As the Solstice has passed it is time to wish my family and friends: [select one]

S Rozhdestvom Khristovym
Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Vrolijk Kerstfeest
Feliz Navidad
Joyeux Noël
Fröhliche Weihnachten
Buon Natale
Happy Hogwatch
Happy Christmas

and hope they are visited by: [select one]

Ded Moroz
Saint Nicholas
Santa Claus
Kris Kringle
Pere Noël
Babbo Natale
Hogfather
Father Christmas

who leaves good things in their: [select one]

Stockings
Boots
Shoes
Clogs
Pillow Case [some people are greedy]

rather than the: [select one]

Lump of Coal
Raw Liver
Bloody Bones
Sticks

some of them may deserve.

Friday Cat Blogging^TM [Kevin Drum]

I’m not coming down until you get the fat bearded guy off the roof.

The Secretary of Defense visits the site of a massacre caused by his incompetence and the troops are supposed to feel that he cares for their welfare.

In case he doesn’t know it, all of the troops feel he should remain while they go home for Christmas. This blatant feel good photo opportunity isn’t fooling anyone. Rumsfeld is under a lot of pressure, even from Republicans, to resign.

Let’s be clear: it was Department of Defense failed policies that lead to American bases being open to infiltration. The lack of military support personnel and the need to house the newly trained Iraqi forces within American perimeters is a result of Rumsfeld’s decisions, as well as the failures of the Medal of Freedom Troika: Bremer, Franks, and Tenet.

After the loss of a similar number of personnel in Somalia [October, 1993], Secretary of Defense, Les Aspin, resigned. He hadn’t been on the job long [9 months], his President didn’t send the troops to Somalia [GHW Bush did], and he hadn’t planned the operation [it was a UN operation], but he felt he was responsible and resigned.