From The New York Times, an editorial criticizing the teaching of abstinence-only education, which, at best, is just as effective as contraceptive-based sex education. The federal government has required that, in order to receive federal funding for sex education, that education must be abstinence-based. NYT reports, "At least nine states, by one count, have decided to give up the federal matching funds rather than submit to dictates that undermine sensible sex education."

Next, Think Progress digs up the fact that, during the Bosnian War, then-Governor George W. Bush -- a presidential hopeful -- criticized President Clinton for not having a timetable for getting out of the war: "I think it’s also important for the president to lay out a timetable as to how long [troops] will be involved and when they will be withdrawn," Bush said in 1999. Today, President Bush vetoed a military spending bill because it contains a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. He reasons that, if a timetable is drawn up, terrorists will wait us out. He admitted last week in an interview on PBS's Charlie Rose that his only rationale for this oft-repeated conclusion was "just logic. [...] I mean, you say we start moving troops out. Don’t you think an enemy is going to wait and adjust based upon an announced timetable of withdrawal?”

Finally, CNN reports that Iraqi Prime Minster Nuri al-Maliki "has created an entity within his government that U.S. and Iraqi military officials say is being used as a smokescreen to hide an extreme Shiite agenda that is worsening the country's sectarian divide." It seems that the prime minister -- once a leader of anti-Saddam Shiite groups in Iraq -- may be using his official power to exercise vengeance (or something) against Sunnis. But it's not a civil war.