ThinkFast: March 27, 2008
“Behind the Pentagon’s closed doors, U.S. military leaders told President Bush they are worried about the Iraq war’s mounting strain on troops and their families.” In the meeting, the Joint Chiefs of Staff also said “senior commanders in Iraq should make more frequent assessments of security conditions, an idea that appeared aimed at increasing pressure for more rapid troop reductions.”
New GDP numbers out this morning show that the economy grew by just 0.6 percent in the fourth-quarter of last year. The numbers “confirm the slump” the economy has entered and matched the expectations of weak growth predicted by many economists.
“A sweeping five-month investigation into the collapse of one of the nation’s largest subprime lenders points a finger at a possible new culprit in the mortgage mess: the accountants.” New Century Financial, whose failure came at the start of the credit crisis, “engaged in ’significant improper and imprudent practices’ that were condoned and enabled by auditors at the accounting firm KPMG.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has called on Attorney General Michael Mukasey “to explain the decision to eliminate the public corruption unit in Los Angeles” that has been investigating Rep. Jerry Lewis’s (R-CA) “connection to a lobbying firm and the earmarks its clients received.” The closure decision has “raised questions about whether pending and future public corruption cases will be rigorously pursued.”
Shiite militants “are hammering the U.S.-protected Green Zone with rockets and mortars for the fourth day this week. … American military officials say the attacks are coming from breakaway factions of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army.”
The Bush administration is taking credit for the Iraqi government’s offensive against Shiite militias “calling it a ‘byproduct of the success’ of the U.S. troop surge that showed that Iraqi forces are capable of assaulting Shiite extremists.
Responding to the Iraqi government’s recent crackdown on Shiite militias, anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr ordered a nationwide strike yesterday partially paralyzing the government and “prompting fears that basic services such as hospitals and schools could be crippled.”
“President Bush announced yesterday that he will make an unexpected trip to Russia after a NATO summit next week to meet with President Vladimir Putin in hopes of repairing relations that have grown strained over missile defense, Kosovo independence and NATO expansion.”
And finally: On Tuesday, the USO of Metropolitan Washington awarded comedian Jon Stewart its Merit Award for his strong support of U.S. troops. A USO spokeswoman said that Stewart regularly comes from New York and visits with wounded soldiers at Walter Reed, but “up until now he’s done it for no public recognition; he just did it out of the goodness of his heart.” Stewart cracked few jokes on Tuesday, “speaking instead about how he’s been touched by his time with the wounded.”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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Small businesses being forced to close due to government subsidies to Walmart, Target and others.
Corporate Socialism Alert!
Information edited from:
March 27th, 2008 at 8:58 amhttp://smirkingchimp.com/thread/13666
a possible new culprit in the mortgage mess: the accountants.
Corruption among those responsible for rooting out and accurately reporting fraud, abuse and waste?
Nah, let the free markets work.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:01 amAlthough the MSM will report the truth once in a while, they never challenge the claims of the “surge” success:
The fighting, which also saw Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone — home to the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi government — come under fire, has threatened to unravel a delicate al-Sadr cease-fire credited with reducing bloodshed between Sunnis and Shiites.
The only successful surge is in my toilet lately.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:02 ammilitary leaders told President Bush they are worried about the Iraq war’s mounting strain on troops and their families.
Bush: so?
March 27th, 2008 at 9:04 amHomeowner Demonstrators Breach Bear Stearns HQ
Information edited from:
March 27th, 2008 at 9:05 amhttp://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/32185
It looks as if the damaged housing market, like the fallout from Enron, needs its own Sarbanes-Oxley. Only one suggestion.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:05 amThe closure decision has “raised questions about whether pending and future public corruption cases will be rigorously pursued.”
_______________________
Feinstein should know (and probably does) that public corruption cases will be rigorously pursued if the public figure at the center is a Democrat, and only then. Under Mukasey (as under Gonzo), Republicans will all get a free pass.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:05 amUncle Ho Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 9:04 am
military leaders told President Bush they are worried about the Iraq war’s mounting strain on troops and their families.
Bush: so?
_________________________
Now, now — don’t you realize just how BURDENED Bush is by all of this? (snark)
March 27th, 2008 at 9:07 amWhat you missed:
March 27th, 2008 at 9:09 amWednesday morning at approximately 7:10 Fox and Friends did a segment about a McCain fundraiser. McCain is offering the possibility of riding with him on his campaign bus. To become eligible to be the chosen one, all you have to do is donate $50. F&F went on and on about it and, in effect, did a fundraiser for McCain.
Was that a snark, or is it too good to be true?
March 27th, 2008 at 9:10 amWhy are we in the current banking mess and what was John McCain’s role?
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/03/26/7905/
March 27th, 2008 at 9:10 amAnti-social behavior would disappear with the extinction of fascist/Republican and fascist/Republican-lite thinking. The wheels of evolution grind slowly.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:13 amRemember, kids, Accounting is a serious profession, hence a-c-c-o-u-n-t-a-b-i-l-i-t-y, not a popular culture trend.
Either you hate the profession or you love it.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:14 amOMG! Here we go again?! Does this mean it’s time for another snarkfest?
March 27th, 2008 at 9:15 amAt least the troops have people like Jon Stewart that care about them. God knows BushCo. doesn’t give a rip.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:15 amSnarkist Tuna
March 27th, 2008 at 9:17 amSadr Followers Protest Security Crackdown
Washington Post - 2 hours ago
By Sudarsan Raghavan and Sholnn Freeman BAGHDAD, March 27 — Supporters of hardline cleric Moqtada al-Sadr poured into the streets of the Iraqi capital on Thursday to protest an ongoing security crackdown against Sadr’s militia, while fighting …
Video: The internal Shia conflict in Iraq - 26 Mar 08 AlJazeeraEnglish
Sadr followers demand “downfall” of Maliki International Herald Tribune
“…this is working out very well for them…”
March 27th, 2008 at 9:20 amIn the meeting, the Joint Chiefs of Staff also said “senior commanders in Iraq should make more frequent assessments of security conditions, an idea that appeared aimed at increasing pressure for more rapid troop reductions.
In other words, they are asking Bush to let them do their jobs and to listen to what they have to say. I thought Bush said he “listened to the commanders on the ground”. We all knew that wasn’t true. He doesn’t listen to anyone who doesn’t tell him what he wants to hear.
I don’t care if Obama is highly experienced to be President. As long as he surrounds himself with the best and the brightest in all fields and really listens to their council, I will be happy.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:20 amShiite militants “are hammering the U.S.-protected Green Zone with rockets and mortars for the fourth day this week. … American military officials say the attacks are coming from breakaway factions of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army.”
They’ll soon be blaming Iran for all this. No doubt about it.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:20 amNew Century Financial, whose failure came at the start of the credit crisis, “engaged in ’significant improper and imprudent practices’ that were condoned and enabled by auditors at the accounting firm KPMG.”
The accountant’s did it! And the CEO’s and other corporate big wigs had no knowledge of what they were doing. Ever the need for a fall guy.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:23 ami know it’s serious, but this headline cracked me up:
Italian farmers defend mozzarella cheese - United Press International
March 27th, 2008 at 9:23 amLA Times Apologizes for Rapper Story
Washington Post - 58 minutes ago
By Howard Kurtz The Los Angeles Times has acknowledged that it unwittingly relied on fabricated FBI documents, created by a con man, for a report that implicated associates of rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in the 1994 shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur.
… if it could happen to him…
March 27th, 2008 at 9:24 amSen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has called on Attorney General Michael Mukasey “to explain the decision to eliminate the public corruption unit in Los Angeles” that has been investigating Rep. Jerry Lewis’s (R-CA) “connection to a lobbying firm and the earmarks its clients received.”
How nice of you Diane, considering the fact that you and Chuck Schumer are responsible for Mukasey being there in the first place. Hopefully the statute of limitations will not have run out on Lewis’ crimes by the time Obama takes office. I’m sure that one of the first things he will do will be to fix the DOJ.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:24 amNew GDP numbers out this morning show that the economy grew by just 0.6 percent in the fourth-quarter of last year. The numbers “confirm the slump” the economy has entered and matched the expectations of weak growth predicted by many economists.
