Weekend Short Takes

if Musharraf should give up the military uniform just yet. Otherwise a smart and practical idea.

Of course the big story is the Iraqi soccer win.

Not sure the arms sale to the Saudis sends the right signal given the damage they are doing in Iraq. Some critics of Bush say surge is making progress. Will the Democrats diss those reports and still advocate Harman's position from Sunday -remove troops BUT support Iraq's stability.....huh?

While I appreciate the publicity that you have brought to the U.S. Public Service Academy, I must disagree with your assessment of the idea. I understand that you may not trust Sen. Clinton and thus you are concerned about the Academy idea, but I urge you to keep an open mind about it until you can learn more.

There is a movement to build the Academy that extends far beyond Sen. Clinton or her campaign. Sen. Clinton has co-sponsored the Senate legislation, but we have bipartisan support -- folks like Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Rep. Tom Davis, as well as many military leaders (including the last three superintendents of West Point) are also behind the bill. They certainly are not interested in building a school to perpetuate government bureaucracy, and neither are we.

This is not a Democratic idea, nor is it a Republican idea. It is an American idea. It promises to revitalize our public sector by developing stronger leadership. Bashing government, mocking public servants, and "starving the beast" have failed to stanch the growth of government in the past generation, and they certainly have not improved government services. Surely we should try something new, something that promises to transform government by changing the level of expectation and the culture of its leadership.

I encourage you and your readers to find out more about the movement to build the Public Service Academy by visiting:
http://www.uspublicserviceacademy.org.

Thanks,
Chris Myers Asch