Before I comment on this entry, some comments on my own about where we are in the Presidential race.

The pettiness and lack of focus on issues of substance on one side while the other side gets a free ride are clear examples of why we need a revision of our process. I have two thoughts on needed revisions.

First, why is there this gap between the contests between early March and Pennsylvania's primary? The gap has allowed all sorts of buffoonry to creep in. If we need a mid-primary season break, then let it be no longer than 3 weeks.

Overall, why do we have this kind of schedule? Shouldn't the primaries start in February so voters have a chance to get past the holidays and get back to a business like focus? I would like to see a cluster of 5-6 states from relatively geographical parts of the country vote every two weeks starting in late January or early February. With that kind of schedule, we would have time for the candidates to campaign in person in those states personally and be done in 18 weeks.

Second, shouldn't all parties either choose their candidates by winner-take-all or by apportioned delegates? Had the Republicans used the apportioned delegates approach within their states, then McCain might not have wrapped up the nomination so early, treating us to continued long term competition on both sides.

Just some thoughts.

This article gives some insights I'm not otherwise hearing a lot about. Those insights are that the Sunnis have rejected Al Qaeda and that the coming conflict keeping us tied down in Iraq will be between Sunni and Shia militias. Why the hell we didn't disarm all militias within the first 6 months of the occupation will be a question military arm chair strategists will be debating for generations.

Here's a link to the article.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/174916/patrick_cockburn_petraeus_s_ghost