McCain October-surprises Obama, leaks Iraq arrival info

McCain appears to have just thrown a wrench in Obama's Iraq visit. I'm guessing this will mean hasty changes to Obama's itinerary, and not that Obama's handlers will allow increased risk to his security--if indeed McCain's secrecy breach has compromised it. Maybe elements of the visit will have to be scrapped? Did McCain's have particular ones in mind or just to make Obama's tour less productive, graceful and politically advantageous in general? True, it's not October, but as a surprise this one does seem to fit in with the sabotage of Vietnam peace talks in '68 on behalf of Nixon and the sabotage of talks for the release of American hostages in Iran alleged of Reagan in the '80 campaign.

Little Powers

Lawrence of Cyberia has found a nice little line by the brilliant and relatively unsung G.K. Chesterton. I'm borrowing the whole thing, but please give LC a visit.

"It may be said with rough accuracy that there are three stages in the life of a strong people. First, it is a small power, and fights small powers. Then it is a great power, and fights great powers. Then it is a great power, and fights small powers, but pretends that they are great powers, in order to rekindle the ashes of its ancient emotion and vanity. After that, the next step is to become a small power itself."

- G. K. Chesterton, Heretics, chapter 18 ("The Fallacy of the Young Nation"), 1906