What's News? July 14 2007

There's a good writeup in today's WaPo about how Republicans are starting to lose support for their continued occupation of Iraq now even in tradionally red-state small midwestern towns. That's not news to me, as I've witnessed the dwindling support for Bush here in Kansas for some time. This as Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared that "Iraqi forces are capable and American troops can leave “any time they want.”" It's no wonder that each week brings us news of Republicans on the Hill who've had enough with their party's '"stay the course" right off the cliff' position. This time it's Senators John W. Warner (R-VA) and Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) who yesterday introduced a plan "that would require President Bush to present a strategy by October that began limiting the involvement of American forces." We'll see whether this is for real or just empty rhetoric to create the illusion of seperation by how they vote.

China, fresh from executing their former food safety chief "in an attempt to stem a crisis of consumer confidence in domestic produce" following tainted dog food and toothpaste scandals, has now turned the tables and has suspended some U.S. pork, chicken imports. To hell with actually addressing the consumer safety problem, China knows how to play the PR game hardcore.