ThinkFast: October 23, 2007
ThinkFast: October 23, 2007
In two new reports, the State Department is “sharply” criticized “for poor coordination, communication, oversight and accountability involving armed security companies like Blackwater USA,” including an audit that shows “the department cannot say ’specifically what it received’ for most of the $1.2 billion it” paid to one company.
“Tuition and fees at public and private universities have risen this year at more than double the rate of inflation, with prices increasing faster at public institutions, the College Board said in reports released yesterday.” As a result, students and families are being forced to borrow more, driving up the use of private loans.
“With hundreds of thousands of families facing foreclosure in recent months, lawmakers have introduced legislation aimed at protecting consumers against predatory mortgages.” The bill, co-sponsored by Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA), Mel Watt (D-NC) and Brad Miller (D-NC) is “an update from similar legislation filed in 2005.”
After being attacked by the right wing, the Frost family refuses to back down from the fight for children’s health insurance. Yesterday, Graeme Frost’s mother, Bonnie Frost, “stood before a microphone at a Baltimore church, in a peasant shirt and clogs, to make a quiet appeal for broader health coverage in Maryland.”
Senate Judiciary Committee members accused the White House of allowing the Intelligence Committee to review warrantless surveillance documents “in return for agreeing that telecommunications companies should get immunity from lawsuits.” “There is no excuse for the administration to grant access only to those inclined to agree with it,” the Washington Post writes.
President Bush’s “weakened approval ratings” have forced him to take a “much more personal role in opposing Congress.” Bush “has made 46 veto threats during the first nine and a half months of 2007, compared to 28 such threats” during his first six years. TP’s Amanda Terkel also notes, “In his first six years, Bush vetoed just one bill. In less than one year under this new Congress, Bush has been forced to issue three.”
New poll finds that in “a 12-month period during which the Taliban insurgency spread in Afghanistan and violence rose in the country’s major cities, Afghans grew increasingly concerned about security and more people came to regard it as the most serious issue facing the nation.”
Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Washington plan to join California’s lawsuit “suing the EPA for stalling on a decision about whether to let California and 11 other states force car makers to produce cleaner vehicles.”
And finally: Montgomery Blair Sibley, the lawyer for DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey, yesterday told a DC court that his client is a victim of the U.S. attorney scandal. Sibley’s exhibits included a blog post from War and Piece and an article from Legal Times, none of which even mentioned Palfrey. Sibley also quoted Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who once said that the Justice Department was “corrupted by political influence.” Leahy’s office later called Sibley “awfully wacky.”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
…including an audit that shows “the department cannot say ’specifically what it received’ for most of the $1.2 billion it†paid to one company.
Our tax dollars hard at work. And now Bush wants another $46 billion of our tax dollars to give to no bid contractors for fictitious work. Feeling fleeced yet?
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:12 amAs a result, students and families are being forced to borrow more, driving up the use of private loans.
Yep, it’s that great economy we have there humming along. Too bad it’s only great for maybe 5% of our population.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:13 am“With hundreds of thousands of families facing foreclosure in recent months, lawmakers have introduced legislation aimed at protecting consumers against predatory mortgages.â€
I have a great idea. Let’s lock the barn door after the cow is gone. Why in hell are they spending time on this now. How about passing legislation that will help these people who are losing their house and much of their net worth because of these predatory lenders?
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:14 amRemember the $700 toilet seat? What a scandal that was. Now we have $1.2 billion for god only knows what. Solid gold, diamond encrusted, mink lined toilet seats?
I’ve said this before: The sole focus of the BA is to steal, by deception and under the color of law, the entire value (or as much as they can – whichever comes first), of the US Treasury.
We are being robbed on all fronts. It’s always about the money.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 am…including an audit that shows “the department cannot say ’specifically what it received’ for most of the $1.2 billion it†paid to one company.
The bigger question remains, “What exactly is all of this blood and treasure buying?” Those Republican “values” of war, death, and debt will be tough to sell America in 2008.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 am“allowing congress to see documents IN RETURN for defacto immunity to telecoms” – If this doesn’t constitute “BLACKMAIL”, I don’t know what does!
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 am(CNN) — The U.S. State Department is unable to account for most of $1.2 billion in funding that it gave to DynCorp International to train Iraqi police, a government report said Tuesday.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:21 am“There is no excuse for the administration to grant access only to those inclined to agree with it,†the Washington Post writes.
For the life of me I don’t understand why the Democrats in the Intelligence Committee are going along with amnesty. Withholding amnesty until the Telcoms tell all to Congress is the only hope Congress has of finding out what really happened when and where. If they don’t make amnesty part of the bill, they can offer the Telcoms amnesty from prosecution if they release any and all documents having to do with this situation and then testify before Congress. If they agree to do that, then give them amnesty. Giving it to them without anything in return is nothing other than a payoff.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:22 amcaption:
“I bought a couple more pairs of shoes, what’s your problem?”
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:23 am“In his first six years, Bush vetoed just one bill. In less than one year under this new Congress, Bush has been forced to issue three.â€
No, Bush has not been forced to veto three, he has chosen to veto three.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:24 am“Yesterday, Graeme Frost’s mother, Bonnie Frost, “stood before a microphone at a Baltimore church, in a peasant shirt and clogs, to make a quiet appeal for broader health coverage in Maryland.â€
.
.
Ok this is totally OT and feel free to delete… but why is it that reporters feel the need to nearly always comment on what a woman is wearing? It is entirely moot, irrelavent to the story, what she was saying and so on. Had it been Mr Frost would it have commented on something so inane?
but really… clogs?! /snark
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:25 amThe people who are loosing their homes were willing cogs in the fraud machine. If they didn’t read their contracts, that’s their fault. I believe they gambled and lost. Everything about the housing bubble defied fundamental wisdom regarding finance and economics. Being willingly deluded by a huckster promising something for nothing leads to financial ruin. – every time , all the time.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:26 amMarcus Aurelius sez:
I’ll remember that next time you get mugged/raped/robbed/assaulted.
After all, you were asking for it.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:28 am….oversight of mercenaries…
WHAT oversight?
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:29 amConcerning the grant of immunity from the Intelligence Committee:
“Mr. Rockefeller’s office said Monday that the sharp increases in contributions from the telecommunications executives had no influence on his support for the immunity provision.
“Any suggestion that Senator Rockefeller would make policy decisions based on campaign contributions is patently false,” Wendy Morigi, a spokeswoman for him, said.
Yeah, right: $42,850: THAT’S the amount Jay Rockefeller’s feels your right to privacy is worth. What a traitor.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:32 amWhat did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
Here’s one:
Bush declares emergency over Calif. wildfires
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:34 amBeing willingly deluded by a huckster promising something for nothing leads to financial ruin. – every time , all the time.
Comment by Marcus Aurelius
Give me a break. Most of these people had no idea what they were getting into. Can you really tell me that you read every line of every piece of paper you signed when you closed on a home loan? If you did, you were in the Title Company office for at least a day before signing.
Since you think it was their own fault, do you think that the banks should get away scott free for bilking these people?
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:41 amSomeone forgot to mention violence in Iraq is down over 70% and continuing to drop.
Violence is down in Iraq somewhat, but nowhere near 70%. If it’s down 70% then I guess we can bring our troops home now.
And lastly, America is still the greatest nation on earth despite progressive liberalism.
Yeah, it’s a great country right now if you are into fascism. It will again, some day, be a great nation. Right now it’s in sorry shape having been kidnapped by a bunch of insane people bent on bankrupting our nation and getting us all killed.
Continue on in your delusional state if it makes life easier for you.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:43 am“allowing congress to see documents IN RETURN for defacto immunity to telecoms†– If this doesn’t constitute “BLACKMAILâ€, I don’t know what does! -Comment by Veritas
As Bilbo mentions above, the sheeple are getting fleeced. Anyone else notice that the MSM has not ‘mentioned’ the fact Bush was asking the Telcoms to spy before 9/11?
Verita nailed it…it’s Blackmail, right in front of congress’s nose. Why did Bush need wiretapping before 9/11? Looks like it was all ‘part of the plan’ to spy & later, blackmail Americans.
This ADDministration makes the Nixonian years look like a picnic.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:44 am“Any suggestion that Senator Rockefeller would make policy decisions based on campaign contributions is patently false,†Wendy Morigi, a spokeswoman for him, said.
