Always nice to take a quick break from analyzing the news/blogs to check in on your pups. They are beautiful.

What a nice respite after that Playboy article. Whew. It's hard to tell where the pups end and the pillows begin. Nice to see the sibs are getting along so well together.

Must have been a hard day at the office for those two.

The puppies!!!

Ok we like your political analysis too.

As we used to say about our dogs when we were kids, VELVETEEN!!!! They seem to have exactly the right attitude about life!

Those babies have some spooky lookin' eyes.

Yay puppies!

Thanks for Annie and Oakley..after the Brewing Nightmare post we all need a warm fuzzy.

what a great picture!
those are wise eyes.

There has been some suggestion that Hicks and all other detainees currently held in Guantanamo Bay should be detained until the cessation of hostilities as a prisoners of war. Though Guantanamo is to the layman's perception a prisoner-of-war camp, the US has craftily avoided using any terminology which would lead to a recognition of this status, for should detainees be recognised as prisoners-of-war, they would be entitled to the protections of the 3rd Geneva Convention of 1949. Many common practices that occur in Guantanamo directly contravene this treaty, as well as many other international agreements, such as the Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Why does our Government persist in the delusion that the US is meeting its international obligations and treating its detainees humanely, when there is substantial evidence to the contrary?

Posted by: Sarah Holloway at January

Annie and Oakley are too, too cute.

And to answer your question, Sarah, because the vast majority of Americans don't give a sh*t about Gitmo.

What is happening at Gitmo is being done by our military. The actual acts are being carried out by military personnel, regardless of who orders them to do it. Except for lawyers, not one military person has come forward to reveal the h*ll that is Gitmo. I have lost total respect for the military and I will never, ever again use the phrase, "Thank you for your service."

I love your puppies Steve and thanks so much for sharing them with us. When I clicked on the Washington Note this morning, a big ole smile came across my face because I saw Annie and Oakley~ beautiful puppies

Socking it to George — with decorum

I TAKE exception to wild statements claiming that US President George Bush is "an idiot" — or similar. As former Labour leader Mark Latham learned, such irrational outbursts merely upset American ambassadors to Australia who are personal cronies appointed by said President Bush. They then seek to interfere in the Australian democratic process. No, what we want, surely, is a more measured appraisal.
In the interests of promoting Australian-American scholarship I offer the following: President G. W. Bush is the most intellectually ineffectual US president since Warren G. Harding (1921-1923), and presides over the most dysfunctional and corrupt administration since that of Ulysses S. Grant (1873-1877).

If we are going to engage in abusing world leaders, let us show the world that Australians can do so with dignity, decorum and intellectual rigour. Which is more than can be said for the current US Administration!
Jim McLennan, Heathmont

Steve --

I see you are one smart cookie when it comes to interior decorating for dogowners --

You have DOG-COLORED furniture.

Smart, very very smart. Shedding is less obvious.

Do you also wear lots of grey clothes?

Jim--
Hilarious! I hesitate to tease you by saying you've discovered the John Kerry Approach to Street Fighting.

Some--mistakenly believing Bush is not a smart man--resort to easily-understood epithets, just to try to get through to the man. All just relatively ineffective, as are appeals to reason.

People trying to communicate with/get through to the man have to remember the frat-boy methodology: "Close" counts in horshoes and hand grenades--and close is good enough if you're using the right blunt object.

Steve,

Great pic. Makes me wonder though? How do you pick 'em so that Oakley likes 'em? Did Oakley interview Annie?

We have a thirteen-year old Lab who is getting pretty sleepy, but wakes up when around interesting dogs. Not every dog, but some. We'd like to find one for him but don't know how to involve him in the process.

Ideas?

Dog-lover in Portland, OR

Aw - pretty cute!

You know, Steve, I don't really give a hoot about those puppies of yours...But they sure are cute.
Cheers!