ThinkFast: March 7, 2007
ThinkFast: March 7, 2007
“It’s too early to judge the success of this operation,” Bush said yesterday of his escalation plan. “Yet even at this early hour, there are some encouraging signs.” On the same day in Iraq, suicide bombers and gunmen attacked Shiite religious pilgrims, “killing at least 130 people in one of the deadliest days of the four-year war.”
In a USA Today op-ed, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales calls the purged U.S. Attorneys scandal “an overblown personnel matter.” But as Talking Points Memo documented, the excuses given yesterday by the Justice Dept. for the firings are incredibly strained.
“On a personal level, friends of the vice president say the [Libby] trial has been deeply painful for him,” the New York Times reports. “Mr. Libby and Mr. Cheney were all but inseparable — [ex-Cheney staffer Mary] Matalin has called the former aide ‘Cheney’s Cheney’ — and often started their days by riding to work together.”
“Reporters will be barred” from Guantanamo Bay hearings meant to determine if 14 terrors suspects transferred from secret CIA prisons are “enemy combatants.” “No word of the hearings will be made public until the government releases a transcript of the proceedings, edited to remove material deemed damaging to national security.”
“President Bush has missed a March 1 deadline to submit a required report to Congress on expanding the eligibility for the Purple Heart.” Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) told Bush they are “disappointed” he allowed the deadline to pass, “saying wounded and deceased veterans and their families in this country deserve better.”
Senate leaders said yesterday they will use the upcoming defense spending bill to improve health care for military veterans, including new funding to improve facilities, improve diagnosis and treatment of brain injuries and mental health problems, and ease the transition between the military and veterans’ health care systems.
Meanwhile, the White House is adopting a sharply “defensive stance on the Iraq-war-funding bill,” resisting “giving Democratic staff even technical advice on funding that the new majority wants to add for veterans’ health programs.” Bush held “a Republicans-only strategy dinner in the White House family quarters last week” on the bill.
The State Department released its annual human rights report yesterday, which cited Sudan, China, Russian, and Venezuela for abuses. Assistant Secretary of State Barry Lowekron admitted the report comes “at a time when our own record, and actions we have taken to respond to terrorist attacks against us, have been questioned.”
And finally: Didn’t do it. Wouldn’t be prudent. Former President George H. W. Bush insists he didn’t pat the behind of “Desperate Housewives” star Teri Hatcher after a lunch last month, despite apparent video evidence. The 82-year-old told Extra, “I have been teased about it relentlessly. (A website) accused me of patting her backside, which I did not do. The camera lies, it’s a fraud.”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
Fmr. Pres. HW Bush said: “I have been teased about it relentlessly. (A website) accused me of patting her backside, which I did not do. The camera lies, it’s a fraud.â€
Typical Republican tactic: Who are you going to believe? The video evidence or what I say?
Why do Republicans hate telling the truth? Is it because they’ve been swigging the kool-aid for so long that it’s anathema for them to tell the truth?!?!?
March 7th, 2007 at 9:08 amCheney has friends?!? Hard to imagine.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:09 amBush missing his deadline is the continuation of his flagrant disregard for deadlines imposed upon him which is analogous to his flagrant disregard for the laws of this country…..he’s never grown up and is simply manifesting the symptoms of the “beligerant teenager” whom he was and continues to be. Nothing new here. It will be nice to have a mature, wise president in command of this country once again when he is either removed from office or leaves as the lameduck which he truly has become. This “exercise in beligerance” - aka not having the report completed on time - is simply his methodology for illustrating that he has no intention of ever following the rules or complying with the requirements of the job he is being paid to do. Just check out his college history, his botched corporations and you will see this pattern loud and clear. If you really want to have nightmares, get a copy of Justin A. frank’s book entitled “BUSH ON THE COUCH” and it will give one greater insight into the bowels of this twisted, tormented, and immature mind.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:10 am“No word of the hearings will be made public until the government releases a transcript of the proceedings, edited to remove material deemed damaging to national security.â€
Secret hearings. Welcome to Ameirka.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:10 am“No word of the hearings will be made public until the government releases a transcript of the proceedings, edited to remove material deemed damaging to national security.â€
One long black line and then a single word “Guilty”. Remember they are doing this in your name.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:16 amIn a USA Today op-ed, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales calls the purged U.S. Attorneys scandal “an overblown personnel matter.â€
You wish!
March 7th, 2007 at 9:16 amI think the dirty little secret protecting all of these Scooter supporters, including the pathetic piece of tripe put out by the Washington Post editorial board is this: Their asses are saved by the fact that Plame-Wilson WAS covert and Brewster Jennings was classified so as long as that fact stays under wraps they can prattle on and on and on. They are all fluffers for the big one, their lock step party of war mongering destruction.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:18 am“the [Libby] trial has been deeply painful for [Cheney]â€
I wonder what he’ll think of Delay’s trial? I wonder if it was deeply painful to see his friend Ken Lay get convicted? Maybe Cheney should stop hanging out with so many criminals.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:18 amNah…
…We know that old trick Mary Matalin…
…”Cheney’s Cheney”, indeed…
…trying to fool us into believing that sending Scooty boy to jail…
…is like sending L’il Dick?
…Yeah, right…
…there’s NO substitute for the real thing…
March 7th, 2007 at 9:19 amEvery one of the examples today shows the refusal of the rethugs to do anything but spin or obfuscate or obstruct. The closest to actually telling the truth is the state department hack. Meanwhile the congress for the most part continues to act as though the rethugs are in control and do very little to try to end the corruption and lawlessness in the misadministration. Why did we think things would change if we elected the dims? “Impeachment is off the table.” Why, why, why? If we don’t hold the wh accountable, the next go-round of unitary executive will be even worse, assuming that this one actually leaves office.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:21 am“On a personal level, friends of the vice president say the [Libby] trial has been deeply painful for him,â€
Is that pain in the leg or the chest?
March 7th, 2007 at 9:21 am“On a personal level, friends of the vice president say the [Libby] trial has been deeply painful for him,†the New York Times reports. “Mr. Libby and Mr. Cheney were all but inseparable — [ex-Cheney aid Mary] Matalin has called the former aide ‘Cheney’s Cheney’ — and often started their days by riding to work together.â€
That’s really touching. It’s like a scorpion telling us how a tarantula and a rattlesnake were such good friends. I’m getting misty eyed.
Ms. Matalin, that would be a great story if it weren’t for the fact that neither you nor Dick Cheney are capable of feeling pain. Or any other emotions, for that matter, besides anger.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:21 am“Cheney’s Cheney”, cute name for Mr. Dinky.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:23 amComment by TripMaster Monkey — March 7, 2007 @ 9:10 am
I guess we should get full access to the hearings and even if they contain classified information, that should be made public as well.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:24 amIs a Cheney’s Cheney what happens when Cheney takes a crap?
March 7th, 2007 at 9:26 am“Mr. Libby and Mr. Cheney were all but inseparable”
They will again when they are both behind bars. Who’s the top and who’s the bottom?
March 7th, 2007 at 9:30 am“Cheney’s Cheneyâ€, cute name for “Dick’s Dick”.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:35 amFiring the babysitter is a personal matter.
Purging U.S. Attorneys because they would not be corrupted by Republicans illegally attempting to influence their work is a crime.
Alberto Gonzales has repeatedly shown himself to be a liar and an opportunist who would say or do anything legal or not to further entrench Bush’s power over everyone at the expense of our Constitution.
He’s also a war criminal.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:37 amhacker bob sez:
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: hell yes.
This administration has zero credibility. ZERO. I’m not comfortable with them deciding what we can and cannot hear. They have consistently lied since day one.
