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The neocons' dream turned into a nightmare a long time ago. President Bush's war in Iraq has become a disaster for the Iraqis and for us at home. But he must have blinkers and earplugs on to be oblivious of the change in the hearts and minds of American people. Or, worse, he is determined to disregard public opinion. E.J. Dionne,Jr. in the Post: "Within three weeks, the United States could face a constitutional crisis over President Bush's war policy in Iraq. The president and his allies seem to want this fight. Yet insisting upon a confrontation will be another mistake in a long line of bad judgments about a conflict that grows more unpopular by the day."ExcerptsAn Antiwar Tide on the RiseWashington PostLast week's narrow House vote imposing an August 2008 deadline for the withdrawal of American troops was hugely significant, even if the bill stands no chance of passing in the Senate this week in its current form. The vote was a test of the resolve of the new House Democratic leadership and its ability to pull together an ideologically diverse membership behind a plan pointing the United States out of Iraq. * Oddly, the president's harsh rhetoric against the House version of the supplemental appropriations bill to finance the Iraq war may have been decisive in sealing Pelosi's victory. "The vehemence with which the president opposed it made it clear to a lot of people that this was a change in direction and that it was significant," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Tom Matzzie, the Washington director of MoveOn, saw the Bush effect rallying his own antiwar membership. "Bush is our worst enemy," Matzzie said, "and our best ally." * With most counts showing Senate Democrats needing only one more vote to approve the call for troop withdrawals next year, antiwar pressures are growing on Sens. John Sununu (R-N.H.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Norm Coleman (R-Minn.). All face reelection next year, as does Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), who is already seen as leaning toward the withdrawal plan.Bush might still win this Senate vote and a reprieve for his war policy. But the president's refusal to acknowledge that the country has fundamentally changed its mind on the war makes it impossible for him to work with Congress on a sensible approach to a withdrawal that will happen some day -- with or without a constitutional showdown.

"A Story of War and Family" * And a Poem by Robert FrostThere is no question that we have become somewhat jaded. In the fifth year of Bush's war there are times when we would rather not think about it. But think and protest we must. Bad enough that we were conned into the mess, to remain silent would only make it worse. Most of the politicians lining up for 2008 are gingerly dancing around the issue, but facing up to the shame of complicity in letting it happen is the only honorable choice.So far, in the Month of March 70 American soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq. In reviewing ABC Correspondent Martha Raddatz's new book, Andrew Carroll writes: "The timing is hardly ideal for yet another Iraq book. Americans are burned out on the war not just politically but aesthetically. After a wave of books, articles, news reports, documentaries and blogs, Iraq has become a tired, repetitive story with no happy ending in sight. So hand over $24.95 for one more war story? Because, as it turns out, Martha Raddatz's The Long Road Home is a masterpiece of literary nonfiction that rivals any war-related classic that has preceded it. This tale of an ambushed American platoon might well be the Black Hawk Down of the Iraq war."Excerpts:The Washington PostThe chief White House correspondent for ABC News, Raddatz was in Baghdad when she learned about a platoon of 1st Cavalry Division soldiers who had embarked in April 2004 on what they thought would be a routine community-outreach mission (they were assisting with sewage disposal, to put it delicately) in the massive Shiite slum of Sadr City. Without warning, the once pro-U.S., Saddam Hussein-hating enclave erupted into an anti-American shooting gallery. The 1st Cav platoon was pinned down by members of the firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Shiite militia, the Mahdi Army -- hundreds of them. The Long Road Home details the increasingly desperate and unquestionably heroic attempts to save the troops and reclaim order in an impoverished district that's home to some 2.5 million Iraqis. There isn't a hint of political bias in the book, but by focusing on this pivotal firefight, Raddatz illuminates a key moment when Iraq's sectarian strife mutated into the ferocious, unrelenting insurgency it is now. *Raddatz doesn't flinch at depicting the carnage of war; the book contains descriptions of violence so graphic they are literally gasp-inducing, but the bloodshed is not gratuitous. At one harrowing point, Raddatz relates how a young soldier was shot in the head with such force that the round slammed through his Kevlar helmet and ricocheted several times through his skull. The soldier, a devout Christian and Humvee mechanic named Casey who volunteered to help the trapped platoon, also happened to be Cindy Sheehan's son. * What distinguishes The Long Road Home from other war books is that Raddatz seamlessly shifts from the troops in the crossfire to the anxious souls who stand watch over the loneliest post in any conflict: the spouses, parents and children on the home front. (Cindy Sheehan makes a relatively brief appearance as Casey's grieving mother, but the future antiwar activist is hardly a central character.) Far from interrupting the flow of the story, the profiles of the loved ones back in the States give us a richer understanding of the soldiers in Iraq and infuse the narrative with greater tension.Stephen "Dusty" Hiller, a 25-year-old specialist, had recently learned that his wife was pregnant with their first son. The night after he charged into Sadr City with one of the lead rescue teams, the doorbell rang at his home back in Fort Hood, Tex. His wife, Lesley, went to answer it, and the exchange that followed is as gut-wrenching as any battle account:"She opened the door and saw an army chaplain. Another officer in uniform was with him. There wasn't a chance for either visitor to say a word.".'No!' Lesley yelled. She was frantic, panic-stricken. 'You all got the wrong house!' "She slammed the door.*One hopes that The Long Road Home will further spotlight the sacrifices made by U.S. troops and their families. But this book should not be read out of a sense of obligation to these men and women, and it won't succeed merely because of Raddatz's prominence. No, this is a book that will last, and it will do so for the same reason that any great work endures -- because, through the strength and grace of its prose, it pulls us into a world that is simultaneously foreign and familiar and makes us care about the individuals who inhabit this place long after we have closed the covers. And because, one by one, we will pass the book along to others with the only words of praise that really matter: "Here, you've got to read this." * Andrew Carroll is the editor of "Behind the Lines," "Operation Homecoming" and "Grace Under Fire: Letters of Faith in Times of War," which will be published this month.* The Road Not TakenTwo roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth.Then took the the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same.And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black,Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way.I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.--Robert Frost

