Billmon: just plain absent

* yglesias:

"Liberal democracy isn't a fluke occurrence that just so happens to have survived despite its drawbacks. It's actually a superior method of organizing a state. The idea that the country is being run by people who don't understand that is sad and frightening. The idea that the very same people claim to be embarked upon a grand mission to spread our system of government around the world is like a horrible tawdry joke . . ."

* mcclatchy via tpm:

""The VA relied on prewar data from the Defense Department in preparing its budget for fiscal 2005, even though the war was well under way, and estimated that 23,500 veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom would seek care that year. Instead, the number was four times greater, almost 100,000, the GAO study said.""

* if you are desperate for a new emptywheel post (it's been 3 days!), you can attempt to sate yourselves by diving into the comments here for some classic collective 'wheelery - starring the woman herself, and others such as Jeff, Swopa and Polly.

* speaking of minimal postage, Billmon:

"posts are likely to be few and far between -- or just plain absent -- for the indefinite future."

booooooooooooooo. at least he was polite enough to pre-announce it this time.