I don’t buy the ‘national security’ argument. I’m sorry to hear that you do. The only way for this administration to regain any semblance of credibility would be to conduct these hearings as transparently as possible…but we all know that won’t happen, since this corrupt and criminal administration has a deathly aversion to sunlight.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:37 amFor Cheney the Libby trial was more of a pain in the a** - an event that exposed more of Cheney’s secret underhanded tactics.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:37 amComment by TripMaster Monkey — March 7, 2007 @ 9:37 am
So, releasing classified information to the public is OK with you. Didn’t someone get convicted of the something similar to that lately? Are there not many people that are up in arms because someone released the name of a CIA agent that may or may not have been in a covert status?
Sorry, there is information that does not need to be released to the public. there has to be a filter. I am not saying that we have the best filter in place, but there is a need for a filter.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:43 am#18 TripMaster Monkey
I don’t buy the ‘national security’ argument.
To this administration, it’s a matter of national security whenever there’s a chance that another of their many crimes is exposed for the public to see. As a matter of national security, how about if we just remove all the criminals from the White House so that we don’t have to worry about exposing their crimes anymore.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:43 amI guess we should get full access to the hearings and even if they contain classified information, that should be made public as well.
Comment by hacker bob
Let’s see. An panel of Army judges will decide what information to release about hearings that are being held by the government for who knows how long and for what reasons. What if they were held for no reason will they release that information or will it be deemed classified for no reason other than to save face. Read the line “edited to remove material deemed damaging to national security”. this does not just mean “classified material”. This can mean anything they want to. You want to trust them to do the right thing. To me this administration has not earned the trust to handle something like this in a honest and professional manner.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:46 amRead the Military Commissions Act, bob. Classified information won’t even make it into the trial. It’s a bogus excuse to hold trials in secret. It’s more evidence of how your Beloved Commander-in-Chief has become a Dictator. You keep up with the crap, I’m going to keep going after you. And you know why. If you want to sleep well at night, you’ve got to look beyond that reflection in the mirror.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:47 amI’ve said this in prior comments but I still wonder why so many on the left are stirred up by the dismissal of a handful of US Attorneys by Mr. Bush when they were silent at the wholesale firing of every single sitting US Attorney by Mr. Clinton.
Such transparent selective outrage demonstrates that there is no principle involved other than naked partisan squabbling.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:49 amNo,No,No,Cheney’s Chainey attatches to his cockring.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:49 amI see that hack is getting an early start today erecting straw men. Same thing every day for these trolls. Frantically build up a little straw man fort to hide in, as far from the truth as possible, then spend all day trying to defend it while others knock it down. By evening the fort has been reduced to compost. But they get up the next morning and start all over again.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:49 am“Senate leaders said yesterday they will use the upcoming defense spending bill to improve health care for military veterans, including new funding to improve facilities, improve diagnosis and treatment of brain injuries and mental health problems, and ease the transition between the military and veterans’ health care systems.”
All I can say is: WAY TO GO DEMS!!! Nice good in expediating money the Vets really need. Nice job!
“Meanwhile, the White House is adopting a sharply “defensive stance on the Iraq-war-funding bill,†resisting “giving Democratic staff even technical advice on funding that the new majority wants to add for veterans’ health programs.†Bush held “a Republicans-only strategy dinner in the White House family quarters last week†on the bill.”
Not sure completely what this means, but it sounds like Bush is asking them to blindly trust him. That isn’t possible at this point as Bush isn’t trustworthy. Furthermore, why is Bush making this dificult? Our troop have a readiness problem and need this money ASAP for gear and equipment. Currently, the Dems have changed their position and are eager to support this war moving forward. Bush is out of line and should provide whatever info they need so they can quickly approve the Iraq war money. Keep up the fight Dems, are troops in Iraq are counting on this money so they can finish the job properly.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:49 amHearing the Verdict of the Libby trial helped me to reflect on Bill Clinton’s presidential tenure………..I’ll elaborate more after I’m finished writing a program.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:50 ami just heard on sam that it was libby who lobbied CLINTON
for the pardon of MARC RICH…
hmmmmm…
March 7th, 2007 at 9:50 amThe Nazis of World War II were true war criminals. My grandfather fought in that war, and I have read as much of that history as I could find. The Nazis made today’s terrorists look like Boy Scouts. How much of the Nuremberg trials was shrouded in secrecy? When we finally overtook the Nazis, we didn’t use secret prisons, torture, or closed hearings. We put them on trial so the entire world could see who and what they were. We didn’t deny them their day in court, because we wanted them to have to explain their actions to the world.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:52 ama bombshell missed yesterday due to Libby verdict…
Two FBI Whistleblowers Confirm Illegal Wiretapping of Govt Officials, Support Sibel Edmonds Claims
Sibel Edmonds has got her hands on an explosive official report from an FBI agent which demonstrates that the US Government was illegally spying on “high-profile U.S. public officials”
They were illegally using the rubber-stamping FISA court to do it (you know, FISA, the court they had to ignore in the illegal NSA wire-tapping case). FISA is supposed to be for “Foreign” persons only - not for domestic surveillance.
But here’s the thing: Sibel worked for this particular agent when she was at the FBI - so this illegal spying uncovered all of the criminal activity that Sibel knows about “large-scale drug deals and of selling classified military technologies to the highest bidder” - and to top it off, no action has been taken, no arrests, no idictments, and they buried the enitre case by gagging Sibel, and congress - by claiming ‘national security.’
March 7th, 2007 at 9:53 amhacker bob sez:
Thanks for proving my point for me. If this administration was genuinely concerned about safeguarding matters of national security, they would not have outed Valerie Plame. The fact that they did speaks volumes about their true concerns.
What we have in place is an administration that consistently abuses the ‘national security’ argument to hide its crimes, while blatantly ignoring it when it suits them. You say we don’t have the best filter in place. I say the ‘filter’ is broken and needs to be replaced.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:53 am[…] Talk, The Corner, Balloon Juice, Brilliant at Breakfast, The American Street, NewsBusters.org, Think Progress, State of the Day, The Daily Dish, Kiko’s House, Liberal Values and Better […]
March 7th, 2007 at 9:53 amdaryll, I believe you may have mis-spoken, I’m sure you meant read a program
March 7th, 2007 at 9:55 am#24 Comment by Tom the Barbarian — March 7, 2007 @ 9:49 am
Lame talking point, Barbarian. Very, very lame. Everyone here already knows that it is customary for a new President to make a clean sweep of the U.S. attorney’s office at the beginning of the term, and that Bush did it too. Everyone here already knows that it is extremely unusual to fire even one U.S. attorney during the term. In fact, I bet that most people here know that only 3 have ever been fired. And most people here are rightly concerned that the Justice department hasn’t given the same reason twice for firing these attorneys, and that some of the reasons given are obviously flat out lies (e.g. the claim of poor performance).
So shut up, idiot.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:58 amGreat News! Weapons Sales to Oil Countries is Booming! God bless the Military Industrial Complex for keeping us all safe!
Oil states plan weapons buying binge
By Jim Krane, Associated Press Writer, February 16, 2007
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates –Deep fears about the war in Iraq and growing tension between the United States and Iran are driving the wealthy oil states of the Persian Gulf to go on shopping sprees for helicopters, ships and tanks, officials say.
Some 900 weapons makers and security firms from around the world, including the U.S. and Russia, will compete for those military buys at the IDEX military show that opens Sunday in Abu Dhabi. At stake are contracts predicted to soar past the $2 billion signed at the last such show two years ago.
“The shopping lists are directly correlated to the threat perception,” said military analyst Mustafa Alani of the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center.
“For the past 15 years, these countries didn’t invest a lot in rearming.” But now they’re rushing to upgrade.
The biggest fear in the region is that Iraq will collapse into civil war and its violence will spill into nearby Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, Alani said.
Full article:
March 7th, 2007 at 9:58 amhttp://www.boston.com/ news/ world/ middleeast/ articles/ 2007/ 02/ 16/ gulf_states_plan_weapons_buying_binge/ ?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+News
Why do Bush and his supporters always see that increased US troop deaths are a positive sign?
Do they hate US troops that much that they cheer on the ever increasing US death toll as a good thing?
