Think Progress

REPORT: Iraq War To Cost $550 Billion By October

crs_07192007_update1.jpgAccording to a new Congressional Research Service report, the war in Iraq has cost $450 billion to date. Further, if Congress approves the Bush administration’s latest supplemental funding request, the total cost of the war will exceed $550 billion by October 1 of this year — fully ten times greater than the Bush administration naively predicted in February 2003.

The report also details the costs of the war in Afghanistan — $127 billion — and other Department of Defense War on Terror expenditures — $28 billion. The CRS also notes approximately $5 billion dollars that cannot be “allocated.” In total, the “Global War on Terror” has cost $610 billion.

Other notable findings of the report:

Costs Rose Sharply In 2007: “[W]ar appropriations rose steeply in FY2007. DOD received $165.8 billion for war costs in FY2007 — about 40% more than the previous year. … VA medical costs for [Iraq/Afghanistan] veterans will be about $1 billion, according to CRS estimates” in 2007.

$12 Billion Per Month: “For the first half of FY2007, CRS estimates that [Defense Department's] average monthly obligations for contracts and pay are running about $12 billion per month, well above the estimated $8.7 billion in FY2006.”

Rising Cost of Troop Deployments: “Since FY2003, the estimated average cost per deployed troop has risen from about $320,000 to $390,000 per deployed troop” and of the “1.5 million individuals who have deployed for Iraq of OEF, about 30% have had more than one deployment.”

Redeployment Could Cut Costs In Half: “[T]he Congressional Budget Office estimated that war costs for the next 10 years might total about $472 billion if troop levels fell to 30,000 by 2010, or $919 billion if troop levels fell to 75,000 by about 2013. Under such assumptions and adjusting for the FY2007 Supplemental, total funding for Iraq, Afghanistan and the GWOT could reach from about $1 trillion to $1.45 trillion by 2017.”

The CRS report also highlights the administration’s continuing reliance on “emergency supplemental funding requests” to fund wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, noting that “much of the funding would not seem to meet the traditional definition of emergency — as an urgent and ‘unforeseen, unpredictable, and unanticipated’ need.”

You can read the entire report HERE.

Ryan Powers

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383 Responses to “REPORT: Iraq War To Cost $550 Billion By October”

  1. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    surrender this monkey, libs!


  2. dlet says:

    Duh…..Yeah but the Dow Jones is at 14,000……duh.


  3. leftcoast says:

    Can you imagine what good all that money could have done? And the saving of lives in Darfur if they had something of value our president’s cronies wanted?


  4. Ringo says:

    Get rid of the Deptartment of Education, the Department of Housing & Urban Development and NEA and use the money to pay for the war.

    Problem solved.


  5. spit take says:

    I seem to remember Republicans ridiculing John Kerry in ‘04 because he had the temerity to suggest that the war costs might top $200 billion.


  6. not_a_war says:

    Can we stop calling it a “war” and calling it what it is – an occupation? We toppled Saddam’s government – the war was over on May 1, 2003.


  7. Frank J says:

    Money well spent.


  8. Jackie says:

    Cost means nothing to American take all they need as Bush said we’re willing to gave every cent we have just to say we won. Who cares that thousands of soldier will die as Connie said their just numbers. Now we are close to a 7 Trillion dollar in debt but as long as the White House Mafia can continue their crime wave that’s all Americans care about. The United States is now known as liars thanks to the Liar-in-Chief and let’s not forget the VP who steals oil.


  9. dlet says:

    To think all that wasted money. still nothing to show for it but another Friedman.


  10. bobwurst says:

    Ringo, just because grade school was wasted on you and your pres, it doesn’t mean that the rest of us didn’t benefit from a little education.


  11. mikey r says:

    Get rid of the Deptartment of Education, the Department of Housing & Urban Development and NEA and use the money to pay for the war.

    Problem solved.

    Comment by Ringo — July 19, 2007 @ 6:16 pm

    Very good encapsulation of the wingnut mind here:

    War= good.
    Education = bad.

    Plus he thinks that getting rid of a public employees union (the NEA) would have any kind of impact on federal spending.

    Funny.


  12. mikey r says:

    Money well spent.

    Comment by Frank J — July 19, 2007 @ 6:16 pm

    Don’t you mean, “money well borrowed”, Jake?


  13. bobwurst says:

    Keep in mind, Ringo was the dumb Beatle…


  14. leftcoast says:

    Money well spent.

    Comment by Frank J

    Please write this to all families who have lost sons and daughters you imbicile.


  15. Ringo says:

  16. Frank J says:

    Give me their addresses.


  17. leftcoast says:

    War trumps Progress under Republicans.


  18. Ringo says:

    Plus he thinks that getting rid of a public employees union (the NEA) would have any kind of impact on federal spending.

    Funny.

    Comment by mikey
    ————————————————————-

    NEA = National Endowment for the Arts


  19. Frank J says:

    Can you give me the address of all the Islamists who have been killed, a list about ten times larger I know but you as an allie of Islamo Fascism should be able to manage.


  20. leftcoast says:

    Give me their addresses.

    Comment by Frank J
    Work at it Frank. The Pentagon probably won’t release it for you because it priveleged information.


  21. Frank J says:

    Killing Islamists is progress.


  22. JesusChrist_GodOfWar says:

    Why didn’t the Toy Emperor just give every man, woman, and child in Iraq $20,000 each if he wanted to blow $550BILLION of our hard earned tax dollars?

    King George could have bought himself a bloodless coup for probably 1/2 that price!

    ITMFA’s NOW!!!


  23. leftcoast says:

    Frank- you are a disgrace to the United States.


  24. Frank J says:

    #22 You could say the same thing about the left’s so called “War on Poverty”.


  25. bobwurst says:

    http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/

    Cut and paste the link into your browser. After you’ve done that, go look up your birthday and think about what you did that day, how much fun you had, what your birthday cake tasted like, then look at the faces of the men and women who died on that day for your lies.


  26. dlet says:

    $550 billion, hundreds of thousands of lives, mass emigration from iraq, establishment of al Queda in Iraq, civil war and for what? Profit of a few.


  27. Leporello says:

    Consider also that this is just what the CRS could find. Does this number include all the ‘contractors’ that are over there?


  28. leftcoast says:

    Killing Islamists is progress.

    Comment by Frank J

    There is NO progress in killing. You are truly Adolph in disguise you hypocrit moron.


  29. Frank J says:

    Can you do the same thing for the 3,000 who died on 9/11? Thanks to Clinton and the left’s lack of interest in defending America?


  30. bobwurst says:

    Killing Islamists is progress.

    Comment by Frank J

    killing innocent children is not, however, but you don’t care, you souless bastard.


  31. Frank J says:

    There was progress in killing Nazis and there is progress in killing Islamo Fascists. There was progress in killing Communists too.


  32. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    Killing Islamists is progress.

    Comment by Frank J

    SEE THAT! a true American! God bless your blood lust Frank! God bless it.


  33. bobwurst says:

    Can you do the same thing for the 3,000 who died on 9/11? Thanks to Clinton and the left’s lack of interest in defending America?

    Comment by Frank J

    prove the connection between 9-11 and iraq or shut up you lying bastard.


  34. dlet says:

    Killing Islamists is progress.
    Comment by Frank J

    Especially when you kill him three times or make up a terrorist and kill him. Gotta love that Pentagon propaganda machine. we must have killed more “Head of al Queada in Iraq” people than there are actual al Queda.


  35. ace says:

    “Troop deaths are just numbers”

    “The Constitution is just a God Damn Piece Of Paper”

    “The Geneva Conventions Are Quaint”

    From the people who brought you 9/11, and the next 9/11.

    Unless you stop them.


  36. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    God Bless the U.S.A.!! Spreading FREEDOM one $2,345 bomb at a time!


  37. Frank J says:

    The connection is that the Islamists who have been killed in Iraq will never be able to carry out a 9/11 type attack. Thus progress in killing Islamists.


  38. Powkat says:

    F*cking BushCo and the Republic party won’t fund health care for kids, but are perfectly willing to blow the treasury on a worthless war. Now Bush has set it up so he can help himself to your bank account.

    Next step: declare martial law, call dissenters enemy combatants, throw them in the camps KBR built, sieze their bank accounts – welcome to Amerika. Make sure your passport is in order, you may need to make a run for the border.


  39. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    Spread that enriched FREEDOM all over Iran,…I mean Iraq! (opps)


  40. Arthur C. says:

    Thanks to Clinton and the left’s lack of interest in defending America?

    Hey, screeceher: it wasn’t Clinton who ignored the famous Aug. 6, 2001, memo titled “Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US” and told his CIA briefer “All right. You’ve covered your ass, now.”


  41. Marcus Aurelius says:

    The trolls are out in force – changing their names and posting some really unAmerican crap. Here we go again with the insults against our dead soldiers. It really is true: the neocon/republican/conservatives hate mainstream America so badly they’d kill themelves just to kill us. American Taliban, indeed. Something’s in the works, otherwise, they’d be too busy diddling themselves to show up with such force.

    Why do the neocon/republican/conservatives hate the USA?


  42. upside00 says:

    #29 Can you do the same thing for the 3,000 who died on 9/11? Thanks to Clinton and the left’s lack of interest in defending America?

    Comment by Frank J

    Tell us again what that has to do with the occupation of Iraq?


  43. bobwurst says:

    Can you do the same thing for the 3,000 who died on 9/11? Thanks to Clinton and the left’s lack of interest in defending America?

    Comment by Frank J

    Funny, the thugs who attacked the World Trade center during Clinton’s term as president are sitting in jail right now, where’s binladen? Whenver Clinton went after binladen, you unamerican republican’ts complained and tried to stop him. The reason we were attacked on 9-11 is because of the conservofacist wing of the republican party.


  44. Marcus Aurelius says:

    The troll posting as Frank J, is an Al Queda operative. read his poss, and say it isn’t true.


  45. mikey r says:

    NEA = National Endowment for the Arts

    Comment by Ringo — July 19, 2007 @ 6:21 pm

    Oh, I see. Thanks for the correction, Ringo. I should have realized that you were not only against education, but also the arts.

    You do know what the annual allocation for the NEA is, don’t you? It’s about $120 million. Per year. That’s less than we spend on the Iraq War in one DAY.

    So for Ringo,

    War = good.
    Education and the arts = bad.

    Thanks for the update.


  46. bobwurst says:

    Frank J

    did you follow the link in post # 25 yet? Did you see who died on your birthday? I didn’t think so, you don’t care about the troops.


  47. Arthur C. says:

    The endless quagmire that is the war on Iraq was totally predictable.

    Six months before Bush invaded Iraq, Al Gore said that a pre-emptive war on Iraq would increase the number of terrorists, undercut US influence in the region, and diminish US legitimacy in the world affairs.

    George Bush said that his war on Iraq would last “weeks, not months,” Iraqi oil revenues would pay for the war, and a tide of Democracy would sweep through the Middle East.

    Al Gore was 100% right.

    George Bush was 100% wrong.

    Rightwingers don’t have what it takes to win a war: regular contact with reality. They live in Fantasyland.


  48. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    Frank, I just LOVE a limp-dick, cowardly, turd-burgler like YOU!!!

    I’ll get the sex change, or we could just make doo-doo babies together!!!!

    Ew, doo-doo looks like “moslems”, so we’ll have to kill them too!!!!!


  49. JesusChrist_GodOfWar says:

    Wait! I get it now.

    $550BILLION is the Toy Emperor’s cost of building up, training, and arming new al Qaeda recruits so that the ReichWing can double it’s promise as described in the PNAC.

    Stay tuned for yet another False Flag attack on Amerika. King George has used our tax dollars to buy himself a nice big dose of martial law for each and every one of us.


  50. Mr. President© says:

    # 40 isn’t me. It’s a FAKE!!!!!!!


  51. bobwurst says:

    # 40 isn’t me. It’s a FAKE!!!!!!!

    Comment by Mr. President

    Who cares?


  52. VerbalKint says:

    Meet Frank J, imbecile.


  53. Mr. President© says:

    Someone is name-jacking me again!!!!!!!

    #48 is not me!!!!!!!

    HeyoooooOOOOOoooooOOOooooooooOOOO!!!!!!


  54. upside00 says:

    #44 The reason we were attacked on 9-11 is because of the conservofacist wing of the republican party.

    Comment by bobwurst

    And don’t forget that Dubya has never went after Saudi, where 45 % of the insurgents are from, almost ALL the hijeckers and the majority of the funding for the Iraq battle against the US occupation.

    But why would he do that? It is “hard work” and it would piss off his Daddy who has major investments with the Bin Laden family in the Carlyle Group.

    Frank j has proven his ditto-head mentality and his bigotry and lack of humanity, as well as his chickenhawk lack of guts.


  55. Mr. President © says:

    What’s happening to me? Richard???

    Fat guy in a little coat?!!


  56. Ringo says:

    So for Ringo,

    War = good.
    Education and the arts = bad.

    Thanks for the update.

    Comment by mikey r
    ———————————————————–

    Not quite…

    War = Sometime necessary
    Education = State responsibility, not Federal
    Art = Not the job of government to subsidize art

    There, that’s more like it.


  57. RUCerious says:

    And what have we accomplished with all that $$?

    More terrorists want to kill us.

    We still don’t have a health care system that works.

    Thousands of our troops are dead or maimed for life.

    Hundreds of Thousands of Iraqis are dead or maimed for life.

    Heckuva job chympie.


  58. RUCerious says:

    “Why is Greenspan resigning in January? What comes after that?”

    Uh, it’s July now Ace.
    Please update your paste jobs, please.


  59. ace says:

    Make no mistake…

    BUSH 41 IS ACTUALLY THE PRESIDENT – AND HAS BEEN SINCE 2000.

    I’m totally serious.

    Bush 41, Lay and Cheney conspired in 1999 to CREATE the FAKE California Energy Crisis that paved the way to INSTALLING the Oil Boys in the White House.

    Part of their plan included implementation of the PNAC – including the NEW PEARL HARBOR as the PRETEXT for the invasion of the Middle East – outsourcing the implementation to Mossad under the direction of Cheney (as witnessed by Minetta) using PTECH software to blind NORAD on 9/11.

    Bush 41 is the kingpin of 9/11.

    Look at GW’s entire cabinet. They are all 41s co-conspirators. 41 has been an agent of Israel since the early sixties in this days as an agent of the CIA (he was in Dallas the day Kennedy was assassinated).

    41 literally OWNS the CIA – and its fleet of Gulfstream jets flying cash and cocaine between Colombia and Florida to this day.

    41 is the biggest criminal in the United States. His sons are just part of the protection racket.

    Jim Baker and Robert Gates to the rescue?

    Gimme A Break!

    Investigate GHW Bush.

    WHERE IS Israeli Agent KOBI ALEXANDER?

    His “Comverse” was used to wiretap and blackmail every politician.

    His “Odigo” was used to warn Israeli Nationals to steer clear of the WTC on 9/11.

    His PTECH (a PROMIS knock-off) was used to blind NORAD.

    He’s wanted by the Federal Government…do you know where he is?

    He’s in the WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM!

    Where is Dov Zakheim?

    He stole $7 TRILLION from the DOD and sent it to Israel.

    DEMAND JUSTICE.


  60. Mr. President © says:

    Ringo likes war! Especially when other people fight it!

    HeyooooOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOooooooo!


  61. ace says:

    #

    “Why is Greenspan resigning in January? What comes after that?”

    Uh, it’s July now Ace.
    Please update your paste jobs, please.

    Comment by RUCerious — July 19, 2007 @ 6:39 pm

    It does appear that you’re reading if you’re proofing.

    Good for you – nice catch.


  62. bobwurst says:

    Ringo= off key singing and off tempo drummning tag a long leech on a decent band.


  63. Marcus Aurelius says:

    TP has abandoned it’s blog to the trolls. C&L, here I come.


  64. Arthur C. says:

    # 40 isn’t me. It’s a FAKE!!!!!!!

    Who cares, you stupid, simpering narcissist?


  65. Mr. President © says:

    And we’re wizzing all over ourselves, and lovin’ it!!!!!


  66. veritas says:

    So where does that put our national debt now?? On the backs of our grandchildren’s great grandchildren?? Obviously, Dumbya never learned fiscal accountability either.


  67. Larry from C says:

    According to a new Congressional Research Service report, the cost of the war in Iraq has cost $450 billion to date

    Nobel Laureate American Economist Joseph Stiglitz (Harvard) puts the cost of the war/occupation/corporate theft at 2.2 TRILLION Dollars when factoring in all future costs.

    “The study, which expanded on traditional estimates by including such costs as lifetime disability and healthcare for troops injured in the conflict as well as the impact on the American economy, concluded that the US government is continuing to underestimate the cost of the war.”

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1681119,00.html


  68. Mr. President © says:

    By the way, my tube sock don’t know sheet. When I’m posing as CT V1 I wear a little bonnet.

    A little bonnnnNNNeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


  69. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    Death to all people who aren’t White, Straight, wealthy, Married, Christians!


  70. RUCerious says:

    ace ~ I do read your posts, so could you spend a couple minutes updating them? I’d appreciate it. And so would your cred.


  71. Ringo says:

    ace,

    You don’t sleep well do you?


  72. RUCerious says:

    veritas, see ya at Americablog? KOS?


  73. Ringo says:

    TP has abandoned it’s blog to the trolls. C&L, here I come.

    Comment by Marcus Aurelius
    ————————————————————-

    Don’t call me a troll, I’m an insurgent!


  74. Ima Hogg says:

    FREE SAUSAGES FOR ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    WAR, SCHMAWR!!!!!!!!


  75. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    FREE SAUSAGES FOR ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    WAR, SCHMAWR!!!!!!!!

    Comment by Ima Hogg

    Would those be FREEDOM SAUSAGES??


  76. Adult Diaper Parties Inc. says:

    We’ve reached our GOP limit for membership.

    Sorry for the inconvenience.

    Please change party affiliation to continue loggin‘ in.


  77. Namtillaku says:

    Thank God, I mean really, thank God that we’re spending all this money. Since we have no use for it domestically, or internationally for that matter, it’s nice to see it going to a good cause; killing people. There’s nothing I like better than to spend some money in order to see people die. No matter the cause, I don’t even know what the cause is, I just like to see me some people dying. God in heaven, hear my prayers, please lord help us to stay in Iraq so more people will die.


  78. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    If I reregister, do I have to give back the Freedom sausages?


  79. Mr.President© says:

    Look, I copyrighted my name.


  80. Namtillaku says:

    Jesus H. Christ Ace, can’t you post this on some tin foil hat page, I mean really WTF? Your posts hijack threats better than these republicans trolls – grats!


  81. RUCerious says:

    Comment by ace — July 19, 2007
    Good post, I remember the article.
    It got wide dissemination, then the fraud was discovered, and the retractions came out on page 23, right after the dog food ads.


  82. RUCerious says:

    Ace, namtillaku has a point here.
    Sometimes less is better.


  83. Daryll says:

    This is one of the sacrfices that must be made to bring liberation to Iraq. Libs, war is not free. Do you libs truly understnad why we are in Iraq?


  84. ace says:

    #

    Comment by ace — July 19, 2007
    Good post, I remember the article.
    It got wide dissemination, then the fraud was discovered, and the retractions came out on page 23, right after the dog food ads.

    Comment by RUCerious — July 19, 2007 @ 6:58 pm
    #

    LOL…good one.


  85. ace says:

    #

    Ace, namtillaku has a point here.
    Sometimes less is better.

    Comment by RUCerious — July 19, 2007 @ 6:59 pm

    I just though I’d see how it looked to have a thread full of facts and links instead of one guy talking to himself under a dozen names…about sausage.


  86. upside00 says:

    #101 This is one of the sacrfices that must be made to bring liberation to Iraq. Libs, war is not free. Do you libs truly understnad why we are in Iraq?

    Comment by Daryll

    Yea, Daryll, tell us again why YOU are in Iraq? I gotta hear this!


  87. RUCerious says:

    Well, well, if it isn’t our resident godboy. One of the sacrifices?
    Why are we not liberating North Korea? I understnad (sic) they just discovered the world’s largest oil reserves under North Korea!


  88. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    This is one of the sacrfices that must be made to bring liberation to Iraq. Libs, war is not free. Do you libs truly understnad why we are in Iraq?

    Comment by Daryll

    RIGHT! Why can’t you libtunes get it? JESUS WANTS BOMBS TO FREE IRAQ!

    That’s how freedom is made…BOMBS! of course. DEATH DEATH DEATH

    equals a FREE IRAQ! WE know what is best for them. Jesus said it!


  89. Namtillaku says:

    Ace, namtillaku has a point here.
    Sometimes less is better.

    Comment by RUCerious — July 19, 2007 @ 6:59

    I know that. That in fact is MY point, he’s preaching to the converted. I doubt a single person will have their mind changed by his spam.


  90. ace says:

    #

    This is one of the sacrfices that must be made to bring liberation to Iraq. Libs, war is not free. Do you libs truly understnad why we are in Iraq?

    Comment by Daryll — July 19, 2007 @ 6:59 pm

    I S R A E L


  91. Namtillaku says:

    Oops – misread your post RU


  92. Candyce says:

    #29 Can you do the same thing for the 3,000 who died on 9/11? Thanks to Clinton and the left’s lack of interest in defending America?

    Comment by Frank J

    Kinda like Bush’s interest in the memo? You know, the one that said we were going to be attacked? Can’t be interrupting the Boy Genius’ brush clearing, can we?


  93. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    I S R A E L

    Comment by ace

    uh oh. now hes done it. only took him 6 paste-up jobs this time.


  94. Candyce says:

    This is one of the sacrfices that must be made to bring liberation to Iraq. Libs, war is not free. Do you libs truly understnad why we are in Iraq?

    Comment by Daryll

    Sure. Here are 3 reasons why we are there.

    Oil.
    Oil.
    Oil.


  95. ace says:

    I know that. That in fact is MY point, he’s preaching to the converted. I doubt a single person will have their mind changed by his spam.

    Comment by Namtillaku — July 19, 2007 @ 7:03 pm

    You likely noticed that in recent days, many good people have simply given up on this forum in disgust, as TP clearly knows that one or two people are here jamming up these under twenty different names.

    Good people have already left.

    I’m at least trying SOMETHING, ANYTHING to draw attention to the fact that TP is not only allowing their blog to be used to drive away the best and the brightest Progressive thinkers, they are apparently condoning it…which begs the question…who funds this purported movement?

    It’s not advertiser supported, so who funds it, and why are they determined to ruin it as a place where thruth-seekers can share information?


  96. Raven says:

    C’mon Daryll, give us a little more than just a one post fly by, please?
    We’re close to nausea from Mr. P(P)….
    Can you humor us for a bit?
    God bless ya’, ol’ buddy, ol’ pal………….


  97. Keith G. says:

    #76, Larry from C , is right except Stiglitz and Bilmes said since their study was done a year ago the fighting has increased instead of winding down as they expected—-so it will be more expensive.

    And it is not being paid for. It is just piled on the debt. The twelve years of tax breaks for the rich was never paid for under Reagan and Bush, either—they took the debt from $0.9 trillion (first 200 years) to $4.1 trillion.

    Someone in the future will have to pay for it—you, your children, and your grandchildren. Or the IMF will just take us over like they did Brazil.


  98. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    Oil.
    Oil.
    Oil.

    Comment by Candyce

    Are you kidding me?

    it’s Democracy and Freedom and Jesus!! They either take our Democracy-Jesus-Freedom or we blow them up!! then they’ll be better off…like we are.


  99. Mr.President © says:

    You spend $ 450 billion and what do you get, another year older and deeper in debt.


  100. Just give me Chimpy McHitler says:

    ace, who on either side has the time to read such copy and paste?


  101. RUCerious says:

    Raven ~
    Your post is hellarious!
    Then I thought, jeez, isn’t that pathetic, that we are reduced to asking for more jeebus spew from St D…!!


  102. Candyce says:

    Yes, Daryll, please come back and tell us about your sacrifice when it comes to funding this debacle. Oh wait, that’s right. You aren’t. None of us are. It’s added on to the debt so our children and grandchildren, people not even born yet, can pay for it.


  103. The Republic of Stupidity says:

    Problem solved.

    Comment by Ringo

    Shut Ringo up…

    Even bigger problem solved.

    (Psss… Ringo… Mr P is looking for you…)


  104. Mr. Vice President says:

    The Dems really can’t complain about the cost of the war, because they just recently voted to extend the funding of it. They don’t have the balls to cut off the funding.


  105. Larry from C says:

    #115 Keith…and its all being done INTENTIONALLY. The neo-cons want to completely totally BANKRUPT the country. Neo-conservative Grover Norquist has said he wants to shrink the budget down so small…”down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub”.

    All social programs will be cut from the budget. Can’t afford ‘em anymore. Whatever remains will be spent on the military. They obviously have many more wars planned. And tax cuts. Don’t say you weren’t warned.


  106. krazny says:

    I don’t tend to post much, because the threads tend to be so over run by troll droppings. It is the reason I would like TP to move to a register system, not to censor, but to make it easier to eject those who aren’t interested in an actual conversation.


  107. r says:

    #120

    Nice thing about National Debt – nobody really has to pay for it.


  108. Mr.President © says:

    The hell with spending money on our infrastructure. New Yorkers can handle a few antiquated steam pipes blowing up.


  109. Raven says:

    pathetic indeed.


  110. Mr. Vice President says:

    “It is the reason I would like TP to move to a register system”

    I would just register with the site and keep posting. Besides, TP is nonpartisan. Think Progress means to enact conservative programs.


  111. Mr. Vice President says:

    How’s everybody’s stock account look?

    Dow 14000


  112. Mr. Vice President says:

    “The neo-cons want to completely totally BANKRUPT the country.”

    Actually the economy has never been so good. You say this on a day the Dow hit 14000? Talk about bad timing, honey.


  113. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    God Bless the Investment Class!!

    When they make money, they go and buy stuff and then the poor people wait on them at the celebration dinner and they get the tips!!

    It’s so simple. The housing market slump and the stagnate wage structure and the rising costs of intrest and the new bankruptcy laws are all there to show this is THE BEST ECCONOMY EVER! for investors.


  114. veritas says:

    Larry from C: Thanks for the numbers. I’ve just sent them to about 500 friends who will send them to their friends so the phones will be ringing off the hook.


  115. Keith G. says:

    And don’t believe them when they say we spend $500b each year on our military. That is only the Pentagon budget. It comes to $934 billion when you total that with military spending in other budgets.
    $16.6 b atomic weapons D of Energy
    $25.3 b State foreign military aid
    $69.8 b VA wounded
    $69.1 b Homeland Security
    $38.5 b Treasury military retirements
    $7.6 b NASA military satellites
    $206.7 b interest on war debts


  116. Nothing Matters says:

    That’s what no one is talking about. The economy is so good freekin’ good the debt doesn’t matter. Foreign investment – even the war spending – doesn’t matter.

    Productivity gains always overcome the shortfall. It never fails.


  117. Mr. Vice President says:

    “The housing market slump and the stagnate wage structure and the rising costs of intrest”

    Home ownership, wages and interest rates are all better now than under Bill Clinton.

    Eat it.


  118. veritas says:

    Lemesee now….China owns about 35% of our national debt right now…which means….$$$$. Now if they were to call it due and payable right now, then…?? Do not underestimate China. Do not underestimate the power this gives them over us right now.


  119. Mr. Vice President says:

    “That is only the Pentagon budget. It comes to $934 billion when you total that with military spending in other budgets.”

    Dems haven’t done anything about this. They just voted to extend funding for the war in Iraq.

    The Dem congress with only a 14% approval rating.


  120. veritas says:

    #134 What if you were to suddenly discover that the economic indicators are being compromised to provide appearances of affluence? What if??


  121. veritas says:

    and war profiteering has never been more lucrative. Maybe we should all get into it?


  122. Daryll says:

    I may not be in Iraq, but I am proud to say that I am a government contractor (consultant) who assist in protecting our soil and preserving freedom. I am a civlian soldier. Also, why do you libs support terrorism?


  123. Keith G. says:

    If that’s all you care about, the stock market went up 350% under Clinton. W took it from 10,700 down to 7,500 and now he is wonderful because it is 14,000? The bottom 50% of Americans own practically zero in stocks.


  124. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    Productivity gains always overcome the shortfall. It never fails.

    Comment by Nothing Matters

    See? heres a smart guy!

    Productivity gains, now that they are allowed to factor in the outsourced manufacturing from overseas, is making this country great!

    Forget about the layoffs and the factories that are shut down and the entire towns that are on unemployment,

    These are the “Birth Pangs of a New Mid-West”! Soon all manufactring jobs will be low skill – low wage, no benifit OPPORTUNITY for profit!

    And just think about how well the MARKET will do then!!!

    uhhhuhhhuhhh I think I just had some movement.


  125. veritas says:

    Ace: Cash & coke to columbia and florida make for some primo dinero. And that’s just what we “know”…imagine what we “don’t know”.


  126. Mr. Vice President says:

    “and war profiteering has never been more lucrative. Maybe we should all get into it?”

    The Dems certainly haven’t cut any military spending.


  127. veritas says:

    If Darryl is a contractor, I’ll eat this keyboard. hah!


  128. Keith G. says:

    There is a mountain of evidence that Republicans support terrorism and not liberals.


  129. veritas says:

    Nice try, Darryl troll. We know you here on these threads and realize that you’re a total charlatan. (go look that one up – I’m sure you’ll have to).


  130. Mr. Vice President says:

    “the stock market went up 350% under Clinton.”

    It also came crashing down like a house of cards under Clinton and people lost their entire life savings.


  131. upside00 says:

    #139 Veritas -

    Take the energy profits out (artifical price increases due to the war), all the profits from Halliburton and other contractors and military businesses, then check the results. Will look a bit different. And all the trolls here who tout the war probably are making money off those companies too! Sick perverted opportunists… just like their BushCo heroes in the WH.


  132. Mr. Vice President says:

    “There is a mountain of evidence that Republicans support terrorism and not liberals.”

    What has this dem congress done to combat terrorism?


  133. Raven says:

    “I am a civlian soldier”
    Comment by Daryll — July 19, 2007

    Is that like an onward christian soldier?


  134. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    I may not be in Iraq, but I am proud to say that I am a government contractor (consultant) who assist in protecting our soil and preserving freedom. I am a civlian soldier. Also, why do you libs support terrorism?

    Comment by Daryll

    RIGHT! by typing this enlightening Truthiness on his keyboard, and working as a w-9 employee with no benifits, Daryll is doing the good work of the brave soldiers; helping them to stay in that Godless place…

    For America!

    God Bless you and your bravery Daryll.


  135. veritas says:

    Don’t respond to anything Darryl spews. He’s Jake, Mr. Pee, and an entire menagerie of schizoid monikers. Same schiz – many monikers. Freeze him out and see who pops up next….Mr. Pee maybe?? or will it be Jake this time? We’ll spot him the moment he enters the thread.


  136. veritas says:

    #113 Ace: Perhaps that’s the “plan” here?


  137. Ret. Col. Jack Ripper says:

    Members of the Bush cult-of-death weigh in on spending $550 Billion on Bush’s folly:

    Ringo: “Get rid of the Deptartment of Education, the Department of Housing & Urban Development and NEA and use the money to pay for the war.
    Problem solved.”

    Frank J: “Money well spent.”

    If you are part of a cult of death, you’d much rather see us spend blood and money on a useless folly than protect your fellow citizens from terrorism. For a small fraction of that money we could have equipped every port in the country with state-of-the-art nuclear and chemical screening systems, put armed air marshals and anti-missle technology on every commercial jet, hired thousands of arabic language translators, placed hundreds of intelligence operatives in strategic locations around the world, checked every container on every ship entering the country, shored up the security apparatus at all nuclear and chemical facilities and beefed up our special forces for surgical strikes anywhere we could find al Qaeda training camps.


  138. Mr. Vice President says:

    Knute from 3DHS.


  139. Keith G. says:

    Wages have gone DOWN under Bush when adjusted for inflation. The first time that has happened since The Great Depression caused by twelve years of Republican rule. Clinton created 22 million jobs. Bush 5 million (mostly below poverty line).


  140. Raven says:

    and, oh, it’s civilian


  141. Nothing Matters says:

    Notice all the trolls are ecstatic about the economy and all the libs are sulking pessimists. MARK MY WORDS – when and if the economy takes a crap, the libs will be dancing in the streets. “Yaaah! The rich are only half as rich – oh, and I don’t have a dime, dang”. Dance ends with a shrug.


  142. veritas says:

    Keith G: And another Bush Depression is right around the corner. The market is being artificially propped up. Once people realize it, they’ll all pull their money out at once and it will go boom. Too bad, too sad.


  143. Raven says:

    Don’t respond to anything Darryl spews

    OK!


  144. Candyce says:

    What has this dem congress done to combat terrorism?

    Comment by Mr. Vice President

    What has this president done to combat terrorism? That’s the real question.


  145. veritas says:

    #160 not quite! Get over yourself. It looks like you’re heading for a Big O right now yourself. Get a grip or go rent a room. You’re out of your league here, fool.


  146. Nat says:

    What has this dem congress done to combat terrorism?
    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 7:33 pm

    The Congress doesn’t combat terrorism; law enforcement and intelligence agencies do that.


  147. Mr. Vice President says:

    “Wages have gone DOWN under Bush when adjusted for inflation.”

    Hiring, wages up in good sign for economy
    By JEANNINE AVERSA, Associated Press

    Posted Saturday, July 7, 2007
    WASHINGTON — Employers boosted payrolls by a better-than-expected 132,000 jobs in June, enough to keep the unemployment rate at a relatively low 4.5 percent. It was another sign that the economy is snapping out of a nearly yearlong sluggish spell.

