The Army is cracking down on deserters. Many of them have already been to Iraq or Afghanistan, and are just stressed out.

“They are scraping to get people to go back, and people are worn out,” said Dr. Thomas Grieger, a senior Navy psychiatrist. Though there are no current studies to show how combat stress affects desertion rates, Dr. Grieger cited several examples of soldiers absconding or refusing to return to Iraq because of psychiatric reasons brought on by wartime deployments.

At an Army base in Alaska last year, for example, “there was one guy who literally chopped off his trigger finger with an axe to prevent his deployment,” Dr. Grieger said in an interview.

Others may not have been true volunteers in the first place, but a result of high-pressure tactics and decreased enlistment standards:

More....

Finally, the Sopranos are back. The final season, Made in America, begins tonight on HBO with Episode 78, "Home Movies." Like last year, I will be putting up a thread every Sunday night to discuss the show. Predictions, analysis, reactions, all Soprano topics are welcome.

If you get Comcast On Demand, it appears that HBO is free this weekend, including the Sopranos past episodes and tonight's new one.

The only thing I can glean from the news coverage is that not all of the story lines will be resolved by the end.

Update: Some hints here from an exclusive interview with Tony and his son.

Update: Spoiler Alert: Here's a recap for those who missed it.

Watching Meet the Press this morning, it becomes apparent that the Beltway types do not get it yet - on Iraq, what they say matter not one whit to what the American People think. The views on the Iraq Debacle are baked cake, but they still think they have something to say on the matter. The one exception, the astute Chuck Todd, the new political director for NBC (disclosure, I am friendly with Todd.) Watch as Chuck cuts through the Beltway nonsense:

MR. RUSSERT: Chuck Todd, where do we go? The president will say, “All right, you sent me your [Iraq funding] legislation, and I just vetoed it. Now what are you going to do? Are you going to give me money for the troops, or are you going to tell the American people you’re not going to support this war anymore?

MR. CHUCK TODD: Well, it’s interesting. What I don’t understand what the White House is doing is that every time Democrats propose something that allows them to potentially take co-ownership of the war, Bush actually stops them, and politically it actually puts the Democrats in an advantageous position because they can sit there and say, “Well, you know what, we’ve, we’ve tried to take some responsibility for this war. The president won’t do it. He’s vetoing this legislation. This is still Bush’s war. This is still a Republican war.” And that’s sort of the frustration that I’m sensing from some Republicans, not, not inside the White House, but on Capital Hill and on the campaign trail a little bit . . . In 2008 it’s going to be a real death knell for the Republican Party.

You think the Beltway understands this? They do not. Not even most Dems understand this.

Sometimes I just feel like shouting "Wake up, people." Ten U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq this weekend.

Among the 10 U.S. deaths announced Sunday were three soldiers killed by a roadside bomb while patrolling south of Baghdad; one killed in an attack south of the capital; and two who died of combat wounds sustained north of the capital, in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces. On Saturday, the military said, four U.S. soldiers were killed in an explosion near their vehicle in Diyala.

At least 3,280 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians.

It's way past time to get the hell out of there.

Continuing with my media theme today, Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News puts his finger on why Don Imus will go unpunished for his racist comments (video here) about the Rutgers women's basketball team: Dollars. As in money the show makes through advertising.

Which leads to the next question: Who are his show's advertisers?

I don't know, since I don't listen and haven't found a list online. But, what I did find on his MSNBC show site is that he markets his own goods. Those should be easy to boycott. Like Imus Ranch Foods. He has a foundation to help kids with cancer spend time on his ranch, and the money ostensibly goes there, but you don't need Imus to help kids with cancer. St. Jude's is a great alternative.

And what about getting guests not to go on the show? Tim Russert is scheduled for Monday morning. Why doesn't he cancel?

More...

I love this piece by Alexandra Zacharios-Haight at Huffington Post praising Diane Keaton and Helen Mirren and other actresses over 50.

I agree Diane Keaton, one of my all-time favorite actresses, is extremely under-rated. From Looking for Mr. Goodbar to Annie Hall to Something's Gotta Give, she is just so terrific.

