They’ve done it again. The Bush administration releases bad news on a Friday.

This time, it’s a Pentagon report called “Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq.” It’s a report required by Congress from the Pentagon quarterly. This latest installment is bleak and details the growth in fighting between religious factions in Iraq over the last three months. The report also shows a decline in Iraqi public opinion about Iraq’s future.

Certainly, this is bad political news for the President and his Republican supporters. Is it coincidence that the report was released on the Friday afternoon before a three-day holiday weekend? Of course not! The Sunday news shows have already been safely taped, most journalists are off, and most Americans are happily enjoying the last of the summer away from newspapers, radios, and TVs.

They do this every time.