5 pages of nothing new --
I know I'm not the only one who heard nothing new in the president's "major speech" last night. But this piece by William Saletan sums up my thoughts better than I can... I guess, technically, the part about razing Abu Ghraib was new, but it's also symbolic of the Bush administration response to anything reflecting badly on the administration: Bulldoze it! (The speechwriters were working overtime to make Bush look "in command," though: "I have instructed...," "at my direction...," "I will send...," "I've asked...," "I've directed..." Unfortunately, those assertions weren't followed by any new initiatives or plans.) Meanwhile, just as so many warned at the outset of the invasion of Iraq, US actions there continue to inspire new legions of terrorists from all over the region. And is the UK trying to distance itself just a bit from US policies in Iraq?

Losing control of the media, too? --
You know they just hate it when they can't keep everyone on message.

Tax exemption for Texas Unitarians --
Deciding, apparently, that Unitarianism is a religion, afterall, Comptroller Strayhorn reversed her decision on their tax-exempt status.