‘Syria today, Iran tomorrow, where does it end?’
By on Apr 2nd, 2007 at 9:34 pm
‘Syria today, Iran tomorrow, where does it end?’
During an interview with John Bolton, CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux “did not note that a Republican-led delegation met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on April 1. Malveaux also did not point out the White House’s inconsistency in criticizing Pelosi for her trip while remaining silent on the GOP-led visit. … Malveaux’s final question to Bolton in the interview was, ‘Do you think that this also perhaps portends to something that might happen in the future? I’m being somewhat flip, but you know, Syria today, Iran tomorrow. I mean, where does it end?‘”
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Bolton doesn’t want it to end. He loves the thought of endless war. He was on a BBC show recently, and the crowd made him look like a fool, which he is.
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:37 pmSyria today, Iran tomorrow. I mean, where does it end?‘â€
…right here…
…Karma don’t lie…
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:43 pmI know the Iraq Study Group says talk to Syria, talk to Iran. -Bolton
Huh, Isn’t George currently following the Iraq Study Groups Plan? Isn’t Gates and Gulianni (R) of the Iraq Study Groups participants?
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:45 pmYES.
The Iraq Study Group (ISG), also known as the Baker-Hamilton (Republicans) Commission, was a ten-person bipartisan panel appointed on March 15, 2006, by the United States Congress, that was charged with assessing the situation in Iraq and the US-led Iraq War and making policy recommendations. It was first proposed by Virginia Republican Representative Frank Wolf.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_Study_Group
What I think scares this White House is that they can’t pull the macho crap with Pelosi. She’s doesn’t have to prove she has balls. Locker-room psychology ain’t gonna work on her. And if she gets away with it, all those male Democrats who were afraid of looking weak and effeminate if they didn’t scream for blood along with the Bush Warriors may actually find that they had their balls all along and can actually prove that the pen is mightier than the sword by actually talking with the enemy.
Bolton is the classic clown with his fingers in his ears yelling “I can’t hear you!” He was the worst UN ambassador the US has ever had. A fool. What the Democrats need to recall is what Yitzak Rabin said, “You don’t make peace with your friends. You make peace with your enemies.”
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:50 pmWhy would Orrin be outraged about the activites of his mentees Kyle Sampson (or US Atty for DC Taylor)? Orrin – serving the energy/mining megacorps – helped groom Sampson and Taylor for their positions in order to help the megacorps who own him.
Orrin’s tremors are those of a Senator closely associated with proteges who actively conspired to obstruct justice and to provide false testimony to the Senate – while Orrin attended the testimony
Orrin is looking at the very real prospect of ending his career disgraced and convicted.
Even more from Wampum and Indianz.
Follow the money.
__________________
Oh – and Kyle Sampson – Abu’s chief of staff? Remember him? And the 122 times he couldn’t?
Well – no one asked him on Thursday – and he prolly wouldn’t remember – but reliable Kyle did remember to conspire to commit Federal crimes against the Cobell plaintiffs.
And he even remebered to commit them.
When the Senate insisted on testimony on the Cobell accounting crimes at DOI from the Federal Special Trustee For American Indians (Tom Slonaker), Griles, Norton, and then advisor to the President Kyle Sampson ordered Slonaker to lie to the Senate by changing his written testimony.
After Slonaker showed up in person and testified honestly despite the Griles / Norton / Sampson conspiracy to obstruct justice and provide false testimony to Congress, Sampson (from Bush) and Griles (from Interior) fired Slonaker.
Wampum had the story:
In July, 2002, Special Trustee for American Indians Tom Slonaker (a Clinton appointee held over by Bush) testified before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee (chaired then by Sen. Inouye) that the Interior Department’s handling of the Individual Indian trusts was pretty much as fucked fouled up as it had ever been, despite a federal court order that a “full accounting†take place. Slonaker had submitted his proposed testimony to his Interior superiors, namely Dep. Sec. J. Steven Griles and Gale Norton, who summarily demanded that he change most of it. Two Justice Department attorneys as well as Kyle Sampson, White House advisor to the President, also called Slonaker and demanded he change his testimony.
Slonaker did not submit his statement, but testified in person, saying that an accounting as Norton et al. were proposing would not meet the Court’s requirement. After he appeared before SIAC, Slonaker was fired. Sasha Polakow-Suransky, in TAP, asserted at the time Sampson was involved, “Slonaker claims he was forced out, and sources close to the case say Griles and White House counsel Kyle Sampson barred Slonaker from telling the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that the Interior Department was unable to live up to its trust responsibility because documents had been destroyed.â€
Pete Dominici was at that SIAC hearing, as was Orin Hatch, for whom Sampson was a top aide before being placed at the White House. Sampson used twork for Parr, Waddoups, Brown, Gee & Loveless, many of whose clients are leasors of federal and Indian land, thus potentially affected by Slonaker’s testimony, i.e., if the government doesn’t have the docs for a complete accounting, then they need to get that info from the lessors.
I know it’s complicated, but I’ve argued for years that Interior and DoJ were in collusion to try and subvert the Court’s order on a full accounting, as it could cost the government and/or the resource extraction industries many billions (Gonzales testified recently that it could be upwards of $200 billion – that was just before he and Kempthorne offered a paltry $7 billion to settle all the cases.)
Nexus to:
- purge of USA’s
- co-conspirators to obstruct justice and lie to the Senate
- energy/mining megacorps protected by co-conspirators
- convicted corrupt DOJ ex-No 2
(who was beneficiary of USA purge.
and mega-lobbyist for energy/mining interests protected by co-conspirators)
Well – that nexus is good ‘ol Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah.
Now where have I been reading about criminal conspirators for Bush with close ties to Utah?
And who was pulling Orrin’s strings during Orrin’s slurpfest on Kyle Sampson at Thursday’s hearing?
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:55 pmI mean, where does it end?
his answer is as frightening as anything:
BOLTON: I think that’s part of the problem. I think, when you have members of the House and Senate, who are out essentially freelancing, it gets competitive. You know, the governor of New Mexico is now about to go to North Korea to conduct some diplomacy, so I think this is a mistake. I think people ought to let the debate in this country take place and let the president conduct our diplomacy overseas.
oh yea… that’s working so well so far…
would that we could have a president that actually conducted diplomacy…
and, “competitive” ??? … what’s with that?
why is anyone interviewing bolton… he’s gone… he blew it…
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:59 pm…
“…Syria today, Iran tomorrow… where does it end…”
That’s an appropriate question for any one of the conflict capitalist neo-con scumbags currently directing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:07 pmBush is the lamest of the lame with barely better approval rating than Nixon. And Neocon Bolton has no credibility.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:11 pmThe announcement that a Congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will meet with Syrian President Bashir Al-Assad during a four nation Middle East swing was sure to raise the ire of the White House. But because the bipartisan group includes the Muslim Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison, the predictable conservative catcalls of treason are also almost sure to follow.
For the details, see:
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:13 pm“Keith Ellison, Syria and the Coming Conservative Smear.”
katy – yeah, seems like the MSM is left with interviewing has beens like Bolton, Delay and Gingrich. All the other rats have already deserted the ship.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:20 pm“Syria today, Iran tomorrow. I mean, where does it end?”
With Pelosi as President as soon as DUHbya and “The Dick” are impeached and on July 20, 2008 when BO is sworn in.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:21 pm“let the president conduct our diplomacy overseas.”
Would Bolton be referring to “Dan Quayle in cowboy boots”?
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:23 pmCyde – what are you referring to with “July 20, 2008 when BO is sworn in.”? The date doesn’t make sense to me and I am assuming that BO represents Barack Obama who may not be the popular choice.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:26 pmPoor thing can’t even speak English properly, so how can she think straight?
“portend to something that might happen in the future?”
Give her a D.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:31 pmMalveaux sounded like a birdbrain. She knows nothing about the expectations of parliamentarians around the world to meet and travel to areas of conflict. Dennis Kucinich is a member of the Parliamentarian Union. Does she really think that statecraft can only take place between Condi Rice and the head of state of a country? Ignorance.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:31 pmEven if one is trying to be generous, Ms Malveaux was such an embarassment that it can only be surmised that she will never again be the host. If this is not correct, the CNN has begun the serious slide into oblivion. What a great loss.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:33 pmbilljpa
‘Do you think that this also perhaps portends to something that might happen in the future? I’m being somewhat flip, but you know, Syria today, Iran tomorrow. I mean, where does it end?‘â€
What kind of question is that?
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:35 pmSuzanne Malvo used to be hot.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:37 pmThere is NO end to the Bush Regime insane warmongering. As long as Bush and Cheney remain in DC our nation will always be at war for oil.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:41 pm#12 Coffins Dib
My bad! I meant January 20. 2009 when the next President is sworn in. I had reference to Senator Obama but I will concede that “BO” could have referred to “Best Other” (Democrat or other Liberal) .
Too much pool and scotch tonight. Ninety Two degrees in Fort Mojave Arizona and 105 in the spa. All due to global warming, not busco economics.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:45 pmClyde – I understand, my typing gets a little foggy after a few glasses of wine. :)
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:48 pmClyde,
Haven’t you heard? Global Warming is over — we had snow flurries today. :)
Coffins,
You get foggy after a few glasses of wine? Am I the only one who gets foggy half-way through my first glass? :P
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:57 pmZooey,
Many years ago I developed a solution to a similar problem. I never drink more than one-half glass a day. I cut a glass in two and keep refilling that sucker all night while the other half sits in the cupboard. I only drink one “half glass” per night.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:10 pmZooey – I must have a higher tolerance left over from my hippie days. :P
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:10 pmhttp://www.internetweekly.org/images/malveaux_groupie.jpg
oh, and bolton is a total moron. on the daily show he seemed to completely forget the whole “advice and consent of the senate” thing when he was discussing presidential appointments.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:25 pmYou get foggy after a few glasses of wine? Am I the only one who gets foggy half-way through my first glass? :P
Comment by Zooey — April 2, 2007 @ 10:57 pm
No Zooey I’m a cheap date have a glass drunk myself. See we have something else in common. That and our patience with trolls. ;^
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:29 pmMy typing gets foggy about halfway through my first argument with some troll. At least it did today.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:32 pmNo Zooey I’m a cheap date have a glass drunk myself. See we have something else in common. That and our patience with trolls. ;^
Comment by shane
Maybe I should add that to my facebook page — cheap date, just one drink. :D
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:41 pmSo who put those words in Suzanne Malveaux’s mouth, Karl Rove.
This is even worse than Katie Couric grilling the Edwards’ about how terrible it was that John did not end his campaign so he could devote full time to her care, never mind that Katie continued to work as her husband succumbed to cancer. For that matter, who put those words in Katie’s mouth. Can these women actually be that dumb.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:42 pmBolton? WHAT IS THIS FORGOTTEN FELON DOING STILL MAKING THE ROUNDS OF THE NEWS TALK SHOWS? HIS OPINIONS ARE NOT WORTH A PLUGGED LEAD NICKEL, AND HE SHOULD KEEP THEM TO HIMSELF BY SEWING HIS MOUTH SHUT AND CEMENTING OVER THAT AS WELL!!!!!
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:52 pmMaybe I should add that to my facebook page — cheap date, just one drink. :D
Comment by Zooey — April 2, 2007 @ 11:41 pm
I of course meant to say half drink – but it sounded more like “have drink, will travel” maybe that would work. Anyway I thinks its a full moon today, maybe, but something has got my typing kablooey. I blame the trolls – they have killed my brain cells.
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:04 amCan these women actually be that dumb.
Comment by DallasNE — April 2, 2007 @ 11:42 pm
Is that rhetorical? Clearly she can be. And her ratings were in the toilet before this interview and I bet she didn’t help herself any. I know I won’t be flipping over to CBS for the nightly news.
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:06 amI have a question for Bill Maher, why does he think that we should negotiate with terrorist states like N. Korea and Syria, but at no point should be negotiate with insurance companies regarding health care?
Out of one side of his mouth, he states that Syria and Iran ought to be engaged, if not embraced, then out of the other, he states that insurance companies are greedy and evil and should be left out of discussions as to how health care ought to be administered.
To be consistent, either we talk to everyone, regardless of their leanings, or we should exclude any entity antithetical to our goals, so which is it. Personally, I feel American insurance companies are far less evil than foreign states that harbour and sponsor terrorists (they kill people).
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:08 amI just watched the Bolton rerun on the Daily Show and I have to say he would leave anybody looking like an idiot. Shit comes out of his mouth that just leaves others speechless. I rarely have seen anybody as confident in his own insane, out of touch opinions.
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:11 amComment by Jason M. Hendler — April 3, 2007 @ 12:08 am
Maybe because N. Korea and Syra are nations and insurance companies are corporations. Nobody cares what you feel about insurance companies because what you don’t know about them could apparently fill several books.
You might have reached a new level of irrelevance in your mixing up the two totally different issues.
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:15 amSyria today, Iran tomorrow. I mean, where does it end?‘â€
That’s the whole point of the “plan”. It doesn’t end. Keep the populace in fear and continue to gather further power.
April 3rd, 2007 at 1:02 amIf you can draw a line across the middle east where the pipeline would go, you know where it’s going to end.
April 3rd, 2007 at 1:28 amterrorist states like N. Korea and Syria, but at no point should be negotiate with insurance companies regarding health care?
Comment by Jason M. Hendler
I just want to say connecting sovereign nations and privately owned companies is a weird thing to do and they should be talked about in a separate discussions.
