ThinkFast: August 23, 2007
ThinkFast: August 23, 2007
On Thursday, the administration is planning to make public parts of a new national intelligence assessment that expresses deep doubts that the Maliki government can overcome sectarian differences. The assessment reportedly says “there’s been little political progress to date, and it’s very gloomy on the chances for political progress in the future.”
The administration argued in court papers this week that the White House Office of Administration is “not subject to the Freedom of Information Act” as part of its effort to refuse the release of internal documents about a large number of e-mails missing from White House servers.” The White House website, however, claims that the office is subject to FOIA.
Executive branch officials “are routinely accepting trips from companies and trade associations with a stake in their agencies’ decisions.” A USA Today investigation found more than 100 trips between April 2006 and March 2007 that “would be out of bounds for members of Congress under the recently passed ethics bill,” yet are allowed for executive officials.
Baghdad’s electricty problems, where residents are struggling with only a few hours of power a day, are being made worse by increasing control of local switching stations by armed militias across Iraq, who “often refuse to share electricity generated locally with Baghdad and other power-starved areas,” said the Iraqi electricity minister yesterday.
The Bush administration “plans to screen thousands of people who work with charities and nonprofit organizations that receive U.S. Agency for International Development funds to ensure they are not connected with individuals or groups associated with terrorism.” But the government “does not intend to tell groups deemed unacceptable why they are rejected.”
Reacting to Bush’s comparison of the Vietnam and Iraq wars, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Dung said, “The war leaves consequences that are still visible today, and so are our memories.” He added that the Vietnamese fought for “a righteous cause” during the U.S. war but preferred to focus on the present.
The Western Climate Initiative, which includes the governments of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington and the provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba, “announced a regional goal Wednesday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by…15% over 2005 levels within 13 years.”
Teamsters boss James Hoffa is urging more than 170 of the union’s pension funds to “shed all shares they own in companies doing business in Iran.” The Teamsters’ pension funds amount to approximately $110 billion. The Teamsters is the first union to pursue Iran divestment at the national level.
And finally: Tonight after his show, Stephen Colbert will auction on eBay a cast that “helped mend his broken left wrist.” The cast is signed by Michael Bloomberg, Bill O’Reilly, and Tony Snow, among others. Proceeds will benefit the Yellow Ribbon Fund, “a charity that assists injured service members and their families.” “If I had known that it would give me the opportunity to help our wounded veterans, I would have shattered my triquetrum a long time ago,” Colbert said in a statement.
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†But the government “does not intend to tell groups deemed unacceptable why they are rejected.â€
Is this legal? Isn’t this just a false front to purge anyone not blindly loyal to the Bush Admin?
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:06 am“On Thursday, the administration is planning to make public parts of a new national intelligence assessment that expresses deep doubts that the Maliki government can overcome sectarian differences. “
Now why would the administration go and do something like that? How are they going to spin that to their advantage? This is going to be interesting.
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:06 am“Executive branch officials “are routinely accepting trips from companies and trade associations with a stake in their agencies’ decisions.â€
Does this include Dick Chaney? If so, then someone needs to do something about it because he says he’s not part of the Executive Branch. And if he is part of the Congressional branch, then he needs to abide by the rules of Congress.
This doesn’t surprise me a bit. The Bush Administration has been handing out goodies to companies it likes like candy. It doesn’t surprise me that the companies did something to get their goodies.
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:09 amAnd the beat goes on…
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:14 amThe Corleone kiss:
[Dubya, speaking of Maliki]: “He’s a good man….”
“You’re doing a heck of a job, Maliki….”
Cheers,
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:14 am“The administration argued in court papers this week that the White House Office of Administration is “not subject to the Freedom of Information Actâ€
Is there anything that this administration is subject to? Are they really saying that they are exempt from any oversight? Why aren’t the Republicans screaming about this? They sure screamed loud enough when Clinton tried to use EP during the Monica investigation. This President has used EP to stop an investigation into the death of Pat Tillman for gods sake. And yet, nary a peep out of the Republicans.
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:15 amIf Iraq is like Viet Nam, is Bush like Nixon?
