It's Only Saturday.

Just like the after Thanksgiving meal. This is the leftovers.  Good stuff that just didn't fit in anywhere else.  Dig in.  Read until you're full.  Enjoy.

White Phosphorus, Continued  

Two posts with merit on White Phosphorus use in Fallujah. Juan Cole critically argues the points of the Independent article by George Monbiot (comments are significant too). Also see Michael Stickings at The Moderate Voice.[...]

Harry Shearer: The National View, and the Local  

Friday's Wall Street Journal follows up on the breaches in the New Orleans levee-and-floodwall system with a long piece that concentrates on the fractured responsibility of the levee boards, sewerage and water board, and Port, as well as the Army Corps, for inspection and maintenance of the system. It also points out, appropriately, the failure of the Louisiana Legislature to unify those responsibilities in the recent special session. [...]

McCain, Chafee Join Democrats In Calling For Review Of Bush Administration's Pre-War Statements

Republican Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island have joined Democratic leaders in suggesting Senate investigators should interview senior Bush administration officials about their statements regarding the threat posed by Saddam Hussein before the war [...]

More Details on Alleged Clash with Syrians  

Hammorabi has a report from Iraq that backs up that (still unverified) DEBKAfile account of fighting between Syrian forces and US Marines. (Hat tip: Never Yet Melted.)[...]