Bush Recantation Of Iraq Claim Stirs Calls For Probes

I guess they know that when a scandal is erupting the best thing to do is be the first to announce it. That way you can ask to be forgiven and maybe control the direction of the scandal. But they only admitted it after credible sources had gone public with it. I expect them to start trying to spin this to demonstrate how open they are, while we still have Cheney trying to prevent the Executive branch from ever being sued to turn over documents of any kind (executive privilege applied to anything the President does, ever), or the Justice department providing minders for any of its employees being interviewed by the 9/11 commission. I firmly believe that 50 years from now, or sooner, this administration will be looked upon as one of the weakest ever. Much, much sooner.   11:51:23 PM    

Harry Potter and the Childish Adult [LISNews.com]

Of course, I wonder about a reviewer who states:

I know that part of the reason I read Tolkien when I'm ill is that there is an almost total absence of sexuality in his world, which is restful.

A.S. Byatt is author, most recently, of the novel 'A Whistling Woman.'

11:37:41 PM    

Interviews and Intimidation. INTERVIEWS AND INTIMIDATION....Asked about efforts to root out Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction back in January, George Bush had this to say:The inspectors are there to verify whether or not he is disarming. You hear these reports about Iraqi... [CalPundit]

I guess it is okay to intimidate if it is our own officials that need to be intimidated. Having minders present for our own investigations does not seem like a good way to get information. But then, Congressional investigations are usually never a source for information anyway. They usually do their stuff AFTER everyone already knows what the answer will be. Only in rare circumstances, such as shuttle investigations, does it work out differently. perhaps it is becuase they have scientists and engineers involved who hate to see reality warped in the manner that Congressional investigations often do.  11:09:20 PM    

I'm a Wikipedia convert. OK, I take back my snarky comments about the Wikipedia. Writing about the Echo Wiki, I said "Most wikis that operate on a public scale don't have much impact -- the social facts of the wikipedia are far more interesting than the content itself."

Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

This morning, I referred to Bayesian networks in an email exchange, and someone said "What is that?" I knew just what I wanted -- a simple overview of Bayes and Bayesian networks that I could forward them. Unfortunately, most of the links on the first page of Google search were software for Bayesian networks, or complex descriptions that assumed you know the basics. And then there was the Wikipedia link to Thomas Bayes, which was perfect -- simple, clear, with lots of pointers to additional information.

So now I'm a convert. [Corante: Social Software]

I love Wikipedia. It was the first demonstration of a useful wiki that I saw. It is amazing how the public at large can create such a useful document. I like to kust scan stuff in it. Yes, I am weird. I used to take volumes of the World Book into the bathroom for reading material.  10:51:08 PM    

Bush 'warned over uranium claim'. The White House knew claims about Iraq were false long before the president used them in a speech, says CIA. [BBC News | Front Page | World Edition]

CYA is always a recurring theme in Washington politics. It is the safe thing to do and why secrets are so hard to keep.  10:45:24 PM