    The latest picture of the nation’s employment climate, released by the Labor Department on Friday, also showed that workers saw solid gains in their wages last month.


  148. veritas says:

    #160 In your “netherworld” and in your dreams you’d love to believe that liberals are anything like you. In reality, we’re so far evolved that we don’t even recognize you as a life form.


  149. veritas says:

    upside00: This is fiscally impossible for these trolls who are so myopic that they probably can’t tie their shoes no less multi-task and decipher the scope of the issue. Most of what I see on these threads leads me to the fact that they are probably at the “amoebic stage” of development.


  150. Mr. Vice President says:

    “What has this president done to combat terrorism? That’s the real question.”

    We can talk about the president in a second. But for now, what have the Dems in congress done?


  151. RUCerious says:

    veritas #134
    Ding Ding Ding!!!
    China has all the leverage at this point.
    What are we gonna do, stop buying the cheap products made there?
    Doubt it.
    Come to think of it, when was the last time you heard about the trade deficit numbers/?? Didn’t they used to report on them regularly, like monthly??


  152. Keith G. says:

    The topic was SUPPORTING terrorism and the evidence is so vast that it was done by Reagan, GHWBush, Casey, North, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Pakistani Intelligence, CIA, and this latest invasion and occupation. I really don’t have the 100 hours needed to begin to explain it to you.

    Kerry prosecuted Iran-Contra and BCCI. BCCI was a major funder in W’s Harken Energy Corp.


  153. Nat says:

    What has this president done to combat terrorism? That’s the real question.
    Comment by Candyce — July 19, 2007 @ 7:37 pm

    Increased the number of terrorists.


  154. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    “Yaaah! The rich are only half as rich – oh, and I don’t have a dime, dang”. Dance ends with a shrug.

    Comment by Nothing Matters

    You tell ‘em! Those libs think about “fairness” and “empathy” and “human rights” and “blessed are the meek…” and “blessed are the poor….” and that stupid crap!!!

    They don’t see the REAL picture! The Rich are better and smarter and more deserving that the poor! And after all, that’s what our country was FOUNDED on…Jesus and MAMMON!


  155. veritas says:

    which is precisely why we shouldn’t engage them – how can a one-celled creature possible interact with a highly evolved life form? Not possible. Freeze the trolls – they along with their pus-filled warts will vanish immediately.


  156. Ret. Col. Jack Ripper says:

    Phony Mr. Vice President: “Actually the economy has never been so good. You say this on a day the Dow hit 14000? Talk about bad timing, honey.”

    Since 96% of all equity is held by less than 5% of the American public, how does the Dow hitting 14,000 help the average American citizen?

    Phony Mr. vice President: “Home ownership, wages and interest rates are all better now than under Bill Clinton.
    Eat it.”

    According to Businessweek Magazine, wages have been stagnant or have been decreasing for the vast majority of American workers now for 6 years, so I’m not sure where you got your info. And, if you’ll check, I think you’ll find that the average prime rate in the 90’s under Clinton was actually less than it is today. Now, it’s true that Greenspan raised rates about 14 times in the months running up to the 2000 election, but that was clearly a political move designed to help Bush win.

    Phony Mr. Vice President: “The Dem congress with only a 14% approval rating.”

    First, you are a little out of date. Current approval ratings are in the mid-twenties. Secondly, when asked which party’s candidate they will vote for in the next election for congress, 58% say the Democrat and 26% say the Repub…

    You eat it, a-hole!


  157. RUCerious says:

    “Employers boosted payrolls by a better-than-expected 132,000 jobs in June”
    And that barely keeps up with the population increase.
    And howza bout those folks who have given up looking? Oh, right, they’re not counted, are they.
    Hmm.


  158. upside00 says:

    #163 What has this president done to combat terrorism? That’s the real question.

    Comment by Candyce

    He has supported keeping OBL alive, he has recruited more Al Quida insurgents than anyone else in the world, he has brought the disrespect of the rest of the world to our doorstep and ran up the largest debt in the history of the world.

    Overall, a great legacy, wouldn’t you say?


  159. gummitch says:

    It also came crashing down like a house of cards under Clinton and people lost their entire life savings.

    Comment by Mr. Vice President

    Savings… hmmm, savings. Why does that look so familiar? Oh, right. Savings and loan. As in the savings & loans crisis of the 1980s under the Reagan administration. And Neil Bush and Silverado, which buyout cost the taxpayers $1.6 BILLION. Good old Republic administration of the country.

    Or maybe you were talking about “savings” as in the American rate of savings at negative 0.5%.

    Or perhaps you meant to say DEBT. As in the national debt.

    It is dynamic rather than static, so instead of a number:
    http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

    Or maybe you mean DEFICIT. You know, the one that erased the national surplus created under Clinton?

    http://tinyurl.com/3bu9s9


  160. veritas says:

    RU: Not only are they skewing the numbers, they’re not even presenting them any longer out of sheer embarrassment. Sure, China owns this country and it’s almost a done deal now. By the time we exit Iraq, they will wholly own us. Handwriting is on the wall. and it says something like this: Bush’s Infamous Legacy – The total destruction of the United States of America.

    The “uniter” turned out to be a lying hypocrite and divided this country beyond recognition. We’re sure to be finished in the next decade or so – fiscally and rep wise. Third world country is what I hear when I travel internationally.


  161. r says:

    Do ya’ll really not invest in the stock market or what?

    My Dem in-laws (olds) live on social security only.

    My Rep parents (also olds) live on ss plus middle class life long savings in the stock market.

    It’s easy to see who has it easier.

    Neither is better people, one just invested better.


  162. Nat says:

    132,000 jobs in June, enough to keep the unemployment rate at a relatively low 4.5 percent. It was another sign that the economy is snapping out of a nearly yearlong sluggish spell.
    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 7:39 pm

    I don’t think this is going to help the president at all.


  163. Ret. Col. Jack Ripper says:

    Phony Mr. Vice President: “Employers boosted payrolls by a better-than-expected 132,000 jobs in June…”

    You have to add about 140,000 to 150,000 a month just to keep up with population, dumbass. 132K is a net loss. Question for you, dumbass: how many months during Clinton’s terms exhibited job growth like this? Answer: None. Clinton added more jobs than this every month of his 8 years in office.


  164. veritas says:

    Let’s face facts: Bush inherited a 7 billion dollar “surplus” – hear that word, trollturds?? 7 Billion dollar surplus….where are we now?? Beyond belief, that’s where. Since you love to bring Clinton into every discussion, come one….I double dare you to contrast Clinton and the riches of this country during and immediately after his administration…come on whimps….where’s your Clinton talk now??

    Mute…mum….that’s where you are. Back to your sewer slime. You know the facts and fortunately so do the american people. Crimes will be paid for in this country when the Dem takes the presidency – of that I am certain.


  165. Keith G. says:

    #166 another example of W taking it to the depths and bringing it up a little bit, then patting hisself for a wonderful job. Clinton inherited unemployment of 7.8% and progressively took it down to 3.9%.

    W inherits 3.9%, takes it to 6.7%, then down to 4.5%, then says what a wonderful job he has done. Clinton 22 million jobs, W 5 million. Under w, a loss in income when adjusted for inflation. First time that has happened since the Great Depression.

    Clinton goes from record deficits to record surpluses. W from those record surpluses to new record deficits.

    But the topic is how is he going to pay the $2.2 Trillion for his counter-productive war. The one that has killed one million people and boosted terrorism.


  166. veritas says:

    I think we need to immediately change this thread to “The Clinton Years of Prosperity and Fiscal Responsibility”, don’t you?? Let’s go trolltards. Get on your leotards and dance. We’re waiting.


  167. Candyce says:

    Overall, a great legacy, wouldn’t you say?

    Comment by upside00

    Splendid. Let’s not forget his close relationship with the dictator Musharraf, the guy who cut a deal with Osama with Bush’s blessing. And our tax dollars.


  168. Raven says:

    “…Notice all the trolls are ecstatic about the economy and all the libs are sulking pessimists.”
    Comment by Nothing Matters — July 19, 2007

    It is a false and unsustainable economy, and that is what we are (realistically) pessimistic about.
    It isn’t real, and we are sensible, intelligent, and intuitive enough to understand its inevitable collapse.

    And yes, I will dance in the streets.
    I have a dime now, and I’ll have one then. I’ll also know how to grow food and make my tools.

    You have a dollar now, and you’ll have nothing then.
    So you’ll try to take my food and tools, and I’ll have to start making weapons to protect my family and myself.

    Fool


  169. (not a troll) tnediserP .rM(really) says:

    Comment by r

    are you kidding? Are you actually incapable of understanding that 80% of the American population don’t have resources after paying bills to invest in stock market?

    or is it easier to think that they did it to themselves? Like the old “homelss man millionaire” cop out.


  170. Ret. Col. Jack Ripper says:

    Poverty rates declined every year for Clinton’s 8 years in office. Poverty rates have been increasing for 6 straight years now.


  171. veritas says:

    Keith – there’s no comparison. What Bush has done to this country is criminal in every way. And this area of fiscal irresponsibility is just one black mark against this man among a sea of others.

    Keep talking about how great this country was under Bill Clinton ad nauseum. Keep the trolls mute. That’s where they function best….amoebas – all of them. And that’s probably a compliment to what they really are.

    catch you later, TP friends! Keep up the Clinton talk…..


  172. veritas says:

    Candyce: Sorry, didn’t see you – and Raven, too. Later gators! Chew ‘em up~!


  173. Nat says:

    My Rep parents (also olds) live on ss plus middle class life long savings in the stock market.
    Comment by r — July 19, 2007 @ 7:45 pm

    My grandparents live on SS and a union pension and they’re doing pretty well. This is what every American should have when they retire.


  174. Badger says:

    Al Qaeda uses suicide bombers, but it’s main weapon is Bankruptcy. Bin Laden thinks he took down the Soviet Union by bankrupting them in Afghanistan….and he is using the same strategy against America.
    Knocking down buildings will not bring down America…but self inflicted Bankruptcy just might.


  175. Ret. Col. Jack Ripper says:

    Economics for the Bush-worshipper:

    Poverty rates going up – not Bush’s fault.

    Wages in decline or stagnant – not Bush’s fault.

    Balance of trade at record highs – not Bush’s fault.

    Dollar at historic weakness – not Bush’s fault.

    Record deficit and debt – not Bush’s fault.

    Dow hits 14,000 – Bush is a great leader!


  176. UcantBCerious says:

    #170
    China has all the leverage at this point.
    What are we gonna do, stop buying the cheap products made there?
    Doubt it.
    Come to think of it, when was the last time you heard about the trade deficit numbers/?? Didn’t they used to report on them regularly, like monthly??
    Comment by RUCerious — July 19, 2007 @ 7:41 pm

    China has NO LEVERAGE.

    No, we are not going to stop buying their cheap products. For one thing if we did, millions (or hundreds of millions) of them would starve. So I consider it humanitarian aid whenever I get a new power tool.

    The other thing is we give them pictures of Ben Franklin (or better yet-electronic credit), and they give us tools and steel and Barbie dolls for our kids.

    Which would you rather have?


  177. Bob says:

    Clinton also did a much better job at fighting domestic terrorism.


  178. Keith G. says:

    If Repubs had their way, there would be no Social Security, Medicare, public schools, public universities, women’s suffrage, minimum wage, public libraries, etc.


  179. Ret. Col. Jack Ripper says:

    In 1980, we were the world’s strongest creditor nation. Today, after 27 years of modern conservative policies, we are the world’s biggest debtor nation. Congradulations, conservatives! You’ve shit all over us!


  180. Mr. Vice President says:

    “Under w, a loss in income when adjusted for inflation.” -KeithG

    released by the Labor Department on Friday, also showed that workers saw solid gains in their wages last month.


  181. Silence Dogood says:

    EXXON SHOULD BE NATIONALIZED AND LIQUIDATED TO PAY FOR THIS OIL GRAB. THROW NEWSCORP IN THE GRINDER TOO.


  182. Raven says:

    “No, we are not going to stop buying their cheap products. For one thing if we did, millions (or hundreds of millions) of them would starve. So I consider it humanitarian aid whenever I get a new power tool.

    The other thing is we give them pictures of Ben Franklin (or better yet-electronic credit), and they give us tools and steel and Barbie dolls for our kids.

    Which would you rather have?

    Comment by UcantBCerious ”

    LOL
    What I would like to have isn’t on your wish list,
    you may just rather have another drink or 5…..


  183. Keith G. says:

    Read Richard Clarke’s book. He was head of counter-terrorism under GHWB, Clinton, and GWB. He said Clinton did much and W did absolutely nothing.

    When Clinton sent the cruise missles at the AQ training camps in Afghanistan, every Republican in the US squealed ” Wag the Dog–you’re trying to distract us from Monica”.


  184. Ret. Col. Jack Ripper says:

    UcantBCerious: “Which would you rather have?”

    I’d rather not have a situation where China is holding trillions in treasury bills and could bankrupt our entire economy any time it chooses. Why do you think the dollar has never been weaker, dumbass? Corporatists have destroyed our ability to manufacture things and China has got us by the balls. Wise up!


  185. Nat says:

    released by the Labor Department on Friday, also showed that workers saw solid gains in their wages last month.
    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 7:58 pm

    What do they mean by solid gains? An extra five bucks a week?


  186. Mr. Vice President says:

    “Current approval ratings are in the mid-twenties.” Col. Ripper

    Today’s Zogby poll has only 14% of Americans giving the Dem congress positive marks.


  187. Mr.President © (not!) says:

    Keep Ripping em up, Colonel. We salute you.


  188. Keith G. says:

    #199

    I am not talking about ONE MONTH under W!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Compare his entire 6 1/2 years to Clinton’s eight years. That is the only fair comparison.


  189. Mr. Vice President says:

    Looks like the Colonel is ripping me a new one.


  190. Mr. Vice President says:

    “Clinton added more jobs than this every month of his 8 years in office.”

    The unemployment rate now is lower than it was on average for all of the 90’s.


  191. Mr. Vice President says:

    209: Because more people have given up looking for work.


  192. Mr. Vice President says:

    Keith G., wages went up last month, when you said they went down.


  193. Mr. Vice President says:

    209: Yeah, if you think flipping burgers is a job.


  194. Mr. Vice President says:

    “209: Because more people have given up looking for work.”

    These are the same statistics used as during the Clinton years. The unemployment rate now is lower than it was for the average of all of the 90’s.


  195. Mr. Vice President says:

    “209: Yeah, if you think flipping burgers is a job.”

    It’s better than handing them welfare, like you want to do.


  196. Nothing matters says:

    #187
    It is a false and unsustainable economy, and that is what we are (realistically) pessimistic about. It isn’t real, and we are sensible, intelligent, and intuitive enough to understand its inevitable collapse.
    You provide no date, because there is none, so I won’t argue. But if there’s an inevitable collapse, I don’t believe it will be in our lifetimes. Don’t be a pessimist. Live a little.
    You said: “And yes, I will dance in the streets.
    I have a dime now, and I’ll have one then. I’ll also know how to grow food and make my tools.”
    Well, I have guns and dogs – so I don’t need your food or tools, apocalyptically speaking. And I promise not to take any of your veggies or rakes.
    And I’m no ones Fool


  197. Keith G. says:

    Today’s Zogby poll has only 14% of Americans giving the Dem congress positive marks.
    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:01 pm

    That’s all of Congress–not Dems in Congress. Since the Dems don’t have the super-majority to get past the filibuster or over Bush’s veto, it cannot do what the people want.

    Or, you could say it is because the American people are to the left of Dems in Congress. 71% of the American people want ALL troops out of Iraq by April 1, 2008. That’s to the left of Democratic leadership in Congress. About 70 of American people are in favor of government-run universal healthcare. That’s to the left of Dem leadership.


  198. Raven says:

    Well, I have guns and dogs – so I don’t need your food or tools, apocalyptically speaking. And I promise not to take any of your veggies or rakes.
    And I’m no ones Fool

    Comment by Nothing matters

    So what are you going to do, chase wild animals with your guns and dogs?
    If not, then you have guns and dogs because you are afraid, and the fear will devour you.

    You are your own fool.


  199. Mr. Vice President says:

    “Compare his entire 6 1/2 years to Clinton’s eight years.”

    Bush inheritied the Clinton recession.


  200. mikey r says:

    The unemployment rate now is lower than it was for the average of all of the 90’s.

    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:08 pm

    I like how Mr. Vice President © insist on using “the average for ALL of the 90s” in order to drag down Clinton’s performance. In other words, he’s including the doldrums of the FIRST Bush adminsitration and its REpublican-spawned recession to make the economy’s performance under Clinton look worse than it actually is.

    He’s also comparing a single point in time (”now”) to an AVERAGE from an entire decade. You only do that when your argument can’t stack up to an apples-to-apples comparison.

    Good use of troll tactics, Mr. V Pee.


  201. Mr. Vice President says:

    “That’s all of Congress–not Dems in Congress.”

    The Dems have the majority. They have the power now.


  202. Egreggious says:

    The Dems have the majority. They have the power now.

    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:14 pm

    As we saw in this week’s filibuster.


  203. Keith G. says:

    Keith G., wages went up last month, when you said they went down.
    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:06 pm

    Further proof that you cannot read.

    I am not talking about ONE MONTH under W!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Compare his entire 6 1/2 years to Clinton’s eight years. That is the only fair comparison.

    Comment by Keith G. — July 19, 2007 @ 8:03 pm


  204. Nothing matters says:

    Not to put too fine a point on it, but the dogs are good for hunting, as long as their good, then two go out, one comes back.


  205. Mr. Vice President says:

    “Compare his entire 6 1/2 years to Clinton’s eight years. That is the only fair comparison.”

    Bush inherited the Clinton recession.


  206. Nothing matters says:

    Yeh, maybe they come back without me. Good joke.


  207. mikey r says:

    Bush inheritied the Clinton recession.

    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:13 pm

    Another LIE.

    The Bush recession began in March 2001. It lasted one quarter. Bush’s tax cuts hadn’t even taken effect yet.

    interesting that, while campaigning against a strong economy, Bush touted tax cuts as “your money — the government took too much in taxes”. Then as soon as the recession hit, it was “tax cuts to stimulate the economy”. Two different economies, yet somehow “tax cuts” was the magical one-size-fits-all solution.

    Maybe that’s why Bush inherited a record surplus and took it to a record deficit in a couple of years.


  208. Keith G. says:

    The average unemployment rate of the 90’s includes the great heights of GHWB that Clinton inherited. That is spin to make GWB sound better than Clinton.

    In #184 I said:

    Clinton inherited unemployment of 7.8% and progressively took it down to 3.9%.

    W inherits 3.9%, takes it to 6.7%, then down to 4.5%, then says what a wonderful job he has done.


  209. Mr. Vice President says:

    “The Bush recession began in March 2001. It lasted one quarter. Bush’s tax cuts hadn’t even taken effect yet.”

    The recession hit before Bush had the chance to submit his first budget. This was Clinton’s budget.

    This recession was inherited from Bill Clinton.


  210. Candyce says:

    Harris poll of 7/9 gives Democrats in Congress a 31% favorable; Republicans get 21%.

    The Zogby poll is indicative of people frustrated with Congress overall.


  211. Keith G. says:

    The recession in the Spring of 2001 was about the smallest in the history of the country and it took W forever to get out of it. Compare that to the economy and the massive deficits that Clinton inherited from GHWB and what he did with them.


  212. Mr. Vice President says:

    “W inherits 3.9%, takes it to 6.7%, then down to 4.5%”

    9/11 brought it to 6.7%. Bush’s tax cuts brought it back down to a number that is lower than an average of all of the 90’s under Clinton.


  213. Mr. Vice President says:

    “The recession in the Spring of 2001 was about the smallest in the history of the country and it took W forever to get out of it.”

    You act as if 9/11 never happened.


  214. Mr. Vice President says:

    “The Zogby poll is indicative of people frustrated with Congress overall.”

    Nice spin. But the Dems hold the majority.


  215. Keith G. says:

    I just explained to you how they do not have the power because of the 60 votes needed to end filibuster and the 2/3 rds needed to overcome the veto. Boy you are dense!!!


  216. Raven says:

    “Not to put too fine a point on it, but the dogs are good for hunting, as long as their good, then two go out, one comes back.”

    Comment by Nothing matters

    LOL That is the problem with hounds, isn’t it?
    Their brians are connected to their noses, and little else, they have a bad habit of getting to far ahead of the hunter, and run into problems, like cedar swamps, and cliffs, and icy rivers.
    Not that I’m complaining, it’s pretty good pickings for me after the coyotes leave……..;)


  217. Keith G. says:

    Why did W allow 9/11 to happen?

    Clinton didn’t!!!!!


  218. Mr. Vice President says:

    “I just explained to you how they do not have the power because of the 60 votes needed to end filibuster and the 2/3 rds needed to overcome the veto.”

    They do have the power. They could employ the nucluar option. You are dense.


  219. Candyce says:

    Nice spin. But the Dems hold the majority.

    Comment by Mr. Vice President

    Nice try, but I notice you ignored the party preference numbers.


  220. Mr. Vice President says:

    Why did W allow 9/11 to happen?

    Clinton didn’t!!!!!

    ———-

    The training and preparation of 9/11 occured on the last 3 years of Clinton’s watch.


  221. Candyce says:

    Why did W allow 9/11 to happen?

    Comment by Keith G.

    What? And disrupt his 30 day vacation?


  222. Mr. Vice President says:

    “Nice try, but I notice you ignored the party preference numbers.”

    Zogby’s poll is newer.


  223. Nothing matters says:

    #203

    China has got us by the balls?

    How could this be true. Let’s say China called up on Tuesday and said “Give us what you owe us”. We wouldn’t do it. First of all the debt is spread out over decades

    If they try and cheat on the deal we send 6 or 8 aircraft carriers over to the North China sea, just so they understand.

    How do they have us by the balls?


  224. Gus Smith says:

    Get rid of the Deptartment of Education, the Department of Housing & Urban Development and NEA and use the money to pay for the war.

    Problem solved.

    Comment by Ringo

    Hey, Ringo you most of all need the “Deptartment of Education


  225. Candyce says:

    Zogby’s poll is newer.

    Comment by Mr. Vice President

    8 days.


  226. Mr. Vice President says:

    Why did W allow 9/11 to happen?

    Comment by Keith G.

    What? And disrupt his 30 day vacation?

    Comment by Candyce — July 19, 2007 @ 8:27 pm

    ———-

    The Crawford ranch is the same as being at the White House.


