Must Reads

Several items on the agenda today.

Let's start with my take on the Sandy Berger documents at the AOL blog. Give ER a holiday lift and check it out. Sorry for the bleg.

Next, this from the Napa Valley register and writer Bruce Clymer (obviously not related to the NY Times' Adam Clymer):

One last thought. I hear a lot of people talk about how we should negotiate with these Islamic fundamentalists. How well did negotiation work with Hitler or Ghengis Khan or the Vikings? How do you negotiate with people determined to conquer, convert or kill you?

I would suspect that Bruce will be run out of northern California before the first of the year expressing anti-idiotarian sentiments like that.

Lastly, Ramsey Clarke wants Saddam to stay in US control to prevent his neck from being stretched:

Referring to his client as "calm, dignified [and] thoughtful," a member of Saddam Hussein's defense team urged President Bush Wednesday to keep the toppled Iraqi dictator in U.S. hands to prevent him from being mistreated in Iraqi custody.

Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, a longtime anti-war activist and self-described pacifist, told reporters in Washington, D.C., he wanted Bush to refuse to turn "President Saddam Hussein" over to Iraqi officials.

Is there any murderous despot that Clark did not find "calm, dignified and thoughtful?". By the way Ramsey, he stopped being "President" when we entered Baghdad and he ran away to be eventually found in a spider hole.