Sooner Be Blue

Mostly politics, a few current events, a squirt of seltzer down yer pants .. a little blog for my rambles and rants.

2007/9/30

Wounded vets face new fight

@ 07:11 AM (9 months, 13 days ago)

The attitude of this White House toward our troops who have out lived their usefulness reminds me of what I heard a wizened ol' Korean vet say -- "If you're looking for 'sympathy' you can find it in the dictionary .. between 'shit' and 'syphilis.'"
 
The Associated Press has a story about the trials of many American veterans who have left the military and are having a difficult time adjusting back to civilian life ..  an important story because we now have nearly 2 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in this country. That's roughly equivalent to ten army divisions.
 
One of our nation's finest hours, with respect to the treatment of veterans, was the passage of the GI Bill during WWII. It was a wonderful moment. Here we had most of our manpower at war, and we were united in wanting to provide benefits to them when they demobilized. It caused a boon in our post-war prosperity.
 
This should be the model we use to help veterans of today.
 
But reality is another story.
 
From Associated Press, Sep 29: TEMECULA, Calif. - He was one of America's first defenders on Sept. 11, 2001, a Marine who pulled burned bodies from the ruins of the Pentagon. He saw more horrors in Kuwait and Iraq.
 
Today, he can't keep a job, pay his bills, or chase thoughts of suicide from his tortured brain. In a few weeks, he may lose his house, too.
 
....More than in past wars, many wounded troops are coming home alive from the Middle East. That's a triumph for military medicine. But they often return hobbled by prolonged physical and mental injuries ....Treatment, recovery and retraining often can't be assured quickly or cheaply.
 
These troops are just starting to seek help in large numbers, more than 185,000 so far. But the cost of their benefits is already testing resources set aside by government and threatening the future of these wounded veterans for decades to come ... [..]"
 
http://tinyurl.com/27zy32
 
Yes, there are more "casualties of war" than the 3,800 dead and over 29,000 injured.
 
185,000 are claiming disability or other aid because of injuries or trauma suffered as a result of what they have seen and done and had happen to them, and they're no longer capable of carrying on a 'normal' life.
 
The plight of every one of those 185,000 also touches the lives of their loved ones. The true cost of the Iraq war goes way beyond what the White House or any of the presidential candidates want to admit.
 
Two-thirds of the American public want us out of Bush's Iraq quagmire .. if they realized we have already lost ten divisions of trained soldiers who will never fight again, there would be even more calling for withdrawal .. right now.
 
Just because we can never compensate our troops for serving in harm's way doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to do so. Educational benefits and medical benefits are the two most important ways to do this .. the former because it's a long-term investment in our economic prosperity, the latter because it's the very least we can do to take care of veterans and their families.
 
It's sad that the study on PTSD was being discredited before it was even finished. Apparently, a lot of vets seeking help are just looking for attention and not really having problems. Like they have nothing better to do than spend a day trying to get an appointment for six months later.
 
Yet the head of the VA blows smoke at Congress and pretends everything is fine.
 
We need a modern GI Bill .. let Sen. Jim Webb, a Vietnam vet, author it. He will fight for decent compensation for troops who earn it. Because if we continue to slight our veterans, next time we face trouble (think of a more dangerous threat than Iraq) we could find a shortage of men and women who'd put their lives on the line for a country who breaks promises to its veterans.
 
Another idea -- have our political leaders' own benefits be limited to what morsels they hand to our vets.
 

2007/9/29

Limbaugh vs Anti-War GI's

@ 07:54 AM (9 months, 13 days ago)

So Rush Limbaugh thinks there are two kinds of soldiers serving in the US military in Iraq -- real soldiers who think the US ought to keep fighting there and "phony soldiers" who think the US ought to start making plans to leave.
 
"During the September 26 broadcast of his syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq "phony soldiers." [..]"
 
http://mediamatters.org/
 
And his show appears on Armed Forces Radio?
 
At yesterday's White House press conference Dana Perino was asked about the remark and said -- "The President believes that if you are serving in the military that you have the rights that every American has which is you're free to express yourself in any way that you want to. And there are some that oppose the war, and that's okay."
 
When she was asked specifically about the "phony soldiers" phrase, she added: "It's not what the President would have used, no."
 
Hardly a scathing condemnation .. but it isn't every day that the White House is forced to distance itself from Rush Limbaugh.
 
I think an awful lot of soldiers are coming around to this change of opinion during this war. And I would value the opinion of someone who has served over there over someone who hasn't.
 
THEY are the true profiles in courage, in contrast to this pompous, opiate-addicted windbag Limbaugh.
 
Yes, I know that many soldiers come home still believing in the mission, but from what I've been reading lately, there are many who don't -- there is definitely growing dissent within the military.
 
Senator Jim Webb just tried to pass a bill that would give soldiers stationed "in country" as much time back home as they have on the front. There are sound military reasons for this -- soldiers deployed for too long become angry, disoriented, discouraged and depressed.
 
Next, a Democrat speaks up: "CLAREMONT, N.H. (AP) — Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards criticized Rush Limbaugh on Friday for referring to some members of the military as "phony soldiers."
 
Edwards and the campaign of fellow Democrat Chris Dodd took issue with the radio talk show host's characterization of Iraq war veterans who have spoken out against the war. Limbaugh was responding to a caller who argued that anti-war groups "never talk to real soldiers."
 
"They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and talk to the media," the caller said.
 
"The phony soldiers," Limbaugh responded.
 
Campaigning in New Hampshire, Edwards called on Republicans to denounce Limbaugh in the same way they came down on Democrats after the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org ran an advertisement criticizing Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.
 
"All these Republicans went running to the mic and the TV cameras when MoveOn ran their ad about General Petraeus. Now let's see if they really mean it," Edwards said. "Let's see if they'll speak out against Rush Limbaugh. Let's see if they'll challenge him about men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States." [..]"
 
http://tinyurl.com/2qor99
 
Can Rush Limbaugh possibly explain why our troops aren't entitled to the same freedoms that they are supposedly trying to bring the Iraqis .. that they are fighting and dying for so the Iraqis can have free speech?
 
Some of our military men and women see the war only as a job they have to do. Many of them believed in the mission until they arrived in Iraq and learned what was really going on.
 
And just where does Rush Limbaugh get off calling anyone phony who has fought in that war and earned the right to their own opinion? While he sits on his big butt, never having served or worn the uniform .. just like all the big name war lovers.
 
Oh, I forgot, the poor guy wanted to fight in Vietnam, but he had an ingrown hair, or maybe it was a cyst, on his butt and just couldn't go.
 
Some of our soldiers return to combat after gun shot wounds .. I doubt that a cyst could be as bad as a gun shot wound.
 
The righties stained their undies about the Moveon ad .. and now are whining about the left calling attention to Rush Limbaugh's insult to the troops?
 
Whatever -- I just don't want Democrats to play the Republican phony outrage game. Rush's statement was offensive, yes .. but not worth the time of the US Congress.
 
If they want to support the troops, let them do it with actions, not words.
 

2007/9/28

"Homosexuality Counter to God's law"

@ 07:16 AM (9 months, 15 days ago)

Hmmm .. who said that? Ahmadinejad? No, it was US General Peter Pace.
 
That's what he told the Senate the other day.
 
From time.com: (WASHINGTON) — Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, caused a stir at a Senate hearing Wednesday when he said he believes homosexual activity is immoral and should not be condoned by the military.[..]"
 
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1665925,00.html?xid=rss-topstories
 
General Pace, it's a free country and you can worship whatever invisible being you want .. but as a government employee, paid with our tax dollars, just shut up about your personal "morality."
 
Republicans and Generals should keep their religion out of public policy.
 
"The hearing resumed about five minutes later in which Pace said he would be supportive of efforts to revisit the Pentagon's policy so long as it didn't violate his belief that sex should be restricted to a married heterosexual couple."
 
The US Military Code of Justice already prohibits adultery.
 
So .. maybe Pace thinks the Pentagon should only allow unmarried virgins to enlist, and should investigate and kick out those who have premarital sex?
 
That would mean our armed forces would consist of four Mormon kids.
 
If a general isn't smart enough to keep his religious beliefs to himself, he has no business commanding any troops .. and if his personal opinion on homosexuality has prevented him from enforcing the established military policy on homosexuality -- "Don't ask; Don't tell" -- then it's dang time that he retired.
 
He's making statements that affect the morale of the troops in a negative way. We all know there are gay troops .. it stands to reason that it would be demoralizing and/or insulting to have your commanding officer openly state that God considers you immoral.
 
Look, our Army should be used to protect and fight for the laws of man that are stated in our Constitution. If you want to fight for the laws of your god, become a religious leader.
 

