Original Iraq War Propagandist Ari Fleischer Returns To Flack For Bush’s Escalation
Original Iraq War Propagandist Ari Fleischer Returns To Flack For Bush’s Escalation
Beginning today, Freedom’s Watch, a new right-wing front group for the White House, “will unveil a month-long, $15 million television, radio and grass-roots campaign” to pressure Congress to continue supporting President Bush’s disastrous Iraq strategy. The group, which is “funded by high-profile Republicans who were aides and supporters of President Bush,” is headed by a familiar face from the Bush war effort: former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.
The privately-funded ad campaign will run in 20 states, featuring Iraq war vets and families of fallen soldiers arguing that the war should continue. The four ads produced so far by Fleischer’s Freedom’s Watch group contain little more than fear-mongering about an Iraq pullout. “They attacked us and they will again. They won’t stop in Iraq,” one ad says. “It will mean more attacks in America,” says another. Yet another ad warns, “We’ve already had one 9/11, we don’t need another.”
Likening himself to a battlefield general, Fleischer said, “For people who believe in peace through strength, the cavalry is coming.” Below are some examples of Fleischer’s well-established record of propagating false assertions and rosy predictions about Iraq:
“[T]here’s no question that if force is used, it will achieve the objective of preserving the peace far faster than the current path that we’re on.” [2/14/03]
“[G]iven the chance to throw off a brutal dictator like Saddam Hussein, people will rejoice.” [3/21/03]
“[W]hen you take a look at the level of violence inside of Iraq, it is impossible to argue anything other than violence has, indeed, come down as a result of America’s military operations.” [6/25/03]
“My point is, the likelihood is much more like Afghanistan, where the people who live right now under a brutal dictator will view America as liberators, not conquerors.” [10/11/02]
“There have been contacts between senior members of — senior Iraqi officials and members of the al Qaeda organization, going back for quite a long time. … Iraq provided some training to al Qaeda in chemical weapons development. There are contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda.” [1/27/03]
“There is no question that we have evidence and information that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical particularly. … And all this will be made clear in the course of the operation, for whatever duration it takes.” [3/21/03]
“The fact of the matter is, one of the reasons the Iraqi people are supportive of the efforts we’ve had there is because of the effort that’s been done in the reconstruction phase.” [7/1/03]
“I think that if you look at the Iraqi people, the Iraqi people are overwhelmingly pleased with the fact the United States has helped them to get rid of the Saddam Hussein regime. That was clear from their dancing in the streets, from the way they tore down the statues. And I think that is the viewpoint of the overwhelming majority of the Iraqi people.” [7/1/03]
“[N]o, I don’t think there’s any chance of losing the peace, but it is going to be a battle to continue to win the peace.” [5/19/03]
Not content having misled the nation into war, Fleischer and his White House front group are now set to argue that the bloodiest summer of the war yet is a sign that “that the buildup of U.S. troops in Iraq is working.”
UPDATE: Joe Sudbay at Americablog notes that “Iraq has always been a political issue for the Bush team.”
UPDATE II: Tom Matzzie, the campaign manager of Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, has written an open letter to Fleischer, complete with a chart of where the ads are targeted.
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106 Responses to “Original Iraq War Propagandist Ari Fleischer Returns To Flack For Bush’s Escalation”
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Unfortunately, Freedom's Watch has a battery that is powered with the blood of dead soldiers.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:09 amPlease, Mr. Fleischer, stick to pitching baseball bats instead of wanton wars of aggression.
A lot less people will die.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:12 amcan we take them out back and shoot them now?
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:15 ampsssst! DON'T lissin'-a the NEO-CONS.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:15 amWe need to defeat these guys. Discredit them, insult them, humiliate them, own them. They are wicked.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:16 amso nice to welcome back the original liar. many people think these types just drift away or something, but instead are working behind the scenes when they "retire" I wonder what kind of propaganda Tony Snow is going to work on when he's no longer official?
But, it's the nature of the beast, right? politicians and lying that is. That's all these people do, and hopefully, we should be quite aware of that by now.
this guy makes me sick. ok, enough of my ranting...read on if you'd like:
Politicians Lie? Say it Ain't So!
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:17 amhttp://www.populistamerica.com/politicians_lie___say_it_ain_t_so
Can Ari see his own reflection in a mirror?
Just asking...
