Bush's Alternate Reality

Jonathan S. Landay writes for McClatchy Newspapers: "Asked if Iran could exploit Bush's inaccurate comment for political purposes, Johndroe replied: 'I'm not concerned about that. If they want to spin it a certain way, they can do it any way they want.'"

Deja Vu All Over Again

Here's what Knox wrote for AFP in August: "US President George W. Bush charged Monday that Iran has openly declared that it seeks nuclear weapons -- an inaccurate accusation at a time of sharp tensions between Washington and Tehran. . . .

"Iran has repeatedly said that its nuclear program, which is widely believed in the West to be cover for an effort to develop atomic weapons, is for civilian purposes. . . .

"Asked to provide examples of Tehran openly declaring that it seeks atomic weapons, White House officials contacted by AFP said that Bush was referring to Iran's defiance of international calls to freeze sensitive nuclear work."

Patterns of Deception

This wouldn't be the first time Bush has been deceptive -- accidentally or on purpose -- about the Iranian threat.

As I wrote in my Dec. 4 column, the national intelligence estimate about Iran didn't just undermine a key element of Bush's foreign policy, it raised questions about whether the president and vice president knowingly misled the public about the danger posed by Iran.

And the following day, I chronicled how Bush likely knew for months that he was promoting fundamentally false impressions about the danger posed by Iran.

Faces of the Fallen

In the first week of our sixth year in Iraq, Rick Hampson and Paul Overberg of USA Today unveil a new database of the fallen.

"One in six were too young to buy a beer. About two dozen were old enough for an AARP card. Eleven died on Thanksgiving Day, 11 on Christmas, and at least five on their birthdays. One percent were named Smith.

"As the nation approaches its 4,000th Iraq war fatality -- on Thursday the toll stood at 3,983 servicemembers plus eight Defense Department civilians -- a USA Today analysis shows who gave their lives, where they came from and how they fell."

Washingtonpost.com's own Faces of the Fallen Web site continues to be a comprehensive and up-to-date resource.

Cheney and Oil

Holly Rosenkrantz writes for Bloomberg: "Vice President Dick Cheney will discuss 'problems' in energy markets in two days of talks with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia that will also focus on security concerns, a Cheney aide said.