Record U.S. Troops Deaths in Iraq?

If trends continue, this October will be one of the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq since the war began:

Three U.S. soldiers were killed Saturday when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, the U.S. military said in a statement Sunday. Their deaths raised the toll to 49 U.S. troops killed so far for the month, putting October on track to be one of the deadliest months in the war for American soldiers.

American troops are fighting and dying in the midst of a civil war. Am I allowed to say that? Or is it "sectarian violence." I'm sure its just as confusing for our troops over there:

Suspected Shiite militiamen killed 26 Sunni Arabs in a city north of Baghdad that has been seized by a rash of sectarian bloodletting, an Interior Ministry official said Sunday.

You got some kind of sanctions for North Korea. Try enforcing them:

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved tough sanctions against North Korea for its claimed nuclear test, but divisions over how to enforce them signaled that implemenation may not be easy.

Another Republican, another corruption scandal. Question is -- why is this all coming out near the Fall elections:

The FBI is investigating whether Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., used his influence to secure lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, two people familiar with the inquiry said Saturday.

Democrats might have the issues but Republicans have the machine:

Republican strategists counter that they can compensate for any gap in enthusiasm with their legendary get-out-the-vote operation. The party has built its electoral success in the last two elections on identifying and producing nearly every obtainable Republican vote at the polls; this time may be more challenging, they say, but no different.

Former Congressman Gerry Studds died Saturday. He is being heralded as the first "openly gay" Congressman. But what you won't hear too much about him is that he was forced to "come out" when it was learned that he was having sex with a 17-year old page. He was censored but not forced to resign, unlike Foley:

Gerry E. Studds, the first openly gay member of Congress and a demanding advocate for New England fishermen and for gay rights, died early Saturday at Boston University Medical Center, his husband said.

Bush is revising his lame rhetoric on the Iraq War:

President Bush keeps revising his explanation for why the U.S. is in Iraq, moving from narrow military objectives at first to history-of-civilization stakes now.

The Israelis military is at again:

The Israeli military killed seven Palestinian militants in fighting Saturday as tanks and other armored vehicles rolled into areas east of Gaza City in a stepped-up effort to halt Palestinian rocket fire.

The reason why the Israelis are turning ruble into more ruble in Gaza is the misguided sanctions imposed on Hamas:

The U.S. government and Hamas agree on at least one point: More than half a year of economic strangulation of the Palestinian government has yielded no results....The radical Islamic group, target of a crippling aid boycott since taking power last March, is no closer to moderating itself and no closer to falling.

Another example of failed U.S. policies, especially under this administration, is the rise of leftist governments in the Americas. NAFTA was supposed to help those people. Instead, poverty has gotten worse. Thus the rise of socialist/leftist governments in South America:

In his unlikely race to power, Rafael Correa is as anti-establishment as any politician on a continent where populists have surged by spewing invective against market reforms and the Bush administration. The leftist economist has called President Bush "tremendously dimwitted," threatened to default on Ecuador's foreign debt and promised to tighten ties with President Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan firebrand, an alliance that sends shivers through foreign oil companies here.

If you haven't had enough of John Karr, he will be appearing the sleazy Larry King Show. The promo for Monday's says: "John Mark Karr tells his side of the story." We already know his side. He lied. What about JonBenet? Why aren't they asking the question of who killed that girl. Karr is irrelevant to the case. The Karr interview just vindicates every predator and psycho out there looking for attention.