Little Scotty Changing the Status Quo

Little Scotty at the gaggle today:

And I will take that argument on any day in this room, if people want to suggest that we are not better off with Saddam Hussein removed from power. The world is better off with him removed from power. Freedom is now advancing in the Middle East. We're making important progress. And by expanding freedom in the Middle East we are changing the status quo. The status quo in the Middle East is changing, and the status quo in the Middle East led to terrorists flying planes into buildings. It became a troubled region and a breeding ground for terrorism. And we made the -- the President made the determination after September 11th that we are not going to settle for the status quo. (emphasis added)

Reason number 791 why we are in Iraq: Changing the Status Quo

Juan Cole on the reality today:

50 Dead in Violence

...snip...

Robert H. Reid of AP reports on deaths in Iraq on Tuesday:

* The US announced the deaths of 5 US soldiers, 3 killed by a guerrilla bomb on Tuesday and another two on Sunday.

* Guerrilla violence killed 23 Iraqis on Tuesday. Reid writes, "A car bombing killed five people, and three others died when a bomb exploded on a minibus, both attacks in Shiite areas of the capital, police said."

*Police found 24 corpses, mostly in Baghdad, the victims of sectarian reprisal killings.

Memo to Little Scotty: Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed.