Four-leaf Clover Day

It might have been a good omen this AM when I took head out of paper and found myself agog over aerial shots of the Cliffs of Moher (sp?) in County Clare, Ireland, courtesy of the schlocky "Where is Matt Lauer" schtick on the Today show. In general, I work hard to deny the presence of the show during breakfast, wholly disgusted with the pretense of newscasting and the personality cult stuff.

But that scenery was quite beguiling.

Work and the paper are commonly less than that, so 700' cliffs and soaring seabirds definitely got my attention.

But it never fails to brighten my way and bring a grin to my day when I can as today route my lunchtime walk by way of The Laughing Buddha. "Tattoos and Piercing" reads the top of the sandwich board, with "Branding and Scarification" at the bottom. Everything you might want in one small shop!

And today there was the extra fillip of discovering that the largest Dove Tree (syn: Handkerchief Tree, Davidia involucrata) I know of is loaded with flowers this year and at the peak of bloom. This is a beguiling tree, with flowers that include large white bracts a la dogwood only larger, and dark center. Truly stunning.

And on the home front, I felt favored by visit from White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows, both in terrific color. More jaded birders resident at this address say these are "common," but as for me it was terrific, especially with Pine Sisken mixed in amongst them. And then there was the mini-flock of Goldfinches, three electric yellow males and a female, who hung around and entertained during dinner prep. I missed the Bewick's Wren, but then I am the old hand on that one, having tracked it through raspberry patch a couple weeks back.

Just to top it off, my rhubarb crisp is just starting to put our that savory aroma.

And we have veto #2 for savour.

Blood in the Water

I confess I am looking forward with some delight to the release of George Tenet's book. Much of the fallout though is likely to occur well before I ever get my hands on a copy, should I choose to, and I can live with that. Frankly, GT gives every appearance of having been a sap and a total fool, shocking for a person who cannot be anywhere near the total dolt he has played on tv, and he has a lot to answer to us for. He has had a good long chance (way too long!) to cook his book the way he wants and I prefer to let some of the first ripples bounce off the shore before I contemplate stripping down and wading in.

But the chum is already out there, causing a certain roiling of the waters for our entertainment. This courtesy of Digby:

Via Kevin, I see that James Fallows also noticed that Dan Bartlett told a little fib regarding one of Tenent's accusations:

Tenet, as mentioned earlier, would have better served his country (and his reputation) by speaking up more promptly about the Bush Administration’s failure ever to have a “serious debate” about whether it was worth invading Iraq.

But his failing was telling the truth too late — not sticking to, well, a lie like the one Bartlett uttered yesterday (according to the AP) as part of the White House’s attempt to rebut Tenet:

“This president weighed all the various proposals, weighed all the various consequences before he did make a decision.

”I say plainly: that is a lie. To be precise about it, no account of the administration’s deliberations, by anyone other than Bartlett just now, offers even the slightest evidence that this claim is true. Innumerable accounts offer ample evidence that it is false. I have asked this direct question to many interviewees who were in a position to know: was there ever such a meeting or discussion? The answer was always, No.

Actually, that's not precisely true. It has been documented that Bush sought advice from some people:

According to "Plan of Attack," Bush asked Rice and his longtime communications adviser, Karen Hughes, whether he should attack Iraq, but he did not specifically ask Powell or Rumsfeld. "I could tell what they thought," the president said. "I didn't need to ask their opinion about Saddam Hussein or how to deal with Saddam Hussein. If you were sitting where I sit, you could be pretty clear."

And then there was the Big Kahuna:

Bush said he did not remember asking the question of his father, former president George H.W. Bush, who fought Iraq in the 1991 Persian Gulf War..."You know he is the wrong father to appeal to in terms of strength. There is a higher father that I appeal to," Bush said.

So it's not really fair to claim that the president had just made up his mind without input or consideration --- he consulted with Condi, Karen and God. He just didn't weigh the options and consequences with his secretary of defense, State, the military or any experts. Let's not be unfair here.