“A sweeping five-month investigation into the collapse of one of the nation’s largest subprime lenders points a finger at a possible new culprit in the mortgage mess: the accountants.” New Century Financial, whose failure came at the start of the credit crisis, “engaged in ’significant improper and imprudent practices’ that were condoned and enabled by auditors at the accounting firm KPMG.”
As in Enron and the Dot Com, the greedheads have blown the entire place. The accountants, banks and politicans didn’t their job, and failed to apply the laws and regulations in place. Guess who are those enemies of regulation of the economy?
Shiite militants “are hammering the U.S.-protected Green Zone with rockets and mortars for the fourth day this week. … American military officials say the attacks are coming from breakaway factions of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army.”
The Bush administration is taking credit for the Iraqi government’s offensive against Shiite militias “calling it a ‘byproduct of the success’ of the U.S. troop surge that showed that Iraqi forces are capable of assaulting Shiite extremists.
Responding to the Iraqi government’s recent crackdown on Shiite militias, anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr ordered a nationwide strike yesterday partially paralyzing the government and “prompting fears that basic services such as hospitals and schools could be crippled.”
So freedom and democracy is to start a civil war at a country that you failed to occuppy succesfully, after breaking legallity by waging a preemptive war against an unarmed enemy under false pretenses?
“President Bush announced yesterday that he will make an unexpected trip to Russia after a NATO summit next week to meet with President Vladimir Putin in hopes of repairing relations that have grown strained over missile defense, Kosovo independence and NATO expansion.”
Oh, my God, WWIII is just a speech away of Bush’s visit to Russia! Please, shut this moron and lock him at the White House until February 28, 2009. Some of us appreciate peace.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:26 amBilbo
I don’t care if Obama is highly experienced to be President. As long as he surrounds himself with the best and the brightest in all fields and really listens to their council, I will be happy.
BINGO! There are experiences we actually don’t need people to have. If you have a knack for listening, you’re already more qualified than the person who sat on the board at Wal-Mart.
In the context of experience anyway, the most important is government experience. Obama takes the cake there.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:26 amThe Bush administration is taking credit for the Iraqi government’s offensive against Shiite militias “calling it a ‘byproduct of the success’ of the U.S. troop surge that showed that Iraqi forces are capable of assaulting Shiite extremists.
It is also the reason for the renewed violence in Iraq. al Sadar had said he would maintain his cease fire. But once the Iraqi forces started attacking them, they decided to fight back. Duh…
March 27th, 2008 at 9:27 amLook at the fighting all over Iraq , basra, Kut , and Baghdad
Oil Pipelines been blown up in Basra . oil export in Iraq down to 1/3
many many dead
March 27th, 2008 at 9:28 am“…a possible new culprit in the mortgage mess: the accountants.”
and what was it the McCain said the other day? oh, yeah:
First, it is time to convene a meeting of the nation’s accounting professionals to discuss the current mark to market accounting systems. We are witnessing an unprecedented situation as banks and investors try to determine the appropriate value of the assets they are holding and there is widespread concern that this approach is exacerbating the credit crunch.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:28 amPresident Bush announced yesterday that he will make an unexpected trip to Russia after a NATO summit next week to meet with President Vladimir Putin in hopes of repairing relations that have grown strained over missile defense, Kosovo independence and NATO expansion.
Good luck with that. And Putin will serve Bush “lame duck” for dinner. Bush has absolutely no standing in the world today. The world leaders look at him and either shudder or laugh.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:29 amcheck out these headlines… appears the guy is all over the place…
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=&q=mccain%2C+russia&btnG=Search+News
i was looking for a specific story i’d seen earlier on the google news…
March 27th, 2008 at 9:29 amit’s in there somewhere…
PASS IT ON
Thinking of joining the armed forces? Know the facts…
http://www.beforeyousignup.info/
March 27th, 2008 at 9:31 amMcCain cares about accounting professionals? The “free market” never created those great job opportunities, it’s been *gasp* evil regulation *gasp* from our government creating the boom.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:32 amRemember, Bush in 2000 had no foreign policy experience either, then proceeded to FUBAR the entire process. How much lower can we go from here, if at all?