Late-night jokes recap 9/28

@ 05:16 AM (9 months, 15 days ago)
 
"This kind of seems like bad taste to me. A Giuliani fundraiser is now charging $9.11 ... in reference to 9/11. ... Isn't that inappropriate? I mean, isn't it like a Bill Clinton fundraiser charging $69 a head?" --Jay Leno
 
"I was a little disappointed to hear this. Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and John McCain all said they cannot attend the minority debate this week at Morgan State University because they have scheduling conflicts. They're scheduled to meet with rich white people" --Jay Leno
 
"Folks, it's official. Congress now has the lowest approval rating of any Congress in the history of the United State. 11%! Their approval rating is so low, today they were invited to speak at Columbia University." --Jay Leno
 
"This week, the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahma-nut job ... became the laughing stock of the world when he said there are no gay people in Iran. So apparently, he's never been to the Tehran airport men's room." --Jay Leno
 
"In Iran, homosexuals can be executed for being gay, but only if a homosexual act is witnessed by four other Iranian men. So, they've got four men watching two other men have sex. ... Isn't everybody gay?" --Jay Leno
 
"The Iranian president also said there are no lesbians in Iran either. Really? In that whole country, there isn't one whole female UPS driver? I don't think so." --Jay Leno
 
"In Utah, polygamy sect leader Warren Jeffs has been convicted. ... The guy's got 80 wives. 80 wives at the same time. In fact, when Rudy Giuliani heard that, he said, 'Records are made to be broken.'" --Jay Leno
 
"This Saturday, in Washington, DC, they will hold the Seventh Annual National Book Festival. First Lady Laura Bush will deliver a speech about the joys of reading. And then, President Bush will give the rebuttal." --Jay Leno
 
"All the world leaders are in town for the U.N. General Assembly. ... Yesterday, President Bush met with President Valdis Zatlers of Latvia, President Festus Gontebanye Mogae of Botswana and President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania. Or, as Bush calls them, 'Buddy, Slim and Big Guy.'" --Conan O'Brien
 
"Yesterday, controversial Iranian President Ahmadinejad insisted that Iran has freedom of the press. He says there are 30 newspapers published there that oppose his government. So, if you're keeping track, that's 30 opposition newspapers and 0 gay people." --Conan O'Brien
 
"Iranian President Mahmoud Ah-members only jacket-jad is headed back home tonight after a whirl-wind trip to New York. He said many, many crazy things during his time here, but the one most people seemed focused on -- I certainly am -- is his contention that there are no homosexuals in Iran. That claim was challenged by an Iranian news reporter [on screen: Ahmadinejad saying he knows no homosexuals after Iranian reporter says she knows several gay Iranians]. Neither did Larry Craig, right?" --Jimmy Kimmel
 
"You folks are here on a historic night. The entire balcony is filled with gay Iranians. ... A couple of days ago, up at Columbia University ... Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that there are no homosexuals in Iran. By the way, that's why in Iran, it's nearly impossible to get your dog groomed." --David Letterman
 
"Here's some good news, ladies and gentlemen: President Bush says he has a new plan to stop Iran's nuclear program. This is what he's going to do, he's going to have O.J. steal the plutonium" --David Letterman
 
"Each year, ambassadors and presidents gather with the goal of making it impossible to get across town in less than two hours. ... Mr. President, you're first. This is your chance to send a clear message to Iran at the U.N. Take the first swing [on screen: Bush saying, 'Americans are outraged by the situation in Burma']. We are? Really? I think I would change that statement somewhat to say, 'Americans just found out there was still a Burma.' ... " --Jon Stewart, on Bush's address to the U.N. General Assembly
 
"At Columbia University, it was 'Take Your Insane Dictator To Work Day.' There was a lot of controversy about letting the Iranian president speak here in the United States, much less at a university. I have to admit, I didn't like it. ... I mean, if he wants to condemn this country and our president, you do it the proper way ... you win an Academy Award." --Jay Leno
 
"Instead of New York, I wish they would have invited Ahmadinejad to California. That would have been fun to watch Governor Schwarzenegger trying to introduce him." --Jay Leno
 
"As you know, the Iranian president said a lot of stupid things ... My favorite is when he said there are no homosexuals in Iran. In fact, today, Idaho Senator Larry Craig volunteered to go over there on an ass-finding mission." --Jay Leno
 
"As you know, women in Iran have to cover up. ... Premarital sex is against the law. In fact, a man can't even touch a woman over there unless you're married. There's no R-rated movies. I'm surprised all guys in Iran aren't gay by now." --Jay Leno
 
"How about that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? What a guy this guy is, huh? According to this guy, he says there are no homosexuals in Iran. I guess that explains the pathetic state of their musical theatre." --David Letterman
 
"But did you see Ahmadinejad's speech at the U.N.? One odd moment: In the middle of the speech, he took a cell phone call from Mrs. Giuliani" --David Letterman
 
"Ladies and gentlemen, the face of evil, the Hitler of our generation. Let's hear his terrifying words [on screen: Ahmadinejad claiming that there are no homosexuals in Iran]. ... That's so interesting there are no homosexuals in Iran because in America, there are no homosexuals in our conservative movement either" --Jon Stewart
 
"President Mahmoud Ah-members only jacket-jad addressed the United Nations General Assembly  ... This guy is nuts. He denies the Holocaust happened. He says his country has no homosexuals. He's looked very hard for them, he's even placed personal ads. ... Hey, maybe if there were homosexuals in Iran, he'd be better dressed" --Jimmy Kimmel
 
"Apple launched its iPhone in Europe ... but it's being criticized because they say it's not European enough. Apparently, the iPhone isn't European enough because it actually works the entire month of August" --Conan O'Brien
 
"The president of Iran gave a speech in New York City, and thousands of New Yorkers are really upset about it. The New Yorkers said, 'If we want to hear a short-tempered Iranian man yell at us, we'll take a cab.'" --Conan O'Brien
 
"During his speech at Columbia University, President Ahmadinejad said his country 'doesn't have problems with gay people because they don't have homosexuals in Iran.' Which finally explains why Ahmadinejad gets away with wearing a windbreaker from 1983." --Conan O'Brien
 
"Earlier today, Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke at a conference on global warming, and he said, 'The time has come to stop looking back at the Kyoto Protocol.' Afterwards, people said, 'We didn't solve anything, but it was really fun hearing Arnold say Kyoto Protocol.'" --Conan O'Brien
 
"Vice President Cheney was recently asked who's going to win the 2008 presidential election, and he said it could go either way. So I guess he means Larry Craig" --Conan O'Brien
 
"Ahmadinejad ... is against drugs, he's against alcohol, against premarital sex, against homosexuality and pornography. What's he speaking at a college for? Good luck finding any common ground with those kids." --Jay Leno
 
"According to a new report out of Cuba, Fidel Castro is near death, but is clinging to life and he is determined to outlive the Bush presidency. Wow, just like Dan Rather." --Jay Leno
 
"Presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani also on the campaign trail. He spoke to the NRA, the National Rifle Association, last week and he tried to appeal to them by saying that two of his marriages were shotgun weddings." --Jay Leno
 
"The Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans is out. Everybody on the list is now a billionaire. You can't even be a millionaire and be on the list, you have to be a billionaire to be on the list. So see that, the Bush tax cuts are working" --Jay Leno
 

2007/9/27

The Clown Car is going off the cliff

@ 08:05 AM (9 months, 15 days ago)

Republicans are not only ethically and morally bankrupt .. they're also running out of dosh. May the gap against the them continue to widen .. because only a massacre in '08 will end the far right lunacy that has the GOP in its clutches.
 
I'd like the old GOP back.
 
I'd bet there's quite a few big Republican donors who've suddenly found their investments aren't quite as sound as they thought.
 
From politico.com: "At the end of August, the National Republican Congressional Committee reported only $1.6 million cash on hand, with $4 million in debt. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, by comparison, had banked over $22 million, with only $3 million in debt.[..]"
 
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0907/5994.html
 
In other words, Congressional Democrats have a surplus of $19 million while Republicans have a deficit of $2.4 million.
 
Also, according to Gallup's annual Governance survey, conducted Sept. 14-16, 2007, the Democratic Party enjoys a 15-point lead over the Republicans in overall favorability, 53% vs. 38%.
 
http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=28780
 
Democrats have a 20-point lead on which party would do a better job of keeping the country prosperous .. and a 5-point lead on national security, which has always been Republican strength.
 
Here it is again:
 
From abcnews.com: "A crucial GOP fundraising committee is nearly broke, according to its latest monthly filing with the Federal Election Committee last week.
 
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) reported $1.6 million in cash on hand and $4 million in debts as of Aug. 31. The group helps bankroll House campaigns for GOP candidates.
 
Its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, reported $22.1 million, more than 10 times its Republican counterpart.
 
Campaign finance experts say the latest numbers portend an ill future for GOP candidates, particularly newcomers who haven't had years in office to build up a war chest. "If there's no money in the bank, it's going to be hard to take seats away from the Democrats," said Massie Ritsch of the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington, D.C.-based campaign finance watchdog group. Julie Shutley, a spokeswoman for the NRCC, disputed the dim forecast. "We believe we are going to have every resource that we need to be competitive," said Shutley."
 
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/09/house-republica.html
 
Then  Julie raced down to the bank to cash her check ...
 
And they're fighting amongst themselves...
 
From usnews.com: "Upset with rumors and stories that House Minority Leader John Boehner and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole are at odds over fixing the plight of the party's 2008 election operation, top GOP strategists with ties to the White House are urging a truce.[..]"
 
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/news-desk/2007/9/26/truce-sought-in-house-gop-feud.html
 
What's happening is -- the big money funders for the Republicans are keeping their hands in their pockets not wanting to spend on Congressional races (which are already lost), but saving it toward the '08 Presidential election.
 
Two-thirds of the American people want us out of the Iraq war .. and now we have this slew of GOP presidential candidates who are all committed to Bush's failed war.
 
If they were smart, the Republicans would throw up a major presidential candidate who looked like he (it won't be a she) was living in the 21st century, move him toward the center, lower the temperature in the Middle East, acknowledge global warming, get a reasonable health plan, forget things like sexual orientation discrimination in the armed forces (like they do in Israel or the UK), etc. .. they'd have a better chance at the White House.
 
But, say they did actually find a 21st century candidate, their conservative base would stay home on election day .. whine and pout that they were just not going to vote for someone who believes that the world didn't start with Adam and Eve... boo hoo!
 
Any candidate who can capture their loony "base" and win the nomination, won't have the chance of a mouse fart in a whirlwind in the general election.
 
Yep, the GOP is stuck with the base that they fed, nurtured and grew into the spoiled, bigoted monster we see now .. so I guess it's fitting that they are going down under the weight of that albatross....
 

2007/9/26

‘Fruitbat’ at Bat

@ 05:14 AM (9 months, 17 days ago)

Time for a little MoDo...

By MAUREEN DOWD, New York Times Op-Ed Columnist (September 26, 2007)

We just can’t stop being nice to Iran.

First, we break Iraq and hand it over to the Shiites, putting in a puppet who leans toward Iran and is aligned with the Shiite militias bankrolled by Iran. Then, as Peter Galbraith writes in The New York Review of Books, President Bush facilitates "the takeover of a large part of the country by an Iranian-backed militia," with the ironic twist that "there is now substantially more personal freedom in Iran than in Southern Iraq."

