In a horrible incident on July 13th, nine precious lives were lost when the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team out of Vicenza, Italy was attacked by enemy forces at their outpost in Wanat, Afghanistan.

moneysmith will honor four of these nine men in a beautiful diary later tonight.  This evening, I bring you a tribute to the five other soldiers: Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, 24, of Clinton, Tennessee, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, of Jasper, Georgia, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River, North Carolina, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling, 20, of Florissant, Missouri, and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad, 21, of Morganfield, Kentucky.

I recently gave an update on my PCS move to 82nd Airborne. I've learned that I am definitely deploying to Iraq "sometime around November."

We're about to leave for dinner so this Diary will be short and sweet.

You may know that Bob Barr has arrived at Netroots Nation.  He bought a one-day pass and decided to mingle with the assembled conventioneers.  And he drew a crowd.  I first spied him when Kate Sheppard of Grist was interviewing him about his environmental policies (a lot of "we don't know if man is causing global warming, we need further study, etc).  All of us wanted to talk to him, but we didn't quite know what to ask.  But after a couple of minutes it hit me, and my good buddy clammyc lent me his voice recorder and I sidled up to Barr to ask my first question.

Me: Rep. Barr, do you believe the impeachment of President Clinton was a good deterrent to the expansion of executive power and the establishment of the rule of law for the executive branch?

answer on the flip...

"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes." - Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki, Der Spiegel, 7/18/2008

With the words above, Barack Obama becomes the prohibitive favorite to win the White House in less than 4 months, if he wasn't before.

I guess McCain decided to go the "we're staying whether the Iraqis like it or not" route:

"His domestic politics require him to be for us getting out," said a senior McCain campaign official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "The military says 'conditions based' and Maliki said 'conditions based' yesterday in the joint statement with Bush. Regardless, voters care about [the] military, not about Iraqi leaders."

Normally, I write long Diaries - too long! some readers say - and I was prepared to crank one out today as well.

But, having read the news that Nuri al-Maliki thinks Senator Obama's withdrawal plan for Iraq has it about right, I've decided to keep it short. My contribution, in fact, is just three paragraphs, just to keep it FAQ-legal. I leave the heavy-lifting to someone else.

For years, the late, great, prescient Steve Gilliard blogged that the end of the American occupation would come in Iraq when the Iraqis kicked us out. That never stopped him from urging a withdrawal.

Here's what he wrote on September 30, 2003:

The US wants to hang about Iraq for years, writing a constitution and patronizing the Iraqis. Let's understand this: they will not tolerate it. The French know that one day, the Iraqis will kick the US out. They know the clock is running. And they are also revolted at the crony capitalism placed on the back of the Iraqis. ...

The Congress has to realize that we aren't going to get any help, or much money as long as Iraq serves as headquarters for a CPA which is totally isolated, crony capitalists who can't make anything work, and a US Army which kills indiscriminately. We can't "win" this war, as the pundits say. We don't even know what victory looks like. Bush assmued that Iraq was the first stop on his new crusade against the Mussulmen and well, it is turning out to be the last stop as well. It is time that Congress demand we start to leave Iraq and place the UN in charge.

And here is what he wrote on June 3, 2005:

It is time to end this war. End it, withdraw and let the Iraqis solve their own problems. We can only do ill in Iraq, not good. No matter how many schools we build, hospitals we restore, we will be hated as all invaders are hated until we leave. We have brought death and misery to Iraq and there is no hope of it ending until we leave. As long as we stay in Iraq, Iraqis will seek to kill and maim us.

We can kick around various plans, but at the end, the only solution is to leave, the question is how, orderly or in a fighting retreat to Kuwait.

And, one more, what he wrote on May 9, 2006:

American foreign policy has been addicted to power and fear for a long time, as our Central American neighbors can tell you. But we backed the torturers, we didn't take their place, unleash angry young men on them, ship them to places where torture was the rule of the day, then dump them in Albania as a mistake or because they have no place else to go.

Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush made a fatal error, not because we have to worry about Iraqis blowing up buildings years from now, but because we gave away the advantage of clean hands. It may not be much, but it gave us the moral high ground to save dissisents and press for human rights. Vietnam may have ben wrong, but it was based on real fears and was logical. There was an army and a government and we chose sides. Iraq had no sides, just exiles with a siren song only fools heard.

But now, they disdained what they should have held deeply. They thought they could act in any way, because 9/11 would brook no questions. Torture, aggressive war, it didn't matter because we were America, we ruled the world, and other people would follow along. ..

