Saturday Hodgepodge

• Remember Bush telling us that "As Iraqis stand up, Americans will stand down"? Well, it turns out this was complete and utter bullshit. Georgia10 points us to a State Department report (PDF format) that reveals that “there is no deterministic relationship between increasing numbers of trained and equipped Iraqi forces or increasing control of battle space by Iraqi units and any associated drawdown of U.S. forces”. So… what is the US strategy for getting out of Iraq? Do we even have a strategy?

• Juan Cole calls attention to a recent LA Times series on the soldiers wounded in Iraq.

• Penn and Teller reveal a little-known fact: The Bible is Crapola.

• John Scalzi wonders Will Republican Voters Grow Spines in 2006?. He’s doubtful. So am I.

• Jody Wheeler points with approval to a mother who took responsibility for monitoring her daughter’s online behavior.

• Harry Taylor is a GOD. He seized the opportunity to say to George W. Bush what millions of Americans would, if they but had the chance:

What I wanted to say to you is that in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate…And I would hope—I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself…