ThinkFast: November 13, 2007
ThinkFast: November 13, 2007
The “hidden” economic costs to the United States of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so far total approximately $1.5 trillion, costing the average U.S. family of four more than $20,000. The total includes higher oil prices, the expense of treating wounded veterans, and interest payments on the money borrowed to pay for the wars.
“The income gap between black and white families has grown,” according to a new study by the Brookings Institution. One reason for the widening gap is that “incomes among black men have actually declined in the past three decades, when adjusted for inflation.”
Attorney General Michael Mukasey is being urged by Justice Department employees in Minnesota, along with prominent lawyers and law professors in the state, to consider an “early visit to the United States Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis” to learn “what he is up against in restoring stability to the Justice Department.”
“The fact that reports of torture and mistreatment are now widely circulated” means that “NATO forces may be breaching their own operating rules by handing detainees to Afghan security services despite reports that they torture their prisoners,” according to Amnesty International.
$19.5 million: Amount PhRMA spent from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, aimed at killing legislation to speed the availability of less expensive generic drugs.
Though Gen. David Petraeus’ describes “the Joint Campaign Plan as the key military and diplomatic strategy to stabilize Iraq,” Congress has yet to see a current copy of the plan, “despite repeat efforts” by the leadership and promises from the Pentagon.
Rocket and mortar attacks have fallen to their lowest level in nearly two years. Civilian deaths have dropped sharply since summer. “I think it has turned a corner,” Gen. Richard Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, said on Monday.
The U.S. Sentencing Commission is considering “reducing the sentences of inmates incarcerated in federal prisons for crack cocaine offenses, which would make thousands of people immediately eligible to be freed.” TalkLeft’s Jeralyn Merritt has more.
Seventeen entertainment blogs will today go dark in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. They will replace their usual content with WGA “solidarity statements.”
And finally: Donald Rumsfeld is now a member of the University Club of Washington, DC, “one of the premier private city clubs in the country.” Yet it is in competition with two others in the city — the Metropolitan and Cosmos Clubs. In 2003, Charles Pierce wrote in the Boston Globe, “There’s an old Washington joke about various clubs around town: At the University Club, you need money and no brains, at the Cosmos Club, you need brains and no money, and at the Metropolitan Club, you don’t need either one.”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Congress has yet to see a current copy of the plan, “despite repeat efforts†by the leadership and promises from the Pentagon.
What else would you expect from the Liar-n-Thief's administration?
November 13th, 2007 at 9:03 amOf course the stealth war is costing us ridiculous sums. The costs are hidden from the budget, the bodies are hidden from view, and the crimes are hidden from Justice.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:07 amWhat else is new?
Hang BUSH NOW!!!
News from Iran...
Ahmedinejad takes a leaf out the wingnut playbook, calls critics of his policies "traitors".
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/524ad2bc-9123-11dc-9590-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
November 13th, 2007 at 9:09 am“There’s an old Washington joke about various clubs around town: At the University Club, you need money and no brains, at the Cosmos Club, you need brains and no money, and at the Metropolitan Club, you don’t need either one.â€
Hmmm...sounds like Rummy's in the right one.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:10 amRocket and mortar attacks have fallen to their lowest level in nearly two years. Civilian deaths have dropped sharply since summer. “I think it has turned a corner,†Gen. Richard Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, said on Monday.
And how many "corners" does this make? I've lost count.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:11 amSeventeen entertainment blogs will today go dark in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. They will replace their usual content with WGA “solidarity statements.â€
Whatever shall I do?
November 13th, 2007 at 9:12 amAnd how many “corners†does this make? I’ve lost count.
And once you turn the 4th corner...you are back where you started.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:12 am$19.5 million: Amount PhRMA spent from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, aimed at killing legislation to speed the availability of less expensive generic drugs.
Corporate greed at it's 'finest'...as prescription prices skyrocket, big Pharma continues to spend 2-3 times as much annually to prevent competition than doing research & finding cures for illnesses.
I've often wondered how a CEO of a major corporation would respond to the question, 'how much profit is enough?'. I don't believe they could even respond. It's not even on their radar. In other words, corporate greed's mantra has become, 'no matter how much profit we earned, it's never enough'.
