SPELLING OUT MY LOSS FUNCTION. Posting has been light or nonexistent the past couple of days owing to a cold that is slow to go away, and a bit of boredom with the big stories of the day, and a few fun things going on elsewhere. Plame? Precursor chemicals? Limbaugh? The Common Carriers are all over it. Go there. They don't hang valve gear or take derivatives. I do. California recall? Big Up to this. Does an absence of post on such things mean I don't care? Hardly. But there's no point linking the Common Carriers who are doing such a good job linking and commenting on each other. Where do I stand? Let's say that I don't want to explain to my nephew why he now has to pray with his nose pointed in the general direction of Cudahy, and his butt in the air, and his aunt has to cover her face, just because some people wanted evidence far beyond a reasonable doubt of some bad guys' capabilities. Raising Sand offers a somewhat more global perspective. (Last via Jay Solo's Verbosity.)

SECOND SECTION: One of the mad Ba'athist paymasters may be off the street.

THIRD SECTION: Shot in the Dark is thinking along similar lines, complete with an on-point from Day By Day.