  227. Mr. Vice President says:

    “Hey, Ringo you most of all need the “Deptartment of Education”

    Bush put more money into education than Bill Clinton ever did.


  228. hellinabucket says:

    how does the president intend to pay for this?


  229. Mr. Presidents Mom says:

    Ringo, why do you have my sons wallet?


  230. Badger says:

    The training and preparation of 9/11 occured on the last 3 years of Clinton’s watch.

    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:26 pm

    Yeah…but they waited until Bush was in office…because they KNEW he was likely to OVER REACT by invading the wrong country, and his attention was focused on Missile defense.


  231. Nothing matters says:

    #235

    Comment by Raven — July 19, 2007 @ 8:25 pm

    Coondogs – as risky as it is to say at TP.

    Well, you’re disarming me. So much for my gun superiouity. :),


  232. Mr. Vice President says:

    “how does the president intend to pay for this?”

    Congress holds the purse strings. What are the Dems going to do about it? Nothing, as usual. They don’t do anything.


  233. Keith G. says:

    And W told the person at Crawford warning of the imminent AQ threat” all right you have sufficiently covered your ass, now get out”.


  234. Mr. Vice President says:

    “Yeah…but they waited until Bush was in office…because they KNEW he was likely to OVER REACT by invading the wrong country”

    If Gore/Lieberman was in office they probably would have invaded Iraq too. Lieberman would have talked Gore into it. Most Americans wanted war with Iraq in 2003.


  235. Keith G. says:

    Can you say C@#*dogs?


  236. Mr. Vice President says:

    “And W told the person at Crawford warning of the imminent AQ threat”

    There is an imminent threat right now according to the latest NIE.


  237. Raven says:

    Coondogs
    Comment by Nothing matters

    Yikesee!
    Going out at night, with a huge flashlight, stumbling around in the dark loudly chasing loud dogs….
    You are living dangerously, my friend, it’s pretty hard to see what might be watching you from beyond the circle of your torchlight……;)


  238. aarrgghh says:

    “in terms of the american taxpayers contribution, [$1.7 billion] is it for the us. the rest of the rebuilding of iraq will be done by other countries and iraqi oil revenues … the american part of this will be 1.7 billion. we have no plans for any further-on funding for this.
    usaid director andrew natsios, 4/23/03


  239. Candyce says:

    Actually, let me correct myself.

    Harris was taken on 7/6-9. Zogby was taken July 12 through July 14.

    That’s 3 days between polls.


  240. Keith G says:

    Most Americans wanted war with Iraq in 2003.
    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:35 pm

    After they heard one thousqnd lies over a twelve-month period. Do we really need to explain that to you again? Don’t you have a memory longer than the average goldfish?


  241. Badger says:

    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:35 pm

    Bullsh*t. If Gore was president, he would have let the inspectors finish their job…and not rushed to war to meet political (ROVIAN) deadlines. Gore would have taken the Al qaeda threat seriously and taken such radical steps as Checking the Airline passenger lists against KNOWN Al Qaeda operatives, or put air marshals on the planes..


  242. hellinabucket says:

    He is the President. He put’s forth his plan and Congress decides if it’s worthy or not. Checks and balances. You understand. Last check, Congress has already done something by taking the entire Defense Appropriations Bill off the table. Congress has acted within it’s Constitutional powers.

    The question before the American people now is has the President and his staff stayed within theirs.

    Bush has no money currently for any plan he may have for the remainder of his term.

    It’s time for America to know the truth.


  243. Mr. Vice President says:

    “If Gore was president, he would have let the inspectors finish their job…and not rushed to war to meet political (ROVIAN) deadlines.”

    Lieberman would have leaned on Gore to invade Iraq, and Gore would have done it. The polls wanted war with Iraq, and Democrats live by polls.


  244. Keith G says:

    Clinton went after AQ with cruise missles and every single Repub in the country attacked him for doing it.

    Bush did nothing. And absolutely NOTHING on 9/11.


  245. Daryll says:

    Libs, jealousy is a sin. My four billable charge numbers (government client)prove that I am a well paid IT contractor/consultant. Anyway, here is the point, we will continue to stay in Iraq until we defeat the terrorists, regardless of how much must be spent to complete this mission. Also, Veritas, eat away.


  246. Mr. Vice President says:

    “After they heard one thousqnd lies over a twelve-month period.”

    Democrats were saying the same things about Iraq as Bush was.


  247. Nothing Matters says:

    #260

    Bullsh*t. If Gore was president, he would have let the inspectors finish their job…and not rushed to war to meet political (ROVIAN) deadlines. Gore would have taken the Al qaeda threat seriously and taken such radical steps as Checking the Airline passenger lists against KNOWN Al Qaeda operatives, or put air marshals on the planes..

    Comment by Badger — July 19, 2007 @ 8:41 pm

    Nothing against you, but do you have anything to back this up? Or are just pushing the rope?


  248. Mr. Vice President says:

    “Clinton went after AQ with cruise missles and every single Repub in the country attacked him for doing it.”

    I applauded him for it. But it wasn’t enough.


  249. Riff Raff says:

    ” Master, Rocky has broken his chains,
    your new playmate is loose,
    somewhere on the grounds.
    Magenta has just released…
    the dogs…”


  250. Keith G says:

    The American people did not want war with Iraq until after the 12 months of propaganda, you imbecile. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, AQ, nor WMD.


  251. Badger says:

    Lieberman would have leaned on Gore to invade Iraq, and Gore would have done it. The polls wanted war with Iraq, and Democrats live by polls.

    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:43 pm

    Again Bullsh*t. Gore would not have invaded with UN approval…which Bush knew he wasn’t going to get…and so went ahead anyhow.


  252. Keith G says:

    I applauded him for it. But it wasn’t enough.
    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:45 pm

    And Bush did NOTHING according to the head of counter-terrorism, Richard Clarke.


  253. Badger says:

    withOUT UN approval…sorry


  254. Mr. Vice President says:

    “The American people did not want war with Iraq until after the 12 months of propaganda”

    Said by the likes of John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, etc. Dimwit.

    Edwards said Saddam was an imminent threat.


  255. Pastor Ted says:

    “Also, Veritas, eat away.

    Comment by Daryll”

    That’s not a very christian like thing to say, Daryll, I think you need to experience the wrath of my “Lord”…..


  256. Mr. Vice President says:

    “And Bush did NOTHING according to the head of counter-terrorism, Richard Clarke.”

    Bush liberated Afghanistan and Iraq.


  257. Mr. Vice President says:

    “Again Bullsh*t. Gore would not have invaded with UN approval”

    The UN gave approval with res. 1441.


  258. Dead Iraqi Child says:

    Bush liberated Afghanistan and Iraq.

    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:50 pm

    I love liberation.


  259. Keith G says:

    Pee, you cannot give an honest argument. If President Gore or President Kerry had allowed 9/11—are you saying they would not have gone to Afghanistan? That only Bush would have done that?

    And going to Iraq was not a good thing—since Iraq was strongly suppressing the ones who did 9/11 and since Iraq had no WMD, and since Iraq would produce a quagmire for the US and unleash a hornets’ nest in the center of the Middle East. And probably kill one million innocents and cost us $2.2 Trillion (the topic of this thread) and make us less safe.


  260. Badger says:

    In November of 2002, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1441, requiring that Iraq declare its WMD, disarm, and allow inspections to verify that this has occurred. One week later Iraq announced that it would accept the resolution, and the weapons inspectors were simultaneously deployed.


  261. 1milliondeadIraqichildren says:

    ain’t it grand


  262. Nat says:

    The UN gave approval with res. 1441.
    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:51 pm

    That’s a lie. It did not give approval.


  263. rightard syndrome says:

    “Bush liberated Afghanistan and Iraq.”

    -OF THEIR NATURAL RESOURCES


  264. RUCerious says:

    My four billable charge numbers (government client)prove that I am a well paid IT contractor/consultant

    Anybody can get a gummint contract nowadays.
    Especially a highly trained CIS grad from oral hummer roberts U.

    After a whopping four or five IT classes, you pray your test scripts in some way mirror something the user might do, if the software actually worked…


  265. kEITH g says:

    The UN gave approval with res. 1441.
    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:51 pm

    1441 said Saddam must get rid of and account for the WMD.

    News Flash for you Ignoramus:

    HE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


  266. Nat says:

    Bush liberated Afghanistan and Iraq.
    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:50 pm

    He can say that at the War Crimes Court.


  267. Keith G says:

    WE ARE IN IRAQ TO TAKE THE OIL.

    DOES THIS GET THROUGH YOUR DENSE SKULL?


  268. Raven says:

    One week later Iraq announced that it would accept the resolution, and the weapons inspectors were simultaneously deployed.

    Comment by Badger

    And from that point on, weapons inspections were carried out, albeit with some resistance from Saddam.
    All reports indicated he did not have WMDs. The weapons inspectors were still there when Bush gave them notice of the invasion, and they left.


  269. willyloman says:

    Comment by Keith G

    President Gore or President Clinton wouldn’t have had to deal with 9/11…

    because there would have been no Vice President Cheney to plan it.


  270. Keith G says:

    and Saddam produced about 20,000 pages explaining what happened to the decades-old WMD


  271. Keith G says:

    and the weapons inspectors said they had run out of places to look and were begging the White House to tell them where they should look


  272. Nat says:

    The American people did not want war with Iraq until after the 12 months of propaganda, you imbecile. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, AQ, nor WMD.
    Comment by Keith G — July 19, 2007 @ 8:46 pm

    Can you believe the Bush administration set up think tanks in order to market a war to the American people?


  273. willyloman says:

    There would have been no Marvin Bush running the security for the Trade Centers….

    and no deal with the Pakistani to rout the money from the Saudi’s to the high jackers.


  274. Keith G says:

    willyloman,

    I didn’t want to go there. It is difficult enough explaining the rest to him.


  275. RUCerious says:

    Keith, Scott Ritter details all this very clearly in his book.
    This fabrication is one of the cornerstones of the ‘GO TO WAR’ rhetoric that was being spewed by the reichwing propaganda machine (Faux Snooze) et al…


  276. Raven says:

    ….and the US troops were so busy scurrying around in the palaces looking for the WMDs, that they forgot about the tons of explosives and the warehouses of weapons which disapeared into the Arabian night…


  277. willyloman says:

    and lets not forget that President Gore or President Kerry wouldn’t have put Vice President Cheney in charge of Terrorist threat agendas in May of 2001, so there would have been no “Valient Warrior” and the Norad planes would have reacted in time to stop the attacks.


  278. willyloman says:

    Comment by Keith G

    I know, but his head always blows up when he starts hearing about Cheney planning this stuff.


  279. null says:

    public money & a volunteer citizen military being USED to make private profits for the top 2% connected wealthiest with mutant straglers(fundies,criminals, etc.)hoping for a few crumbs.


  280. Keith G says:

    For the March 2001 map from Cheney’s Energy Task Force dividing Iraq’s oil fields into “exploration blocks”. Courtesy of the conservative Judicial Watch:

    http://farm1.static.flickr.com/211/466503255_f7bb4d5e85_o.jpg


  281. Badger says:

    Scott Ritter stated Categorically that Saddam had NO WMD’s on the public airwaves PRIOR to the Invasion.


  282. willyloman says:

    Can you believe the Bush administration set up think tanks in order to market a war to the American people?