It didn't work in South Dakota, now it is Mississippi's turn. In 2006, the good people of S. Dakota voted against draconian anti-abortion law proposed by Governor Mike Rounds and the Christian Right. Now who else but Haley Barbour, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, currently governor of Mississippi, has become the champion of anti-abortionists by signing a bill that would ".......criminalize abortion in the event that the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the 1973 decision that legalized the procedure."Part of a strategy -- cynical strategy -- the goal is to take the issue to the Supreme Court in the hope of overturning Roe v. Wade. They think that with recent appointments by President Bush the court could side with them.Washington PostThe only exceptions to the state ban would be in cases of rape or if the pregnancy threatened the woman's life. The bill has no exception for pregnancies caused by incest.

SpringNothing is so beautiful as spring--When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lushThrush's eggs look like little low heavens, and thrushThrough the echoing timber does so rinse and wringThe ear, it strikes like lightning to hear him sing:The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brushThe descending blue; that blue is all in a rushWith richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.What is all this juice and all this joy ?A strain of earth's sweet being in the beginning... --Gerard Manley HopkinsThe weather forecast was wrong; it didn't rain last night. This spring morning the sky looks as though we might get some rain. For us in the San Francisco Peninsula, rainfall this season has been about 60% of norm. But rain or not, the trees and gardens in the neighborhood leave no doubt about the arrival of spring. The foothills look inviting. Whatever outdoor activities give you pleasure, make the most of it.Los Gatos Creek in FebruaryOne can reach Los Gatos Creek trail from downtown and walk south to Lexington Reservoir (about 2.5 miles) or make a left turn and go up to St. Joseph's Hill. Scenic and not too demanding, the trail is popular with local residents. Close proximity of Hwy 880 is a minus but after a few minutes on the trail it becomes just a noise in the background.Mural under Freeway Overpass and a Bench to admire it ©Musafir"The first known settlers of Los Gatos were the Ohlone Indians. Thought to have inhabited the area for more than 10,000 years, they lived along the Los Gatos Creek near today's Vasona Park."Source: http://www.los-gatos.org/main/history.htmlThe Meadow©MusafirRowers on Lexington Reservoir©MusafirThe water level noticeably low. Last year in February it was above the tree line.A picnic table overlooking the reservoir©MusafirBench with a great view looking east©MusafirThe inscription reads: In loving memory of John Dean - We have all been blessed with his "Best Gifts"