Asking why the US should talk to Iran because they are a terrorist state because they sponsor Hebollah, PIJ and Hamas is like asking why should they talk to us because we sponsor Israel and the rest of Western Europe. To not talk to them is putting yourself into a position before you have to go there.
North Korea may be labeled a terrorist state but tell me where have you heard of North Korea operatives blowing up night clubs in Malaysia to promote Kim Jong or beheading captives in other countries they are trying to subvert to their ways. Granted that “government” is a disgrace to the human race but why are they labeled as terrorists? What specific terrorist activity have they done?
April 3rd, 2007 at 1:32 amThe liberal media strikes again!
April 3rd, 2007 at 1:36 amAgain, I quote John Bolton: “Americans are a practical people.” That is, of course, if your definition of “practical” includes waging multi-billion dollar wars for no good reason.
Your empire is finished, Johnny boy.
April 3rd, 2007 at 1:40 amI was going to reply to Jason Hendler’s latest rant, but I see others have already taken him to task for being a fool of the highest order.
So, I will just say: Mr. Hendler, non sequitur is thy middle name.
April 3rd, 2007 at 1:52 am(actual letter)
Dear CNN editors, directors, Wolf Blitzer, Suzanne Malveaux, and staff in general,
I can’t find the words to express my frustration and disgust with the hackery of an interview performed by Suzanne with John Bolton today on the Situation Room. She finds it relevant to insert her ‘flip’ remarks into the interview, but not to include the utterly essential information as described here: (WTF?!?!)
Speaking hours after arriving in Lebanon, Pelosi indicated the Bush administration was singling out her trip to Syria, but ignoring the recent visits by Republican members of Congress.
“It’s interesting because three of our colleagues, who are all Republicans, were in Syria yesterday and I didn’t hear the White House speaking out about that,” Pelosi said, referring to the Sunday meeting of Reps. Frank Wolf (news, bio, voting record), Joe Pitts and Robert Aderholt (news, bio, voting record) with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus.
“I think that it was an excellent idea for them to go,” said Pelosi, who is to meet Syrian leaders Wednesday. “And I think it’s an excellent idea for us to go, as well.”
Mrs. Suzanne Malveaux’s flip remarks, coupled by the complete journalistic hackery of omitting the most utterly essential facts that there was currently a republican delgation in Syria as well, are so goddamn insulting to my intelligence and dignity, that if CNN does not make up for this abuse and correct the absurdity by tomorrow, I will boycott the network for at least a week, and I will encourage others to do the same.
There is a place for hackery, the name of that place is Fox Gossip Channel. The market does not need another.
Sincerely,
April 3rd, 2007 at 2:25 amJoey, LA area
“Suzanne Malvo used to be hot.”
Comment by ForTruth — April 2, 2007 @ 10:37 pm
I feel your pain, I too thought Malvo was quite hot indeed. It’s incredible how quickly people can turn ugly. But her glow dissintegrated over the course of that interview, and into oblivion with that last little ‘flip’ remark. WTF?
April 3rd, 2007 at 2:32 amThe botched US raid that led to the hostage crisis
A failed American attempt to abduct two senior Iranian security officers on an official visit to northern Iraq was the starting pistol for a crisis that 10 weeks later led to Iranians seizing 15 British sailors and Marines.
The attempt by the US to seize the two high-ranking Iranian security officers openly meeting with Iraqi leaders is somewhat as if Iran had tried to kidnap the heads of the CIA and MI6 while they were on an official visit to a country neighbouring Iran, such as Pakistan or Afghanistan. There is no doubt that Iran believes that Mr Jafari and Mr Frouzanda were targeted by the Americans. Mr Jafari confirmed to the official Iranian news agency, IRNA, that he was in Arbil at the time of the raid.
April 3rd, 2007 at 4:10 amFor more than a year the US and its allies have been trying to put pressure on Iran. Security sources in Iraqi Kurdistan have long said that the US is backing Iranian Kurdish guerrillas in Iran. The US is also reportedly backing Sunni Arab dissidents in Khuzestan in southern Iran who are opposed to the government in Tehran. On 4 February soldiers from the Iraqi army 36th Commando battalion in Baghdad, considered to be under American control, seized Jalal Sharafi, an Iranian diplomat.
The raid in Arbil was a far more serious and aggressive act. It was not carried out by proxies but by US forces directly. The abortive Arbil raid provoked a dangerous escalation in the confrontation between the US and Iran which ultimately led to the capture of the 15 British sailors and Marines – apparently considered a more vulnerable coalition target than their American comrades.
