Hightower Lowdown

No amount of posturing by George Flight-Suit-in-Chief Bush, as one of our nicknamers dubbed him, will stop those roadside bombs in Iraq. For months, entire units have gone begging for steel plates needed to armor their Humvees against the deadly blasts they encounter daily. Families of soldiers have offered to buy these steel plates themselves, but have been rejected by commanders who keep promising that the army will provide better equipment soon. Soon never seems to come, especially for the National Guard and reservists who are doing much of the most dangerous work in Iraq, so soldiers scavenge scrap metal and sand bags to harden their Humvees. But this hasn't stopped the deaths and maimings.

The Pentagon now says it hopes to have all Humvees armored by next Aprila full year and more than 1,000 deaths after Bush launched this poorly-prepared war.

For more, call Operation Truth at 212-982-9699.