Mike Quixote?

Two things picked up by slate.com's Eric Umansky today ...

The deal, which is contained in a bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Arlen Specter, "represented a clear retreat by Bush" proclaims the Post. Maybe politically, but in terms of substance it's questionable at best: The bill says the oversight is actually voluntary, and the proceedings in the FISA national-security court will be held in secret, with no outside lawyers, and the ruling itself may be kept mum. Also, the Specter bill actually loosens some of the current restrictions on wiretapping.

One other thing flagged by the WP in the 28^th paragraph: "Specter agreed to repeal a section of the original FISA law that made it the exclusive statute governing such intelligence programs." The reason that might have been worth mentioning, oh, say, 27 paragraphs higher: That's the section that makes the current program likely illegal.

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A frontpage NYT piece profiles the GI now accused of raping an Iraqi girl and killing her along with her family. He was a high-school dropout with three misdemeanors and was accepted into the Army just as the military, desperate for recruits, began issuing more "moral waivers."

It's like I don't even know what to say anymore about our government and the executive branch's decision making. Are my liberal friends and I just tilting at windmills? And I also don't understand why President Bush refuses to press Israel to agree to a cease-fire. I mean, I do understand why politically, but he needs to have the courage to call for peace for all sides.