I really find it hard to believe what a mess our government, the Bush administration, is making of Iraq. But every now and then, an individual comes along whose sheer idiocy rises above the background noise of general ridiculousness. General Jay Garner is one such man.

I just read in today's New York Times that at one point -- the article doesn't specify when, and I hadn't heard about it till now -- "Mr. Garner chastised reporters for dwelling on the shortcomings of the Iraq postwar efforts, saying, "We ought to look in a mirror and get proud, and stick out our chests and suck in our bellies and say, 'Damn, we're Americans!' " "

Absolutely incredible. Thank God that guy's gone.

(By the way, in the same article, Donald Rumsfeld refers to the man who replaced Jay Garner, L. Paul Bremer III, as "Jerry." What is that all about? Looked around a little and found out that that's also how Bush referred to him when he announced Bremer's appointment. I don't know what anyone else thinks, but sounds like some stupid frat-boy nickname to me.)