-GSD
March 7th, 2007 at 9:58 amComment by Roger_Roger — March 7, 2007 @ 9:49 am
I was happy to see this too. The Dems have always been eager to support the troops, but they have always wanted guidelines in place (which the republicans rejected) that insure the money goes to the troops, and not to some overpriced contractor. Murtha recently introduced a bill requiring that troops be sufficiently equipped before being deployed. As usual, the republicans were against it. If you look closely and do some research, you will find that every time the Dems were hesitant to approve spending on Iraq there were always concerns as to where the money would really go.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:00 amI am not saying that we have the best filter in place, but there is a need for a filter.
Comment by hacker bob
Ordinarily, I might say you are correct, Robert, but this administration has done too many things to circumvent the law and legal protections for defendants. What’s needed right now is a giant spotlight.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:00 amIf you want to sleep well at night, you’ve got to look beyond that reflection in the mirror.
Comment by Briseadh na Faire
Such good advice Briseadh na Faire. I haven’t slept this well in years!
I never really knew what you meant by that until recently.
Thank you again for such sound and courageous advice. This world needs alot more like you Briseadh na Faire.
Namaste!
March 7th, 2007 at 10:02 amPeace and blessings to you and yours Briseadh na Faire!
Comment by Larry from C — March 7, 2007 @ 9:53 am
Do you know how to bring such a story to the attention of TP or other sites so they can do a full story on something like this? The blogosphere is usually about 72 hours ahead of the MSM and the info you just posted is something that really should be fully investigated.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:04 amI’m outta here. My post on the crimes of the Bush administration never showed up. It figures.
:-P
March 7th, 2007 at 10:05 amdaryll, I believe you may have mis-spoken, I’m sure you meant read a program
Comment by Raven — March 7, 2007 @ 9:55 am
No, write. If you’re in the IT field, you should know what this means.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:05 amHearing the Verdict of the Libby trial helped me to reflect on Bill Clinton’s presidential tenure………..I’ll elaborate more after I’m finished writing a program. Comment by Daryll
I can’t wait! We can all look back at the Clinton presidency and remember what it was like to have: (a) respect in the international community; (b) a record number of jobs created; (c) a record budget surplus; (d) an administration that stifled Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda; (e) a president with a strong intellect and a desire to understand our world; (f) should I add a standing World Trade Center, or is it too soon.
Here’s another tidbit to consider when looking back on our recent history: Scooter is the highest ranking White House member to be convicted since Reagan sold arms to Iran to illegally fund the Contras.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:06 am“On a personal level, friends of the vice president say the [Libby] trial has been deeply painful for him,†the New York Times reports.
Cheney’s friends also report that while in his presence, they always have a cold, clammy feeling. Some report lost time and blood loss, occurring around the time of the full moon.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:07 am“Let’s see. An panel of Army judges will decide what information to release about hearings “
That are of a military nature.
What if they were held for no reason will they release that information or will it be deemed classified for no reason other than to save face.
In the past they have admitted when people were held for no reason.
You want to trust them to do the right thing. To me this administration has not earned the trust to handle something like this in a honest and professional manner.
You forget all the people elected in November that have the right and obligation for oversite. They can not be barred from the trials as far as I am aware of.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:08 am#24 Tom the Barbarian
I’ve said this in prior comments but I still wonder why so many on the left are stirred up by the dismissal of a handful of US Attorneys by Mr. Bush when they were silent at the wholesale firing of every single sitting US Attorney by Mr. Clinton.
Such transparent selective outrage demonstrates that there is no principle involved other than naked partisan squabbling.
Yeah, nice try, Tom. That particular talking point has been thoroughly destroyed. You need to look at today’s Republican talking points. I don’t think it’s on there anymore.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:09 amCivilization & War Rant (with some new amendments)
Bush is not responsible for the war in Iraq. Al Gore said during his campaign against Bush II that Bush I should have finished the job; and we never tire of pretending these days that the Clinton-Gore government was not attacking Iraq…. they were, regularly and lethally. War is inherent to civilization; and that is why we’ll have more and more of it, and why it will eventually percolate from the peripheries populated by Dark Others into our suburbs.
Everything we have that we list in our catalogue of civilization is forged out of fraud, theft, and murder. The cities of the world are built up on fraud, theft, and murder. Show me the exception, and I’ll take it back.
The fine woods and metals and animal guts that make the orchestras, the stones and steel and trees for our libraries, the fabric and workmanship of our clothing, and the food displayed strategically along our supermarket shelves… they all require war. They are taken from cultures who first refuse to cooperate, then who are forced to cooperate or be depopulated.
The expansive and expanding heaps of technomass — of asphalt and glass and plastic and paint and shiny right-angles — are scraped out of hillsides and coastlines, with the corpses of biomes and simpler cultures left behind as the mizzens of this wretched thing called civilization. The more this disease has spread, the more it has manifested and magnified its most acute symptom: war.
Technology is driven by scarcity, and scarcity by pillage, and new technology to correct for the iatrogenesis of the last technology. This is not a mark of superiority, but the cascading catastrophe of power seeking the enslavement of first women, then slaves and colonies and nature…
Conquest is a necessity to continue civilization. How long would this country last as it is without the oil from abroad? What if those abroad said, No? Be real, be realistic before you answer this question with pious abstractions. How long would things stay “stable” hereabouts if the supermarket shelves were suddenly bare? If the shutters went up on WalMart’s windows? How much of what we take for granted each and every day comes from someplace else, where the cop with the truncheon stands near the worker, and the sea lane is kept open by a Naval battle group?
Every “advanced” society exists as a parasite on those less “advanced,” and that can be proven empirically and decisively. Civilization cannot exist in the absence of war, because civilization is itself inherently exploitative. Los Angeles cannot exist without the water from Colorado. New York cannot exist without the “inputs” from abroad. We know damn well this is true, so we conceal it under pretty abstractions like “free market,” and pretend that the wars required to maintain the power of the powerful are moral failures, anomalies within civilization instead of something as intrinsic as long ears on a rabbit.
Bring us to the point where we will at least admit of this truth; and there is a remote chance that we can figure out some tentative first steps how to stop the runaway train… that is, in the end, to change everything.
Yes, I Want the United States to Lose
Send me to Guantanamo right now. I’m packed and ready to go.
It’s time for the Patrick Henry response.
Alrighty, then.
I’ve had it with what appears to be the most popular latest smear being used by the warmongers — although now that I think about it, this smear has been widely used ever since our latest war of aggression began. That smear, uttered by Limbaugh, every other rightwing hack you can name, and every defender of the ongoing slaughter in Iraq, runs along these lines, and is now hurled at anyone who dares to oppose the latest insanity, the troop “surge” in Iraq:
Why won’t you even give it a chance? Don’t you want us to win — or do you actually want us to lose? Is that how much you hate Bush, and how much you hate America? Or don’t you think the Iraqis deserve freedom? Do you think they’re lesser human beings than we are? Are you really just a racist?
Hmm. That’s a whole bunch of smears, isn’t it?
Let’s put the most important issue first. In the end, this is the only one that matters:
Iraq did not attack us.
Iraq did not constitute a serious threat to the United States.
Both points were unequivocally and indisputably clear before the first American soldier set foot in Iraq.
There is only one conclusion: this was a war of blatant aggression, launched against what our leaders knew to be a third- or fourth-rate power. It had nothing to do with national defense, and it has exponentially increased the threats to our country. Moreover, it is entirely clear that our leaders lied about their reasons for going to war.
