In a side note to yesterday's post about the headline from a British paper that depicts the America of 2008 as if we were in another Great Depression, apparently the picture used to illustrate the piece was actually taken in 2005. I guess we've been in a Depression longer than most thought, eh?

Also from Great Britain, news that the government is putting it's planned troop drawdown in Iraq on hold.

The Kagans analyze what has been going on in Basra and the rest of Southern Iraq. Take note that they form the article into two parts, things that we know and things that we don't know, with some caveats about determining what we know. I have long since given up trying to analyze what is happening in Iraq. I know that to leave in haste is to announce to all, friends and enemies alike, that we are defeated. Beyond that, as to the consequences of such an action, or the consequences of staying, I cannot say.

Here is an argument for keeping at least 20,000 troops in Iraq as advisers, and why those advisers are crucial to any effort aimed at winning in that troubled place.

Maine is given a deadline of today to comply with the Federal Real ID requirement. New Hampshire, and some other reluctant states, has been given an extension. For those of us who frequently travel by air, this is a story to watch.