Romney, Advised By Blackwater’s Vice Chairman, Stays Silent On Blackwater Shootings
Romney, Advised By Blackwater’s Vice Chairman, Stays Silent On Blackwater Shootings
Several presidential candidates have spoken out in support of tighter regulations governing private security contractors in Iraq after the recent shooting involving Blackwater USA.
Former Republican Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has remained silent though. Not only has his campaign not issued a statement, but as the Politico reports, it has refused to even answer any questions:
Romney’s campaign has declined to answer specific questions posed by Politico about issues central to the debate — issues now being hashed out by Congress, the State Department and the Iraqi government. […]
After the shooting, though, a Romney spokesman would not say whether Black has advised Romney on the use of security contractors in Iraq. Nor would he elaborate on Black’s role in the campaign or answer specific questions about whether the U.S.’s level of oversight over security contractors is adequate.
Romney has a clear interest not condemning Blackwater. Cofer Black, vice chairman of Blackwater, currently serves as a Senior Adviser for counterterrorism and national security issues on the Romney campaign. From the April press release announcing that Black would be joining the campaign:
“I am pleased to welcome Cofer Black to our campaign. He has a long and impressive career dedicated to making America safer and more secure in the world,” said Governor Romney. “Our country faces a new generation of challenges and Black’s experience at the forefront of our nation’s counterterrorism efforts will be a tremendous asset.”
The recent incident was not the first violent episode that involved Blackwater in Iraq. Iraqi officials are now investigating “allegations about the security firm’s involvement in six other violent episodes this year that left at least 10 Iraqis dead.” The day before the Coalition Provisional Authority ceased to exist, L. Paul Bremer, then the chief American envoy in Iraq, issued an order that “granted American private security contractors immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts.”
Black previously served as the CIA’s chief of counterrorism. In 2001, he infamously ordered an agent to “Capture Bin Laden, kill him and bring his head back in a box on dry ice.”
UPDATE: Steve Clemons at The Washington Note has more.
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Strange folks Romney is keeping company with.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:06 pmRomney’s name will be blackened by this affiliation. It’s called “guilt by association” and the fact that he is not openly coming out and verbally condemning what Blackwater is doing to the people of Iraq (in our name, of course) will be the end to Mitt’s presidential bid.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:06 pmHow is Mutt Wrongknee gonna face up to terrorists if he cant face up to tough questions?
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:06 pmDoes anyone else get the feeling that ole’ Mitt Romney is as slippery as an eel or a snake oil salesman? Ewwww….every time I see one of his commercials, all I can think is “FRAUD, FRAUD, FRAUD”. When it comes to “shapeshifters, count Mitt Romeny as the quintessential flipflopper. I don’t think Mitt has evolved personally or spiritually to even know who he is at this point.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:07 pmRomney’s Jack Kennedy Wannabe Routine is pretty trite and tiring - along with his hair dye job to make him look younger. I believe that his campaign has seen the highest point and is on it’s way down.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:09 pmRomney gems from a speech he gave last night:
He’s going to move “In God We Trust” to the front of the new dollar coins instead of the side.
And this:
“I’ll make sure that our future is defined not by the letters ACLU, but by the letters USA.”
Good grief.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:09 pmI am becoming more concerned about the blatant openness with which people associate themselves with the idea of killing other people, whether for ideological reasons or personal gain. These are people who have clearly proven that they devalue human life so very much. Yet, strangely enough, they will proudly tell you that they are in the vanguard for destroying the right of women to have abortions, while at the same time happily telling you how much they support the use of capital punishment. Hired mercenaries, like the Blackwater security guards, got their jobs because they were willing to kill if they felt it necessary (and they could do it with impunity). And the man who formed this company calls himself a Christian. I proudly admit I’m an atheist, but I find it hard to believe that Jesus would have approved of this company.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:15 pmWWJK?
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:17 pm#10: WWJK? - - James Dobson.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:19 pmWho Would Jesus Kill?
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:20 pm#12: Who Would Jesus Kill? - - I knew that. #11
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:23 pmstill stands.
Indeed. No fan of Dobson here.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:24 pmIt’s all about the money, and Mormans like money, too.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:26 pmMittsy knows where his bread’s buttered. How long now, anyone suppose, before he renounces Mormonism for Dominionist Evangelical Fundamentalism? (which will get him full-entry to the “club”)
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:38 pmWhat cold, hateful eyes this man has.
Draw a little mustache on him and…
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:41 pmHe’s going to move “In God We Trust†to the front of the new dollar coins instead of the side. -BMM
Ah, yes, but heres the catch, Romney doesn’t say that who his God is.
It could be avarice, that is Mammon.
Romney’s great-grandparents were polygamist Mormons who fled to Mexico in 1884 after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld various anti-polygamy laws in 1879
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:43 pmRomney denigrates the ACLU because he obvously doesn’t understand the concenpt of Civil LIberties.
He is nothing more than a carefully coiffed, slick, flip-flopping, phony, who cares about money and power, and getting more for himself.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:46 pmMitt, RUDEE and Freddy Flintsone are the 3 Stooges of the GOP. None of them have a platform, are slithering flip-floppers and have no morality regarding the deaths the US has caused in the past 6 1/2 years.
My only hope is that enough of the American people can pull their collective heads out of the BushCo backside and make the right decisions in November ‘08.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:50 pm#19: {Romney} is nothing more than a carefully coiffed, slick, flip-flopping, phony, - - Romney is an empty hairdo.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:51 pmI’m sorry, but I just don’t see the evangelical Christian right embracing a Mormon. They think the LDS is a cult.
Plus, his dad was born in Mexico, which I don’t think will sit well with the xenophobic base of the Republican Party.
Actually, it doesn’t seem like the GOP is offering up much to get evangelicals excited, in terms of candidates. I’m not sure any of them is born again.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:54 pmAnd you have Heinrich Himmlers overweight grandson.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himmler
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
No sh*t? Yes, sh*t!
EXACTLY what I was thinkin’…
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:54 pmJeebsus… jes’ follered yer Wiki link and the resemblance is major-league CREEPY. If ya were castin’ a movie about the 3rd Reich, Cofer would be PERFECT fer the part…
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:57 pmMay be Mr. Romney should be suggesting that we put, “In Blackwater thugs we trust” on our money in future…
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:18 pmI drain the blackwater out of the tank of my RV every now and then. It’s vile smelling stuff.
I am sure that some are comforted by the fact that Romney has the head of a mercenary army on his campaign staff. If elected, Romney is sure to appoint Mr. Black (a fitting name, what?) to a high-level position within his administration; perhaps head of Homeland Security, NSA, or FEMA. After all, it is only a matter of time before those of us who disagree with the administration are labled Terrorists, and dealt with accordingly.
(Why FEMA? Because all the President has to do is declare a State of Emergency and FEMA takes over.)
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:23 pmQuestion- if you’re a garden variety evil capitalist looking to make a buck in war profiteering, why call yourself Blackwater? It’s too easy.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:24 pmi think there’s a town called blackwater in VA.
these hessian.thug.thieves should be referred to as Backwater, or Blackguard, or maybe just Thugwater.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:28 pmI notice that all 4 top Republicans {Rudy, Mitt, Fred, McCain}didn’t appear at the florida conservative value voter debate.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:36 pmCofer seems to have warned the current admin, yet they largely ignored him and others.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:40 pmwhy call yourself Blackwater? It’s too easy.
Comment by clb72 — September 22, 2007 @ 6:24 pm
Yeah, but P*leofsh*t, Inc is even more obvious…
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:40 pmCofer seems to have warned the current admin, yet they largely ignored him and others.
Comment by Xisithrus — September 22, 2007 @ 6:40 pm
Really? Ya think? ‘N guys like Richard Clarke, w/ memos like “Bin Laden Determined to Strike W/in US”???
Ooops, my bad!!! Condi told us that last one was jes’ an “historical document”. Hmmm, anyone ever figger out jes’ what an “historical document” is? Anyone????
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:43 pm31 - Black, along with a few other handpicked cheneyrumsfeld continuum members knew in detail what was coming - the dubster, however, did not. he was merely told to “expect a few surprises” - his awkward hesitation at that school on 9/11 was that reality dawning on him.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:45 pmHmmm, anyone ever figger out jes’ what an “historical document†is? Anyone???? Comment by The Republic of Stupidity
Its a Gottdayum piece of paper according to \/\/ }8@B
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:50 pmhe was merely told to “expect a few surprises†- his awkward hesitation at that school on 9/11 was that reality dawning on him.
Comment by tombaker — September 22, 2007 @ 6:45 pm
I still find that moment amazing. The WTC has been hit w/ a jet liner, and the Preznit jes’ sits there, w/ a stupid look on his face. Wasn’t he even holding the book upside down?
Silent pause…
(Me shakin’ my head and making a cartoon “wobba-wobba-wobba” noise)
Sweet tap-dancin’ Jesus, I despise that crowd…
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:52 pmhis awkward hesitation at that school on 9/11 was that reality dawning on him. Comment by tombaker — September 22, 2007
No bout adoubt that.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:53 pmSo if Romney becomes President could there a plan to name the Vice Chairman of Blackwater as the Secretary of Defense? Scary is too limited of a word.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:57 pmYikes! This guy look’s like he could be related to rove…..What kind of name is cofer.? Is it pronounced like it’s spelled or is it like cough.?..As I clear my throat.. It’s just getting to weird for me, all these strange evil people with odd name’s……Gotta go run the Bear and get some fresh air….Blessings
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:00 pmIf anyone has studied the history of the French Foreign Legion, it provides a strong parallel to Blackwater. They both employ very shady characters, with no conscience and the only difference being, the French Government sponsored the Legion and private contractors own Black…… Oops, my Bad. Guess it has that in common too.
And they deploy and run missions at the behest of Darth. Now, THAT is Scary!
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:01 pmCause the Iraqi’s HAVE IT ON VIDEO!
oops
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 7:07 pm
Maybe this is why the LAPD and Blackwater hate private citizens and video cams.
Maybe they will be the next thing to be banned by our Gestapo BushCo Regime.
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:09 pmThats right Upside.
