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• Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf (good friend of US president George W. Bush) seems ready to resign in the face of impeachment charges, which are likely to begin in the next few days.   Impeachment...resignation...amazing what impeachment proceedings can accomplish...anybody think our Congress is paying attention wondering the same thing we're wondering?

• The US backed up a stern finger-waggling to Russia by giving in to some of their demands in a new treaty offered by Secretary of Shoes State Condoleezza Rice.

  Continues below

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• The war in Afghanistan (you know, the other war in the war on terror) has suffered its 500th American casualty.

  June was the second deadliest month for the military in Afghanistan since the war began, with 23 American deaths from hostilities, compared with 22 in Iraq. July was less deadly, with 20 deaths, compared with six in Iraq. On July 22, nearly seven years after the conflict began on Oct. 7, 2001, the United States lost its 500th soldier in the Afghanistan war.
  ...
  In 2007, 111 American service members were killed, the highest annual toll so far in the war. So far this year, 91 Americans have died, a rate faster than last year. At least 78 of those deaths have come in combat; by comparison, 50 were killed during the same period last year.

  Just a reminder that there are about three times as many US troops in Iraq as there are in Afghanistan...and another reminder that no one in Iraq had anything to do with 9/11.

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• A federal judge ruled that the Bush Administration may not protect its own against subpoena in the investigation into the firing of US attorneys.  White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers must testify before Congress.  The White House...will probably appeal the ruling.

• Manny Ramirez, known by Red Sox fans as the adorable slugging mess of a left fielder, has been traded to the LA Dodgers in a three-team deal.  I'm a Sox fan, so yes, this is a top story.

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• The Decider once again has decided to appease the terrorists help a crucial ally by diverting anti-terrorism funds to upgrade Pakistan's F-16's, in order to compete with India's air force.  Is Osama in India now?

• The International Olympic Committee has banned Iraq from participating in the 2008 Olympics in China, after Iraq disbanded their own national Olympic committee, citing political interference as various Olympic coaches, trainers, and other officials have been kidnapped or murdered since 2006.

• An attempt to resolve the political turmoil in Zimbabwe is underway in South Africa, as the delegates representing President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe and his chief rival Morgan Tsvangirai are meeting to try and reform the government over a two-week period.

  Continued below...

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• Following another round of missile tests by Iran, the US repeated its promise to defend its allies in the Gulf, particularly Israel, if Iran attacked.  Iran said the missiles they tested were big, but the US insists they were small...

• It's not the people of the US who are whiners according to (former) John McCain adviser Phil Gramm, it's just the leaders...and the media is what causes the mental recession.  Wow, we haven't seen spin like that in...days...

• Spike Lee defends Obama against Jesse Jackson.  Will Smith will be playing Obama in the movie.

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• The Bush Administration once again appeases the terrorists finally listens to reason, admitting that diplomacy might be the best option against Iran.  Ahhh, it seems like only yesterday that the thought of talking with them and reaching an agreement was likened to treason.

• Roughly two hundred supporters of former Zimbabwe presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party sought refuge outside the US embassy, having fled their homes after being targeted by President Robert Mugabe's supporters and soldiers.

  Since last Friday's run-off, the MDC says nine of its supporters have been murdered, hundreds more beaten and forced to leave their homes.

  Almost 100 people have been killed and 200,000 left homeless since the MDC won the March vote, the opposition says.

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• The Bush Administration appeased the terrorists removed North Korea from the terrorism blacklist and planned to ease sanctions against the country in exchange for North Korea's disclosure of their nuclear program.  He can't convince enough people to bomb Iran, what chance does he have against North Korea?

• Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe hold on power is all but assured the day before the run-off election, as heavy-handed persuasion combined with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's withdrawal from the election and retreat to the Dutch embassy has made the election a farce.

  World leaders have dismissed the runoff as a sham and Nigeria became the latest African nation to call for its postponement, but electoral officials say the election will go ahead with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's name on the ballot.

  Continued below.

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• An Army General investigating prisoner abuse in Iraq has accused the Bush Administration of committing war crimes.  Also diaried by Meteor Blades.

• George W. Bush has already Decided he will likely veto the (bipartisan) foreclosure rescue bill, I guess because it's not his problem.  If these people would just quit being lazy and get rich they wouldn't be hurting our economy in the first place.

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• US and British officials investigating the political situation in Zimbabwe were chased by police and detained for about five hours before being released.

  During a car chase of about 10 kilometers, or six miles, the police tried to force the American diplomats off the road. When the diplomats were finally stopped, all four tires of their white SUV were slashed and a local security official was punched.

• At the same time, President Robert Mugabe has granted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon permission to send an envoy to help ensure that the runoff elections are held fairly.

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• Air Force Col. Morris Davis, former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay, says he was denied a medal as punishment for speaking out about political pressure applied to him to speed up terrorism cases.

