It hasn’t been announced publicly yet, but look for the first Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on the Law of the Sea convention to take place on Sept. 27. Government witnesses will come then.

I’m not very good at humor, particularly when it comes to wars in which so many on both sides are tragic victims. But I just received this clip from a friend that reminds us of the “swagger” of the Bush-Blair crowd.

Even President Bush is likening Iraq to images of Vietnam — but in an opposite way from the Iraq War’s critics.

John Bolton talks a lot about democracy but seems more about igniting wars — particularly with North Korea, Iran, Cuba and/or China.

(Doesn’t Cheney just seem so. . .Richard the Third?) I just came by this interesting interview with former Arms Control and Disarmament Agency Director and evolving neoconservative thinker Ken Adelman.

The real answer is that no one knows. George Bush is holding his cards close and is not giving any indication as to his direction right now — other than keeping all options open.

I just ran in to the Australian Ambassador to the United States at the Sydney International Airport, where I’m about to depart for Los Angeles. More when I get back to the U.S.

Michael Ledeen — who once told me that he only supported the Iraq War because it provided momentum and pre-positioning of American military forces to then go after Iran — is not going to feel self-actualized until America unleashes a considerable portion of its arsenal against the nation and people of Iran.

I’m not very culturally literate, and it took my table partner at the ongoing Australian American Leadership Dialogue to tell me that the erudite, bald-headed guy speaking eloquently and convincingly about sensible strategies to confront climate change was a former lead singer of the group Midnight Oil, Peter Garrett.

My blogging colleague, Juan Cole, who publishes the blog, Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion, will be speaking at a forum I am chairing next week at the New America Foundation. He will be speaking about his just released book, Napoleon’s Egypt: Invading the Middle East.