Ignorance is bliss?

Further proof that we get the government we deserve:

But ignorance of Pakistan's travails may not necessarily prove damaging to a candidate's political aspirations. In 1999, shortly after Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup, a Boston television reporter asked a U.S. presidential candidate if he could name the general in charge.

"A new Pakistani general has just been elected," the candidate responded, then corrected himself. "He's not elected. This guy took over office. He appears he's going to bring stability to the country, and I think that's good news for the subcontinent."

"And you can name him?" the reporter asked.

"General. I can name the general," the candidate said.

"And it's?" the reporter pressed.

"General," said Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

Apparatchik spurned

This just in:

The Bush administration is dropping a plan to take control over the promotions of military lawyers, following an outpouring of alarm over the independence of uniformed attorneys who have repeatedly objected to the White House's policies toward prisoners in the war on terrorism.

Under the proposal, first reported by the Globe on Saturday, politically appointed lawyers in the Pentagon would have gained the power to veto the appointment or promotion of any member of the Judge Advocate General's Corps, the military's 4,000-member uniformed legal officers group.

...

Under Haynes's proposal, the military officers on JAG promotion boards would have been required to coordinate with Haynes and the services' general counsels before making final decisions about whom to promote. Retired JAGs said the proposal would have sent the message that any JAG who voices disagreement with the administration's legal theories will never be promoted.

Gee, ya think?

A new (old) nation

Hey, for all you people threatening to emigrate to Canada, now you can emigrate to another country without leaving the continental US... Lakota nation breaks away from US

National Credibility is a terrible thing to waste

I just had a scary thought. This would be a great time for a currently non-proliferation Evil Dictator to get into the WMD business. Because the Bush Administration would jump up and down and yell 'LOOK! WMD' until they were hoarse and nobody would believe them. It sucks to be led by morons.