News you can lose
Gainful employment prevented much blogging today, but I did get to see the statue fall, and there was no shortage of blogging of the events from the good folks listed over on the side bar. But, as always, some events get overlooked:

Jane Fonda fears anti-U.S. backlash:

Jane Fonda told a Canadian audience that she fears the U.S. campaign in Iraq will turn people all over the world against America.

"What it's going to mean for (America's) stability as a nation, for terrorism, for the economy -- I can't imagine," Fonda said Tuesday. "I think the entire world is going to be united against us."

That frightens her, she said, but she isn't sure what Americans can do about it.

"I don't know if a country where the people are so ignorant of reality and of history, if you can call that a free world," she said.

Still hitting the magic mushrooms, eh Janie?

April 9, 1812 GMT (and also 2011 GMT), Stratfor breathlessly reports:

Stratfor has received an unconfirmed report, citing sources in Damascus, that Russian President Vladimir Putin has brokered a deal with U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice, whereby Saddam Hussein will surrender Baghdad without resistance. Others allegedly involved in the deal include Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri Hadithi, Russian ambassadors in Damascus and Baghdad, and Iraqi ambassadors in Moscow and Damascus. French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder also reportedly know of the deal. We emphasize that we have no confirmation of this, and will pursue the matter with other sources.

Close, but no cigar fellers! Actually they all dropped by the Country Store and we settled it while passing around a jar of corn squeezings.

By the way, I usually don't mention Stratfor, since their stuff is often more DEBKAesque than DEBKA (just like the above), but I see that there has been quite a flurry over the Agonist's plagiarism of their subscription service material. And all along I thought he was just pulling it out of his hindquarters and putting a leftwing spin on it!

Arab Nations Formally Request General Assembly Meeting on Iraq:

Arab nations on Tuesday requested a U.N. General Assembly meeting on the war in Iraq, hoping to win approval for a resolution calling for a cease-fire.

The assembly's General Committee will meet Friday morning to consider the request, assembly spokesman Richard Sydenham said.

The party will still be over on Friday.