National:

Cut & Run Or Redeploy? (No, Not Iraq...Afghanistan!)

New reports show how President Bush plans to "surge" troops in the war in Iraq despite the U.S. military being overstretched around the globe. The Associated Press reports that the Pentagon "has abandoned its limit on the time a citizen-soldier can be required to serve on active duty, ...a major change that reflects an Army stretched thin by longer-than-expected combat in Iraq." Until now, the Guard and Reserve policy "was that members' cumulative time on active duty for the Iraq or Afghan wars could not exceed 24 months. That cumulative limit is now lifted; the remaining limit is on the length of any single mobilization, which may not exceed 24 consecutive months." Additionally, the Boston Globe reports that a U.S. Army battalion "fighting in a critical area of eastern Afghanistan is due to be withdrawn within weeks to deploy to Iraq." The move comes despite "an urgent appeal" from U.S. commanders in Afghanistan for more forces. "Army Brigadier General Anthony J. Tata and other US commanders say [the diversion of forces from Afghanistan to Iraq] will happen as the Taliban is expected to unleash a campaign to cut the vital road between Kabul and Kandahar."

International:

Iran Goes Bananas, While We "Enjoy Indian Mangos"

Iran's hard line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, apparently believing there is strength in numbers, is forging an alliance with a new band of Latin American leftist leaders in an attempt to add fuel to his already fiery anti-American rhetoric.

Ahmadinejad, in Ecuador on Monday for the swearing in ceremony President Rafael Correa, took a swipe at the U.S., accusing the Bush administration of trying to hide its failures in Iraq by accusing Iran of funding and providing aid to insurgents there.

Earlier, the Iranian president was in Managua, Nicaragua to congratulate new President Daniel Ortega, once one of Central America's staunchest anti-American leaders. Ahmadinejad also met Saturday with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, after which both men pledged to put up a united front against the U.S.

Chalabi still in charge of de-Baathification in Iraq.
Ahmed Chalabi, the disgraced Iraqi exile who misled the United States into Iraq, remains chairman of the Supreme National Commission for De-Baathification, “which continues to have ultimate authority to decide which ex-Baathists can return to work and which cannot.”

In Other News...

President Bush's address at Fort Benning, GA, yesterday, "received a less enthusiastic reception than has been the case on his past visits to military bases to promote his Iraq policy." The 300 soldiers who joined Bush were initially prohibited from talking with reporters afterward, to "ensure that there would be no discordant notes."

U.S. troops "launched two raids on Iranian targets in Iraq yesterday," detaining five Iranians and confiscating "vast amounts of documents and computer data." U.S. officials said the raids "are part of a new U.S. intelligence and military operation launched last month against Iran."

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) "has quietly backed away from his pre-election demands that the White House turn over potentially embarrassing documents relating to its handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans."

Al-Qaeda is "strengthening itself across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe" and cells are "rebuilding their strength" in Pakistan, according to outgoing National Intelligence Director John Negroponte.

"Iraq is the only major U.S. conflict, except for the 1846-48 Mexican-American War, in which citizens haven't been asked to make a special financial sacrifice," Bloomberg reports. "President George W. Bush opposes tax increases, even as the costs escalate far beyond predictions and he calls for more troops."

Everything is Unacceptable. “In six years in office, President Bush has found a lot of things to be unacceptable — most recently, the situation in Iraq.” The Swamp has the full rundown.

From The Right:

Donald Lambro: The courage of his convictions

If President Bush's decision to send 21,500 troops to Iraq tells us anything about him, it is this: He isn't someone who bases his policies on the polls or the results of the last election.

From The Left:

Charles E. Anderson: Breaking Ranks: Troops Call for Iraq Withdrawal
"The escalation of this war is very disappointing," said Mass Communications Specialist Third Class, Jonathan Hutto, 29, a sailor stationed aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt. Ironically, as the additional troops begin arriving in Iraq, Hutto and other active duty troops will travel to Washington to present the Appeal for Redress of Grievances from the US Congress to US Representative Dennis Kucinich.

Quote Of The Day:

“The movie’s going to win because it is accurately depicting the real fear of global warming,”

Roger Friedman, FOXNews.com's "411" gossip columnist , predicting that the film [An Inconvenient Truth] is a lock for best documentary in the Oscar race.

(Sources: AP, NYT, FOXNews, LATimes, Drudeg Report, TownHall, ThinkProgress, TruthOut, WashingtonMonthly, BostonGlobe, WashingtonPost, MSNBC, BBC, Bloomberg, TheSwamp, TimesOnline, PoliticalCartoons.com)