I personally LOVE video cams.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 7:10 pm
Me too. And YouTube may very well change the landscape in November ‘08. There is enough GOP Follies and F@ckups out there to blow ALL the candidates out of the tub. But then, as they say “What ya gonna believe, what we tell ya or your own lyin’ eyes?”
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:13 pmThe pic of Cofer Black reminds me of the guy that played The Ceaner in the movie Beyond the Point of No Return.
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:14 pmI meant the Cleaner
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:16 pmIt is widely understood that the insurgency in Iraq really began to escalate after PHOTOS from inside the Abu Ghraib prison were released.
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:19 pmI remember in Vietnam watching a news photographer from Australia or New Zealand who was filming the offloading of dead and wounded from our choppers returning from Cambodia (when we weren’t supposed to be in Cambodia, according to Nixon). A MP Major came up and said he couldn’t film that and when the reporter refused to stop, they knocked him down and took his camera and walked off.
I about fell out of my chopper when I saw that. It was the turning point for me when I became a non-Repug and anti-war warrior!
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:19 pmI smell something fishy going on here.
The MSM is jumping on the wagon, with all these Blackwaterâ„¢ scandals, way too much IMO. First the killing, now the illegal gun trade. They are really piling it on. You would think a group, that is so supported by the Bush administration, would be much better protected from public scrutiny. Halliburton has been caught doing all sorts of shady things, and has gotten away with it each time.
My guess is, that Blackwaterâ„¢ is being setup by the Bush administration, as a temporary scapegoat, to take the heat off of themselves for a while.
Give the unwashed masses a sacrifice to vent their anger at.
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:23 pm“Cofer Black, vice chairman of Blackwater, currently serves as a Senior Adviser for counterterrorism and national security issues on the Romney campaign.”
Imagine that! Anyone surprised?
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:27 pmDidn’t the British Empire rely heavily on mercenaries just before it’s collapse?
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:39 pmIf Romney can’t be honest about something like this and say something immediately then why should anyone - Republican, Democrat, Independent - ever believe him again? The press should hound him on this like the plague.
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:53 pm61 - thanks again, to you, for never making a factual or direct contribution to a topic, too.
don’t cry for us though. righty blather is so completely predictable that we’ll entertain ourselves by betting on who can dash off better approximations of your contributions over at HuffPo, with the agreement being that (like good little socialists) we’ll donate our winnings to MoveOn.
dissent? thought police? - you’re a wuss, dude.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:05 pmWhats a photo of Karl Rove doing in this story?
Or do they all just look like that?
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 5:10 p
Yes, they’re all fat, bald and deer-under-the-headlights looking. That’s why they have to look for sex in bathroom stalls.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:05 pmI think it’s pretty much despicable that the Blackwater mercenaries in Iraq have immunity from the law, both Iraqi law and american military law.
Oh sure, the iraqi citizens just have to trust the american “investigations”. Specially when the cowardly Dept of State has claimed that it’s too dangerous to investigate all of the incidents reported in Iraq.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:06 pmI pity you all that you are so afraid of contrary opinion that you support this type of athoritarian rule but TP will go the way of the dinosaur and we will see you at hufington. Its been fun.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:00 pm
You’re here. You’re posting. Where’s the authoritarian rule in that?
It’s not about contrary opinion, it’s about name-stealing idiotic trolls.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:09 pmExley and others manage to get posts on TP….but they try to make points without dozens of lines of animal noises.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:09 pmAnd speaking of contrary opinion, I think it’s childish to say that Romney looks like Himmler’s grandkids or whatever.
There, I can say it without fear of being banned. That’s freedom of opinion.
(Let’s see that happen on LGF!!!)
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:12 pmNo need to have an investigation it was all on tape and Blackwater the hired killers did kill these people without shooting a shot at Blackwater soldiers. Now Connie Rice will have explain to PM Maliki that he shouldn’t believe what he sees but should believe the lies she’s telling. To back no one got a tape of Blackwater killing Pat Tillman then Rummy and the Generals would not have to lie under oath. This shows how dumb the White House is after seeing the Iraqis video Saddam’s hanging their now video taping everything as proof.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:12 pmmy post as Troll showed up on only my primary PC nowhere else and all the other trolls are gone.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:10 pm
Because. They. Are. Trolls.
Not because they’re Republicans, because they’re frickin’ trolls.
That is, in fact, the whole point.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:13 pmany one who dared dispute your positions was a troll.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:14 pm
No.
Anyone who left inflaming posts, and then left the thread to jump to the next one, and left more inflaming posts, and never bothered to answer to any of the replies, and kept on doing it again and again… that’s a troll.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:18 pmDid you bother to LOOK at the link?
Check out the photo of lil Heinrich, and then say that.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 8:17 pm
He can look like a clone of Himmler for all I care… my point is that since he’s doing enough evil as it is, whether he looks like Himmler or the Pope is irrelevant. I mean I understand it’s done as a jest, but I still think it’s a bit childish.
… tho it would be fun to make a Photoshop contest with his picture.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:21 pmShow me where I did this louis.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:20 pm
Uhh… excuse me, but when did I ever say you, Vendetta, did?
I can show you lots of examples where other people did, and that’s the reason for the registration thing.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:23 pmSo Vendetta..we know how you feel about the new registration policy at TP. How do you feel about Blackwater?
