Morning Roundup

Oh look, House members are going to actually have to work for almost a whole week.

Forget the minimum wage. Or outsourcing jobs overseas. The labor issue most on the minds of members of Congress yesterday was their own: They will have to work five days a week starting in January.

The horror.

The best quote comes from some random Republican who doesn’t want to work a full week, because it may hurt his “family”, or something.

"Keeping us up here eats away at families," said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), who typically flies home on Thursdays and returns to Washington on Tuesdays. "Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says."

What a tool. If you are so worried about your marriage and family, then don’t run for office. Your job is to run this country, a job that should be taken seriously. Sorry Repub, but there won’t be any do-nothing Congresses here, even with you trying to paint Democrats as anti-family because they expect you to go out and do your job.

Seriously, you shouldn’t have expected Democrats to run a do-nothing Congress, so I’m not sure about why this guy is so surprised. We aren’t under Republican control anymore, duh!

Other Bloggers: Gun Toting Liberal•Captain’s Quarters

• Bush has been briefed on the Iraq Study Group report. Some interesting info I’ve ran across:

From CNN -

"The country is tired of pure political bickering," Bush said.

The report says "the primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq should evolve into one of supporting the Iraqi Army."

It adds: "It's clear the Iraqi government will need U.S. assistance for some time to come, especially in carrying out new security responsibilities. Yet the U.S. must not make open-ended commitments to keep large numbers of troops deployed in Iraq."

From the AP -

The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating," the commission warned after an eight-month review of a conflict that has killed more than 2,800 U.S. troops and grown increasingly unpopular at home. The report was obtained by The Associated Press.

The report warned that if the situation continues to deteriorate, there is a risk of a "slide toward chaos (that) could trigger the collapse of Iraq's government and a humanitarian catastrophe."

"Neighboring countries could intervene. ....The global standing of the United States could be diminished. Americans could become more polarized," commissioners said.

From the NYT -

According to members of the panel, the group concluded that American forces in Iraq should make a major shift in priorities over the next year, withdrawing from combat in favor of beefing up the training of Iraq forces. It also called for stepped-up diplomatic efforts — including talks with Iran and Syria — not only to stabilize Iraq but to revive the peace process between Israel and Palestine, news services reported.

According to The Associated Press, the report describes the current situation in Iraq as “grave and dangerous.” And The Washington Post reported that the group recommends that Mr. Bush threaten to withhold economic and military support unless the government led by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki meets specific milestones for progress on security and political reconciliation.

As word of the likely recommendations leaked out recently, Mr. Bush has moved to distance himself on some points, while emphasizing that his administration is already pursuing others. The president has also requested a review of policy options from the Pentagon, and has made clear that he will regard the Study Group’s report as one input among many.

In particular, Mr. Bush has been adamant that he will not agree to any timetable for withdrawal, and has dismissed the idea of a “graceful exit.” He has also said repeatedly that he will not talk with Iran until the standoff with the United Nations over its nuclear program is resolved.

Basically, Bush has finally been informed that his Iraq policy is fucked, and that he needs to change it quickly, which may include *gasp* working in a bipartisan manner, and through diplomacy with Iraq’s neighbors.

Will we see a change that will work? Probably not, as Bush is still the guy in charge, and I highly doubt that he is able to save this mess. His entire way of thinking about this war has just been labeled as “wrong”, yet I doubt Bush is able/willing to change his way of thinking.

Let the games begin….

•

Oh noes!!!1!!1 Lesbos having babies, someone call the Republicans! O wait, it’s those lesbians.

WASHINGTON -- Mary Cheney, the openly gay daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney and wife Lynne, is pregnant, according to a published report.

Mary Cheney, 37, and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, 45, are "ecstatic" about the baby, due in late spring, The Washington Post reported in Wednesday's editions, quoting an unnamed source close to the couple.

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