Let’s see, lying to the American people, enshrouded in secrecy, pissing off the rest of the free world, breaking the law to gain political supremacy…
Yep. Bush = Nixon
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:15 amOn Thursday, the administration is planning to make public parts of a new national intelligence assessment that expresses deep doubts that the Maliki government can overcome sectarian differences. The assessment reportedly says “there’s been little political progress to date, and it’s very gloomy on the chances for political progress in the future.â€
OK. They are going to claim the surge is working but that Iraq’s present government isn’t. So we will call for a new election? Kick Malarki to the curb? I hate to bring this up, but didn’t we do this a couple of times in South Vietnam?
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:16 am“increasing control of local switching stations by armed militias”
I believe the particular militia responsible is known as Enron-in-Mesopotamia.
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:19 amThe clock is ticking. And time is on our side. In a few short months, this entire stain on the American record will be relegated to a few sorry pages of history and the lessons therein about the dangers from radical threats to our democracy from within. We’ll be able to tell our children how we lived through the crisis which almost brought down our country but because the Nation as a whole rose above the vitrolic hatred of a single political party which hates America, bent on destroying our freedom and liberty, they our children, have a democracy to enjoy. Quite thrilling to watch the wingnut party crumble I think.
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:19 amThe administration argued in court papers this week that the White House Office of Administration is “not subject to the Freedom of Information Act†as part of its effort to refuse the release of internal documents about a large number of e-mails missing from White House servers.†The White House website, however, claims that the office is subject to FOIA.
What they are really saying is that they are not subject to any rules unless someone makes them. Up can actually be down whenever they say because Congress will only pass a non-binding resolution split along party lines stating that Congress believes up is up–with several billion dollars in pork provisions tacked on.
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:23 amIn regard to Vietnam and Iraq, for those interested in a psychological analysis of warmongering, I have recently completed a 10-minute online video entitled “Resisting the Drums of War.†It examines how the Bush administration has promoted the misguided and destructive war in Iraq by targeting five core concerns that often govern our lives–concerns about vulnerability, injustice, distrust, superiority, and helplessness. Looking ahead, the continuing occupation of Iraq–or an attack on Iran–will likely be sold to us in much the same way. The video examines these warmongering appeals and how to counter them. It’s available for viewing HERE.
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:27 amBush is a lame duck and he knows it. Yet instead of playing dead, he’s essentially chosen to stick in middle finger in the air and tell Americans to “go fu(k themselves”
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:27 amso much for our dream of bringing “democracy” to iraq.. maybe someone finally figured out democracy in iraq would look more like palestine than japan..
http://www.cnn.com/ 2007/ WORLD/ meast/ 08/ 22/ iraq.democracy/
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:34 am†But for the first time, exasperated front-line U.S. generals talk openly of non-democratic governmental alternatives, and while the two top U.S. officials in Iraq still talk about preserving the country’s nascent democratic institutions, they say their ambitions aren’t as “lofty†as they once had been. “Democratic institutions are not necessarily the way ahead in the long-term future,†said Brig. Gen. John “Mick†Bednarek, part of Task Force Lightning in Diyala province, one of the war’s major battlegrounds.â€
Now, how about divesting any shares of corporations which profit from war?
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:37 am#8 Menehune:
So we will call for a new election? Kick Malarki to the curb? I hate to bring this up, but didn’t we do this a couple of times in South Vietnam?
Kick them to the curb? We just had them offed. See Stephen Kinzer’s excellent book “Overthrow” for the sanguinary details of our adventures in Vietnam … and Hawai’i … and Cuba … and Puerto Rico … and Nicaragua … and Honduras … and Guatemala anonanonanonanon…..