March 27th, 2008 at 9:32 amThe Surge is working so well that we won’t be drawing down any soldiers! (BUSH Think)
Meanwhile, Afghans are getting Chinese ammo made in the ’60’s that is so old it won’t fire.
Support Our Troops is just a slogan to the Bush cabal.
Come to think of it, the whole Bush administration is a slogan.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:33 amTobie; in my case, you are about 40 years too late about the military info, besides, I was drafted.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:34 amThey’ll soon be blaming Iran for all this. No doubt about it.
They already are. If you read the linked article, the last paragraph says that they are “reportedly being trained in Iran”.
Now, why would al-Sadar’s troops need to be trained in Iran? He controls large portions of Iraq so there would be no need for his men to go to Iran for training.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:34 amProgressive Thinker Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Katy,
We must support Sadr.
WTF?
March 27th, 2008 at 9:35 amWho is this guy?
So Jon Stewart has been quietly supporting the troops, purely for the sake of supporting them and not for photo-ops and other shameless publicity.
What a concept.
Kinda reminds me of the 1984 presidential campaign, when all candidates were playing can-you-top-this with how “Christian” they were. A journalist decided to look up the old Sunday School teacher president, Jimmy Carter, and found him quietly building houses for Habitat for Humanity, an organization very few had heard of up to that point. Carter was behaving in a most “Christian” fashion with absolutely no fanfare, and in doing so put all the showy piety of the candidates to shame.
Stewart is apparently cast from the same mold.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:36 amBarack Obama To Speak On Economy At Cooper Union NY1
March 27th, 2008 at 9:37 amWayne Says
WTF?
Who is this guy?
a trooll, wayne…
March 27th, 2008 at 9:39 amWayne Says:
WTF?
Who is this guy?
Looks to be one of P’s lieutenants.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:39 amkaty Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Italian farmers defend mozzarella cheese - United Press International
LOL
I can see it now. Farmers running into battle with pitchforks and milk buckets, yelling the battlecry, ” CHEEEEEEEESE!”.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:40 amWTF?
Who is this guy?
It’s our new resident troll. It likes to pretend that it is the ultimate progressive by spouting outrageous and nonsensical ideas. Just ignore it. That works best. Engaging it in a dialog is useless, it gets it’s feelings hurt and says “why don’t you like me, I am one of you”.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:40 amBarack Obama To Speak On Economy At Cooper Union NY1
Good. I hope he really addresses the economy this time, though. The last speech he did on the economy laid it all at the door of the Iraq occupation. I firmly believe that Iraq has a lot to do with our current financial crisis, but there are many other contributing factors like our so-called “free market system”.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:42 amOil above $107 on pipeline attack
BBC News - 2 hours ago
Oil prices have risen above $107 a barrel after insurgents blew up one of Iraq’s main export pipelines. A company official said damage would cut Basra’s exports by a third, adding to supply fears and increasing concern about stability in the region.
Crude oil surges after Basra pipeline bombing Times Online
Iraq aims to get southern oil exports back to normal Reuters
good luck with that…
and, what is “normal” anyway?
March 27th, 2008 at 9:42 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Thank you. Should have figured the whispering had already started.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:46 amWayne Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 9:40 am
We must support Mozzarella. It’s standing up to Processed American cheese and is loved by the Italian people. It’s the voice of the people. End cheese processing now!
March 27th, 2008 at 9:46 amWayne Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Progressive Thinker Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Katy,
We must support Sadr.
WTF?
Who is this guy?
_________________________
“Progressive Thinker” is neither. It’s one of those misnomers, like “Moral Majority”.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:46 am“the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to the point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism.”
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt
March 27th, 2008 at 9:48 amTobie Tall Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Look at the fighting all over Iraq , basra, Kut , and Baghdad
Oil Pipelines been blown up in Basra . oil export in Iraq down to 1/3
many many dead
What part of “the surge is working” do these Iraqis not understand???