“Victory,” as Bush originally defined it, would be a “democratic” Iraq — although not “democratic” to the extent that Iraqis might elect leaders we strongly disapproved of and/or who were not sufficiently pro-American — an Iraq that was self-sustaining and capable of defending itself. This fantasy rests on the indefensible notion that “everyone wants what we want” — which was one of the notions that led to the disaster of Vietnam, as well as to the disaster of Iraq. As Barbara Tuchman stated the point:
Americans were always talking about freedom from Communism, whereas the freedom that the mass of Vietnamese wanted was freedom from their exploiters, both French and indigenous. The assumption that humanity at large shared the democratic Western idea of freedom was an American delusion. “The freedom we cherish and defend in Europe,” stated President Eisenhower on taking office, “is no different than the freedom that is imperiled in Asia.” He was mistaken. Humanity may have common ground, but needs and aspirations vary according to circumstances.
And even if many Iraqis did want what we want, the notion of quickly transplanting anything even close to our form of governance still remains indefensible: it flies in the face of history, culture, and the recognition that the history and culture of any country is critically relevant to what is possible there. There is nothing remotely racist in this observation, which history has demonstrated countless times. It is simply a recognition that history and culture matter and that, in numerous critical ways, they are determinative. Our particular form of government arose in a specific place, at a specific time, in a particular historical context, and amid very particular circumstances. In addition, there was nothing preordained about the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. Had Britain acted differently in key ways, we might never have fought a war of independence.
But speaking of racism, who actually are the racists here? Not me (or Barbara Tuchman, I dare say) — but perhaps the label might fit the American military commander who said:
“You have to understand the Arab mind,” Capt. Todd Brown, a company commander with the Fourth Infantry Division, said as he stood outside the gates of Abu Hishma. “The only thing they understand is force — force, pride and saving face.”
This reveals the operation of one of the key mechanisms involved: projection. The advocates of this disaster threw insults and smears at anyone who dared challenge their nonsensical, insupportable plans, insults and smears that were supported by precisely nothing. But when their immoral and criminal occupation doesn’t lead to anything even beginning to approach their propaganda-induced fantasies, they themselves blame the Iraqis (and Arabs and Muslims generally) — and reveal themselves to have been the racists all along.
Our governing elites pride themselves on the fact that they are not obliged to know anything at all about the countries where they decide to meddle, and the United States has been interfering in very major ways in the Middle East since the end of World War II. More generally, the West has been a constant presence in the Middle East since World War I, and periodically for centuries before that. And our “Sacred Ignorance” led to one entirely predictable result — a result that many of us opposed to this monstrous war did in fact predict before the nauseatingly-named “Shock and Awe” campaign began. We were doomed to lose before even one American soldier entered Iraq — because we didn’t have the vaguest idea what we were doing. We are the “city on a hill.” We are the “last best hope of mankind.” Everyone wants to be just like us. We don’t need to know anything about anyone else, or about any other country on earth. We did Iraq a favor by invading and occupying it — just as we did a similar favor in the war with Mexico in the mid-nineteenth century:
Perhaps to dignify the nakedness of Polk’s land lust, the American citizenry had got itself whipped into an idealistic frenzy, believing with an almost religious assurance that its republican form of government and its constitutional freedoms should extend to the benighted reaches of the continent then held by Mexico, which, with its feudal customs and Popish superstitions, stood squarely in the way of Progress. To conquer Mexico, in other words, would be to do it a favor.
In fact, Bush said precisely this once, in his 60 Minutes interview:
PELLEY: Do you think you owe the Iraqi people an apology for not doing a better job?
BUSH: That we didn’t do a better job or they didn’t do a better job?
PELLEY: Well, that the United States did not do a better job in providing security after the invasion.
BUSH: Not at all. I am proud of the efforts we did. We liberated that country from a tyrant. I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of gratitude, and I believe most Iraqis express that. I mean, the people understand that we’ve endured great sacrifice to help them. That’s the problem here in America. They wonder whether or not there is a gratitude level that’s significant enough in Iraq.
Well, of course. Every decent American “wonder[s] whether or not there is a gratitude level that’s significant enough in Iraq” — immense gratitude for destroying their entire country, and murdering over half a million innocent citizens. I suppose that means I am definitely not a decent American.
So let’s be completely clear, and restate it once more for emphasis. We invaded and occupied a country that hadn’t attacked us, and that was no threat to us. Our government has murdered more than half a million innocent Iraqis — and destroyed an entire nation. Our government has also murdered and maimed tens of thousands of Americans.
To be entirely accurate and to state what should not require identification, but which we must state given the extraordinarily corrupt atmosphere of our national debate, it’s obviously not that I or anyone else “wants us to lose.” The smear is entirely invalid at its foundation, because we never could “win.” Our invasion was profoundly immoral from its very first moment. In any case, what I want doesn’t matter a damn. Our catastrophic “mission” in Iraq was doomed before it began. We lost four years ago. It would require a miracle for us to achieve any sort of “success,” and for us to “win.” Miracles of that kind and on that scale do not occur in this world, nor have they ever occurred in history. Our leaders simply refuse to acknowledge that we’ve lost. So many more people will die and be horribly maimed.
But in the moral sense — in the sense of destroying human life with no justification whatsoever — we certainly deserve to lose. It would only be just, and it would be minimal justice at that. We have committed a monstrous, unforgivable war crime, indeed a countless number of war crimes. If you care at all about the sanctity of an individual human life, and if you still give a damn, that should matter to you. Nothing in the world is more important.
So, yes, in the sense I have described, I want us to lose. We already have. There is no forgiveness for what we have done. Do I want American soldiers to die? Of course not. I never wanted them to be sent to Iraq in the first place. If we had never begun this catastrophe, those who have died would be alive today — as would over half a million Iraqis.
One might hope that we’ve learned something from our indecent and immoral acts, and that we will be more careful in our future actions. In a tragedy beyond measure, it is already entirely clear that we have learned absolutely nothing — just as we learned nothing from Vietnam. All of the forces that led to more than a century of unending war are still in place. We have learned nothing.
Well. Someone had to say it. So I just did.
I’m ready for Guantanamo now. I’d like to say goodbye to some friends and spend time with my cats before I leave. You can pick me up in the morning.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:10 amBnF,
We could jsut classify them all as POWs. Then we do not have to give them any kind of trial and can hold them until the “war” is over.
BTW, ever since our “conversation”, I sleep great.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:11 amYou forget all the people elected in November that have the right and obligation for oversite. They can not be barred from the trials as far as I am aware of.
Comment by hacker bob — March 7, 2007 @ 10:08 am
OK, I can agree with that. If members of congress are allowed in, I see no problem with media being kept out. However, there does have to be some oversite. I would like to see a follow-up to this story to find out if members of congress really are allowed in, or if there is no oversite allowed at all.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:13 am#39, Chris. This type of story can usually be found at afterdowningsteet.org. Or you can go to Sibel Edmonds website.
I’m glad the LIbby case has a degree of closure. Now its time to insist, yet again, that Sibel Edmonds gets her case heard. She’ll make the Plame case look minor in comparison.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:19 am#41… daryll…
March 7th, 2007 at 10:19 amI’m in the corn field, what is the IT field?
Comment by Chris — March 7, 2007 @ 10:13 am
There is no obligation to allow the press in to any trial. There are gag orders put in place all the time for various reasons. If the members of Congress do not push for oversight, it is their fault, not the Pres.
Having members of Congress in the trials is not the same as having members of the public or the Media. Here is the tricky part. The Congress can not give the impression of influence on the trials.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:24 amBush:”There are some encouraging signs..”…!!
What are they?!!
Where are they?!!
March 7th, 2007 at 10:28 amhttp://www.zmag.org/ content/ showarticle.cfm?SectionID=107&ItemID=12281
speeach by obama, and he is supposed to be our progressive alternative? how bleak….
March 7th, 2007 at 10:32 amWhen it’s all said and done, “Scooter” will do less jail time than Judith Miller…
March 7th, 2007 at 10:33 am“Mr. Libby and Mr. Cheney were all but inseparable — [ex-Cheney staffer Mary] Matalin has called the former aide ‘Cheney’s Cheney’ — and often started their days by riding to work together.â€
Now isn’t that just sweet? Did Cheney have a hazmat suit for Scootsie too?
