"We have published no orders directing the planning for the overall withdrawal of forces," General Peter Pace, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate when asked if the Pentagon had any contingency plans in place for Iraq troop withdrawal....
...But, reports NPR, the Defense Department is discussing different scenarios for Iraq.
One scenario includes a "series of military installations [that] could be maintained around Iraq, with a total of total of 30,000 to 40,000 U.S. troops, for a long period of time — maybe a few decades."
Well, isn't that great??? They want to keep our troops in Iraq for decades??? Are these people nuts?
Looks like Republican Rudy Giuliani has decided he doesn't need Iowa. Yahoo News:
Some Iowa Republicans are questioning whether presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani intends to largely skip the state's leadoff caucuses.
A sluggish start to campaign organizing and indecision about whether to compete in a high-profile straw poll in August has prompted speculation that Giuliani will pay only cursory attention to Iowa and instead focus on other early election states where his high name recognition would pay off.
Giuliani has led in national polls of Republican voters. However, a recent poll by the Des Moines Sunday Register of likely GOP caucus-goers in Iowa gave former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney a strong lead of 30 percent, compared to 18 percent for Arizona Sen. John McCain and 17 percent for Giuliani....Does Rudy think he is too big for Iowa?
Republican Sen. John McCain has joined the "F-Bomb" club with Dick Cheney. AZ Central:
Senator John McCain's well-documented temper put him on the front page of Saturday's New York Post.
You won't find this blow-up on YouTube. During a private meeting off the Senate floor, McCain fired an f-bomb at fellow Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, after Cornyn questioned McCain's participation in bipartisan talks over the new immigration reform bill.
The temper issue has dogged McCain for years, and gets at whether he has the temperament for the White House. The Arizona Republic brought up his "volcanic temper" during his run for president in 2000. Republic reporter Bill Muller found several anecdotes for his series on McCain in 1999. McCain himself has dealt with it in his books....
McCain has anger management problems? Looks like there are lots of resources to back that up: Slate, Western Missouri Shooters Alliance, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy90nF2anI&mode=related&search=
News about the Smart Car from MSNBC:
Hundreds of people at the Irvine Spectrum took the smart fortwo for a 5-minute test drive this weekend – the first stop of a U.S. tour to unveil the 104-inch long car.
The vehicle, which as been available in Europe for 10 years, goes on sale early next year, starting at under $12,000 for the entry model. It will become the country's smallest car. Admirers like its novelty, compact size and gas mileage; others worry about sharing the road with SUVs and big-rigs.
The car is dubbed "smart'' because of features such as the gas mileage (40 miles or more per gallon) and the low maintenance costs, and the small size helps with parking, said Ken Kettenbeil, spokesman for smart USA, a division of Mercedes....
Can't wait for a test drive!!!!