Thanks, big pharma. May the toxins you produce come back to bite you.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:12 amWhatever shall I do?
News Flash
November 13th, 2007 at 9:14 amBrittany Spears calls suicide hotline due to not reading her name on the "internets" today.
The “hidden†economic costs to the United States of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so far total approximately $1.5 trillion, costing the average U.S. family of four more than $20,000. The total includes higher oil prices, the expense of treating wounded veterans, and interest payments on the money borrowed to pay for the wars.
Will they start "passing the hat" for this after all the people responsible have left for Dubai? I'm guessing yes.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:14 am"Thanks, big pharma. May the toxins you produce come back to bite you."
THEY ARE THE TOXINS!
November 13th, 2007 at 9:15 am"$19.5 million: Amount PhRMA spent from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, aimed at killing legislation to speed the availability of less expensive generic drugs."
And when you figure in the 2.5 billion dollars a year pharma spends on advertising, plus their growing need to make more and more profit, it's no wonder that a 30-day supply of Nexium costs $240.00. Of course, insurance and drug discount cards pay a good portion of that for most of us (making it more affordable to the consumer), but it contributes to the skyrocketing costs of health care.
Does this strike anyone else as obscene?
November 13th, 2007 at 9:18 amAttorney General Michael Mukasey is being urged by Justice Department employees in Minnesota, along with prominent lawyers and law professors in the state, to consider an early visit to the United States Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis†to learn “what he is up against in restoring stability to the Justice Department.â€
Rachel Palouse is a political appointee, plain & simple. She recites biblical verses at work, has used racial slurs to her employees, and appears clueless about her mission. Welcome to Bush world.
Meanwhile, the State DOT 'head of Homeland Security' for MN has been fired. She was in Boston during the 35W bridge collapse. Two days later, she went from Boston to D.C. on 'personal business'. For 8 days! She didn't get back until 10 days after the bridge collapse.
Now our Governor, 'mini-Bush', won't hold any press conferences or even meet with the State legislature to discuss DOT's maintenance history on the bridge. He's afraid the truth will come out that they had neglected the bridge for years.
Heckuva job, Bushies. You make incompetence look planned.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:18 amThe U.S. Sentencing Commission is considering “reducing the sentences of inmates incarcerated in federal prisons for crack cocaine offenses, which would make thousands of people immediately eligible to be freed.â€
Meanwhile, there are people who are in prison for smoking a little weed.
Nice priorities.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:19 amSome of the costs of war are justified. What's going on in Iraq is absolutely not. There is very little incremental benefit to national security to our being there actively. We should get out. There are more pressing issues elsewhere
November 13th, 2007 at 9:20 amAnd once you turn the 4th corner…you are back where you started.
Comment by Bush is a TRAITOR — November 13, 2007 @ 9:12 am
Not necessarily. If you're in a maze, you could just be completely lost.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:21 am#15, on this we agree, hits.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:21 amIn many ways, it’s a grand proof of Darwinian realities
Comment by hits — November 13, 2007 @ 9:22 am
It's proof of the very deep racism you clearly demonstrate; the hatred for your fellow man, the greed of your philosophy, the moral emptiness of your soul, the bone-chilling recognition of your own inadequacies, and the fear it generates in weak cowards like you. You are grand proof of Darwinian realities: the Unevolved, comprising conservatives and the GOP.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:26 amIn many ways, it’s a grand proof of Darwinian realities
Comment by hits
You are formally dismissed.
Ignorance is your forte, we get it.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:26 amThe income gap has grown because it is tied to the intelligence gap and the gap that defines the desire to be successful. Why do we act surprised when we see Black crime rates soar through the roof, or when we see dilapidated Black communities. In many ways, it’s a grand proof of Darwinian realities
Comment by hits — November 13, 2007 @ 9:22 am
Wrong. It's proof of a poverty trap.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:27 am"Rocket and mortar attacks have fallen to their lowest level in nearly two years. Civilian deaths have dropped sharply since summer."
Anytime violence has dropped, it's a cause for rejoicing. May this be the beginning of a trend that will continue until people can walk freely in the cities of Iraq without worrying about being shot or being blown to bits.
I'm skeptical only because we have seen these dips before. Every time there's a decline in deaths, the warmongers point to it as "evidence" that we are winning, that we did the right thing all along, etc. etc., and then they are closed-mouthed when the violence rises again.
There are some reasons to hope that the downward trend of violence will continue. So many Iraqis have fled that there are fewer of them to kill. Ethnic cleansing is almost complete in many neighborhoods. It's possible that the fire is getting easier to contain not because of anything the United States has done, but because the fire is burning itself out. I sincerely hope the downturn in violence will continue and that we can bring our troops home.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:29 amhere's the link
November 13th, 2007 at 9:35 amThe “hidden†economic costs to the United States of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so far total approximately $1.5 trillion...
I'm not sure they're 'hidden', though. Gas prices, 4,000 American soldiers dead with more families grieving daily, a 'new' debt ceiling of more than $9,000,000,000,000, most of the World dismayed & appalled at America's course of action and food prices climbing steadily are not escaping the average American's pocketbook.
Bush's solution?...print more funny money.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:40 amIt’s possible that the fire is getting easier to contain not because of anything the United States has done, but because the fire is burning itself out. I sincerely hope the downturn in violence will continue and that we can bring our troops home.
Comment by missmolly — November 13, 2007 @ 9:29 am
Me too, though I'm not hopeful. As Juan Cole points out on his blog today, if this current level of violence continues, then we're looking at only 10,000 civilian deaths per year. That's still about 10,000 too many. And that's assuming that there are no flare-ups among all the tribes we've armed in the meantime, no resurgence of militias, and the government remains intact. The latter is not looking good - the Sadrists are calling for a no-confidence vote in al-Maliki.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:42 amThe income gap has grown because it is tied to the intelligence gap and the gap that defines the desire to be successful.
No, it has grown because a relatively larger proportion of blacks (compared to whites) are poor or working class, and as the wages of middle and working class have stagnated the last thirty years, the income gap has widened accordingly along racial lines.
Anyways, you can continue to hang your hat on the "blacks are stoopid" argument. It will save you having to having to confront you prejudices or read a single sheet of BLS data, and I am sure Darwinian theory is ready to take care of lazy-assed bigots.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:45 am“The income gap between black and white families has grown, according to a new study by the Brookings Institution. One reason for the widening gap is that “incomes among black men have actually declined in the past three decades, when adjusted for inflation.â€
-----------------------------------------------
I'm not a black man, but I have also experienced a decline in income, adjusted for inflation. From where I sit, this appears to be a result of non-professional jobs being devalued, unions being weakened, jobs being outsourced or being done for a pittance by undocumented workers, and higher percentages of an organization's payroll going to CEOs and other leaders.
This itself has nothing to do with race -- it has to do with the destruction of the middle class in general. So where does racism enter the picture? It's always been there. It's always been more difficult for a black person to enter the upper echelons of our society because they have to work harder to overcome stereotypes and racist attitudes that white people seldom encounter. And as the middle class erodes, people of all colors will fall on the "poor" side of the wall but it will impact blacks and other people of color disproportionally.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:45 amThe “hidden†economic costs to the United States of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so far total approximately $1.5 trillion, costing the average U.S. family of four more than $20,000.
So much for "fiscal conservatism". What is so sad is that most people in this country have no idea how much this occupation is costing us since the MSM doesn't cover it. This should be on the front page of every newspaper in the country.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:50 am$19.5 million: Amount PhRMA spent from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, aimed at killing legislation to speed the availability of less expensive generic drugs.
Anyone who thinks our representatives are there to serve our needs is crazy. Every representative out there is bought and paid for by some corporation. As long as we continue to allow corporations to donate money to political campaigns, we will continue to be the United Corporations of America.
RIP USA.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:52 amOne reason for the widening gap is that “incomes among black men have actually declined in the past three decades, when adjusted for inflation.â€
$hits response?
The income gap has grown because it is tied to the intelligence gap and the gap that defines the desire to be successful.
Nice. $hits just labeled the "black man" as less intelligent, and lacking the desire to be a success. Geez, would you like a noose with your white hood and cap?
November 13th, 2007 at 9:52 amDoes this strike anyone else as obscene?
Comment by missmolly
Absolutely. I recently had a short stint without insurance. The medications I take cost me almost $100 for three prescriptions. But, under my health plan these same three prescriptions cost less than $50. That's not my co-pay, that's what the pharmacy bills the insurance company. The insurance companies negotiate with the pharmaceutical industry and pay roughly half for the prescriptions an uninsured person pays. Now that's obscene. It is the uninsured person who is less likely to be able to pay for the prescription so they get charged double.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:56 am30...I don't think (s)hits believes that. It is just a machine designed to derail threads. It says something, if there is no response it says something else. Eventually it succeeds.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:58 amNice. $hits just labeled the “black man†as less intelligent, and lacking the desire to be a success. Geez, would you like a noose with your white hood and cap?
Comment by DRxJ
I have an idea. Let's not let (s)hits take over this thread like has taken over so many in the past. I do think it is fun to debate with a troll, but there is no way to debate with (s)hits. All he does is throw (s)hit on the wall and sit back and laugh when we respond.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:58 amObscene is putting it mildly; downright "vulgar" still isn't an overstatement. $20,000 per family is the reason that this country is already "bankrupt" - it just doesn't realize it yet since Bush and his financial wizards continue to cook the books and skew the economic picture. The great bang is on the way however....
November 13th, 2007 at 9:59 amHelp somebody .
November 13th, 2007 at 10:01 amYesterday on Democracy Now , Amy did a story on the girl who won $5000 from a Lego contest . What they didnt know was that included in her entry was a song , she and her friends sing .
It was on you tube
Its about come spring of 2009 No more Bush .It being sung to a melody of a Christmas song. .I cant find it . It's like its the school choir or some group of kids who can really sing.
NO more BUSH CANT COME SOON ENOUGH!!!!!!
I find it so incredibly transparent how the resident troll, when faced with a topic which is undialogueable (no facts they can spew or support) insist on interjecting something racial or otherwise bigoted in an attempt to manipulate the conversation. Amazingly predictable/amazingly inane.
I'm with Bilbo on feeding the trolls because these individuals are simply unworthy of one's time and energy.
Dialogue with a pariah is an exercise in futility.
November 13th, 2007 at 10:03 amOk, let's see what we have here.
Crime have risen under the Bush Admin. Why not, the Bush Crime family doesn't have to obey the law so why should we.
Hate crimes have risen under the Bush Admin. Why not, the Bush Admin has shown how much they respect blacks through their response to Katrina.
Now the black community is getting poorer. Why not, the Bush Admin has ignored the needs of the black community. Actually, all middle class Americans have gotten poorer while the very rich have become much richer.
This is just one legacy of the Bush Crime family.
November 13th, 2007 at 10:08 amDialogue with a pariah is an exercise in futility.
Comment by Veritas — November 13, 2007 @ 10:03 am
Then FLAG THEM!!!!
November 13th, 2007 at 10:08 amRegarding Hits @ 15,
And we should NEGOTIATE with the likes of him??????????????
Those like Hits have been in power for 7 years. We must drive them out of power and send them back to the obscurity they so richly deserve.
NANCY! WE'RE TIRED OF COMPROMISE WITH PEOPLE LIKE 'HITS'. NOTHING GOOD CAME COME OF IT! WAKE UP! FIGHT BACK or STEP DOWN!
November 13th, 2007 at 10:17 amIt was comment 18 that did it, not 15. Sorry.
Same speaker, though.
November 13th, 2007 at 10:18 amComment by bilbobaggins — November 13, 2007 @ 10:08 am
Your comments on the widening disparity of fairness toward black communities are appreciated.
There is a little bit of hope in the right direction if the U.S. Sentencing Commission follows through on its consideration of reducing sentences for crack cocaine.
