"I think the United States must be humble," Bush said during a televised presidential debate in October of 2000. "We must be proud and confident of our values, but humble in how we treat nations that are figuring out how to chart their own course."

Bush Flip-Flops On Stay The Course
STEPHANOPOULOS: Is the [Iraqi] government format to your standards right now?
BUSH: The government is — look, I think the guy's been in office for about four months, Maliki. In my judgment, Maliki has got what it takes to lead a unity government.
But what you're seeing is a new form of government actually beginning to evolve after years of tyranny.
I'm patient. I'm not patient forever. And I'm not patient with dawdling. But I recognize the degree of difficulty of the task, and therefore, say to the American people, we won't cut and run.
On the other hand, we'll constantly adjust our strategy to…
STEPHANOPOULOS: Exactly what I wanted to ask you about, because James Baker said that he's looking for something between cut and run…
BUSH: Cut and run and.
STEPHANOPOULOS: … and stay the course.
BUSH: Well, listen, we've never been stay the course, George. We have been — we will complete the mission, we will do our job and help achieve the goal, but we're constantly adjusting the tactics, constantly.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Here's what I don't get.
BUSH: OK.
STEPHANOPOULOS: James Baker's a smart guy. He's got a solid group of people on that study group. But what can he come up with that you and your military commanders haven't already thought of?
BUSH: Well, why don't we wait and see? I don't — you know, we're not in collaboration with the Baker-Hamilton committee. I think this is a good idea, to get people outside to come and take a look.
That's an interesting question. I'm looking forward to seeing the answer.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, a lot of people think we shouldn't wait, and that if a change of strategy is needed it shouldn't come after the elections, it should come now. Full transcript here
Cut and Run Timetable? In apparent recognition of their failure to get tough with Iraq's leaders, the Bush administration is "drafting a timetable for the Iraqi government to address sectarian divisions and assume a larger role in securing the country," the New York Times reported yesterday. Officials described the timeline as "the first time Iraq was likely to be asked to agree to a schedule of specific milestones, like disarming sectarian militias, and to a broad set of other political, economic and military benchmarks intended to stabilize the country." The plan will not threaten a withdrawal of American troops, though "changes in military strategy and other penalties" would be considered "if Iraq balked at adopting it or failed to meet critical benchmarks within it." A White House statement issued Saturday said the Times' account was "not accurate," but "did not specify what officials found to be inaccurate." During a television appearance this morning, White House Counselor Dan Bartlett "did not deny" the report.
Taliban leader warns of carnage
A message from elusive Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, released at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, warns there will be a surge in violence in Afghanistan "at a surprising level," and advised militants fighting U.S. and NATO troops to stay united.
"By the will of Allah, the fight will intensify in the coming few months," the statement attributed to Omar said.
"Our predictions about the war have proved right in the past. I am confident that our fight will gain a strong foothold in the near future." Read the story here
National:
Hillary’s Senate Race Gets “Ugly”
"You ever see a picture of her back then? Whew. I don't know why Bill married her," The Daily News quoted Spencer as saying about Clinton.
Sen. Hillary Clinton's Republican challenger on Monday flatly denied telling a reporter that Clinton was unattractive when she was younger and suggesting she had had "millions of dollars" of "work."
John Spencer, a former Yonkers mayor, acknowledged talking to the reporter during a flight on Friday but said he didn't make the statements attributed to him in Monday's New York Daily News.
"It's a fabrication. I would never call Hillary Clinton ugly," Spencer told The Associated Press. "That's outrageous. I didn't do it." Read more here
In Other News:
Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) called yesterday "for direct talks with North Korea aimed at easing a nuclear standoff." Direct talks are "inevitable," Lugar said. Specter added, "I think we ought to use every alternative, including direct bilateral talks."
A company headed by President Bush's brother Neil Bush and partly owned by their parents is "benefiting from Republican connections and federal dollars targeted for economically disadvantaged students under the No Child Left Behind Act."
Nearly two million people in southern Afghanistan will need food aid this winter because of drought, the UN and Afghan government have warned. ... The food shortage is being blamed on intensified fighting against Taliban insurgents in the troubled southern provinces and expanding cultivation of opium poppies instead of food.
Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA), already enmeshed in the ex-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) page scandal, now faces a new controversy as a former staffer has sued Alexander's chief of staff for "sexual advances," "ogling and touching," and other harassment.
From The Right:
Robert D. Novak: October surprises
The latest in a series of October surprises leading up to the midterm elections targeted Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee.
From The Left:
Robert Dreyfuss and Raed Jarrar: The End of Maliki? Will a Coup Unravel Iraq? The Bush administration is coming under increasing pressure for its handlingof the war in Iraq in the face of relentless bloodshed there. Over 100Iraqis and seven US troops were killed over the weekend in a wave ofbombings and attacks that stretched across Iraq. Could a coup be in theworks?
Thought To Ponder:
Have you ever used “the Google”?
(Sources: NewsMax, CNN, Drudge, NY Times, RollCall, Boston Globe, TownHall, LA Times, DemocracyNow, BBC, ABCNews, PoliticalCartoons.com, ThinkProgress)
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