Cheers,
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:43 amhi –
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:47 amyour link to the washingtonpost is broken
correct link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/22/AR2007082202847.html?hpid=topnews
Screening=Purge? This government is out of control but where is the appeal and more importantly the redress for the people? The polls have been stolen and our votes manipulated. Bush and his SS have the courts in the palm of their hand…both lower courts and the supreme (using the term loosely) court. Bush will pardon anyone in his SS who is indicted, he rewrites legislation to fit his mood, he has a death grip on the “justice” department and he has party kommisars in every agency. He has a VP who believes he is niether completely in the Senate nor in the Executive dodging attempts to investigate his activities. Now ya see him now ya don’t. To top it off impeachment will get nowhere with diehard neocons in the Senate so…King George and his SS have a lock on the whole enchilada. What’s to stop them from attacking Iran? What’s to stop them from doing anything they want? What’s to keep Bush from carrying on with the illegal spying on citizens, torture, gulags? Where is our democracy? Better still, where is the Justice??
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:47 am“On Thursday, the administration is planning to make public parts of a new national intelligence assessment that expresses deep doubts that the Maliki government can overcome sectarian differences. “
Ummm, what Government can overcome sectarian differences? Does this administration chose to be stupid?
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:57 amI wonder how far does this parallel with Nixon to Bush go?
I know Nixon roamed the White House halls drunk with paranoia?
Does Chimpy have guilt-ridden, paranoid, alcohol induced nightmares (waking and otherwise) : roaming the White House floors?
I believe so.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:00 amComment by UKBristolDave
No, but they think we are.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:02 amIf Iraq is like Viet Nam, is Bush like Nixon?
Yep. Bush = Nixon
Comment by Zimzone — August 23, 2007 @ 9:15 am
Except with one major difference. Nixon recognized that Vietnam was a failure and got the troops out of there. Bush, not so much.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:03 amtoasterhead
Except with one major difference. Nixon recognized that Vietnam was a failure and got the troops out of there. Bush, not so much.
Wasn’t Nixon really good at foreign policy in general? Re-opening relations with China and all that? He just had a bit of a paranoia issue.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:10 amWasn’t Nixon really good at foreign policy in general? Re-opening relations with China and all that? He just had a bit of a paranoia issue.
Comment by squegeeboo — August 23, 2007 @ 10:10 am
I never thought I’d miss Nixon. After 6 plus yrs of Bush II, I miss Nixon.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:12 amIraq’s lack of power, especially in the blistering summer, is simply another example of why the Iraqis will do anything to make sure the Americans are removed from their soil.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:12 amDoes this administration chose to be stupid?
Comment by UKBristolDave — August 23, 2007 @ 9:57 am
You don’t choose to be stupid. Stupidity chooses you.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:13 amWasn’t Nixon really good at foreign policy in general? Re-opening relations with China and all that? He just had a bit of a paranoia issue.
Comment by squegeeboo — August 23, 2007 @ 10:10 am
“Good” is a relative term. Ending Vietnam was good. Opening talks with China was good. Supporting the Six-Day War thus encouraging the oil embargo just to prop up the weak dollar – highly debatable.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:15 amErroll
You mean Baghdad’s?
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:15 amWasn’t Nixon really good at foreign policy in general? Re-opening relations with China and all that? He just had a bit of a paranoia issue.
Comment by squegeeboo
Agreed.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:17 amBush is not good at anything.
And he has a bit of a paranoia issue.
I noticed the juxtaposition of the item about our exec branch officials getting junkets out of corporate America and the item about residents of Baghdad still struggling with electricity. The very people who are responsible for the hellhole Iraq has become are getting perks while Iraqis struggle for basic necessities.
It made me sad. Did you intentionally put those two items next to each other?
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:19 amComment by The Republic of Stupidity — August 23, 2007 @ 10:13 am
Fair comment and a nod on my spelling nightmare
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:21 amUS suffers 34 casualities (killed and wounded) in one day
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:23 amHe (Nixon) just had a bit of a paranoia issue.
Comment by squegeeboo — August 23, 2007 @ 10:10 am
I suppose you could call it that. He also had a hubris issue. And the combination led to more and more unethical behavior which ultimately brought his downfall.
I feel as if I am watching a similar downward spiral these days.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:24 ammissmolly
hubris
Ah, one of my favorite non-commonly used words, it’s up there with defenestrate.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:25 am#3 The Dick wants it both ways but he’s being painted into a corner from which there is no escape.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:26 amJust in from the White House:
“We’re going to say this for the last time:
No, you are not allowed to investigate us, for anything, at anytime.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:27 amWe do whatever we want, whenever we want.
