David,

I was in the middle of a major post from the last thread and was interrupted by your new post. Please alert me when this happens. I hit post and suffered through a maze of little hour glasses until I found my way back. By the way, why are you up so late?

Is it me or have the lefty journalists divided up their criticism of the Cheney Administration? Maybe it's a matter of expertise and sources. Mr. Corn tackles the Iraq War Lies. As I predicted, Chimpy's poll numbers dropped in the Reactionary Rasmussen polls. Folks were lead to believe that Chimpy would lay the groundwork for pulling the troops in '06. Instead they were greeted with more somber bullshit about feeding more kids into the meatgrinder at a slower pace. Numbers went up in the FauxNews poll; but they were snapped before the speech. AS the indictments and investigations churn the Reds, the numbers will find their way southward.

In dividing up the labor, Josh M. Marshall digs into the Culture of Corruption in the GOP. Efficiency, as the joke goes, is the hallmark of the reactionaries. They manage a level of corruption in 10 quick years that it took the Dems 40 years to accomplish.

WAs it BIllmon that photoshopped the Mayberry Machiavellians in a photo from The Hague?

And what do you get a man who has no integrity (sp?) whatsoever?

Mr. David Corn,

Great post (and informative links).

My opinion about the religion issue is a person can do their job without bringing their religion to work. Asking an employee about their beliefs is a blatant case of discrimination.

The only way to offer respect for all the different cultures, customs and religious beliefs is to have a secular government.

There is no valid or correct religion so none can be incorrect. The differences can be geographical and we are a nation of immigrants.

The plan for victory speech was not a serious departure from all of the worn out slogans. I think Bush has actually hurt his credibility again. I expect the polls to wander but he has lost the fence sitters and the middle did not shift left they just turned away from the sleaze.

Thanks for all of your work.

Kirk

Mr. Corn:

Thanks for the new roundup of info. Very good as per usual. I am currently delving into a previously posited nomenclature, and attempting to prove a theory, which I call the Whistleass Theory. Right now it is just a hypothesis, but so far all indications are that W is a whistleass.

Keep writing because I keep enjoying.

Don Smith

Fascinating... this is certainly better than the sunshine and rainbows chimpy described in his speech. As for those religious nutters, I have always found it ironic that extremely religious fanatical xians in a nation that has enough WMDs to destroy the world three times over and has actually used nuclear weapons to kill people, would be scared shitless at religous fanatics of a different stripe, in a different country (one which does not possess WMDs). I am more scared of these xian nutballs that believe the world will come to an end soon. The have the desire to see this happen, they have the means of making this happen, and they have gained incredible political power by polarizing the nation with the fear of terrorism. Terrorism is the new evil, the new "communism" to battle. Oh, silly monkeys. Take the WMDs out of the picture, and it's almost comical.

Fascinating... this is certainly better than the sunshine and rainbows chimpy described in his speech. As for those religious nutters, I have always found it ironic that extremely religious fanatical xians in a nation that has enough WMDs to destroy the world three times over and has actually used nuclear weapons to kill people, would be scared shitless at religous fanatics of a different stripe, in a different country (one which does not possess WMDs). I am more scared of these xian nutballs that believe the world will come to an end soon. The have the desire to see this happen, they have the means of making this happen, and they have gained incredible political power by polarizing the nation with the fear of terrorism. Terrorism is the new evil, the new "communism" to battle. Oh, silly monkeys. Take the WMDs out of the picture, and it's almost comical.

Analysis casts doubt on Vietnam war claims

By CALVIN WOODWARD
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

WASHINGTON -- A spy-agency analysis released Thursday contends a second attack on U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin never happened, casting further doubt on the leading rationale for escalation of the Vietnam War.

Much as faulty U.S. intelligence preceded the invasion of Iraq, the mishandling of intercepted communications 40 years earlier is blamed in the National Security Agency paper for giving President Johnson carte blanche in the conflict.

The agency put out more than 140 long-secret documents in response to requests from researchers trying to get to the bottom of an episode that unfolded in the South China Sea on Aug. 4, 1964, and has been disputed since.

Among the documents is an article written by one of the agency's historians for its classified publication, Cryptologic Quarterly, declaring that his review of the complete intelligence shows beyond doubt "no attack happened that night."

*****end of clip*****

Lying to justify military action are an American tradition upheld by current misadministration.

capt

Believe me, if George W. Bush were certifiable, he would be out of office in a trice.

The only problem with that is, we can forget putting him on the couch so long as he possesses the oval office.

He must be watched closely, even though most of what he says goes in one ear and out the other, for, as in this Bonicelli appointment, wicked nuts is as wicked nuts does. He reads his scripts and has little or nothing original to say so what he does say is important for the dissecting table.

Capt #7:

I was living in L.A. just out of the U.S. Navy in '64. The attack on the (can't remember the name of the ship) in the Gulf of Tonkin was investigated by the L.A. Times and eventually was reported as false. People aboard the ship were interviewed by the paper and they said they'd never been shot at, let alone hit.

Then as now, the military and the corporations were all over President Johnson to declare and get us into open warfare. We had been advisers until then.

Efficiency, as the joke goes, is the hallmark of the reactionaries.

Well, the trains are supposed to run on time anyway, right?

By the way, your blog looks cool, Pande. Keep writing.

Maybe the pro-admin folks should start selling a magic 8 ball that will answer any war criticism thrown their way. When you have criticism, just shake the thing and see what your answer will be. It is likely just as good as you will get from their shows, blogs, and trolls. Here is a suggested start for some of those answers:

a) You're demoralizing the troops.
b) Democrats were for the war, you flip floppers
c) We got to kill them, before they kill us
d) Clinton did it, too
e) Let's not talk about the past

Any other suggestions? The key is that it's got to work with most criticisms being made.

The theme/pattern behind these answers is not a substantive countering argument, but excuses. What they are saying is "it might be true, but {enter 8-ball deflection response here}".

I've been hearing others starting to hone in on this like Murtha's recent response to Bush's speech. Bush cannot accept new information that makes him have to fundmentally shift policy and stand up against his dominating advisors. Bush just can't accept the fact that he can be wrong, they are in denial. Murtha was able to say it. Even Duke (albeit knowing he was totally trapped) admited the shame of his mistake with those bribes. The rest just spin, spin, spin. In other words, Robert Reich was right... these new wave of conservatives are mean-spirited and spoiled frat brats. They rebelled in the '60s against mummy and daddy in their own passive rebellious way like the older brother in the story of the prodigal son... pretending to be moralistic on the outside but plundering in their own way. Many others rebelled in the '60s and sought ideals and learned from their mistakes as they grew older, I'm not sure that these guys like Abramhoff, Bush, Scalon, Rove can do that.

I contend that George Bush has not had sufficient character development to be capable of admitting in making mistakes, and saying "I was fundamentally wrong in my decision to enter this war with Iraq". Instead his immaturity has allowed the admininstration to set about fierce loyalty tests and severe punishment for those who do not keep in line.

I agree about reporting mistakes. I will be the first to call for President Bush to admit making mistakes, as soon as he makes one.

I know I can count on all of you to help me point out mistakes made by the administration if that ever happens.

If the time ever comes that President Bush makes any mistakes, I will be all over him.

Military Defends Use of White Phosphorus

Q: But you and I have both seen the results of "Willy Pete" in Vietnam. And when it's on the skin, it doesn't stop burning until it goes all the way through or runs out of oxygen. It's a pretty tough weapon. Do you want to use it in urban areas such as Fallujah?

