Good morning Mr. Corn! I just happend to catch this fresh posting as I was leaving! I have enjoyed visiting and may well continue. I find your positions and reasoning sound even while I disagree with some or many of your conclusions. I went overboard on some sarcasms directed toward your Regulars and I apologize for whatever offense you or others take.

Happy New Year Wishes or Predictions (12/27/05 Update)

Happy Pre-Final Assessment of Cornesters: Class potential is more limited than Pre-Xmas hopes, though there are glimmers of Intelligent Design. A couple have flunked out mentally, unable or unwilling to rise up to meet graduation expectations. Grades matter! Some, studying Conspiracy Theory 911, are in the wrong class but the Corn Host is too polite to show him the door. Some are excellent librarians, flooding the Comment section with Jurasic Media quotations but mercifully offers few coherent or original analysis. Others, possibly fulltime newsroom interns, legislative aids, or wheel-chair bound, throw all they could find onto Mr. Corn’≥ website in the everlasting hope that something useful to his/her corn God will find useful. Lastly, class potential for understanding real world economic matters borders on Zero since none has exhibited the tell tale signs of a budding entrepreneur or having had any past personal endeavors that risked their time or that dirty word, money!

DavidCorn.com: The civility asked for by the Corn Host and demanded by the visiting Right comes and goes. Is Mr. Corn proud of his bunch? Check out his bio at Pajamas Media. Catalyst: Yours truly, Derrick, Liberty Dad, Antone, Pande, etc. (all or some of whom, could be one or the same)

Iraq: Against the usual pessimism of the Left and lowered expectations of the Right, Iraq `outperforms’†when the Sunnis and Shiites come together. Resulting in a reduction of coalition forces by, say half. Remaining forces are entirely in the Sunni areas as much for their protection as for fighting the die-hards. Catalyst: Saddam (or other well-known Sunnis) and Ali-Sistani (or other well-known Shiites) decide to give a united Iraq a Go until at least the next set of national elections!

Al Queda: One or two at the top (BL, Zarq, Zawa, Omar) is/are captured. Catalyst: major foreign intelligence coup + someone (close to AQ) that comes to see that cave dwelling is going nowhere fast.

Democrats: Events in Iraq, good, bad or ugly, continue to leave the party divided & confused. But, as it often seems, how badly depends on the polls. At the mid-Term Elections, nothing new but the party may well lose more ground. Catalyst: likely None; unless a viable 2008 Contender steps up and becomes a statesman/woman.

Republicans: Mounts legislative attempt to once and for all, firmly establish the Commander-in-Chief’≥ authority to do what is necessary to fight terrorism against foreign or US citizens. Such legislation will clearly cite technology as too fast-moving and that our defenses must be proactive and preemptive; however, if the CIC is found to have used such power for political purposes, the President shall immediately be subject to impeachment proceedings. Catalyst: Patriot Act extension & beyond

Joe Lieberman: Following in the honorable footsteps of Vermont Sen. Jefford, Joe declares himself an Independent shortly before the mid-Term Elections. Catalyst: Main GOP challenger drops out of the race while the country is treated to a Dem-against-Joe campaign.

MSM: According to one Cornester, perhaps one major `old Media’†players (TV networks & big city publishers) is in the process of surrendering to reality and is transitioning to a `fair and balanced’†approach. If confirmed after further observations, count the eye-popping number of editors and reporters that resign or are fired for a Leftness indicator. Catalyst: Diminished market shares and the competitive spirit lead to internal change or perhaps being bought out by others wanting to compete w/FOX.

Here is wishing ALL a Happy New Year! Everywhere in this great nation, there are smart people (hint: donմ rave and rant, at least in public! This one is for you Mr. Corn!) that passionately disagrees with each other and yet, could be attending the same parties over the coming week. If you find yourself on the cusp of a political discussion with The Opposition, restrain yourself. Like mother taught: ҩf you donմ have anything good to say, ɮ.Ӡ Consider your restraint a gift to the other that cost you nothing! May God Bless America and Mr. Corn, as you (presumably) vacations somewhere, a special New Yearsՠgreeting for your hospitality.

Of course you know, Mr. Corn, that Chalabi lied about Iraq's WMD capabilities because he saw in Bush the opportunity to overthrow Saddam and take power for himself. Now that his plan has backfired neither Chalabi, nor the Bush Administration, knows what to do. We are fighting a war to help a fundamentalist Islamic state come into being. Have you seen the recent pictures of the Kurdish army? No matter what the rhetoric of their politicians is, they are preparing for a fight for independence from this Islamic state that is coming.

#2...

...and Turkey isn't gonna like that sort of partitioning one little bit! They won't even let 'em sell Kurd Lite

An independent Kurdish state with such an extended border will do little to ease tensions.

-T

Mr. David Corn,

"I guess most Iraqis have other plans. And it seems the Iraqi people possess better instincts when it comes to judging Chalabi than the Bush administration"

I wager most Iraqi's would rather pick their own criminal leaders and all have far better instincts than Bunnypants.

Thanks

Kirk

Now with Chalabi out of the main political picture, The Cabal will have to search for another stooge to do their bidding. It seems the Iraqis are slowly asserting their power and will to be self directed. The Cabal has lost their hold on the last lifeboat leaving Iraq. It is and will be for years mired in the region, as long as the Iraqis are holding the worlds largest oil supply.........Thank you David for allowing us to post to your site regardless of political sa'vy, intelligence or other discriminating factors. It is a refuge of political expression for many and a soundboard for others. As we all attempt to come to grips with astounding political events, there is a place we come to share views and be among liked minded posters.

If the neo-creep is such a slug why does everyone post in answer to the piffle?

You guy must enjoy it!

Good for you all, every one.

I think you all need some counseling but what do I know.

If you feed the trolls it is not fair to the trolls. They are allowed to think they are making meaningfull posts? Read the Pande recap, there is no there - there.

So why answer?

capt

Well, I come back to say Happy Hollidays to all and find you folks have had, well, how to say it, perhaps a little bit too much HAPPY around here, these past few days.

Oh well, brush past the Joyous Obnoxious, and have a Happy New Year's!

Our adventure in Iraq reminds me of the "post-party depression" that many of us experience after Christmas. After all the build-up and hype, now we're cleaning up the mess and facing a huge bill and basically asking ourselves, was it worth it? No matter how much time and effort we spent, we didn't really get what we wanted or if we did, it wasn't as great as we thought it would be. We console ourselves that at least our charitable donations may have helped someone somewhere. Of course in the case of Iraq, we can see the effects of our continuing "charity work." Regardless of what many here believe, the results have not been all bad, and it's likely that Iraqis will be better off under their future government than they were under Saddam. But when we consider the loss of life, the deterioration of America's reputation in the world, and what else we could have bought with a half-trillion dollars, it's not surprising that many of us wish we could exchange our Iraq involvement for something more practical.

Military leader says troop level could rise

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said Sunday that the number of U.S. troops in Iraq could increase next year, not decrease, if the insurgency continues.

Gen. Peter Pace's comments, on "Fox News Sunday," suggested that the Pentagon's plan to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, announced Friday by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, depended on several variables.

Pace, like Rumsfeld, said the military and the Bush administration have no specific target for how many troops to keep in Iraq now that the general elections are over.

Instead, Pace said, military commanders will continue to monitor the Pentagon's "offramps and onramps [into Iraq] based on what we have on the ground."

The four-star Marine general said that any decisions to withdraw troops — or to deploy more forces into Iraq — will depend mostly on whether the insurgency continues to launch deadly attacks against U.S. forces and friendly elements of the fledgling Baghdad government.

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

Come on now, we all know that IF the insurgents just stopped insurging we could draw-down the numbers. The number was bumped up from the 138K to the current level for these "elections" and to reduce the number to 138K is not a draw-down.

