It's difficult to follow new activity on this forum since there seems to be no way to see new, follow-up comments (threads) on an initial post without opening each post individually. It would be nice if the latest ten comments/posts could be made available.

The withdrawal of troops next year will occur if the estimates of the
Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs holds true. We cannot sustain our
military presence at the present levels, according to their estimates.
We are running our of the necessary resources. Basically, the military
is on the verge of being "broken."

A Glorious Day
"The larger the mob, the harder the test. In small areas, before small electorates, a first-rate man occasionally fights his way through, carrying even the mob with him by force of his personality. But when the field is nationwide, and the fight must be waged chiefly at second and third hand, and the force of personality cannot so readily make itself felt, then all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most easily adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum. The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
- H.L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

The AG has resigned. Now the question is: How will Bush approach naming a replacement? He can't really afford a full confirmation hearing in the Senate. That would expose the entire DOJ and possibly the entire administration to full exposure of all the illegal acts.

It appears that the internal rot of this administration is finally starting to escalate into a real collapse.