Yeah, right: $42,850: THAT’S the amount Jay Rockefeller’s feels your right to privacy is worth. What a traitor.
Comment by lefttown
If he is sincere in what he says, I suggest that he give back every penny he has received from the telcom industry. Jay Rockefeller is a traitor and hopefully the people in his state will send him packing. In January, when the Democrats took control of the Senate, Rockefeller promised that he would complete the stalled investigation into the lies told leading up to our invading Iraq. Funny thing, he’s done nothing on that hand to date. I suspect he is collecting money from many other corporations who want him to back off on investigating the Bush Crime Family.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:46 amZimzone; I agree. I never imagined that I would miss the days when we had Nixon to kick around. Bush/Cheney & co, make Nixon look like Mother Theresa.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:48 amBonnie Frost, “stood before a microphone at a Baltimore church, in a peasant shirt and clogs…”
Obviously an anti-American hippie type.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:50 amJoe Lieberman, Chair of the Senate Oversight Committee – “has held only one hearing all year on “reconstruction challenges in both Iraq and Afghanistan”"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/10/10/lieberman-has-no-plans-to_n_67825.html
Joe Lieberman, today: “This scenario is far too frequent across the federal government: we spend billions of dollars for goods and services with no oversight plans in place and hope and pray that an audit will identify any mistakes later.â€
>insert expletive as necessary
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:54 amjdc sez:
From the Reuters article you’re selectively quoting:
Whoops.
When you factor in the fact that violence in Iraq naturally declines during the summer months (as it is just too hot to fight), your 70% reduction just doesn’t seem all that significant anymore. Go figure.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:58 amCaption:
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:59 am‘How dare you ask where $1.2 billion dollars went’.
Zimzone: They MSM is “cherry picking” once again by NOT mentioning the material fact that Bush began spying illegally on citizens well in advance of 911; in fact, some 6+ months before. Then he used the fraudulent rationale of “protecting citizens in a post 911 world” which holds absolutely no weight since he began it before 911 and it certainly didn’t help ONE IOTA to prevent 911, did it?
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:00 amWhat boils my blood is that Congress has become such a pimpjob and a sham. To provide “defacto immunity” when these telecomes violated our constitutional privacy rights is tantamount to anarchy. The people can and should revolt about this infraction of our constitution.
When you dig deep inside and your gut tells you that something awry here in Congress, just ask yourself what it could be attributed to??
Interesting how Bush seemed very eager to “out” his illegal spy program very early on, isn’t it? Do the math. He did so to intimidate his political foes immediately into submission.
He did so to put everyone in congress on notice that their dirty laundry (and they’ve all got it!) will be outed the moment they cross him.
Why else would the Dems be bending over left and right?
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:03 amoff topic- but I just HAVE to throw this in.
Ann Coulter’s lastest: “If Democrats had any sense, they’d be Republicans.”
I counter: If Republicans had any sense of decency, they’d slit their throats.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:03 amAnd lastly, America is still the greatest nation on earth despite progressive liberalism.
Sorry for the interruption, you may continue with the negative sky is falling approach to life.
Comment by jdc — October 23, 2007 @ 9:41 am
No. You got it wrong. America is still the greatest nation on earth BECAUSE of Progressive Liberalism.
And no one has said the sky is falling. We said the polar ice caps are melting.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:03 amAt this point, with the continuous bending over of Congress to this dictatorial administration, I feel that they will probably get what they deserve in 08 and, if losing the election because they’re selling the people who supported them in the midterms out, then so be it.
You’d think that the number of dems who have registered as Independent would alert them to the fact that, if they run the wrong candidate, these people will vote Repuke.
I’m beginning to believe that the majority of dems in congress right now have become complicit due to blackmail. If not, they haven’t got a firing brain cell in their cranium.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:05 amI think the bill to correct the sub-prime mortgage situation is a good one, especially since it would prohibit pre-payment penalties. The mortgage industry has scammed both the borrowers (whom they suckered into bad loans) and the investers (to whom they sold ‘bundled’ mortgages which were no longer connected to the information which one would evaluate to judge their strength). The bill would also require licencing of the people pushing these flawed loans.
