You gotta get your ducks all in a row there before tooting those horns:

At a press conference she and Zebari said the negotiators were close to signing the deal but cautioned it had not yet been clinched.

Everyone says how intelligent you are, and after all you're the Secretary of State with a whole department working for you, or are they being allowed to.

Major Bush and McCain backer and casino owner, Sheldon Adelson is one ugly hombre. This expose from The New Yorker magazine, The World of Business: The Brass Ring, A multibillionaire’s relentless quest for global influence. by Connie Bruck was called to my attention.

The article begins with a lot of interest background material on Adelson's financial and political dealings. He is the third richest person in the U.S. He owns two Las Vegas casinos and uses his money to influence U.S. and Israeli policy toward an aggressive anti-arab policy. Only on the last two pages does it draw a connection to McCain and the current political campaign.

There may be such a thing as absolute truth, but evil is, without question, a relative commodity, especially when it comes to elections. I rejected Hillary Clinton as a suitable presidential candidate because of her penchant for kissing up to the neocons. She was going hook, line and sinker for their Iran narrative the same way she took the bait on Iraq. As president of the United States, John McCain would be the most dangerous human being in the history of civilization, so he made for an even worse candidate than Hillary.

On May 19, the (then) least of three evils made the most rational foreign policy statement uttered by a presidential candidate since World War II: "Iran, Cuba, Venezuela—these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us."

Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported on May 21 that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has proposed to speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi that “a naval blockade be imposed on Iran as one of several ways to pressure Iran into stopping its uranium enrichment program.”

Hmm. By whom did Olmert propose this naval blockade be imposed, I wonder? Israel’s navy could no sooner get to the Persian Gulf than Iran’s navy could charge up the Red Sea to assault the Israeli naval base at Haifa. Both maritime forces would sink of natural causes before they got anywhere close to each other.

The concept of this story is laughable enough, but the way the once respectable Haaretz told it is enough to make you spit your martini across the room.

Promoted by GreyHawk -- this is, IMO, significant, folks.

There has not been much publicity over Bush' upcoming trip to Israel. And why should there be, as the visit will only serve to again emphasize what a walking disaster the pResident is?

Bush To Make His First Visit To Israel

But Bush soldiers on as if reality is something that affects only distant galaxies. On the offensive again:

Bush says US would defend Israel if Iran attacks

JERUSALEM (AFP) - US President George W. Bush said Washington would defend its close ally Israel in the event of an Iranian attack, in remarks broadcast on Israeli army radio on Sunday.

"Whether there's an imminent attack coming, I don't think so," Bush said in excerpts of an interview with an Israeli television station to be aired in its entirety later in the day.

"If Iran did strike Israel... We will defend our ally, no ands, ifs or buts," he said.

Bush's statements came just days before he arrives in the region for his first visit since taking office in January 2001 and the first trip by a sitting US president since December 1998.

And offensive it is!

Just a reminder:

About two weeks before deciding to invade Iraq, President Bush was told by CIA Director George Tenet there was a "slam dunk case" that dictator Saddam Hussein had unconventional weapons, according to a new book by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward.

            -- From CNN

[Emphasis mine.]

Now back to the present, where we find this:

ISRAELI security officials are to brief President George W Bush on their latest intelligence about Iran’s nuclear programme - and how it could be destroyed - when he begins a tour of the Middle East in Jerusalem this week.

[...snip...]

Israeli intelligence is understood to agree that the project was halted around the time of America’s invasion of Iraq, but has “rock solid” information that it has since started up again.

            -- From Times Online

[Emphasis mine.]

"Rock Solid" must be the Israeli term for "Slam Dunk" this year.

Less than an hour ago former Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto was killed while addressing a rally. Apparently she was first shot and this was followed up by a suicide bombing that created a large explosion. Reportedly somewhere around 20 people were killed by the bomb. The outdoor rally was taking place in city near the Pakistani capital. She is someone I honor for her bravery.