President Bush:

Across the broader Middle East, people are claiming their freedom. In the last few months, we've witnessed elections in the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon. These elections are inspiring democratic reformers in places like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Our strategy to defend ourselves and spread freedom is working.

Or not. Here is Egypt's first runner-up in the last election:

Egyptian opposition politician Ayman Nour, former head of the liberal Al Ghad party, has threatened to start a hunger strike in protest at violence he says he has suffered in prison, where he has been held since January 2006.

...Nour was sentenced to five years jail for having falsified signatures for the foundation of his party. The 43 year old lawyer has always declared his innocence, blaming instead the regime for wanting to remove him from the political arena.

During the presidential elections in September 2005, the first multi party contest in the country's history, Ayman Nour won 8 percent of the vote which saw Mubarak reconfirmed after 24 years in power - for another six year term.

Additional background from HRW here.

Yesterday, there was a bit of a discussion here about the "spending like Edwards in a beauty shop" line we heard in the GOP debate. Over at TAPPED, GF-R has more, noting the triple-hit the phrase gets -- it's tax-and-spend, it's "limo-libs," and it's questioning the Dem male masculinity. All in one neat package.

What's more significant is its indication of the campaign to come:

Indeed, the fiestiness on display last night should serve as a wake-up call for people who think the 2008 contest against the G.O.P. is going to be a cake-walk, thanks to the weakness of the president, the example of the 2006 victories, and the alleged weakness of the Republican field. The Republican contenders are going to fight the Democrats, hard, through-out the primary season and after...

It's absolutely true, and these one-liners have, in the past, taken on a life of their own. These caricatures end up defining Democratic candidates on Republican terms.

"Flip-flopper," anyone?

So just where is the Dems' comeback? Where is the response? Why is it even a "response" -- why weren't lines like this at the previous Democratic debate?

Where is the Democratic joke that takes on a life of its own, and takes the Republicans down a notch along the way?

Why are Democrats seemingly unable -- or, unwilling -- to come up with these kinds of lines?

So, in last night's debate, we learned:

We need to WIN! in Iraq, the terrorists will follow us home, women who are raped must be forced to give birth to the child, and, most importantly, torture is awesome. 

What a pathetic bunch.

Official Title: "Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan Policy and Implementation."

Other disgarded job titles included "Whatever Bush Says-er," "Director of FUBAR Plans," and, of course, "Fall Guy."

I'm sure this will all turn out swimmingly. Best of luck.

I just wanted a post with the word "Bubble" in it, like everyone else.

The Times is reporting Iran has stepped up its nuclear capabilities. I'm sure soon we'll see Richard Perle and Joe Lieberman and others on the teevee, telling us how Shock and Awe will solve this problem. Preemption, and all...

Hopefully, since we've seen this movie before, people will this time focus on the details:

The material produced so far would have to undergo further enrichment before it could be transformed into bomb-grade material. To accomplish that, Iran would likely first have to evict the I.A.E.A. inspectors, as North Korea did four years ago.

Even then, it is unclear whether the Iranians have the technology to produce a weapon small enough to fit atop their missiles, a significant engineering challenge.

Pesky things, details.