The comparisons:

Wisdom, character. These are the new aesthetic criteria for beauty. The vapid, vacuous images of Paris Hilton, Brittany Spears and others are no longer just annoying, they are profoundly disturbing. The crash and burn of Anna Nicole Smith is another chilling and grizzly phenomenon. None of this is beautiful or sexy. And the media coverage of these young women is ugly and cheap. Thank goodness for The Huffington Post, where we can EAT THE PRESS.

Here's to the new goddesses of love, beauty and wisdom--the Athenas and Aphrodites of 2006/07 and all over 50: Jane Alexander, Judi Dench, Tyne Daly, Ruby Dee, Nora Ephron, Mia Farrow, Arianna Huffington, Diane Keaton, Eartha Kitt, Sherry Lansing, Yoko Ono, Nancy Pelosi, Lynn Redgrave, The Ronettes, Patti Smith, Meryl Streep, Anna Wintour and Queen Elizabeth II (mostly thanks to the artistry of Helen Mirren and the extraordinary power of a great film). And whether we like it or not, Hillary Clinton and Condoleeza Rice are part of the phenomenon as well.

I'd add Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn. Any others?

This is not the idea behind the Surge I think:

The renegade cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urged the Iraqi army and police to stop cooperating with the United States and told his guerrilla fighters to concentrate on pushing American forces out of the country, according to a statement issued Sunday. The statement, stamped with al-Sadr's official seal, was distributed in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Sunday — a day before a large demonstration there, called for by al-Sadr, to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. "You, the Iraqi army and police forces, don't walk alongside the occupiers, because they are your archenemy," the statement said. Its authenticity could not be verified.

We all know that Rudy Giuliani was behind Bernie Kerik's failed nomination for Homeland Security Chief.

Why is it coming out now that Alberto Gonzales personally was the one who vetted him....and failed to quash the nomination? The Washington Post devotes 4 online pages to the Gonzales-Kerik connection.

Alarmed about the raft of allegations, several White House aides tried to raise red flags. But the normal investigation process was short-circuited, the sources said. Bush's top lawyer, Alberto R. Gonzales, took charge of the vetting, repeatedly grilling Kerik about the issues that had been raised. In the end, despite the concerns, the White House moved forward with his nomination -- only to have it collapse a week later.

How is it that Rudy thinks he can pass this off onto Alberto Gonzales? It gives new meaning to "kick him while he's down."

The Bernie Kerik fiasco would not have happened but for Rudy. The blame is his. He knew more about Bernie than anyone else.

Thousands protested President Bush Saturday n L.A. over his immigration plan. While the radical right tries to convince Americans Bush is promoting amnesty for the undocumented, the truth is, despite his calls for a guest worker program, Bush's proposal is unattainable for most undocumented residents:

Immigrant rights advocates say many of the area's illegal immigrants feel betrayed by President Bush, who they had long considered an ally....

More....

It's astounding, time is fleeting Madness takes its toll, But listen closely, not for very much longer, I've got to keep control I remember doing the TIme Warp, Drinking those moments when, The blackness would hit me and the void would be calling, Let's do the time warp again... Let's do the time warp again!

John McCain is all chutzpah today:

The new political-military strategy is beginning to show results. But most Americans are not aware because much of the media are not reporting it or devote far more attention to car bombs and mortar attacks that reveal little about the strategic direction of the war.

Back to the show:

It's just a jump to the left And then a step to the right, With your hands on your hips, You bring your knees in tight
But it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane, Let's do the Time Warp again!

Update: The photos.

Bump and Update: Please welcome to the planet earth, Elisandra Elexy Zuniga-Battista:

Markos has phoned in the following report:

Mother and daughter are doing great. Baby weighed in at 8 lbs, 15 ounces, born at 5:01 PM. She's 20.5 inches, and Dad reports, "She looks just like us! With dark, curly hair!"

Elisa's labor was about six hours, things went smoothly and -- needless to say -- both parents are ecstatic.

Original Post: Markos Baby Watch and Open Thread

Markos of Daily Kos and Elisa are off to the hospital. Contractions are six minutes apart.

I can't wait to be a tia again.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Via a lot of people (check the trackback), Mark Thoma hosts a discussion on economics that includes comments from Paul Krugman, Bruce Bartlett and a lot of people who seem to know what they are talking about and seem to have honest differences of opinion while trying to stick to the facts.

Very refreshing. I hope we law types can emulate this.