WHO SAID IT HAD TO MAKE SENSE?

Sometimes things don't make any sense at all. Take for an innocuous example, the sign LOST observed on a video verbiage "crawler" display sign yesterday in Point Loma. The crawler tease marched out "8 oz brown and serve Sausage 3 for $3.00." Cheap? Sure. But the story ain't the price. The Story is that the sign was in front of a retail chain pharmacy. Now, LOST doesn't know about the rest of you, but LOST doesn't ask his chiropractor to do his taxes, or buy his personal hygeine products at Auto Zone, or chat with friendly neighborhood realtor about the latest thing in pharmaceutical sleep aids. So who the hell is gonna buy bloody sausage at Rite Aid, or Walgreens? It's just a dumb, icky idea.

Speaking of dumb, icky ideas, let's talk about "Surge the Course." That is the real name of the Bush policy in Iraq - because its what he's doing there. We've all heard the rhetoric about "fightin' 'em over there so we don't have to . . . ," or "when they stand up, we'll stand down," and any number of other poster slogans, behind which there is nothing - no strategy, no contingency planning, no long term planning, bupkis. At the other end of the political spectrum, and demonized by righties all, are those who say that our continued, surged presence in Iraq fuels the growth of both anti-U.S. sentiment in Iraq, as well as the growth of destabilizing influences like Al-Qaeda. Which side's take on the war/occupation is accurate? Consider the following from this mornings Los Angeles Times

A major CIA effort launched last year to hunt down Osama bin Laden has produced no significant leads on his whereabouts, but has helped track an alarming increase in the movement of Al Qaeda operatives and money into Pakistan's tribal territories, according to senior U.S. intelligence officials familiar with the operation.

In one of the most troubling trends, U.S. officials said that Al Qaeda's command base in Pakistan is increasingly being funded by cash coming out of Iraq, where the terrorist network's operatives are raising substantial sums from donations to the anti-American insurgency as well as kidnappings of wealthy Iraqis and other criminal activity.

The influx of money has bolstered Al Qaeda's leadership ranks at a time when the core command is regrouping and reasserting influence over its far-flung network. The trend also signals a reversal in the traditional flow of Al Qaeda funds, with the network's leadership surviving to a large extent on money coming in from its most profitable franchise, rather than distributing funds from headquarters to distant cells.

Al Qaeda's efforts were aided, intelligence officials said, by Pakistan's withdrawal in September of tens of thousands of troops from the tribal areas along the Afghanistan border where Bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman Zawahiri, are believed to be hiding.

Little more than a year ago, Al Qaeda's core command was thought to be in a financial crunch. But U.S. officials said cash shipped from Iraq has eased those troubles.

"Iraq is a big moneymaker for them," said a senior U.S. counter-terrorism official.

The evolving picture of Al Qaeda's finances is based in part on intelligence from an aggressive effort launched last year to intensify the pressure on Bin Laden and his senior deputies.

Yep, and once again, the President is weekending in Crawford, continuing to extend his record of vacation days set as president beyond the reach of any competent successor. Why does LOST suspect that, while he's there he's stockin' up on some of that good ol' Walgreen's sausage?