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:25 pmHas this thread turned into troll therapy? It’s all very sad, Vendetta, and we all feel terrible about it. But didn’t you say something about going away? Far away?
B’bye!
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:26 pmVendetta,
Do you have anything to say about Romney’s link to Blackwater or are you doing the troll schtick of derailing the thread by complaining of something irrelevant and non-existent?
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:26 pmBlackwater was able to do the things they do, because most people never heard of them. Whatever will they do now?
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:31 pmShhhh, it’s secret.
Doubt that you can find an administration as corrupt as this one ever. This is just so Dictatorship like, it is insane. And the Americans that do not speak up or at least write their representatives are complacent in these crimes.
Ignore the “it”
Buck Fush
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:33 pmi don’t see a concerted effort on the part of any group of reality-based republicans to do anything of substance to distance or divorce themselves from the reckless splinter faction ruling their party and our country - in fact they’re either bailing out through retirement, falling under indictment, or they’re sucking up even harder. until some of them do, i will be forced to operate under the assumption that being republican means advocating every disgraceful deceit, every crime and misdemeanor, every arrogant and wanton transgression the current administration has committed.
vendetta, if you want to do something constructive, try getting together with some other republicans who want your party to survive, and do something productive to save it. saddam didn’t kill all the republican Mandelas, did he? get your representatives to step out of the way of important legislation - let them know you’ll support them even if they abandon this excuse for a president, and that if they won’t relent, you’ll back their opponent in the next republican primary, cause you can sure as hell bet that’s how they’ll be campaigning.
if we were talking about two NFL coaches, and the performance of their teams, every fan on earth would be saying they need to can coach GOP before the next game was played, and no one would be accusing coach Dem of a damned thing, other than a lukewarm record in the playoffs.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:35 pmI too am here for intelligent discourse.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:30 pm
++++++++++++++++++++
LOL! Please point out even one “intelligent discourse” post you’ve made on this thread.
On topic. Romney is in a real bind. He can’t make any statement to support Blackwater because the truth may/will come out and could then bite him on the backside. On the other hand, he can’t condemn Blackwater and, by extension, himself for cozying up to them.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:36 pmAnd I think theres something to my “Boy’s of Brazil†theory.
After all, the Bush’s are really the “BUSCH’Sâ€, and were Nazi lovers in World War II, and now that they’re in power they’re acting like nazi’s.
Must be something there.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
As much as I hate Nazi ideology, I have to disagree with you. Bush is the product of so called “American exceptionalism”, meaning thinking that what’s good for the US is good for the world, or else, we harm you
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:38 pmin any way we can.
Vendetta - read all your posts - you are not logical - you are severly confused. Take a deep breath, sit down, have some water, and if you relax you will remember where you left your brain.
Hope that helps
Buck Fush
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:41 pmWho the hell are you talking to Bart. There are no republicans left except me and I will be discovered momentarily and exiled.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
Not if you have a real point to make. Try it… you might find it refreshing! :-D!!!
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:42 pmYou dont know jack.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:31 pm
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Obviously, painfully so, you certainly do. Your posts thus far, in fact, suggest that you know the whole Shite family - Jack, Bull, and Hoss.
Have you dug up anything to say about Romney and Black/water?
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:42 pmThere are no republicans left except me and I will be discovered momentarily and exiled.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
Tom I am not a republican I am a libertarian and have been for some time.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:39 pm
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OK, Vendetta, which of these posts is the LIE. Busted! (and therefore, probably a neocon Republican).
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:46 pmNo you dont bart and your comments here demonstrate that clearly but alas it is your word against mine and TP wont show you the evidence of my claim for they know it will absolve me.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:36 pm
Geezuz, you gotta LOVE that statement. “I’m right but other people won’t let me prove it, so you gotta just trust me that I know you’re wrong…”
The Fall styles are in… Black is the new White, Wrong is the new Right!
Migawd, man… ya should be runnin’ fer POTUS w/ a mind like that!
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:49 pmAfter all, the Bush’s are really the “BUSCH’Sâ€, and were Nazi lovers in World War II, and now that they’re in power they’re acting like nazi’s.
Must be something there.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
That’s your “Boys of Brazil” comment that I reffered to in #114. I’m not your enemy. You seem a bit paranoid!
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:51 pmaaaahhh… a new troolly to play with…
i wondered how it got to 100s so fast…
… you kids…
well, you’re busy down here, i’ll start at the top and read in peace…
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:55 pmi hope…
:-)
Did Vendetta leave to try to find out if there is such a thing as the “Libertarian Republican Party” so that he won’t look like a liar?
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:57 pmThere are no republicans left except me and I will be discovered momentarily and exiled.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
I have not violated any decency standard in years I have simply dared to speak out when TP deleated civil hard hitting comments aimed not at individuals but the “Progressive†ideaology.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:54 pm
And yet here you are, nearly an hr later… and still not unfairly exiled…
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:58 pmGot thrown out of TP or his butthole?
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 8:57 pm
Oooch mon… as they say in Scotland. That one was WAAAYYY too easy.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:59 pmGot thrown out of TP or his butthole?