And on top of all that, we help build up the self-serving doofus Iranian president, a frontman with a Ph.D. in traffic management, into the sort of larger-than-life demon that the real powers in Iran — the mullahs — can love.

New York’s hot blast of nastiness, jingoism and xenophobia toward its guest, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, only served to pump him up for his domestic audience. Iranians felt that their president had tied everyone in knots, including the "Zionist Jews," as Iranian state television said. The Times reports that Mohsen Rezai, a former head of the Revolutionary Guards, was on TV criticizing the rude treatment his president received: "It is shocking that a country that claims to be civilized treats him that way."

(It also raised his profile on the evening news here. Katie Couric dryly has told people that she remembers how to pronounce his name with the mnemonic "I’m a dinner jacket.")

After the Bay of Pigs, J.F.K. and his advisers worried that American foreign policy would no longer seem intelligent. W. doesn’t even try for an intelligent foreign policy. He wallows in a willfully ignorant foreign policy. And this week, his irrational ways were contagious.

The Daily News headline, "The Evil Has Landed," was one of the milder imprecations. Consider this reasoned analysis from Greg Gutfeld of Fox News: "So the foul-smelling fruitbat Ahmadinejad spoke at that crack house known as Columbia University today."

The heavy-handed, small-minded reaction that played into the hands of the slippery "I’m a dinner jacket" is not excused by Iran wishing the U.S. and Israel gone.

The Soviet Union’s stated policy for 70 years was the total eradication of American capitalism and democracy — backed up during the cold war with actual nuclear weapons. But while challenging the policies and ideology of the Evil Empire, Ronald Reagan understood he had to engage Mikhail Gorbachev, not ignore or insult him.

Reagan was able to help the Soviet Union — and world communism — to fall apart. All W. has managed to do is destroy the country he wanted to turn into a democracy and make Iran more powerful than it was before.

In a sad testimony to how bollixed up things are in Iraq, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki told the Council on Foreign Relations Monday that civil war has been averted in Iraq — not! — and that Iranian intervention has "ceased to exist." Gen. David Petraeus recently said that Iran was providing "lethal" support to Iraqi militias.

The president’s irrelevant U.N. speech was a bad combo with the schoolyard name-calling of Lee Bollinger. Even some in the anti-Ahmadinejad audience gasped a bit as Columbia’s president gave the meanest introduction in the history of introductions — one that only managed to elevate the creep sitting on stage with his thugs. Once you’ve made the decision to invite a tyrannical leader, you can’t undo it by belittling him in public. Universities are supposed to be places where you can debate and hear dissenting voices; it would have been far better just to hand the mike to the students and let it rip.

Given the repressive and confused stance of some of our Middle East allies on women and gays, isn’t it insane to get into a war of ideas on homosexuality in the Muslim world?

President Bush is the one who hardened the Iranian resolve to get a nuclear weapon with his policy of negotiating with countries like North Korea that have nukes and invading countries that don’t, like Iraq.

W. and his advisers always act shocked that Iran is meddling in Iraq. Why wouldn’t Iran inflate itself at the expense of its former foe and current enemy?

Even after the Iranian hostage crisis, America never really tried to comprehend the tribal politics in Iran — or Iraq — or bolster the Arab speakers in the intelligence community.

As Mr. Galbraith wrote, Iran’s nuclear program is about prestige. Iranians want to be seen "as a populous, powerful, and responsible country that is heir to a great empire and home to a 2,500-year-old civilization. In Iranian eyes, the U.S. has behaved in a way that continually diminishes their country" — from U.S. involvement in the 1953 coup that reinstated the Shah to W.’s branding them as part of the "axis of evil."

Wouldn’t sticks and carrots — cultural fluency, smart psychology and Reaganesque dialogue — be a better way to bring the Iranians around than sticks and stones?

2007/9/25

Greetings Infidels!

@ 07:38 AM (9 months, 17 days ago)

...from a megalomaniacal, backwards, religious conservative. Sound familiar? Only he doesn't put his foot in his mouth as often as ours does.
 
Columbia University President Lee Bollinger won some points back when he tore Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a new one yesterday .. called him a petty, cruel dictator, etc.
 
While I'm glad that we can shine sunlight on such evil, I'm confused and don't know why everybody is hollering about free speech. I thought these rights were based upon the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights for citizens of the United States.
 
So, Lucy please 'splain to me where Ahmadinejad has any rights here in this country to say things that most rational thinking people find obnoxious .. in a US University .. on US soil? Thank you very much.
 
When Ahmadinejad was asked about widely documented government abuse of women and homosexuals in his country, he said, "We don't have homosexuals in Iran."
 
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/09/24/us.iran/index.html
 
The audience laughed .. Mel Brooks would have loved it.
 
So .. Iran is just like the RNC. No gays there either! Not a one.
 
Wikipedia: "Same-sex intercourse officially carries the death penalty in several Muslim nations: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen."
 
(Also Texas, Alabama and Wyoming, etc.)
 
Anyway, I guess he thinks they killed them all.
 
Ahmadinejad no more represents the majority of his people than Bush does. And the younger, more moderate and more secular generation in Iran could be a great ally for the US in the future -- unless we radicalize them and turn them against us by bombing the hell out of their country.
 
Ahmadinejad disgusts and repels me .. but the guy could get up there before Columbia's audience and do nothing but sing show tunes and the Bushies would still consider it a call to war.
 
Ahmadinejad's actions are controlled by the idiot theocrats back in his country .. and he is generally disliked by his own people. But the war mongers that rule the US are desperate for the world to view him as the very latest Hitler in our midst. And for the most part, that's how we view him .. a little Hitler with elevated shoes and lousy suits.
 
Before he left Iran he gave a speech before a flag that said "Death To America" .. then there's all that 'holocaust is a myth' and 'Israel needs to be wiped off the face of the Earth' and supporting terrorists stuff.
 
How I wish we could've frog-marched him through the Holocaust Museum.
 
All of sudden I'm having immense empathy for the Iranians. I imagine anyone in Iran watching this guy (if they could) was embarrassed and muttering "Whattadumbass!"
 
.. just like we do whenever Bush opens his mouth.
 

Late-night jokes recap 9/25

@ 05:10 AM (9 months, 18 days ago)
 
"Republicans are still angry about this 10-day-old MoveOn.org ad. You know, the General Petraeus, he betrayed us. And the Senate actually voted to condemn an ad. That's what your government did yesterday, they held a vote to pass a resolution to condemn an ad with a pun it in. And then they had oreos and braided each other's hair." --Bill Maher
 
"And 22 Democrats voted for that, by the way. You know, I have to say, the Democrats are so useless that they could not even pass a bill to get our troops more time between deployments. Only the Republicans could make an argument that a bill that literally supports the troops didn't support the troops. And only the Democrats could lose that argument. Next week, the Democrats are going to vote whether to give Republicans all their lunch money or just some of it." --Bill Maher
 
"The Democrat-controlled Congress' approval rating is now somewhere between rectal itch and that douchbag on the Internet who says 'leave Britney alone.' ... Their approval ratings is 11%. 11%! They were so stunned at this number, the Democrats, that it sent a chill up and down where their spine used to be." --Bill Maher
 
"But, come on, it's not all bad. Hillary did call Dick Cheney Darth Vader. ... Which is very unfair, because Darth Vader would have caught bin Laden by now." --Bill Maher
 
"Iran's president wanted to lay a wreath at Ground Zero, but his critics said, 'No, no. You are trying to exploit Ground Zero for political gain, and that is Rudy Giuliani's job.'" --Bill Maher
 
"Rudy says he is not going to go to the ... 'black debate' this month with Tavis Smiley, and neither are the other Republican frontrunners. I think that's just as well. I don't think the Republicans are really that in tune with the black community, 'cause they asked Mitt Romney today what he thought of the Jena 6 and he said, 'I prefer The Jackson 5.'" --Bill Maher
 
"Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, has a book coming out where he talks about George Bush. He said that Bush, the cowboy, is afraid of horses. Well actually, he's not afraid of them, but he had a bad experience. Back in college, a horse defeated him in a debate" --Bill Maher
 
"It's getting pretty nasty out there on the campaign trail. This week, Hillary Clinton referred to Vice President Dick Cheney as Darth Vader. ... And today, he demanded an apology. Not Dick Cheney, Darth Vader." --Jay Leno
 
"The president of Iran ... came to New York to address the United Nations. Why isn't his name on the no-fly list? ... And you don't want to get stuck behind him in the security line. How long would that take? Actually, you know he'd go through the line in two minutes, but they'd strip search the 85-year-old grandmother standing behind him. " --Jay Leno
 
"When Scott Pelley ... on '60 Minutes' told Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the American people would be very insulted if he visited Ground Zero, the Iranian President disagreed. He said, 'No. There are 300 million people in America with many different points of view. As opposed to Iran, which has 70 million people who aren't allowed any point of view.'" --Jay Leno
 
"An MIT student named Star Simpson walked into Logan Airport in Boston today with a fake bomb strapped to her chest. ... She said it was art, but of course they took it very seriously. Police were called. In fact, it got so scary, it actually scared Senator Larry Craig right out of the airport men's room" --Jay Leno
 
"Yesterday at a campaign fundraiser, Hillary Clinton criticized Vice President Cheney and called him 'Darth Vader.' Cheney denied it and said, 'Darth Vader is evil, half-machine and always wears a cape. And I don't own a cape.'" --Conan O'Brien
 
"Earlier tonight, the Democratic presidential candidates took part in a debate sponsored by the senior citizen group AARP. It was just like the other debates, except the moderator asked the same question over and over." --Conan O'Brien
 
"While in Europe, presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani called for an expansion of NATO. After hearing this, President Bush said, 'I believe it's pronounced Nintendo.'" --Conan O'Brien
 
"Dan Rather announced he is suing CBS for $70 million for damaging his career. After hearing this, Katie Couric said, 'Then I'm suing for $700 million.'" --Conan O'Brien
 
"The Iranian President ... is in New York, but he's been denied permission to go to Ground Zero in New York City. He wanted to go to Ground Zero. I got an idea. Is there any way we can bring Ground Zero to him?" --Jay Leno
 
