President Obama has promised that when we wake up on September 1, the Iraq war (aka Operation Iraqi Freedom) will be over. But that leaves us without a theme, a brand, if you will, for all the miscellenous quagmires we'll still be mopping up in Iraq.

At last, here's an Iraq-related issue with a very simple fix…

As of Sept. 1, Operation Iraqi Freedom becomes Operation New Dawn.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a memo Wednesday that the name change — which is to immediately follow the scheduled withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq — will send a strong signal that American forces have a new mission.

Sure! Or, it'll remind Iraqis of the time Fallujah turned into a morass of rubble and refugees.

Either way, it's pretty catchy.

Okay, so this is getting ridiculous. Even the U.S. military — which itself is actively discriminating against homosexuals — is getting pissed off that it's still actively discriminating against homosexuals.

Hey, White House and Congress! When the military is more socially progressive than you, it's time to start getting your ass in gear…

The nation's top two Defense officials [Admiral Mike Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates] called on Tuesday for an end to the 16-year-old "don't ask, don’t tell" law, a major step toward allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the United States military for the first time in its history.

"No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens," Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said it was his personal and professional belief that "allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do."

Hmmmm… This is a real headscratcher. On the one hand, we live in the 21st Century and any thinking person with a scrap of decency thinks that Don't Ask, Don't Tell is beyond ridiculous.

But on the other hand, if it were repealed, President Obama wouldn't get to promise that he's planning to get it repealed anymore.

It's really quite the pickle.

So, yesterday, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and police officer James Crowley sat down to hash out their differences at the White House. With hilarious results!

Since there is no way known to science to be able to know exactly what happens when a white man and a black man sit down to share a beer, this simulation from The Daily Show may be our closest window into this historically unteachable teachable moment…

The Daily Show airs Monday through Thursday at 11pm / 10c.

See also: Stephen Colbert Analyzes the Beer Summit's Foreign Rainbow of Brew

The "P" in "GOP" Stands For "Pariah:"  The Republicans are stumbling through the political forest, much like the Democrats of the 70's and 80's. The main difference, Matt Steinglass points out, is that the Democratic party of last century was way too many cooks, and the modern GOP is just one cook. One cranky, fat, white, middle-aged, gay-baiting, tax-hating cook who doesn't like to share. [mattsteinglass.com]

When It Comes To Bullets, Less is More: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is quietly reinventing the Pentagon, and Michael Klare is paying close attention. The main news headlines cover how Gates has killed big-ticket weapon systems, like the F-22 Raptor, a super jet fighter designed to fight time-traveling Soviets. But the real news is that he's putting our entire Military-Industrial Complex on a diet. [thenation.com]

Nominate A Lady Judge: A woman should be nominated to replace David Souter on the Supreme Court, Lauren Stiller Rikleen argues. Her logic is solid, void of ideological hyperbole, and reason is employed effectively. And yet… should gender be a consideration? Don't throw things, I'm just asking. [boston.com]

Thoughtcrime To Become Actual Crime: Be careful what you post in the comment section, suckers.  Because if the potential bill Future Storm highlights gets passed,  you could get shipped to the can for two years. For hurting my feelings. Because I'm a very sensitive person. I write poetry in black-and-white composition books. Now, tell me I'm pretty. [futurestorm.com]

Barack Obama and his cronies really know how to put one over on the American people. That's why we can't let ourselves be hoodwinked by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' plan to slash the defense budget by increasing it by $24 billion. Don't buy the antibiotics when you what you really wanted was snake oil, America.

Vigilance, nation. Vigilance.

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