This is another case where ’sensibly regulated capitalism’ is a whole lot better for everyone except the shameless hucksters and con-men. Too bad those are the people who’ve been running the show for the past seven years (at least).
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:05 amAnd….whatever shard is left of this country’s so-called “greatness” (I wouldn’t exactly call it that myself), IS due to the remants of it’s constitution and abating democratic process with Liberal Progressivism at the helm.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:09 amUncle Ho: Good one!
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:10 amIn fact, GWB knew that he had to do something immediately upon taking office to intimidate Congress which was the illegal spy program which he did very little to hide. He’d hedged his bets that by the time the people dug deeply into the illegality of it all, the damage of collusion would be accomplished.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:12 amSomeone stated yesterday, (it may have been me),that Ann Coulter is really Fruity Rudy in drag.
I apologize. Rudy’s Adam’s Apple isn’t nearly as large as mAnn’s.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:13 amA party, which, when in control, can spend $1.2 billion without being able to account for it, MAY NEVER AGAIN CLAIM TO BE FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE!
And this isn’t even a small fraction of the irresponsibility we suffered under this administration.
We must impeach this administration and punish them for the rape of the treasury and Constitution. This is crime on a scale never seen before, and it has been done boldly and mockingly, in front of our eyes.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:16 amAnn Coulter’s lastest: “If Democrats had any sense, they’d be Republicans.â€
Comment by Uncle Ho — October 23, 2007 @ 10:03 am
Considering the traditional Republican values of:
-Balanced Budgets
-Smaller Government
-defense of the Constitution
and the fact that Bush and the (formerly) Republican congress:
-Increased both governement spending and the national deficit
-Increased the size of the governement
-and trampled on the Consistution by allowing wire-tapping, torture, etc.
then I would have to say the Democrats are already more Republican than the Republicans themselves. The current Repubs are nothing more than a bunch of raving lunatics.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:17 amAs if we didn’t already know republicans are closeted sexual perverts (from Raw Story):
The ACLU also found that an Army investigator reported Rumsfeld was “personally involved” in overseeing the interrogation of a Guantanamo prisoner Mohammed al Qahtani. The prisoner was forced to parade naked in front of female interrogators wearing women’s underwear on his head and was led around on a leash while being forced to perform dog tricks.”
And Donny, rubbing one out while watching on closed-circuit TV…
So now we know how they came up with those techniques – they were Rumsfeld’s. It’s sad, to think that if only Mrs. Rumsfeld had indulged Little Donny’s perversions, perhaps he wouldn’t have compelled others to act out his twisted fantasies. But then again, he probably would have thought up even more perverse tortures. The Marquis de Sade ain’t got nothin’ on him.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:20 amThis was posted on the McCain thread, but it is so significant, it bears repeating here:
From the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
Date: 21 Oct 2007
Iraq: Violence-related deaths drop ‘remarkably’, say authorities and UN
BAGHDAD, 21 October 2007 (IRIN) – Iraqis are breathing a sigh of relief as violence in their war-torn country is ebbing and the number of violence-related victims has dropped sharply since the beginning of this year, according to statistics compiled by the country’s interior, defence and health ministries.
“Violence-related deaths in September dropped remarkably to levels not seen in more than a year as the number [of violence-related deaths] stood at 290 while in September 2006 the number was about 1,400,†Adel Muhsin, the health ministry’s inspector-general, told IRIN in a phone interview.
According to the ministry’s statistics, between January and the end of September 2007, the number of violent deaths involving civilian, police and military in all of Iraq was about 7,100, against 27,000 in the same period of 2006.
According to Muhsin, the average number of dead bodies sent to Baghdad’s main morgue just over a year ago was between 100 and 150 a day. Now, it is no more than 10 bodies a day, and about 50 percent of them are dying in normal circumstances.
There have been days this year when no dead bodies were sent to the morgue and this gave the morgue employees a chance to refurbish it, something they couldn’t do in the past.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon recently said that September witnessed the lowest number of Iraqi casualties in any month this year.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:22 amPeter C: And the administration criminals are laughing all the way to the bank.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:24 amExley: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA – RIGHT!