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 8:57 pm
+++++++++++++++++++++
Stop it! I’ve been coughing and sneezing for two days and laughing this hard hurts!
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:01 pmwow, bartlebee…
that himmler resemblance is uncanny!
brrrrr…
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:01 pm.
I too am shock but if TP cut me off know it would not look good for them now would it?
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 9:00 pm
Talk about self-serving logic. D’ya ever see one of Mr P’s special “Repetition posts” wherein he’d repeat the same inane phrase hundreds and hundreds of times? D’ya think that might have sumpin’ ta do wi’t why TP put the reg system in place?
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:03 pmHe’s a great slow-pitch.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 9:01 pm
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He’s settin’ ya up! Must be a plant. Kinda like the gopherball Superstretch served Brusch at the presser yesterday.
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:05 pmBut I was not guilty of that offense.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
And it’s been a full hr and yer still here. MAKE A POINT…
There’s a BIG difference between attitude and opinion.
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:07 pmCofer seems to have warned the current admin, yet they largely ignored him and others.
Comment by Xisithrus — September 22, 2007 @ 6:40 pm
maybe not…
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:07 pmmaybe they said, “thanks richie…
the plan’s runnin’ right on time…”
…
Must be a plant.
++++++++++++++++
Cactus? Just need to be fed occasionally and are prickly.
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:08 pmTold you guys. Now go line it up with a picture of Turdblossom.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
I can visualize it… brrrrrr… NOT gonna sleep well tonight.
(Or Glenn Beck for that matter, or Kyle Sampson…)
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:08 pmWho’s the crybaby troll? why don’t you enlist, Libertarian-Republican bedwetter? Vendetta? why don’t you get one going against the enemies of America, Bush & Cheney?
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:08 pmWho the hell are you talking to Bart. There are no republicans left except me and I will be discovered momentarily and exiled.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
i don’t really care what party you’re registered with, but you should work on your lying.
shoo.
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:09 pmIf you can’t see the similarities then you need to look harder.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 8:55 pm
Everything would be fine if you weren’t so obvious about preaching to the choir. Relax, people can disagree with you and not be your enemy. That’s not something you learn in Computer Engineering school but in life.
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:09 pmDid they have test tube babies in 1945?
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 9:11 pm
Just faulty condoms…
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:13 pm#148 When George the Dim gets a smug ass look on his face he looks a lot like Mussolini.
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:24 pmAdolf E Newman?
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:28 pmBlackwater has disgraced us all.
They have disgraced America.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 9:19 pm
Sorrry to disagree with you again. This is not something new. It has been going on for more than 100 years. As long as American imperialism has been active after the Spanish-American War. If the American people come to terms with it we will see change, if not, then it is the responsibility of individual countries to devise methods to neutralize it. It’s a shame that the country of Jefferson and Lincoln is at war wih the rest of the world!
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:36 pmgood laughs here… thankfully…
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:40 pm’cause that whiney trooll got real annoying, real fast…
…
Thanks to Bush’s War and Blackwater (but don’t forget Romney and his Blackwater friends) — we have a new word in our vocabulary that every American should know:
Extraterritoriality
What’s that you say? Extraterritoriality (”beyond the territory”) allows the military / mercenaries of an imperial power to break the laws of the country they occupy without punishment or court action.
In Iraq, Blackwater’s mercenary thugs can kill Iraqi civilians and escape legal proceedings and punishment. I hope the Iraqis made copies of their video showing Blackwater operatives opening fire on civilians. I assume Blackwater’s task tonight is to find that video.
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:45 pmNow, scroll back up, and locate the part of my comment where I said “this is something newâ€.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 9:54 pm
You’re totally nuts, and paranoid to boot! Nobody is challenging you, man, why are you so upset?
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:05 pmMaybe you’d better stop worrying about “disagreeing†with me all night, and just try focusing on saying what you want to say.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 9:45 pm
hopefully will say something pertinent though!
it’s like having a stalker… not cool…
time to walk the doggy, then kick back…
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:11 pmlater, maybe…
.
It’s a shame that the country of Jefferson and Lincoln is at war wih the rest of the world!
Comment by foreyes — September 22, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
WTF are you talking about? The country of Jefferson and Lincoln? And a comment like that magically absolves BuschCo and Blackwater of responsibility? It’s almost impossible to NOT call you an idiot after that.
Damn… it was impossible. But hey, this is nothing new (not sure why THAT would absolve anyone either… “well, yer Honor, other people have murdered in the past and gotten away w/ it, so you’ll hafta let me go!).
It’s been going on this entire thread. Imagine that… trolls being called idiots in the land of Jeff and Abe. I’m sure they’d be larfing their *sses off… at YOU!
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:26 pmBartles… I’ve bee suspecting for a while now the trools would be trying new tactics, since the old ones didn’t get ‘em anywhere. This is a test, and yer the subject…
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:27 pmHere’s Michael Hirsh’s Newsweek article on Bush & Blackwater, which will make you very proud to be an American.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ id/ 20892483/ site/ newsweek/ page/ 0/
Hirsh says, “Imagine a universe where a man can gun down women and children anytime he pleases. A place where morality is null & void, and arbitrary killing is the rule. Well that universe exists today. It is called Iraq. And the man who made it possible is George W. Bush.”
