Fishin' with George

"Also on Thursday, American forces in Iraq pushed south to retake control of several Shiite towns held by insurgents, and three Japanese civilians taken as hostages appeared in a video broadcast blindfolded, while their captors threatened them with guns, knives and swords.

"Mr. Bush spent that afternoon leading representatives of 22 hunting, fishing and wildlife organizations on a tour of his 1,600-acre ranch. Among his guests were leaders of the National Rifle Association, the Ruffed Grouse Society, Ducks Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation. He also gave an interview to Ladies' Home Journal.

"On Friday, as Americans worked to put a cease-fire in place in Iraq, Mr. Bush fished in the bass pond on his ranch with Roland Martin, host of the Outdoor Life Network cable show "Fishing with Roland Martin."

"Mr. Bush 'took the biggest one of the day' — a four-pound bass, Mr. Martin told The Associated Press.

"'The president was very relaxed,' he added. 'He didn't really talk about politics at all.'"

Tony Blair is on vacation too, but at least he has something cogent to say.

But it also appears that Blair's generals are increasingly uncomforable with the manner in which the U.S. is suppressing the insurgency (if in fact, we are suppressing anything other than support for the U.S. in Iraq).