I pay my respects to the parting Secretary of State. President Bush will now rely heavily on Condoleezza Rice, Powell’s replacement, in his campaign to bring peace and freedom to the Middle East.

The assault on Fallujah quieted down today with only 20 deaths reported, while things heated up in Baquba where we dropped a couple of 500-lb bombs. The US military says it has killed about 1,200 militants. At least 38 US soldiers have been killed and 275 wounded so far. Six Iraqi government troops have also died.