Weekend stuff

* The Stiglitz/Bilmes claim that the Iraq war may wind up costing nearly $2 trillion "now seems low."

* Pretty funny stuff about the warbloggers. Perhaps even funnier is how GOP hacks are trying to spin the story.

* Army Times: "Time for Rumsfeld to go."

* True, this: "The only reason the Democratic Party is against the fiasco in Iraq is because the U.S. is losing the war. It’s all about 'bad planning,' or 'bad timing,' or whatever. If Bush and Co. had easily subjugated the nation and controlled the oil fields, the entire U.S. ruling class and their paid politicians would be joyous."

* "In many ways," Bob Parry argues, "Election 2006 not only marks the last chance to exact some accountability from those responsible for the disastrous Iraq War and other failures, but it also represents a point of no return for a nation hurtling toward a future of endless warfare abroad and a new-age totalitarianism at home."

* Obviously, this news confirms once again that corruption in Iraq is of no concern unless it can be blamed on greedy Europeans or evil Saddamists.

* Related links via cursor: "As Bechtel stands down in Iraq, its rebuilding mission abandoned, Paul Krugman concludes that 'the U.S.-led reconstruction effort in Iraq is basically over,' a victim of the administration's persistent fight against accountability. And Kroll security is pulling out of Iraq and Afghanistan."

* Get out the popcorn. I can't wait to see Saddam sentenced in time to possibly give Bush a boost at the polls.

* Get running updates from IMEMC and ei about Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza in "Operation Autumn Clouds." Also be sure to watch the video attached to this BBC story about yesterday's events at a mosque in Beit Hanoun.

* McClatchy reports that nearly 540 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel's "disengagement" last year. "Most of those have been killed in clashes with Israelis, including nearly 400 who've been killed in the four months since Israel launched a military offensive aimed at winning the release of a kidnapped soldier. Nearly 40 died in fighting between Hamas and the Fatah faction, which had dominated the Palestinian government until January."

* A burning question: How Many Deaths Is the Oaxaca Governor Worth?

* Mark Weisbrot: "Imagine Osama bin Laden visiting the United States ten or 15 years from now, telling Americans who to vote for if they want to avoid getting hurt. It would never happen, but in Nicaragua something very similar is happening in the run-up to their election on November 5."

* Locking people up in prisons is one of the few things the US does well these days. So it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that it is exporting the model for use abroad.

* Why Is the New York Times Covering Up the Torture of Jose Padilla?

* Depending on who you ask, neocons are alternatively depressed, apologetic, and emboldened.

* For the rich, life in the American plutocracy is nice. And getting nicer.

* Oh, goody. We're killing the oceans.

* The Free Press gang explain the "real story" of the Air America blacklist.