Morning copy 11.25.2005

The war over the war in Iraq

Col. Mat Moten at West Point tells his cadets that they may be charged with rebuilding the army. The woes in men and materiel are explored in the USA Today:

A series of Pentagon and congressional reports show the bill for worn-out equipment is climbing, recruiting is suffering and stress has become a serious occupational hazard for U.S. troops.

In case you were under a rock last week, you can read about John Murtha on page 2 of today's Washington Post:

Last week, as Murtha prepared for his speech, he spoke to Pelosi, to whom he is close. According to aides who were privy to the conversation, she warned Murtha that "this is going to be a huge deal" and that people would "come after him." His reply: "I can handle it. I'm ready for anything."

In case you were under a rock for the last few months, page 1 of the Post outlines the two challenges George W. Bush faces:

That leads to the White House's most daunting political problem. Even if Iraq is someday viewed as a success -- and Bush's decision to try to make that country a democratic beacon in the Middle East seen as visionary -- it is an open question whether this proof can arrive during his presidency. Most military appraisals of Iraq foresee a long road of violence and instability ahead, as well as a substantial U.S. troop presence for the indefinite future.

The New York Times on Iraqi run prisons:

But the influx of new prisoners - the population of the four American-run prisons here has doubled over the past year, and Iraqi jails are packed - has overwhelmed the Iraqi authorities, rights groups say. And while the scandal in Abu Ghraib prison ushered in new reforms in American-run jails, the mushrooming Iraqi detention facilities operate virtually unchecked.

Iraq's Red Crescent relief organization has donated $1 million for Katrina relief, Washington Times.

Iran, Iran, Iran!!!

The Washington Times has two stories on Iran's nuclear program. The first is about U.S. intelligence agencies that are convinced Iran is pursuing nukes. The second story is about the European Union accusing Iran of the same.

Andrew Stuttaford at NRO's The Corner quotes liberally, ironic pun intended, from a Guardian op-ed on Iran. That op-ed concludes:

For every step we take to slow down the nuclearisation of Iran, we need another to speed up the democratisation of Iran. At every stage, we need to explain to the Iranian people, through satellite television, radio and the internet, what we are doing and why. Isfahan is not just the increasingly notorious location of a nuclear processing plant; it's also a beautiful city where many critical citizens live. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a reckless leader, but there are many other Mahmouds in Iran. We must listen to them. In the end, it's they, not we, who will change their country for the better.

Samuel "Scalito" Alito

The Washington Post on "reapportionment":

Those 20-year-old words are highly inflammatory to civil rights groups marshaling forces against President Bush's choice to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. But the White House and a key Republican ally this week were spreading the word that Alito has privately assured senators he has no intention of overturning the Warren Court's reapportionment precedents. Democrats, for their part, refuse to say what, if anything, Alito has told them on the subject.

California

The Los Angeles Times on the impact GOP buget cuts will have:

The bill includes provisions that, in California, would make it tougher to get child support from tens of thousands of deadbeat parents, would strip food stamps from legal immigrants, and would make less money available to doctors who treat low-income patients.

Amid pressure from Democrats in the Legislature, Schwarzenegger had sent an extensive letter to California's congressional delegation earlier this month, expressing concern about the proposal's impact on the state. Every California Republican in Congress voted for it nonetheless.

Newz

The first Thanksgiving was in Massachusetts, after all. The Boston Globe:

Blue laws? Huh?

That was the reaction at the Super 88 Market chain, whose six Boston-area supermarkets were open yesterday despite 17th-century legislation that prohibits large retail stores from operating on Thanksgiving.

Managers and employees contacted at five of the Super 88 stores said they knew nothing about the warnings issued by Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly last week telling retailers to stay closed on turkey day or face criminal charges. At the Quincy location on Hancock Street, they found out at 11:30 a.m. yesterday, when police, acting on a tip that the store was abuzz with customers, ordered it to close.

Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico, was never drafted by the Kansas City Athletics, AP.

Michael "Brownie" Brown -- who did a heck of a job with Katrina -- "is starting a disaster preparedness consulting firm to help clients avoid the sort of errors that cost him his job," AP.