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:17 amSurprise! A chickenhawk is leading the effort to convince us that the problem is that enough soldiers haven't died yet.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:19 amAt some point, you would think that people would understand that Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11 and to link Iraq with 9/11 should emphasize that the person responsible for 9/11 (remember Osama?) is still free.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:19 amand this is funded by--let me guess--taxpayer dollars?
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:20 am"Freedom's Watch"
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:23 am?
What orifice did they pull that out of......
Can Ari see his own reflection in a mirror?
Just asking…
Comment by The Republic of Stupidity — August 22, 2007 @ 10:17 am
That's not a good idea. The light bouncing off his polished dome would get reflected back by the mirror and create an infinite loop that could cause a complete positron reversal. Kinda like crossing the streams in Ghostbusters.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:27 amI'm surprised they think this dog will hunt anymore. The only people who will support this line of bushwa are the gullible dimwits they have on board already.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:27 amLibs feeling the heat as 2008 approaches, the only question is "who are you going to vote for?" Obama wants to invade, Clinton wants to stay and Edwards is so dumb even ronzajj wouldnt vote for him.
I suppose you could always vote Biden...no wait, he wants to stay in Iraq too.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:28 amWhy doesn't someone just compile clips of all the lies listed and run ads saying WE already had 6yrs of their War. Do We need More. Or maybe youtube it.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:29 amand this is funded by–let me guess–taxpayer dollars?
Comment by loretta — August 22, 2007 @ 10:20 am
No, it said "privately-funded ad campaign" -- which begs the question of who is privately funding it? My guess is either oil companies or Halliburton.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:29 amand this is funded by–let me guess–taxpayer dollars?
Comment by loretta — August 22, 2007 @ 10:20 am
Only indirectly. It's most likely funded by people and corporations who benefit from government spending on the war and stand to profit from Iraq's oil fields when they railroad the Hydrocarbon Law through the Iraqi parliament. So yes, kinda.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:31 amUnfortunately, for the lovers of bush and attacking oil rich countries, the reality of their logic has failed. It is too bad that thousands of people have had to die in order to prove them wrong. We can only hope that Americans take control of their government again and begin the difficult work of exposing the corruption of bushco and his industrial handlers.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:31 amInstead of suiting up and leading the charge into Iraq, Ari, like all of the other neo-cons and Bush Cultists will lead the charge from their fat asses in DC.
Ari, suddenly Scott McLellan aint looking so bad.
-GSD
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:31 ammissmolly #12
(i.e. Pretty Pretty Bird #13)
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:31 amKinda like crossing the streams in Ghostbusters.
Comment by toasterhead — August 22, 2007 @ 10:27 am
Perhaps the Petagon would be interested in this. They should also look into the possibility of using Duh-bya as some sort of "killing joke" on the battlefield.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:32 amIraq "can find friends elsewhere" says Prime Minister Maliki while visiting Syria, in response to criticism from US politicians.
Syria this week, Iran last week - he is very busy making friends.
This is the Iraqi government we support?
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:32 amLibs feeling the heat as 2008 approaches, the only question is “who are you going to vote for?†Obama wants to invade, Clinton wants to stay and Edwards is so dumb even ronzajj wouldnt vote for him.
I suppose you could always vote Biden…no wait, he wants to stay in Iraq too.
Comment by Pretty Pretty Bird — August 22, 2007 @ 10:28 am
Who does Obama want to invade? He never said anything about that. And Hillary has only repeated the physical reality on the ground - that it will take 20 months to withdraw troops.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:32 amWhere are the similar organizations on the side of the liberals and Democrats? Why do we sit back like little wimps and allow the Republicans to once again win the propaganda wars? Why do we bow down before the inummerable violations of the law and destruction of the constitution perpetrated by Bush and his minions?
MAYBE IT IS TIME TO BECOME A REPUBLICAN. I MAY AS WELL JOIN THE WINNERS INSTEAD OF SUPPORTING WIMP ASS LOSERS.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:32 amThe Repugs think if they win the argument in September, they'll be fine.
They couldn't possibly be more wrong.
All that would happen is that the war will rage on through 2008. And that is great news for the Dems, the Repugs will be smashed into dust in November.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:34 amand only the media benefits from advertising revenue.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:34 amI must respectfully ask that my state is allowed to secede from this broken union
I suppose you could always vote Biden…no wait, he wants to stay in Iraq too.
