Steps Forward

Two things of note happened this week as concerns the White House:

-- US officials met Iranian officials in Iraq. Now granted, the talks focused entirely on Iraq, and the US officials were full of dire warnings, but hey, they engaged, and not militarily. From such small beginnings....

-- Bush enacted actual sanctions against some folks in Sudan. Now granted, they're not blanket sanctions, and their actual effect won't be seen for a bit, but they accomplish two things: 1) they establish that, holy shit! the administration is actually paying attention to the Sudan, and 2) they tweak the nose of the PRC, a country actively seeking to profit from everyone else wanting to stay away from the whole mess.

Good actions deserve to be rewarded, even when late, so: kudos to the President.

And now, just so you don't forget why he should resign and take Cheney with him: over 100 American soldiers died this month in Iraq. Mr. President, bring them home. Now.