Bamboozlement

I've been far too absorbed in wedding details to get my brain around the full spectrum of commentary coming out in advance of the much awaited surge report, to be delivered by Gen. Petraeus next week. The thing that worries, me, though, is that the White House--as usual--appears to be painting a pretty rosy picture about the current state of disarray in Iraq. According to the President, deaths among Iraqi civilians are down, deaths among US soldiers are down (compared to what?), and the surge, as expected, of course, is a success.

There's much I'd like to write on the subject, but tomorrow I leave town to get married. My attention to global politics is, to put it mildly, not very keen at the moment. I'll leave it to the talented folks at Talking Points Memo to give you their take on the current bamboozlement being perpetrated by the White House, the RNC, and pretty much every conservative think tank in the country right now.

I'm off for the next couple weeks (okay, maybe a post or two in the next couple days if I have the inclination, but probably nothing after that until late this month). Jenna and I will be honeymooning in Hawaii, and then in Alaska, and then we return to Oaxaca in October to pick up where we left off there in August. Lots to see, lots to do.