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The Lure of Running 26.2 MilesRich Campbell's "Years ahead of competition" in the Post this morning took me back to the time when I ran marathons. Ran my first when I was 49 and over the years I have run, and completed, three of them. My times are nothing to brag about but they were good experiences. Reaching the finish line never failed to cause elation and a sense of achievement. Only those who have done it can understand the feeling.Reading about Charles Stalzer, Margaret Hagerty and other older runners who are going to take part in the race tomorrow gives me hope that it is not too late to run another. Slower than I used to be but my knees are holding up; I can go out of the door and run 10 miles. Shall think of the participants in the Marine Corps Marathon tomorrow and wish them well. May the wind be behind your back.

Shed no tears for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby *A report in The Washington Post reads: "Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was indicted today by a federal grand jury after a nearly two-year investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's identity." "Scooter" Libby and his boss, VP Cheney, were driven by their obsession. If Karl Rove took pleasure in being a master strategist in exploiting the phobias and anger in the heartlands, Libby and the VP were true belivers; they had been working on the neocon agenda (PNAC) for a long time (letter to President Clinton). When they found themselves in positions to act they went at it with all the ferocity that was bottled up. They worked hard to bring about the war against Iraq. It was Darth Vader land and they were the masters. When they found their scenario crumbling they went ballistic. Mr. Libby will be spending a lot of time in conferences with attorneys. He has been charged with five counts in the CIA/Valerie Plame leak investigation. Win some, lose some.Mr. Libby escaped being charged with the more serious issue of violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982. Reports leave very little doubt that many members of the Bush administration lied during the investigation but they were not under oath when they did so and,thereforce, cannot be charged. ("PL97-200, 50 U.S. Code Secs. 421–426 is a United States law which makes it a federal crime to knowingly reveal the identity of a covert CIA agent." Source: Wikipedia.org)Patrick Fitzgerald, the intrepid special prosecutor was appointed by Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey. Earlier chain of events had lead to force AG John Ashcroft to recuse himself from the investigation because of his close association with Karl Rove. If Ashcroft had a hand in it then things would not be where they are today. Mr. Fitzgerald deserves the nation's gratitude for restoring faith in the justice system.Karl Rove is not completely off the hook. Patrick Fitzgerald could decide to convene another grand jury to continue investigation of Rove and, possibly, others. But Rove and the president must have breathed a sigh of relief that his name was not on the indictment today. He is sometimes described as the "evil genius". But if Karl Rove is evil what does that make of his boss ? We know that he is no genius. For the president, self-described "compassionate conservative", who became a champion of bigotry and divisive policies, Karl Rove is a tool to be used and Rove has very ably served the president. It would be unfair to blame Rove for all the ills of the Bush administration. For that one must look at Bush and those who put him in the White House. He is their tool just as Karl Rove is his. And, like Karl Rove, he is serving them well.A Steve Bell cartoon from The Guardian,UK. Edited 5:15 PM Oct.28, 2005

About war, deaths and profits* Mr. Arnold Stieber of Grass Lake, Michigan, writes: "War is, at best, the failure of leaders to solve problems. At worst, war is a massive money-generating machine with no regard for life. It's all in the numbers." The full text of his letter is in The Guardian, Oct.27,2005.And Steve Bell's "More Sacrifices will be required"

For the Democrats it is a "Good News, Bad News" situation* The news about Harriet Miers' decision to fall on the sword to save her boss from further embarrassment didn't cause much surprise. Such an eventuality was mentioned in recent days by a few pundits. Fred Barbash in the Post writes: "While the decision was a blow to the Bush administration, the move also may defuse a major controversy for the White House as it confronts possible indictments stemming from the disclosure of the identity of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame."The Democrats played this one right....mostly. However, they have no cause to rejoice. Yes, the president ended up with a bloody nose but he is not out for the count. It is a given that the next nominee coming down the pike will be of a different breed. He or she will not be one without records and the records will please even the most hard-nosed among the conservative Republicans. It is extremely doubtful that the Democrats will be able to muster enough support to block the confirmation. So, instead of a George Bush groupie who probably would have made decisions to please her former boss, the new member of the Supreme Court will be a strict "constructionist" as the president interpretes the word when he praises Justices Scalia and Thomas.

Mourn for the dead and ask yourself what did they die for*The total has crossed the 2,000 mark. See list (names and dates). "War hath no fury like a non-combatant" , wrote C.E. Montague (1867-1928), British soldier, author, journalist. A sad reminder of the tremendous waste of lives in the war that we got into because of lies, deception and the obsession of a few. Known non-combatants: President G.W. Bush, VP Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.Where they lived, where they died. Today's Washington Post contains detailed map and charts. Also see Josh White and Ann Tyson's report "Military has lost 2,000 in Iraq". On October 25th the AFP reported that according to a WSJ poll, "For the first time, a majority of Americans believe the war was "the wrong thing to do".The president, of course, is still a champion of the war. The costs have been too high for him to survive the firestorm that will erupt following an admission of a wrong decision.Total injured: 15,220.And the forgotten ones--Iraqi civilians. Minimum 26,690 Maximum 30,051. These figures are from Anti-war.com, much lower than the Britsh medical journal Lancet's report which mentioned more than 100,000 dead. In recent months more civilians have been killed by insurgents than by military actions. Still, the majority of civilian deaths is attributable to military actions. That could change if the insurgents continue their random atrocities.".....any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.John Donne ( 1572-1631) Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions ,1623

It is Blind Ambition, Not Color Blindness *Eugene Robinson" in his column in the Washington Post "What Rice Can't See" asks "How did she come to a worldview so radically different from that of most black Americans? Is she blind, is she in denial, is she confused -- or what?". Perhaps there is a more simple explanation--she is driven by ambition and in her world there is no place for anything else. Somewhere along the way she left Titusville and hitched her star to conservative Republicanism. Over the years, as her party turned more and more to the right, she moved lockstep with it and cultivated those who were in positions of power. The strategy paid off for her. She has been well rewarded. She is not going to risk losing it all by getting involved with rights and needs of blacks.

Brent Scowcroft speaks out*Fascinating. In the online edition of The New Yorker (10/31/05) Amy Davidson discusses Jeffrey Goldberg's article on the former national security adviser Brent Scowcroft. "Breaking Ranks - What Brent Scowcroft tried to tell Bush", Jeffrey Goldberg's piece will be available in the print edition. On October 16th Glen Kessler of the Post wrote of Brent Scowcroft's critical remarks about the Bush administration in London's Financial Times. At that time Mr. Scowcroft "declined a request for interview" with the Post. However, a close friend of H.W. Bush, the president's father, Scowcroft spoke openly with Jeffrey Goldberg. He talked about policies of the current administration as well as the personalities who shape them. His comments about ideological difference between "realists" and "transformationalists" are revealing and apt to cause ripples.First, it was General Colin Powell who finally admitted regret in September about his UN speech to gain support for the war against Iraq. Then last week his former chief of staff, Col. Larry Wilkerson issued a harsh statement, criticizing the administration's Iraq policy. Now it is Brent Scowcroft. But the neocons go merrily marching on.

"Millions believe attacks against British troops justified"*The report in the Post by John Anderson and Steve Fainaru "Four were slain by mob last month" gives credibility to the item in The Sunday Telegraph (UK) about a secret poll conducted by the Ministry of Defence. According to the poll majority of Iraqis support insurgents' actions against coalition forces. This makes a hole in all the hyperbole from President Bush and high ranking officials regarding support from Iraqi civilians. How do they feel about attacks against coalition forces as well as claims for improved infrastructure and security in the country ? The answers are revealing but not surprising. Incidentally, 329 American soldiers have died in Iraq since May 31st when VP Cheney declared that the insurgents were "....in their last throes". Source: Iraq Coalition Casualties.orgExcerpt from the Sunday Telegraph report:"The secret poll appears to contradict claims made by Gen Sir Mike Jackson, the Chief of the General Staff, who only days ago congratulated British soldiers for "supporting the Iraqi people in building a new and better Iraq". ...

If Wishes Were HorsesAnd Death Toll Mounts for U.S. Soldiers*At the end the president could turn out to be right. "There's some background noise here, a lot of chatter, a lot of speculation and opining," Bush said. "But the American people expect me to do my job, and I'm going to." Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker write in the Post of "A Palpable Silence in the White House". Hard to think of Bush without Karl Rove. Could happen but let's not rush into counting the chickens before they are hatched.The BBC web site has a report (Bush plagued by domestic issues) on the same subject by Matt Frei of its Washington bureau.In other news, death toll in Iraq is nearing the 2ooo mark. Latest count: 1992.