"Another person was tasered today during a John Kerry speech ... not for being disruptive. I guess while listening to Kerry, the guy slipped into a coma." --Jay Leno
 
"In fact, when asked about that tasing incident the other day, John Kerry said at first he was for the tasing, but then he was against it." --Jay Leno
 
"It is now being reported that restroom enthusiast Senator Larry Craig is no longer using the Minneapolis airport when he flies from Idaho to Washington, DC. Instead he's using Denver. He says Denver's faster, more convenient and with 23 stalls." --Jay Leno
 
"Reporters at the Washington-based web site The Politico said that Larry Craig's return to the Capitol this week was 'about as wanted as a mystery meat sandwich.' ... Which was what Craig was asking the undercover cop for." --Jay Leno
 
"There are now allegations that New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick may have tampered with the stadium's audio frequencies to eavesdrop on the other teams' conversations. But the good news of these spying allegations is that today Belichick was offered a job with the Bush administration." --Jay Leno
 
"What's going on with Dan Rather? ... Dan Rather's suing CBS for $70 million, claiming that the network where he worked for years forced him out a job. Hmm, you can get $70 million for that?" --Jay Leno
 
"Just today, President Bush gave a press conference to talk about an issue on everyone's mind -- health care. Specifically, this so-called SCHIP insurance bill. It's a Democratic measure that would expand what children would be eligible for federally funded health insurance. And you know why that's bad [on screen: Bush saying, 'The SCHIP plan is an incremental step toward the goal of government run health care for every American']. Oh my God, they're gonna put Communism in our kids' drinking water ... and then inject them with the gay and load them on Michael Moore and float them to Cuba!" --Jon Stewart
 
"So obviously, the president has a better idea [on screen: Bush saying, 'I believe the best approach is to put more power in the hands of individuals. By empowering people and their doctors...']. Okay, I'm just going to stop him right there. ... I think I figured out the disconnect here. I think I figured out the problem. 'Empowering people and their doctors.' See, he thinks the uninsured have doctors." --Jon Stewart
 

2007/9/24

Tempest, meet Teapot

@ 08:05 AM (9 months, 18 days ago)
 
The "General Betray Us" dust-up is really shining a spotlight on the leftie group MoveOn .. pretty good for an organization with just 17 employees, no central office and a director still in his 20s. Though they do claim a 3.3-million membership. I'm not one of them .. I am closer to the middle.
 
Too bad that MoveOn focused on the messenger rather than the actual issues .. they played right into the Bushies' hands. And it might have been more effective if they had put out the ad AFTER the testimony not BEFORE it.
 
MoveOn is mostly guilty of a bad pun on the general's name .. just a little too cute for me, athough I've probably made worse puns.
 
But, it has become a rallying cry for Republicans, I mean it's been on cable news 24/7 .. on all across the radio spectrum, right-wing shock jocks are having a case of the vapors. How could those despicable lefties say such a thing? It's outrageous .. disgraceful .. where's my scented hanky .. I think I'm going to .. oh, lawsy me ...
 
Like, when it comes to dirty tricks, misleading ads and smearing veterans, I don't think the Republicans have any right to say sh*t.
 
Anyway, the ad fuss has temporarily knocked the wind out of the Democrats as they try to craft something that will change the course of the Iraq war.
 
From thestar.com: "WASHINGTON–When America's largest liberal movement attacked a four-star general, some Democrats seemed to consider it nothing more than a well-liked uncle having too much to drink and blurting out something embarrassing.
 
But almost two weeks later, MoveOn.org is still dealing with a splitting hangover and is having trouble moving on. [..]"
 
http://www.thestar.com/article/259511
 
I had thought the ad was poor form, but after Bush's little press conference and the Senate vote I don't know .. Bush gave more legitimacy to the questions asked in that ad than if he'd just kept his trap shut .. he clearly had his nose out of joint because Petraeus got called out.
 
Because, as far as I can tell, Petraeus DID cook his stats to make the surge look better. Example: He has an unusual way of counting the dead -- somehow where a bullet entered someone's head (front or back) shows sectarian intent. And if a Sunni kills another Sunni for "collaborating" with the Shiites, this is not sectarian. "Purely" sectarian is one enormous loophole.
 
The Washington Post has more: http://tinyurl.com/ysuobg
 
Just answer me this simple question -- Has the number of killings (no matter the reason) decreased? Period. If ethnic violence is really down dramatically, then the total should at least decrease.
 
So if the bodies keep piling up, regardless of why they were killed, then the surge has not improved the "security situation."
 
If your friends and loved ones continue to be shot, stabbed or blown up at an alarming rate, do you care about the supposed intent of the attacker? No. Do you feel the "security situation" has improved? No. So why are we arguing about how the pencil pushers tally up the dead?
 
Dead is dead.
 
The surge has not been successful.
 
Bush put Petraeus in the impossible position of having to juggle his military judgement to fit this administration's political needs.
 
Important things we need to know about counter-insurgency:
1--If you're counting bodies to determine if you're winning, you are losing.
2--If 60 percent of the population thinks attacks on you are 'justified', you've lost.
 
So, let the Republicans holler and bitch about the MoveOn ad, hold hearings and vote to condemn it in the Senate .. it's all they've got.
 
The ad fuss was used to deflect attention away from the real problem -- Iraq is still a disaster, and extremely difficult to disengage from without humiliation. The Bush administration and their Republican allies in Congress are both responsible for that.
 
Not the Democrats, not General Petraeus and not MoveOn.
 

2007/9/23

I.E.D. 1, Robot 1

@ 07:38 AM (9 months, 19 days ago)

Another good reason to send the robots out and leave the troops in the trucks.

Read the rest of this entry ... (14 words left)

2007/9/22

Late-night jokes recap 9/22

@ 07:32 AM (9 months, 20 days ago)
 
"At a John Kerry speech at the University of Florida, a student was asking the senator so many annoying questions that police tasered him. ... Of course, people in Washington were stunned by this. What? John Kerry's still giving speeches?" --Jay Leno
 
"While the cops had him down, did you hear what he yelled to the police? He was yelling ... 'Don't tase me bro.' You know something, any time a white guy says the word 'bro,' he deserves to get tasered." --Jay Leno
 
"When the cops arrested O.J., they found him at the blackjack table trying to play the race card." --Jay Leno
 
"O.J. Simpson was charged with 11 criminal counts, including kidnapping, robbery and assault. Afterwards, O.J. said, 'Wow. Now I really have done it all.'" --Conan O'Brien
 
"Yesterday during a speech, Jesse Jackson criticized Barack Obama, and said Obama's been acting like he's white. Obama said Jackson's comments were hurtful, and they completely ruined his night at the Jimmy Buffett concert." --Conan O'Brien
 
"O.J. is back on the loose. He was released on a $125,000 bail today in Las Vegas. O.J. has been charged with 10 felonies, including robbery with a deadly weapon and kidnapping. He could get life in prison for all this. Isn't that something? You kill two people, you get nothing -- but steal your own football jersey, you go away for life." --Jimmy Kimmel
 
"Tonight we talk about the video we've all seen, the video of the University of Florida student, Andrew Meyer, being tasered at a John Kerry speech. By the way, considered one of the most pleasant outcomes of attending a Kerry speech. Many people, from what I've seen, choose to be tasered." --Jon Stewart
 
"In political news, Vice President Dick Cheney is very upset about the way General Petraeus has been treated by the Democrats. Vice President Cheney said it is horrible that people mock and insult a soldier. I'll be sure to pass that on to John Kerry when I see him." --Jay Leno
 
"Speaking of John Kerry, a University of Florida student was tasered after asking John Kerry about the 2004 election. ... I believe this is the first time anyone's ever been electrified at a John Kerry speech." --Jay Leno
 
"You probably saw the footage on the news. In fact, John Kerry was so shocked when it happened, he almost showed a facial expression." --Jay Leno
 
"Actually, to his credit, John Kerry said he did not want the kid tasered. He figured if he would just keep talking for a few more minutes, the student would have nodded off on his own." --Jay Leno
 
"In a new book, former Mexican President Vicente Fox says George W. Bush's Spanish is at best grade school level. Unfortunately, so is his History, Math, Science." --Jay Leno
 
"President Bush has tapped retired federal judge Michael Mukasey ... to replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Conservatives in Washington say Mukasey is a real 'law and order' guy. To which Bush said, 'He was on that TV show, too?'" --Jay Leno
 
"The airport bathroom in Minneapolis where ... Senator Larry Craig was arrested has become a tourist attraction. ... Isn't that unbelievable? See, when I travel, I like to go to the men's rooms that the locals use, not some tourist trap" --Jay Leno
 
"Senator John Kerry was heckled while giving a speech, and the heckler had to be subdued with a taser gun. When reached for comment, the man said being tasered in the chest was still better than sitting through an entire Kerry speech." --Conan O'Brien
 
"Mexican President Vicente Fox has a new book coming out. In it, he says ... George Bush is the cockiest guy he's ever met. Apparently, the first time they met, Bush kept demanding to meet the Taco Bell chihuahua. ... Fox also says Bush speaks grade school Spanish. Well, in fairness, he speaks grade school English too." --Jimmy Kimmel
 
"If the world's off track, O.J. must come back. ... But is it too late? Would a media so focused on elevating national discourse in this election cycle even notice? [on screen: multiple news reports that 'whatever happens in Vegas doesn't necessarily stay in Vegas']. You did it, O.J. You're a uniter. By the way, Las Vegas is now changing its slogan to 'Las Vegas: No One Leaves This Room Motherf-----.'" --Jon Stewart
 
"The bathroom stall at the Minneapolis airport where Larry Craig was arrested has now become a tourist attraction where people go to have their pictures taken. Not only that, for $10, Larry Craig will autograph your penis." --Conan O'Brien
 
"In a new book, Mexico's former president, Vicente Fox, says that President Bush's Spanish is at grade school-level. Fortunately, Bush's feelings weren't hurt, because Fox made the comments in Spanish." --Conan O'Brien
 