Read Hirsch’s article. Send it to your friends. Send it to Congress and demand that Blackwater be pulled OUT of Iraq. Immediately.
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:28 pmI assume Blackwater’s task tonight is to find that video.
Comment by Ditch Mitch KY — September 22, 2007 @ 9:45 pm
And kill the person/s in possession of it…
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:29 pmThe trend towards “outsourcing” the war is a worrisome trend, in my opinion.
These private armies are not bound by any of the rules that govern a professional military force.
How long before an administration realises that it is so much easier and hassle-free to raise an ad-hoc mercenary force to launch a war of aggresion, and occupy a country somewhere in thte Middle East? Oh wait…
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:29 pmFirst this:
There are no republicans left except me
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
Followed within minutes by this:
I am not a republican I am a libertarian and have been for some time.
Comment by Vendetta — September 22, 2007 @ 8:39 pm
Then the trolls wonder why their posts get the ax.
Over an hour worth of post after post whining, complaining about censorship and how his comments are banned. What illogical tripe these twits can half-cook in their half-brains.
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:32 pmWTF are you talking about? The country of Jefferson and Lincoln? And a comment like that magically absolves BuschCo and Blackwater of responsibility? It’s almost impossible to NOT call you an idiot after that.
Republic: Are you sure you’re talking to me? Read my posts and tell me if you really mean what you’re saying. I just don’t believe so.
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:49 pmThanks for recommending Michael Hirsh’s must-read article. Send it to your lists, far and wide.
I had to laugh when you called me “Mitch.” I live in Louisville KY and post under the name “Ditch Mitch KY” because our singular goal here is to get rid of Mitch McConnell in 2008. The entire nation will be grateful when we vote out that pitiful excuse for a Senator.
If you hate Bush’s War, his despicable administration, his lies, corruption, & crooks, then I’m sure you agree we need to Ditch Bush’s friend Mitch. Check out this site; http://www.ditchmitchky.com
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:57 pmYou can download a copy of a video of a British security company in 2005 “defending” themselves.
http://globalresearch.ca/audiovideo/Aegis-PSD.wmv
No wonder the Iraqis turned against us.
September 22nd, 2007 at 11:01 pmThe link above is a 5 mb file.
September 22nd, 2007 at 11:02 pmYou’re the last one to ask that question ForLies.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 10:57 pm
Since you’re disrespectful, I’m giving it back to you Fartlebbe. Who the hell do you think you are?
September 22nd, 2007 at 11:08 pmThe action of leaving Blackwater in Iraq after being ordered to leave by the Iraqi govt makes Iraq nothing more than a “Military Dictatorshipâ€.
And that makes us the dictators.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 22, 2007 @ 7:52 pm
And Bush is the new Saddam.
September 22nd, 2007 at 11:30 pmThe trend towards “outsourcing†the war is a worrisome trend, in my opinion.
These private armies are not bound by any of the rules that govern a professional military force.
How long before an administration realises that it is so much easier and hassle-free to raise an ad-hoc mercenary force to launch a war of aggresion, and occupy a country somewhere in thte Middle East? Oh wait…
Comment by Gregor Samsa — September 22, 2007 @ 10:29 pm
Not to mention what these thugs will do when they come home…..The war will come home sooner or later.
September 22nd, 2007 at 11:34 pmRepublic: Are you sure you’re talking to me? Read my posts and tell me if you really mean what you’re saying. I just don’t believe so.
Comment by foreyes — September 22, 2007 @ 10:49 pm
Nah… just went back an read the original post I commented on. Brilliant piece of obfuscation. I think I got it right. Yer jes’ tryin’ ta F- w/ people’s heads. A troool! The land of Jefferson and Lincoln indeed! Piffle!
Just… a… trooolie!
September 22nd, 2007 at 11:49 pmAnd Bush is the new Saddam.
Comment by jb — September 22, 2007 @ 11:30 pm
Who is surprised by this new turn of events? Petraus will surprise you but he will not convince you!, especiallly if you think this war (Iraq) shouldn’t have been started.
September 22nd, 2007 at 11:59 pmComment by MiMiCcs — September 22, 2007 @ 11:01 pm
That is one very chilling video, MiMiccs…
Of course, the people who die as a result of these random shootings are simply labeled “terrorists” and “AlQaeda” -no further inquiry required.
Is it any surprise Iraqis kill foreign troops at any chance they get?
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:00 amHere’s another story — this time from the UK Independent — about Blackwater’s Bloody Sunday in Baghdad 9/16/07. Keith Olbermann is correctly calling it the “Slaughter at Nisoor Square.”
The Independent link:
http://news.independent.co.uk/ world/ middle_east/ article2984819.ece
Send this to your lists. This needs to be the big story in Congress next week. I hope they are up to the task.
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:03 amJust… a… trooolie!
Comment by The Republic of Stupidity — September 22, 2007 @ 11:49 pm
Forgive me if I’m just stupid, but I need a better explanation for your ouwn idiocy. Carry on!
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:09 amJust… a… trooolie!
