Obama announces end of Iraq occupation

Today, President Obama announced his plan for ending combat operations in Iraq by the end of August 2010 and to withdraw all American troops by the end of 2011:

"Let me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end."

Near the close of the speech (complete text here), Obama reflected on the lessons learned from the Iraq misadventure:

There are many lessons to be learned from what we’ve experienced. We have learned that America must go to war with clearly defined goals, which is why I’ve ordered a review of our policy in Afghanistan. We have learned that we must always weigh the costs of action, and communicate those costs candidly to the American people, which is why I’ve put Iraq and Afghanistan into my budget. We have learned that in the 21st century, we must use all elements of American power to achieve our objectives, which is why I am committed to building our civilian national security capacity so that the burden is not continually pushed on to our military. We have learned that our political leaders must pursue the broad and bipartisan support that our national security policies depend upon, which is why I will consult with Congress and in carrying out my plans. And we have learned the importance of working closely with friends and allies, which is why we are launching a new era of engagement in the world.

Do I want this to happen sooner? Yes. Am I happy about the 50,000-man residual force expected to remain in Iraq from September 1, 2010 until the formal end of the occupation? No. But I'm overjoyed that we have a leader with a plan to get completely out of Iraq with no permanent presence there. He has at least put forth the correct strategy, which is how we exit by a specific time as opposed to how do we pursue a undefined notion of victory for an open-ended period of time...

The great Helen Thomas has the right of it: Why shouldn't Obama aim high?...

The MSM is shocked -- shocked -- that Obama is doing what he said he'd do. I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you listened to the MSM on the topic, in this country, the only things worse than being a victim of class warfare are talking about it and doing something about it. To all of you TV reporters and everyone else making over $250,000 a year, look at it this way: For ten years, you received a completely unjustifiable tax rebate that in some cases added up to $250,000. Now, the rebate has run out and you get to do your part like everyone else...

Obama to rescind last-minute Bush abortion regulation...

Ever with his finger on the pulse of reality, Pope Benedict informs Nancy Pelosi that Catholic politicians cannot  support abortion rights...

Obama's budget calls for restoring Gulf Coast wetlands:

Without offering specifics, President Barack Obama's first budget calls for continued financing to restore Louisiana wetlands, including a study to identify "the best ways to restore wetlands" destroyed or damaged by the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet.

Environmentalists contend that MR-GO killed thousands of acres of cypress wetlands and marsh, vital to helping the area absorb the pounding of hurricanes.

Eliot Kamenitz/The Times-Picayune

Antoinette K-Doe remembered...

When hockey moms go bad...

Friday's Choice: Chris Isaak covers the Neil Diamond classic "Solitary Man" (1993):

And here's the man himself in 1971:

From Baugh to the Boss

If you didn't click on yesterday's link to Sammy Baugh's obituary, you missed this picture, one of the best sports photographs I've ever seen...

Once again, Helen Thomas tells it like it is:  "...a bevy of Republican senators from the South are trying to break up what the United Automobile Workers have struggled since the 1930s to achieve -- a middle-class life for union members." Is there any doubt of this?...

Foxessa reports that the New Orleans Public Library system faces difficult times: "It's happened before in many communities, that the public library becomes a playing field for the town or city's political rivalries and power struggles. But these plays have hardly ever been done so flamboyantly, with so little disguise anywhere else..."

Derrick Jackson wonders why in the world the Bush Administration thinks it's a good idea to allow concealed weapons in national parks: "This completes eight years of political cruelty to animals and a final imposition of the National Rifle Association on what is left of public serenity in America -- our shared natural sanctuaries..."

PWALLY 'fesses up... "I ran out and told Judy to get in the car and leave the scene, whispering loudly that they hadn’t heard a thing and hadn’t been sitting near the window so they didn’t see anything, either. Hurry!!"

FiveThirtyEight.com projects a 40-vote lead for Al Franken in Minnesota. Unreal. As much as I want Franken to pull this out, statistically speaking the race is a tie with no way of knowing who really got the most votes. By all accounts, Minnesota's recount process and the people administering it are first rate. No matter which candidate prevails, he will have as clean a decision as the circumstances allow...

Time Goes By thinks that the MSM passes over the real stories of the economic crisis: "What’s missing, however, are stories about how most of us – the poor, the middle class, the people who live paycheck to paycheck and one small emergency from destitution - are getting by."

A Chicagoan visits New Orleans and has a most unusual life-changing encounter. (T'anks to Da Ladda!)...

You Can't Make This Stuff Up Dept:  A Palinista worries about her dreams: 

This might seem like a strange question, but have any of you had dreams about Obama lately? I'm not suggesting that they are sexual dreams in nature; just any dreams about him?
I know a lot of people who are having various types of dreams about BO, and finally I did, too (nonsexual, I must add), so I'm wondering....
Maybe they just signal worry/concern about what BO might do as President?

Sock And Awe Dept: Click here and throw shoes to your heart's content. (Thanks, Stupid!)

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Friday's Choice: Bruce "D'Artagnan" Springsteen sings "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" with a little help from his friends:

Have A Heart, Somebody

The Associated Press reports this morning that Vytorin, a cholesterol-reducing drug made and marketed jointly by Merck and Schering-Plough, has little effect in improving heart disease. According to the article, the "study was watched closely because Zetia and Vytorin have racked up $5 billion in sales despite limited proof of benefit. [Italics mine.] Two congressional panels launched inquiries into why it took drugmakers nearly two years after the study's completion to release results." The article also reports that the "New England Journal of Medicine also published a report showing that Vytorin and Zetia's use soared in the United States amid a $200 million marketing blitz. In Canada, where advertising drugs to consumers is not allowed, sales were four times lower."

This last point raises more questions than it answers. As Canada's population is one-tenth that of ours, one might well ask why sales there were so relatively high. Clearly, something stealthy and insidious is going on, something that merits a full-fledged journalistic inquiry from somewhere. Among the questions that need answering:

• What conditions allow $5 billion dollars of sales of a drug with limited proof of benefit?
• What is the full extent of the Merck/Schering-Plough marketing strategy?
• How are doctors complicit?
• To what extent to state and federal regulations permit this? (Too often, the real scandal is what's legal.)
• How could the government have legally interposed itself and why didn't it, or why didn't whatever efforts it took have more impact?
• What other Vytorins and Zetias are out there?

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing over 1,200 Americans every day. Think of it this way: Every 2.5 days, heart disease kills as many of us as died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. This is a serious matter deserving of a sturdier inquiry than "Gee, how did they get away with dragging their feet on releasing the results of the study." Don't get me wrong: That's a great question, but it's only the first of what should be many. This is a great example of where the press must assume some public responsibility, because you can bet that no one else will...

One sad day, 87-year old Helen Thomas will no longer be with us. Until then, may she write many more columns as good as this one, which wonders why the people of the United States have no say in whether we continue the blundering in Iraq...

David Horsey, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, writes a nuanced and thoughtful blog entry about Bruce Springsteen and Friday night's show here. A whole bunch of stupid comments follow, as well as at least one nuanced and thoughtful defense...

Remember the back page fold-ins in MAD magazine? Then you won't want to miss this opportunity to revisit them. Enjoy!