Could there BE a more appropriate metaphor for this administration's approach to Iraq than a webpage full worthless links in the wrong frickin' language? (or am I missing something...)

Does lorem ipsum really mean anything? I thought it was just weird-sounding garbage that Adobe used to use in its Pagemaker templates to mark text that could be replaced. I mean it sounds like Latin, but I think it is merely gibberish/placeholder text.

Probably holding the place of the "good news" that the administration is expecting to come out of Iraq any day now, or in 12 years.

The ultimate statement, the very pinnacle of their handling of their war is the idea that once everyone figures out how far south it's already gone they can just put up a webpage to post the "good news" and thus fix everything.

OK, I almost failed Latin in college, so, here goes:

lorem ipsum, quia dolor sit, amet, consectetur
"To whip thyself, because it is painful, it logically follows that one loves it".

Or, something... hey, I'm holding the damn Latin dictionary in my sweaty hands (any law people online cause what is THAT all about?)

Not gibberish. It's from Cicero's "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", and has been used for simulated text since the 16th century. The standard translation of the entire paragraph is:

"But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?"

The piece you were looking at, Sterling, is part of the "Nor again is there anyone..."

"Lorem" would actually be third declension accusative of the Latin for "scourge" (or whip). Apos is of course right; the lorem is actually, orginally, dolorem.

The coffee made me do it ; )

Apostropher, have you ever considered trying out for Jeopardy?

*seconds John Johnson*