"Congratulations to Al Gore! Al Gore won an Emmy last night. Actually, you know the secret to his win? This time, they actually counted the votes" --Jay Leno
 
"Everybody today talking about Mr. O.J. Simpson. ... O.J. Simpson was arrested yesterday for armed robbery in connection with a break-in at a Las Vegas hotel. When the cops cuffed him and took him to jail, O.J. was thrilled and said, 'I've still got it.'" --Conan O'Brien
 
"Apparently, after O.J. was taken into custody, he was questioned by police. He continues to maintain his innocence. O.J. says there's no way he committed the crime because it's not murdery enough." --Conan O'Brien
 
"How many saw the president's speech? He pre-empted regular programming, which is nice, because viewers tuning in to see 'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader' for once got to feel they actually were. Yeah, he offered really no new strategy that I saw, but, of course, a new slogan: 'Return on Success.' Sounds like a Dr. Phil book." --Bill Maher
 
"Of course this is all coming from General Petraeus -- Petraeus Maximus. He testified before Congress and, of course, he said the surge is working. Although he emphasized, not on a Jewish holiday. ... He said we want to draw down troops, 30,000 troops, by next May. Of course, we just sent in 30,000 troops. So you send in 30,000 and you take away 30,000 -- it's called Operation Bulimia." --Bill Maher
 
"Did you see Britney Spears at the Video Music Awards? I don't want to say that that performance was a disaster, but after the show, I saw Rudy Giuliani having his picture taken standing on her." --Bill Maher
 
"Oh, I kid Rudy with love, because he is on the attack against Hillary Clinton. Have you seen this? He accused her of spitting venom at General Petraeus, and he paid for a full-page ad in the New York Times. He must miss the days when he was the mayor of New York, and the New York Times would have to print his bulls**t for free." --Bill Maher
 
"President Bush addressed the nation on this troop situation in Iraq. He said the best method, he believes, is a limited pullout. I don't know. Guys? Guys, that ever work for you? A limited pullout?" --Jay Leno
 
"Bush's speech was the first one broadcast in Hi-Def. And again, I don't think President Bush quite understands what that means. If fact, when they told him it was Hi-Def, he said, 'Oh great. Does that mean we don't need that lady with the sign language up in the corner anymore?" --Jay Leno
 
"Idaho Senator Larry Craig announced that he believes the United States is making progress in Iraq, thanks to the troop surge. And after he made the announcement, the guy in the next stall said, 'You want to keep it down, buddy?'" --Jay Leno
 
"President Bush gave his eighth speech to the nation about Iraq. In it, Bush promised to have the troops home by speech #73." --Conan O'Brien
 
"Yesterday, it was 'Conception Day' in Russia, where Russians were encouraged to have sex in order to increase their population. In the spirit of international cooperation, America sent Charlie Sheen." --Conan O'Brien
 
"General Petraeus has been testifying before Congress and a number of senators accused General Petraeus of lying. You've gotta understand why they're upset. If you are going to deceive the American people, you do it the right way ... you run for Congress." --Jay Leno
 
"Newt Gingrich has hinted he may run for president [audience boos]. And the American people just hinted he may lose." --Jay Leno
 
"Yesterday was 'Sex Day' in Russia. Government officials have encouraged the people of Russia to take the day off from work and have sex in an effort to increase their population. ... They told people to take the day off from work. That's the difference between our governments right there. In our country, our government officials have sex right there on the job." --Jay Leno
 
"The NFL is investigating whether or not the New England Patriots cheated during last Sunday's game by videotaping opposing coaches and stealing their hand signals. This could turn out to be the worst scandal involving hand signals since Senator Larry Craig got caught in that men's room." --Jay Leno
 
"Earlier today, President Bush announced to the nation that he promised to have Lindsay Lohan out of rehab next summer." --David Letterman
 
"Here's some sad news. ... According to a new study, gorillas are almost extinct. ... The situation is serious. It's grave. Earlier today, the governor of California was placed in a captive breeding program" --David Letterman

2007/9/21

He really doesn't read the newspapers

@ 06:38 PM (9 months, 21 days ago)

Talk about yer mutilated metaphors.
 
Bush gave a speech yesterday trying to defend his administration's Iraq mess. He alluded to former South African leader Nelson Mandela's death in an attempt to explain sectarian violence in Iraq.
 
Nelson Mandela is still very much alive.
 
Bush inartfully said, "Part of the reason why there's not this instant democracy in Iraq is because people are still recovering from Saddam Hussein's brutal rule. Sort of an interesting comment, I heard somebody say, `Where's Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas."
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070920/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush
 
Wonder how Iraqis feel about that statement? What does that say about how Bush perceives the leaders in Iraq?
 
It's not so much what Bush MEANT to say, he comes off as a dim-wit because of what he DID say. This is the “leader of the free world” we're talking about .. who can't adequately articulate a thought.
 
And now the righties are pouting about how evil, deluded lefties deliberately misconstrued the words of the wise and articulate President Bush.
 
I heard him say it with my own ears and blamed myself for not knowing who were the other Mandelas with Iraq connections .. but then it dawned on me that he was just screwing up what he was trying to say.
 
It's right up there with the strangest and silliest things the man ever said. We make jokes about him being a babbling fool and a little bit crazy .. in a few years we'll probably find out the truth.
 
What's crazy is -- if a Mandela did arise out of the chaos in Iraq, he sure as hell wouldn't be on the side of the foreign occupying forces. Like the real Mandela, he'd demand that we leave .. then righties everywhere would be screaming for his blood.
 
So, maybe Saddam did Bush a favor.
 
Anyone remember when Cheney voted against a resolution calling for Mandela's release? He called Mandela's ANC a terrorist organization.
 
Anyone see the irony?
 

Slinking away .. then slinking back

@ 05:37 AM (9 months, 22 days ago)

 

Alan (Not Atlas) Shrugged,

By MAUREEN DOWD, New York Times columnist

WASHINGTON

It’s a lost art, slinking away.

Now the fashion is slinking back.

Nobody wants to simply admit they made a mistake and disappear for awhile. Nobody even wants to use the weasel words: “Mistakes were made.” No, far better to pop right back up and get in the face of those who were savoring your absence.

We should think of a name for this appalling modern phenomenon. Kissingering, perhaps.

In Las Vegas, there’s the loathsome O.J., a proper candidate for shunning and stun-gunning, barging back into the picture.

And on Capitol Hill, Larry Craig shocked mortified Republicans by bounding into their weekly lunch. You’d think the conservative 62-year-old Idaho senator would have some shame, going from fervently opposing gay rights to provocatively tapping his toe in a Minneapolis airport toilet. (The toilet stall, now known as the Larry Craig bathroom, has become a hot local tourist attraction.)

But no.

As though Republicans don’t have enough problems, Mr. Craig said he is ready to go back to work while the legal hotshots he hired appeal his case. He even cast a couple votes, one against D.C. voting rights. (This creep gets to decide about my representation?)

Even if President Bush is “the cockiest guy” around, as the former Mexican President Vicente Fox writes in a new memoir critical of W.’s “grade-school-level” Spanish and his grade-school-level Iraq policy, he can’t be feeling good about the barbs being hurled his way by former supporters and enablers.

Rummy’s back in the news, giving interviews about a planned memoir and foundation designed to encourage “reasoned and civil debate” about global challenges and to spur more young people to go into government.

It’s rich. Maybe more young people would go into government if they didn’t have to work for devious bullies like Rummy who make huge life-and-death mistakes and then don’t apologize.

In The Washington Post, he blamed the press and Congress for creating an inhospitable atmosphere that drives good people away from public service. Maybe that’s why he and his evil twin, Dick Cheney, did their best to undermine the constitutional system of checks and balances so they could get more fine young people to serve.

Does the man blamed for creating civil disorder in Iraq even know what the word “civil” means? Wasn’t he the prickly Pentagon chief who got furious with anyone who didn’t agree with him on “global challenges”?

He shoved Gen. Eric Shinseki into retirement — and failed to show up at his retirement party — after the good general correctly told Congress that it would take several hundred thousand troops to invade and control Iraq. And he snubbed the German defense minister when Germany joined the Coalition of the Unwilling.

Interviewed by GQ’s Lisa DePaulo on his ranch in Taos, N.M., with another mule named Gus nearby, the “75-year-old package of waning testosterone,” as the writer called him, was asked if he misses W. Offering a wry smile, he replied, “Um, no.”

He now treats the son with the same contempt he treated the father with, which is why it’s so odd that the son hired his dad’s nemesis in the first place.

He actually had the gall to imply to Ms. DePaulo that he was out of the loop on Iraq and dragged out a copy of a memo he had written outlining all the things that could go wrong.

In fact, he was the one, right after 9/11, who began pushing to go after Saddam. He and Cheney were orchestrating the invasion from the start, guiding the dauphin with warnings about how weak he would seem if he let Saddam mock him.

The ultimate bureaucratic infighter wrote the memo as part of his Socratic strategy, asking a lot of questions when he was already pushing to go into Iraq. He never did any contingency planning in case those things went wrong; the memo was there simply so that someday he could pull it out for a reporter.

In the same issue of GQ, Colin Powell tried to build up the objections he made to the president, too, in an interview with Walter Isaacson. But nobody’s buying.

Even though he rubber-stamped W.’s tax cuts, Alan Greenspan is now upbraiding the president and vice president for profligate spending and putting politics ahead of sound economics.

He also says in his new memoir that “the Iraq war is largely about oil,” telling Bob Woodward that he had privately told W. and Cheney that ousting Saddam was “essential” to keeping world oil supplies safe.

Irrational exuberance, indeed.

2007/9/20

Are we bringing slavery back dressed in a military uniform?

@ 08:14 AM (9 months, 22 days ago)

Republicans vote to NOT support the troops.
 
If anyone needed a reason to vote Democrat in '08, this was it.
 
Support Our Troops. Yep, pretty much everyone agrees that these brave men and women have been serving under strain .. and doing so without much complaint, even though it's costing them their lives, limbs and sometimes their families. Some are on their 4th tour.
 
