PATRICK HYNES ASKS why Bush looks bored when it seems as if he ought to be panicking.

UPDATE: Jay Solo thinks it’s because Condi left the White House.

STRATEGYPAGE:

Some 1,400 people died in Indian Kashmir because of the recent quakes, and over 140,000 were made homeless. Across the border in Pakistani Kashmir, over 50,000 died, over 70,000 were seriously injured and over three million are homeless. The American relief effort has involved thousands of troops, several dozen helicopters and navy ships carrying relief aid and military equipment for rescue and reconstruction work. The U.S. noted the large amount of good will generated in Moslem Indonesia because of vigorous American relief efforts last year after the Indonesian earthquake and tidal wave, and is apparently out to repeat that process in Pakistan. The scope of the disaster has caused the Pakistanis to toss aside most political considerations and accept aid from anyone (including India and Israel). The quakes have had more impact on the military and political situation in Kashmir than any diplomacy or military efforts in the last several decades.

And scroll down to see how Al Qaeda is upset about this.

GRAND ROUNDS is up!

MICHAEL BARONE predicts no indictments this week.

RYAN SAGER: “The parallels between 1994 and 2006 keep piling up. Republican denials that there could even possibly be a problem might just be the next piece of the puzzle. . . . Chances are, though, that the Republicans will muddle through. But, if they’re paying attention, they also know that their continued success at this point is owed entirely to their adversaries’ inexplicable incompetence. Bush, in this second term, is weak; but Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are like lactose-intolerant kittens.”

LILEKS is up to #67 now.

THOSE EXPECTING A QUICK RESOLUTION TO THE PLAME AFFAIR may want to ponder this:

There is major news in the fight over the report of independent counsel David Barrett’s investigation into the Henry Cisneros matter. Late today, the three-judge panel overseeing Barrett ordered that parts of his report be released to the public — and that all of the report be given to Congress.

For those who have forgotten, Cisneros was Clinton’s HUD Secretary, and was charged with lying to the FBI about the amount — not the existence — of payments to his former mistress.

Oh, well. Some people will manage to cash in a bit, just like last time.

UPDATE: Andy McCarthy says that Fitzgerald is apolitical and honest.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Tom Maguire has some thoughts as everyone is waiting for Fitzgerald.

NANOTECHNOLOGY UPDATE: Nanodot has been covering the Foresight Nanotechnology Conference.

I LIKE AUTOMATED SERVICES like Technorati or Google News, but they’re easier for spammers and spoofers to fool than real people are. That’s the point of this post by Dave Winer, though as he notes, real people can be fooled, too.

YES, I WAS SCOOPED with this good news.

HERE’S FED CHAIR NOMINEE BEN BERNANKE’S homepage. Links to publications, CV, etc.

A SUGGESTION THAT THE PRESS do a better job in reporting on Joseph Wilson’s Niger mission, rather than mischaracterizing it.

WILMA UPDATE:

Hurricane Wilma headed into the Atlantic Ocean after its path across southern Florida knocked down trees and power lines and flooded low-lying areas. Insured damages from the storm may be as much as $10 billion, more than any of the four hurricanes to hit the state last year.

Wilma, the eighth hurricane to reach Florida since August 2004, was over the Atlantic, about 350 miles (563 kilometers) south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. One death was attributed to the storm, which cut power to more than 3 million people.

Not bad compared to what we’ve seen lately, but bad enough. The Hurricane relief donations list still works.

UPDATE: Here’s a report from Cozumel, via Doc Searls.

ANOTHER BLOGGER BOOK: Clayton Cramer has a publisher and a nice advance.

THE CARNIVAL OF THE CAPITALISTS IS UP! So is The Blawg Review.

A NEW SPENDING CUTS PACKAGE:

Last month conservative backbenchers changed the direction of House GOP fiscal policy by introducing “Operation Offset” — a package of potential savings in government spending that would offset the tens of billions of dollars needed to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

At first, the package was met with disapproval by House Leadership. But weeks later, Hastert and others have embraced parts of the package and are scheduling a vote on the House floor this Thursday that would increase savings by $15 billion. That vote is a direct result of the actions of the House conservatives led by Mike Pence.

Now, a band of fiscal conservatives in the Senate plan to offer a similar proposal. Tomorrow, at 12:30 Senators Ensign, McCain, DeMint, Graham, Sununu, Coburn and Brownback will hold a press conference in which they will unveil the details of their own savings package.

Good.

THE CARNIVAL OF THE RECIPES is up!

HOW MUCH INFLUENCE are bloggers having on the Miers nomination?

Some, but not enough!

IRAQI BLOGGERS MOHAMMED AND OMAR are profiled over at the Pajamas Media site. And scroll down for lots more interesting blogger profiles, including Daniel Drezner and Stephen Green.

JAMES LILEKS’ NEW BOOK is currently #96 #68 on Amazon. Congratulations, James!

LONGEVITY UPDATE: Here’s an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education on Aubrey de Grey and the Cambridge conference on Scientifically Engineered Negligible Senescence. Meanwhile, closer to home is this article on current progress. There’s also more here.

MORE ON SYRIA:

The US and France on Monday presented a joint front against Syria, demanding Damascus tell the truth over its alleged involvement in the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister.

Shockingly, however, the cooperation is less than total. Daniel Drezner has a Syria roundup.

WHEN MIERS’ NOMINATION TANKS: Nominate Douglas Ginsburg!

He’s clearly one of the leading judges in the country, with vast experience in antitrust law, admintrative law, constitutional law, and more. His marijuana incident is now more than twenty years in the past, and no longer seems disqualifying in any event, given subsequent revelations (“I didn’t inhale” and whatnot).

Most important, Ginsburg (who is still only sixty) is not a Bush crony or loyalist, and can be counted on as a strong and independent voice on the Court. And conservatives would rally around: if he was good enough for Ronald Reagan, surely he’s good enough for the Bush Adminstration.

We could do worse. And probably will.

PAJAMAS: The fashion is spreading.

“THE SOURCE OF THE CHAOS:” Michael Totten has more about Syria and Lebanon.