Suggested Reading -- 8/13/07

Agence France-Presse: US 'surge' in Iraq 'likely to fail': British lawmakers
From the story: "The US 'surge' of troops in Iraq is likely to fail, a British parliamentary committee said Monday as it delivered a critical report on London's foreign policy in the Middle East.

"'It is too early to provide a definitive assessment of the US "surge" but it does not look likely succeed,' the House of Commons Foreign Affairs committee said in a wide-ranging document. The Commons is Britain's lower parliamentary chamber."

The committee has come to the same conclusion I have; that without political progress in the iraqi govt., military progress is meaningless.

BBC News: US launches new offensive in Iraq
From the story: "US forces in Iraq have launched a new offensive against both Shia and Sunni insurgents, the US military has said.

"Operation Phantom Strike was being staged throughout Iraq, specifically targeting al-Qaeda-linked militants and also Iranian-backed groups, it said. "

That ought to go over well, considering the iraqi govt. is iranian-backed as well.

Ballot Access News: Republican Straw Poll in Ames, Iowa, Has Diminished Turnout
From the story: "Only 13,262 votes were cast in the famous Ames, Iowa straw poll for the Republican presidential race. Last time this event was held, in 1999, there were over 20,000 votes cast..."

The predictions I saw forecasted as many as 40,000 -- the actual votes were roughly a third of that. Republican midwesterners seem pretty damned unexcited about their candidates.

For a more in-depth breakdown of the stats -- turnout, dollars per voter, who spent most per vote, who spent least, etc. -- see Low Turnout and Mike Huckabee Surprise Iowa GOP, an excellent post at RH Reality Check.

Think Progress: Breyer sees assault on reason
From the story: "The Supreme Court's most recent term was a difficult one, Justice Stephen Breyer said Saturday, because he found himself on the losing end of several key cases. After the 9/11, attacks, Breyer said: 'I began to see that the true division of importance in the world is not between different countries. The important division is between those who are committed to reason, to working out things, to understanding other people, to peaceful resolution of their differences... and those who don't think that.'"

Associated Press: Katrina aid goes toward football condos
from the story: "With large swaths of the Gulf Coast still in ruins from Hurricane Katrina, rich federal tax breaks designed to spur rebuilding are flowing hundreds of miles inland to investors who are buying up luxury condos near the University of Alabama's football stadium.

"About 10 condominium projects are going up in and around Tuscaloosa, and builders are asking up to $1 million for units with granite countertops, king-size bathtubs and 'Bama decor, including crimson couches and Bear Bryant wall art."

Predictable...