PACE: No armed force in the world goes to greater effort than your armed force to protect civilians and to be very precise in the way we apply our power. A bullet goes through skin even faster than white phosphorus does. So I would rather have the proper instrument applied at the proper time as precisely as possible to get the job done in a way that kills as many of the bad guys as possible and does as little collateral damage as possible. That is just the nature of warfare.

RUMSFELD: Let's see if there's a New York Times editorial quoting General Pace tomorrow. Unlikely.

#198 from the previous thread

LOL. Ouch. stop it. don't. you're killing me. I don't know if I can take much more of your rapier wit, factual evidence and superb logic. Ha-ha-ha.

You truly are an ass, and that proves it!

Bush's 'Great Leap Forward'

Our Great Helmsman is steering us toward disaster

by Justin Raimondo

There is no real need for a line-by-line analysis of the speech delivered yesterday by the Trotskyite-in-chief: a succinct summary will suffice. The president's response to the polls, which show overwhelming opposition to the Iraq war, is: screw you. To those Republican members of Congress who rightly fear for their seats as election day approaches, a similar message of disdain has been delivered. It's "victory or death" –†the death of the GOP, that is, which is likely to lose control of the Senate, or the House of Representatives, and quite possibly both. In this, our president resembles those suicide bombers who are wreaking havoc in Iraq: he is willing to go down in flames, supremely indifferent that innocents are consumed in the resulting conflagration.

Such fanaticism masquerades as "idealism," but is in reality a mental affliction, a kind of madness akin to megalomania in which the victim believes himself to be endowed with god-like powers. As Seymour Hersh and others relate, the president lives in a fog of "religious idealism": his apparent belief in his own near-supernatural abilities would seem to exempt him from the laws of God and man, and endow him with a mission that must be finished no matter what. The problem is that there is no end in sight, as the very sharp Karen Kwiatkowski put it recently:

*****end of clip*****

Always interesting to read what Justin is writing.

capt

A Pathetic Performance

by Alan Bock

I really should have learned by now. The White House offers some tantalizing hints that this time the president is really going to lay things out in a way the American people can understand, demonstrate that he is conversant with the facts on the ground and how to overcome them. He might even offer a modicum of frankness that demonstrates he understands not everything has gone swimmingly but we are fixing problems. There's even the hint that he will offer something of an exit strategy that involves a draw-down of troops.

Silly me. Despite repeated disappointments, I find myself anticipating the possibility that there might be a bit of substance this time. So I listen to the speech. When I get to the office, I run to the computer to get the full text from the wire services. That simply confirms what my ear told me –†that it's the usual combination of empty bravado and vague platitudes, with nothing resembling an actual strategy.

*****end of clip*****

So it was not just me. SSDD.

capt

Bush Nears Admission of Errors

By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer
Wed Nov 30, 5:30 PM ET

WASHINGTON - President Bush came as close as he ever has to admitting mistakes on Iraq Wednesday, acknowledging setbacks and uneven results in the training of Iraqi troops in his latest defense of the war 2 1/2 years after he first declared victory.

And while he vowed U.S. troops would not be withdrawn to satisfy "artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington," his Naval Academy speech in Annapolis, Md., could help set the stage for a reduction in troops next year.

That's because Bush emphasized progress, if initially halting, in the training of Iraqi troops who will one day replace U.S. forces. Any U.S. reduction, the president said, will be driven by "the conditions on the ground in Iraq and the good judgment of our commanders."

Democratic critics focused on the fact that Bush's speech, and an accompanying 35-page document entitled "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq," broke no new ground, mostly restating administration aims put forth in 2003.

Bush "once again missed an opportunity to lay out a real strategy for success in Iraq that will bring our troops safely home," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

*****end of clip*****

It is like I always tell my better half: "I am not in denial" - HA!

Almost admitted an error? Watch for flying porcine carrying snowballs in summer.

capt

People develop and correct their ways under stress, so in order to make these guys understand the process, I figure a year or two at Gitmo or Abu Ghairib (sp) should constitute the correct level of stress necessary to form a better person out of these criminals, let's think about ways to bring this about. If not just hang on because the damage this clown can do in three years is immense. Think third world economy and worse. Enjoy the new lifestyle.

'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for Nov. 29

Read the transcript to the Tuesday show

MATTHEWS: ... Sy, you mention—πou call in your piece, a former defense official as saying that Rove and Cheney quote, "keep President Bush in the gray world of religious idealism, where he wants to be anyway." And you refer to President Johnson. "He knew that he was a prisoner of the White House, but Bush has no idea."

Are you saying the president‘≥ out to lunch?

HERSH: I don‘¥ think he‘≥ reachable. I think he‘≥ committed to what he‘≥ doing beyond what we might think he is. In other words, I don‘¥ think...

MATTHEWS: OK, Johnson was down in the war room. He was in the sit room, he was gathering, he was reading the dispatches hour-by-hour. Every time there was a sortie, every time there was a bombing raid, Johnson wanted to know whoԤ come back. He was really following the war intently and just trying to be a general. Is the president like that?

HERSH: No.

MATTHEWS: Where does he get his information on the war and how it‘≥ going? Who does he trust?

HERSH: I can‘¥ pretend to know. I can tell you what people tell me. It comes through—Éheney‘≥ a big filter. That office is a big filter for a lot of intelligence.

MATTHEWS: Do you trust Cheney to give the president the unvarnished truth?

HERSH: Did he give us the unvarnished truth about WMD?

MATTHEWS: As he knew it, maybe. As he knew it.

HERSH: You know...

MATTHEWS: ... or what do you know?

HERSH: I can‘¥ get inside somebody‘≥ mind. I do think they...

MATTHEWS: ... does your reporting tell you that he discounted information that would have suggest they did not have WMD? So that he could make the case?

HERSH: There‘≥ no question you could have looked at the whole intelligence and come up with a different conclusion. A lot of people did inside. This notion that everybody in the world thought WMD existed is not true. Guys in the CIA, Department of Energy, et cetera.

MATTHEWS: OK, I‘∂e only got one question, because you‘∂e got to

leave. The president of the United States, we were arguing off camera here

and I think it‘≥ always interesting what happens off camera here—πou came in and you said you agree with Tony Blankley, that this president will not cut and run because of election losses to come next year. He will fight this war until when?

HERSH: I don‘¥ think he cares how many body bags come back. He wants to win. He wants democracy. I don‘¥ know whether it‘≥ because God is talking to him, or whether it‘≥...

MATTHEWS: ... so the president is a neocon? He‘≥ a total believer now in democratization through force.

HERSH: I don‘¥ think there‘≥ any question. Just listen to him, he by the way, didn‘¥ come in this way, but he is now. He totally believes democracy is possible and he‘≥ going to see it through.

MATTHEWS: By force of arms, you can create a democracy with a military? A strong American presence in a third-world country?

HERSH: He may leave the Congress with this option: if you want to end this and get re-elected, you might have to do something about the defense budget. I don‘¥ think they can stand up to that, but that‘≥ where he might lead us.

MATTHEWS: So he that this—¥he passion of the convert. Having come into the White House and sort of a guy who said we need humility and foreign policy. We shouldn‘¥ be into nation-building.

Sort of a traditional Bush, like his father, a man who recognized the limits of foreign policy. He now believes that there are no limits. That we can go into a part of a world where we‘≤e not really that welcome, where we had no real history of colonialism certainly, and change the culture of that country to a democracy. He believes we can do that?

HERSH: And he‘≥ not interested in hearing contrary opinions. I‘≠ agreeing with you and I‘≠ saying he‘≥ also not interested to information which drives people to the edge of being very rattled.

That‘≥ why some of the people talk to me. The underlying fear—∑hat I‘≠ writing about—¥he underlying issue is fear, fear of what this guy—®e‘≥ a utopian in a funny way. I think he believes in what he‘≥ doing. He‘≥ a utopian without any information, and without any ability to change.

MATTHEWS: So Paul Wolfowitz lives, because he is the great expositor of that point of view. When you sit down and talk to him for two or three hours, the president now talks like Paul.

HERSH: He‘≥ got a better job.

MATTHEWS: It‘≥ amazing. You speak with strength, Sir. Thank you—°nd you speak with a single tongue. I like that. Anyway, thank you, Seymour Hersh, "New Yorker Magazine" has the whole story in this week.

*****end of clip*****

Is Bush a neocon? I laughed my _____ off.

capt

Capt,

You'd better watch that, I hear your "better half" thinks you can't afford any more reductions!

-T

HA!

The DNC songs for the season

Sen. Harry Reid
"O Little Town of Searchlight"

Sen. Hillary Clinton
"I Caught Bill Kissing Mrs. Claus"

The ACLU Chorus
"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Every Other Day"

Harry Belafonte
"Cindy's Boy Child"

The Air America Boys & Girls' Club Choir
"It's the Most Plunderful Crime of the Year"

Cindy Sheehan
"O Come All Ye Moonbats"

Valerie Plame
"Ding-Dong! Merrily I Spy"

Gov. Bill Richardson
"I Got Caught in a Snow Draft"

Sen. John Kerry
"Christmas in Cambodia"

DNC Chairman Howard Dean
"Go, Yell It at the Caucus!"

Sen. Ted Kennedy
"Your Grandma Got Run Over by My Lexus"

Johnny Chung, Charlie Trie & John Huang
"We Three Bagmen of Orient Are"

Monica Lewinsky
"The Little Hummer Girl"

Minister Louis Farrakhan
"I Ain't Dreamin' of No White Christmas!"

Former Vice-President Al Gore
"Baby, It's Cold Outside (And It's All Due to Global Warming!)"

The Boston Poops
"Pussyfootin' Around the Holiday Tree"

Judith Miller
"You're a Mean One, Mr. Pinch (Sulzberger)!"

French President Jacques Chirac
"Peugeots Roasting on an Open Fire"

Sen. Robert Byrd
"Kleagle Bells"

Gov. Kathleen Blaco & Mayor Ray Nagin
"Up on the House Top (Don't Look at Us, It's All FEMA's Fault!)"

Rep. John Murtha
"Bring Them Home by Christmas - Oh, Wait! That's Not What I Mean..."

The PETA Warrior Chorale
"Rudolph, Our Cruelly Enslaved Animal Brother"

The CNN Orchestra and Chorus
"Have Yourself a Merry Little 'X'-mas!"

The Kos Kidz
"All We Want for Fitzmas Is the Veep Impeached"

Michael Newdow
"You Wish Me a Merry Christmas... and I'll Sue Your A$$ Off!"

goob #5, we are STILL using nuclear weapons to kill people! Only this time around they are killing our people as well.

Your Excellency, Crown Prince Fahd Ibn Adbul Aziz Al Saud,

Dear Sir,

I would be most interested in your response to the following letter.

President Bush,

There a maxim in American jurisprudence that one is presumed to intent to natural and probable consequences to there acts with proximal causation placing a indirect or direct relationship between a bad act and a damaging result, justifying tort liability on one committing a civil wrong.

For at least 30 years, the Saudis have sold the US oil and have in return pocketed vast hoards of gold, that is especially accelerating with shy high gold prices. The Saudis have regularly engaged in business in this country justifying federal court jurisdiction over the kingdom. Equally, during this time, the Saudis, at the center of militant Islam, have used their gold from our petrol dollars to preach their hate of the infidels, to promote militant Islamic schools to further their hate of the west and to promote terror and terror groups, and have even engaged in promoting Islam in our prisons to recruit domestic terrorists.

As a direct result of Saudis' funding militant Islam and global terror, there now is a war of on terror that extents from militants from Spain to Indonesia, that was precipitated in earnest by Saudis directly attacking the US on 9/11. The Saudis are presumed to have intended terror and the war on terror through their long support of militant Islam and the use US petrol dollars as a mean to promote militant Islam worldwide, to raise Mecca as the center of the world. But, they went to far, in that, some of that terror has even struck in the kingdom over recent years, and are now back-peddling with their new policy, "Islam Yes, Terrorism No".

Now, the war on terror will never be won until democracies are stood up giving all rights of _expression and grievances with governments that will sit on the islamo fascists, and as such, the battle in Iraq is part of the war on the terror. The US tax payers are spending hundreds of billions of dollar to civilize militant Islam, in addition to suffering thousands of US dead on the battle field.

I propose that the US Government sue the Saudis in federal court and obtain a judgement for indirectly promoting war and then send the Saudis an invoice for several trillion dollars for the cost of the war on terror and to compensate for US dead. The judgement should also come with a writ of execution for immediate seizure of Saudi funds. If they don’t pay, simply send in a marine division, seize their gold hoard, made on the back of our dead and US tax payers.

What is fair is fair.

Derrick Michael Reid
Laguna Beach CA

I could not resist another post, have fun with it you "uselss vermen", LOL

Loved the Dean Rant!

CNN Online Poll: 89% Believe There's Been a 9/11 Cover-up

On Wednesday, November 10th, Anderson Cooper featured Kyle Hence and Jimmy Walter regarding the latter's TV ad campaign to expose 9/11 truth on WTC 7 and the Pentagon strike. Although Cooper also introduced "official story" apologist Gerald Posner to discredit the ads (with already stale and discredited excuses), the viewers were apparently not impressed and 89% of respondents to the show's online poll remain convinced there's been a government cover-up.
--------------
The giant is rousing from his slumber! And God help those murdering traitors when he is fully awake!

theocracywatch.org

Hell yes its cover up, the saudi promoted it, and the US is giving them bastards a pass to keep the oil flowing towards the US!!

Iraq - Where People
Cannot Afford Their Country

By Dahr Jamail and Harb al-Mukhtar
Inter Press Service
12-2-5

BAGHDAD -- Despite the allocation of billions of dollars of US government money for "reconstruction," Iraqis are struggling to exist amidst soaring prices, unemployment, a devastated infrastructure, and cuts in services.

"Everything has gone up in price so many times," Abu Mushtaq told IPS. "Petrol, kerosene, even the price of bread has gone up so many times since the invasion. The invaders only came to Iraq to fill up their own pockets."

The recent influx of government money to offset the untimely delivery of food rations has raised the demand for particular items, along with prices. This trend is disconcerting because the government's record of keeping food supplied is getting worse.

"The Ministry of Trade did not give sugar for the last seven months, nor rice for two months," Abu Ali said. "Nor tea for four months, and no cooking oil for the last three months."

The US-backed governments, starting with the Iraqi Governing Council, have failed to consistently deliver the monthly food basket on time, amidst an unemployment rate estimated at close to 70 percent.

Meanwhile the market price of sugar has risen 25 percent, of rice 80 percent, tea 100 percent and cooking oil 50 percent.

Most homes in Baghdad get on average only three hours of electricity supply per day, and Iraqis who can afford them use small generators. But petrol shortages and rationing continue, with only 40-50 litres allowed per vehicle monthly.

The interim government is considering a five-fold increase in petrol prices early next year.

The situation is being further complicated by attempts by some Iraqis to compensate for the dramatic shifts in their economy. "Many landlords are raising rents two or three times the normal amount," said Abu Ali. "This creates a bad spiral for everyone."

Hope also appears to be in short supply. "Anybody who tells you there are plans for this is a liar," Abu Anas, who works in the Ministry of Trade told IPS. "The government is still interim, so they cannot make plans, and they don't think that is their task. God help the Iraqi people."

Allegations of fraud and theft have plagued the occupiers of Iraq from the beginning. Auditors with the US government are reported to have found serious problems.

"The auditors have so far referred more than a hundred contracts, involving billions of dollars paid to American personnel and corporations, for investigation and possible criminal prosecution," writes Harriman.

"They have also discovered that 8.8 billion dollars that passed through the new Iraqi government ministries in Baghdad while Bremer was in charge is unaccounted for, with little prospect of finding out where it went. A further 3.4 billion dollars earmarked by Congress for Iraqi development has since been siphoned off to finance 'security'."

Iraq has oil and dollar wealth, but the people do not see it.
-------------
bush HAS accomplished his mission! Demockracy, bushco style!

Iraq - Where People
Cannot Afford Their Country

By Dahr Jamail and Harb al-Mukhtar
Inter Press Service
12-2-5

BAGHDAD -- Despite the allocation of billions of dollars of US government money for "reconstruction," Iraqis are struggling to exist amidst soaring prices, unemployment, a devastated infrastructure, and cuts in services.

"Everything has gone up in price so many times," Abu Mushtaq told IPS. "Petrol, kerosene, even the price of bread has gone up so many times since the invasion. The invaders only came to Iraq to fill up their own pockets."

The recent influx of government money to offset the untimely delivery of food rations has raised the demand for particular items, along with prices. This trend is disconcerting because the government's record of keeping food supplied is getting worse.

"The Ministry of Trade did not give sugar for the last seven months, nor rice for two months," Abu Ali said. "Nor tea for four months, and no cooking oil for the last three months."

The US-backed governments, starting with the Iraqi Governing Council, have failed to consistently deliver the monthly food basket on time, amidst an unemployment rate estimated at close to 70 percent.

Meanwhile the market price of sugar has risen 25 percent, of rice 80 percent, tea 100 percent and cooking oil 50 percent.

Most homes in Baghdad get on average only three hours of electricity supply per day, and Iraqis who can afford them use small generators. But petrol shortages and rationing continue, with only 40-50 litres allowed per vehicle monthly.

The interim government is considering a five-fold increase in petrol prices early next year.

The situation is being further complicated by attempts by some Iraqis to compensate for the dramatic shifts in their economy. "Many landlords are raising rents two or three times the normal amount," said Abu Ali. "This creates a bad spiral for everyone."

Hope also appears to be in short supply. "Anybody who tells you there are plans for this is a liar," Abu Anas, who works in the Ministry of Trade told IPS. "The government is still interim, so they cannot make plans, and they don't think that is their task. God help the Iraqi people."

Allegations of fraud and theft have plagued the occupiers of Iraq from the beginning. Auditors with the US government are reported to have found serious problems.

"The auditors have so far referred more than a hundred contracts, involving billions of dollars paid to American personnel and corporations, for investigation and possible criminal prosecution," writes Harriman.

"They have also discovered that 8.8 billion dollars that passed through the new Iraqi government ministries in Baghdad while Bremer was in charge is unaccounted for, with little prospect of finding out where it went. A further 3.4 billion dollars earmarked by Congress for Iraqi development has since been siphoned off to finance 'security'."

Iraq has oil and dollar wealth, but the people do not see it.
-------------
bush HAS accomplished his mission! Demockracy, bushco style!

damn these double posts! David, can't something be done about that? It happens almost everytime I use the preview option to proof read articles.

No, there shouldn't be a religious litmus test, but...there should be awareness.

Perhaps people have forgotten that, in his pre-presidential days, George W. Bush implied that only Christians get to heaven. It was only after his handlers gave him some *new, improved* less fundie rhetoric, that he weasled out of that mess he created. He even consulted Billy Graham on whether only Christians (the *saved* ones) have access to the pearly gates -- Graham told him "not to play God" but he did not deny the *belief* that only Christians could be *saved.*

In 2004, the Texas Republican Party's platform “affirms that the United States of America is a Christian Nation.” When I commented yesterday about the looming Catholic majority on the Supreme Court of the United States, I was thinking that America is a country in which the place of religion in the public sphere has never been fixed.

Beware that there are those who are determined to "fix" that situation!

THIS IS HILARIOUS! Will Ferrell...

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT

#30
Saladin,
Dahr Jamail has a real pulse on Iraq. He lived there for many months and talked to the people as an unembedded reporter.
I agree with you that it's Bush's form of democracy. That's what we have in this country don't we? Democracy is what Bush wants for himself and what the neocons have decided is best for them. The rich get richer, everybody else be damned.

RED ALERT RED ALERT

A threshold has been passed:

Osama killed 2106 Americans on 9-11.

Bush has sent 2108 Americans to their deaths in Iraq (as of 29 Nov).

Bush has now killed more Americans than Osama.

Please feel free to post this on your various blogs and internet forums. I think this is a statistic that the average American can understand...Bush is now a bigger killer of Americans than Osama.

Bob in North Dakota

#36
What a milestone. Wow. I wonder if that is going to be reported on MSM. We live in crazy times.

Sorry I meant #35 in the last post.

Bob, there is not a speck of evidence that Osama killed anyone. The 9/11 victims were the first sacrifices offered up by bushco to the God of never ending war. And even though the CNN poll I posted above isn't scientific, it shows that a majority of people are getting wise to that fact. We need to stop blaming that boogeyman in the cave and put the blame where it belongs or nothing will ever change.

David

First of all, Africa is were AIDS is spreading the fastest and is also one of the fastest growing in Christianity. So relax, your muslum buddies in the middle east aren't going to go soft on you. You'll still have your suicide bombers to carry on.

Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist Seymour Hersh on Where the Iraq War is Headed Next

SEYMOUR HERSCH
And so, a year ago, it seemed to me, the -- a year ago -- Amy, it's so crazy, because we always repeat history. In 1965, if anybody in the Democratic Party -- Bobby Kennedy once tried to tentatively suggest that the way out of the Vietnam War was talk to the North Vietnamese. You would have been laughed out of the ballpark. We don't talk to the guys we're fighting the war with. And so, clearly the way out was to talk to the Sunni and Baathist leadership. Clearly, they're organized fairly well. Obviously this insurgency is extremely well done. They've gotten, if anything, more sophisticated.

If you remember, this summer, General Casey, alas, said that the Iraqi -- the insurgency is defeated now; they're only hitting soft targets, that is, civilians. And the next thing you know, we have a hundred deaths of American soldiers in a month. I mean, that's clearly not true. They clearly can do what they want. My own guess is, and I’≠ told this by my friends on the inside, there's tremendous intelligence. And the Israelis, among other people, are warning us that this wonderful Green Zone that we think is such an oasis could be hit any time. They're clearly able to penetrate into that. And so, it's all up for grabs. Why not talk to them? Now, it's probably too late. I don't know what we can do to salvage the situation.

AMY GOODMAN: Seymour Hersh, you also write about President Bush and how his closest advisors have long been aware of the religious nature of his policy commitments. In recent interviews, one former senior official who served in Bush's first term spoke extensively about the connection between the President's religious faith and his view of the war in Iraq. Can you elaborate on this?

SEYMOUR HERSH: Well, it's interesting about this particular person and others with whom -- all of a sudden -- it's weird, but in the last -- people that I've been talking to for years never discuss this. All of a sudden, within the last month or so, somebody, just in the middle of a conversation about somebody else, began to talk about how the President viewed 9/11 as a challenge and sort of as a divine challenge, and the election in 2002 he saw as a sign from God, a reaffirmation. If you remember, the Republicans did very well in the off-year congressional election. And then, of course, in 2004, this president ran, didn't give one inch up on the Iraqi war, did not back off an inch and won, another sign of guidance. And so this person was saying -- I don't know whether it's true or not, but it's certainly what this person saw and heard, but I don't know what's in the President's mind. He's also committed to democracy.

But what's happening now is, I think, because he's so unreachable by common -- I think one reason the generals went to Murtha is you can't tell this to the President. I think people -- I don't want to use - I'll just use the word, I think they're scared to death. I think some of the insiders are really scared to death that you have a president that's presiding over -- it's -- the exit plan for this war is totally dependant on the Iraqi military, which is comical. It's driven by militias. I don't know, many in your audience have probably read the wonderful Jim Fallows article in the Atlantic, which I thought was quite explicit about how bad it is. And also, nobody even mentions the Iraqi police. They're completely destroyed and useless and demoralized. So the idea that withdrawal is going to be dependant on the Iraqi police and the military is a fantasy.

And so, what are we -- we're going to leave and increase the bombing and the Iraqis eventually -- this is what's driving the Air Force crazy is I wrote about the Iraqis will be responsible for targeting? You know, who's going to hit what? I've actually had senior intelligence people say to me that means Iran will be targeting our bombers. I mean, it’≥ just loony. It's a loony formula.

AMY GOODMAN: Last question, and that has to do with your last section of your piece on this composite American Special Forces team, known as the S.M.U., special mission unit, in Syria.

SEYMOUR HERSH: Well, there's more than one. There's many of them. You know, there's more than a handful of these units. Some are in Syria, some are other places. These are combined teams that have been set up, so not any one service isn’¥ involved. And I think, you know, obviously we think that this government believes that when it comes to a high-value target, you know, a potential al-Qaeda or believed al-Qaeda target, we can do anything we want anywhere in the world. And the world's our playpen. And I can tell you right now, inside the American intelligence community, and I’≠ talking about high up in the community, there's a great deal of concern about these kind of operations, because our troop go in and do what they do to people they think are Iraqis -- I mean, al-Qaeda. And it's very rough. And they don't clear it with either the State Department or the ambassador in the country or the C.I.A. chief of station. It's a formula for chaos. And it's going on now. And it's been going on for quite a while, many months. And it's a new sort of step-up in the war. And Congress? Do they want to know? I don't think so.

AMY GOODMAN: And the S.M.U.s, where else are they? The special mission units?

SEYMOUR HERSH: In places where we think there's –†you know, certainly in Iraq, and other places in the world where we think they can do some good.

AMY GOODMAN: By the way, do you believe that the secret prisons are in Romania and Poland, as Human Rights Watch believes, that the Washington Post won't name, but exposed?

SEYMOUR HERSH: Well, Amy, I’≠ actually doing some more work on it. But I will tell you this, the C.I.A. prisons are there. There have been prisons, the C.I.A. has run prisons for many, many years around the world. And I’≠ sure terrible things happen. But that's actually not where the real game is. They're somewhere else.

AMY GOODMAN: Where?

SEYMOUR HERSH: Other places. I’≠ -- let me do my reporting, and I promise I’¨l publish it, and I promise I’¨l come and talk to you about it.

AMY GOODMAN: Okay, well, Seymour Hersh, I want to thank you for being with us. His latest piece is in The New Yorker magazine; it is called "Up in the Air: Where is the Iraq War Headed Next?" Seymour Hersh, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, thanks for being with us.
-----------------------

The insurgency in Iraq is very sophisticated. Knowing what little I know about the former army and police force I would imagine they are very sophisticated. This is an educated nation.

And people are scared to death with this president's exit plan. There is nothing in place in Iraq and the plan will be to use air power.

And we have special units going into other places going after targets. "The world is our playpen."

This administration is out of control and it is incompetent. A very deadly combination.

#15 Capt. Justin has been out in front of the journalism PAC for quite some time. Almost everything he was saying prior to the invasion was right on target.

Finally... Phase II of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has been implemented. Although it has fallen off the media radar screen.. once again.

I wish David would stay on this ( I know he does a great deal). I just wish journalist would stay on a topic and give weekly updates from the inside, while they report about whatever else the rest of the MSM happens to be obsessed with that day.

Phase II will hopefully be investigating the OFFICE OF SPECIAL PLANS, THE WHITE HOUSE IRAQ GROUP, AND THE COUNTERTERROISM EVALUATION GROUP all of these groups were 'OFF LIMITS" to Phase I.

The Inspector General of the Pentagon has also begun an investigation into charges that the Vice Presidents OFFICE OF SPECIAL PLANS conducted unauthorized, unlawful or inappropriate intelligence activities.

Many of us were reading about the OFFICE OF SPECIAL PLANS, THE WHITE HOUSE IRAQ GROUP AND THE COUNTERTERROISM EVALUATION GROUP three years ago from folks like Justin Raimando on the Anti-war website, the Guardians Julian Borger and others.

The MSM basically ignored our endless pleas for them to cover this critcal issue.

When will our representatives get to the the bottom of the false intelligence about WMD's? When will the individuals involved with the creation and dessimination be held accountable?

Our congress spent millions of dollars and a great deal of time getting to Monica Lewinsky's bottom (they asked her very specific questions about the cigar escapades) and the extra marital affair with President Clinton. I mean I know all of this was critically important to our national security and all. BUTT.....

You would just hope and think that our congress would find false intelligence about WMD's.. that took us into a war.. and tens of thousands of people are now dead as a direct result. You would think that they would find this critical issue equally or just a little more important than investigating lies about a blow job.

I know this is asking a lot of them. Do you think this is asking too much?

WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR A COMPLETE INVESTIGATION OF ALL INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED...EVERY OFFICE...EVERY INDIVIDUAL. CONTINUE TO CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES ABOUT BOTH OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS. DEMAND THAT OUR REPRESENTATIVES HOLD ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS FALSE INTELLIGENCE .....ACCOUNTABLE ( IT DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER YOUR REPRESENTATIVE IS DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN ...WHAT MATTERS HERE IS THE TRUTH.......

#39
Usually your comments make no sense but you've top yourself this time.

Our problems in Iraq recall my experiences as Advisory Team Leader to an ARVN battalion in Trung Lap, at the edge of the "Iron Triangle". We knew that at least half of our forces had VC sympathies, and we were not certain about the other half. Same story in Iraq: We don't speak the language, whe don't know their customs and sometimes inadvertently offend them, and we often kill civilians, as I had to, when I returned their 60mm mortar fire with our 4.2" shells. I was against this war from the beginning, and set up a web site to air my views. But, had I run that show, I would have kept all of the Iraqi armed forces in tact, tell them they are working for us now, and attach one US officer to each of their companies, to report regularly on it's performance. There is nothing more dangerous than a soldier without a means to earn a living, if he is approached by our enemy, who provides him with one.

If you live, breathe and listen to the liberal sprew and don't educate yourseld about the facts, you soon get brained washed into beleiving the liberal spew. I think all of you military hating, Cornhole loving liberals should be tried for aiding the enemy and tried for Treason. Don't you understand that all the hate you have for this great country is the real cause this country falling apart. I used to be a Democrate until I decided that I could think for myself. I still have to ask, what is it that you liberals want? What will make you happy? What is you point? What are you trying to prove? I think you can't answer any of these questions. Which makes your party all but void.

New Fox dynamic poll shows that the Dems by a shocking majority want the butcher of Bagdad back. I guess the miss the old days and clearly want the Iraqis to go fuck themselves.

Now I know you trolls will say, oh it's Fox who cares. Well, I guess the Demorats are watching them and felt compelled to vote.

