"O bury me not on the lone prairie
Where the wild coyote will howl o'er me
Where the buffalo roams the prairie sea
O bury me not on the lone prairie."

Bush called Maliki today, only after calling the yard guy on the ranch who waters the uterus I would imagine, to tell him there is no timeline for withdrawal from Iraq:

"The prime minister was concerned there have been rumors that there was a two-month timeline,'' Snow said. It may have been a reference to comments by Senator John Warner, a Virginia Republican, who said U.S. policy may have to change in two to three months if conditions fail to improve, Snow said, adding that he was "speculating'' about the source of the rumor.

Ace takes a look at the Warner camp:

Like the Democrats, they call for a "new strategy" but seem to have no idea of what a "new strategy" might look like.

What do such calls mean? Partly they're a way of saying "cut and run" without outright saying so. Partly they're a way of expressing the frustration many of us feel. Except, being Important Senators, they cannot merely say "We're frustrated by the situation," they have to make Important New Strategy Initiatives like, for example, calling for a New Strategy.

But another part of this might be the psychological need to feel relevant. People back home may want to contribute to a success in Iraq, but it's the fighters who will actually win the war. People like Hegel and Warner can't actually help win the war on the ground, so they convince themselves that they can "contribute" by adding "bold new ideas" and "fresh thinking" to the effort.

Hmm, new strategy, constructive critcism? This guy has an idea, and he's probably worth listening to.

Meanwhile, Bob Owens is crunching Lancet's casualty numbers, but Zeyad warns us not to deny the human cost of the Iraq war by debunking so furiously that we forget there is a cost. He does, however, call the Lancet numbers absurd.

Read Omar's take on casualty numbers, too. I wanted to pull out a bit, but it won't let me copy. Just as well. You should read the whole thing.

Update: Another picture of Iraq.

John Noonan: "This happens every day, in different ways. Our troops care. That's what makes them the best."

Update: For those of you who are confused about the uterus connection, I fixed the link on the song. Go click it. Sorry 'bout that!