Each time they have made a claim about drawing down numbers it is always been the beginning of an increase. Backwards as usual. No small wonder they have no credibility.

capt

Mass Graves from 1991?

I'm wondering how long it'll take for the REAL retribution upon the Sunni population to begin?

Not much longer, I'll wager, since the US is threatening to take over Shiite majority govenment prisons to "bring them UP to U.S. standards"!

When one must reach up to touch bottom in a US-inspired Iraqi dungeon, one should be VERY worried!

-T

the results have not been all bad, - eggman.

I suppose that depends a good deal on where you are observing things from; I sometimes take a fool on the hill perspective...

Be that as it may, the continuing air war near the Syrian border is creating more civilian casualties all the time.

Big Lies

Who told the worst political untruth of 2005? It’s a shame the list of contenders is so long."

Hajji,

The Shi'a are already taking REAL retribution against their more secular Sunni countrymen.

They are closing the liquor stores!

A bad week for blowhards

The right-wing takeover of this sensible country has been stopped. With this pleasant thought, we enter 2006.

In one golden week, three things happened that bore a common thread. In each case, mainstream positions won out over the bluster of blowhards. People of principle stared down charges that they were unpatriotic, loved Osama or hated religion. The results were gratifying — not only to liberals, but to moderates and a good number of self-described conservatives, who have distanced themselves from their leaders' excesses.

For starters, the Senate said "no" to opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. It has saved the refuge before, but this time the Republican oilmen turned the vote into a game of chicken. The drilling provision was first stuck to the budget bill. When lawmakers balked, it was unstuck and attached to the defense-spending bill. Once there, the gamesters figured they could smear anyone voting against it as uncaring about the troops.

The defenders of the wildlife refuge, which included several Republicans, did not cave. Sen. Maria Cantwell, Democrat from Washington, accurately called the bill "legislative blackmail." Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut announced that the defense bill was not going anywhere with drilling in it. The Democrat had just returned from a grand tour of conservative talk shows, where the hosts covered him with praise for supporting the Iraq war. Any charges of not backing American forces bounced right off his armor.

The pro-environment senators easily ignored the latest tantrum by Sen. Ted Stevens, the Alaska Republican obsessed with developing the refuge. And then they turned the tables on the opposition: Some questioned the patriotism of those who would load the "must-pass" defense bill with extraneous special interests.

In another vote, the Senate temporarily extended the USA Patriot Act past its Dec. 31 expiration date. President Bush wanted the anti-terrorism law renewed, but that wasn't going to happen without a frank conversation on his recently revealed surveillance activities.

Not long ago, anyone who wanted to contain the president's powers was smothered by accusations of leaving America open to attack. It's true that after Sept. 11, 2001, many of us agreed that the government needed more powerful tools to track the bad guys. That the rules had to change, however, didn't mean there should be no rules. The citizens have not signed on to giving Bush the right to wiretap Americans making international calls without a warrant — especially since he already can do it in an emergency and ask permission later. The president says he may act as he pleases.

Vice President Dick Cheney bared his teeth and warned that politicians who criticize these policies will pay a heavy political price. Sen. Chuck Hagel, Republican of Nebraska, coolly responded, "My oath is to the Constitution, not to a vice president, a president or a political party." Expect to hear that kind of thing more often.

The third victory for rational thinking took place in central Pennsylvania. There, a federal judge ruled that "intelligent design" — a crypto-creationist challenge to the theory of evolution — is religion, and forcing it on science classes in Dover, Pa., was unconstitutional.

Judge John E. Jones, a Bush appointee, called intelligent design "relabeled creationism." He accused its backers of lying about their true intentions, which was to promote religion in a science class. And before the intelligent-design sponsors could utter the words "activist judge," Jones told them to get lost.

Actually, the tide first turned against the intelligent-design boosters in November. That's when the Dover voters removed School Board members pushing the scientific-sounding doctrine.

As far as I can tell, there's hardly a liberal in this story. The judge is a Republican. The voters who kicked out their school board come from a staunchly conservative community. It appears that the movement to sneak religion into science class — which has commanded a national debate — is the work of a noisy few.

All these events, one after another, suggest that the newfound courage of moderates is not a fluke. There never was this big groundswell to develop a wildlife refuge, make Bush king or teach creationism in the schools. The nation has begun to march in the other direction from the right-wing majorettes. May the parade grow long in 2006.

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

A bit more optimistic than I am but . . .

capt

A SUGGESTED STRATEGY FOR THE DEMOCRATS

by Bob in North Dakota

The "confused" Democrats could turn the political debate on Iraq on its head, by strongly and loudly...calling for an immediate vote of the Iraqi people, on whether they want us to stay or go. It is a perfect exit strategy...one that many, many uneasy Republicans could go for, too. It side-steps the whole "cut and run" mantra of the Republicans, and makes it an issue of democracy...the will of the people.

It's the OIL Bob.

My Felloe Amerkins, I hope you have not tried to capitilate in the war on xmas. I maself have served on the national guard during this nasty war. Daddy got Uncle Ben to get me one of those cooshy desck jobs where I could hit the nog without falling over. I dont really like nog tho.

Im glad that you leftys have lerned not to misunderestimate me no more. Mr. Corn sez

--After all, the various forces in Iraq have been fighting with each other far before Bush could find Iraq on a map--

Well funny story is that Uncle Dick got me one of them fancy globes that sez the names of all the states. I just poke all the states till I get to the one that sez Iraq. Gotta be careful tho, Iran and Iraq is right next to each other. I tryed to tell him that I need one where Iran and Iraq aint so close together but he sez he cant find one nowheres. Im startin to thinck I told Rummy to attack the rwong one. Damn.

trust the (Iraqi) people?

ha in 10 years or so the ones that are left can be rounded up and sent down their own trail of tears on to reservations with DU being the modern smallpox blankets and another 10 years after that they can start building their own casinos - what was that old saying? - oh, the only good injun is a ded injun

James Ha,

Devastating commentary, all the more so because I fear it is true.

capt

Bob #15,

Before Iraqis think about voting on anything else, we have to find out the results of the election 2 weeks ago. Once the new leadership of Iraq is determined, it seems to me that those elected officials should decide whether to ask US troops to leave or not. It would be presumptuous of the US--let alone the minority party of the US--to tell the Iraqis how to run their country at this point.

The time for Dems to grow a spine was back in 2002 when they could have gone on record as being against the war. There was plenty of evidence that Bush was misleading the country at that time, and a partisan resolution signed by Democratic congressmen--even if it did not carry the force of law--would have put Dems in a better position today. Unfortunately they showed themselves to be political cowards bending to the pro-war majority that was misled by Bushco and an accommodating MSM. To make a statement now that popular sentiments have turned against the war would merely reinforce their political cowardice.

When Dems need is an actual plan. As I see it, the only obstacle to our departure is getting an Iraqi law enforcement/military force up and running. Training this force has been one of many Bushco screw-ups. Dems should call for a measure that 1) sets timetables for successful training and rollout of these forces, and 2) formalizes a one-for-one drawdown of troops for each battalion that is trained. The idea is not to pull everyone out simultaneously but to do it gradually as Iraqis are prepared to take over. That process can start now, if Bushco claims of Iraqi preparedness are halfway true. The advantage of this measure is that we can measure month-by-month progress against the timetables, and if we aren't meeting the goals when mid-term elections roll around, Dems have an issue they can use against the GOP.

December 26, 2005 -- Colin Powell says Bush's use of NSA to conduct warrantless wiretaps acceptable. On December 25, former Secretary of State Colin Powell told ABC News This Week that the Bush administration's use of NSA to spy on U.S. citizens without a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court warrant was legitimate. However, Powell, himself, was the target of such eavesdropping by NSA. While he was Powell's deputy undersecretary for international arms control, unconfirmed US ambassador to the UN John Bolton, on the orders of Dick Cheney, instructed NSA to conduct domestic eavesdropping on phone calls between Powell and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Of primary interest to Bolton and Cheney was Powell's green light to Richardson to conduct diplomatic back channel nuclear talks with North Korea's UN ambassador in New York.