March 27th, 2008 at 9:48 amOne of southern Iraq’s two main oil export pipelines has been severely damaged in a bomb attack, officials said today. The bombing of the pipeline, seven miles south of Basra, came as clashes between Iraqi security forces…
March 27th, 2008 at 9:49 amThe terrorists hate us for our mozzarella!
March 27th, 2008 at 9:49 amShia militia have also been fighting US and Iraqi forces in the Shia Baghdad neighbourhoods of al-Baiyaa, Shaab and Kazimiyah, as well as Hillah, 60 miles south of Baghdad.
Hundreds of Sadr supporters were reported to have taken to the streets yesterday in Baghdad and Kerbala, demanding that the government stop military operations in Basra and withdraw all security forces.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:51 amdim wit -
We must support Mozzarella
l o l
March 27th, 2008 at 9:51 am“religeous right”
March 27th, 2008 at 9:52 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 9:34 am
They’ll soon be blaming Iran for all this. No doubt about it.
They already are. If you read the linked article, the last paragraph says that they are “reportedly being trained in Iran”.
Now, why would al-Sadar’s troops need to be trained in Iran? He controls large portions of Iraq so there would be no need for his men to go to Iran for training.
Never mind that as-Sadr is not a big fan of Iran. From what I’ve read, he’s usually accusing his enemies, the Badr brigades (the SCRI death squads) of getting their support from Iran.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:53 amRay McGovern didn’t enjoy Frontline’s special: Bush’s War
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/03/26/7907/
*** Also missing from the show was a discussion of the Downing St. Memos. How can you present an account of the Iraq war/occupation without including smoking gun evidence of it’s illegality? We’re watching history being rewritten before our eyes.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:58 amit missed many things, 2 mil, and those above were most obvious…
but i was just glad to get that timeline and info “out there”, ya know?
any more detail, and the audience would’ve been sleepy…
March 27th, 2008 at 10:04 amthe dumbed down populace needs that fast paced stuff!
McCain’s emphasis on ending no-/low-down-payment mortgages points the finger of blame at home buyers for the mortgage melt-down, but decptive practices by corrupt lenders and their unloading their shaky loans quickly via packaged sales to Wall Street, further facilitated by shoddy accounting (shades of ENRON, eh?– corruption coupled with poor accounting)is the real culprit. We won’t see real Conservatives or Republicans lining up to do anything about these aspects, I’ll warrant! The victims are to blame!
March 27th, 2008 at 10:07 amIn the Thinkfast for March 27, 2008, TP wrote:
TP, you must just be regurgitating these blurbs from somewhere else. Labelling al-Sadr as “anti-American” is inflammatory and misleading, and the term is non-descript. Until two days ago, al-Sadr was cooperating with the U.S. In fact, he’s been an important ally since the start of the U.S. invasion. If he were not, he’d have been targeted and eliminated long ago, nes pas? What does “anti-American” even mean? All of the Americas (North to South) or just the U.S.? Against the people or against the actions in Iraq or something else?
“Anti-American” as an adjective hardly has a place in that article, or in journalism. Please choose more carefully.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:08 amA little late for Diane Feinstein to weigh in on Mukasey–she and Shumer helped to unlock that barn door and now she’s moaning that the horses are gone!
March 27th, 2008 at 10:11 am2 years ago, in her family christmas letter, my cousin, who was head of indiana’s realty board, mentioned indiana leading the nation in foreclosures…
March 27th, 2008 at 10:15 am“…in large part due to predatory lending and real estate practices. We have been working closely with the FBI for the last couple of years. Interesting and amazing the things people will do to their fellow man just to earn a buck!“
California freefall: Home prices down 26% in February
snip
–Statewide, median sales prices fell by a stunning 26% from year-ago levels in February, with home prices dropping at a rate of nearly $3,000 a week, the California Association of Realtors reports. Further, the CAR says the Fed’s interest rate-cutting campaign “will have little near-term direct effect on the housing market.”
snip
The California Association of Realtors reports median prices fell 27.2% from year-ago levels in the hard-hit Inland Empire east of Los Angeles, 30.9% in Sacramento, and 39.1% in Santa Barbara County.