March 7th, 2007 at 10:44 amI didn’t think so.
HMMMMM..
I am not saying that we have the best filter in place, but there is a need for a filter.
Comment by hacker bob
iN bOB wE tRUST
March 7th, 2007 at 10:48 amThey can not be barred from the trials as far as I am aware of.
Comment by hacker bob
Well until that is proven that Congress can provide oversight to these hearings and attend please stop using it in your arguements.
And do you agree or disagree that the statement, “No word of the hearings will be made public until the government releases a transcript of the proceedings, edited to remove material deemed damaging to national security.â€, does not mean that only classified material can be censored.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:50 amDefine irony.
On the day of a Congressional hearing on global warming, a snow advisory has been issued. Last time, the snow was so bad they had to postpone the hearing.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:51 amdefinition of irony:
March 7th, 2007 at 10:55 amplease refer to the first news item at the top of this mornings Think Fast…
#61 Dale
Define irony.
On the day of a Congressional hearing on global warming, a snow advisory has been issued. Last time, the snow was so bad they had to postpone the hearing.
Of course. The fact that it’s snowing somewhere shows that global warming is a myth. You don’t really understand what it’s about, do you.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:04 am“There is no obligation to allow the press in to any trial”
That is not quite accurate, Bob. In the 1980 case, Richmond Newspapers v. Virginia, the Supreme Court ruled that the public and the press have a limited First Amendment right to attend criminal trials.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:07 amOn the day of a Congressional hearing on global warming, a snow advisory has been issued. Last time, the snow was so bad they had to postpone the hearing.
Comment by Dale
Yeah but it was a warm snow.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:07 amRegarding Valerie Plame’s employment status:
March 7th, 2007 at 11:12 amDefine irony.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:13 amOn the day of a Congressional hearing on global warming, a BS advisory has been issued on TP. Last time Dale showed up, the BS was so bad they had to postpone the hearing.
#63, I just find it ironic. My issue is not whether global warming is a fact or not, it’s whether humans are the cause of global warming.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:14 am#68, Yeah, and since we can’t 100% prove anything, we should just keep on doing what we’re doing, since any change might hurt the economy, heaven forbid. Let’s ignore all the warnings and pretend our future generations will be just fine. Great.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:18 amThe biggest fear in the region is that Iraq will collapse into civil war and its violence will spill into nearby Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, Alani said.
Comment by Larry from C
Larry, thanks for pointing out what all past, present and future belic events are about. WE can rant about religion, fascism, democracy and blah, blah, blah. The reason for all wars are profits. War related companies decide political issues in G-7 countries. Poor countries like Nicaragua and Iraq, for example, when threatened by a superpower, drops all social, health and cultural investment in order to acquire weaponry. Of course, common people will starve and will die. Then we will continue talking about democracy, dictators, etc…while avoiding the core of the problem.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:18 amit’s whether humans are the cause of global warming.
Comment by Dale
You keep wondering, Dale.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:19 am#69, ah, finally, we agree on something.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:21 amSo, releasing classified information to the public is OK with you.
…
Didn’t someone get convicted of the something similar to that lately?
do you know who? … in case you might be snidely referring to libby, the answer is “no”… libby was convicted on 2 counts of PERJURY, 1 count EACH of OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE and MAKING A FALSE STATEMENT…
Are there not many people that are up in arms because someone released the name of a CIA agent that may or may not have been in a covert status?
Comment by hacker bob — March 7, 2007 @ 9:43 am
actually, NOT ENOUGH people are “up in arms because someone released the name of a CIA agent” and the whole brass plate operation that she was involved in…
and, of course, and get this straight NOW - valerie plame WAS covert status… one link: The CIA Leak: Plame Was Still Covert
stop spreading lies, robert… you were making such progress…
March 7th, 2007 at 11:25 amit’s whether humans are the cause of global warming.
Comment by Dale
No its the CO2 that is causing Global Climate Change. Do you really think humans produce enough body heat to cause climate change? What an idiot.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:28 amTest.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:32 amAnd here all this time I thought that you folks were telling me that *body heat* was increasing the temp of the planet. Oh, it’s really CO2. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
/sarcasm (just in case dlet’s too stupid to realize)
March 7th, 2007 at 11:32 am/sarcasm (just in case dlet’s too stupid to realize)
Comment by Dale
I was just coming down to your level of discussion and let you see how frustrating it is to have to read posts that look like a fence post thought them up.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:37 amspeeach by obama, and he is supposed to be our progressive alternative? how bleak….
Comment by karlX
Remember it is an american progressive = moderate.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:37 amHey, TP admins,
Why is it that rachel can post pages and pages of plagiarized text without giving credit to the original writers, but when I post a comment calling her out on it, and giving credit to the original writers, my posts disappear down the rabbit hole?
Explain, please.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:41 am#61 Define irony.
On the day of a Congressional hearing on global warming, a snow advisory has been issued. Last time, the snow was so bad they had to postpone the hearing.
Comment by Dale — March 7, 2007 @ 10:51 am
So, Dale, you think that when it’s winter in your city, is winter in all the world? Answer, please. I’m not being ironic.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:44 am*MUST READ:
The Coverup Continues and Only We Can Stop It
By Scarecrow @ 5:30 am
Yesterday a jury of 11 of his peers convicted Scooter Libby of four felonies: giving false statements (lying) to the FBI, two counts of perjury (lying) before a federal Grand Jury and obstructing justice in the investigation into who disclosed the identity of a CIA agent. But the unamimous guilty verdicts by the jurors who actually heard the evidence did not matter to the Administration apologists who simply don’t care about the evidence. Unlike Iraq, where the Administration apparently has no “Plan B,” their supporters were ready with their response to the verdicts: control the media narrative, bury the obvious accountability moment, obscure the “cloud over Cheney,” and more important, discredit the legal process and manipulate the eventual outcome. The coverup is in still on.
[…]
http://www.firedoglake.com/ 2007/ 03/ 07/ the-coverup-continues-and-only-we-can-stop/
please…
March 7th, 2007 at 12:05 pmDale, your last vision on earth might just be your kids spitting on your deathbed.
March 7th, 2007 at 12:07 pmI guess we should get full access to the hearings and even if they contain classified information, that should be made public as well.
Comment by hacker bob #14
Dear hacker bob,
Permission to be the one to bury your head in the sand sir!
…you obviously like it there…
March 7th, 2007 at 12:17 pmstop spreading lies, robert… you were making such progress…
Comment by katy #73
katy,
Be advised…
…hacker bob’s former (present) self has been re-taken over…
…by right wing body snatchers…
March 7th, 2007 at 12:20 pmdon’t care about Libby! don’t care about Cheney either! I want the Chimp assassinated now!
March 7th, 2007 at 12:57 pmWhy do I get the feeling that the only reason the Walter Reed scandal and veterans right in general are only being discussed to distract from all the other crap going on.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:01 pmWhile congress is focusing so heavily on that they are not talking about pulling out of Iraq. They are not investigating the White House. They are not even stopping them from violating more laws or the Bill of Rights.
I get the feeling Repukes were piling up atrocities againsy our precious soldiers so that when they needed a big distraction they would finally have a cause nobody could ignore.
Watching Fox News causes dementia.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:08 pmNeed proof - the trolls, the trolls.
61. Dale - here’s some irony -
March 7th, 2007 at 1:16 pmThe same people who don’t believe in Evolution don’t believe in Global Warming.
Fossil fuels create carbon emissions = global warning.
Neocons believe in Creationism = don’t know what fossils are.
Creationist think earth created in 6 days = enough brain farts to create enough methane gas to raise the temperature in their districts hopefully to create their extinction.
stop spreading lies, robert… you were making such progress…
Comment by katy — March 7, 2007 @ 11:25 am
Gee Katy, I personally do not know what her status was, so it is not a lie. I have heard conflicting reports.