Comment by Pretty Pretty Bird — August 22, 2007 @ 10:28 am
What a masterful plan on the Repubs' part - create a mess so big, ugly, and stinky that it is NEXT to impossible to solve effectively, and then blame your opponents because they can't clean up the enormous, hideous, painfully ugly mess you've created. What strategists! Curse you, KKKarl Rove!
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:35 amI MAY AS WELL JOIN THE WINNERS INSTEAD OF SUPPORTING WIMP ASS LOSERS.
Comment by jmohr — August 22, 2007 @ 10:32 am
Please do, if you can stand the stench.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:36 amPerhaps the Petagon would be interested in this. They should also look into the possibility of using Duh-bya as some sort of “killing joke†on the battlefield.
Comment by The Republic of Stupidity — August 22, 2007 @ 10:32 am
He's beyond a killing joke at this point. If anything, he could be used as a "pity bomb." Enemy fighters will look at our soldiers, see the idiot they're fighting for, and lay down their arms in sympathy.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:36 amCongressional approval at all time looooooowwww:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293890,00.html
By all means, keep holding hearings and launching investigations. With your numbers this low, Pres. Bush’s upcoming vetoes will hold, as he will be seen as more responsible. I can’t imagine what the Dem Congress’s approval numbers will sink to then.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:36 amWho does Obama want to invade? He never said anything about that.
Comment by toasterhead — August 22, 2007 @ 10:32 am
The Illinois senator warned Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that he must do more to shut down terrorist operations in his country and evict foreign fighters under an Obama presidency, or Pakistan will risk a U.S. troop invasion and losing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid.
"Let me make this clear," Obama said in a speech prepared for delivery at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al-Qaida leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:41 amCongress' ratings are so low because 71% of Americans (including 42% of Republicans) say get out of Iraq by April 2008.
And 66% want universal government-run healthcare.
That's why their ratings are so low.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:44 amAh the good old days, when Ari and the McClellatron 3000 could lie to the press with abadon ...
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:44 amWell Jason you are spot on just like last year when you had this gem of a comment. Now the most recent Gallup polls show 58% of people would vote for any democrat over any republican candidate. LOL
As the panel on Chris Matthews stated, only Hill’reh or Gore would be accepted by the general public in a time of war, and Hill’reh loses in every hypothetical head-to-head poll they put her in. Do you think global warming Gore stands a chance? I think the Democratic field is in far worse shape for 2008, than the Republicans.
Comment by Jason M. Hendler — July 31, 2006 @ 3:14 pm
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:45 amComment by r — August 22, 2007 @ 10:41 am
Shouldn't you agree with that? They are harboring bin Laden and his men who actually committed 9/11, with the assistance of Pakistani Intelligence. They actually DO have nuclear weapons.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:46 amIf we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.
Comment by r — August 22, 2007 @ 10:41 am
Where do you see the word "invade" in that quote? There's a big difference between giving the "go" sign to a Predator drone and launching a full-scale military invasion. He never threatened to invade Pakistan. Rupert Murdoch's spin agency put that word in his mouth when they reported the story, but Obama never said "invade."
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:46 amI suppose you could always vote Biden…no wait, he wants to stay in Iraq too.
Comment by Pretty Pretty Bird — August 22, 2007 @ 10:28 am
Pretty much impossible to reach the depths of depravity, treason and incompetence of the Bush-Cheney crime syndicate, no matter which Dem crushes the GOP into tiny shards that get swept back into the gutter. Thanks for '06, and enjoy your next 25 years in the political wilderness. Perhaps your mum should hide all the razor blades.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:48 amstay the course redux
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:48 amDo these people really believe what they say or are they told to say it for money? During my life I have made many mistakes. Some considerly worse than others. And my concsience has taken a beating over some of them. Apparently the promoters of the Iraq war prior to and since have no consciences. They have been wrong EVERY step of the way and continue to do so and without showing any remorse, sorrow or conscience. Our men are dying daily. And NONE of them have sacrificed a damn thing including a member of their family to the Army or Marines. Fleischer is noithing more than a political hack. No more expert in the militery and the Iraq war than the local alderman. Yet he gets a platform? He was also part of the outing of Valerie Plame. One of the most egrigious things this administration has done among many. I just can't understand why there aren't impeachment proceedings. They should have started the day the Democrats gained the majority in the House.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:49 amCongressional approval at all time looooooowwww:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293890,00.html
By all means, keep holding hearings and launching investigations. With your numbers this low, Pres. Bush’s upcoming vetoes will hold, as he will be seen as more responsible. I can’t imagine what the Dem Congress’s approval numbers will sink to then.