On a percentage basis, the California price meltdown is more than three times as severe as the national decline of 8.2% in median prices reported this week by the National Association of Realtors. On an absolute basis, the California meltdown is even more severe: Nationally, prices fell over the past year at a rate of $338 per week; in California, prices fell at a rate of $2,788 per week.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ laland/ 2008/ 03/ california-free.html
Things are looking pretty grim here on the “left” coast. On the flip side, campgrounds are springing up all over the state. /snark off
March 27th, 2008 at 10:17 amEskwaya at 10:08 am -
March 27th, 2008 at 10:18 ami hope you sent that directly to the TP offices…
use the links above right… all options…
Progressive Thinker Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 10:02 am
You guys are calling me a troll? That makes no sense. There are many on this board who are Pro-Sadr, like Toasterhead and Bilbo Hussein Baggins. Sadr provides Healthcare and Education to his members. He’s a Progressive and fighting for Freedom. I respect and admire im. As do many on this board.
We’re not sure what to call you.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:19 amIMHO, anyone who labels himself as a “progressive thinker”
doesn’t really put a lot of thought into progress.
Eskwaya Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 10:08 am
TP, you must just be regurgitating these blurbs from somewhere else. Labelling al-Sadr as “anti-American” is inflammatory and misleading, and the term is non-descript. Until two days ago, al-Sadr was cooperating with the U.S. In fact, he’s been an important ally since the start of the U.S. invasion. If he were not, he’d have been targeted and eliminated long ago, nes pas? What does “anti-American” even mean? All of the Americas (North to South) or just the U.S.? Against the people or against the actions in Iraq or something else?
No, it’s pretty accurate I think. As-Sadr has been quite vocal in his opposition to the U.S. occupation pretty much since it began, and especially after Jerry Bremer cancelled provincial elections and showed the American promise to “bring democracy to Iraq” to be the complete sham that it was. “American” in the Iraqi context means “U.S.” - Arabs use the word “Amriki” to mean United Statesian - they don’t say “Wilayat MutaHidi.”
It’s a considerable stretch to say that as-Sadr has been “cooperating” with the U.S. He’s been using the Jaysh al-Mahdi cease fire to quell Shi’ite-on-Shi’ite violence in Baghdand and the south, and just a few days ago was calling for nonviolent resistance to Maliki’s military incursions. However, it looks like the cease-fire is about to end - either with the Mahdi factions uniting against the Iran/Badr/Dawa coalition, or the Mahdi factions will split and be fighting each other in addition to the government forces in addition to our forces.
Either way you slice it, it’s a friggin mess.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:23 amNothing about yesterday’s revelation in federal court that three Democratic U.S. Congressmen were serving as compensated shills and propagandists for Saddam Hussein’s regime? Well, here ya go:
Feds: Saddam financed lawmakers’ trip
By MATT APUZZO , Associated Press Writer
last updated: March 27, 2008 05:55:32 AM
WASHINGTON —
Saddam Hussein’s intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
The three anti-war Democrats made the trip in October 2002, while the Bush administration was trying to persuade Congress to authorize military action against Iraq. While traveling, they called for a diplomatic solution.
Prosecutors say that trip was arranged by Muthanna Al-Hanooti, a Michigan charity official, who was charged Wednesday with setting up the junket at the behest of Saddam’s regime. Iraqi intelligence officials allegedly paid for the trip through an intermediary and rewarded Al-Hanooti with 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil.
The lawmakers are not named in the indictment but the dates correspond to a trip by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California. … Both McDermott and Thompson are popular among liberal voters in their reliably Democratic districts for their anti-war views. Bonior is no longer in Congress.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:26 amnevar - i’m quite sure to call it a trooll…
toasterhead - thanks for that explanation…
March 27th, 2008 at 10:28 ami may have spoke too soon, eh?