So here comes Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) who introduced an amendment to *truly* support our troops and their families, joined by Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE). Both of these guys are veterans and they want to legislate the long standing military tradition of giving the military the same time at home as they spend deployed.
 
Next, here comes the Republicans, led by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. John Warner (R-VA), to shoot the amendment down. Warner supported Webb in July, but now has reversed himself.
 
This is choosing politics over protecting our troops .. it's choosing to protect a president and his failed policies over our men and women in uniform.
 
The Republicans even said this legislation was "blatantly unconstitutional" .. McCain said the Constitution doesn't give Congress the right to manage troop rotations.
 
Webb said McCain "needs to read the Constitution. There's a provision in Article 1 Section 8 which clearly gives the Congress the authority to make rules with respect to the governance of ground and naval forces."
 
It’s a shame when our own lawmakers are this unfamiliar with our US Constitution.
 
Then Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said it would "tie the hands of our military commanders to deploy forces..."
 
Seems that they are more concerned about tying the hands of military commanders than they are about ensuring the well-being of the soldiers on the ground.
 
And guess what? Webb’s proposal is supported by the Military Officers Association of America. Here's their letter of endorsement:
 
"On behalf of the 368,000 I am writing to express MOAA's support for your amendment that would support our military men and women by establishing standards for dwell time between consecutive operational deployments.
 
Even before September 11, 2001, our military leaders indicated that members and families of all services were stretched thin in meeting deployments requirements. The subsequent exponential growth of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, compounded by reluctance to grow our forces to meet requirements of an acknowledged "long war," has placed extreme stress on active duty, Guard and Reserve forces alike.
 
MOAA is very concerned that steps must be taken to protect our most precious military asset - the all-volunteer force - from having to bear such a disproportionate share of national wartime sacrifice. If we are not better stewards of our troops and their families in the future than we have been in the recent past, MOAA believes strongly that we will be putting the all-volunteer force at unacceptable risk."
 
http://webb.senate.gov/pdf/MOAAletterofsupport.pdf
 
We've been calling up the National Guard and Army Reserve for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 .. hundreds of thousands of our citizen soldiers (the majority of them, I believe) have already served there. Earlier this year, the military announced that Guard units would rotate to Iraq for a 2nd time .. VIOLATING the "one year on, 5 years off" policy for Guard unit deployments.
 
Webb and Hagel held a news conference saying they'll reintroduce their amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill.
 
I guarantee this vote against doing right by our troops will come back to haunt Republicans in Nov 08 .. they're basically telling the troops to just suck it up and get with Bush's program.
 
And keep this in mind next time you hear a wingnut ranting about how Democrats don't "support the troops."
 
The American people know. A recent USA Today/Gallup poll shows that 59 percent of us want a timetable for troop withdrawal, one that must be followed no matter what. A recent CBS News poll shows that only 31 percent of us think the “surge” has made things better.
 
Yep, Republicans will be in big trouble next November. Meanwhile, our troops are in big trouble now.
 

2007/9/19

Hearts & Minds, Baby

@ 07:14 AM (9 months, 24 days ago)

Blackwater USA, a private security firm that's controversial because of the power it wields in the Iraq war, allegedly opened fire on and killed several Iraqi civilians.
 
Iraq's interior ministry wants to ban Blackwater from operating anywhere in that country and jerk its license. The US State Department is apologizing after the bloody shootout in Baghdad.
 
I'm sure the dead Iraqis feel much better now.
 
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's Interior Ministry has revoked the license of Blackwater USA, an American security firm whose contractors are blamed for a Sunday gunbattle in Baghdad that left eight civilians dead. The U.S. State Department said it plans to investigate what it calls a "terrible incident."
 
In addition to the fatalities, 14 people were wounded, most of them civilians, an Iraqi official said. [..]"
 
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/09/17/iraq.main/
 
Ooopsie .. the White House can't be too happy about this .. Maliki is hanging on by a thread now, and forcing him to back down on this after he went public could be the death blow.
 
There'll be claims back and forth about who shot first .. whether the shootings were justified or not .. whether the dead and wounded were insurgents or civilians, etc. Everyone will have their own spin. It will be interesting to see if any video finds its way out.
 
My money is on Blackwater. There is so much money involved in Blackwater contracts, you can bet that they won't be leaving anytime soon .. they have been roaming Iraq without oversight or management for years.
 
Nope, Blackwater is going nowhere. The number of mercenaries in Iraq is around 20,000 -- that's another entire "Surge." It would take eight to ten combat brigades to replace those 20,000 hired guns .. and we don't have 'em. Period.
 
You don't really think the White House is going to let the Iraqis kick out a high-dollar war profiteer, do you? Next they'll think they can run their own country.
 
I don't understand what the US State Department is doing using mercenaries to provide its security in the first place .. if memory serves, that task is the duty of our military.
 
The US Government HAS an Armed Forces at its command. It has no business employing mercenaries. That it does so is a sad indication of our failure in Iraq.
 
From what I read, Blackwater mercenaries only tend to create more problems for the US military .. who sometimes talk about what kind of Wild West crap Blackwater pulls. US military officers often complain about having to share the battlefield with these private forces who operate under their own rules and agendas.
 
Boots on the ground say the mercs can be a downright menace, getting into situations where Iraqi security forces engage in direct combat with Blackwater .. that it was cowboying by Blackwater that led to the Fallujah bloodbath.
 
I remember a video on the Internet that contractors took of themselves, shooting at civilians, set to the Elvis song "Runaway Train."
 
There's also Abu Ghraib, where all of the translators and half of the interrogators were private contractors from the Titan and CACI firms. The US Army found that contractors were involved in 36 percent of the proven abuse incidents.
 
The real story here is that the strong-on-defense Republican administration has to hire mercenaries because we don't have enough troops to do the job in Iraq.
 
Looks to me like it costs much more to contract out than simply to find more active duty personnel to fill the same positions. If we'd offer just half the money the mercs are getting paid, I guarantee more military sign-ups. Blackwater got a $1 billion contract to do the State Department diplomatic security job last year.
 
"License? We don' need no stinkin' license!"
 
And Iraqis can't seek justice .. can't prosecute Blackwater. Paul Bremer made sure private contractors are not allowed to be brought into any Iraqi court. They can't be held to Iraqi laws.
 
Ultimately, they're accountable to the US government. Now, who exactly is going to prosecute them....?
 
The Department of Justice can .. because the FBI is investigating an incident that took place last Christmas where a Blackwater employee is alleged to have shot and killed a security guard for a top Iraqi official. But, as of yet, no charges have been filed. Experts say no contractor has ever been charged in the death of an Iraqi.
 
That must really make the Iraqis feel nice and cozy .. knowing there is nothing they can do, they have no right to punish anyone for misbehaving in any way.
 
"As we now see in Iraq and elsewhere, the privatized military industry is a reality of the 21st century. This entrance of the profit motive onto the battlefield opens up vast, new possibilities, but also a series of troubling questions – for democracy, for ethics, for management, for law, for human rights, and for national and international security. At what point do we begin answering them?"
 
Food for thought by P.W. Singer (Senior Fellow and Director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative at The Brookings Institution) who wrote "Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry"
 
Mark my words, Blackwater will stay in Iraq .. they will pay a steep fine, say they're sorry and keep their license.
 
Otherwise, one of Bush or Cheney's cronies will lose money, and that is unacceptable.
 
End of story.
 

2007/9/18

Sweet sweet irony

@ 07:08 AM (9 months, 25 days ago)

Here's something else that will keep the Sen. Larry Craig story in the headlines .. he's like those trick birthday candles that won’t blow out.
 
Now he's the new poster child for the ACLU. As much as he's bashed them and called them all kinds of evil, he just might be the guest speaker at their next banquet.
 
Yep, the ACLU is going to bat for restroom tap dancer Sen. Larry Craig.
 
They have filed a "friend of court" brief with the Minnesota Court considering Craig's motion to withdraw his guilty plea over his restroom sting arrest.
 
From aclu.org: NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today submitted a friend-of-the-court brief to a Minnesota District Court urging it to allow Senator Larry Craig to withdraw his guilty plea because the secret sting operation used to arrest him was likely unconstitutional.
 
"The real motive behind secret sting operations like the one that resulted in Senator Craig’s arrest is not to stop people from inappropriate activity. It is to make as many arrests as possible – arrests that sometimes unconstitutionally trap innocent people," said Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU.
 
"If the police really want to stop people from having sex in public bathrooms, they should put up a sign banning sex in the restroom and send in a uniformed officer to patrol periodically. That works." [..]"
 
http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/31843prs20070917.html
 
Yeah, like you'd want to explain that sign to little kids when you take them to a public restroom.
 
Reminds me of the sign in the movie "Airplane" with the silhouette of two people having sex with the red cross-out circle through it, next to the No Smoking symbol.
 
The ACLU, bless their hearts, defend gays, blacks, virgins, hobgoblins, Republicans and other mythical things that go bump in the night. A principled bunch indeed, they think we ALL are STILL entitled to due process and other rights .. no matter how many warts we have.
 
Rabid righties like Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh howl that the ACLU is a "dangerous left-wing organization. But Rush accepted a brief from them on the issue of his medical records when he got busted for drugs .. then he went right back to bashing them.
 
The ACLU deserves credit for defending the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It's the principle of the matter, not Larry Craig. I'm surprised it took this long for them to show up .. maybe it was the pleading guilty aspect.
 
The ACLU said -- "It is a crime to have sex in public. It is not a crime to propose or solicit sex in public, whether it's in a bar or in a bathroom."

I'm just not comfortable with the double standard thing. I'm a woman and have been "hit on" oodles of times by men .. no one came running to arrest them.
 
Old joke: Definition of "liberal" -- a Republican who just got arrested.
 
Whatever happens, we all know that even if Craig manages to win his legal case, he is history. Idaho voters seem to have a much lower standard of proof when it comes to branding someone guilty.
 
I got a kick out of this: "Airport Restroom Becomes a Tourist Attraction "
 
http://minnesotamonitor.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2449
 

2007/9/17

Dwatt that wascawy wibewal media!

