More details are emerging from the investigation into Blackwater's role in the deaths of over 20 civilians in Iraq on September 16. According to the New York Times, American investigators have learned that the incident began when a bomb went off near a meeting of U.S. officials. What followed was a chaotic, poorly managed evacuation, in which Blackwater employees fired upon anything in their path. That included a woman and her infant, who were among those killed.

As many commentators have noted, one disturbing thing about farming out security in a war is the lack of accountability that private companies face. Witness the follow-through on recent threats by the Iraqi government to kick Blackwater out of Iraq. Outsourcing war, while filling in troop gaps, has disturbing consequences.

On the surface, it would seem that the firms and the U.S. military would be working toward the same end: to secure the country. Yet, as we've seen with Halliburton, these private companies are not beyond overcharging and fraud. And, as Robert Gates pointed out earlier this week, we have big problem with losing highly trained soldiers to companies like Blackwater. Why? Money.

Yes, the war is a huge windfall to select group of private companies. When it comes to loyalty, our military is a direct representation of the United States government, yet private security firms work for the highest bidder. That may mean a Sunni sheik one day, and a resurgent Shia politician the next. By every Pentagon calculation, the longer the war drags on, the fewer troops we'll be able to rotate into the country. Therefore, we will become increasingly reliant on contractors like Blackwater in the coming year. That means, of course, that those companies stand to make a lot more money from a protracted war. What was that Doobie Brothers refrain? "Old black water, keep on rollin."

It's hard to quibble with the Clinton's assertion. Still, even though he is right, the MoveOn ad was lame. Decide for yourself.

If you live in Iowa or New Hampshire you already know. Floridians, too, have an inkling. South Carolina senses something big on the way. It's called the fourth quarter advertising blitz, and come Sunday it will kick into high gear. Yes, with the official end to the third quarter, it will be time to start spending all the money in the presidential war chests. That means a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam of television ads from several well-funded campaigns.

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have already begun. In Iowa, Both men have so far laid out $2.7 million for air time, and Romney has also spent another $1.7 in New Hampshire. Giuliani and Thompson are poised to pour their cash into Florida, South Carolina, and California, risking that early Romney victories in the first two states won't amount to much in the end. While Romney trails badly in national polls, if he notches a win or two, he'll have that much more free advertising. For a man with an estimated net worth upwards of $250 million, that's a whole lot of Romney on the tee vee.

Meanwhile, though Obama has outspent his rivals in Iowa, he has yet to see it translate into a first place standing in the polls. Clinton still has the lead, with Edwards and Obama in a virtual tie for second. But because it appears that Clinton has a stranglehold on the nomination, an upset in Iowa would have enormous repercussions.

So get ready, America, you're going to be hearing the following phrase more than a few times in the coming months: My name is (insert candidate's name here) and I approve this message.

Yesterday, Patrick Casey tried to put a good face on the woeful state the Republican Party finds itself in concerning its prospects in the House of Representatives. The best that can be said is that while '08 looks like another blood-bath in the making, perhaps a second drubbing will convince the GOP to change its ways.

No doubt about it, Republican prognosticators are not happy at what the tea leaves are telling them. From today's Politico:

Top Republicans are privately bracing for the possibility that they could lose additional House seats in next year's elections as a result of untimely retirements, ongoing scandals and unexpectedly gloomy fundraising forecasts, according to several members and aides.

House members up for re-election in competitive districts are throwing in the towel. Why? Because the NRCC is broke. Nobody's donating. Even members of the military have increased their donations to Democrats. And it's the same story in the Senate. An unfortunate combination of retirements, scandal, and the Iraq war are poised to make 2008 another losing year for the GOP.

Simply put, she's good at what she does. Everyone seems to know this by now, including President Bush. Witness her handling of the Washington talk-show circuit this Sunday. She made a two-hour blitz, appearing on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and FOX, one right after the other. As the Politico reports, it was all no sweat for the soon-to-be Democratic nominee:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton beamed her way through a barrage of questions from five political talk show hosts Sunday morning, appearances that offered some details of her plans on health care and the war in Iraq, but left her basically unscathed politically after the toughest grilling Washington has to offer.