That’s just the way it is, and you can’t do a damn thing about it, so
you might as well get used to it.”
Most important heading of the Day and missed
Bush: no Iraq exit while I’m president
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2154354,00.html
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:27 amMissMolly & Squeeze – The hubris and paranoia go hand in hand in profound mental illness. It’s called “delusions of grandeur” where the schizo actually believes that he/she is important (impotent??) enough to garner the degree of attention which makes them paranoid. It’s a self-perpetuating psychiatric loop from which they cannot return unless/until psychoparma is applied or they are able to gain the insight to realize that no one really gives a s#it about them. They’re actually suffering from a deep and severe insecurity complex from a life filled with realizing that they are as worthless to others as they are to themselves.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:29 amBush will make Nixon look like Carter.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:29 amAnd, sexual impotency always is at the base of this psychiatric illness.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:29 amBush is Nixon – on steroids.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:30 amTherefore an alternate version of reality must be created by them to boost their diminished ego. They actually invent one.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:30 am#
Bush is Nixon – on steroids.
Comment by Kay — August 23, 2007 @ 10:30 am
Kay – You and I are in sync. Bush on Steroids tells it all and makes the case for personal sexual impotency in his degree of mental illness.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:31 amDoes Chimpy have guilt-ridden, paranoid, alcohol induced nightmares (waking and otherwise) : roaming the White House floors?
I doubt that. I see no evidence of GWB having the ability to feel guilty. Same goes for Cheney & Rove. They’re beyond that. Empathy be damned, full speed… ahead? Not really, just full speed.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:37 amit’s up there with defenestrate.
Comment by squegeeboo — August 23, 2007 @ 10:25 am
And “immerd”… don’t forget immerd… an extremely useful word when talking politics!
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:45 amThe Republic of Stupidity
don’t forget immerd…
Why? Is it part of Poland?
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:49 amDailyKos has a good write-up about Cheney wanting to restore presidential powers to pre-Watergate levels.
FISA, campaign finance reform, Congressional war powers, and the FOIA are being/have been targeted.
Title of post there is “Reversing Watergate.”
Enjoy…
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:50 amThe Republic of Stupidity
don’t forget immerd…
Why? Is it part of Poland?
Comment by squegeeboo — August 23, 2007 @ 10:49 am
It think immerd is in Asia…
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:51 am“They’re actually suffering from a deep and severe insecurity complex from a life filled with realizing that they are as worthless to others as they are to themselves.”
Comment by tutmosis — August 23, 2007 @ 10:29 am
And Dubya’s life has been filled with getting things he didn’t earn through family connections, failing at his business ventures, etc. Even his being annointed for the presidency came from his family connections and his “fitting the suit” (we all know that Cheney is running the actual show).
He wouldn’t be worthless if we could point to something he accomplished in his life that benefitted humanity more than it did his direct benefactors.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:53 amKrazny
It think immerd is in Asia…
Ah, prob. one of those old Soviet republics.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:05 amby “overcome” do they mean completely cleanse Iraq of any saudis?
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:21 amWhy? Is it part of Poland?
Comment by squegeeboo — August 23, 2007 @ 10:49 am
Google it. It’s an extremely useful word when talking about politicians.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:27 amThe Republic of Stupidity
Google it. It’s an extremely useful word when talking about politicians.
I did, I just couldn’t resist the Poland joke.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:35 amThis is all part of an orchestrated effort to change the subject from “failure in Iraq” to “It’s all Maliki’s fault.” It’s designed to buy time so Bush can hand his catastrophe over to a Democratic president. When is the Congress going to cut-off funds that finance this farce? I am so sick of this C R A P.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:46 amBush has done it…..he got a 20 year old black girl preggers..
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=22061
So, it has come to this: A 20-year-old Illinois college student is whining because she won’t be able to vacation in Costa Rica, because she got pregnant, because she couldn’t get birth control anymore, because it cost $20-a-month more at the university clinic, because its federal funding was cut, because President George Bush signed the Deficit Reduction Act.