And yes, I know what Libby was convicted of. Perjury and obstruction are serious charges. He allegedly lied about outing Plame. Why was he not convicted of it? It is a crime after all. Did he commit perjury about a crime he didn’t commit?
Supposedly this all goes back to what he told Novak. I saw Novak on TV last night, with my own eyes, and he said that he was told by Armitage about Plame, not by Libby.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:17 pmComment by Exley — March 7, 2007 @ 11:07 am
But how does this apply to military courts? Remember, we are not talking about civilian courts.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:19 pmComment by hacker bob — March 7, 2007 @ 10:11 am
You’re absolutely correct. Since Bush has the authority to re-interpret the Geneva Conventions, he could change the definition of POWs.
In some ways, that would be preferable to secret trials followed by executions, I suppose.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:29 pm#90,
Absolutely. I agree. I believe the military can justify excluding reporters from the military commission trials on national security grounds. As I said, the press’ First Amendment right to attend criminal trials is limited. The courts have upheld some restrictions on press coverage of trials.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:31 pmHere’s an idea… In order to run for president you must first pass the basic citizenship test given to immigrants.
That’s not unreasonable, is it? And there’s no way Bush would have passed… Like he would have studied!
March 7th, 2007 at 1:33 pmhttp://www.zmag.org/ content/ showarticle.cfm?SectionID=72&ItemID=12277
welcome to empire
March 7th, 2007 at 1:35 pmThis is America:
No habeus corpus.
Secret trials.
Redefine torture, thereby legalizing torture.
Allow evidence elicited by torture.
Classify how evidence was obtained if elicited by torture.
Convict, based on classified and hearsay evidence.
Execute, based on classified and hearsay evidence, including evidence obtained by torture.
Withdraw from the Geneva Conventions.
Listen in on conversations without probable cause, without a warrant.
Monitor everyone’s bank accounts.
Monitor what every one reads.
Invade countries using pretexts for war.
Occupy foreign countries indefinitely.
Instill puppet governments in occupied countries.
Fire whistleblowers.
Fire attorneys who investigate loyal Party members and replace the attorneys with political favorites.
Use armed mercenaries instead of the National Guard to respond to natural disasters.
AND STILL, IMPEACHMENT IS “OFF THE TABLE.”
March 7th, 2007 at 1:52 pmBob, the only conflicting reports are those spread by people who don’t knwo whhat they are talkign about. Thhe CIA would not have wanted an investigation if she was out in the open. It is plain and simple, her status as a CIA covert agent was actual. The fiction about everyone knowing about it is just that…fiction.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:54 pm94 - at least a partial list wasn’t filtered….
March 7th, 2007 at 1:56 pmComment by Briseadh na Faire — March 7, 2007 @ 1:52 pm
I appreciate you last post. Now maybe you can see how we (the Citizens of the US) were fooled in November.
Maybe the mask is being lifted from YOUR eyes.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:57 pmBriseadh na Faire sez:
Two things:
1) It’s a real indictment of this administration that the laundry list you have posted at #94 is only a partial list.
2) I’m seeing many of my posts disappearing down the rabbit hole as well. Earlier, I posted a comment about how rachel’s giant cut-n-paste post was merely two essays from other authors she found elsewhere on the Web, and reposted here without proper attribution. However, my post, which contained proper credit to the original authors, as well as links to where the original works could be located, was scrubbed. I attempting reposting numerous times, even going so far as to remove all links, but for some unfathomable reason, it was not deemed worthy of inclusion.
It’s frustrating when you’re thus muzzled from responding. Frustrating enough to make me resume considering a permanent change of venue…
March 7th, 2007 at 2:04 pmI wonder if the whole Plame thing was really the first step in working our way towards war with Iran. Plame was working non-proliferation. In hindsight we now see that Iran and nuclear weapons is the latest scare tactic being used to goad us into war with Iran. Could it be that the office of the VP saw how easily their unfiltered data on yellowcake was debunked and made a conscious effort to expose or otherwise discredit the non-proliferation people so that they can use their cherished unfiltered information to get the next war going? Once Plame and the company she was working for were exposed that pretty much set the non-proliferation group back quite a bit (I am guessing this). Now we have the Iran situation where we desperately need accurate information to make intelligent decisions. However, judging from what has been in the paper the last few weeks, we are getting bad information that contradicts what information others are receiving on the subject. In light of learning through trial testimony how these guys operate, this seems entirely plausible to me. I think dirty dick did it back then as both an effort the shut up dissent and as a building block towards a war with Iran.
March 7th, 2007 at 2:04 pmhacker bob sez:
You’re joking, right?
Here’s some reading material for you.
March 7th, 2007 at 2:10 pmComment by hacker bob — March 7, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
you’re just not paying attention…
you’re not helping…
March 7th, 2007 at 2:11 pmhacker bob, please disregard post #100.
I was under the impression you were referring to November 2004, when, upon further reflection, it seems that you were making a reference to November of 2006. Must be bleedover from the Hastings thread. ^_^
March 7th, 2007 at 2:15 pm“Reporters will be barred†from Guantanamo Bay hearings meant to determine if 14 terrors suspects transferred from secret CIA prisons are “enemy combatants.†“No word of the hearings will be made public until the government releases a transcript of the proceedings, edited to remove material deemed damaging to national security.â€
Reporters … and defence lawyers!?!?! See here.
Cheers,
March 7th, 2007 at 2:39 pmComment by Briseadh na Faire #94
BnF,
…No 60 vote margin in the senate…
…means IMPEACHMENT would be a sham…
…but wait…
…’til ‘08
March 7th, 2007 at 3:27 pmNow maybe you can see how we (the Citizens of the US) were fooled in November.
Maybe the mask is being lifted from YOUR eyes.
Comment by hacker bob — March 7, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
You’re assuming I was fooled.
The voters made the best choice they could from the Corporate-sponsored slate of candidates.
March 7th, 2007 at 3:31 pm105
March 7th, 2007 at 3:53 pmwell put Bris
It’s frustrating when you’re thus muzzled from responding. Frustrating enough to make me resume considering a permanent change of venue…
Comment by TripMaster Monkey —
hacker bob, please disregard post #100.
I was under the impression you were referring to November 2004, when, upon further reflection, it seems that you were making a reference to November of 2006. Must be bleedover from the Hastings thread. ^_^
Comment by TripMaster Monkey
I thought you were leaving for good, and by the way, I do not need anyone’s permission to post my own articles. yes, they are reprinted from different blogs alright, but I AUTHORED them years ago.
But I however, remain the sole author.
So, in a nutshell TM, go fu*ck yourself. K?
March 7th, 2007 at 3:55 pmComment by hacker bob — March 7, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
Can the crap, bob. You weren’t at the trial and you aren’t privy to the trial transcripts. You also apparantly haven’t bothered to read much except Reich-wing talking points. But I guess that’s ok, because you’ve gone back to supporting your fuherer.
March 7th, 2007 at 7:58 pmBnF,
I disagree. Impeachment would shine a HUGE FLOODLIGHT on the Bush Administration, and those in the Senate who vote in lockstep to keep a Dictator in power.
I prefer not to merely sit on my hands and wait until ‘08, as more of our women and men in the armed services get blown up and shot to death, and as more innocent children, women and men in Iraq meet the same fate.
March 7th, 2007 at 8:03 pmThanks, Arne. From the link:
Bali bomb hearing at Guantanamo
How’s that for you, hacker bob? Your beloved President says the world would be better off if every country adopts his Military Commissions Act. You want to see your Marine buddies hauled before a secret tribunal, without so much as a defense lawyer present? They will be, if Bush has his way. You could be too!
March 7th, 2007 at 8:07 pmI prefer not to merely sit on my hands and wait until ‘08, as more of our women and men in the armed services get blown up and shot to death, and as more innocent children, women and men in Iraq meet the same fate.
Comment by Briseadh na Faire
Absolutely. I have confidence that many of those Republicans who vote in lock-step would be compelled to vote for impeachment — either because they have seen the light, or because they hope to be re-elected.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:13 pmBnF,
Can the crap, bob. You weren’t at the trial and you aren’t privy to the trial transcripts.