The excuse for violating what we once rejected was more than hubris. Every society has sadists. Most keep them under check, few allow them real power. Rumsfeld unleashed them, their worst instincts justified and it went from CENTCOM down to their field. Sadism is a controllable act, like any other act. Sadists can be controlled. But not when the allure of torture seems near, the ability to solve problems through force. Rumsfeld unleashed these people because he thought they had an easy solution to a difficult problem.

But instead, they allows children to be raped and the innocent murdered for no gain. None.

We had embraced what we had fought so hard to end, not because we were inherently evil, but because it was one more easy thing to do for a man who always chosen the easy, wrong path.

I would like to think we will redeem ourselves one day, that the sadists and their bosses will face justice, real justice, in a large court for the world to see, to redeem the promise of what was begun at Nuremberg.

Rest in peace, Steve. We miss your voice so very much.

I'm always curious about how events like NN08 are covered so I poke around to see who's saying what.  I thought I'd pass along some of the more interesting bits I've found. It's not an exhaustive list.  Please feel free to add your finds in the comments.  

So, here's a round up of news and blog coverage of Netroots Nation through about 2pm EST on Saturday.  Check out the links including lots of video links below the fold.

Here's yesterday's edition.

Cross-posted at Reality Window

[From the diaries - BarbinMD]

Stupid is as stupid does.

The White House this afternoon accidentally sent to its extensive distribution list a Reuters story headlined "Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan - magazine."

The story relayed how Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told the German magazine Der Spiegel that "he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months ... ‘U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes,'" the prime minister said.

The White House employee had intended to send the article to an internal distribution list, ABC News' Martha Raddatz reports, but hit the wrong button.

My take: The WH was obviously freaking out after the announcement that al-Maliki supports Obama's plan, and of course was planning to email this around internally get some some advice from advisers and get their talking points together. This also ensures additional coverage of this issue. The Obama camp of course has already pounced on this:

The national security adviser to the Obama campaign, Susan Rice, said the senator welcomed Maliki's support.

"This presents an important opportunity to transition to Iraqi responsibility, while restoring our military and increasing our commitment to finish the fight in Afghanistan," Rice said in a statement Saturday.

This is just starting to hit the media; unlike McCain leaking Obama's travel schedule, this is just too big to ignore. The implications are huge, when you consider what would have happened had the opposite occurred:

To really understand the importance of Maliki's comments, you need to consider their opposite. Imagine if Maliki had walked in front of the cameras and said, "at this stage, a timetable for withdrawal is unrealistic, and we hope our American friends will not bow to domestic political pressures and be hasty in leaving Iraq just as the country improves." It would be a transformative moment in this election. John McCain would talk of nothing else. The cable shows would talk of nothing else. Magazines would run thousands of covers about "Obama's Iraq Problem." Obama would probably lose the race.

Indeed.

Update: I just had to relay this post on what the al-Maliki statement means for McCain (per Ambinder):

Via e-mail, a prominent Republican strategist who occasionally provides advice to the McCain campaign said, simply, "We're fucked." No response yet from the McCain campaign, although here's what McCain said the last time Maliki mentioned withdrawal: "Since we are succeeding, then I am convinced, as I have said before, we can withdraw and withdraw with honor, not according to a set timetable. And I’m confident that is what Prime Minister Maliki is talking about, since he has told me that for many meetings we’'ve had."

DIGG IT UP!!

As in:

Via e-mail, a prominent Republican strategist who occasionally provides advice to the McCain campaign said, simply, "We're fucked."

That's in response, in particular, to the news that Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki endorsed Obama's timeline for getting US troops out of Iraq.

This doesn't help their cause either:

We're here at Netroots Nation with your favorite group of people, Netroots For The Troops.  We are gathered in Room 14 (upstairs on the 4th floor), making care packages and sending them to 101 servicepersons.  All are invited to help pack a box.

We are also selling t-shirts to help cover the cost of mailing these packages.  We are taking donations.  

Final Update, #7.  

I'm just going to post everything instead of picking and choosing.  My apologies in advance if your computer crashes.

For those of you that have nothing to do right now, we are charged with cleaning up the room and our table in the exhibition hall.  The more hands, the lighter the work.

Today was the first opportunity I have had to see Al Gore in person. [update: actually, check that--it's the 2nd time.  I did see him once before briefly in Los Angeles promoting An Inconvenient Truth.]

Even at my comparatively young age, I'm fairly jaded when it comes to celebrities of any stripe.  Even though I lived for almost eight years in the middle of Los Angeles, I rarely glimpsed media or film celebrities and never cared when I did.  Usually, when I see a politician or  major figure for the first time in the flesh I have the typical "letdown" reaction: they seem neither as charismatic nor as engaging as they do on television or YouTube.