Comment by Jason M. Hendler — August 22, 2007 @ 10:36 am
If you would have dug just a bit deeper, you would have seen the rest of the story:
http://www.galluppoll.com/content/default.aspx?ci=1600&pg=2
The most recent Gallup Poll data regarding Democrats and Republicans in Congress specifically shows the Democrats polling at 37% and the Republicans polling at 29%.
Gallup even says that historically, Congress seldom polls at an approval rate higher than 50%. When asked to rate Congress as a whole, people have a tendency to rate it low. When asked to rate their own party in Congress, people will give a higher rating. And when asked to rate their own representative, they will give an even higher rating. It's usually "my guy is great, my party is OK, everybody else is a scumbag".
So go ahead and rejoice in a low number being given by a right-wing polling company. But remember that it's the Republicans who are contributing to those lower numbers more than the Democrats are.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:49 amI wonder where the money came from for these adds? Right wing front group?? Bush has already and effectively blew 1.5 b on media to keep the message on the front page. More lies from the meadia. When will this stop or be countered
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:50 amWm
MAYBE IT IS TIME TO BECOME A REPUBLICAN. I MAY AS WELL JOIN THE WINNERS INSTEAD OF SUPPORTING WIMP ASS LOSERS.
Comment by jmohr — August 22, 2007 @ 10:32 am
You'll just be on the losing side come '09. Republicans aren't winners, they're thieves and traitors. No patriot would even consider such a foolish move. Republicans are losing their membership in droves, as the people who supported this sniveling coward realize what a disaster they have enabled. Even the "hated" Hillary is destroying all repigs in head-to-head polling, which, after all is what an election is.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:53 amWhen is this liar going to prison?
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:53 amWhy doesn’t someone just compile clips of all the lies listed and run ads saying WE already had 6yrs of their War. Do We need More. Or maybe youtube it.
Comment by txexspeedy — August 22, 2007 @ 10:29 am
It would require a LOT of ad time to show all the lies, and that would be quite costly.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:55 am#23 jmohr
Where are the similar organizations on the side of the liberals and Democrats? Why do we sit back like little wimps and allow the Republicans to once again win the propaganda wars?
1. How about VoteVets.org? Ever see any of their ads? They helped win some Democratic Senate seats last year in the states where they aired. There are plenty of others, too.
2. There's a big difference between saying you're going to launch an ad campaign and 'winning the propaganda wars'. They haven't been able to turn the tide on public opinion about the war, yet. And they've been trying for a long time. The public is on to them. The right has no credibility. The only way they win a propaganda war anymore is by telling you they won it and you believing them. Stop being so defeatist.
3. The instant that they air those ads in your area, call the stations and write letters to the editors. That's how they get shot down. It works.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:57 amSimple slogans comfort simple minds. The website for freedom's watch will not dissappoint those who need that type of comfort.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:57 amAll the polls can be seen here:
http://www.pollingreport.com/wh08gen.htm
Hillary (my last Democratic pick) beats any Republican. Generic Democratic wins 51-27.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:57 amThere’s a big difference between giving the “go†sign to a Predator drone and launching a full-scale military invasion.
Comment by toasterhead — August 22, 2007 @ 10:46 am
Sounds like a potential "war of aggression" to me.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:57 amEver since 9/12, the media has given creedence to fearmongering, warhawks and chickenshithawks who have consistently been flat out wrong in their predictions concerning Iraq while marginalizing and characterizing those who oppose the occupation and have consistently been RIGHT in their predictions as unpatriotic and traitorous. What has the "liberal" media done to correct this imbalance? Not a damn thing. In fact, the pattern continues today. Who in the Bush admin has been held accountable for the disaster which is Iraq? NOBODY!! They have all been allowed to continue to give precarious predictions or given the medal of freedom or something.
I'm thoroughly disgusted.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:58 amIt would require a LOT of ad time to show all the lies, and that would be quite costly.
Comment by missmolly — August 22, 2007 @ 10:55 am
On top of this is the fact that they come out with new, more pathetic lies every hour, so all that is needed is a balanced media instead of the RATwing tools that dominate now. As important as it is to get rid of the GOP, it may be even more important to pry the media from the corporate fascist hands it's now in. In a liberal country like America, there should be a liberal media, not a Pravda-On-The-Potomac or Hudson.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:58 amWhat desperation, that they need to spend 15 million to push the propaganda. I think if the war was truly just, you wouldn't need to.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:59 amAll the polls can be seen here:
pollingreport(dot)com
Hillary (my last Democratic pick) beats any Republican. Generic Democratic wins 51-27.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:59 amSounds like a potential “war of aggression†to me.
Comment by r — August 22, 2007 @ 10:57 am
So you have no problem with it, right?
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:59 amMAYBE IT IS TIME TO BECOME A REPUBLICAN. I MAY AS WELL JOIN THE WINNERS INSTEAD OF SUPPORTING WIMP ASS LOSERS.
Comment by jmohr — August 22, 2007 @ 10:32 am
Is this what it's about? The desire to be a winner instead of a loser? Doing what you truly believe is right for the country is irrelevant -- only being on the winning side counts?
I have far more respect for a rabid conservative who sincerely believes his ideology, even if his political views are diametrically opposed to mine, than I do for somebody who only cares about being a "winner".
Contrary to what you believe, this is NOT the Super Bowl.
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:00 am#29 Jason M. Hendler
By all means, keep holding hearings and launching investigations. With your numbers this low, Pres. Bush’s upcoming vetoes will hold, as he will be seen as more responsible. I can’t imagine what the Dem Congress’s approval numbers will sink to then.
Yup, you gotta love them polls:
"Do you have more confidence in President Bush or in the Democrats in Congress to deal with the major issues facing the country today?"
Bush = 35%
Dems = 48%
(CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Aug. 6-8, 2007)
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:04 amFrom today's christian science monitor:
"The US is losing the war on terror. That's the assessment of the nation's top foreign-policy, intelligence, and national-security leaders from across the ideological spectrum. In this year's Terrorism Index, a survey released Monday by Foreign Policy magazine, 84 percent of these experts believe the nation is losing the war on terror, while more than 90 percent say the world is growing more dangerous for Americans."
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:10 amSounds like a potential “war of aggression†to me.
Comment by r — August 22, 2007 @ 10:57 am
Only because you're a partisan moron. If you were capable of independent thought, you'd easily be able to see t he difference.
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:10 am>I wonder where the money came from for these ads?
Waxman needs to look into it. I say subpean Ari.... absolutely no claim of privlege he coudl hide behind without implicating the white haus as involved in the ads
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:15 amBy the way, Ari Fleischer left the White House just as Count Dickula was shopping his juicy tidbits about Valerie Plame. He returns after the verdict is in and the heat's off.
I'd thought he may have resigned as a matter of principle, refusing to have anything to do with Valerie Plame. But the timing of his return doesn't fit that theory. Hmmmm.....
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:20 amFleischer is a treasonous scumbag who should be shoveling shit in a federal prison instead of lobbying to keep aluminum bats around - he couldn't catch up to the fastball with a real wood bat.
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2007/07/07/823050-lawmakers-study-safety-of-metal-bats
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:33 amI think that Governor Bill Richardson will get our troops out of Iraq in 6 to 8 months. He is not getting enough coverest from the media. I like him alot.
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:41 amPost Headline:
"Democrats Refocus Message on Iraq After Military Gains"
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:47 am"My assessment is that if we put an additional 30,000 of our troops into Baghdad, that's going to quell some of the violence in the short term," Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) echoed in a conference call with reporters Tuesday.
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:48 amSo what are the Democrats going to do to counter all this pro-war bullshit?
We need to take the offensive. Wars and political battles are never won by passive, timid types who remain on the defensive.
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:52 amr, why do you believe we should focus our military might against a country that had nothing to do with attacking us?
Why do you support an administration that has ignored the need to go after OBL?
Why don't you show the positives that this administration has done instead of attempting to show any negatives about a future candidate?
Why do you like to stay in the hypothetical instead of the real?
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:52 am“My assessment is that if we put an additional 30,000 of our troops into Baghdad, that’s going to quell some of the violence in the short term,†Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) echoed in a conference call with reporters Tuesday.
Comment by r — August 22, 2007 @ 11:48 am
yes, he's pointing out how useless that strategy is for any kind of "win".
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:01 pmr? can't you answer as well as ask?
Why don't you tout the positives of George Bush and Dick Cheney?
You can't seem to say what you are for but lap up the talking points of what you are against.
You are being used.
