I usually, of a morning, scan the headlines on the Washington Post online, including the opinion section on the upper left of the front page. And usually, when I see Charles Krauthammer has some new chum for wingnutfish flung there, I shake my head and move on - why should I burden my brain with the rantings of a sociopathic psychiatrist?

Today, however, when I saw this headline: "How to Stop Putin" I cruised over to see the bait.

What I found was an indicator of just how bankrupt American foreign policy has become under the Bush-Cheney Republicans.

As reported earlier on this site by SiliconValleyBritThe Guardianhas reported that Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia has been cited in a UK court proceeding:

Saudi Arabia's rulers threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted, according to court documents revealed yesterday. . . . Prince Bandar, the head of the Saudi national security council, and son of the crown prince, was alleged in court to be the man behind the threats to hold back information about suicide bombers and terrorists. He faces accusations that he himself took more than £1bn in secret payments from the arms company BAE.

What vill Ahnold say - about his wife, Maria Shriver, endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama?

1. She is her own voman, and I can't control her urges.

2. Der Kennedys always shtick toogeder, especially ven it comes to politics.

3. Who is dis Barack Osama? He is a girly man. My wife loves der girlymen.

4. Come November, Maria vill be my slave vonce more.

5. She saw me shpeaking to Hillary at the Hollywood extravaganza and this is her way of making me feel sorry for dat.

6. I am a secret admirer of der Obamaman myself. But McCain has promised that he vill manipulate der Constitution so I can be his President of Vice.

It looks as though Barack Obama is now within striking distance of an upset win in Iowa. New Hampshire votes literally on the heels of the Iowa caucuses this year - so short a lag will it be, three days, that the MSM and its corporatist agenda will have scant time to influence the interpretation of an Obama win beyond bare reporting. Now we hear that Obama may have closed to within 10 point of Clinton in the bellwether state of New Hampshire, and maybe even with her in South Carolina. This race is now at least semi-officially "wide open." So what about my own favorite right now, John Edwards?

There is a "crisis" in my community. I think it may be a political opportunity. Please help me – oh ye wise oracle of kos-community - with some advice on how I might proceed.

I, along with my strong, loving wife and my above average child, live in a suburban community on the edge of a mid-size city in the purpling southland of America.

We have a "homeowners’ association" arrangement, whereby we pay $50 per month and receive certain services – including a community swimming pool! – in exchange for our compliance with the "community covenants" that we had to sign as condition of purchasing our lovely property in this lovely subdivision community.

If I’m losing you, ye more energy efficient of my fellow kossacks, let me quickly state the case:

This community I live in, this suburban utopia, this electoral precinct that went 66% for G. Felix "Macaca" Allen in the last general election, may be ripe for political education!

Here, at last we have a Republican plan to lipstick the Iraq pig.

The AP is reporting that Senator Warner is calling on the President to reduce combat forces in Mesopotamia.

We have been treated this week to an unmistakable demonstration of the utter contempt the White House "team" harbors for American Constitutional government - in both foreign policy and the administration of justice.

The question then: What is to be done?

The inspiration for this diary came to me from Keith Olbermann's"Countdown's D.C. Idol" contest, in which we are invited to vote for song stylings by a list of familiar Washington politicians. I encourage you to follow the lil linky and go vote for your favorite.

Personally, my bits are on John "I'm Not the Attorney General He Is" Ashcroft for his rendition of a song he wrote himself, entitled "Let the Eagle Soar!"

Below the flip I have provided some alternative lyrics, to be sung to the tune of Mr. Ashcroft's soon to be award winning adventure into the twerpsichore - I give you "Let the Treacle Pour!"

My wife was in the local post office yesterday. CNN on the TV for all to see. Cheney's mug. Title bar: "Cheney: Enemy Within the Administration?"

Larisa Alexandrovna yesterday added to the collective anxiety about White House personnel changes, publishing a piece in Raw Story on our newly designated Director of National Intelligence, John Michael "Mike" McConnell. Officials believe White House chose new Intelligence chief in effort to darken Iran Intelligence Estimate, broaden domestic surveillance.Seems that our worser fears are confirmed by the folks whom the reliable investigative journalist Larisa spoke with on the subject.

{flip}

I had a dream last night, the night of the Winter Solstice.

I dreamed I was at a Christmas party – or a holiday party, perhaps, because Bill O’Reilly wasn’t there. But people he would know were there. People whom I recognized, and whom you would too. The place was adorned with glittering Washington journalistical-type people.

It was a weird setting, an indistinct place, with walls that glowed with a soft ethereal light – sort of like one might imagine heaven, or an evening ballroom in a very high-class hotel.

Don’t ask me how or why I got there. I just appeared or beamed in, I guess. My recounting of this dream also is rather impressionistic – it was a real dream, after all, I’m saying.

More on the flip . . .

The Richmond Free Press, a weekly broadsheet with wide circulation in the Virginia capital, and with especially significant influence among African Americans, issued a ringing endorsement for Jim Webb. This comes on the heels of a strong endorsement on Wednesday by Richmond Mayor, L. Douglas Wilder. Jim Webb has shown great appeal in Northern Virginia. There has been some concern about his strength in other parts of the state, and especially among African Americans who normally vote heavily for Democrats. We can now, I think,  expect an enthusiastic turnout for Jim Webb in Richmond.

Below the fold I give you the text of the RFP editorial endorsement. It is used in its entirety with permission of the Richmond Free Press.

UPDATE 2: The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund calls the award they are giving Sen Allen the "Thurgood Marshall Community Leadership Award."

UPDATE: At the suggestion of commenters, I have confirmed that Sen Allen is indeed receiving the Thurgood Marshall Community Leadership Award from the [Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund http://www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org/index.htm], New York, NY. This is not to be confused with the prestigious Thurgood Marshall Award sponsored by the American Bar Association.

Yes. You read that right. G. Felix Allen will receive the so-called Thurgood Marshall Community Leadership Award at the National Press Club on September 7th, to honor his "support for historically black colleges and, in particular, public historically black colleges" according to Dwayne Ashley, president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. Allen will receive the award along with Mike Johanns, Secretary of the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, NASA administrator, Michael Griffin, Kase Lawal, Chairman and CEO of CAMAC International Corp., and Mary McAllister, a state representative in the North Carolina legislature.

Ambassador Joe Wilson began making disquieting noises after the 2003 SOTU speech in numerous closed-door meetings, saying that "the record must be corrected" with respect to Iraq and the Niger Yellowcake story.

Leopold quotes Ambassador Wilson:

"I had direct discussions with the State Department, Senate committees," Wilson said during a speech last Thursday. "I had numerous conversations to change what they were saying publicly. I had a civic duty to hold my government to account for what it had said and done. . . .  Nothing more, nothing less than challenging the government to come clean on this matter," Wilson said. "That's all I did."

WTF???