Progressive Thinker Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 10:02 am
You guys are calling me a troll? That makes no sense. There are many on this board who are Pro-Sadr, like Toasterhead and Bilbo Hussein Baggins. Sadr provides Healthcare and Education to his members. He’s a Progressive and fighting for Freedom. I respect and admire im. As do many on this board.
I’m neither pro-Sadr or anti-Sadr. He’s not a progressive by any stretch of the term. I just recognize him as a legitimate political force who - if he’s still alive - must be part of the government in Iraq when we leave. It’s better to have him on the inside pissing out than on the outside pissing in.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:30 amNo, nothing about that, Exley. Nothing about Hillary or Obama either. Perhaps you are mistaking TP for a non-oriented political weblog.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:31 amkaty Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 10:28 am
nevar - i’m quite sure to call it a trooll…
toasterhead - thanks for that explanation…
i may have spoke too soon, eh?
Juan Cole has some good background on the current situation on his blog today, including a very informative piece from al-Jazeera English: http://www.juancole.com/ 2008/ 03/ dozens-dead-in-basra-clashes-mahdi-army.html
March 27th, 2008 at 10:33 amleave to exlax… “twist and shout”… (arg… that hurt… a favorite beatles song)
[…]
The indictment did not claim any wrongdoing by the three lawmakers, whose five-day trip to Iraq occurred in October 2002, five months before the American invasion.
Two continue to serve in the House: Jim McDermott of Washington State and Mike Thompson of California. The other, David E. Bonior of Michigan, has since retired from Congress.
“None of the Congressional representatives are accused of any wrongdoing, and we have no information whatsoever that any of them were aware of the involvement of the Iraqi Intelligence Service,” said Dean Boyd, a Justice spokesman.
Mr. McDermott said through a spokesman that he had been invited on the trip by church groups in his home state and that he assumed that the trip had been paid for by legitimate charitable organizations.
Mr. Thompson said in a statement that the trip was approved by the State Department and that “obviously, had there been any question at all regarding the sponsor of the trip or the funding, I would not have participated.”
March 27th, 2008 at 10:33 am[…]
http://www.nytimes.com/ 2008/ 03/ 27/ washington/ 27indict.html?ref=middleeast
re: Ray McGovern didn’t enjoy Frontline’s special: Bush’s War
I thought I did hear a reference to the “facts being fixed around the policy”
March 27th, 2008 at 10:36 amNevar,
Obviously, I am quite aware that ThinkProgress is a site with a partisan/ideological POV. But it is usually also a site that exercised some intellectual honesty…Just last week, TP was honest enough to print the news that one of the contractors accused of looking into Sens. Obama’s, Clinton’s and McCain’s passport information was in fact run by an Obama supporter-advisor.
And yet this story of three Democrats acting as Saddam’s dupes gets no mention….
Maybe the only time ThinkProgress prints bad news about a Democrat is when it is focused on Barack Obama.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:40 amExley Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Nothing about yesterday’s revelation in federal court that three Democratic U.S. Congressmen were serving as compensated shills and propagandists for Saddam Hussein’s regime?
Was anyone from Hill and Knowlton ever prosecuted for cheerleading for the Kuwaiti regime in 1990 after Iraq invaded? This cheerleading included sending the Kuwaiti ambassador’s daughter to testify before Congress with false stories of Iraqi atrocities, such as troops ripping babies from incubators in Kuwaiti hospitals.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:45 amExley:
Prosecutors say that trip was arranged by Muthanna Al-Hanooti, a Michigan charity official, who was charged Wednesday with setting up the junket at the behest of Saddam’s regime. Iraqi intelligence officials allegedly paid for the trip through an intermediary and rewarded Al-Hanooti with 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil.
And where did he keep it? In the basement? Must have been a god-awful mess.
And exactly which laws were broken?