@ 07:32 AM (9 months, 25 days ago)

Liberal media, liberal media! For the last 20 years we've heard that whine -- "how can we get a fair shake when the media has such a liberal bias?"
 
Well, guess what? A media watchdog group has a new study out that says conservatives get more print on editorial pages than liberals.
 
Another conservative myth debunked! WMD's .. Trickle Down Economics .. Compassionate Conservatism .. Party of Family Values .. and now the Liberal Media. What will be the next fairy-tale?
 
Though it wasn't in this study, I'd have to say that liberals may have the advantage when it comes to editorial cartoons. Liberals are famous for their wit and sense of humor.
 
Radio wasn't a subject either, but the amount of on air rabid rightie radio hours vs wascawy wibewal radio hours is from here to the moon in difference.
 
According to this article in Media Matters, Editor and Publisher painstakingly gathered data to find out what types of columnists are being published in what markets. The results show a strong conservative bias in most newspapers.
 
They found that 60 percent of the daily newspapers print more conservative syndicated columnists each week than liberals.
 
Here are some of the results from the Executive Summary of the study:
 
"This project did something that has never been done before: It amassed data on the syndicated columnists published by nearly every daily newspaper in the country.
 
While a few publications, most notably Editor & Publisher, cover the syndicated newspaper industry, no one has attempted to comprehensively assemble this information prior to now.
 
...The results show that in paper after paper, state after state, and region after region, conservative syndicated columnists get more space than their progressive counterparts. [..]"
 
http://mediamatters.org/reports/oped/?f=h_top
 
Are we surprised? A vast majority of newspapers are massively owned and dominated by conservatives. Can you say Rupert Murdock?
 
Yep, this study pretty much shreds the rightie claim of liberal bias in the print media .. at least as far as op-ed columnists are concerned.
 
And, it's no surprise that in recent years GOP presidential candidates have gotten the most newspaper endorsements on editorial pages.
 
If nearly one in two Americans say they are "moderate" .. why are only two of the top ten columnists in America centrists?
 
But hey, since Democrats kicked butt in the '06 elections, maybe that means that conservative columnists, or even op-ed columnists in general, have little influence on swing voters.
 
Anyway, who knows how much better the Dems could have done if there had been more political balance on editorial pages?
 

2007/9/16

"MoveOn.org: Practicing Republicanism w/o license?"

@ 07:21 PM (9 months, 26 days ago)

I'm so tired of hearing all the rightie outrage about the moveon.org ad -- "General Betrayus". I personally didn't like it .. and, as much as some righties would love to think so, it sure doesn't represent the mainstream Democrats I know.
 
And the Democratic presidential candidates probably haven't said anything against the ad for the same reason the Republican presidential candidates didn't stand up and condemn those inflammatory and outrageous ads the Swiftboaters put out attacking Vietnam veterans back in '08. Nope, the Republicans sure didn't have any trouble with unkind words about men in uniform back then.
 
Daily Kos says it better than me: "If the Republicans held themselves to the standards they complain that MoveOn violated, President Kerry would be working well with Sen. Max Cleland. The attacks of the Saxby Chambliss campaign and the lies of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are far more foul and as Sen. McCain put it, "McCarthyist" than that ad."
 
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/9/11/205522/090
 
Everyone can be outraged all they want, but the bottom line for savvy pols on both sides of the aisle is -- When running for office, you don't piss off the people who are campaigning for you and/or raising big money for your side.
 
Nevertheless, a CNN poll showed that the public is still on the side of the end-the-war Democrats. It will take more than that ad to change the minds of fed-up war-weary Americans.
 

Peaches Tightens the Girdle

@ 06:20 AM (9 months, 27 days ago)

Leave it to MoDo to discover that, as a youngster, General Petraeus was known as "Peaches"...

Read the rest of this entry ... (808 words left)

2007/9/15

Hey Big Spender ..

@ 12:32 PM (9 months, 27 days ago)

At last, Alan Greenspan speaks in a language we can understand -- he says Bush and Cheney effed-up this country.
 
From The New York Times: "WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 — Alan Greenspan, who was chairman of the Federal Reserve for nearly two decades, in a long-awaited memoir, is harshly critical of President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the Republican-controlled Congress, as abandoning their party’s principles on spending and deficits.
 
In the 500-page book, “The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World,” Mr. Greenspan describes the Bush administration as so captive to its own political operation that it paid little attention to fiscal discipline...
 
...Mr. Bush, he writes, was never willing to contain spending or veto bills that drove the country into deeper and deeper deficits, as Congress abandoned rules that required that the cost of tax cuts be offset by savings elsewhere. “The Republicans in Congress lost their way,”
 
“They swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither. They deserved to lose” in the 2006 election, when they lost control of the House and Senate.
 
...Of the presidents he worked with, Mr. Greenspan reserves his highest praise for Bill Clinton, whom he described in his book as a sponge for economic data who maintained “a consistent, disciplined focus on long-term economic growth.” [..]
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/15/business/15greenspan.html?hp
 
So .. this self-described "lifelong libertarian Republican" said Clinton was the most economically literate.
 
How about them apples?
 
We already knew Clinton was an economic whiz kid. It's nice to see him getting the credit he deserves .. and says a lot about how the two presidents will be compared by historians on economic policy. Clinton will come out looking like Thomas Jefferson compared to Bush.
 
I still can't figure out why Democrats don't crow louder about fiscal responsibility .. compared to this batch of Republicans, they have certainly earned it.
 
So .. a Democratic president balanced the budget .. and when the Republicans had all three branches of government, we ran up the largest debt in history.
 
Bush and the GOP flushed their reputation for fiscal conservatism down the toilet years ago.
 
And after Bush started trashing our economy Greenspan presided over the Fed for another five years .. he needed to speak out when it would have done some good. Too bad he had to wait until he had an $8.5-million book deal to tell us all this.
 
Too little five years too late.
 
Too many stayed around kissing Bush's arse -- Colin Powell, Jack Goldsmith, Paul O'Neill, George Tenet, etc. -- and those who weren't puckering up said nothing, when it was obvious that Bush was in way over his head, and was doing things destructive to our country.
 
Now, economics and high finance isn't really my cuppa tea, but I'd like to point out that even though Greenspan was the father of a great "asset bubble", he also promoted easy-credit policies and toxic adjustable-rate mortgages that are now ruining so many American families and causing them to lose their homes.
 
Greenspan was the best friend the credit industry ever had.
 
PS -- I was glad he said this: "I'm saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows -- the Iraq war is largely about oil."
 
See .. it's not only leftie moonbats who think that. 
 

Late-night jokes recap 9/15

@ 06:52 AM (9 months, 28 days ago)

"A New Orleans prostitute has come forward and said she has had sex with married Louisiana Senator David Vitter two or three times a week over a four-month period. This is actually good news for the Republicans. Finally a sex scandal involving a woman." --Jay Leno

Read the rest of this entry ... (1632 words left)

2007/9/14

More lipstick on the pig

@ 08:05 AM (9 months, 28 days ago)

Bush and his "What me worry?" speech -- the surge has worked, blah, blah, blah .. stay the course, blah, blah, blah .. don't cut and run, blah, blah, blah .. give me another $100 BILLION for my war, blah, blah, blah .. we are making progress, blah, blah, blah........
 
That was it. Nothing new in this speech .. no new ideas .. no new direction. This guy lacks even an iota of analytic thought. Just more, more, more of the same. More dead .. more crippled, wounded, damaged. More money thrown away.
 
More "We'll stand down as they stand up" .. more "We're fighting them over there..." drivel.
 
If I want to hear somebody lie to me, I'll call my ex-boyfriend.
 
The truest thing he said was, "Our troops are performing bravely." Nothing about how they are trained to fight armies, not police civil wars .. or having to do 4 tours in Iraq.
 
He said there are "36 nations" with "troops on the ground in Iraq."
 
He only missed it by 12.
 
"Return on Success"? Seriously? He must have been talking about his war profiteering buddies on what kind of "return" Iraq is bringing to their pockets.
 
And, *of course* we're going for a "long term strategic relationship" with Iraq .. what with all those permanent bases and the billion dollar embassy.
 
I liked the part where he told us in one breath that the people of Anbar Province were safe to work with the US and Iraqi forces .. then in the next breath told us how the leading Sheik from that area who had been working with the US and Iraqi forces got blown to bits.
 
Bush tried to make his mess look good by spouting the fairy tale that the Surge has been a success and troops can start coming home. But, over 130,000 of them will remain there indefinitely. Huh? And those 30,000 were due to come home anyway because they'll be at the end of their tour. Huh?
 
Michael Ware reporting from Baghdad (the best reporter in Iraq if you ask me) and Anderson Cooper on CNN were very good at exposing Bush's denial and omission. Ware talked about ethnic cleansing, lack of electricity, fear of being dragged off, living in communities protected by militias .. all of which were ignored by the president. Some people call Ware a pro-war hawk .. whatever, at least he provides objective reporting.
 
Bush seemed especially insincere in his eyes .. and they were closer together than I've noticed before .. I wonder how that happens.
 
His speech was riddled with errors and half-truths. It's a terrible day when the leader of the free world feels he can shamelessly propagandize and deceive the American people like that.
 
Like -- "Iraq could face a humanitarian nightmare." Uh .. let's see, 2 million refugees, 2 million internal displaced persons, food distribution has been cut, little electricity, a cholera epidemic .. good golly, how could it be any worse?
 
Then this one -- "To Iraq's neighbors who seek peace...the efforts by Iran and Syria to undermine that government must end." Who on earth can he mean? The Saudis are helping the Sunni insurgents .. the Turks are dealing with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) .. Jordan has helped with refugees. Kuwait?
 
And how 'bout ol' John Edwards? He certainly looked more presidential than he ever has before, came on and showed a savvy take on the speech .. not buying into the BS and pointing out the many flaws in Bush's "logic".
 