New Fox dynamic poll shows that the Dems by a shocking majority want the butcher of Bagdad back. I guess the miss the old days and clearly want the Iraqis to go fuck themselves.

Now I know you trolls will say, oh it's Fox who cares. Well, I guess the Demorats are watching them and felt compelled to vote.

jeanne

I wouldn't expect you to figure out something that makes sense. You can go back to doing your nails now.

Holy smokes! The Pope and Supreme Court justices enjoy lifetime appointments.

micki says, from the last thread, "I wonder if it has occurred to the Protestant fundies that if Alito is confirmed for SCOTUS, that there will be a Catholic majority on the Court? 5 Catholics: Scalia, Thomas, Kennedy, Roberts -- and possibly Alito. 2 Protestants: Stevens, Souter 2 Jewish: Ginsburg, Breyer."

Remember when religion ruled, it was called the Dark Ages. I think the Right-Wing Pope and a Right-Wing SCOTUS (especially with a Catholic majority) may end up to be the unholiest of alliances!

Does the Bonicelli appointment at USAID surprise any one? It's not as tragicomic as appointing clownishly insular Karen Hughes to improve understanding and relations with the Middle East.

#43
Wolfgang,
Thank you for that post. You have lived though a war. Your knowledge is valuable. Too bad the administration didn't listen to people like you from the day they set foot in the white house.

#47
Ok baf, I'll do that. Why don't you run out and get an education.

wireman sed:
Cornhole loving liberals should be tried for aiding the enemy and tried for Treason

ha. here's the Los Angeles FBI website. you should contact them and report me as being traitorous. be sure to tell them to click on my name to order the FREE DVD:
'CONFRONTING THE EVIDENCE: Reopen 911'

AND BUSH IS MAKING CLAIMS OF *progress* -- THAT BASTARD!

By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer 23 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Ten Marines on foot patrol were killed and 11 wounded by a roadside bomb near Fallujah, Iraq, in one of the deadliest attack on American troops in recent months, the Marine Corps announced on Friday. A brief statement said the Marines were from Regimental Combat Team 8, of the 2nd Marine Division.

"In any case, there was still further evidence, ignored by the Commission, that the US war against the Taliban was related more to the pipeline project than to 9/11. For one thing, President Bush's special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad (mentioned previously as a member of PNAC), and the new Prime Minister, Hamid Karzai, were previously on Unocal's payroll. As Chalmers Johnson wrote: "The continued collaboration of Khalilzad and Karzai in post-9/11 Afghanistan strongly suggests that the Bush administration was and remains as interested in oil as in terrorism in that region."

Possible Motives Of The bush Administration : by Dr. David Ray Griffin

James Ha,
I am sure all the evedence on your CD came from Micheal Moore. Which will make your CD as laughable as his. I don't understand why people like yourself that hate the U.S. even live here. I suggest that you would be better off living in Iran were the people share your veiws on the U.S. Wake up Cornhole.

After 27,000 causalties in only one day at Antietam Creek MD in 9/27/1862, Genl McCelland did not press his numerical advantage, but had he, RE Lee's army would have been destroyed.

27,000 dead and the chicken shit backed off at a point he could have ended the war 2 years earlier, but instead, (he looked at 10 dead marines), and chickened out in disgrace, and then opposed Lincoln, during which, the US suffered million casualites of which 350,000 were dead Americans.

Cornnuts: No guts, no glory, no resolve, just a bunch of chicken shits.

Jeanne

I am getting an education right her- it's called wooping ass on libs!

Mr. D.M. Reid:

Please explain what "Victory" in the Iraq war means to YOU.

wireman, it's a FREE DVD, not a cd, and michael moore is not fit to even tie the shoes of Dr. David Ray Griffin - as I said, report me to the FBI if I'm a traitor -

click my name fool

left angle #58

Victory in Iraq would be when the people of Iraq would have the same rights to protest against the men and women of uniform that fight and die for their freedom so dumbass idiots like you can whine about how horrible your own country is. However, I don'y think even the Iraqis would stoop to your level.

Derek,

The problem is not American casualties, but American casualties in a totally incompently-run war....and, in a strategically-unwinnable war.

It matters not if we remain there 10 more days, weeks, months, or years...Iraq will come apart when we leave. Too much hatred, too many scores to settle, Kurds and Shia want their lands and oil back from the minority Sunni. The army we are now building and supplying in Iraq will instantaneously dissolve into regional militias...American taxpayers are paying for it all.

Bob in North Dakota

Rolling Stone Magazine provides a peek into the US Ministry of Misinformation called the Rendon Group. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/8798997?pageid=rs.Home&pageregion=single7&rnd=1133545438734&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.1212 Very long address but another piece in the war puzzle.

"Russia equips Iran for War"

Moscow sells Tehran 29 anti missle systems, cites secret 1995 Al Gore agreement as justification.

Thanks Al, thanks for all that you do to keep our country safe!!!

Mr. BAF:

I happen to think the U.S. is a great country.
There is no place on earth I would rather reside.
However unlike you, I dont live in a dream world.
I live in the real world and what I have come to realize is that right wing repubs/cons like yourself have a real problem dealing with reality.

The U.S. is far from some perfect utopian society
that people like you think it is and I have the constitution right to say so just as you do. You criticize the things that you dont like about this country just as I do. So even though you dont agree with what i say, you cant stop me from expressing my viewpoint, which is really what repubs/cons want. You cannot stand anyone that disagrees with you and you cannot admit when you are wrong.

Futhermore, I really think that Prez Bush and Karl Rove have people like you brainwashed.
I read your post and practically everyone of them is tired lame rnc canned talking points. you really need to read what you write, because everything you write lacks and precept of orginality.

I asked you a simple question and it's very telling that you cant answer it in a logical
manner. Maybe you should check in with the rnc
and get the lastest talking points you rnc robot.
lmao

Bob ND

You're wrong Bob, all we have to do is give the Kurds and Shia their oil and then let the Sunni's have the rights to build and run gambling Casinos-everyone comes out a winner. Think positive Bob-you'll sleep better at night!!!

#57 baf

Hey Baf,

If you refer back to #106 (your post) and #111 (my post) in a recent past comment thread .

I would be interested in reading a little essay (via a post on this blog) on why you think it is good to be a self-admitted bully.

B-rock @56 -- get your happy ass in the Army and do your country proud! There you sit -- armed with your mouse and your RNC talking points -- spouting disrespectful bullshit and demeaning our soldiers.

Why do you have no respect for human life?

First of all, you do not have to be a Christian to be saved. God is the final Judge!!!

Secondly, Bush is the father of bait and switch tactics in everything says and does.

Thirdly, Bush is the father of everything that is wrong with America. He and his cabal are totally evil and vile creatures.

#13

interesting GENERAL PACE says "A bullet goes through skin even faster than white phosphorus does."

So that justifies it? Torture is all about lingering pain and imminent death before the victim. Faced with an execution what would you rather have done to you a blast of White Pete falling on you or a bullet to the heart? Oh, I guess the soldiers of WWI would rather die by mustard gas then have a shell dropped on them.

They were pronounced as illegal/immoral because of the consistent often intended infliction of pain before death.

baf, who is DMR, who is Brock, who is Antoine, who is a bushevik lockstep-lemming enjoys his role as a blogosphere bully because it allows him to act tough without exposing himself to any personal danger.

He gets a rush when he thinks he's made one of us angry. I just laugh at him.

#68 You go, Gerald!

left angle

I am tired of answering your question-you're never going to get it, I understand. If you lefties think the US is such a great country then why are you always trashing it-economy sucks, government sucks, Wal Mart sucks, GWB is the anti-christ, global warming is going to kill us, 9/11 was a conspiracy of our government. Talk about living in a dream world-come on!!