A 'Cop Out' Editorial in Washington Post A let down -- The Post's editorial Lessons of War. Tomorrow will mean the end of the fourth year of the Bush Administration's euphemistically named Operation Iraqi Freedom. And my favorite newspaper, The Washington Post, comes out with a wishy-washy, CYA editorial!Clearly we were insufficiently skeptical of intelligence reports. It would almost be comforting if Mr. Bush had "lied the nation into war," as is frequently charged. The best postwar journalism instead suggests that the president and his administration exaggerated, cherry-picked and simplified but fundamentally believed -- as did the CIA -- the catastrophically wrong case that then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell presented to the United Nations.Go to Iraq Coalition Casualties.org to see the list of dead soldiers (names and dates). From Marine Major Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, March 21,2003, to Raymond J. Holzhauer, 19, Marine Lance Corporal, Mar 15, 2007 -- so many of them in their 20's; some under 20 -- and ask yourself: Knowing what we do today did the president and his administration lie or they "exaggerated, cherry-picked and simplified" the case for going to war?

Gussie Fink-Nottle Loved NewtsAn overcast Saturday morning but Yahoo's weather man (or woman ?) predicts a sunny afternoon.In response to a message in which I wrote "I'd rather take Gussie Fink-Nottle", friend KCR commented last week about Ipsos poll and the GOP contenders, among them Newton Leroy Gingrich who has yet to make an official declaration about his candidacy. "As for newt lovers, we too would take the harmless Fink-Nottle over the sliver-haired (and tongued) Newt any time. But we dont have that luxury. Old Gussie never surfaced again after his nuptials with the saintly Madeline. We suspect he is comfortably ensconced in English rustica and takes refuge from his wife's views on elves and fairies by escaping to the local pub where he regales the local citizenry with long dissertations on the sex lives of newts."Like KCR, Newt Gingrich I can do without. He is a scumbag and so is his former friend in the House -- Tom DeLay of Sugarland, TX. Gussie Fink-Nottle and other characters created by the late P.G. Wodehouse are different creatures. Jeeves, Bertie Wooster, Honoria Glossop, Bingo Little -- they can make one smile, brighten a day when the headlines scream about deaths in Iraq, the machinations of the smarmie Alberto Gonzales and other Bushies. Give me Eggs, Beans and Crumpets by Wodehouse.

© musafirBack in 2005, a few months after I began participating in the blogosphere, posts by a few other bloggers caught my attention. Like my own, their blogs didn't attract thousands of readers every day. We were just making use of a mass medium to let ourselves go. Whether it was politics, personal observations about society and the nation, friends, books, movies, work, school, sharing our joys......and sorrows, blogs provided an outlet to express our feelings and we took it.Among the bloggers that I established contact with was a young woman from Lahore, Pakistan. Bright, funny, irreverent. I was amused and impressed by her comments. "Contact" means e-mail and an occasional snail mail. The university which she attends is more than 2,000 miles away. That does not matter. What does is that despite the great difference in age and our circumstances there is a bond between us."M" is currently enrolled in a Master's program and would probably continue her studies for a doctorate. She went home for holidays last December and, on her return, sent me a blue and white ceramic vase that she carried all the way from Lahore. I am making good use of it, especially now that the bulbs I planted in fall are blooming. Sweet Peas will follow a month later.Then there is "S", a recent acquaintance, in Brighton,UK, passionately involved in protesting the injustices in the Middle East. Marty in Florida who shared my views about Bush and the Republicans, and who encouraged me to write about Auschwitz and the holocaust. And "f", the Zen Buddhist in Texas, who has decided to stop blogging but continues to express herself in wonderful, sometimes quirky, digital photographs.If it were not for the blogosphere I wouldn't have known any of them.