The longer the campaign wears on the more I like Edwards. He's the one who most gets it re health care, counter-terrorism and several other key issues. But people worry that he concentrates too much on the poor .. and the very poor don't vote much.
 
If you read the press reports about his reaction to the miner who couldn't get proper treatment of his cleft palate until he was 50, you realize what Edwards is made of -- "In the richest nation on the planet, a man lives for 50 years not being able to talk — a completely fixable, correctable condition," Edwards told the concert audience. "How can that be? How can that be in America? Are we not better than this?" ( http://tinyurl.com/22qb5g )
 
That said I would still support any of the Democrats over any of the Republicans. The only Republican who looks halfway interesting is Fred Thompson...
 
... but that just shows I watch too much TV.
 

2007/9/13

What's a little cholera when you've got all that FREEDOM?

@ 07:56 AM (9 months, 29 days ago)

"Cholera Epidemic Infects 7,000 People in Iraq"
 
What else can we inflict on those poor souls .. maybe we could also give them some "special blankets"...
 
And what are the chances of US soldiers catching it?
 
From the New York Times: BAGHDAD -- A cholera epidemic in northern Iraq has infected approximately 7,000 people and could reach Baghdad within weeks as the disease spreads through the country’s decrepit and unsanitary water system, Iraqi health officials said Tuesday.[..]"
 
http://tinyurl.com/ywxc6b
 
So .. aside from all the violence brought on by the civil war, the religious sectarian strife and resistance to the occupation .. along with sporadic electricity, children drinking from mud puddles, a crippled economy, Al Qaeda in their midst, and a host of other ills, the Iraqis can now add cholera to their list of woes?
 
Don't forget that 75 percent of doctors, nurses and pharmacists have fled Iraq. If you were a doctor, how would like to hopscotch over IED's and dodge bullets as you travel around an incredibly dangerous city, finding and caring for the sick, or even taking away the dead?
 
With the infrastructure destroyed it was only a matter of time before this happened. Yes, we can blame Paul Bremer .. but also the insurgents who shoot at us as we try to rebuild water treatment plants, or blow them up when we're finished.
 
Meanwhile, the US and their Iraqi partners have cut off crucial supplies of chlorine because insurgents use it to make bombs, endangering many thousands. Cholera is water-borne plague.
 
What a mess we've made. I am ashamed of my country because we have so little there in resources for the PEOPLE, from electricity to healthcare to basics like food.
 
What the hell is 10 billion being spent on!
 
We need a middle class mother to audit the damn books .. someone who knows how to control costs.
 
Let me segue into just how much money IS wasted. Remember the billions Bremer couldn't account for? It's unbelievable as to the depth of corruption and crime and theft from the White House on down.
 
Read all about it here -- "The Great Iraq Swindle" .. Conservative Pat Buchanan even linked it.
 
"How is it done? How do you screw the taxpayer for millions, get away with it and then ride off into the sunset with one middle finger extended, the other wrapped around a chilled martini? Ask Earnest O. Robbins -- he knows all about being a successful contractor in Iraq. [..]"
 
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/16076312/the_great_iraq_swindle
 
No real American who loves this country could ever read the above article and not have their eyes opened to the biggest scandal and corruption committed by a White House in our history.
 
There's a book out now - “Dead Certain” - in which Bush tells biographer Robert Draper, "I cry a lot."
 
Don't we all?
 

2007/9/12

Sir, I don't know if the Iraq war makes America safer...

@ 07:47 AM (10 months, 23 hours ago)
 
That was the most honest thing he said.
 
All I really heard was -- give us another year, a couple hundred billion more dollars, oh and several hundred more soldiers' lives, so Bush won't have to take the blame for his own eff-up.
 
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gen. David Petraeus' report of progress in Iraq may have bought George W. Bush more time to pursue the war while blunting Democrats' immediate hopes of imposing a timetable for a U.S. pullout.
 
Anticipation by Democrats that the Petraeus report would prompt a sea change in policy have dissipated, even as Americans overwhelmingly tell pollsters they are ready for the troops to come home. [..]"
 
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1143877420070912
 
The Democrats tried to keep it real .. just overdid the speechifying a bit. But hey, so did the Republicans .. who fluffed up and fawned all over Petraeus .. oh my general how wonderful you are .. oh general you are the greatest American hero ever .. oh general may I touch your medals?
 
I wish he could've said the truth:
 
"Bush and the neo-cons under-manned and under-planned at the start of this war .. they had no backup plan when the flowers and chocolates didn't appear .. they decided we should guard the oil fields instead of the museums and ammo dumps .. they disbanded the army, as well as the top 20 percent of society, and told them all they could never be rehired.
 
Then Bush and the neo-cons were surprised when those people got upset and banded into sectarian groups and fought back. What was originally touted by the neo-cons in charge as lasting "6 days, 6 weeks, I doubt 6 months" and costing upwards of $50 billion (the $200 billion number was dismissed as way off), is almost in its 6th YEAR, and will cost over TWENTY TIMES the original estimates .. probably closer to forty times.
 
While Anbar has quieted a bit .. overall, violence is at about the same level. After the president left the other day, 4 more soldiers were killed and 2 bridges were blown up.
 
Iraqi police are just as likely to be loyal to their tribe as the force. There are more "no-go" zones where tribal leaders are the law. No US administration official has been able to make an announced trip to Iraq since the invasion. The road from the Baghdad airport to the Green Zone is still a suicide drive.
 
Senators, there is no end in sight of our occupation of Iraq."
 
Wouldn't that be refreshing?
 
Another thing .. since so many of the Iraqi people in formerly populated areas are already dead, and millions more have done the refugee thing in Syria, there are just fewer people left in Iraq.
 
Maybe this is why they think the surge is working.
 

2007/9/11

Bush had his exit strategy all along

@ 07:39 AM (10 months, 1 day ago)

 

I've been saying this for years .. it's good to hear someone agree.

"Bush policy to bequeath Iraq to successor"

And get ready for years of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney on Sunday talk shows pointing out how Democrats screwed up the troop draw-down, etc. etc. etc.

Paul Richter of the LA Times is spot on:

"WASHINGTON -- The talk in Washington on Monday was all about troop reductions, yet it also brought into sharp focus President Bush's plans to end his term with a strong U.S. military presence in Iraq, and to leave tough decisions about ending the unpopular war to his successor.

....to improve his chances for a decent legacy. He can say he left office pursuing a strategy that was having at least some success in suppressing violence, a claim that some historians may view sympathetically. [..]"

http://tinyurl.com/2mu3s9

Just like the rich, spoiled brat I always thought he was, once again Bush doesn't have to clean up his messes or live with his mistakes .. let alone own up to them.

He believes what he wants to believe while all his yes men and hangers-on tell him only what he wants to hear. And now he's responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and has bankrupted all of us.

He's probably had this "plan" ever since it became obvious that the strewn roses Bush expected were actually IEDs, and installing a Democratic government in Iraq was like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube.

His "foreign policy" is not only a failure .. it has been destructive to United States interests.

And I think future historians will be smart enough to see that Bush's presidency was defined, diminished and paralyzed by this war, and by his attempts to avoid being embarrassed by it. They'll see how his single-minded focus on it allowed other important domestic and foreign problems to go to hell.

Also .. when historians study this administration it will become clear that Bush was going to invade Iraq from the time he entered office. 9/11 just gave him a propaganda tool to speed up the invasion.

Bush has not only ruined America's standing in the world, he has strengthened our enemies and weakened our military, economy and infrastructure .. the only way to go from here is up.

Too bad we can't levy a special tax on Bush voters and campaign contributors .. let them pay for this war they foisted upon us .. let them pay for the damage they supported.

 

2007/9/10

America will be watching...

@ 08:31 AM (10 months, 2 days ago)

 

Really, History will be watching today as General Petraeus gives his report on Iraq to Congress.

Some lefties are quipping, "General Petraeus or General Betray-us?" .. but I don't feel that strongly. I think Petraeus is basically an honorable man, but he is not completely free of manipulation. What people don't understand is that a General will always follow the orders of his Commander-in-Chief.

Colin Powell wasn't a very good Secretary of State largely because his first instinct was to take orders .. rather than advising the president on proper and good policy.

Once again, Bush is selling his war .. not to the American people this time, but to Congress. The ones who have the power to jerk the money, end this war and start bringing the troops home.

On the morning of General Petraeus's report, we must remember what he said a few weeks before the 2004 elections. He wrote an op-ed piece about 'tangible progress' and how the Iraqi forces were 'developing steadily.'

He may have fooled some voters, but all that he claimed has long since proved to be untrue.

On the morning news I saw a reporter in Iraq who said that when she asks Iraqis what they are fighting for, they say "Sunnis!" or "Shiites!" They never say "Iraq." It will take another generation for them to think of Iraq first. Are we willing for our kids to keep dying for this?

We must keep in mind the recent reports from the GAO, independent agencies and whatnot which tell a different story than Bush's "kickin' ass" story.

Bush is counting on the General to restore credibility to his disastrous Iraq policy .. he sometimes refers to the US troop "surge" as Petraeus’s strategy .. like Bush had nothing to do with it.

It brings to mind the way Bush sent another military man with a strong sense of duty - Colin Powell - as his mouthpiece to spin WMD's to the UN in 2003 .. holding up little vials of anthrax and going on about mobile labs.

Yep, Petraeus is caught between a rock and a hard place, and maybe someday he'll rue his actions the same way Powell says he does.

So let's keep this in mind today as Gen. Petraeus tells Congress that the surge has reduced violence in Iraq .. as long as you don’t count Sunnis killed by Sunnis, Shiites killed by Shiites, the car bombings or certain head wounds. See, they classify violence based on how the bullet pierced a victim's head  -- back of the head, sectarian and counted, front of the head, it's criminal and not counted.

I only hope that the dang Democrats will not look at Gen. Petraeus’s uniform and medals and fall into their usual cringe .. not asking hard questions out of fear that someone might accuse them of attacking the military.

I can just see it -- after the testimony, they’ll desperately try to get Republicans to agree to a resolution that politely asks the President to maybe .. possibly .. withdraw some troops .. if he feels like it.