Comment by The Republic of Stupidity — September 22, 2007 @ 11:49 pm
for your own
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:13 amWe didn’t fall in the firing lines for the British during our struggle for independence, so WHY DO WE EXPECT THE IRAQI’S TO?
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 23, 2007 @ 12:12 am
You see, that’s the kind of comment I expect from you. Now, we’re both on the same side.
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:17 amI think it’s fair to say that the redeployment and re-redeployment of troops to Iraq, along with the refusal to give them sufficient downtime in the States, and sending them over there with the bare minimum of training in the first place are all part of the move to end up replacing them with mercenaries. Bush/Cheney wants corporate armies with no accountability and no oversight. They don’t care what they have to do to the regular military in order to get there.
What I don’t think they factored in is that the Iraqi police and military might start targeting Blackwater now. They sure as hell aren’t going to do anything to help them.
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:19 amIf this were true, then we’d better kill them first, eh?
Comment by O. Bigfoot — September 23, 2007 @ 12:32 am
I believe that is Blackwater is doing. Or at least, trying to.
Of course, people with some semblance of moral compass might have a problem with shooting Iraqis (men, women, and children) who pose no threat.
People with moral compass, that is, not you.
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:36 amFor someone “on our team†you sure are more focused on attacking me instead of the horrible slaying of 11 innocent people by Bush’s new “SA†Brownshirts.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 23, 2007 @ 12:03 am
You keep on getting it wrong. What is it about me not being your enemy is it that you don’t understand? Whether it’s Bush’s Brown shirts or Sharon’s 200 atomic bombs, it doesn’t matter. They’re still there.
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:37 am>Hmmm, anyone ever figger out jes’
>what an “historical document†is?
> Anyone????
Like anything else related to history, its just something Bush+ co ignores.
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:42 amI stand by my comment that we’d better kill them first, then.
Comment by O. Bigfoot — September 23, 2007 @ 12:41 am
I am sure you stand by it.
And I am sure you are proud of the outstanding job the mercenaries from Blackwater are dong towards that goal.
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:45 amI will withhold my judgement until the facts are in, thank you.
Comment by O. Bigfoot — September 23, 2007 @ 12:47 am
For people like you, facts are never in.
Bush loyalists like you are still looking for those WMD in Iraq… no wait, in Syria… no wait, In Iran…
All those dead bodies just happened to appear on a street in Baghdad, by magic… poof!!
Of course, all the Iraqis who were eye witnesses and who blame the private contractors are lying. Because facts are never in. Unless they happen to agree with your preconceived notions that Americans can never, ever do wrong.
If an Iraqi happens to drop dead, it must be his fault for being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Or he was just a terrorist. That including the children who had the misfortune to be on that street that particular day.
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:56 amIt’s very possible Blackwater will be absolved of blame for this, though the anti-Bush libs will never believe it no matter what.
Comment by O. Bigfoot — September 23, 2007 @ 12:37 am
Isn’t it ironic that W Bush is hoping that “history will absolve him”. Last I heard, the phrase had been used by Fidel Castro in his defense of the 26th of July Moncada attacks in 1953. I guess his father is not the only target of his frustrations.
September 23rd, 2007 at 1:10 amOh, and Bigfoot, since when is criticising a military contractor, and wanting them to be held accountable for their actions, tantamount to being anti-American?
Is that what the voices in your head tell you? Blackwater = US?
Do they also tell you that wanting the rule of law to prevail is a liberal personality trait, and that you should avoid it like the plague?
September 23rd, 2007 at 1:16 amThe part where you’re ‘not my enemy’ I guess?
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 23, 2007 @ 1:15 am
You guessed right! Assuming otherwise would only show how ignorant you are. Figuratevely, of course.
September 23rd, 2007 at 1:32 amI’d be a republican but the Jackboots give me blisters.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 23, 2007 @ 1:32 am
Blisters where?
September 23rd, 2007 at 1:40 amSorrry to disagree with you again.
Comment by foreyes — September 22, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
Yea. thats it. The stupid, ignorant lies, double talk and contradiction that only an inbred troll would be stupid enough to produce.
Comment by BARTLEBEE — September 23, 2007 @ 1:19 am
Man, you’re your worst enemy!
September 23rd, 2007 at 2:11 amI’d be a Republican, but my parents are married. ;)
September 23rd, 2007 at 2:19 amIs even “our enemy” our neighbor?? Or: The Case of The Selective Golden Rule
Yesterday, Wayne Schneider posted a heartfelt comment on one of the late threads here which, obviously, germanated overnight in my psyche and I awakened with diametric opposing sentiments: one was a profound sense of foreboding; the other was a deep sense of spiritual connection.
We often discuss the apparent “hypocrisy” of the Christian right and the Bush administration who used them for their votes and then trashed everything they purport to believe in. Never more was this level of horrendous hypocrisy highlighted for me than by the words of Wayne in which he discussed our (american) increasing lack of concern for human life.
