Our buddies the Saudies are rather concerned about Iraq:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 - Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, said Thursday that he had been warning the Bush administration in recent days that Iraq was hurtling toward disintegration, a development that he said could drag the region into war.

"There is no dynamic now pulling the nation together," he said in a meeting with reporters at the Saudi Embassy here. "All the dynamics are pulling the country apart." He said he was so concerned that he was carrying this message "to everyone who will listen" in the Bush administration.

Prince Saud's statements, some of the most pessimistic public comments on Iraq by a Middle Eastern leader in recent months, were in stark contrast to the generally upbeat assessments that the White House and the Pentagon have been offering.

...

The prince said he served on a council of Iraq's neighboring countries - Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran and Kuwait as well as Saudi Arabia - "and the main worry of all the neighbors" was that the potential disintegration of Iraq into Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish states would "bring other countries in the region into the conflict."

Turkey, he noted, has long threatened to send troops into northern Iraq if the Kurds there declare independence. Iran, he asserted, is already sending money and weapons into the Shiite-controlled south of Iraq and would probably step up its relationship, should the south become independent. Saudi Arabia has long been wary of Iran's influence in the region, given that it is a Shiite theocracy.

"This is a very dangerous situation," he said, "a very threatening situation."

It's hard to read the tea leaves on this (for me, anyway). Does the fact that the Saudi foreign minister is saying this publicly mean that things are significantly worse now than before?

[link]

I know that people often have "plants" in the press corps, everyone does it. But, they are usually smart enough to know who the person is and not call on them for a question if they're not there.

It turned out Bianca was there - she was just in the back with her headphones on, because she did not have a question.

More to the point, who in the well-oiled White House machine is blabbing? Karl Rove is practically peeing rocks over it -- oh wait.

It's not good to think of Our Leader going on a bender. I want a leader who is stone sober, so that he may face his triumphs and mistakes both with equanimity.

cynically, I wonder if the off the wagon rumors are to justify his dumb ass stupid behavior over the last few weeks as being the result of a disease relapse rather than being the dumbest ass dumb ass that ever walked the planet.

"Oh, I KNEW the leader of the Free World couldn't be that frightfully, offensively, dangerously stupid and unaware! NOW I see what the problem is. Poor guy."

so that he may face his triumphs and mistakes both with equanimity.

I'm sorry, have you met our current president? There's no amount of sober that'll do that, as far as I can tell.

Unless they are setting GWB up so that Cheney can take over.

Unless they are setting GWB up so that Cheney can take over

"I felt a disturbance in the force, of millions of souls crying out in terror . . ."

Unless we can jigger with Cheney's heart medications, put him in the hospital, and pull in Condi to give the Good Ol' Boys aneurysms.

"It's not only a woman in charge! It's a black woman!"

Heh.

LALALALA - Not going to let my super happy FRIDAY get derailed.

I think I want pie for lunch dessert. I am not sure of a good pie source nearby.

I think Cheney's aware that he cuts a disastrous figure as a leader, which is why he disappears for months on end. Even to a republican audience, he comes across as a vaguely sinister man; although that can be turned to advantage in an audience expecting to like you (He is the unpleasant toad that keeps us all safe!), it doesn't tend to play well to the middle.

I'm sorry, have you met our current president? There's no amount of sober that'll do that, as far as I can tell.

All right, I'd like for him to face his poll numbers with equanimity, how's that? It's probably a bit much to expect actual self-reflection from a public figure, but I do expect alert and reactive consciousness when good news and bad news come knocking.

It's probably a bit much to expect actual self-reflection from a public figure

I'm sure there are plenty of public figures that can have as much self-reflection as us mundanes. They mightn't do it where we can see it, but I don't do it where they can see it either. I don't think lack of perspective is a requirement for the gig.