A walk on Pindos Mountain with a gentle giant. Yassiou Kostas. *Most travelers to Greece visit the islands and stay near the coast. I wanted to see the real Greece, not tourist resorts overrun with people on holiday. Found a British company that offered walking tours through Zagoria Villages in the Pindos Mountain range up north.I flew from SFO to Heathrow. Had lunch in the City with a friend, spent the night in a hotel near Gatwick Aiport and the next day boarded a flight from Gatwick to Preveza. At Preveza I met Kostas Vaseleiou, the guide, and other members of the group--all from England. Preveza is located at the tip of an inlet of the Aegian Sea. Bay at Preveza ©RSWe crossed the inlet on a ferry and a small bus took us up to the picturesque village of Monodendri at the mouth of Vikos Gorge, the starting point of our walk. Monodendri is well known for the Monastery of Saint Paraskevi which stands on the edge of the gorge. Hotel at Monodendri ©RS At the monastery on the edge of Vikos gorge ©RSTina Averoff (extreme left) joined the group to take photographs for the Epirus Foundation of Greece. She walked with us all the way to Tsepelovo.Monodendri to Vikos (through Vikos Gorge) The Vikos Gorge is over 3,000 ft deep at certain points. It was not difficult to go down when we began our walk at Monodendri but a different story at the other end when we had to climb out to the village of Vikos. The first glass of beer felt good. I needed it.The accommodation was rustic and the food nothing to rave about. Going down Vikos Gorge ©RS At Vikos ©RSVikos to PapingoWe had to return to the gorge and then climb back to reach Papingo. Back to the Gorge ©RS Goats lined up on the ridge. They caused a lot of pebbles to shower down to the trail. Vikos River ©RS Crystal clear but didn't see any fish. Rest stop on the uphill trail to Papingo ©RS Arrival at Papingo ©RSAt Papingo the food was more authentic and better than the other places where we spent our nights. The local goat cheese and olive oil were excellent. The rooms,too, were comfortable. Dinner time at Papingo ©RS It was the feast day of Saint Constantine, Costas' patron saint. Kostas' wife, Madelon and one of her friends (a Spanish woman) who worked as an interpreter in the EU Secretariat,Brussels,drove up from Kipi to join us for dinner.At that time I was considering walking the Pilgrim's Route established by the Crusaders, 480 miles from St Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostella in Spain. She told me about the Spanish author Paulo Coelho and his writings about the route and gave me other useful information. I still think of doing the walk but time is running out. Thousands of people from all over ther world walk the route for various reasons. Shirley MacLaine did it and wrote a book about her experience. My interest has nothing to do with pilgrimage. The mother of all long distance walks is the 2175 miles Appalachian Trail. Most of the through hikers do it northbound, from Georgia to Maine. I'm digressing; back to Zagoria Villages in Greece.Madelon and Kostas ©RSPapingo to Astraka (Mountain Hut)Rulla ©RS Rulla, wife of the inn keeper at Papingo, and her dog walked with us to Astraka. On the uphill trail Rulla and I were ahead of the pack. She chattered in Greek and pointed to various landmarks. Didn't understand the words but we got along well with sign language. After we reached Astraka, her dog started limping. Kostas said it was probably bitten by an adder. Rulla and the dog left to return to Papingo before it got dark. Astraka Mountain Hut ©RS The hut remains closed during winter and spring. We were the first group to arrive there that summer. The place was damp and cold. We put the mattresses from bunk beds out to air them but didn't do much good. There was no electricity. The toilet facilities were primitive. Some of us elected to use the outdoors. The hikes we took during the day were good but the two nights we spent there were far from pleasant. The caretaker and his wife showed up and fixed dinner. Fried chicken. Drank a lot of ouzo and retsina to make the evenings bearable.During our stay we walked to Dragon Lake and Astraka Peak. Dragon Lake at foot of Gamilla Peak ©RS On Astraka Peak ©RS Astraka to TsepelevoEnroute Tsepelovo ©RS Trudging through snow ©RS Had to walk a couple of miles through snow. It was slow and tiring. Beyond the snow, the trail was rocky. Kostas and Tina during stop for lunch ©RS Tsepelovo ©RS Largest of the Zagoria villages. Our group was accommodated in two separate houses. We gathered in the only restaurant in the village. Food was sort of blah...fried chicken, again, but met an interesting British couple, Effie and Roy Hounsell, permanent residents of Koukoúli, a village nearby. Roy was writing a book about their experiences. Their plans included setting up a bed and breakfast place. ("The Hamlet" is now open for business and offers four rooms.) Village restaurant, Tspelovo ©RSMadelon, Effie & Roy Hounsell in foreground.Tsepelovo to IoanninaWe were driven by bus to Ioannina. Took a boat to the island in the middle of Lake Pamvotis and checked into a lovely bungalow for our last night's stay. In the evening we took the boat back to Ioannina for dinner. Great mezzes. Island in Lake Pamvotis ©RS Breakfast, last morning ©RS After breakfast we went to Ioannina by boat and then by bus to Preveza to catch our flight. Final drink at Preveza Airport ©RS It was cold and drizzly when we landed at Gatwick. Quite a change from the warm, sunlit place we left behind a few hours ago.Next day I caught a flight for SFO from Heathrow. "Baghdad by the Bay", as the late Herb Caen described San Francisco, was a welcome sight from the window of the plane. I was home.