- Republican Sen. John Warner said today he believes the president should send a message to the Iraq government by polling out a number of troops from Iraq by Christmas.

“We must start an orderly, carefully-planned, thought-out redeployment… in my humble judgment, that will get everybody’s attention.”

The White House said the statement and those like it are “inappropriate” but it is a further example of mounting tension between elected GOP officials and the administration.

Though it is a very big symbol of what is going on it is not necessarily a “major development” as little is likely to come from the statement.

- It is being reported by CNN that a major Republican firm with close ties to the White House is actually working to undermine the administration of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Barbour Griffith & Rogers is sending out e-mails criticizing al-Maliki to promite a client former interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi as a replacement.

- Yesterday Senator Hillary Clinton called for the ouster of al-Maliki at the displeasure of John Edwards and the Bush administration. Today it is being reported that September’s NIE reportwill criticize the al-Maliki government calling his admin “unable to govern”. The report will reportedly say that the surge has had an impact and will continue to do so if it continues but that violence will continue as will political instability.

- An odd report has come out which states that Iran is distributing leaflets in Kurdish Iraq claiming “The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran will work on cleansing this area” and that Turkey is working with the nation to plot an attack. The report was denied by Iran and in all honesty the sources seem less than credible.

Reports claim that these leaflets were dropped yesterday by mysterious helicopters in the region. Is this the work of hysteria or propaganda, maybe some kind of psychological warfare? There has been shelling in the region but not clear sign of a larger imminent attack.