Al Gore is just...different.  Sitting three tables away from the main stage where Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi took questions from the audience, I could feel the energizing vibe of the former Vice-President's visionary and charismatic appeal in a way that appalls me when I see it in other "fanboys/girls".  But with Al, call me naive: I just can't help myself.

Those of you who were unable to be here have been crying for photos, descriptions, liveblogging, video, and all sorts of other fun stuff. I aim to please. Make the jump and I'll share photos from the last couple days.

We're here in Austin at Netroots Nation and our panel -- Organizing for Change: An Inside Look at Obama For America's Grassroots Strategy -- is about to begin. Deputy Campaign Manager Steve Hildebrand, New Media Director Joe Rospars, Ohio General Election Director Jeremy Bird, and Georgia Deputy Field Director Joy Cushman, are all here to share stories and insights from the campaign and take questions.

Here's the official description and I'll be providing live updates after the jump...

In this panel, you'll learn about how the Obama campaign built an unprecedented grassroots movement -- from the way the campaign uses community organizing principles in its local field operations, to the campaign's use of online tools that empower supporters to self-organize, to the training a new generation of grassroots leaders through our Organizing Fellows program. And you'll learn about why the Obama campaign is the first in a generation to pursue a 50-state strategy, engaging new people and empowering supporters from all across the country to not only win an election, but build a long-term movement for progressive change.

Nobel Peace Prize recipient Al Gore made a SURPRISE appearance at Netroots Nation!

► Al wants everyone to visit his website We Can Solve It.org.
           

► We Love You, Barack!!!                                                                                                                          

First photo of Barack, Hagel, Jack Reed, Amb. William Wood, and members of the 101st Airborne from Bagram.

► Kuwait
*

Before you say, "what the fuck???", hear me out.

It is clear that the corporate media is willing to ask John McCain the tough questions like "don’t you think that Obama is a flip flopper", and that his repeated gaffes, double speak, lies, pandering and outright crazy talk is not only being ignored but is being dismissed as something that he "didn’t mean" or that he "has enough credibility anyway" or is "no big deal" - when what he says and does is far, FAR worse than anything that Obama may or may not have said.

And yet, Obama still holds leads in every poll (even when the results or samples are skewed) and is doing a pretty good job of defending himself from the outrageous attacks and smears.  Hell, he beat back the Edwards and Clinton campaigns pretty soundly - which is a very impressive thing.  However and more importantly, by continuing to defend himself (or for us to spend so much time defending him), we are missing an opportunity to set the narrative on McCain and force him to go on defense.  And when McCain is forced to go on the defensive, we see the angry, unstable, hothead McCain that is being hidden from millions of voters..

Just wanted to let everyone know that we're streaming the "Ask the Speaker" session at Netroots Nation live.  It features Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gina Cooper and Jeffrey Feldman.  The Speaker will answer some of the tough questions posed at askthespeaker.org.

You won't want to miss this because we've got a surprise guest coming as well.

update: The surprise guest is Al Gore! Enjoy!

Click here to watch live.

Good Morning gardeners! Frankie can’t be with us today.  She wrote me a few days ago saying she had some unexpected personal matters that would make her unable to host the Garden Blog today.  She asked me to stand in, and I told her I’d be glad to help out.  Some of us, myself included, look forward to participating most Saturday mornings. If the diary didn’t appear, who knows how many people would be hitting refresh on their browsers repeatedly, perhaps for an hour or more. That won't happen today thanks to Frankie's planning.

I intended to post some photos of my trip to Holland this week so I will do it here in the body of the diary.  Earlier in July, we visited my wife’s cousin in Holland.  I have some garden-related pics below the fold.  

Really.   As I write, it is a bit past 7 AM in my room at the Hilton in Austin Texas, on what promises to be another fairly hot day.  It is also quite warm already.  Saying the day will be fairly hot refers to how this day will begin, with our Ask the Speaker event with Nancy Pelosi.  And I am sure that more than one person will offer opinions about that event, perhaps even several live-blogging it as it occurs.

This diary, however, has an entirely different purpose.  It will be my only even semi-serious writing effort at least until I arrive at the airport on my journey home tomorrow. Herein I will explain why I am not writing - even comments - most of the time I am here, and offer a brief explanation of what has been for me the most significant moments of this trip Deep in the Heart of Texas.  Since both of these are likely of importance only to me, perhaps that will explain the title.  

Continue reading if like the proverbial feline (aka pootie) you find your curiosity being piqued.