(Ex-)Atlantic City Mayor Robert W. Levy resigned today over confusion regarding his whereabouts since Sep. 26. He was in rehab until last Thursday for substance abuse and depression, which has probably deepened since the feds started investigating his military record in Vietnam. What a whacky town! [NYT}

With his daughter getting married, his administration wiretapping all of his political enemies, paranoia running rampant and everyone in the country high out of their minds on coke, Bush has finally come to realize that his pointless, unwinnable war is exactly like Johnson and Nixon’s pointless, unwinnable war. Because while before we were fighting in Iraq to prevent Iraq from fighting in us, or something, now we fight there so that Pol Pot doesn’t rise from the dead and take over. It’s true! Bush is going to deliver a speech about it and everything! MORE »

Not mentioned: one, possibly more of these were John Kerry’s fault.
How Not to End a War [WP]

* “La Nuit des Publivores Francophone 2007″ at the Hirshhorn. It’s a night of television commercials from Belgium, Switzerland, Lebanon, Canada, North Africa, French-speaking Africa, and France. $13 at 7 p.m. [Smithsonian]
* Tom Bissell discusses The Father of All Things at Olsson’s in Arlington. It’s about the impact of Vietnam on Americans, Vietnamese and Bissell’s own pop. [Olsson's]
* Shirley Clarke’s The Connection at AFI. “This beat-inflected study depicts a documentarian’s efforts to capture the drug scene as seen through a group of heroin addicts waiting for their connection.” $9.25 at 8:30PM. [AFI]

No longer even loosely tethered to reality, John WALNUTS! McCain is now making his worst fears public: that something could happen in Iraq that might possibly turn Americans against the war! MORE »

Everybody loves to talk about how Iraq is just like Vietnam, as far as the United States losing a big bloody unnecessary war, but now we can add “they cost the same, too.” MORE »

Guess who somehow found room in his liver for some backbone? Teddy Kennedy! MORE »

So one of the two very similar political parties wins control of the Congress again because overwhelming majorities of Americans are sick of killing U.S. kids in Iraq, welfare-state big-government spending, crippling national debt and deficits, and Republican politicians who strangle their prostitutes and have gay sex with children. But what does it all mean? MORE »

We know Iraq is George W. Bush’s long-delayed personal Vietnam War, but this is getting ridiculous: America actually lost a Marine in Vietnam during Bush’s visit. MIAs in Vietnam again? Let’s rock it Apocalypse Now style!

The missing staff sergeant was a maintenance specialist assigned to the Marine One Presidential Helicopter detail. After a night out drinking with fellow Marines, the specialist “left his hotel on the back of a moped driven by a local national without telling anyone,” a Marine Corps spokeswoman confirmed to ABC News.

Despite his CO “suspecting foul play or terrorism” and shutting down various bars in Hanoi in the frantic search, the Marine was just out partying with a “local national” (hooker) and wasn’t even really AWOL as he was off duty for the night. MORE »

It takes courage in the face of adversity — along with “Yikes, We’re All Crazy Moonies! — to declare victory in Iraq a few hours after Henry Freakin’ Kissinger says he “doesn’t believe that is possible.” But that’s why we love the Washington Times. MORE »

Photo credit: NYT via AP via Canadian Press

Once we saw the above picture in the Times, we knew we had on our hands a motherlode of hilariously awkward Presidential photos. The wires did not disappoint. After the jump, join us in a moving pictorial tribute to President Bush’s awesome Vietnam adventure.

MORE »

* At a summit in Vietnam President Bush confronts regional economic realities, North Korean diplomatic complexities, and some goofy, goofy pajamas. [NYT, Time]
* Supreme Court Justices Roberts and Alito do battle over whose mildly amusing dinner party quips are better. [WP]
* Pentagon internal review of Iraq war uses football metaphors for policy options. Typical. [WP]
* Gay-marriage ban may go to a ballot in Massachusetts. [WP]
* Charlie Rangel wants to make politicians “think twice” about starting wars and believes legislation to renew the military draft will do that. Plans to propose the legislation, “as soon as we start the new session.” [WP]
* New pointless coin to celebrate old pointless Presidents. [NYT]

* President Bush met yesterday with members of the Iraq study panel, said they have “interesting ideas.” [WP, NYT]
* Nagging corruption allegations against John Murtha create questions about Nancy Pelosi’s support for him as majority leader. [WP, NYT]
* President Bush begins trip to Asia today, will meet with Russia and China about best bullying tactics for Iran, Syria, and North Korea. [WSJ]
* The House’s failure to pass a bill normalizing trade relations with Vietnam seen as an embarrassment to Bush before his arrival in Hanoi. [NYT]
* Rudy Giuliani sets up presidential exploratory committee. [NYT]
* Florida Senator Mel Martinez to become RNC figurehead when Ken Mehlman steps down in January to spend more time with his leather pants. [ , NYT]
* Freshman lawmakers remarkably similar to freshman college students in giddy excitement, cluelessness. [WP, USAT]