Neither were you . So I guess your opinion is about as valid as mine.
No reporters or other outside observers such as defense lawyers
I disagree with defense lawyers not being present.
Like I said, let’s end all the controversy by declairing them all POWs. No trials to deal with. Hold ‘em as long as we want.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:11 pm“I enjoy cocaine because it’s a fun thing to do. … I enjoy the company of prostitutes for the following reasons: it’s a fun thing to do. … If you combine the two together it’s probably even more fun.” –Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.), in an interview with Stephen Colbert (Watch video clip)
http://politicalhumor.about.com/ od/ stephencolbert/ v/ colbertcocaine.htm
———————————————————————-
“The internet is not something you just dump something on. It’s not a truck. It’s a series of tubes. And if you don’t understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and it’s going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.” –Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Steven (R-AK), explaining the workings of the Internet during a debate on net neutrality
Listen to original audio clip- http://www.freepress.net/docs/dj_teds_techno_tubes.mp3
and techno remix- http://politicalhumor.about.com/ od/ funnyvideos/ v/ stevensremix.htm
————————————————————————————
“Ten (movies) streaming across that internet and what happens to your own personal internet? I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o’clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why? Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially.” –Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK)
————————————————————————————
http://www.nhgazette.com/news/chickenhawks/
http://www.nhgazette.com/ news/ chickenhawks/ politicans_platoon/
Chickenhawks:
Politicans Platoon
Name: Gov. Meldrim “Mel” Thomson (R-Orford)
Born: March 8, 1929
Employer: His Daddy’s Publishing Co, Inc.
Conflict Avoided: Korea
Notes: Meldrim Thomson, New Hampshire’s quintessential Goofy Governor, once sought to arm the state’s National Guard with nuclear weapons. Some thought he wanted nukes to blast the Clamshell Alliance out of the way, so his pals at PSNH could build the Seabrook nuclear power plant. You might think that such a notoriously bellicose individual, twenty-one years old when the Reds crossed the line in Korea, might have managed to get into the fight - but you would be wrong.
Name: Rep. Joseph “Joe” Scarborough (R-FL)
Born: April 9, 1963
Employer: MSNBC
Conflict Avoided: Desert Storm
Notes: A former Republican congresman (1995-2002) turned MSNBC motormouth, Joe qualifies as a politician and a barking head. Where were you during Desert Storm, pal?
Name: Gov. Marc Racicot (R-MT)
Born: July 24, 1948
Employer: The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: Marc got a BA in 1970, and immediately took the grad school route. Once the war was safely over he went in the service as an Army lawyer. After his gig as governor was up, he got the top spot at the RNC, likely as a reward for helping W. grab Florida.
Name: Sen. J. Danforth “Dan” Quayle (R-IN)
Born: February 4, 1947
Employer: “investment firm in Phoenix” - Dan Quayle Museum
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: The Indiana National Guard was a nice safe place for young Dan during the Vietnam era. Good thing he was from “a good family” - too good to waste their boy in a war.
Name: Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK)
Born: December 6, 1948
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: Another National Guard-type Republican. It must be noted that service in the Guard these days is vastly different from what it was in the Vietnam era. When Don went in in 1970, it was a safe slot. Thanks to guys like Don, that’s no longer true.
Name: Sen. Chester Trent Lott (R-MS)
Born: October 9, 1941
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: We’re not sure why Trent didn’t serve. Maybe he didn’t think he’d look good in Army green. He was a cheerleader in college instead. Wonder how he looked in a cheerleader’s uniform?
Name: I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby
Born: 1950±
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: I. Lewis “Scooter†Libby is Dick Cheney’s Chief of Staff. He’s had a string of no-doubt well-paying government jobs in State and Defense. He’s also practiced law. In fact, he was Marc Rich’s lawyer for years. Yes — the Marc Rich whose pardon from President Clinton was excoriated by so many high and mighty Republicans. Maybe if Scooter had been a better lawyer, his client wouldn’t have needed that pardon. Speaking of legal questions, “Scooter†is alleged by some to have traded energy stocks while helping his buddy Dick Cheney cook up a new energy policy in secret. He’s also suspected of having inserted the bogus “Niger yellowcake†reference into the President’s State of the Union address. As if all that weren’t enough, he’s also a top suspect in the outing of CIA operative Valeria Plame. Clearly “Scooter†is a ballsy kind of guy, so it’s a complete mystery to us why, when he graduated from Phillips Andover in 1968, he didn’t enlist in the Marines or go Airborne instead of going to Yale.
Name: Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
Born: January 2, 1942
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: Dennis wasn’t able to serve in the Army in Vietnam because his knees weren’t up to it. He did OK as a wrestler in college, though.
Name: Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Born: February 14, 1947
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayeer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: Another member of New Hampshire’s hereditary political aristocracy (see also: Charlie Bass and John Sununu) Judd’s daddy was Governor of New Hampshire from 1953 to 1955. Young Judd graduated from Columbia in ‘69 and apparently went straight to BU Law until the coast was clear. For good measure, he got written up for bad knees. They weren’t so bad he couldn’t spend half his term as Governor on the ski slopes.
Name: Rep. Newton Leroy “Newt” Gingrich (R-GA)
Born: June 17, 1943
Employer: Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: A virtuoso in the art of hypocrisy, the former Speaker of the House now claims the Vietnam War was a splendid idea, but at the time he opposed going himself. Newtie also speaks highly of morality, but as a serial adulterer he doesn’t want to get too close to it himself.
Name: Rep. Charles Gwynne Douglas, III (R-NH)
Born: Dec. 2, 1942
Employer: Was U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: Not so notable for bellicosity, but he makes up for it with fervid Republican zeal. Graduated from UNH in 1965, when the draft was pretty strong, but went straight to BU Law. Got out of there in 1968, when it was even stronger. No problem - Ol’ Chuck was “admitted to the bar in 1968 and commenced practice in Manchester, N.H., 1970-1974,†according to an unimpeachable source. How’s he manage to avoid Vietnam? According to that same source, http://bioguide.congress.gov, the future Congressman (NH, 2nd District, 1989-1991) was a “[C]olonel, New Hampshire Army National Guard, 1968 to present.â€
Name: Rep. Tom “The Exterminator” DeLay (R-TX)
Born: April 8, 1947
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: One of our most-nominated chickenhawks, Mr. DeLay has said he wanted to serve in Vietnam, but was unable to since all the positions had been taken by blacks and hispanics. We suspect there might be someone in Iraq today who would be willing to trade places with Mr. DeLay …
Name: Richard “Dick” Cheney (R-WY)
Born: 1942
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: Says he had “other priorities.” You bet he had other priorities. Imagine how early in life you must begin scheming to get away with what this guy has. He was too busy thinking about Halliburton to go fight Charlie.
Name: Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Born: 1943
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: There are chickenhawks, and then there are chickenhawks. Saxby Chambliss is a chickenhawk supreme. He got himself elected to the Senate by casting aspersions on the patriotism of the incumbent, Democrat Max Cleland. Cleland lost three limbs serving his country in Vietnam. Saxby Chambliss was unable to serve because of his bad knees, but somehow is able to totter along as a recreational runner.
Name: Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL)
Born: 1953
Employer: Florida Taxpayers
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: When Jeb was younger he managed to avoid fighting for democracy in Vietnam. When his older brother’s future job was on the line, though, he had no trouble fighting democracy.
Name: George W. Bush (R-TX)
Born: 1946
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: You know when a guy walks away from a National Guard obligation during wartime and gets away with it, he must come from “a good family.” Not that his daddy had anything to do with his getting a Guard slot in the first place - oh, no …
Name: Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Born: January 10, 1950
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: The Congressman from Missouri and House Majority Whip who’s so concerned about defending America that offered an amendment to the law creating the Homeland Security department that would have made it tougher to sell cigarettes over the ‘Net. It wouldn’t have helped the whole country, but the part of it that belongs to Phillip Morris would have benefited. Born just about the right time for Vietnam, somehow Blunt was at Southwest Baptist University when he could have been keeping the ‘Cong out of Chillicothe, MO.