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:25 amAnd we all know about “cooking the books”, Exley – thanks to the MO of this administration. Even if it were true, nobody’s buying it.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:26 amTrip, the decline isn’t due to the weather. The drop and increase quoted are relative to the same quarter last year.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:26 amIt’s still good news. Any drop in violence is good. Great, even. But the increase is pretty horrendous.
Show me a full year of reduced violence, though. Show me a real trend.
Veritas; thank you, kindly.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:27 amI can’t wait for the criminal class action suits brought by families of our fallen heroes in this “illegal” war to begin! And the ones who are dying during the time that this administration is filling this country with lies will have prima facie evidence that while Bush grabbed oil and filled his coffers with hefty profits from his war machine, our kids died and continue to die. This amount to genocide – nothing less.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:28 amUnc Ho: Have to salute a good one when I see one! Top of the mornin’ to you!
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:28 amAnything that brings a grin to my face and a smile to my heart must be acknowledged in this darm, grim existence we are all living through. The miasma of lies, corruption, greed, intentional incompetence, and the fact that we are being poisoned by our food makes life very edgy these days. Just wait until we discover that absolutely no one in this administration is qualified or has been doing the jobs which they’re being paid for doing – and that we’re being slowly poisoned as well.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:30 amBy then, Bush will have had plastic surgery to look like Al Gore and will be sunning himself in his palatial digs in Paraguay, sipping on his drink of choice. We’ll find that he’s raided the treasury and that every social program, including Medicare, is bankrupt.
It’s beginning to look like his legacy will be (in addition to taking the prize for the absolute WORST president ever) will be that he destroyed what took 200 years to establish – our democracy.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:32 amExlax; Just WTF are you smoking in your hookah?
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:33 amP.S. Can they do implants to elongate the spine? How tall is Bush – 5′5″?
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:33 amWilco sez:
That’s not what the Reuters article said.
From the article (emphasis mine):
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:33 am
UncHo: Yeah….he’s shat upon the new thread as well.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:33 amAnd to think that Nixon was forced to resign due to one instance of spying on the DNC! Hah! Looks like nursery school now with the comparison of what’s been done to millions of americans. We, as americans, need to stand up to these telecoms & congress if we care about our constitutional rights. Where’s the ACLU on all of this? Hopefully, slapping lawsuits on the capricious telecoms left and right.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:36 amTripMaster: You nailed the erroneousness they are attempting to spin here.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:37 amTrip:
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:43 amOops. I misread. Shame on me.
Trip: Rather, apparently I’m trying to spin this. I had no idea. Thanks, Veritas for pointing out the apparently intentional errors of my way.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:45 amThe Frost family has the kind of courage that we wish the elected dim leaders pelosi and reid would find. I guess that the question is whether pelosi and reid are afraid because of items that the wh has on them, or they are really DINOs. I suspect that they are DINOs, and, with the majority status they have, they can run with the rich kids. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the rethugs actually gain seats in both houses as people become disillusioned; an outcome I believe that the dim leaders would really welcome.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:54 amThe Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that Shirley MacLaine is now stating Kucinich saw the same UFO flying over her house all those years ago during the time he was sleeping on her couch.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:55 amBearCountry, I disagree. First, they’re not DINO’s, they’re pansies. The Dem leadership surrendered like they’re the French. Now, the Reps know they’re all filler, no killer. I can’t think of another cliche, right now, but you get the point.
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:02 amThey’re more concerned about gaining seats (which they definitely will) than doing what’s right. Much like the Reps (but not nearly to the same degree), they’re favoring party over country.
Dumb Question on Blackwater:
If would not surprise me if some of the “unaccounted” money went as a bribe / payback to local influentials. Now if a corporation pays overseas bribes, isn’t that a felonious action with rather severe penalties ?????
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:42 amYikes!!!! If that picture of Condi is meant to scare me….IT’S WORKING!!!!!
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:46 amIgnoranceIsNotBliss sez:
Condi’s been taking Sith lessons from Darth Cheney.
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:54 amheh
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:55 amWasen’t it bull shit that said the eye’s are a window to the soul.? Know he wasen’t the first to say that, not smart enough to have an original thought..Do know from the picture above the window’s to rice’s soul are as alway’s DEAD……Ugly, evil person with no soul…..Blessings
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:52 pm“What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.”