It has always been an outrage that crack users have been punished far more severely than powder cocaine users, LSD users, OxyContin abusers, and even heroin addicts. Yes, it's thought that crack is thought to be more addictive than powder cocaine, but the reason for the sentencing disparity becomes pretty obvious that when one sees that crack is used mostly by poor black people and powder is used mostly by rich white people.
Furthermore, I don't see drug addicts as criminals (unless, of course, they are committing other crimes). They are drug addicts, and should be treated as such. Now, those who sell the drugs -- that's a different story. They perpetuate the problem, and should continue to receive stiff sentences. But let's equalize things. Let's punish "white" drug crimes and "black" drug crimes equally.
November 13th, 2007 at 10:20 amHate crimes have risen under the Bush Admin. Why not, the Bush Admin has shown how much they respect blacks through their response to Katrina.
Comment by bilbobaggins — November 13, 2007 @ 10:08 am
Meanwhile, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has been stacked with conservatives and is not pursuing discrimination complaints: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/08/1449259
November 13th, 2007 at 10:24 amGood post, #41, missmolly,
I recall people in Texas getting 30 years for having one joint on them.
OTOH, if we put all the 'white' drug crime doers in jail, we'd have to build a thousand more prisons.
Prescription drug abuse, (Druggie Limpballs), is by far more prevalent than street drugs. I hear numbers like 1 in 3 people having issues with abusing prescription drugs. 1 in 3...that's about 100 million people!
Yes, Heroin & other poppy residues are climbing, but I don't think many people know the numbers behind Oxycontin & the other synthetic opiates.
Alarming? Yes.
Profitable for big Pharma? Yeah, sure, you betcha!
November 13th, 2007 at 10:29 amDamnit, I'm already paying 3.42/gallon for gas. This is getting totally out of control.
November 13th, 2007 at 10:31 amWrong thread. Sorry.
November 13th, 2007 at 10:34 am"Rocket and mortar attacks have fallen to their lowest level in nearly two years. Civilian deaths have dropped sharply since summer."
Do my eyes deceive me???? ThinkProgress actually acknowledging the progress being made in Iraq and thus success of the surge????
Well, I guess evidence of the dramatically falling levels of violence in Iraq is now so overwhelming that even the most hardcore war opponents cannot ignore it....
Well done, TP. I am impressed.
November 13th, 2007 at 10:35 amWell, I guess evidence of the dramatically falling levels of violence in Iraq is now so overwhelming that even the most hardcore war opponents cannot ignore it….
Well done, TP. I am impressed.
Comment by Exley — November 13, 2007 @ 10:35 am
Of course, that's kinda like saying that the moratorium on whale hunting is working, because they've only found like 5 whales in the whole ocean, and therefore the numbers of whales hunted these year have decreased dramatically.
I remain unimpressed. Bring back the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees, and then we'll talk about progress.
November 13th, 2007 at 10:47 amWell done, TP. I am impressed.
Comment by Exley — November 13, 2007 @ 10:35 am
Are you impressed by the fact that violence has fallen because everybody is dead or a refugee? Are you impressed by the fact that the USA soldier deathtoll is highest in 2007? Are you impressed with your blindness and ignorance, or are you impressed by your willingness to be lied to and stolen from by your own government? You are easily impressed, as most of the wingnut, lockset fools are, so it's easy to see how you could be impressed by TP's reporting of a single temporary trend.
November 13th, 2007 at 10:56 am#46 - "Well, I guess evidence of the dramatically falling levels of violence in Iraq is now so overwhelming that even the most hardcore war opponents cannot ignore it…." Comment by Exley — November 13, 2007 @ 10:35 am
Makes one wonder why the death rate for 2007 is the worst one in the "War on Terra" when the actual number of attacks are decreasing?
Maybe the insurgents are killing more soldiers in each attack then they did in all the previous years?
The "surge" seems to only have increased the targets, not reduced the violence.
November 13th, 2007 at 11:00 am“Well, I guess evidence of the dramatically falling levels of violence in Iraq is now so overwhelming that even the most hardcore war opponents cannot ignore it….†Comment by Exley
The areas have been ethnically cleansed, and US soldiers are refusing to patrol some areas, opting to just "phone in" imaginary military operations. We cannot locate hundreds of thousands of weapons or pieces of body armor, which the sects are stockpiling until we leave and they can finish their internecine war.