Name: Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH)
Born: January 8, 1952
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: When your old man’s U.S. Representative Perkins Bass (2nd District, NH, 1955-1962), and your grandfather’s Governor Robert T. Bass (NH, 1911-1913), chances are slim you’ll ever get called “Private Bass,” even if you are born in 1952.
Name: Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD)
Born: June 3, 1926
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: WWII
Notes: Nominated as a chickenhawk by a constituent, Roscoe Bartlett brings to his job on the House Armed Services committee a mind that’s unbiased and unprejudiced — though he had turned 18 by D-Day, when there was still plenty of opportunity to become a bona fide member of the Greatest Generation©, Roscoe let the war go by without putting on a uniform. We don’t know why; perhaps you could ask him.
Name: Sen. George Allen (R-VA)
March 7th, 2007 at 10:20 pmBorn: 1952
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: George Allen is in the Senate, and wants to be in the White House. Where he belongs is in the Chickenhawk Hall of Fame.
Allen graduated from Palos Verde High in 1970, according to Wikipedia. In those days he “was a supporter of Richard Nixon and the Vietnam War, although he did not serve in that conflict, taking a student deferment instead.â€
During his 2006 re-election campaign Allen has “emphasized his dedication to military and veteran issues … during his term in the Senate,†according to the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot’s Warren Fiske. But the Disabled American Veterans only give him a rating of 50 — mediocre-at-best.
Allen also favors a flag-burning amendment. Wouldn’t you know it?
He probably wants to amend it to cover the Confederate flag as well as Old Glory. The mugshot is from the 2003 movie “Gods and Generals,†in which he played a Confederate officer.
Allen’s campaign ads are made by Scott Howell. Picking the right guy was apparently a no-brainer for Allen. Howell’s resume includes the Saxby Chambliss campaign against Max Cleland, and the infamous Swift Boat ads against John Kerry.
Comment by Briseadh na Faire #109
Comment by Zooey #111
Believe me…
…NO ONE wants IMPEACHMENT more than I…
…but realistically without a solid 60 vote majority in the senate…
…fuhgeddaboutit…
…look at the Repulsivescum Bushites numbers…
…some 76% still drinking the Kool Aid…
…the Repulsivescum senators don’t come to Liberal Progresive neighborhoods to campaign…
…they’re in the red state connedself-servative pockets…
…You guys know where and who they are…
…they’re your family members, your friends, neighbors, co-workers, bosses, and casual acquaintences…
…who HATE Liberals/Progressives as much (if not more than) Blacks and other minorities…
Until there’s a clear mandate by ALL of the People…
…Justice will be delayed, and our “dreams (of IMPEACHMENT) deferred”…
Remember how Clinton’s popularity climbed considerably…
…after his failed ouster?
March 7th, 2007 at 10:40 pmYes, CHIMPya, “there are some encouraging signs,” LIKE THE FACT THAT YOUR OWN repugnant-repub fudge-pachyderm G(houlish)
March 8th, 2007 at 1:36 amO(pportunistic) P(edophile) party IS CONSIDERING IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS AGIN’ YA ALONG WITH THE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY!!!!!
Inquisitor General and CHIMPya butt-boy Alberto VO5 Gonzales MAY BE THE NEXT TO BE GIVEN THE BOOT, ALONG WITH Torticola Cheney WHO WILL RESIGN FOR “health reasons”–HAH! AND OF COURSE, Karl Miss Piggy Rove, WHO HAS PERSONALLY VOWED TO REMAIN UNTIL THE BITTER END BUT MAY WIND UP OUT ON HIS FAT ASS AND INDICTED TO BOOT!!!!!
“Deeply painful” BECAUSE Torticola DICK-less B(ugger) Cheney WAS BITCH-SLAPPED IN PUBLIC BY THIS STINGING INDICTMENT OF HIS VILE MACHINATIONS AND UNDER-HANDED, CRIMINAL CHICANERY AND ACTIONS!!!!! NOT ONLY DID “Scooter” RIDE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH Cheney, he SAT ON Cheney’s LAP with HIS and Cheney’s PANTS DOWN AROUND THEIR ANKLES AND Cheney “going to town” WHILE Scooter RODE ON Cheney’s FOUL TOOL!!!!!
“…edited to remove material deemed damaging to Bushland Uber Allies’ DEMAGOGIC, JINGOISTIC PROPAGANDA AND CRIMINAL LIES TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR NAZI-FASCIST TECHNIQUES AND TACTICS THAT DEFY THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS AND THUMB THEIR NOSES AT THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND THE RULE OF LAW OF THE LAND!!!!!”
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM A NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDERED SOCIOPATH AND PSYCHOTIC DRUG-ADDLED ALCOHOLIC WHO CARES NOT A WHIT ABOUT THE BRAVE AMERICANS WHO SACRIFICED THEMSELVES FOR AMERICA AND HIS FOLLY IN Iraq AND AROUND THE WORLD? CHIMPya’s DEFENSE: “They’ra alive, ain’t they? Let ‘em wait–I, the Decider-in-Thief got more IMPORTANT things ‘ta attend to–LIKE MY LEGACY and PLACE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS!!!!!”
IT IS REALLY A SHAME WHEN NOTHING TAKES PLACE UNTIL SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS OR A INTOLERABLE SITUATION IS EXPOSED TO PUBLIC VIEW–LIKE A TRAFFIC LIGHT IS NOT INSTALLED AT A DANGEROUS INTERSECTION UNTIL THERE IS A TRAFFIC FATALITY AT THAT SPOT–AND THE DAMNED repugnant-repub fudge-pachyderms IN THE SENATE HAD BETTER NOT IMPEDE ANY AID TO VETERANS ON THE BASIS OF “NOT ENOUGH MONEY IS AVAILABLE” OR I WILL MAKE IT MY PERSONAL CRUSADE TO SEE TO IT THAT WHATEVER REMAINS OF THEIR NUMBERS ARE COMPLETELY DECIMATED IN THE 2008 UPCOMING ELECTIONS AND I DO NOT MAKE THIS THREAT LIGHTLY, repugnant-repubs–BE WARNED!!!!!
Even the repugnant-repub fudge-pachyderms ARE STARTING TO GET NERVOUS MEETING WITH THEIR “fearless leader” CHIMPya BECAUSE THESE COWARDLY SEWER-RAT repugnant-repubs DON’T WANT TO LOSE THEIR CUSHY SEATS IN THE 2008 ELECTIONS!!!! HAH!!!!!
How about the state department ISSUING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS COMMITTED BY OUR OWN COUNTRY, SPECIFICALLY BY CHIMPya, Torticola Cheney, Karl Miss Piggy Rove, CONDOM-lesser Rice, Stephen CADley, Alberto VO5 Gonzales, David PoisonADDERington, John Yoo-Hoo, David Who-are-You Chu, Don Dumbsfailed, Paul WolfFARTWhizz, Richard Perle of Moronity, ET CETERA AD NAUSEUM of Bushland Uber Allies!!!!!
Poppy H.W. Bush 41 WOULDN’T DARE PAT Teri Hatcher’s BUTT–NOT UNLESS HE IS TIRED OF LIVING, as HAG-wife Barbara WOULD MAKE HIM RUE(not McClanahan either)THE DAY HE WAS BORN!!!!! Poppy Bush WAS HOWEVER, SEEN GROPING THE BIG BULGE OF THE HANDSOME YOUNG MALE WHORE THAT Karl Miss Piggy Rove and Gannon/Guckert SNUCK INTO THE white house!!!!!
rachel sez:
Now what gave you that impression? So sorry to disappoint…
Your own articles? Under two different names?