You might think I am talking RNC talking points but the truth is I voted for a lib Dem Sen in my State because his Repub opponent sucked. I also did the same with our Governor.

What I criticize are the freaks that trash our country to make themselves feel good - low self esteem issues-

Hell, I admit I'm wrong everyday to my wife- she's always right!!

The reason we sound like we have talking points is because our party stands for something and we have an agenda unlike you guy's on the left who can't give us an agenda until next year(ya don't hold your breath), who can't agree about the war, who can't agree about religion, who can't agree abut abortion, who can't agree about taxes, I mean come on- get a fucking clue and stand for something!! Oh ya, you've got this Cindy Sheenan anti-war movement. What are you trolls going to live for when the war is over? Anything ?

The reality is that life is great for us neo-cons and life sucks for lefties, if you believe anything you trolls write that is.

Yelnats #66

Well lets see- I don't drink, smoke or take drugs so my doctor told me that I needed an outlet to relieve some tension so he directed me to this Cornut site and told me how fun it was to whoop ass on freakin libs!!!

American Soldiers

American soldiers are being killed like flies for Bush's lies. To date 2,369 American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

OF COURSE, NONE OF THEM WAS GOING TO GET SHOT AT. NONE OF THEM WOULD HAVE TO ANSWER TO THE MOTHERS AND FATHERS OF DEAD SOLDIERS AND MARINES. GENERAL SCHWARZKOPF

DON'T PATRONIZE ME WITH TALK ABOUT HUMAN LIVES. COLIN "LAPDOG" POWELL

It sounds like human lives are not important to Lapdog.

Iraqi Insurgents

That was a poor essay, but reading into it.

Drinking, smoking, and drugs are things that you chose to do to yourself typically to compensate for fears, anxieties, frustration, anger or a need to be accepted by others. But at least one directs the abuse on themselves and indirectly forces others to have to deal with them.

However, you choose (upon your unwise doctor's advice :-) to take out what would have been a source of drug, alcohol or smoking abuse and addiction and directed it to others without harming yourself first. That actually explains a lot about the self-righteous right-wing morality that is going on in the country.

Of course the answer is that none of those options are good, but an honest self-evaluation of one's motives is always good. That is if you believe in good over evil, and a common moral ethic that is meant to be held by all starting with oneself first.

#76 was a reponse to baf at #73

Gerald #74

What about the millions of babies that have been aborted-who's their Lapdog?

yelnats

I didn't know I was being tested by friggin Dr Phil or I would have opened up my heart to you and tried not to hurt your feelings. Na, I'd rather be a bully!!

America has unleashed an Iraqi Insurgency Monster!!! The glory of Iraq rests with her Insurgency Movement.

American torture chambers has created an Insurgency Movement that will create nightmares for America and Americans for generations to come.

Muslim glory centers around being part of this Insurgency Movement.

America is too evil to ever really win peace for any given period of time.

Yelnats #76

I must say yelnats you've opened my eyes. I now understand. You lefties need to drink, smoke take drugs to feel accepted by others. I knew you guys were on crack!!

#78, the answer is Bush and his cabal.

Bush and his cabal are responsible for all the murders of the world!!!!!

Bush's crimes of hatred, murders, torture, and wars make him totally responsible for all that is evil in our world!!!

gerald

You blame Bush for abortion?

Hear that trolls? Gerald confirms Yelnats confession!!!

Bush is responsible of giving America and Americans one big screw job!!!!!

Mr. BAF:

You are a really funny dude...you answered my
post with more canned rnc talking points..lmao

You know whats really funny? Its like you republicans have a memory lapse about what you were doing during the 8 years of former President
Clinton. Right wing repubs/cons absolutely DETESTED Bill Clinton. They demonized him, tried to block his every initiative and in the end they tried to throw him out of office over some sexual bs in his private life when they couldnt beat him at the ballot box. I thought that shit was totally
pathetic..So now you have the audacity to whine and bitch when dems gives "W" the same treatment? Dude, I feel your pain and heres a hankee...lol

Finally dude, take your rnc issued blinders off.
The majority of this country thinks that "W" and
the Republican led congress are doing a piss poor job of managing the government currently. It's relected in all the major polls. If you think things are going so great then explain THAT?

Investors Business Daily

Contrary to popular opinion, Rep Murtha the decorated ex marine who called for an immediate withdrawl from Iraq is no hawk.

He may also be probed for misuse of appropriations.

If you want anything done in a committe you go to Murtha.

He delivered so much pork to his district, an airport and major highway are named after him.

A non-partisan group has criticized Murtha for using the $417 billion fiscal 2005 Petagon spending bill to give business to his lobbyist brother.

The Los Angelas Times reported that Murtha funneled nearly $21 million to 10 or more corporate clients.

The newspaper Roll Call reported thet there might be a House ethics committee investigation into his apparent improprieties.

But is this possible now that Murtha has become the medias "hawk with a conscience"

Come to think of it could Murtha been thinking about a possible ethics investigation when he decided to throw himself into the public limelight last week?

Hypocrisy exposed once again by the neo-cons for truth!!!

I remember when Molly Ivins was at KVUE in Austin on a satellite feed to C-Span in DC...she was on a "book tour" interview and she speculated (during the Clinton years) about all that could have been accomplished if the Congress and the media hadn't been on the "pussy patrol."

The people in the control room at C-Span just about lost it, they were laughing so hard.

Left Angle

There you go rewriting history again, the republicans helped Clinton to reform welfare,remember that? How about when they helped him balance the budget, remember that?

Yes we did detest him because he was a con-man who was only concerned about where he was going to get his next jelly donut with a blow job.

However, I do believe Republicans were'nt the only ones that voted for his impeachment.

As far as whining about the Dems giving Bush the same treatment-fantasy land again- Rove does'nt need any help kickin there ass!!

I could care less about Clinton's perverted sex problem, we all know he would fuck anything with two legs. His selling our National security secrets to China and Gores secret deal with the Russians are what I am pissed off about.

Now get a clue and talk about something you know, like gay marriage or somthing!!

Mr. BAF:

You repubs/cons are so predictable..

It happens everytime a major critic to Emperor Bush comes into focus and threatens the right wing agenda..

You guys pull out the RNC SLIME MACHINE and attempt to castrate the critic, demonize him and
destroy his credibility thru baseless claims.

It's to late the damage to Prez Bush who has no credibilty with the majority of americans who think he is a liar who lacks integrity & honesty
according to all the latest major polls.

Oh baf, STFU about Murtha and pork. I could give you a list a mile long of Repugpork -- Shoot, people in Alaska are so afraid about the day when Repug Ted Stevens leaves the Senate, through death or senility, they''re talking about selling their homes and moving to the Lower 48. They figure that w/o Ted bringing home the bacon, Alaska will go bankrupt -- no more pork from TS.

micki #92

I agree 100%, the repugs are'nt any better when it comes to pork spending. However, you miss the point of the article. Let me help you: the media is holding out Murtha as a hawk on war, when the facts say he is not. Get it? Now they are back to where they started-with nothing!!

Bush and his boyfriends could be in for a world of hurt...the media may be on the case...finally...

An excerpt from Paul Krugman's column... "There's a lot more like that in the document. Refuting some of the upbeat assertions about Iraq requires specialized knowledge, but many of them can be quickly debunked by anyone with an Internet connection.

The point isn't just that the administration is trying, yet again, to deceive the public. It's the fact that this attempt at deception shows such contempt - contempt for the public, and especially contempt for the news media. And why not? The truth is that the level of misrepresentation in this new document is no worse than that in a typical speech by President Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney. Yet for much of the past five years, many major news organizations failed to provide the public with effective fact-checking.

