Here is what always happens when I post sporadically. In between posts, I accumulate dozens of links to all kinds of stories, and then I can't figure out how to present them in a tidy fashion. I read through them all again, get thoroughly depressed, and set them all aside for yet another day.

But there's some good and timely stuff in my link list, and so I shall buck up and pin them below. And I'll also post a cute new kitten picture, like one of these this one (update: the second picture has been moved to the end of this post to see if it fixes the format problem!)...

and we can all feel warm and fuzzy for a moment. Then we'll get back to the infuriating business at hand.

Transitions:

Keith Olbermann wrote a really classy tribute to Peter Jennings.

The UK Guardian reprinted an excerpt from an incredible speech by Robin Cook, who died last weekend.

Iraq:

Here is a riveting profile of a "changed man." (It's a WaPo story, so [free] registration is required.)

Here is disturbing evidence of the prevalence of female circumcision in Iraq.

Here is further proof (if you really needed it) that chickenhawks are every bit as shameless and slimey as you thought. Nothing is beneath them - except maybe the sticky trail of ooze they leave everywhere they pass. (And here is a link to Moveon.Org's statement of support to Cindy Sheehan. Please "sign" it.)

Joseph Galloway ponders the no-doubt-purely-coincidental-connection between the proposed date for a draw-down of American forces in Iraq, and the upcoming midterm elections.

Environment:

A judge has ruled that Bush's No Tree Left Behind plan is illegal.

The space shuttle astronauts described widespread environmental damage visible even from their rather lofty perspective.

"Unusual weather patterns" are blamed for alarming disruptions and deaths in the ecosystems of the Pacific coast this year.

Global warming could also be making hurricanes stronger...

...And it's melting a peat bog the size of France and Germany combined in western Siberia.

But (be still my heart), even the toughest holdouts are convinced that at least a pair of Ivory Billed Woodpeckers is alive and (hopefully) well in Arkansas! (Shoot; that link is already archived. Try this one.)

Dark Days:

Here is a very candid interview with Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA).

I suppose it really explains a lot about Bush supporters, if this is really "the kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with"?

Asked about continued political challenges such as Iraq and Social Security, Bush said he doesn't care about the polls.

"Q But power is perception.

"THE PRESIDENT: Power is being the President."

The energy bill Bush just signed makes it easier for commercial interests to buy and transport weapons-grade uranium. (Via TLC.)

Where Bush gets his silver-tongued way with words. Funny! Via Air America.

I'm sure you've heard. It's already having repercussions. And now the White House is holding up the other documents they promised -- so that they can see what other surprises are in there. Don't they usually do this kind of thing before announcing the nominee? They must be a little short-staffed right now.

Dark Ages:

Catholic church officials in Canada are threatening to deny baptism to the children of gay and lesbian couples.

Lawyers for the Archdiocese of Portland argued that a priest who fathered a child should not have to pay child support because - ready? - the woman who got pregnant could have used birth control to prevent it.

I wish I had seen this.

USA Today felt it necessary to publish a counterpoint to an editorial supporting teaching evolution (I can't believe we're even using this kind of terminology - as if this is a cause that must be defended. It's science!), and Chris Mooney took them to task. Here is an excerpt from his upcoming book - a chapter on the "evolution" of Intelligent Design "theory."

Can't we all just get along?

Katrina vanden Heuvel answers Michael Lerner's charge that the left (as represented by her magazine) is, in great part, hostile to religion.

Mark Morford discovered that he really is intolerant.

Is this study of Democrats believable? If so, I'm speechless:

The good news for Democrats: All the groups expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of the country and with the leadership of the president and the GOP-controlled Congress.

Then came the bad news: "As powerful as the concern over these issues is, the introduction of cultural themes -- specifically gay marriage, abortion, the importance of the traditional family unit and the role of religion in public life -- quickly renders them almost irrelevant in terms of electoral politics at the national level," the study said.

Many of these voters still favor Democrats on economic issues. But they see the Democrats as weak on national security, and on cultural and moral issues, they view Democrats as both inconsistent and hostile to traditional values. "Most referred to Democrats as 'liberal' on issues of morality, but some even go so far as to label them 'immoral,' 'morally bankrupt,' or even 'anti-religious,' " according to the Democracy Corps analysis.

(Updated with a format change to try to make things fit.)