Yup, Mission Accomplished.
November 13th, 2007 at 11:14 amAnd now ABC is reporting that Turkish gunships have fired upon Kurdish villages, setting the stage for a confrontation with American interests in the region.
Make that Mission Fubar, Exley.
November 13th, 2007 at 11:27 am$19.5 million: Amount PhRMA spent from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, aimed at killing legislation to speed the availability of less expensive generic drugs.
I followed the link and it said that drug companies pay generic drug companies money to delay producing the generic drugs - aka reverse payments.
Could anyone tell me how this is not illegal under monopoly / price fixing ?
November 13th, 2007 at 11:49 amSo violence is down...have we won yet. Anybody know the status of the BIG OIL contracts in Iraq....What exactly is winning according to the warmonger....getting the oil contracts....totally bankrupting the USA...dividing Iraq into 3 countries? If you F'ers want to win so F'ing bad, you got to define victory first.
November 13th, 2007 at 11:51 amRE the income gap.
I'm still making up my mind who to support. But Clinton has an ad running where she describes the current economy as a trap door. The middle class is just one random swing away from the door opening for illness, etc. Quite an apt description.
Now with gasoline prices rising, those with borderline incomes now have to find more money to travel to work. A local small shop keeper told me this weekend that he is thinking of getting out as the prices are rising him out of business - the cost of hot dog buns rose 25% on him just in the last 2 weeks. Sodas have risen 25%. Gas rises mean higher costs for anything that uses fertilizer to grow and anything that has to be transported. Diversion of corn to ethanol rises the price of foods (both human and in feed grain). Look at all the foods that have corn in them - both as a grain and as high fructose corn syrup.
One more piece of the floor is falling out from under us.
November 13th, 2007 at 11:53 am"it said that drug companies pay generic drug companies money to delay producing the generic drugs - aka reverse payments."
Comment by MapleStreet — November 13, 2007 @ 11:49 am
Sounds like collusion to me! When do we get our refunds? Oh no refunds for us? Just huge profits to the drug companies and payments to the generic drug companies?
"What is price fixing?
The general rule provides that a vendor may not in combination with another vendor agree to set a certain price thereby creating a fixed price within a certain market."
http://business-law.freeadvice.com/trade_regulation/price_fixing.htm
If the generic drug companies agree to delay production then that keeps the price of the drug set at whatever ridiculous amount has been set - hence price fixing.
November 13th, 2007 at 12:07 pmAnd how many “corners†does this make? I’ve lost count.
And once you turn the 4th corner…you are back where you started.
And once you have turn the first and second corner for the second time expecting a different result you are insane.
November 13th, 2007 at 5:25 pm>ThinkProgress actually acknowledging the progress being made in Iraq >and thus success of the surge????
If you consider paying "terrorists" not to attack us as "success", sure.
A question I've often asked you is , how much american money do we spend to pay people not to attack us? If you think many many of the sunni chieftans we've been giving "aid packages" to (and who are having thier pictures taken with armfuls of american cash) dont have american blood on thier hands, you're incredibly naive. I thought we dont negotiate with terrorists exlexlia?
November 14th, 2007 at 8:04 am>Congress has yet to see a current copy of the plan
All Betrayus needs to show congress is a briefcase full of 100 dollar bills. THats pretty much 90 percent of the plan. The sunnis are being paid off not to attack us. If we gave the head of every major american crime family a billion dollars each (the equivalent buying power of the amounts we're spending on many Sunni chieftan) each not to engage in criminal conspiracies, I think you'd probably get a substantial reduction in organized crime. Bribery is pretty much Chalabi and Betrayus modus operandi, thats why thier BFF's now..
How's that political progress that the surge was supposed to buy time for coming exley?
November 14th, 2007 at 8:09 am>Rocket and mortar attacks have fallen to their
> lowest level in nearly two years.
When you're busy counting 100 bills, you're going to spent less time lobbing rockets. What happens when the money dries up?
November 14th, 2007 at 8:11 am