From WMR, May 15, 2005: "Intelligence community insiders claim that a number of State Department and other government officials may have been subject to NSA Training surveillance and that transcripts between them and foreign officials likely ended up in the possession of Bolton and his neo-conservative political allies, including such members of Vice President Dick Cheney's staff as David Wurmser (a former assistant to Bolton at State), John Hannah, and Lewis 'Scooter' Libby.

Possible affected individuals include: . . . New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and his telephone conversations with Secretary of State Powell and North Korea's deputy UN ambassador Han Song Ryol . . ."

This editor earlier reported this surveillance on Online Journal on May 5, 2005: "NSA conducted telephone surveillance of phone calls between Secretary of State Colin Powell and New Mexico Democratic Governor and former ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson concerning a visit by a North Korean UN delegation to New Mexico to meet with the governor in an attempt to reinstate direct negotiations with the U.S. government over nuclear issues." and on Online Journal, April 25, 2005.

On April 26, 2005 at Noon EDT, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was being interviewed on Fox News Channel about the nomination of John Bolton. As he was about to comment on the above article, the satellite signal to Santa Fe suddenly went dead and the Fox News host quickly and with apparent foreknowledge blamed the dark screen on a lost satellite signal.

Wayne Madsen

**************************

Meanwhile, Schr?dinger's Cat makes the news, again.

Just read yesterdays posts. looks like another menace has wedged his/her self into place here. Why are these elitist bullies so anxious to post here? The Righties must be nervous, their leaders are being rounded up and charged with offenses like money laundering and insider trading, illegal political contributions etc., etc. The trolls realize there base is shrinking so they lash out at the easiest target which happens to be anybody that disagrees with their twisted little thoughts. It tests our mettle don't you think, teaches patience for the "too mentally blind to see" crowd.

"The only good Indian is a dead Indian."

-Philip Henry Sheridan

"If I owned Hell and Texas I would rent out Texas and live in Hell."

-Philip Henry Sheridan

Colorful, wasn't he?

Happy sez,
"In fact, my 2001-2002 activities were `hit'! As a Republican, I would be OK knowing that with American blood and money."

How noble of you to sacrifice blood and money in the war. Explain to us again how much of your blood has been shed in Iraq? And with the Trillion dollars in debt that Chimpy has piled up, who is going to pay for the war? Certainly not you or me. Hug your kids and thank them for footing the bill for Chimpy's war.

Happy sez,
"we did the right thing by removing Saddam and gave Iraqis the best chance they've ever had to become an advanced democratic country."

Did we do the wrong thing by not invading all those Eastern Bloc countries that turned democratic? No one is arguing that removing Saddam was the goal. The method (war without a strong multi-national coalition) is the issue.

Happy sez,
"With their oil and institutionalized democracy, there is no telling how far they can go in 10~20 years."

Their oil? LOL. Robb, I think I found your hookup for that ignorant bliss you were looking for.

Happy sez,
"Most people forget that removing Saddam was Goal #1 and the reasons were many which I don't want to regurgitate....Also, Eastern Europe did NOT threaten any neighboring oil the West depended upon."

Now, that's what I'm talking about. MMmmmm. Yummy oil.

Happy sez,
"I am certain that no one in the Bush administration intends to force feed democracy and that we will be substantially out of Iraq within 1 to 2 years."

Force feed democracy? You mean they had a choice when our puppets set up their government? As for getting out of Iraq, they want us out and we promised to leave if they asked. They left out the crucial "pretty please" and "sugar on top." So I guess that means we can stay as long as we want (or until the oil runs out, whichever comes first).

Happy sez,
"....let's hope that there is enough sense in Iraq to know that they will be stronger united than divided. But then again, they have this terrible handicap of a messed up religion."

I believe that the majority of Muslims (including the 7 million or so American Muslims who are peaceful, law abiding, western culture-loving folks) would object to that final qualifier (messed up). They may in turn point out that Xianity has a fairly messed up history as well, (cf. the Crusades and those good German Xians that brought us the Holocaust not too long ago). As a Christian myself, I don't think that Christians are messed up. I just think that radicalism in any religion leads to magnified horror shows. Painting with a broad brush doesn't clarify things much.

All of the above was posted by: Happy at December 23, 2005 06:22 PM

Yea, that one. H-A-P-P-Y= Horses-Ass-Particularly-Pompus-Yuppie

Here is my question; given that shrub has committed a crime by ignoring the FISA law, where does cheney come in for doing the same thing? If they are afraid of impeaching the coward in chief, why not his second? Or does presidential powers translate into vice presidential powers as well? Seems that you cannot get presidential powers by contact or can you?

Words of wisdumb from the genius who posted twice in the span of 10 minutes this morning, spewing the same, worn out, old crap.

Happy sez,
"Like mother taught: "if you don't have anything good to say, " Consider your restraint a gift to the other that cost you nothing.

Posted by: Happy at December 24, 2005 02:47 PM

Happy thinks it is nobler to receive than to give the gift of restraint. Natch. He's a Republican.

The Righties must be nervous, their leaders are being rounded up and charged with offenses like money laundering and insider trading, illegal political contributions etc.,

ha - and that's just the public/obvious leaders - what have they really been up to? let's see.....

2.6 TRILLION MISSING FROM PENTAGON PRIOR TO 911

and who was in charge of that? none other than DOV ZAKHEIM
and who is dov zakheim? he's our old friend mr. sneaky man whose company SYSCORP designed remote control systems for airliners - hmm, what else could mr. sneaky man dov zakheim possibly have been involved in? hmm - oh ya he was the author of PNAC's plan for world domination calling for a new pearl harbor event -

it WAS a conspiracy; the only question about it is are we going to embrace it? or sweep it under the rug and forget it? or are we going to expose it so it never happens again!

Happy, you think I am in the wrong forum for this? THAT IS EXACTLY WHY I AM HERE - Mr. Corn knows that if he emails me and tells me to desist, I will. until then Happy, it is YOU who are not making the grade -

Happy sez, Love my Good-N-Plenty
Happy sez, Really rings the bell
Happy sez, Love that Good-N-Plenty
Happy sez, Don't know any other B.S. that spews so well.

As I recall, the US propped up the Shah of Iran and he was deposed by religious fanatics. Iran at the time was suffering in the Iran/Iraq war, awash in turmoil. We see the same thing in Iraq right now, and when things get difficult (outsiders meddling with internal affairs, etc), folks tend to pick an idealised cultural standard and stick to it to help preserve their identity. In Iran it was religious fundamentalism, in Iraq it will probably end up being the same. The same thing happened here after 9/11. Sure, the religious nutters and their greedy conservative prop-up politicians have been gathering since the 80s, but when those towers went up in a big fireball, they grabbed their bibles, their guns, and their bullhorns and did what they thought would be best for their narrow definitions of "freedom" and the "American" way, defining an uneducated, rural, bigoted moron as the ideal American. So we get Bush, a prime example, for another four years, and things only got worse.

