deaths in iraq

Running late this morning.

There is significant badness in Paul Ryan’s new budget. Tax cuts for the rich and corporations, benefit cuts for Grandma and the poor.

Joe Scarborough, with his political commentary, misses the point. Instead, he embraces one of the conservative themes about why Afghanistan has gone so wrong. The conservative mantra is that nation building is always wrong. So that  was the problem in Afghanistan. Wrong. In my mind the problem was more complex. It was both a lack of focus and a lack of execution. It is easy to blame “breaking” conservative principles as the reason for Afghanistan’s quagmire/failure. Then you can continue to hold onto your conservative ideals. It becomes harder if you point the finger at execution.

Romney wins Iowa… Florida… Oh, we are now in Illinois. He has won Illinois. I knew that. This Republican primary feels like fingernails on a chalkboard?

Florida and the “Stand your ground” law is under significant scrutiny after the shooting of Trayvon Martin.

French police are now in a standoff with the gunman who killed three children and a Rabbi. The gunmen supposedly has ties to Al Qaeda.

Generic drugs seem to be immune to lawsuits. Curious. Supreme Court supposedly gave them immunity from label warnings? Really.

Daily aspirin seems to be associated with a decrease in developing cancer.

From Steve:

At least 43 reported deaths in Iraq: “As Iraq prepares to showcase itself to the world next week with a highly anticipated gathering of Arab leaders, a string of suicide attacks and car bombings on Tuesday morning offered a bloody reminder that insurgent violence still wreaks havoc with the country’s tenuous stability.”

Mexican earthquake: “A strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Mexico on Tuesday, shaking central and southern parts of the country … but the president said there were no immediate reports of major damage.”

In Florida, a grand jury is poised to investigate the Trayvon Martin case. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the FBI have also opened an investigation.

President Obama will visit Korea’s DMZ this weekend.

The “grand bargain” Obama House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) last summer is no longer on the table.

* If you missed the story about William Rehnquist’s 1950s-era memos, it’s a gem.

Carl Hiaasen has some compelling thoughts on a new Florida law that mandates random drug tests for state employees, but exempts the politicians who passed the law.

Marine Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told lawmakers today the mission in Afghanistan is still “on track.”

And on a related note, Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), a war critic, told Gen. Allen the war is being financed by borrowed money from “the Chinese, Uncle Chang.” For one thing, that’s not true, and the vast majority of U.S. debt is not owned by China. For another, “Uncle Chang”? Seriously?