    Comment by Nat

    There was an organization already in place long before Bush came into the White House. They had been planning for this for a decade at least. It is well documented. Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Cheney, a bunch of them.


  283. Keith G says:

    who turned off the automatic defenses on top of the Pentagon?


  284. willyloman says:

    public money & a volunteer citizen military being USED to make private profits for the top 2% connected wealthiest with mutant straglers(fundies,criminals, etc.)hoping for a few crumbs.

    Comment by null

    Exactly. The saddest part (aside from the lives lost and the Soldiers lost and the Constituion Lost) is these Wanna-bes. They have no idea what the “investment/hedge fund” class is. And that they will never be part of it. They are what the Nazi sympathizers were in the mid 30’s.


  285. Keith G says:

    willyloman,
    you mean PNAC?


  286. Raven says:

    The several thousand page Patriot Act was already written,
    and sitting on the shelf, waiting to be dusted off,
    and handed out on Capitol Hill.


  287. Keith G says:

    Hans Blix, Muhammed el Baradi (IAEA) and the 200 inspectors said there were no WMD.


  288. TerrytheTurtle says:

    Full circle to Wilson/Plame – the US public was pushed over the edge in the opinion polls starting with the 2003 SOTU and the yellowcake lie.

    In Britain, Tony ‘Murdochs ballwasher’ Blair was claiming Saddam could lanuch chem weapons at Europe in ‘45minutes’!

    Check out Tom Tomorrow for a great topical cartoon.


  289. willyloman says:

    you mean PNAC?

    Comment by Keith G

    They were a large part of it. But it wasn’t just them. Cheney wasn’t really a signing member of the PNAC. And niether was Bruce Kovner (AEI). The letter to Clinton is signed by the members of PNAC, and not Cheney.

    Some people thought they were whacko back then and some politicians wanted to steer clear for that reason. They still supported the philosophy though.


  290. Raven says:

    “The only real problem is that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest couldn’t organize a cookout at the ranch without poisoning half the guests and setting fire to the cookhouse.”
    Comment by gummitch

    LOL That’s rich!
    More than a little sad, too, that so many have to suffer…


  291. Badger says:

    And what was in the news when they pushed thru the Patriot Act. A MYsterio0us, and as yet unsolved ANTHRAX ATTACk against democrats and the news media. The anthrax was weaponized, not by amateurs, and cannot be traced by its DNA , since the Ames Iowa strain is missing/destroyed mysteriously.


  292. Raven says:

    Nobody in Congress, NOBODY, read the Patriot Act.
    Not one legislator has stated such.


  293. Egreggious says:

    Nobody in Congress, NOBODY, read the Patriot Act.
    Not one legislator has stated such.

    Comment by Raven — July 19, 2007 @ 9:30 pm

    But it had such a nifty title. Why bother to read it?


  294. Badger says:

    Russ Feingold read enough of the Patriot Act to vote AGAINST it..


  295. Raven says:

    Thank you Badger, I remember that now.
    Feingold was the only one who made an attempt to read what he was being railroaded into voting for.
    I believe he was the only one to vote against it, or I may be thinking about the authorization for war.
    My bad.


  296. Egreggious says:

    willyloman has been silenced.


  297. crimedog says:

    How much has the failed war on poverty,a war in which the democrats started,has cost??
    Can we cut and run from the war on poverty?


  298. Johnsnottoodistracted says:

    This is not a war.That is only a name they have put on their insanity.
    What has happened is u.s. has been using the entire worlds money by borrowing.
    War is big business, even this pretend war.The big pockets are open and had over 30 years to plan the most effective methods to first drain the u.s. economy and then with u.s. credit borrow from others to continue to fill their pockets.
    Now u.s. owes everyone big time and the results are showing.This year u.s.d. to china has lost 6% and in the last month almost 10% to india.And e.u. over 30% since euro began.No one wants u.s.d any longer.We owe everyone huge.
    Don’t ever forget all these guys graduated in the same class as kennyron lay and follow the same business plan.That is: deceit is not wrong, it is the number one tool for business.
    Keep that in mind and you will understand that bushcon is doing great.
    And for sure they absolutely do not care what anyone outside has to say.Why should they?
    Build the fortress in the sand and play with their families friends next door.
    They surely don’t play to live here after they have wrecked it.


  299. willyloman says:

    willyloman has been silenced.

    Comment by Egreggious

    My life sucks anyway Eggie. They’d be doing me a favor.


  300. Egreggious says:

    My life sucks anyway Eggie. They’d be doing me a favor.

    Comment by willyloman — July 19, 2007 @ 9:41 pm

    But it wouldn’t be doing the rest of us a favor. We love ya, Salesman.


  301. had enough says:

    What….. there is about 180,000 mercs in Iraq in Cheney’s military… each paid at least $100,000 per month at TAX PAYER cost? If and when the Iraq war stops, what is cheney going to do with his military….maybe attack Iran, Pakistan.. then… if we are not good… US? I put nothing past this administration.


  302. Badger says:

    Raven…yep Feingold was alone in voting against the patriot act.
    He then faced a tuff reelection, where his opponent tried to slam him as being UN Patriotic. He WAS reelected….and one of his successfull debating points was that he actually bothered to read what he was asked to vote on.


  303. willyloman says:

    Comment by Johnsnottoodistracted

    exactly. It’s not by chance. It’s not just an opportunity. It was timed to take maximum advantage of the 8 years in office.

    But I fear the overall plan was summed up by Ms. Rice “birthpangs of a new middle east”.

    Bush will never leave. Because his bosses won’t let him. and they keep telling him that in the end, after all the pain and suffering, the world will be better and safer and he will have started it all.

    This is the super hedge fund class. The Bruce Kovners and those like him.


  304. Egreggious says:

    So…how did that aircraft make that turn & dive, level out mere feet above the Pentagon lawn, and strike the one spot where it could do the least damage?

    Comment by TripMaster Monkey — July 19, 2007 @ 9:41 pm

    Maybe he was REALLY, REALLY, REALLY lucky. :)


  305. willyloman says:

    Eggie

    You only love me for my Cheze Pufes. and Box o Wine


  306. Egreggious says:

    I’m just being goofy, Trip.

    I am reading it and it freaks me out.


  307. Raven says:

    Maybe he was REALLY, REALLY, REALLY lucky. :)

    Comment by Egreggious

    I’m reminded of that old airlines commercial, with the CEO, flanked by his assistants, walking down the airport concourse, as the secretary says:’ Good luck, sir”
    The CEO responds with: “Luck? Luck is for rabbits…..”


  308. r says:

    Wow, this really degenerated into the Conspiracy Theorists Page.
    Ya’ll are little people with big ideas. Good for you.


  309. mikey r says:

    The Crawford ranch is the same as being at the White House.

    Comment by Mr. Vice President — July 19, 2007 @ 8:30 pm

    I’ll buy that. Dubya is on vacation either way.


  310. Raven says:

    Ya’ll are little people with big ideas. Good for you.

    Comment by r

    and you are perhaps the big fish in the small pond?


  311. Arch Angel says:

    Liberals are stupid.


  312. r says:

    Mikey r

    So you waited an hour and a half to stab that Bon Mot into his heart. You devil!


  313. TerrytheTurtle says:

    Occam’s Razor….


  314. r says:

    Raven,

    I’m the five pound bass, if you know what I mean… ;)


  315. willyloman says:

    I’m the five pound bass, if you know what I mean… ;)

    Comment by r

    so when you feel like interjecting some facts like we are, be my guest…otherwise read and learn, fishboy.


  316. Raven says:

    Oh, I see, just a little one.


  317. mikey r says:

    Mikey r

    So you waited an hour and a half to stab that Bon Mot into his heart. You devil!

    Comment by r — July 19, 2007 @ 9:55 pm

    I’m sorry. I drove home from work and skimmed what I had missed, dashed off a quick retort to a(nother) stupid comment from Mr Pee, then discovered that you guys had thoroughly thrashed the little punk and gone off in a whole new and interesting direction.

    My apologies.


  318. Perry Logan says:

    Republican screw-ups are ten hundred thousand million zillion times bigger than Democratic screw-ups. Republicans are The Supreme Galactic Masters of Screw-Up.


  319. Raven says:

    Bass are awfully mushy this time of year.


  320. r says:

    Occam’s Razor….

    Comment

    The far fetched consp. therories are bunk


  321. willyloman says:

    It’s a cruise missle.


  322. Raven says:

    The far fetched consp. therories are bunk

    Comment by r

    It is beginning to seem like the official explanations are what’s far-fetched….


  323. r says:

    Raven, I guess I could have imparted wisdom like this fellow.

    345

    Liberals are stupid.

    Comment by Arch Angel — July 19, 2007 @ 9:54 pm


  324. Raven says:

    woulda, coulda, shoulda…..


  325. mikey r says:

    Of course, I don’t know if it is at all related to Occam’s Razor, but a good principle is to look for who benefited.

    Who benefited the most from 9/11?

    George W. Bush

    (or maybe The Dick Cheney)


  326. willyloman says:

    Even if the tapes show clear evidence of a jet airliner, this administration will continue to withhold them and watch the American public chase its tail.

    Comment by TripMaster Monkey

    Is that what Harriet Miers is doing? Libby? Cheney? Some master plan to have us wondering about a horrible possibility?

    And who is chasing our tails?

    You are ultra progressive, and you think I’m a nut for thinking this.

    So how many people are they planning to have chasing our tails with this plan? 1 tenth of one percent? is it worth that?


  327. Keith G says:

    #347 hadenough & willy,

    sometimes the anti-conspiracy version is that officials brought it down to be safer than leaving it in a dangerous situation: and sometimes the official version is that it just came down naturally due to fire damage.

    But neither of these two are possible answers, are they?

    I think a better explanation is “that’s where Securities and Exchange Commission records were stored”. Evidence that could be used against companies like Enron.


  328. had enough says:

    willyloman

    Well, obviously they got caught with their pants down for all to see. 6 years have passed and look where we are….it is all beginning to add up.

    All in all, I truly believe the American people do not go down that road as the truth is too much to bear.


  329. willyloman says:

    What are the odds of all of this happening in sequence 9 months after Cheney takes office? The same guy who wanted to go into Iraq in Bush 41 days?

    What are the odds?

    Do you think these people leave this stuff up to fate? Chance?


  330. r says:

    Please don’t try to push the “truther” logic on me.

    They stand at sub tenth percents. Don’t be one of them.


  331. Raven says:

    Arch Angel’s passing post was like the sad child who runs thru the playgound shouting “Nyaa nyaa, you can’t catch me” while nobody even looks up from their play.
    You at least are being nuisance enough that we are considering pounding yer ass……:)


  332. Guy Fawkes says:

    Money and balancing the budget is not a concern to fascists and their GOP allies as long as it maintains their stranglehold on the government machinery and the military.


  333. veritas says:

    Hey Raven et al: Yes, Feingold voted “nay” and did read the volume which the others are now claiming not to have read before voting and I believe Dennis Kucinich was the other one who has “no blood on his hands” in this war. The others: Biden, Clinton, Edwards, Lieberman, McCain….all voted for the war – and that means that they did so having precisely the same info as did Feingold and Kucinich.

    To boot, the case can also be made that Hillary sat in the WH for 8 years previous to this and had inside information to add to what was being presented and, thus, REALLY has no valid excuse for voting as she did. With her background and experience in the white house, she probably didn’t even have to read the volume of information the others did and still made a grievous, possibly candidate-threatening error in judgment.