It is an unfortunate reality that in many "democratic" countries, there exists only two political parties. The US is no exception, and one has to wonder if it is binary because of merging parties, or because people are unable or unwilling to see in anything other than black and white. Perhaps it is a bit of both. Whatever the reason, it should be obvious to many now that only two choices is not much of one, and certainly does not reflect a healthy democracy. The real sad thing is that it tends to make people diametrically opposed to one another, whether they want to be or not. If the Dems say one thing, the Reps must say the negation; if the Reps pick a stance on an issue, the Dems must pick its opposite. Lumping people together is a great way to belittle and dismiss them, which doesn't really solve anything. Fortunately, the internet exists now, and instead of choosing party sides, we can openly discuss matters on an issue-by-issue basis, without the incessant and infantile name-calling and misrepresentation. So maybe we should refrain from claiming that ALL Dems are this, and ALL Reps are that. I would also like to point out that there is a distinct difference between Dems and the left/liberals, and Reps and the right/conservatives. Some Dems are certainly not left, and a few Reps could certainly be considered left-of-center. Again, we see the danger and limitations of simple labels. This griping goes to anyone that attempts to employ these divisive and ignorant tactics. I'm tired of seeing it because adds nothing to the discussion.

Tinkle King

I was watching How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Kate Hudson was starring in the film. She bought a dog for the co-star in the movie. The dog was not housebroken and the dog would piss anywhere. Kate called the dog, Tinkle King. Tinkle is another name for piss.

Bush reminds me of Tinkle King. George Tinkle King Bush will piss on Americans anywhere and everywhere and he goes onto say that it is raining. George W. Bush is the Tinkle King not only for Americans but also for the world population. Tinkle King is an appropriate name for Bush.

HA!

Robert, GREAT LINKS and information. I remember the wiretaps on our Gov. they "reported" with little or no follow up. (cat state? I live in a state of cat- catatonic w/ psychotic breaks and a post melotraumatic lunch)

Thanks!

Good posts one and all!

capt

Health Care

I went by a newsstand and the headlines in the newspaper said that trade unions would be paying more for health care. When will the stupid Americans demand universal health care? Americans will no longer receive pay increases and with no health insurance they will have to pay big money for health care. Americans are stupid because they are silent on the wealthy and corporations ripping us off with those mega million dollars in tax cuts. Unless Americans are united under health care provisions for all Americans, we will always be united as stupid Americans.

Jeanne, when Americans want our men and women to fight to protect our asses and we are silent on the kind of care they are given, Americans need an awakening like a military take over from another government. The stench from our government can gag the world to death. Another name for an American nation is a pro-death nation.

Mr. Eggman wrote:

----
As I see it, the only obstacle to our departure is getting an Iraqi law enforcement/military force up and running.
----

And this isn't going to happen. We are only training the militias that will carve up Iraq after we leave. The troops we are training are not loyal to a central Iraqi government, but are mostly loyal to their own local concerns.

We should quit believing that we will have ANY influence on the outcome in Iraq....other than in the opposite direction of what we want. That should have been readily apparent after the last election, where the candidates most agreeable to our positions were roundly defeated. Our preselected Savior of Iraq, Mr. Chalabi, didn't even get a seat in the legislature.

No, we should ask the people of Iraq...do you want us out?

Bob in North Dakota

"Just as a man would not cherish living in a body other than his own, so do nations not like to live under other nations, however noble and great the latter may be." ~ Mohandas Gandhi

The Imperial Presidency

"The spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by abolition of forms. It requires change of heart" ~ Mohandas Gandhi

Go to antiwar.com to read The Imperial Presidency by Steve Chapman. I click the article and it does not come up. When the computer says this page cannot be displayed, I click refresh and the article comes up.

I think the most insulting thing about our interference in Iraq is...our interference in Iraq. We have destroyed major parts of the country. We have used chemical weapons. We have abused people we have taken prisoner. We have killed innocent civilians, sometimes simply because we lack the language skills. We have been taking the oil. We have forced the country to do without what we could never do without, that is medical, electricity, water, food. And the reconstruction firms and supply firms we pay to reconstruct are walking away with billions of dollars. We force a puppet government on the people.
With all of this we sit in America deciding when we should leave Iraq.

Hey Gerald,

Your link worked just fine for me...

Anderson Petition checking in. Hi, I would like to invite the millions viewing this to head to www.operationtruth.com ( and point-and-click into " Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America )
to view my long-winded comment on the Soldiers' Blog. I ain't a soldier , I sure is a " comment - er "

Anderson Petition

www.warisaracket.org

Betcha by golly WOW

war IS a racket. Fact.

September 11 From 3BC to 2001AD

There seems to be a belief that we will remove our forces from Iraq. This simply will not happen. As long as Iraq sits on top of the worlds largest oil deposits, we will be there. Unocal, KB&R, Halliburton, Bechtel and others moved in rapidly to secure the oil production facilities early on in the conflict. It is a reasonable assumption they will not leave even if the majority of Iraqis request that they do so. Why? With dwindling oil supplies comes the land grab to assure the US is not left high and dry. American oil companies are expanding their presence to prevent being left out of the oil equation and with the backing of Congress will be at this for quite some time to come. The emergence of China as a major oil consumer further fuels the grab for the remaining supplies. This so called war is not about terrorism at all, it is the oil, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Believing otherwise is folly, and distracting. Those that control the "OIL" control the world. It has gone too far and too many have died for the black gold. Unless we reduce our energy dependence we will continue to be at the mercy of the Evil oil masters, that would sacrifice anyone but themselves for their greed.

President Bush’s Statements on Iraq

Here we have the conservative connundrum writ large.

Were President Bush’s statements urging the country to war with Iraq meant deliberately to mislead, or do they merely reflect monstrous incompetence on the part of the president and his administration?

President Bush’s statements on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, in chronological order, were:

"Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons."
- United Nations address, September 12, 2002

"Iraq has stockpiled biological and chemical weapons, and is rebuilding the facilities used to make more of those weapons."

"We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons — the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have."
- Radio address, October 5, 2002

"The Iraqi regime . . . possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons."

"We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas."

"We’ve also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We’re concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVS for missions targeting the United States."

"The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his "nuclear mujahideen" — his nuclear holy warriors. Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at sites that have been part of its nuclear program in the past. Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons."
- Cincinnati, Ohio speech, October 7, 2002

"Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent."
- State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003

"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."
- Address to the nation, March 17, 2003

Source: John Dean, FindLaw

Voice of God Revealed to Be Cheney...

Good on ya, Captain, my personal " favorite"
was when Pres. Bush declared that the U.S.'s
military would unleash its " full force and might " upon Iraq. Pres. Bush said that during the STate of the UnION speeeech / applause festival in January 2003 . As of the first thousand days of this fiasco
some call the Iraq War, the " full force
and might " HAS NOT been employed.

I believe there's a saying in Texas............ " All hat, no cattle."

Anderson Petition

Domestic Spying and Intimidation of Military Families
Letter From a Military Mom
by Jack Dalton

********************
It can't happen here? Or has it already happened here.

Let's hope the calamity that would incur should the "Full Force & Might" of the U.S. ever be visited upon anyone never is.

I hope we never use a nuke - ever again but the horror of DU is a poison pig dressed up as inert. *sigh*

#48
After reading that letter you wonder how much spying has really been going on. The calls to the families were international calls. Were they tapped into? I don't know procedure. Are military calls monitored anyway?

DEN 44
I have to concur entirely with all that, and I would add that the war machine profiteering is an added financial bonus

Jeanne,

After living through COINTELPRO, I assume that there is massive spying going on, always.

Check out today's Democracy Now! for a report on NYPD going underground to spy on Critical Mass.

The use of D.U. is a crime against humanity - as well as against all other living organisms...

TOTALLY AGREE!

I think we can safely assume that secret squirrel surveillance is an everyday occurrence - when this blog started it was the bushlies blog in support of mr. corn's book - when bush was asked what he thought of said book, he tried to make a joke of it, but we can be sure that starting at that moment, this blog became a 'public enemy #1' -

HI SECRET SQUIRRELS! WHY DON'T YOU INVESTIGATE THIS

posted by Happy (comment #1):

Great windy pontifications! Major Hoople lives!

egads.

*

Massive amount of info on the oil issue and more.

#56; Secret Squirrels indeed, that would explain the sudden appearance of "super trolls" on this site. My paranoid side sees them taking down e-mail addresses for future monitoring of select infidels and other possible "enemy combatants".

#59
I always picture the people who monitor people like me as lazy agents who want to sit on their butts rather than do real work. I am boring folks and I admit it. I just hope they are not wasting my tax dollars investigating me. It will lead nowhere and they know it.

"We're just too young. We should wait until 2200 when quantum mechanics is taught in kindergarten."

Good post Robert(at #21). Wow!

http://www.juancole.com/

Jeanne...Ya me too, these are Americans in America, could'nt pay me enough to snoop on fellow Americans, routine however for fascists hoping to dig up dirt on someone. Sad isn't it?

Kudos to Pande! I was totally sick of Happy talking down to us, or trying to elevate the blog to something it can't be. For one thing it's pretty damned natural to wander off topic.

Add to that the awful spelling! It was so awful that at times I had no idea what Happy was trying to say and that caused me to waste time by rereading certain sentences. Ugh.

I was joyous when Pande took him on in his excellent way! He satisfied everything I was yelling at the monitor the last several days in spades. I want to personally thank Pande for the time he devoted to the project.

THANK YOU, PANDEMONIAC!

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of Truth and Love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it, always." -- Mahatma Gandhi

#48 is un-fkn-believable! and unacceptable too

Advice for any secret squirrels assigned to monitor me: (1) Strong coffee--decaf WON'T do--and lots of it. (2) At least two boxes of your favorite facial tissue, because you WILL be bored to tears. Now I gotta go to work; those trees won't peck themselves, you know.---IBW

James Ha, I got my DVD today! Seen last night where Hajji said he got his, and lo' and behold, mine was in today's mail. Haven't watched it yet, but wanted to letcha know it arrived.
*haven't had a bit of junk mail either

I read alot, comment a little. Reading post #14 just now reminded me to thank Kirk for all the great research and clips. And because i like kathleen, where is Phase II Senator Roberts? Senator Rockefeller? Senator Reid? I know you closed the Senate but nothing happened. That's why we're not happy with democrats. You grandstand and move on. I want to hear from you weekly why nothing happened again? Democrats, and N.Y. Times, are you part of the solution or part of the problem? Old dilemma,new cabal?

US embassy caught in another lie
as I was saying just the other day, to the tooth fairy...

“The president and secretary [of state Condoleezza] Rice have made clear that even in today’s circumstances, where we are confronting a new kind of threat, the United States does not condone torture, its officials do not participate in such activities anywhere, and we do not hand over anyone in our custody to anywhere where we believe that they will be tortured,” the statement said.

The statement marks the second time US officials have been forced to clarify statements by Mr Tuttle, a car dealer and former Reagan administration official who gave more than $70,000 (€59,000, £40,400) to the Republicans ahead of last year’s presidential election.

Last month, Mr Tuttle denied allegations that the US military had used incendiary munitions known as white phosphorus on Iraqi insurgents during the battle of Falluja.

Mr Tuttle and other US officials were forced to backtrack once it was discovered that first-hand accounts of two US officers in Falluja acknowledged using white phosphorus to flush out enemies during the fighting.

“I publicly regret an error was made,” Mr Tuttle said in the BBC interview about the white phosphorus incident.

British officials have privately complained about the appointment of political donors to the ambassador’s post in London. Mr Tuttle’s predecessor, Texas horse breeder William Farish, rarely made public appearances and the post remained empty for a year after Mr Farish departed.
=======================
cronyism is, as cronyism does... and look at the results, ie... "Brownie" and many others

alan, I'm glad that the free dvd actually showed up! ha I guess I'll keep promoting it - see what I'm saying secret squirrels? CLICK MY NAME!

Robert Schwartz. thank you for letting me know about The Imperial Presidency link.

step #1 to invading Iran is what? Could it be get propaganda 'out there' how dangerous they are? Evil and threatening, trying to buy/make WMD's. K, on to step 2...

State Dept. Sanctions 9 Foreign Companies

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is punishing nine foreign companies, six of them in China, for selling missile goods and chemical arms material to Iran.

In making the announcement Tuesday, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the sanctions were based on "credible evidence," which he did not disclose.

"War is like a big machine that no one really knows how to run and when it gets out of control it ends up destroying the things you thought you were fighting for, and a lot of other things you kinda forgot you had." : Anonymous

=
...most men have bound their eyes with one or another handkerchief, and attached themselves to some one of these communities of opinion. This conformity makes them not false in a few particulars, authors of a few lies, but false in all particulars. Their every truth is not quite true. Their two is not the real two, their four not the real four; so that every word they say chagrins us, and we know not where to begin to set them right. Ralph Waldo Emerson - Self Reliance - 1841 - From 'Essays", First series

=
"For in every city these two opposite parties [people vs aristocracy] are to be found, arising from the desire of the populace to avoid oppression of the great, and the desire of the great to command and oppress the people....For when the nobility see that they are unable to resist the people, they unite in exalting one of their number and creating him prince, so as to be able to carry out their own designs under the shadow of his authority." (Machiavelli, The Prince, ch. IX)

=
"Protest that endures...is moved by a hope far more modest than that of public success: namely, the hope of preserving qualities in one's own heart and spirit that would be destroyed by acquiescence." Wendell Berry

=
For the saddest words of tongue or pen these are : " It might have been". John Greenleaf Whittier

===
Thanks ICH newsletter!

PS - dubendorf thanks!

Depleted Uranium has a long lasting life expectancy and that is why it is so dangerous and deadly. 11,000 former soldiers from Desert Storm have died of complications from DU. There have also been birth defects and deformities. Desert Storm ended 14 years ago after about 6 weeks. We have been fighting in Iraq for 33 months. How much more deadly will this DU experience last and be? The International Criminal Court has banned DU. Our use of it makes us murderers and war criminals. Since we do not belong to the International Criminal Court, we are telling the world to bend over and kiss our asses.

Bob of ND #35 response to earlier rounds of posts

[No, we should ask the people of Iraq...do you want us out?]

They've answered that question. Today's Juan Cole says: Opinion polls show that between 66% and 80% of Iraqis want the US out of Iraq on a short timetable.

Opinion polls may be better than the referendum that you think American Democratic "leaders" should demand, because Sunnis have not been voting as much as Shias and Kurds. So a referendum would likely show more support for American occupation than actually exists. I don't think that's what you have in mind.

Another vote would also time-consuming and expensive--and unnecessary. The new Iraqi government (like the U.S. government) is set up as a representative democracy. The people elect their leaders and the leaders decide policy, so that every issue doesn't have to be decided by another vote. If the election is going the way it appears, the Iraqi leadership will be asking us to leave faster than a vote can be set up.

My disagreement with your original idea, however, was not based on whether Iraqis should or shouldn't vote; I just don't think it's appropriate (or politically effective) for U.S. Democrats to demand such a vote. It smells like grandstanding, playing to American discontent with the war, when the Dems should be providing leadership and positive solutions. As low as Bush's approval rating is, US opinion of Dem leadership is even lower--for exactly this reason. They look like political cowards and flip-floppers with no principles and no plan but retreat. Just because the GOP says this about Dems does not mean it it isn't true.

You are correct that Bushco is not really trying to train Iraqis. Actually I think you were pointing out that trained Iraqis would not enforce the law but would just be trained bullies. If that's your point, it's a good one. Iraq is not likely to have a great law enforcement capability when the U.S. pulls out; however, they might have a fighting chance if the people who trained them actually cared about getting them trained. That hasn't happened in the past two-plus years, and I think Dems should hold Bushco's feet to the fire on this point, since it is the only apparent reason we are there now that Saddam is caught and the parliament has been elected.