Boy, doesn’t that beat all. Bush lied to us, got us into an unnecessary war and now he got a 20-year-old pregnant and denied her the entitlement of drinking mai tais on a tropical beach.
Welcome to modern entitlement society, where ‘low incomes’ cannot afford birth control, but can afford to vacation in the Caribbean.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:50 amI thought I’d follow the preceeding tripe with (hands down) one of the most insightful essays I’ve read al year.
I thought I’d share :
http://visibility911.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=206482
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:15 pmSquegeeboo at 28
Do you honestly believe that most Iraqis have electricity in their homes for more than ten or twelve hours a day? I would be quite cautious to give much credence to what the American government tells the American people and the rest of the world.
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:15 pmErroll
Do you honestly believe that most Iraqis have electricity in their homes for more than ten or twelve hours a day?
FTA:
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:31 pmAt times the hoarding of power provides cities around power plants with 24 hours of uninterrupted electricity, a luxury that is unheard of in Baghdad, where residents say they generally get two to six hours of power a day.
‘immerd’ – I think that’s a collective name for Peruvian llamas.
Use: Pedro, your immerd has escaped into your maize plantation – better break out the hose again to chase them off…
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:39 pmThe administration argued in court papers this week that the White House Office of Administration is “not subject to the Freedom of Information Act†as part of its effort to refuse the release of internal documents about a large number of e-mails missing from White House servers.â€
Why does this administration love stone walls?
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:57 pm“The administration argued in court papers this week that the White House Office of Administration is “not subject to the Freedom of Information Act†as part of its effort to refuse the release of internal documents about a large number of e-mails missing from White House servers.â€
Sounds a lot like:
“We are not goting to ahve them crawling through all of our papers. After all, WE are the President”
Don’t it?
August 23rd, 2007 at 1:02 pmComment by m12 — August 23, 2007 @ 11:50 am
The only person mentioning this story is you. This doesn’t even register on the lib outrage meter. I doubt anybody here will blame Bush for this young woman’s ruined vacation, as she had a number of viable alternative choices she could have made. If you’re really feeling argumentative, try to find a target with less straw.
But this brings up one point — albeit a small one: does anybody find it odd that the party that’s so against abortion doesn’t want to do more to prevent unwanted pregnancies than to just say “keep your legs crossed”?
August 23rd, 2007 at 1:04 pmBut this brings up one point — albeit a small one: does anybody find it odd that the party that’s so against abortion doesn’t want to do more to prevent unwanted pregnancies than to just say “keep your legs crossed�
Comment by missmolly — August 23, 2007 @ 1:04 pm
Don’t you think it is odd that someone wants to blame the government because they were irresponsible and didn’t “keep their legs crossed”.
August 23rd, 2007 at 1:18 pmTomorrow’s Headline: “Whitehouse No Longer Part of the Executive Branch”.
August 23rd, 2007 at 5:59 pmoh wait…
August 23rd, 2007 at 5:59 pm> Don’t you think it is odd that someone wants
> to blame the government because they were
> irresponsible and didn’t “keep their legs crossedâ€.
I don’t know, but if some random girl somewhere complains about
birth control, democrats should have to justify it.
And BTW missmolly, republicans are MUCH MUCH more worried about trying to stifle women’s sexuality than they are trying to “preserve life” or “prevent abortions” or anything like that. They’d rather a million people die of disease or overpopulation than talk about birth control. Considering that dropping bombs, one of the republicans favorite past times, is basically an abortion that kills the mother also, I’d say thier interest in preserving life is, at best, extremely selective, and at worst, downright hipocritical…
August 24th, 2007 at 1:02 amThe NIE is saying what democrats were saying before the surge that without political progress the surge is pointless. This is a flawed policy and no amount of troops can bring about political progress unless the Iraqis themselves want it.
August 24th, 2007 at 3:30 amBush can’t benefit from any comparison between the quagmire that was the Vietnam war and the quagmire Iraq has become. In Vietnam we had a policy that was based on a lie and the same is true for Iraq. We didn’t win in Vietnam and Bush won’t win in Iraq unless he changes course.
August 24th, 2007 at 3:33 am