>Looks like the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain is in deep trouble. McCain will be cutting his staff (Yahoo News). Do you think it is because he is such a big fan of Bush's war?
>Australia has been invaded by Rain. I'm not talking about precipitation! Rain, a Korean pop star who has already conquered Asia, is preparing for a concert in Sydney (The Australian).
>Looks like everyone is getting tired of the unending war in Iraq. Boston.com:
Recent graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point are choosing to leave active duty at the highest rate in more than three decades, a sign to many military specialists that repeated tours in Iraq are prematurely driving out some of the Army's top young officers.
According to statistics compiled by West Point, of the 903 Army officers commissioned upon graduation in 2001, nearly 46 percent left the service last year -- 35 percent at the conclusion of their five years of required service, and another 11 percent over the next six months. And more than 54 percent of the 935 graduates in the class of 2000 had left active duty by this January, the statistics show....
...The rising exodus is blamed on a number of factors, including the economic lure of the private sector. But interviews with former West Point superintendents, graduates, and retired officers pointed to another reason: the wear and tear on officers and their families from multiple deployments.
"Iraq is exerting very strong influence on the career intentions of junior officers," said retired Lieutenant General Daniel Christman, a former superintendent of West Point, who recently outlined the war's toll on young officers in a speech to West Point alumni in North Carolina....
When the young members of the military start bailing out of service, you know we've got problems. Bush's war is just not appealing to a majority of Americans. People want this war over NOW.
>Republican Rep. John Boner (OH-8th) once said the following in a speech to student-loan providers: "Know that I have all of you in my two trusted hands." According to the Post, Boner has always enjoyed lots of contributions from the student loan companies/groups/PACs.