Again, the concept I responded to is what Dems should do to offer something positive to the debate over Iraq. "Pull out now" isn't the positive leadership that Americans want to hear from people who supported war when it was politically expedient. Stepping up training efforts and setting benchmarks for success is a forward-looking solution. I'm not saying it's a great solution. It probably won't lead to an effective law enforcement capability in Iraq, but it's the best way I can think of to pick up a few seats in Congress in 2006.

Poland, in reversal, keeps forces in Iraq

BERLIN Poland's new conservative leadership said Tuesday that it would keep its troops in Iraq until the end of 2006, reversing a decision by the previous government to take them home in a few months.

The move provided a boost to the coalition forces in Iraq led by the United States and Britain, coming on a day when several countries announced troops reductions or the complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

"The government has decided to ask the president to extend the deployment of Polish military forces as part of the international forces in Iraq from January 1, 2006 until Dec. 31, 2006," Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said at a press

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

I cannot se how we (the USA) can draw-down numbers when others (Poland) are making commitments to stay.

I think we have been "had" again.

Where are the investigative reporters asking why the last up-tick - sold as necessary for the elections - was suppose to be a temporary measure now being used as a baseline number? 138K was the number we have 161K so why are there not 30k coming home? Now they (Gen. Pace) are saying the numbers will have to go up again? WTF?

capt

Gerald; just found this site that exposes the gruesome details of DU. By the time they stop dumping tons of the stuff on Iraq we will all be affected by it. Could this be the "weapons that will burn forever" described in the bible?

America glorifies murder and war crimes!!!!!

The state of MN isn't seeing an end to the military going to Iraq as far as I can tell. Military is getting ready to leave as we speak. What are you hearing in other states?

http://traprockpeace.org/depleteduranium.html

Check out the above for DU also.

#78 DEN, with regard to "Weapons that will burn forever," I really cannot say how it relates to the Bible. I have heard that DU has a life expectancy of one billion years. I would have to believe that one billion years could mean forever for most of us who post on this website.

Centering Prayer

Jesus

This Centering Prayer was the most powerful experience of all the Centering Prayers.

When I received the words of Bill Moyers' speech, I could not shake the words in the speech, Let's get Jesus back. Bill Moyers' words would not leave me. From time to time I go to Centering Prayer for guidance.

I found myself a comfortable chair and I let the intense process guide me. Jesus in His silent ways gave me clarity to Bill Moyers' speech. My child, America has chosen damnation. You must not discourage. Come to me and I will protect you.

I believe that in Bill Moyers' speech God wants us to return to Him. Do not follow America into damnation! Seek God and He will protect you and me.

Jeanne,

Ft Jackson stays pretty well cleared out, these days, they tell me.

-T

Too soon to tell what curve inversion means

By Oliver Ludwig

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury yield curve inverted on Tuesday, with two-year notes yielding more than 10-year notes for the first time in five years in a possible signal the U.S. economic recovery is topping out.

But many analysts were reluctant to embrace the traditional interpretation of an inverted yield curve, namely the economy is heading for a slowdown or possibly even a recession.

They say a buildup of savings around the world has found its way into the U.S. Treasury bond market, helping keep yields at unusually low levels and, according to officials at the Federal Reserve, possibly changing the rules of interpreting yield curve inversions.

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

Two year notes yielding better than ten year notes? Sounds like a cashing out and huge pressure on the longer notes to convert?

I am smelling something odd here.

capt

"Trust the Iraqi people."

Chalabi Lacks Votes Needed to Win Spot in Iraqi Assembly

BAGHDAD, Dec. 26 -- Unexpectedly low support from overseas voters has left Ahmed Chalabi -- the returned Iraqi exile once backed by the United States to lead Iraq -- facing a shutout from power in this month's vote for the country's first full-term parliament since the 2003 invasion...

...With 95 percent of a preliminary tally from the Dec. 15 vote now completed, Chalabi remained almost 8,000 votes short of the 40,000 minimum needed for him or his bloc to win a single seat in the 275-seat National Assembly, according to election officials. Without a seat in the assembly, Chalabi would presumably be unable to obtain a post in the resulting government.

However, Chalabi was among the politicians jockeying Monday ahead of meetings that have been scheduled in the Kurdish north this week to bring Shiite Muslims, Sunni Arabs, Kurds and others into post-election talks on forming the next government.

A spokesman for Chalabi's party, which has filed complaints of election irregularities, said he was waiting for the results of the investigation. "What I can say is Dr. Chalabi will have an important role, whether in the government or outside,'' said the spokesman, Haider Mousawi.

Chalabi is regarded as both a master deal-maker and remarkable political survivor. The longtime exile and his associates played an influential role in the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein; U.S. authorities tapped Chalabi to lead a small Iraqi force in the U.S.-led invasion. But his reputation suffered from past financial scandals, and critics have charged he was always more popular with Americans than with Iraqis...

...The deal-making has led to meetings among rivals at opposite extremes of Iraqi politics to feel out any possible alliance. On Saturday, the effort brought Saleh Mutlak -- a Sunni politician previously derided by Shiites as a front for insurgents -- together with Abdul Aziz Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a Shiite religious party whose militia Sunnis accuse of running anti-Sunni death squads. Both sides confirmed the meeting Monday.

"We have agreed that we should form a government of national unity without suggesting any names," Mutlak said. "And they've agreed on the principle and were very positive about it." He said there were "no results for these talks yet, but all expectations show that we are on the right track to solve the problem."

Rice authorized National Security Agency to spy on UN Security Council in run-up to war, former officials say

President Bush and other top officials in his administration used the National Security Agency to secretly wiretap the home and office telephones and monitor private email accounts of members of the United Nations Security Council in early 2003 to determine how foreign delegates would vote on a U.N. resolution that paved the way for the U.S.-led war in Iraq, NSA documents show.

Two former NSA officials familiar with the agency's campaign to spy on U.N. members say then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice authorized the plan at the request of President Bush, who wanted to know how delegates were going to vote. Rice did not immediately return a call for comment.

The former officials said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also participated in discussions about the plan, which involved "stepping up" efforts to eavesdrop on diplomats.

--------------------------
People want this person for president?

Jeanne:

Virtually every night the local SF Bay Area news shows a picture of one or two members of the military in Iraq who are now deceased, killed by IED or bullets or, occasionally, a self-inflicted wound. They report on any location within their broadcast range, say 150 miles out of SF. It can weigh on a person because it is unnecessary.

Mr. Eggman, Thank you for the kind reply. The war lost any legitimacy it had, when none of the conditions for our invasion were found to be true. Saddam was not the "imminent threat" that we were led to believe. The only way that our occupation can be justified now, it seems to me, is if the Iraqi people vote for us to stay. If they don't want our help, let's get the hell out. Bob in North Dakota

I'm (Comment #1) back sooner than planned!

Day started well thanks to David's latest take on Iraq. He isn't likely to disappoint patriots when things could or do go right for our country. His words can do good as situations in the field warrant. My day dived when the market diverged from my early mood. Reading the day's postings brought some laughter back! Whatever differences I have made; it was more evident today. Some will jump on me again, but would it surprise me? I have no doubts as to who exactly are among the "some people create difficulties" David cites in Pajamas Media bio. Oh, I take hints well from those worthy of respect.

One Corn poster spent some time dissecting & rebutting a post of mine from yesterday. Took you some time, good effort! Another accorded me "super troll"; presumably that means I graded on the high side among the visiting Opposition.

I first signed on with a NON-PARTISAN positive posting on economic progress of the nation ($40 trillion+ national wealth, ~68% home ownership, 5% unemployment, 3.5%+ GDP growth). I was Happy! In the spirit of Xmas, my posting was needed, after reading all the doom & gloom permeating your Comments. Worse, your style was Mean and High-Schoolish, as David aptly states. Your reactions to my postings do not speak well for supposedly liberal, inclusive, understanding, all-that-good-stuff people. You sound exactly like what Rush says! Discount what you may, the little of my bio revealed is true; as I have some Right friends `Spying' on some of the action here.