Call her the Timex of American politics. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. In fact, what the Sunday media barrage demonstrated was just how self-assured and in control Hillary is at this point in the race. Today she also picked up the endorsement of Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, a moderate, red-state Democrat who would make an interesting choice for V.P. And if there was one message from Sunday's walk in the park, it was that Hillary will position herself as a centrist come the general election, whatever Chris Wallace would have you believe. Witness, for instance, the evolution of her health care plan:

The only real piece of news in the interviews came on ABC, where Clinton said for the first time that her health plan will not mandate or include coverage for illegal immigrants, who already receive emergency coverage under federal programs for children and the poor. It was yet another sign that her plan is designed, most of all, for passage, aimed as it is to assuage the concerns of those who opposed her 1993 effort most fiercely: small businesses, and people who are satisfied with their current health care.

No, Hillary is not my first choice in this race, but the fact is she has run an expert campaign. A big upset in Iowa may yet reverse her fortunes, but as of now, Mrs. Clinton looks awfully hard to beat.

In a development sure to be viewed as a turning point in the Iraq war, karate champ turned actor turned Fox News talk show host, Chuck Norris has just headed over to set things straight in Saddam Hussein's old stomping grounds. He'll be covering the conflict for World Net Daily. Well, hold on to your hat, two things have already become apparent to Chuck:

The "surge is working" and "morale is up--way up!"

Why we didn't think of sending Chuck sooner is a mystery to me. Hell, we probably just should have sent him in alone back when this whole thing began. Consider his qualifications:

Call it a case of strange bedfellows. On Friday, Rudy Giuliani will take the stage at the NRA's annual convention and try to convince the organization he's their man. Meanwhile:

...even as the former New York mayor strives to burnish his Second Amendment credentials at the gathering in Washington, a panel of federal judges in his home town will be hearing arguments on the lawsuit that Giuliani filed seven years ago aimed at punishing the nation's manufacturers for violent crimes involving firearms.

Don't get me wrong, I'm on Giuliani's side on the issue of guns. In 1995, Rudy went on Charlie Rose and declared that the NRA goes,

"overboard. The extremists on the left and the extremists on the right have essentially the same tactic," he said, adding later that "the NRA's, in essence, defense of assault weapons, and their unwillingness to deal with some of the realities here that we face in our cities is a terrible, terrible mistake."

Amen. And I applaud America's Mayor for teaming up with then president, Bill Clinton, to push through the assault weapons ban. Clearly, tougher legislation is needed to close up all the loopholes. Let's see what proposals Giuliani puts forth in front of the NRA crowd.

Rapper Kanye West famously declared it during the telethon to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

An article in today's Washington Post asks whether the same might be said about the current Republican field for president. This comes as a result of their refusal to participate in a debate moderated by Tavis Smiley at Morgan State University that is to be aired on PBS. It's the second such snub in a month. The same candidates (save John McCain) also took a pass on appearing at a debate on Spanish-language channel Univision.

Well, more than a few people inside the party are not happy. Here's former candidate Jack Kemp, who enjoyed huge support in the African American community:

"We sound like we don't want immigration; we sound like we don't want black people to vote for us. What are we going to do--meet in a country club in the suburbs one day? If we're going to be competitive with people of color, we've got to ask them for their vote."

Newt Gingrich has dabbled in Spanish, and doesn't like what he's seeing, either:

"For Republicans to consistently refuse to engage in front of an African American or Latino audience is an enormous error. I hope they will reverse their decision and change their schedules. I see no excuse--this thing has been planned for months, these candidates have known about it for months. It's just fundamentally wrong. Any of them who give you that scheduling-conflict answer is disingenuous. That's baloney."

Ouch. President Bush took 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2004. Anybody want to lay odds on the percentage a Republican will garner from African Americans or Latinos this time around?

