A Minute and One Half: I never fail to read excellence when Frank Rich writes it in the NYT. Perfect editorial. Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/opinion/27rich.html?hp

When everyone was ruminating and hand wringing as to how a general with McChrystal's savvy could be so stupid as to utter the things he did to a seemingly lowly newspaper like "Rolling Stone" (the ONLY paper which is able to tell it like it is and get the scoops -- economic debacle, the Interior Dept. Gulf leak idiocy or McChrystal interview -- correct) I thought there is a method to McChrystal's madness.

He did it for a reason maybe two, three or more. It surely did gather attention, showed the insanity of this war and PERHAPS just perhaps got McChrystal off the hook for a policy which he KNEW this country nor any other can win in the no-win Afghanistan. He won't be blamed but will be able to do a lot of I told you so's.

My worry is that the attention span of the American public is about a minute and a half. Once McChrystal is gone and Petraeus in, Afghanistan will be forgotten again UNLESS American casualties rise horrifically. (Truly, even one more life after NINE years is too much.)

9/11 should have been met with the force it did when it happened and the ability then to capture the perpetrators like Bin Laden and Mullah Omar when we absolutely could have done so in Tora Bora. We didn't so Bush could begin another insanity called Iraq. How we get ourselves into the WORST of predicaments I will never know. NOW we have two insanities to monitor -- Iraq which is NO paradise, the hot war in Afghanistan and, oh yes, make that three do not forget the nuclear equipped Pakistan. WE ARE STUCK, like the pelicans in the Gulf, we cannot move and the fact that we cannot move seals our own sorry fate.

That is what happens when a country elects INCOMPETENT leaders. The price is heavy in blood and treasure. That is the ONLY thing we DO know. God save us, bless General Petraeus and hope, unlike recently when he fainted during his testimony before Congress, he keeps WELL hydrated!

An email to Rachel Maddow. Saw your Friday show. I did love the rendition of what Obama has achieved. We need that BUT we also still need laser focus on the things on which he disappoints his base -- war, civil liberties, imprisonment without trial, Guantanamo and rendition not to mention what you did the public option on health care. There are many other things. The president CAN forge the policy and I do not buy the oh he's not that powerful argument.

Please see Glenn Greenwald's email to me. I passed it along and posted it on my blog. I believe too McChrystal knew EXACTLY what he was saying and did it for the troops to change this policy of insanity first by Bush and now incredulously enough by Obama. I read Glenn Greenwald every day. There are FEW times I disagree with him. Occasionally it does happen I disagree especially with respect to Israel but more often than not we are in the same corner. I value his comments and think they are ESSENTIAL.

I was hoping even though I knew it would be unlikely that Glenn would be offered the 10:00 MSNBC spot after Rachel. Larry O'Donnel got it. Larry is good but he is NOT Glenn. Probably O'Donnel is a bit more mainstream. It's too bad we NEED Glen's articulate and excellently formed opinion!

As you know I more than value your opinion. You and Keith are necessary to my sanity!

“We’re losing this thing”: I get sent many emails. This one below is from Glenn Greenwald, a WONDERFUL writer who posts for Salon.com. He is excellent and has a few words to say about McChrystal, Afghanistan and the never ending war. I suggest you click on it and listen. Here's the link: http://webmail.aol.com/32131-111/aol-1/en-us/Suite.aspx#. This war MUST stop. It MUST to save our blood, innocent's blood and OUR treasure. Even McChrystal KNEW it is lost which I think is why he said what he said. It probably came out of desperation. Well, he DID get his thoughts out in the Rolling Stone Article. You should read that too (here's the link to Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/).

We have spent BILLIONS upon BILLIONS to a trillion on never ending wars. I propose a draft to get people to care when it is their own son/daughters having to fight perpetual wars! Better still END the wars and keep a volunteer force fighting implementing ONLY surgical strikes, which are deemed absolutely necessary. These can be very effective and kill INFINITELY fewer in addition to the use of special ops. There is no question we need to defend against those who would want to hurt and destroy us BUT minimal and PRUDENT strikes have always been the answer. Ground forces in Iraq, the surge there, Afghanistan and the surge there have been FAILURES. Just because NBC news shows you an improvement here or there does NOT mean that the wars worked. They did not. Watch films made by those who do NOT have a commercial interest in war if you really want to get the truth!