Less-than-savory things go on in all governments and societies and it is easy to bury yourself in bad news and mud. Me, no cable or dish & rarely watch any TV. MSM is depressing, biased and divisive! At any moment, far more good things are going on in this world and our country. Glass is half-full kind of a guy I am. Helps to raise kids too. Next life, I will try your half; hopefully staying single and a shorter life.

Too many of are learning-resistantɉӷill never change!Ӡ If the libs here are a representative sample of all libs, the Left is in serious trouble. However, if most or a meaningful minority of libs are Davids, Eggmen or Goobs, the Right needs to be worried. Saladin, why dubendorf now? Any guesses on Eggman?

Corn posters, I like to engage in serious discussions when time permits. Look forward, backward is for people w/a vengeance agenda, not solutions, on their minds! Got to run!

What is also disheartening about the war in Iraq is the lost time involving discoveries of other forms of energy. We could be working so much harder on this goal. Instead we have a president who thinks ID is ok and who is willing to destroy this country and Iraq for the oil he wants. What a doorknob.

Bob,

Lets!

-T

#91
Hajji,
I agree.

Bush's counsel on spying now under close scrutiny

WASHINGTON -- When President Bush sought to reassure the country that his authorization of spying on Americans without warrants was a reasonable exercise of his power, he emphasized that his orders were always reviewed by the attorney general and the White House counsel.

''Each review is based on a fresh intelligence assessment of terrorist threats to continuity of our government and the threat of catastrophic damage to our homeland," Bush said in his Dec. 17 radio address. ''The review includes approval by our nation's top legal officials, including the attorney general and the counsel to the president."

The current occupants of those jobs are Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and White House counsel Harriet E. Miers. Prior to 2005, Gonzales was White House counsel and John Ashcroft was attorney general.

The current dispute over whether the president had the authority to order domestic spying without warrants, despite a law against it, has put new focus on the legal officials who have guided Bush. And the qualifications of Ashcroft, Gonzales, and Miers could become a focus of the upcoming Senate hearings on the spying decision.

Legal advice given to the president in national security matters can hardly be of greater importance. Telling Bush that he lacks the authority to make a particular move could leave the country vulnerable to attack; assuring him that he has the power to override civil liberties could consign innocent suspects to imprisonment, abuse, or disappearance to secret holding areas in other countries.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, Bush's legal advisers have cleared the way for him to hold enemy combatants without trials; eavesdrop on overseas telephone calls and e-mails; place ever-greater numbers of government documents under a veil of secrecy; imprison a US citizen indefinitely on the suspicion of terrorist links; and, according to The Washington Post, operate a secret CIA prison in an Eastern European country.

In each case, the legal official responsible for assessing the extent of Bush's powers was Ashcroft, Gonzales, or Miers.
------------------
Is there anybody in the white house besides the janitors and cooks who have not done anything illegal?

Defense Lawyers Plan Challenges Over Spy Efforts

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 - Defense lawyers in some of the country's biggest terrorism cases say they plan to bring legal challenges to determine whether the National Security Agency used illegal wiretaps against several dozen Muslim men tied to Al Qaeda.

The lawyers said in interviews that they wanted to learn whether the men were monitored by the agency and, if so, whether the government withheld critical information or misled judges and defense lawyers about how and why the men were singled out.

The expected legal challenges, in cases from Florida, Ohio, Oregon and Virginia, add another dimension to the growing controversy over the agency's domestic surveillance program and could jeopardize some of the Bush administration's most important courtroom victories in terror cases, legal analysts say.

The question of whether the N.S.A. program was used in criminal prosecutions and whether it improperly influenced them raises "fascinating and difficult questions," said Carl W. Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who has studied terrorism prosecutions.

Jeanne:

There's a guy named John Yoo who was a leader in manufacturing those policies. He is now at UC Berkeley.

Now that the bush administration flagrantly feels it's above the law(NSA)
Is the next step telling us "they have proof of imminent attack" postpone elections and stay in power !!

Israel and the Neocons, The Libby Affair and the Internal War

By James Petras

12/27/05 "ICH" -- -- The national debate, which the indictment of Irving Lewis Libby for perjury and obstruction of justice has aroused in the mass media, has failed to address the most basic questions concerning the deep structural context, which influenced his felonious behavior. The most superficial explanation was that Libby, by exposing Valerie Plame (a CIA employee), acted out of revenge to punish her husband Wilson for exposing the lies put forth by Bush about Iraq's "importation" of uranium from Niger. Other journalists claim that Libby acted to cover up the fabrications to go to war. The assertion however raises a deeper question -- who were the fabricators of war propaganda, who was Libby protecting? And not only the "fabricators of war", but the strategic planners, speech-makers and architects of war who acted hand in hand with the propagandists and the journalists who disseminated the propaganda? What is the link between all these high- level functionaries, propagandists and journalists?

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

Interesting point of view.

capt

Yoo, Unrepentant"

Prof. John Yoo published an op-ed in the LA Times today entitled With 'All Necessary and Appropriate Force' As Prof. Yoo worked in the Justice Dept. During 2001-03, and by all accounts had a major hand in the drafting of Justice Dept. memos relating to the rules applying to the treatment of al Qaeda and other persons labeled by the administration as non-persons enemy combatants, his comments deserve careful attention.

Official Washington has been struck by a paroxysm of leaking. It involves classified memos analyzing how the Geneva Convention, the 1994 Torture Convention and a federal law banning torture apply to captured Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters. Critics suggest that the Bush administration sought to undermine or evade these laws. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) claimed this week that the analyses appeared "to be an effort to redefine torture and narrow prohibitions against it."
Yes, that's more or less what it looked like all right. Or, as one pithy letter-writer to the Washington Post put it, "How is it that the Defense Department, the Justice Department, and the White House counsel's office were all writing lengthy and detailed memos on the laws against torture, how to get around the laws against torture, and the president's alleged authority to 'set aside' the laws against torture, and yet nobody had any intention of torturing anybody?"
------------
Ick.

Scholar Stands by Post-9/11 Writings On Torture, Domestic Eavesdropping

Former Justice Official Says He Was Interpreting Law, Not Making Policy

By Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 26, 2005; Page A03

John Yoo knows the epithets of the libertarians, the liberals and the lefties. Widely considered the intellectual architect of the most dramatic assertion of White House power since the Nixon era, he has seen constitutional scholars skewer his reasoning and students call for his ouster from the University of California at Berkeley.

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

John Yoo is a neocon nutcase. I have heard him speak (years ago) and he in neither smart nor clever just a kook that says what the neochronic want to hear.

capt

Kurds in Iraqi army proclaim loyalty to militia

KIRKUK, Iraq - Kurdish leaders have inserted more than 10,000 of their militia members into Iraqi army divisions in northern Iraq to lay the groundwork to swarm south, seize the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and possibly half of Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city, and secure the borders of an independent Kurdistan.

Five days of interviews with Kurdish leaders and troops in the region suggest that U.S. plans to bring unity to Iraq before withdrawing American troops by training and equipping a national army aren't gaining traction. Instead, some troops that are formally under U.S. and Iraqi national command are preparing to protect territory and ethnic and religious interests in the event of Iraq's fragmentation, which many of them think is inevitable.

The soldiers said that while they wore Iraqi army uniforms they still considered themselves members of the Peshmerga - the Kurdish militia - and were awaiting orders from Kurdish leaders to break ranks. Many said they wouldn't hesitate to kill their Iraqi army comrades, especially Arabs, if a fight for an independent Kurdistan erupted.
-------------------
What happens now?