Last night, some friends and I went to hear Elizabeth Edwards speak at my local bookstore here in Jacksonville, Florida. She's currently on tour to promote the paperback release of her memoir, "Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers." Of course, the book is only half the story. Each stop on the tour also generates publicity for her husband's bid to become the Democratic nominee for president. Judging from the large crowd that turned out on a windswept, rainy Tuesday night, the well-timed book tour is a boon for both business as well as politics.

"Saving Graces" deals, in part, with the premature death of John and Elizabeth's son, Wade, and its message is one of optimism in the face of tragedy. Mrs. Edwards is a wonderful public speaker. She is more than comfortable behind the microphone, exhibits a quick sense of humor, and forges a strong connection with her audience.

While the night was largely devoted to the subject of grieving the loss of a family member, it was also filled with political anecdotes. We learned, for instance, that it was Elizabeth who, back in 2004, convinced John to ditch an early concession speech, and that, if it was up to her, there would have been a re-count in Ohio. Not giving up is more than just a leitmotif for Mrs. Edwards, it is at the heart of who she is. She answered questions about her own health by noting that while her cancer is in her bones, no symptoms are present-a good sign.

And how does she read the signs from the campaign? After all, a new LA Times/Bloomberg poll shows her husband falling behind Hillary Clinton in Iowa. I asked how optimistic she was feeling about winning the Hawkeye State. Of course, I knew the answer already.

"Very optimistic," she said.

The nonpartisan nonprofit organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has just released its list of the most rotten to the core politicians in congress. Titled, "Beyond Delay: The 22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and two to watch)" the list is full of old favorites and a few new surprises.

Members of the Senate:
Pete Domenici (R-NM)
Mitch McConnel (R-KY)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Ted Stevens (R-AK)

Members of the House:
Ken Calvert (R-CA)
John T. Doolittle (R-CA)
Tom Feeney (R-FL)
Doc Hastings (R-WA)
Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
William Jefferson (D-LA)
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Gary Miller (R-CA)
Alan Mollohan (D-WV)
Timothy Murphy (R-PA)
John Murtha (D-PA)
Steve Pearce (R-NM)
Rick Renzi (R-AZ)
Harold Rogers (R-KY)
David Scott (D-GA)
Don Young (R-AK)
Jerry Weller (R-IL)
Heather Wilson (R-LA)

Dishonorable Mention:
Larry Craig (R-ID)
David Vitter (R-LA)

If you want to know the ins-and-outs of what makes you eligible for the list, you can have a look-see here.
Pretty much what you'd expect. Graft, graft and more graft.

O.K., I'm skeptical about Hillary Clinton's ability to craft health care legislation. I've written on this page how her first attempt, during her husband's time in office, was a failure in leadership that did not account for the complexity of the task. This time around, she assures us, she has learned from past mistakes. From the NY Times:

Mrs. Clinton promised to cover everyone without big new bureaucracies, without a complicated reorganization of one-seventh of the American economy and without affecting Americans who are insured and happy with their coverage--all features that helped doom the Clinton [Bill] administration's plan 14 years ago.

Maybe. Hey, it's worth a look, anyway. You can read about the plan here. David Brooks, for one, is impressed with what he sees, stating:

"Hillary Clinton's health care plan is a huge step forward from 1993. It's better than the G.O.P. candidates' plans (which don't exist).

But one person who is against the plan, even though he hasn't read it, is Mitt Romney. Watch as he stumbles through the following set piece yesterday. He cannot engage any of the specifics of the plan because he hasn't bothered to look at it. It's really a shameful display of how some politicians rely on buzzwords and tried and true talking points over substance.

Do most Americans really care whether their health care is administered by their state government as opposed to the federal one? And why should residents of Mississippi suffer while those in California enjoy universal care?