We call ourselves a Christian nation yet we’ve totally forgotten what Christ said was THE most important of all: THE GOLDEN RULE. This rule implies that we “love thy neighbor as thyself” and “do unto others as we would have them do unto you” and yet we find ourselves condoning by tacit approval the shameless, vulgar deaths of innocent Iraqis this past week by our own hired hitmen, Blackwater. Somehow we’ve come to customize the Golden Rule of Jesus Christ not only to tacitly approve this heinous disregard for the taking of human lives by saying “but, but, but they fired first” and, as we investigate this via recorded footage, we find just the opposite to be true - but we somehow have also customized this Christian Golden Rule to fit our purposes, to fit our “agenda”. We somehow mistakenly believe that what Jesus “meant to say” was that it’s perfectly okay to kill our enemies, who might in fact be our neighbors.
By simply affixing the label of “enemy” to a human being, just like magic - poof - it’s acceptable to take their life. To interpret what has been accepted by biblical scholars as “the golden rule” as we choose, makes a total mockery of any form of christianity. To customize what some view as the words of Jesus Christ is to spit in his face, to denegrade him and all he stood for.
We are, indeed, sliding down a very slippery slope, friends when we decide that we know better than that which we attribute to “God”. We are, indeed, sliding down a very slippery slope when we decide that it’s perfectly fine to kill someone whom we decide to classify as our “enemy” just because our propagandized political machinery has decided that his is such. (Remember: Even OBL once was Bush’s “friend” as they vacationed together and then we employed him to help us run the Russians out of Afghanistan.)
Bush is not God. And, yet, we allow another human being decide, for us, precisely whom we should attack as our enemy?? Bush is not even a qualified leader and yet we permit him to change all of the rules of our democracy? Bush is not even reputable, honest, and trustworthy and yet we permit to remain in the position of President. 500 days is enough time for Bush to change the entire course and direction, aka the future, of this country if we continue to permit this charlatan, this fake, this fraud, this most ‘ungodly’ human being to decide for us precisely “whom” our neighbor is that we must love according to the Golden Rule.
If we each profess to be spiritual beings enjoying a human experience and call ourselves Christians, then it’s time for Bush and the rest of us to stop playing God. It’s time for each of us to stop interpreting what he meant by the words of His Golden Rule. It’s time for each of us to stop being brainwashed into believing that every single human being on this planet is one of God’s children and created equally.
Thanks, Wayne for your poignant words. It caused a great deal of soul-searching (dark night of the soul) for me and I awakened with a new perspective on just how far this country, and myself included, has come when permitting fear to control our lives. Through Bush’s ‘calculated fear agenda’ we somehow have been duped into believing that just because some other, fallible human being decides that someone in another country is our “enemy”, then it’s fine to eliminate him from God’s Golden Rule and exterminate him the first chance we get. This is wrong. Patently and wholly wrong.
We’ve migrated very far from the Golden Rule in a brief period of time. Clean Bush’s cobwebs from your brain and renew yourself today.
September 23rd, 2007 at 8:49 am>I will withhold my judgement until the facts are in, thank you.
Son, we’re at WAR… if we have to wait until we have FACTS and INFORMATION, the TERRORISTS WIN. Isnt that what the whole idea of bypassing the judicial system your hero dumbya had?
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:05 amCould it be our boy Mitt has been brainwashed on Blackwater?
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:51 amToday, Sunday 9/23, This Week on ABC, there was no mention of the Blackwater scandals or the Slaughter at Nisoor Square last Sunday.
Where is the media on this issue? Why has Romney been given a pass? When will he be forced to address questions about his advisor, Cofer Black who is a Blackwater VP?
Anybody want to imagine how long it would take for the media to demand a response from any Democratic candidate who maintained a Blackwater VP on his/her staff?
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:53 amC-span had a colonel on Washington Journal this Sunday discussing Blackwater. His spin….it’s hard work…hot and dangerous etc. etc. …and they have a split second to make life or death decisions.
He claims insurgent activity was involved in the recent incident, and that it was ok to spray the area with bullets in order to protect their clients. No mention was made of the innocent civilian deaths and the damage this creates to America’s reputation in Iraq . He maintains that Maliki is calling for an ouster of Blackwater, because other contractors are after their jobs.
Let’s see if the video sheds some light on things. In spite of ABC, this story is not going away.
September 23rd, 2007 at 10:21 amThe Sunday talk shows are deteriorating at an alarming rate — they are being used as propaganda outlets; and they allow themselves to be used in that manner.
September 23rd, 2007 at 11:26 amEvery day, the local newscasts get more inane, the national newscasts fail to deliver relevant news and focus on gossip and celebrities instead with a mere headline mention of important matters.
The American people have a reputation as having a short memory and a poor grasp of geography and history — the availability of information in the television/radio media does nothing to remediate any of that.
Wallace, Russert, Schieffer and Stephanopolous — put them in a bag, shake it out and you won’t be able to differentiate one from another.
They have reduced themselves to the mockery of talking head status.
Blackwater is under contract with the STATE DEPT. No Blackwater means our diplomatic corps will be stuck in the Green Zone until they can contract for another security force. Anyone wonder why our Military isn’t providing security for the State Dept.??
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:01 pmBecause having our military provide security doesn’t make any fat, white pusy chickenhawk Bushco pals enough $$$$$!!!!
Which is the same reason we won’t leave that poor country alone.
September 23rd, 2007 at 1:07 pm