Rep. Stark (D) apologizes
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 11:12 AM by Mark Murray
Categories: Congress, Democrats
From NBC’s Mike Viqueira
Embattled Democrat Pete Stark has just publicly apologized to “the president and his family.”
He took the floor after his fellow Democrats successfully killed a motion to censure him in the wake of his remarks last Thursday asserting that American troops were fighting in Iraq to have their “heads blown off for the president’s amusement.”
“I want to apologize to my colleagues, many of whom I have offended,” Stark began. He then apologized to “the president and his family” and “the troops.”
“I hope that with this apology, I return to being as insignificant as I should be,” he concluded through a voice cracking with emotion.
October 23rd, 2007 at 2:26 pmExley, JDC, help me out here. If violence is way down in Iraq and it looks like we’ve turned the corner, why can’t we at least begin to discuss a pull-out without being accused of “wanting to lose?”
October 23rd, 2007 at 2:34 pmIt’s really too bad Stark had to apologize. After all, the president HAS made it clear that he’s amused by all the goings on in Iraq. That was a very amusing skit about looking for WMD’s he did at the correspondents’ dinner. And, that “hitting the trifecta” joke was a joke. Moreover, he made it clear that his policy was for him personally when he pointed out that he didn’t care if it was only Laura and his dog who agreed.
Stark spoke the unvarnished, absolute truth on this. Bush is a sociopath.
October 23rd, 2007 at 2:42 pmMe: This is a never-ending violent quagmire.
Bushie: No, things are getting better. Violence is down!
Me: Great. Then let’s set a timetable for withdrawl.
Bushie: If we set a timetable, the terrorists will lie low and wait for their opportunity.
Me: Then we can’t leave? This is a never-ending violent quagmire?
Bushie: No, things are getting better. Violence is down!
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:15 pm>According to the ministry’s statistics,
Thank god we’re taking these people at thier word now. right Exley? So likely you beleive them as equally when they say things like “blackwater open fire unprovoked on unarmed civilans, etc”. Right?
Exley, I’ve asked you this a thousand times and you”ve never answered. How much of our tax dollars should we spend bribing iraqis to play nice and trying to outbid terrorists?
You DO know that a huge part of whatever reduction in violence may be occuring is due to our massive bribery campaign, right? From 75 $ million dollars given to one tribal chieftan who got offed by his own men anyway, to 1500 $ per mixed sunni/shia couple to wed, the only real surge has been in our giveaway of american tax dollars. The 75 million dollars to one of saddams goons was in the form of an “aide package” to his tribe…now lets imagine he only gets to keep 10 percent as an “administration fee”…
thats still 7.5 million american dollars.. the buying power of that much money in iraq is roughly like having about a billion dollars in america. Now, I’m reasonably certain that if the united states government was bribing american gang leaders a billion dollars per leader to keep his goons from committing crimes, it seems almost certain there would be less crimes. My question is, what happpens when the money runs out? This ISNT the most troops we’ve ever had in Iraq, but this IS the most money we’ve ever expended trying to keep the peace.
ANd also Exley, what do you think about the brewing firestorm up in Northern Iraq? A group of kurds designed as terrorists by both us, europe, and turkey, is being given shelter by the kurds. They are attacking Turkish soil but we are desparately trying to prevent turkey from excercizing its right of self defense. How do you feel about this sitution, and why shouldnt turkey have as much right to defend itself as we do? We didnt care that our invasion would destabilize iraq, why should Turkey? They are a democracy you know.
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:46 pmhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071024/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq
“It was the third claim of civilian casualties from U.S. airstrikes in as many days, raids that have prompted complaints from both sides of the sectarian divide that too many Iraqis are losing their lives, particularly as the Americans increasingly rely on air power to attack militants.”
relying on air power and bribery instead of actual boots on the ground manpower… sure it helps betrayus look good in the months after he makes his little magical report, but its a temporary fix… enjoy the transient fruits of your bribery n airstrike surge Exley, this time next year everything will have fallen apart again, mark my word. if things are going so well why did that general Sanchez guy pick now to say that the surge is a “desparate ploy”? you’d think if things were going as well as they claim he would have just kept his mouth shut at this venture, huh?
October 24th, 2007 at 3:30 am