Liberation On A Shoestring

Only if you think a trillion dollars is a shoestring.  

Reminds me of this Austin Powers moment.  "Who throws a shoe?"

Lest We Forget

While the dire economy has rightfully dominated recent conversation, I humbly submit the following lest we forget the second tragic aspect of the Bush legacy.

International aid organizations estimate that 4 to 5 million Iraqis have fled their country due to the violence since 2003. Add those killed in the war, occupation and by sectarian violence and this number climbs to between 5 and 6 million. This is approximately 1/5 of the pre-war population of Iraq. http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/9679

On a percentage basis, this is equivalent to almost 60 million people being removed from the U.S., a number roughly equal to the combined populations of our 28 smallest states. http://www.census.gov/population/projections/PressTab1.xls

Just imagine totally emptying Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, Kentucky, Oregon, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Iowa, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, West Virginia, Nebraska, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.

Kind of makes you think.

McGaffe

In case you haven't noticed, John McCain has a knack for inserting his foot.  Besides his constant confusion about the differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims and his self-acknowledged weakness on issues relating to the economy, it now appears McCain needs an education in geography too.

Here's the same guy who most people regard as strong on foreign policy, yet he couldn't find the Czech Republic on a map if he tried.  Apparently McCain's advisors still haven't clued him in.   He's defended Czechoslovakia (a nation that hasn't existed since 1993) on more than one occasion.  Why should any of us be surprised about McCain's latest gaffe?  

It's one thing for the average American to forget eighth grade geography, but candidates who are running for President should have at least some knowledge of national borders in regions of the world where American troops are serving.

There's only two explanations here.  Either McCain is just woefully ignorant of world geography or he's breathtakingly careless.  I don't think he's senile.  After all, you don't have to be old to be careless.  Either way, the end result equals the same incompetence we've witnessed over the last eight years.