The Council on Foreign Relations has been a target of the Three-Neuron Right for decades. It's seen as an enclave of uberintellectuals using their formidable brain power to subvert the will of Rush Limbaugh followers everywhere.

The latest, referring to the so-called end of American combat operations in Iraq:

"We could end up with a situation where Iraq is a mess," said Steven Cook, a Mideast specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations.

If that represents CFR thinking, we can all quit worrying about being steamrollered by   the council's awesome intellect.  Unless, of course, we miss its point that Iraq was  an orderly and tranquil place prior to our adventure there.

Roger Williams

Something in a guy's Celtic soul, which has been marinated in more than 200 years of Appalachian hill and holler culture,  makes him a sucker for the maudlin. Personally, I can even get into "The Green Green Grass of Home" which offends my George Shearing side.

About this time of year it is Roger Williams. Even without the molasses-jug lyrics,  "The Falling Leaves"  tops the goopiness scale, and I wish I could get his damned piano version to quit earwigging me.

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I am working this gray morning in front of the big south window, noticing that the cottonwood leave are definitely yellow.

Roger Clemons

Roger played baseball. If he took steroids, he violated a private agreement with his boss. Not a crime.

He told Congressman Waxman's nosy committee he didn't take steroids. Congressman Waxman disagreed, and Roger is about to go to trial for lying to Congress,  a crime that could send him to federal prison for 30 years.

Please do not let this confuse you about federal law. Lying to Congress is  felony. Lying in Congress is a hallowed American tradition.

Even if he did take muscle juice, all Mr.Clemon's had to do was first get elected, Then he and his congressional collagues could have rubbed Pinocchio noses to their hearts' content.

Dear Blanche,

You must be smarter than that, having a BA and all, so we assume  you think Joe Bob is too dumb to understand how earmarks work and will vote for you because you got Washington to pretend it was giving New Hope free money -- $13,811 for a nice new police car.

Heaven hep y'all  if Joe Bob figures out that somebody had to send that $13,811  to President Obama and Senator Lincoln before they could send it to  New Hope.

And the guys who paid will be humping to get it back from their Sen. Santa Claus.  So if Joe Bob does get that job over at the turpentine plant, the feds will be nicking his paycheck, dime by dime, week by week, piling up some more free money to buy a new cruiser for Barney over there in Mayberry.

Senator, why don't  y'all  just stick  it in your earmark?