blink

Went to bed 11:30ish, and woke up at some ungodly hour with my head full of Perl, forms, and file formats. Finally gave it up around 5:30, read LJ for a while, and tried (again unsuccessfully) to get back to sleep. There will be coffee soon, and then I'll go walk with Mom while she walks the dog.

This one's for Dave..

The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of (lyrics and notes) (ogg)
( lyrics behind cut )

Why am I not particularly surprised?

So, the Shrub just finished his speech. But I don't recall him mentioning the fact that apparently the surge has apparently already begun. I expected the surge, but I thought he'd have the guts to admit it.

More on Bush's speech: "a huge gamble"

Bush Takes Blame for Mistakes in Iraq - washingtonpost.com

Usually loath to admit error, Bush said it also was a mistake to have allowed American forces to be restricted by the Iraqi government, which tried to prevent U.S. military operations against fighters controlled by the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a powerful political ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The president said al-Maliki had assured him that "political or sectarian interference will not be tolerated."

After nearly four years of bloody combat, the speech was perhaps Bush's last credible chance to try to present a winning strategy in Iraq and persuade Americans to change their minds about the unpopular war, which has cost the lives of more than 3,000 members of the U.S. military as well as more than $400 billion.

Bush's approach amounts to a huge gamble on al-Maliki's willingness _ and ability _ to deliver on promises he has consistently failed to keep: to disband Shiite militias, pursue national reconciliation and make good on commitments for Iraqi forces to handle security operations in Baghdad.