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:09 pmI wonder how many of these 'private funders' are actually oil men.
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:14 pmComment by hellinabucket — August 22, 2007 @ 11:52 am
"r" does this because he sees the situation as a sporting contest (like a soccer game), he has chosen a side to root for, and he will root for that side to win, no matter what. This basically reduces him to parroting the soundbites for his side and discourages him from any original thought.
He's not alone. There are plenty of people in this country -- both Republicans and Democrats -- who will cheer for their champion no matter how wrong that champion might be.
These people will never rage against their champion lying to get us into a stupid war, against their champion failing to go after the people who DID attack us, or against their champions who fail to hold our leaders accountable for their abuses of power.
I'm still optimistic that most Americans still care about what's right more than they do about their side "winning". But the optimism is fading...
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:17 pmI too am hopeful for the continued awakening of the American people. Far too long we've allowed mob rule without consideration of the truth to prevail.
I would much rather be right than on the right.
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:20 pm"Ari? It's Karl...
KARL!
Yes, YOUR Karl.... don't get all shy and dumb on me now, and by the way, it doesn't matter what kind of bat you try and hide behind, either...
It's time for plan F.
That's right, Freedom's Watch."
"What? Yes, we found it, right where Gannon said it would be."
"I'm e-mailing you your speaking itiner-ari
heh heh, get it?"
"No, no changes...
Look, I don't give a rats ass about your game schedules, a deal is a deal, you got out early, and immunity from prosecution, its time you started fulfilling your end of the bargain."
"And don't do anything bushish, I've got plenty of tapes, and all your transcripts to boot.
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:22 pmDid you think I was stupid?
Have a nice day, Ari, I'll be seeing you...."
Hellin - Being used by America's enemies is NOTHING new for the Left. Vlad Lenin caustically referred to Leftist sympathizers as "useful idiots". Nothing in the Leftist lexicon has changed. Osama spokes-flak and associate planner,"Dr." Zawahiri, has referenced the weak-will of the American Left during the Viet Nam war as an example of the decline of American resolve.
I would like to commend the attendees at the VFW convention yesterday - they were very polite to Barack "Re-deploy" Obama. He was impressive - his speaking ability is head an shoulders above the majority of pols from either side of the aisle. Tooo bad his ideas aren't as well thought out as his delivery......
Tooodles....
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:22 pmooops! 9/11 was clinton's fault after all!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101104_pf.html
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:23 pmAt this point I think an attempt at "they attacked us" type propaganda will back fire. Too many people have figured out that the Iraqi's didn't attack us. Only people very steeped in the Kool Ade and unreachable by reality will believe these ads and they're true believers anyway.
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:30 pmHello Mighty,
Thanks for that bit of fluff. Had about as much substance as the average Bush speech.
Repbulicans sided with the Nazi's prior to Pearl Harbor. Bush's grandad sided with them economically even after Pearl Harbor. Bush's grandad is a traitor to the United States of America.
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:30 pm"Being used by America’s enemies is NOTHING new for the Left."
While arming America's enemies is strictly republican domain. Bush has finally emulated Reagan: he's armed the very folks we're fighting against, with weapons purchased by taxpayer dollars. Every time an american soldier is killed with one of these weapons, Bush is doubly guilty: for sending them to a bogus, trumped-up war, and for arming those we fight against.
And Toodles supports this American soldier-hating military policy.
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:35 pm""There was no point in seeking to convert the intellectuals. For intellectuals would never be converted and would anyway always yield to the stronger, and thus will always be 'the man in the street.' Arguments must therefore be crude, clear and forcible, and appeal to emotions and instincts, not the intellect. Truth was unimportant and entirely subordinate to tactics and psychology."
Joseph Goebbels (as channeled by KKKarl Rove)
Appeal to the emotion and instincts, not the intellect. Keep the sheeple afraid of the boogeyman and they will follow you around with their cold noses up your ass.
Look at the Bush supporters, the 28%. Not much intellect there, a vast wasteland of sheer idiocy.
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:36 pmWake up republicans. You have been used and it's destroying this country.
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:39 pm"it’s destroying this country.
Comment by hellinabucket — August 22, 2007"
It is? How?
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:01 pmOsama spokes-flak and associate planner,â€Dr.†Zawahiri, has referenced the weak-will of the American Left during the Viet Nam war as an example of the decline of American resolve.
Comment by valiant venus — August 22, 2007 @ 12:22 pm
And typically, the American Right is falling for this line of crap. Al-Qa'ida is extremely media-savvy. Zawahiri's strategy is not to break American "resolve," it's to break the American economy. It's the same strategy they used to defeat the Soviet Union, and the neocons are too busy trying to establish an American Empire to notice. What you are doing is falling into Zawahiri's trap.
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:01 pmIt's about time the Bush Administration take the message directly to the people, bypassing the anti-war propagandists who slant everything against the Administration.
The war in Iraq is just, and our cause is noble. The United States has the right to safety and security, and it took George Bush to actually do something about it.
This battle against Militant Radical Islam will continue whether a Republican or Democrat is in power, that is fact. If we don't fight and defeat them over there, more U.S. citizens will die here in the U.S.
You may choose to drink the Kool-Aide, and believe 9/11 never happened.
Thinking people do not. And that is why the battle continues.
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:07 pm$15 million dollars is no 'grassroots' campaign, astroturf campaign is the more accurate term.
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:20 pm"the neocons are too busy trying to establish an American Empire to notice.
Comment by toasterhead — August 22, 2007"
We are? How?
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:26 pmFree speech at a Bush rally? not. Oversight committees to ensure the balance of power? not the last 6 years. Pushing us into a conflict with no justification. No plan. No regard to the american soldier and marine.
for starters michael.
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:34 pmRemember last year when Jason was telling us what a shellacking the democrats were gonna take in the november elections! Least you forget, Congress is EVERYBODY!...hence the word "Congress" There goes another fine Jason Hedler extrapolation! And yet he fails to point out all the polls that fully supports the end of our military involvement in Iraq. What I cant figure out is why he and his fellow babies have not signed up to go fight. Would the word "cowardly" be an appropriate moniker for him and other neo-con poster? Keep it up Jason because your brand of humor is such a kick!
August 22nd, 2007 at 2:03 pmI think we'd all better watch ... what we say ... about him. I noticed a few people on here were ripping his .200 batting average the other day, too. Unfair. I don't think ANYONE could have imagined they'd take everyday, commercial baseballs and fly them into catcher's mitts like that. Reading these dissent-riddled posts, I was shocked. Awed, too, frankly. And lay off his pre-invasion predictions. They were only, what, a couple hundred points lower than his batting average.
August 22nd, 2007 at 2:10 pmWe are? How?
Comment by michael
Can't you see it happening? Are your eyes open?
August 22nd, 2007 at 2:31 pmIt's not a front group for the WH if it's privately funded. What sense does that make?
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:24 pmIs this what our foreign policy has come to? Propaganda wars. Privately funded by Republicans? Are they making money off of the death and destruction? Because unless they are making money there is no logical reason to perpetuate the occupation. It is an occupation, not a war. War implies that there is something to fight for. What is wrong with our country and our people in power? Are the rich so devoid of a soul that they just don't care?
This is insane.
August 22nd, 2007 at 5:35 pmThese ads sound like threats: "Support the continued occupation of Iraq, or we'll make sure another 9/11 happens." And yes, these people are making LOTS of money in Iraq, lots of money while Iraqis and Americans die to make the rich richer. Please, everyone, call the Freedom Watch number (877-222-8001) and let them know what you think.
August 22nd, 2007 at 6:08 pmi'm sick of hearing this sh@t. why is it so far-fetched to believe that israeli agents are being put in powerful positions around the US govt to drum up support for a war that supports is self-interests in the region. defense companies, with the money they will make off it, just follow along. i just shake my head at all this.
and if i'm labeled a nazi or anti-semite for stating my opinion thats foolish bullsh@t. i'm sick of them using that excuse looking for peoples apathy. thats why every year of so they find another israeli spy in the govt stealing our secrets and they barely get a slap on the wrist for it.
August 22nd, 2007 at 7:55 pmAri Fleischer was just on Hardball and was asked the name of the disabled veteran that appeared in his ad promoting continued support of the war. He couldn't name the vet. Apparently Ari doesn't care enough about the disabled vet to learn his name, but is more than willing to use him to help spew his propaganda.
August 22nd, 2007 at 8:00 pmWasn't Ari Fleischer one of the criminal Republicans in the Bush administration who exposed covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson's identity while on a presidential trip to Africa???
Why isn't he in jail for having endangered our national security? Why is Karl Rove? Why isn't Scooter Libby? Why isn't Dick Cheney? Why isn't George W. Bush? Why aren't any of the criminals in the Bush administration locked up behind bars, at a safe distance from our government and our nation's children?
