Crowing about the sunrise....

As long as we're worrying about the fate of the planet, let's pause to reflect on the sea change clearly going on in our government. After all, what are blogs for if not to present as many issues as possible?

This one is owed once again to Holden at First Draft, where, as he says, he had to read all the way to the front page of the Washington Post. You can read most of the article at First Draft, if you aren't registered with the paper. I just want to point out a few good bits:

Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. is a conservative Republican from North Carolina who voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq. So it jarred all the more yesterday when Jones turned his fury on Richard N. Perle, the Pentagon adviser who provided the Bush administration with brainpower for the Iraq war.
....
Jones, nearly in tears as he held up Perle's testimony [from 2002], glared at the witness. "I went to a Marine's funeral who left a wife and three children, twins he never saw, and I'll tell you, I apologize, Mr. Chairman, but I am just incensed with this statement.

"First question: how many funerals of any U.S. service personnel has President Bush attended? Inquiring minds want to know. Then Wesley Clark, mindful of recent news, states the obvious:

Clark, an unsuccessful 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, could not resist piling on Perle. Intelligence estimates "are never accurate, they are never going to be accurate, and I think policymakers bear responsibility for what use they make of intelligence," the retired general lectured.
.... even Republicans on the committee made little effort yesterday to defend Perle or to undermine Clark. The exception was Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), who pressed Clark to acknowledge that the Iraq invasion should get some credit for signs of democracy in the region.

"We've got to do a lot less crowing about the sunrise," Clark rejoined....

In another try, Hunter said Clark was "overstating" the risk in challenging other countries in the Middle East. Clark smiled and showed his trump card -- reminding Hunter of their exchange at the 2002 hearing. "I kept saying time was on our side," Clark said. "I could never quite satisfy you."

As for who proved correct, the general said, "I'll let the record speak for itself."

The record is speaking, now. The tide is turning. The New American Century is already running out of time.

Praise God and pass the rhetoric. This is no time to rest.