April 3rd, 2007 at 4:13 amI have consistently found Malveaux to be nothing more than a mouthpiece for the White House. When she reports a story from the WH, all she does is basically repeat the WH spin, uncritically, without sounding like she’s bothered to do any analysis or examine the issue from another angle. Her reports are worthless, but then so are those of so many other “reporters” on CNN and MSNBC, who sound more like they’re in Bulgaria in 1955 reporting about out Glorious Leader than the U.S. in 2007. I tune in now and then for a reminder of how corrupt and co-opted the MSM has become, but prolonged viewing is painful.
April 3rd, 2007 at 5:00 amU.S. says former FBI agent missing in Iran
Tick for Tack nonsense -
April 3rd, 2007 at 5:01 amIranian officer reports incursion by US warplanes
TEHRAN: US warplanes have violated Iranian airspace in the southwestern oil-rich province of Khuzestan, Al-Alam Arabic language news satellite channel quoted a local military chief as saying on Sunday. “Two aircraft trespassed into Iranian airspace northwest of [the southwestern port city of] Abadan before flying southwest into Iraq,”
April 3rd, 2007 at 5:03 amWhat is Pelosi doing while in Syria
Pelosi to Discuss Kidnapped Israelis With Syrian President
Pelosi to Take Israeli Message to Syria
Israeli Acting President Defends Pelosi Syria Trip
Olmert Delaying Peace Negotiations, Syrian Source Says
Olmert Denies Syrian War Rumors
April 3rd, 2007 at 5:05 amI wrote to Jack cafferty and he mentioned the Republican in Syria and asked his question. From the readers’response I gather there was lots of support for Speaker pelosi. I don’t have much faith in the Best Political team bullshit. Just dip in for Cafferty. Malveaux, like Bash and Quijano are a useless triumvirate.
April 3rd, 2007 at 6:53 amThis is Pelosi’s effort to show the world that all of us aren’t Bush, Cheney, and neocons. Her good-will mission is laying the ground work needed to start repairing the Bush Administration damage once the Republicans are flushed out in 2008.
April 3rd, 2007 at 7:07 amDon’t blame Malveau; she was likely just reading what her producers were shouting into her earpiece–talking points they no doubt got from Karl Rove’s office.
April 3rd, 2007 at 7:08 amBolton wants wars all over the area for years to come. He is another Neocon with good frienship and alliance to the right wing government of Israel and to the extreme right.
He criticised England for trying to bring their 15 captured sailors in Iran. Which is what any country will do ….use all means to rescue their nationals and yes diplomacy is one of them.
Bolton called such action on British television as ‘pathetic’.
He is one a Washington cabal of armchair warriors. Unfortunately our government listens to these Neocons people who took us to Iraq under a rosy scenario they painted and information they provided which turned out to be not trrue,and now they have no answer for us on how to get out of that country.
Now Neocons are calling and pushing for more wars…but no diplomacy…
Amazing !!
April 3rd, 2007 at 7:41 amTut tut…aren’t we forgetting that CNN supposedly has a liberal bias? And why oh why has John Bolton become a rock star? He has been disgraced out of government office. He speaks only for the radical far-right.
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:22 pmQ: Why do reporters, like Blitzer, Malveau, Mitchell and all rest do not ask the hard questions?
A: They would be out of a job the next day!
They are not reporters, they are actors reading the producer’s script, which has been vetted by the corporate heads to make sure that no tough questions slip by.
If you want reporters who ask tough questions, you must consume independent media, instead of the corporate media.
No corporate reporter will ever ask these questions:
If a 757 jet hit the Pentagon and the hole is smaller than a 757 jet, should not the wings, engines, and tail have broken off outside the building?
Would that not indicate a missle instead of jet hit the Pentagon?
Who would have the ability to fire such a missle?
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:26 pmBUSH THE “UNITER”
(President Bush softly sings.)
I miss Arafat in the Springtime,
I miss Saddam in the fall,
Lebanon‘s a mess, it‘s in splinters,
I had no idea at all.
Our one time pal, Saudi’s being squeezed cause of Palestine,
And Iran’s shows no respect, what gall,
Thankfully, praise God, they fight less in the winter,
I had no idea at all.
Condi says this mess is a great opportunity,
Some laugh, but what constitutes reality, is my call,
Every planetary wide entity hates us, look Mom, I am a ‘Uniter’,
Bombs Away, bombs away, you’all.
Craig Johnson
April 3rd, 2007 at 5:39 pmI requested a clarification from Media Matters as well.
Immediately prior to the Bolton interview, Malveaux referenced the Republican delegations to Syria at least twice and the hypocrisy question posed by Democrats. Media Matters is usually much better than this.
April 3rd, 2007 at 9:00 pm