, if I were an Iraqi, I would never agree to “I will cooperate fully with the Government of Iraq.” What government? The one in Baghdad that refuses to send legal food shipments to Diyala Province?  I saw this with my own eyes and videotaped officials in the “Iraqi government” refusing to help the Diyala Government, calling Diyala (verbatim) a “terrorist province.” Even though Diyala has been a province riddled by terrorists lately- that still doesn’t change the fact that people here went without food because of the Government people in Baghdad they are now supposed to pledge allegiance to.  No smart person was likely to sign that line.

Read (as the saying goes) The Whole Thing . . .

Way back when, it seems that everybody was in agreement (some grudging, some not) that we would wait until September's report from Gen. Petraeus on the progress of the new strategy in Iraq before making any decisions.

It seems to me that many people, including most associated with the current majority party in Congress, are unable to distinguish the month of July from the month of September.

Here's a hint:  July:  Fireworks, vacations, hot weather, baseball.  September:  Back-to-school, cooler weather, football.

Skulls confirm we're all out of Africa (Yahoo News/Reuters):

An analysis of thousands of skulls shows modern humans originated from a single point in Africa and finally lays to rest the idea of multiple origins, British scientists said on Wednesday.

Most researchers agree that mankind spread out of Africa starting about 50,000 years ago, quickly establishing Stone Age cultures throughout Europe, Asia and Australia.

No, Really.

You Were a Fox

A good observer, you often watch others while remaining unseen. Cunning and courageous, you also have a gentle side.

However bad you think the world situation is, it could get much worse.

Yahoo News/AP:

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Reports that Turkey has massed a huge military force on its border with Iraq bolstered fears that an invasion targeting hideouts of Kurdish rebels could be imminent. But how deeply into Iraq is the Turkish army willing to go, how long would it stay and what kind of fallout could come from allies in Washington and other NATO partners?

Truth, or BS?  Who knows?

My hometown team is 38-50 at the All-Star break.  Twelve games under .500 is a relative success (considering how bad the Royals have been the past few years).  I was listening to 610 Sports here a while ago, and they gave out grades.  They were pretty generous.  Me--not so much.

• Royals Offense:  F.  The Royals are better than they've been in a while, but are still a pretty pathetic bunch at the plate, with your best everyday player batting a mediocre .286.  Still, you do occasionally get the impression that the Royals are no longer completely helpless--until they come up against a decent pitcher who has a good day, which still happens way, way, way too often.
  
• Royals Defense:  D-.  They're not truly awful like they were the past couple of years (upgrading from Berroa to Pena alone raises them from an F grade).
  
• Royals Starting Pitching:  D.  Gil Meche may or may not be worth that 5-year, $55 million contract, but the starting pitching has been upgraded from abysmal to sporadically competent.  That's a big leap.
• Royals Relief Pitching:  D.  Was an F early in the season but Joachim Soria and Zack Greinke have pulled the bullpen off of the rocks.  For now.
• Royals Management:  D.  Pick a position for Teahen and let him stay there.  Play Buck more (even though Snookums still hates him).  Figure out how to trade a couple of older, surplus outfielders (Brown and Sanders come to mind). Anything you can get from them--draft choices or low-minor prospects, would be gravy at this point.  Pluses:  Alex Gordon and Tony Pena Jr.

Overall Grade.  F.  Failing--still.  For all of the improvement in the Royals (and they have improved across the board from last year), you're still in last place, guys.  That means you still get an F.  (Although, as in grade school, the handwritten note on the grade slip says "shows improvement.")

What if they held an invasion, and nobody noticed?

A few days ago Lebanese daily newspaper Al Mustaqbal quietly reported a limited Syrian invasion of Lebanon. (Via Naharnet.)

Syrian troops on Thursday reportedly have penetrated three kilometers into Lebanese territories, taking up positions in the mountains near Yanta in east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

The daily Al Mustaqbal, citing sources who confirmed the cross-border penetration, did not say when the procedure in the Fahs Hill overlooking Deir al-Ashaer in the Rashaya province took place.

The sources said Syrian troops, backed by bulldozers, were fortifying positions "in more than one area" along the Lebanese border, erecting earth mounds and digging "hundreds" of trenches and individual bunkers.

It's just Syria invading Lebanon.  It's not like we should be concerned or anything, I guess . . .

Conservative talk radio must be stopped--because it's conservative, I guess.  Advocates of this position rail about "hate speech" and "intolerance."

Pot, meet kettle.

Whatever happened to "I disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it?"

The "problem" seems to be that Rush Limbaugh in the 1980's figured out how to make money on AM radio, and that Al Franken in the 2000's couldn't.  Color me skeptical that shutting down an entire wing of the nation's media (the one which, incidentally and interestingly, interacts most directly with the actual public) is the correct solution to this problem.

There's plenty of intolerance in the world, and based on the huffing and puffing of the Diane Feinsteins of the world, a goodly portion of it seems to come from the left side of the political spectrum.

The Passive Genocide Caucus seems to be gaining strength:
W. House debate over troop withdrawal deepens:  NYT

The president and his aides had thought they could wait to begin discussions about any change in strategy after September 15, when the U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, must present a much-anticipated report on Iraq's security and political progress.

Those who are barking the loudest about a withdrawal from Iraq make the point that we didn't adequately consider the consequences of going there in the first place.  While I don't necessarily accept the premise, it's interesting to see that they seem to be doing the very same thing in the opposite direction.