  Davis wrote that Pentagon officials notified him that he did "not serve honorably" as top prosecutor and would be denied the medal. Davis said he fears other reprisals before his scheduled retirement this year, despite a military judge's order that no one who testified on the matter face adverse actions.

• The US Army has reported 115 suicides in the military last year, a record number and a nearly 13% increase over the year before.

  "Mainly it is the long time and multiple deployments away from home, the exposure to really terrifying and horrifying things, the easy availability of loaded weapons, and, of course, it's very, very busy right now," said Col Elspeth Ritchie.

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• The Senate passed the Iraq war funding bill, giving us war until six months into the next presidency, but also paying for veterans to go to college.  I think college funding for vets is great...but dead soldiers don't need tuition, folks.  You have to bring them home before you can send them to school.

• The Texas court of appeals ruled in favor of the F.L.D.S church, essentially ruling that the children who were seized from the Yearning for Zion ranch be returned to their mothers.

  The unanimous ruling by three judges of the Third Court of Appeals in Austin revoked the state’s custody over a large group of the children and by extension almost certainly the rest, for what it called a lack of evidence that they were in immediate danger of sexual or physical abuse.

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• An internal memo by the VA suggested that it should diagnose fewer veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and to consider a diagnosis that would not result in such a high disability payment.

• As reported here at the DailyKos, the California Supreme Court struck down two laws defining marriage as a man and a woman, giving same-sex couples the constitutional right to marry.  Religious groups opposed to the ruling have already announced that they will support an initiative to amend the California constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

• John "Miracle" McCain says if he is elected president, he'll win the Iraq War and find Osama bin Laden.  Or something like that.

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• Iraqi officials are reporting the capture of the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri.  He had been in control of the Iraqi al Qaeda since 2006, following the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.  It remains to be seen if this is the real Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

• UN aide is arriving in Myanmar following a devastating cyclone on Saturday, but US aide is being denied entry into the country...while lack of safe food and water may bring the death toll from the storm and its aftermath to over 100,000.  Almost 23,000 were confirmed dead, with an additional 42,000 still missing.  The US food and supplies are now stuck in Thailand, with additional aide off the coast.

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• Just in case you haven't realized that John McCain likes war:

  Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Thursday he would be reluctant to ever declare "mission accomplished" in Iraq, but suggested rosy early predictions of success there by President George W. Bush and other officials fueled public frustration with the war.

  Maybe that's not what he meant.  But that's what he said.

• The ACLU is reporting that the US continued to use harsh interrogation techniques well after a 2003 order that was meant to stop them, and even after a subsequent 2004 memo meant to prohibit them.

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• Our good friend General Petraeus has been nominated for the position of chief of US Central Command, a position which will extend into the next presidency...which means no matter who becomes president there will be a neocon in charge.  Petraeus's buddy Raymond Odierno will likely be named US Commander in Iraq.

  Both men must await Senate confirmation. Although confirmation hearings will be confrontational, with Democrats criticizing Bush's war policy, both men are likely to be approved.

  Yeah, that's our Democrats.  We may bitch and moan, might even waggle a finger, but we'll still confirm the yutz.

• Adding to concerns that Pakistan might be less likely to help the US fight terrorism was the recent peace cease-fire treaty signed between Pakistan and a member of the Taliban who is believed to be responsible for Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

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• In case you check the OND before the front page or the recommended diaries, there was a debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on ABC, and it pretty much sucked.

• The US Government accountability office (GAO) compiled data from several agencies, and found that al Qaeda is organized in Pakistan, where the Bush administration has no intention of fighting terrorism.  The agency believes that al Qaeda is safe to launch attacks against the US from there.

• The UN is reducing food rations to Darfur, citing security risks along supply lines.  At least 60 supply trucks have been hijacked since December, so monthly rations have been reduced by half.

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• Following the Decider's unshocking announcement that he would be ending troop withdrawals out of Iraq after July's withdrawals, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said there was no chance that troop levels would be under 100,000 by the end of the year.

  With 285 days left in his presidency,

  President Bush said Gen. David Petraeus, his top commander in Iraq, can take "all the time he needs" to consider further withdrawals after the latest round of cutbacks is completed in July.

  All the time he needs, or 285 days, whichever comes first.


But wait, there's more!

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• Conflicting stories from Iraq: first, the "fight to the end" between Iraqi soldiers and al Sadr's militia has reached its end, as both sides took their guns and went home.  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki called the operation a success, even though he says he didn't issue a cease fire.  It seems that Iran told al Sadr to tell his troops to stop fighting.

• At the same time, though, Maliki is promising to expand these (minimally effective) raids to Baghdad as well.

  The U.S. ambassador, meanwhile, said that despite a "boatload" of problems with the Basra operation, he was encouraged that the Shiite-led government was finally confronting extremists regardless of their religious affiliation.

  So...a whole bunch of problems with the Basra episode...but it's good, because now Iraqis are killing each other for reasons other than religious differences.  Spectacular.