August 22nd, 2007 at 9:30 pm>Osama spokes-flak and associate planner
>,â€Dr.†Zawahiri, has referenced the weak-will
> of the American Left
Valiant Penus Methhead Meagan, are you saying we need to base our foreign policy decisions on the rantings of a foreign jihadi? why do you want to give the guy that much power? Should we base our foreign policy on a p1ssing contest to try and prove this guy wrong?
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:28 amSaw one this morning as I got ready for work. It was the "we've already had one 11 sept attack" one. My wife asked, "wtf was that?"
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:20 amFollow the money people, might give you a good idea of exactly who stands to gain the most from continuing war, certainly isnt the American or Iraqi peoples
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:24 amIf an advertising front by Dems were put together to merely mention the great hidden lie about what we are doing to assorted countries, people might be able to think about it. Yes, their lies need to be cut off at the knees. Start with Depleted Uranium. The ruin in Iraq, particularly, is of Biblical scale. Maybe this is a foot in the sales door. The chicken (hawks) that go there will bring their poisons home to roost, and soon. The Rightist, even Leftist, supposition that things are far, far away seems to have overlooked things like, oh, air currents. And different currents, too, those that come of having babies after being drenched in this madness and toxin.
Opposition and resistance to the Ari-currents. Opposition and resistance to the DU-bya cabal!
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:02 amI heard one of these pieces this morning - in it, a woman says "I lost two loved ones to Al Qaida - one a fireman in 9/11 and one a soldier in Iraq". In one sentence she commits two falsehoods, connecting Iraq and 9/11 and blaming all soldier deaths in Iraq on Al Qaida. Rank and stinking propaganda.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:18 amThe real question is (and I have seen no one ask it yet) who is bankrolling this ads? Who has an interest in keeping this war going?
Someone needs to ask that question.
- Bill
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:46 amIsrael must be kept safe in the middle-east regardless of how it behaves towards its neighbours.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:12 amThe people who were supposed to win from the invasion of Irag were the government of Israel but as things stand there are no winners just a lot of loosers.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:16 amcooooooool
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:50 pmAnyone who doesn't believe that this ghastly propaganda won't work on Ma and Pa Kettle back in Nebraska, doesn't know the American people very well. Of course they'll believe it, and in the same breath, curse all of you who dare question the obvious spin that will accompany any story coming out of Iraq next month. Patraeus also knows he's treading water...because Bush will leave office, and any of his minions left around will become chum for a new Democrat administration seeking a combination of retribution and accountability. See you at the document shredding party in December 2008.
August 23rd, 2007 at 4:48 pmIsn't "Freedom Watch" spelled backwards "Haliburton"? or is it "The Project for A New American Century"? Does Ari really need the money or do they have pictures of him and Gannon/Guckert manloving each other up in the Lincoln bedroom?
Sometime in early January of 2000 the earth crossed over into "Bizarro World" where everything is backwards, where Freedom Watch means oppression of Civil Liberties, where Homeland Security means todays color is mauve - buy duct tape and being a graduate of Yale and Harvard means you are president of the USA but can't speak the english language. It gets better everyday, you can't tell the cops from the crooks without a program anymore.
August 25th, 2007 at 12:55 amNot a tax lawyer but their site claims they are a tax-exempt 501(C)(4)
or social welfare organization.
But a cursory glance at the actual IRS details make me wonder:
http://www.irs.gov/charities/nonprofits/article/0,,id=96178,00.html
last para-
The promotion of social welfare does not include direct or indirect participation or intervention in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. However, a section 501(c)(4) social welfare organization may engage in some political activities, so long as that is not its primary activity. However, any expenditure it makes for political activities may be subject to tax under section 527(f). For further information regarding political and lobbying activities of section 501(c) organizations, see Election Year Issues, Political Campaign and Lobbying Activities of IRC 501(c)(4), (c)(5), and (c)(6) Organizations, and Revenue Ruling 2004-6.
August 25th, 2007 at 2:18 pmWill Bush now now re-invade Iraq to replace Maliki with Allawi?
Could it be that 75% of US population disagree the reasoning to invade Iraq and understand there was no link with 9-11?
Hey Marty, you are a loser like our President, Alberto, Rice and all your crew.
August 28th, 2007 at 8:38 am