The Extra-Legal Executive

Faced with the pesky need to get warrants, however, the Bush administration chose another path -- it simply issued a directive saying the old policy was out and a new policy was in. On hand to help rationalize things was John Yoo, the very same lawyer who provided the rationalizations required when the president wanted to start ignoring domestic and international law with regard to torture without getting any of the laws changed.

And if it was Yoo's work that made McCain's effort to close down Bush-created loopholes in torture law, then it's the continuation of the Yoo mentality that makes me pessimistic about how much good McCain will do. The president, quite clearly, didn't surrender to McCain's view at the end of last week because of a genuine change of heart. Instead, as in his previous surrender to the Arizona senator over campaign finance reform, he dropped what he had previously portrayed as a point of high principle for reasons of crass political expediency. Thus, we still have in office a president who believes in the utility and overriding moral necessity of torture, and a president who feels that -- at least in matters of national security -- he's not bound by the law.

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

John Yoo is not a legal mind with an opinion he is an excuse for poor policy that speaks legalese.

capt

#84 capt, the wealthy and corporations are coming up with schemes to take away more money from the middle class. It's a money grab.

#90 Jeanne, your post is priceless.

Debauchery and other evils

America has insatiable appetites for indentured servitude, slavery, and torture. America is an evil empire. America chooses to be separate from the International Criminal Court because to be part of the International Criminal Court would mean that America could be tried for crimes against humanity, murders, and war crimes. Since America is not part of the International Criminal Court, she can remain in denial for crimes against humanity, murders, and war crimes. America will never grow toward true greatness as long as she remains in denial.

Gerald,
The rich are in for a real surprise. 0 from 0 is 0.

The best things in life are free.

#104 Jeanne, we are almost at zero now!!! We should be at zero some day during 2006!!!

now here is a true oddity, take a look at these trading cards from 1995 - they are so prophetic they must've been designed by Nostradamus himself ::
Illuminati: New World Order trading cards

Revealed: the pill that prevents cancer

A daily dose of vitamin D could cut the risk of cancers of the breast, colon and ovary by up to a half, a 40-year review of research has found. The evidence for the protective effect of the "sunshine vitamin" is so overwhelming that urgent action must be taken by public health authorities to boost blood levels, say cancer specialists.

A growing body of evidence in recent years has shown that lack of vitamin D may have lethal effects. Heart disease, lung disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis are among the conditions in which it is believed to play a vital role. The vitamin is also essential for bone health and protects against rickets in children and osteoporosis in the elderly.
------------------
Especially important for those in the northern climates.

Lets Not Forget: Bush Planned Iraq 'Regime Change' Before Becoming President

15 September 2002: A SECRET blueprint for US global domination reveals that President Bush and his cabinet were planning a premeditated attack on Iraq to secure 'regime change' even before he took power in January 2001.
The blueprint, uncovered by the Sunday Herald, for the creation of a 'global Pax Americana' was drawn up for Dick Cheney (now vice- president), Donald Rumsfeld (defence secretary), Paul Wolfowitz (Rumsfeld's deputy), George W Bush's younger brother Jeb and Lewis Libby (Cheney's chief of staff). The document, entitled Rebuilding America's Defences: Strategies, Forces And Resources For A New Century, was written in September 2000 by the neo-conservative think-tank Project for the New American Century (PNAC).

The plan shows Bush's cabinet intended to take military control of the Gulf region whether or not Saddam Hussein was in power. It says: 'The United States has for decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional security. While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein.'

The PNAC document supports a 'blueprint for maintaining global US pre-eminence, precluding the rise of a great power rival, and shaping the international security order in line with American principles and interests'.

This 'American grand strategy' must be advanced for 'as far into the future as possible', the report says. It also calls for the US to 'fight and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theatre wars' as a 'core mission'.

The report describes American armed forces abroad as 'the cavalry on the new American frontier'. The PNAC blueprint supports an earlier document written by Wolfowitz and Libby that said the US must 'discourage advanced industrial nations from challenging our leadership or even aspiring to a larger regional or global role'.

The PNAC report also:

l refers to key allies such as the UK as 'the most effective and efficient means of exercising American global leadership';

l describes peace-keeping missions as 'demanding American political leadership rather than that of the United Nations';

l reveals worries in the administration that Europe could rival the USA;

l says 'even should Saddam pass from the scene' bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will remain permanently -- despite domestic opposition in the Gulf regimes to the stationing of US troops -- as 'Iran may well prove as large a threat to US interests as Iraq has';

l spotlights China for 'regime change' saying 'it is time to increase the presence of American forces in southeast Asia'. This, it says, may lead to 'American and allied power providing the spur to the process of democratisation in China';

l calls for the creation of 'US Space Forces', to dominate space, and the total control of cyberspace to prevent 'enemies' using the internet against the US;

l hints that, despite threatening war against Iraq for developing weapons of mass destruction, the US may consider developing biological weapons -- which the nation has banned -- in decades to come. It says: 'New methods of attack -- electronic, 'non-lethal', biological -- will be more widely available ... combat likely will take place in new dimensions, in space, cyberspace, and perhaps the world of microbes ... advanced forms of biological warfare that can 'target' specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool';

l and pinpoints North Korea, Libya, Syria and Iran as dangerous regimes and says their existence justifies the creation of a 'world-wide command-and-control system'.

Tam Dalyell, the Labour MP, father of the House of Commons and one of the leading rebel voices against war with Iraq, said: 'This is garbage from right-wing think-tanks stuffed with chicken-hawks -- men who have never seen the horror of war but are in love with the idea of war. Men like Cheney, who were draft-dodgers in the Vietnam war.

'This is a blueprint for US world domination -- a new world order of their making. These are the thought processes of fantasist Americans who want to control the world. I am appalled that a British Labour Prime Minister should have got into bed with a crew which has this moral standing.'

#105 Jeanne, your post is interesting because you are right. I look at the sky, the trees, the meadows, the lakes, the smiles on the faces of small children, and the beautiful loving faces of the poor.

Didn't David say something about Iraq? I just checked out Joseph Nye's post at Huffington Post, via RealClearPolitics. Nice site w/ short, on topic stuff. David needs to present a site where very quickly, someone can check in and out! This current Comment section style demands more self-control! Way too much wondering and FEW NEW VIITORS will go below the first couple of pages of Comments! At this point, almost to 110 Comments, there is just you guys chatting about your agendas. Give the man a break! You all act like children!

BUSHIES REFUSING TO DIAGNOSE RETURNING SOLDIERS WITH POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

The Bush administration is twisting itself into a pretzel trying to find ways not to diagnose soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), including altering the diagnostic criteria established by the American Psychiatric Association-- that's the essence of a first-rate piece of reporting in today's Washington Post. .The article, by staffer Shankar Vedantam, relates the attempt to have politics dictate medicine. "Larry Scott, who runs the clearinghouse http://www.vawatchdog.org/ , said conservative groups are trying to cut VA disability programs by unfairly comparing them to welfare. "Compensating people for disabilities is a cost of war, he said: "Veterans benefits are like workmen's comp. You went to war. You were injured. Either your body or your mind was injured, and that prevents you from doing certain duties and you are compensated for that." Not cited by the WashPost was a New England Journal of Medicine study showing that 1 in 6 Iraq vets are suffering from PTSD -- and less than half of them seek treatment.

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

"said conservative groups are trying to cut VA disability programs by unfairly comparing them to welfare"

Taking care of those who have served is not welfare, the vets that need help are not weak. This kind of crud from the right chaps my hide. Our vets deserve better.

capt

#109 capt, America's plan is for world domination. It is in the process right now and by 2015 it will be a fact.

If China caves in by 2015, there will be no nuclear holocaust.

Right now I am leaning away from a nuclear holocaust by 2015. I am going against Gordon Thomas' prediction in his book, Seeds of Fire, of a nuclear holocaust.

#112 capt, let us never forget that we are only cannon fodder to the bushies.

Henry Kissinger sai