Sitting quietly, doing nothingSpring Comes, and the grass grows by itself---Zenrin KushuSource: The World of Zen by Nancy Wilson RossNine days away but the weather certainly feels like spring. No rain in the long-range forecast. Still cool but sunny and the sky is often, not always, blue. Flowers are blooming and the Gingko trees on my street are sprouting new leaves as they do each year.Great time to enjoy the outdoors. About a month ago, before we got some heavy rains, JHL and I went back to Los Trancos trail in Foothills Park. It was damp but Buckeye Creek was far from full. The rainfall this year stands at just above 50% of the norm. Didn't see chanterelles, but found some oyster mushrooms; delicious.Los Trancos Trail © musafirA 7.5 mile loop, the trail climbs towards Skyline in the west, makes a hairpin bend and returns to the valley floor.The Lynn Torin Bench, Los Trancos Trail, Foothills Park © musafirInscription on the plaque reads: "In Honor of our Daughter Lynn Torin - Nature nourishes, enriches and lifts the spirit". JHL crossing a footbridge on the Los Trancos Trail © musafir© musafirSigns of Spring in early-February! Don't know the name of the plant. If a reader does, please send me an e-mail.During a stop for lunch © musafirOverlooking Boronda Lake shortly before sunset © musafirBench presented by M/M Max Strassman to the City of Palo Alto, December 2000 Comments Anonymous — 2007-03-13 Nice work, as usual, also lovely writing. It is safe to say that the presence of like minds, even so far away, is clearly responsible for my continuing to live another day on this earth. Now let's see some use of that 12x, sir. :) fond regards f

And A Reporter Who Felt the Pain * Exorcising G.W. BushSudarsan Raghavan of The Washington Post has been filing reports from Iraq that stand apart from others. Last September he wrote about the booksellers of Mutanabi Street, Baghdad. See: Bookstores on Mutanabi Street.Most of Mutanabi Street disappered in smoke and flames from a car bomb that exploded on the morning of Monday, March 5th. Mr. Raghavan's report describes the horrors, and the pain of the survivors.Excerpts:Washington PostBAGHDAD, Mar. 5 -- Two firemen emerged from the thick curtain of black smoke that covered the pavement on Monday, carrying a soft, shapeless corpse wrapped in a green tarpaulin.In their path was what was left of Mutanabi Street, Baghdad's literary heart. Bookstores in ruins. Balconies torn from oatmeal-colored buildings, some still on fire. Mangled cars with cracked windshields. The sounds of weeping mingled with the smell of burned flesh, as shards of paper seemed to flutter endlessly down from the sky.At 11:40 a.m., a car bomb exploded on this storied street, killing as many as 26 people and injuring dozens, according to police officers at the scene. It shattered an area once known for liberal ideas, an intellectual haven that in the heady days after the U.S.-led invasion pulsed with the promise of freedom.Solemn as pallbearers, the firemen walked through the landscape of twisted metal and debris, their feet crunching shattered glass. Behind them, the tower of smoke and ash billowed above the capital. One placed the charred body on a pushcart. The other covered it with a long sheet of white paper, as if he were tucking a child into bed. As they rolled the cart up the street, a young man in a black checkered sweater and light-blue jeans ran past. Tears streamed down his face."Where is my family? What happened to my family?" he screamed. * As the young man in bluejeans cried, a friend clutched his shoulder and took him into his home for comfort. Others watched as firefighters tried to rescue two people trapped inside a burning building. ...

Fish or Cut Bait ?Mr. Newton Leroy Gingrich, better known as Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House (1995-1999), co-author of the Republican Party's policy document Contract With America , political analyst and reported to be a consultant to the Dept of Defense, has been mentioned often as a potential presidential candidate. The Post has published details of an interview to be aired today in which Mr. Gingrich admits an extramarital affair to Focus on Family's Rev. James Dobson.Washington PostMarch 9, 2007Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich acknowledged he was having an extramarital affair even as he led the charge against President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair, he acknowledged in an interview with a conservative Christian group."The honest answer is yes," Gingrich, a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview with Focus on the Family founder James Dobson to be aired Friday, according to a transcript provided to The Associated Press. "There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards. There's certainly times when I've fallen short of God's standards."You could have knocked me down with a feather! Newtie, a chest-thumping champion of moral values like many other Republicans, was carrying an affair with an aide during the days when he was castigating President Clinton about his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky. What next?Seriously though, Mr. Gingrich's affair was not a secret. Bringing it up now, and with no less than James Dobson, a pillar of the Christian Right, makes it clear that Mr. Gingrich is getting ready to throw his hat into the ring for 2008 election. If his admission does not cause too much wave among the conservatives then we can expect his official entry in the race in the near future. Christian Right is very flexible about right and wrong when it comes to one of their own. Their God is merciful to Republican sinners who repent......and they do -- publicly -- whenever they are exposed or whenever it becomes necessary. Contesting a presidential election is strong enough reason for doing so.