So Mr. Bush's new public relations offensive on Iraq is a test. Are the news media still too cowed, too addicted to articles that contain little more than dueling quotes to tell the public when the administration is saying things that aren't true? Or has the worm finally turned?

There have been encouraging signs, notably a thorough front-page fact-checking article - which even included charts showing the stagnation of oil production and electricity generation! - in USA Today. But the next few days will tell.

Who cares if the media are "mischaracterizing" Murtha as a hawk, dipshit? If he isn't a hawk, that's great with me. And that's A-OK with lots of Americans.

left angle #91

If you guys had a credible critic(emphasize-credible) then there would be nothing for us RNC hacks to demonize. The problem is that you guys can't provide anyone credible so you make it easy for us.

Who cares what Bush's poll numbers are, he's still Preident for 3 more years, moron. He can do whatever he wants and you can site your silly AOL polls all day long.

Micki, isn't Krugman behind the NYTimes firewall? I'd sure like to see the article if you still have access to it. I think 'op-truth' re-posts them... zat where you got it? Link us if you can please.

"...you can site(sic) your silly AOL polls all day long."

haha That sounded like a "Yogi-ism" from Yogi Berra. About a popular restaurant in NYC when he was asked about it... "Noone eats there anymore, it's too crowded." LOL

Alan, I got it from a friend...

Bullet Points over Baghdad
By Paul Krugman
The New York Times

Friday 02 December 2005

The National Security Council document released this week under the grandiose title "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq" is neither an analytical report nor a policy statement. It's simply the same old talking points - "victory in Iraq is a vital U.S. interest"; "failure is not an option" - repackaged in the style of a slide presentation for a business meeting.

It's an embarrassing piece of work. Yet it's also an important test for the news media. The Bush administration has lost none of its confidence that it can get away with fuzzy math and fuzzy facts - that it won't be called to account for obvious efforts to mislead the public. It's up to journalists to prove that confidence wrong.

Here's an example of how the White House attempts to mislead: the new document assures us that Iraq's economy is doing really well. "Oil production increased from an average of 1.58 million barrels per day in 2003, to an average of 2.25 million barrels per day in 2004." The document goes on to concede a "slight decrease" in production since then.

We're not expected to realize that the daily average for 2003 includes the months just before, during and just after the invasion of Iraq, when its oil industry was basically shut down. As a result, we're not supposed to understand that the real story of Iraq's oil industry is one of unexpected failure: instead of achieving the surge predicted by some of the war's advocates, Iraqi production has rarely matched its prewar level, and has been on a downward trend for the past year.

What about the security situation? During much of 2004, the document tells us: "Fallujah, Najaf, and Samara were under enemy control. Today, these cities are under Iraqi government control."

Najaf was never controlled by the "enemy," if that means the people we're currently fighting. It was briefly controlled by Moktada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. The United States once vowed to destroy that militia, but these days it's as strong as ever. And according to The New York Times, Mr. Sadr has now become a "kingmaker in Iraqi politics." So what sort of victory did we win, exactly, in Najaf?

Moreover, in what sense is Najaf now under government control? According to The Christian Science Monitor, "Sadr supporters and many Najaf residents say an armed Badr Brigade" - the militia of a Shiite group that opposes Mr. Sadr and his supporters - "still exists as the Najaf police force."

Meanwhile, this is the third time that coalition forces have driven the insurgents out of Samara. On the two previous occasions, the insurgents came back after the Americans left. And there, too, it's stretching things to say that the city is under Iraqi government control: according to The Associated Press, only 100 of the city's 700 policemen show up for work on most days.

There's a lot more like that in the document. Refuting some of the upbeat assertions about Iraq requires specialized knowledge, but many of them can be quickly debunked by anyone with an Internet connection.

The point isn't just that the administration is trying, yet again, to deceive the public. It's the fact that this attempt at deception shows such contempt - contempt for the public, and especially contempt for the news media. And why not? The truth is that the level of misrepresentation in this new document is no worse than that in a typical speech by President Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney. Yet for much of the past five years, many major news organizations failed to provide the public with effective fact-checking.

So Mr. Bush's new public relations offensive on Iraq is a test. Are the news media still too cowed, too addicted to articles that contain little more than dueling quotes to tell the public when the administration is saying things that aren't true? Or has the worm finally turned?

There have been encouraging signs, notably a thorough front-page fact-checking article - which even included charts showing the stagnation of oil production and electricity generation! - in USA Today. But the next few days will tell.

-------

Micki #95

Are you really that stupid? If you don't know what your talking about please don't engage me with a half ass attempt of debate.

Also micki #94

Paul Krugman is an admitted liar- he has more corrections from columns he writes that any ohter writer- it goes back to that credibility issue you lefties have.

"He can do whatever he wants

...just like any other tin-pot dictator.

Take private money out of public affairs (including government) and poor little shitbird baf won't have any more hack.

micki #101

You finally get it!! Damn, I am finally getting through to you knuckle heads!!!

guiness319, STFU.

Haven't found Krugman, but I seen this...

The President must provide well-defined conditions for success and a timeline for our commitment in Iraq. Until that happens, his plan cannot be seen as credible in the eyes of the Troops and Veterans of this war. I wouldn’t give this plan a failing grade, I would give it an ‘incomplete.’” (emphasis added)

Iraq Veterans Respond to President’s Speech on the War

here's another short quote...

“The plan the President outlined for Iraq is an improvement over the administration’s previous plan, which consisted only of “stay the course.” But as a Veteran of this war and someone who talks to other Veterans everyday, I can say that in the eyes of the Troops, this plan still falls short in two important ways.

thankssss! *reading it now

Don Smith

Good one, Don. Hope you did'nt bust a hemorrhage in the old brain squeezing that one out. At least you are'nt a chicken shit like Alan to engage. Alan's waiting for Ayana to come back and help him out- sorry Alan she's already used up all she had.

Mr. baf:

Apparently Prez Bush cares about public opinion polls..his every defensive move of late has been based off the fact that he is sinking like the titanic and congressional repubs up for 2006 elections are running away from bush like he has the plague..lmao

Yeah bush is still prez for the next 3 years but he is a lame duck with absolutely no pull or influence.

Krugman's article was another good one. Thanks Micki!! We know the bloggers have posted the truth, and the soldiers too. Seems like that's enough to force at least some of the truth out of MSM. We'll see...

Did y'all see Pelosi on the Daily Show? He asked her if the long wait for a victory plan was because... "Did they have to wait for that backdrop to be made? Is that what took so long?"
hahahaha

Watch out, baf; Senator Obama is on the horizon, and getting closer to your scrawny neck. His minions and legions gonna be sooo bad to your crumbum ass.

Neck and ass: Get it? Those are the points grabbed when someone tosses you out the door.

New Rassmussen poll out today:

48% say US winning the war on terror, up from 39% a month ago.

40% believe we are safer today than before 9/11, up from 34% a month ago.

Bush is up to 38% approval from 34% a month ago (Clintons low was 37% and we were at peace)

Now this isn't one of Alans scientific AOL polls but there you go. Bad news for you lefties who love to quote polls.

k, my bad It's Truthout that re-posts Krugman and others.

#111 baf:

Source, please. Not that you're not trustworthy, but you know how it goes when fully 2/3's of 300 million people are negative to your cause, heh?

C'mon let's have a link.

I can't believe it.

People don't bitch , when news organizations are paid by AlQueda to print lies. If America offers payment to actually print the truth, some of our more traitorous citizens start to complain.

Almost all reporters that work for CNN, MSNBC, the New York or LA Times get paid, by left leaning management, and sometimes