    She still has not apologized to my satisfaction and it woud appear that she suffers a bit from Dubya’s same egocentric problem: She can’t admit to being wrong. This is a very serious character flaw and after the degree of destruction we’ve seen firsthand brought on by this same type of character flaw, I don’t think we can afford to have another 4 or 8 years of it, frankly.

    And, since Hillary has always been a staunch Rethug since her college days, I really don’t totally trust her at this point in time. Old habits die hard.


  334. JG says:

    Keith Olbermann was ON FIRE tonight!!
    This may be the best comment yet.
    http://www.crooksandliars.com/ 2007/ 07/ 19/ special-comment-keith-blasts-bush-scapegoating-this-is-your-war/ #comments

    Better yet, if Countdown is on again wherever you live, watch it. It is the first 10 minutes of the program.


  335. gummitch says:

    To those making this suggestion, that the attack on the WTC and on the Pentagon was a fabrication of Cheney in order to provoke a war or to destroy evidence from Enron, or whatever rationale there may be . . . I only have one question.

    How many people have to be involved in this in order to make it work? How many in the military, in the FAA, in the FDNY and NYPD, and all the corporate stooges? How many people does it take to pull off something like this, and how many of those people can be trusted to never speak a word?


  336. veritas says:

    I’m limiting myself to a couple of posts per day so this doesn’t become an addiction :) Sweet dreams and peace to all!


  337. Egreggious says:

    veritas,

    Have a good one!

    Love,

    The addicts


  338. veritas says:

    Thanks, egg – you, too! :) Catch you all manana!


  339. veritas says:

    Keep the liberal fires burning! Knock the trolls into the next century!


  340. Nothing Matters says:

    What if it was little green men from mars. You nutters would believe it and Bush McHitler could really start a big war then. That would be great.


  341. Raven says:

    Can you let me know when you will be posting, veritas,
    so that I don’t have to spend all day hanging around waiting?
    ;)


  342. willyloman says:

    Comment by veritas

    night veritas


  343. willyloman says:

    Comment by veritas

    I could be wrong, but i think it’s Marvin Bush.


  344. Nothing Matters says:

    Libs – defend this or reject it

    What if it was little green men from mars. You nutters would believe it and Bush McHitler could really start a big war then. That would be great.

    Comment by Nothing Matters — July 19, 2007 @ 10:20 pm


  345. Raven says:

    “What if it was little green men from mars?”
    Comment by Nothing Matters

    That’s easy, we just put on the Slim Whitman albums.
    We don’t need no goofball Commander in Briefs to save us from them.


  346. willyloman says:

    To help this along, several administration shills loudly propagate theories that range from implausible to just plain kooky, while failing (intentionally) to back them up with any hard evidence, further hamstringing the 9/11 Truth movement.tripmaster monkey

    Fair enough, but think of this. All facts point to the inability of this terrorist to fly very well. Considering the target and the fact that that was the only newly renovated side of the Pentagon…just saying, it was planned? Would you let that loser fly the plane? Take a chance of taking out…anything else? Other side of Pentagon or even another target (White House)?


  347. Raven says:

    thanks for that link, TMM


  348. willyloman says:

    it’s just an awful lot of interesting chance occurances happened in just the right sequense. Then, a bunch of people lied to get us to go to war. Then a bunch of people lie and ignore the law to keep secret who they met with and what they did before 9/11.

    after awhile you gotta say, hey wait a minute. we need to look at this.


  349. Nothing Matters says:

    Raven,

    My lack of seriousness is overshadowed by yours.


  350. Raven says:

    Sorry I took so long to respond, Nothing Matters, didn’t mean to have you get all antsy on us.
    Have you been itchy much lately, getting all bit up?
    It’s not healthy to let dogs sleep with you, you know…….


  351. Nothing Matters says:

    The dogs know their place (this ain’t the right thread for this).


  352. Theatre of the Absurd says:

    For you 40 years olds making $150k, $12 billion a month is about $500 bucks per month in debt that you’re racking up and will be seeing in your taxpaying lifetime. Duh. Meanwhile some Arab oil slob is sitting at a strip club in London getting hammered on $400 Champagne. All for what benefit to Americans ? Answer is so that 2000 or so oil and military complex execs can make billions is what you freaking idiots. You f__cking idiots. It is all of our fault. If you are not pounding your Congressman and Senator’s phone every day, then you’re complicit and a very rare few have the balls to stop this country from getting destroyed.


  353. Raven says:

    I’m serious, make them sleep on the floor.


  354. Raven says:

    (this ain’t the right thread for this).

    Comment by Nothing Matters

    You’re the one who brought your pets along………………………


  355. katy says:

    have you heard?

    …what september progress report?

    U.S. Generals Request Delay in Judging Iraq
    Published: July 20, 2007
    WASHINGTON, July 19 — The top commanders in Iraq and the American ambassador to Baghdad appealed for more time beyond their mid-September assessment to more fully judge if the new strategy was making gains.
    […]
    http://www.nytimes.com/ 2007/ 07/ 20/ washington/ 20policy.html?hp

    .
    Iraq likely to miss US benchmarks: ambassador
    Published: Thursday July 19, 2007
    The US ambassador to Baghdad Thursday warned Iraq was unlikely to hit its targets under the American “troop surge” plan by September, but said he knew of no ‘Plan B’ alternative war strategy.
    […]
    http://rawstory.com/ news/ afp/ Iraq_likely_to_miss_US_benchmarks_a_07192007.html

    .


  356. Nothing Matters says:

    Comment by Theatre of the Absurd — July 19, 2007 @ 10:36 pm

    $500 bucks per month in debt that you’re racking up and will be seeing in your taxpaying lifetime.

    I don’t think this is true. I’ll never have to pay my share in my lifetime. It’ll never happen. Neither for my kids or grandkids. This is electronic dept. Not something really owed.


  357. Egreggious says:

    Comment by katy — July 19, 2007 @ 10:39 pm

    Thanks, Katy…

    I think. :)


  358. rightard syndrome says:

    “Nothing Matters” …..so hang yourself already ….


  359. Raven says:

    “This is electronic dept. Not something really owed.”

    Comment by Nothing Matters

    Try that one out on your credit card company!
    LOL


  360. TripMaster Monkey says:

    Nothing Matters sez:

    This is electronic dept. Not something really owed.

    So much for the “party of fiscal responsibility”…


  361. Jane E. Schneider says:

    Veritas, not nit-picking, but willyloman is right. It was Marvin Bush who was involved with the WTC security, as well as a couple of other (coincidentally?) surprising enterprises. See http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=marvin_bush

    Neil Bush was the one involved in the Silverado scandal. Those darn Bushes!:-(


  362. JG says:

    I just wanted to say with what I wrote earlier, I absolutely meant no criticism or disrespect to anything anyone was writing earlier. I respect all you guys and girls. Everyone feels strongly about this and is entitled to their feelings and their doubts and questions.

    For myself, I don’t have all the answers, but I sure have a list of questions. I have an even longer list of bizarre occurences and ‘coincidences’.


  363. Egreggious says:

    For myself, I don’t have all the answers, but I sure have a list of questions. I have an even longer list of bizarre occurences and ‘coincidences’.

    Comment by JG — July 19, 2007 @ 11:13 pm

    That’s probably a statement most of us could agree with.


  364. willyloman says:

    Well, I’m glad to see that troll is coming around!


  365. willyloman says:

    Well, lets say it was a cruise missle (and I now believe it was). The big question is, what happened to Flight 77?

    Now, before I put the idea out there that they realized this guy couldn’t fly that well. They didn’t want to risk him messing up and hitting white house or capitol or whatever…

    the question is, why go thru with it? Why not kill him or drop the plane with an F-16? Why go thru with it? Why not put a marshal on the plane who kills the bad guys and makes a great Hero story?

    why kill the passengers and scramble a cruise missle to hit the pentagon? wouldn’t the towers be enough to get the people motivated?


  366. muckdog says:

    The actual costs are only 10x greater than estimates?

    Now, imagine the government taking over health care!

    A good argument against universal health care.


  367. The Republic of Stupidity says:

    A good argument against universal health care.

    Comment by muckdog

    Indeed, and Muckdog could be the poster child for birth control…


  368. Karim says:

    Now to think that the money could have been used for something frivolous such as a national health care system or making college affordable for everyone.


  369. The Republic of Stupidity says:

    Now to think that the money could have been used for something frivolous such as a national health care system or making college affordable for everyone.

    Comment by Karim

    Tsk… tsk… there you go complaining. There are poor defense contractors out there than need a big, fat, no-bid contract. Think of others for a change, young man!


  370. Keith G says:

    The US spends at least twice as much per capita on our healthcare as any other nation in the world because we DO NOT have single-payer government-run healthcare.

    No private insurer can meet the 2% administrative costs of Medicare. I believe their avg is about 17%. Ask the American people if they want to end Medicare.

    About 65% want government-run healthcare for everyone!!!

    Consumer Reports says we would SAVE $250 billion every year, administratively-alone.


  371. dbadass says:

    Drug fiend? Man are you out there!


  372. dbadass says:

    Mr. President:
    Do you honestly think I was unaware of this? You know many people who use recreational drugs. Some of them are family members. Do you call them drug fiends?


  373. The Republic of Stupidity says:

    Do you call them drug fiends?

    Comment by dbadass

    More likely he calls them collect.


  374. m-hawk says:

    i think warrent buffer is the only winner out of all this lol


    http://m-hawk.blogspot.com


  375. toasterhead says:

    Yeah right!!!

    The Goracle let his own son, Goracle III, become a drug-fiend!!! Right under the Goracle’s nose…

    Face it folks, Al “The Boring” Goracle is incompetent!

    Comment by Mr. President © — July 20, 2007 @ 2:05 am

    As opposed to the current moron-in-chief who let himself become a drug-fiend!!! Right under his own nose!


  376. Perry Logan says:

    Can you imagine how much money would be in the U.S. Treasury if there were no Republicans? Money started hemorrhaging out of the country the minute Reagan took office, and it’s been the same with Bush I and II. It was, of course, completely reversed under Clinton.

    So somebody do the math. How many trillions richer would we be if there were no such thing as Republicans? The national IQ would be at least twice as high.


  377. bob h says:

    Larry Lindsey was fired for predicting a figure of $200 billion.


  378. RUCerious says:

    I haven’t heard the term “drug fiend” in a very long time.
    I think it was at a high school screening of “Reefer Madness”.
    Geez.


  379. dbadass says:

    think it was at a high school screening of “Reefer Madness”.
    Geez.

    Comment by RUCerious — July 20, 2007 @ 11:15 am

    In what class could that silliness be considered part of the curriculum?


  380. JESUS! says:

    Do the math.
    500 Billion Dollars Divided Among Seven Billion people.
    How much would each person be getting?


  381. hterrya says:

    “…the “Global War on Terror” has cost $610 billion.”

    And let’s see now, what did we get for that $610 billion? Oh, yeah, Chertoff’s “gut feeling!”


  382. hterrya says:

    “…the “Global War on Terror” has cost $610 billion.”

    Oh yeah, and we got bin-Laden running around free as a bird on his dialysis machine, Al Qaeda as strong as it has ever been, and SickoDicko looking for additional folks to torture. Typical NeoCon “Investment in America.”

    And we haven’t impeached those crooks yet? Sheesh!!


  383. test says:


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