That's not a typo. Hip-hop star 50 Cent, aka Curtis Jackson, appears to be leaning toward Hillary Clinton for president. In an interview with fans that ran in Time magazine, the rap mogul was asked the one question that it's safe to say all of American has longed to know the answer to:

Q: Are you endorsing a particular candidate in the '08 election?
A: No, but I like Hillary. I think she was already our President once. [Laughs].

That's funny stuff. No word on who Kanye West is endorsing . Someone who cares about black people. Probably a Democrat. Could be Hillary, John Edwards, Mike Gravel. Hell, a lot of people would seem to fit the bill on that one. As for Barack Obama, he's doing just fine in terms of the hip-hop vote. Asian American rapper Jin has even written a song about him, "Open Letter 2 Obama."

"B-Rock," as he's known in some circles, has also graced the cover of Vibe, a place you won't see Hillary any time soon. What does it all mean? You guessed it. Slow news day. Now let's play count the racist remarks left in the comment section!

The number of Iraqis displaced from their homes by the war is now around 4.2 million. More than half of those have fled the country altogether, while the remaining 2 million have left their homes and sought shelter in other parts of Iraq. Overwhelmed by the constant stream of Iraqis crossing the border, Syria (who has taken in 1.2 million people) and Jordan have have effectively refused to accept any more refugees. Still, some 60,000 Iraqis abandon their homes each month. Sweden, a country opposed to the invasion of Iraq, has stepped up to the plate, taking in over 40 percent of the 22,000 Iraqis who came to Europe in 2006. Since 2003, on the other hand, the U.S. has opened its doors to a scant 1,521 Iraqis.

This hasn't been lost on our man in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, who has been firing off angry memos to his bosses in Washington, trying to streamline the process of bringing vulnerable Iraqis to the United States.

In his missive, Crocker said the admission of Iraqi refugees to the United States remains bogged down by "major bottlenecks" resulting from security reviews conducted by the departments of State and Homeland Security. Applicants must wait eight to 10 months from the time they are referred to the U.S. authorities by the U.N. refugee agency before they set foot in the United States, he said.

Why is eight to 10 months too long to wait?

Human rights groups and independent analysts say thousands of desperate Iraqis who have worked alongside Americans now find themselves the targets of insurgents and sectarian militias, prompting many of them to seek residency in the United States or Europe.

The red tape at the Department of Homeland Security seems to be a major culprit in all of this. But so too is the administration's colossal failure to adequately plan for this war. Just one more hard lesson, I suppose.

Can you feel the excitement? At long last, the Republican party has its savior. No, not Fred Thompson. That was last week. Ladies and Gentlemen, there's a new kid in town. Sort of. Alan Keyes is running for president. Again.

"The one thing I've always been called to do is to raise the standard . . . of our allegiance to God and His authority that has been the foundation stone of our nation's life"-- and he decried the lack of "forthright, clear, and clarion declaration" from the other candidates concerning this issue.

It's a tested strategy, telling America they need to be way more God-fearing. But then, it hasn't exactly worked for Keyes, who has lost two runs for the Senate in his home state of Maryland, a Senate campaign in Illinois (to Barack Obama) where he didn't live beforehand, and two more failed attempts to earn his party's nomination for the presidency. This time, Keyes assures us, it's going to be totally different.

"We're putting together an effort that's not going to be like anything before, because it's going to be entirely based on citizen action. We're going to be challenging people to take a pledge for America's revival."

Cool. We'll be keeping an eye out for what should prove a seismic Keyes bounce.

From the AP:

Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton was endorsed Saturday by retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who sought the party's nomination in 2004 and whose sterling military credentials could bolster her bid to be the first female commander in chief.

This couldn't have come at a better time for Clinton what with Rudy Giuliani and many on the right accusing her of calling General Patraeus a liar. I'm not terribly surprised by this endorsement, however. Clark, who served in Kosovo under President Clinton, is an old friend of Hillary's.

Still, this is support that any of the other Democratic candidates would have been ecstatic to receive. Clark is well respected in military circles, and would prove a sound adviser. Look for Clinton declare her intention to offer Clark an important cabinet position sometime soon.