The link on CNN’s front page says: Radical Iraqi cleric suspends his militia.

The title of the article is: Iraqi cleric suspends militia.

The lead paragraph is: “Anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a suspension of his Mehdi Army militia for up to six months for restructuring, a senior aide said Wednesday.”

Later in the article they write: “Al-Sadr emerged as a popular grass-roots Shiite leader after the United States toppled Saddam Hussein, developing clout that has altered the political landscape in Iraq’s Shiite heartland.”

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NPR has a major round-up of stories, Katrina, Two Years Later, with one of the more important being Much Long-Term Katrina Recovery Aid Unspent.

The Shrubbery keeps talking about the $100+ billion that was allocated, but it doesn’t mean anything until it shows up in people’s hands so they can start rebuilding their lives.

Of course, there are more stories from Scout at First Draft on New Orleans and Ana Maria at A.M. in the Morning! on Mississippi.

Obviously the mortgage meltdown is just going to add more problems to the effort.

I like Noz’s suggestion that what we really need is a reenactment of the bathroom scene with bunnies.

Jack is proud that a Senator from his state of birth has closed the ‘Seamy Republican Bigwig’ gap of the Intermountain West, although I think we can all agree with Badtux that Louisiana still leads the nation with its combination of numbers of corrupt politicians and variety of activities.

A lot of people seem to be missing the point that what the Senator admitted to doing has less to do with the action or intent, but where it took place – in a public area. The fact that this took place in a public bathroom is what made it a crime. If he had done it in a bar he might have gotten spurned or scored, but he wouldn’t have gotten arrested.

A word of advice to public officials who get arrested – don’t try to impress the arresting officer with who you are. When you do that the officer has to spend a lot of extra time with a copy of the penal law to ensure you get charged with every possible offense. Instead of a misdemeanor appearance ticket, you are apt to end up with a dozen charges and major bail.