March 27th, 2008 at 10:45 amwheee! aren’t you dizzy, ex?
i would be, if i didn’t already know the story…
and your point about obama and bad news is also well known…
but, good dig anyway…
March 27th, 2008 at 10:46 amthanks again, toaster…
juan cole was on with sam yesterday (samstituting for randi)…
not an exciting guy, but his knowledge and expertise on the ME
is exceptional…
(all those ex’s are only coincidental…)
March 27th, 2008 at 10:49 am“…And yet this story of three Democrats acting as Saddam’s dupes gets no mention….” Exley
Awww c’mon Exley, sure they we’re duped, but they weren’t acting as dupes.
Could you really blame Saddam for wanting to show some US lawmakers that he really DIDN’T have any WMDs?
If you want to see actors portraying dupes, you need to look on your side of the aisle.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:50 amhussein toasterhead Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 10:30 am
I’m neither pro-Sadr or anti-Sadr. He’s not a progressive by any stretch of the term. I just recognize him as a legitimate political force who - if he’s still alive - must be part of the government in Iraq when we leave. It’s better to have him on the inside pissing out than on the outside pissing in.
That is a very interesting way of putting it…
Toasterhead, do you speak Arabic? Many of your posts seem like it. I have heard from a wide variety of sources that Sadr has been hiding in Iran for the last few months, almost since the surge began. I would guess you find that unlikely?
March 27th, 2008 at 10:51 amNevar,
They willingly put themselves into a position to act as dupes and shills for one of the most murderous dictators in the world. The best that can be said for them is that they intentionally put on moral blinders in dealing with Saddam’s regime.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:59 amYou’re making an incredibly naive assumption Exley.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:01 amThe State Department approved their trip.
Keltoi Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Toasterhead, do you speak Arabic? Many of your posts seem like it. I have heard from a wide variety of sources that Sadr has been hiding in Iran for the last few months, almost since the surge began. I would guess you find that unlikely?
I’ve been studying Arabic for about five years now, but I’m still quite a long way from fluency - it’s a steep learning curve and a really complicated language.
I’ve heard bits about as-Sadr hiding out in Iran, but I don’t buy it. I chalk that up to rivals who are trying to discredit him as a coward or a Tehran puppet. His chief enemy in Iraq, after us, is the Badr Brigades - the military wing of ISCI, a rival political party formed in Iran in the 1990s to oppose Saddam’s regime.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:01 amPoor Exley,
What a
March 27th, 2008 at 11:03 amtool,fool, troll.Sorry - I meant 1980s, not 1990s.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:03 amWelcome to the anti-surge, courtesy of the chaos unleashed by BushitCo, circa March, 2003.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:03 amExley Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 10:59 am
They willingly put themselves into a position to act as dupes and shills for one of the most murderous dictators in the world. The best that can be said for them is that they intentionally put on moral blinders in dealing with Saddam’s regime.
Much unlike Donald Rumsfeld in the 1980s - he didn’t have any blinders on at all when he met with Saddam.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:04 amone of the contractors accused of looking into Sens. Obama’s, Clinton’s and McCain’s passport information was in fact run by an Obama supporter-advisor.
Let me get this straight, Exley.
one of the contractors accused of looking into Sens. Obama’s, Clinton’s and McCain’s passport information
was in fact run by an Obama supporter-advisor.
How does one, RUN a contractor. Make him circle a track until he collapses?
I think not, dufus.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:06 am“Much unlike Donald Rumsfeld in the 1980s - he didn’t have any blinders on at all when he met with Saddam.”
Though I’m sure he put on a haz-mat suit and gas mask when he delivered the chemical weapons.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:08 amOh come on dude. Seriously. Let’s apply Occam’s razor shall we? Isn’t it a helluva lot more likely that these Legislators had no earthly idea that Saddam was secretly funding this trip?
If you remember correctly, right before the onset of war, he used every means possible to try to convince us that he wasn’t a threat. Hell, he even challenged Bush to a friggen debate.
Saddam was a piece of crap, but this trip even looked legit to the State Department.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:09 amI wonder how many of the high profile war supporters bother to (quietly) visit wounded veterans. Bill O’Reilly? Sean Hannity? John McCain? Joe Lieberman? If any of them did, it’d be a big (one-time) media event, and all for “show”. In fact, I can hear the sniping that will take place from the Fox crew, because Jon Stewart’s visits became public.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:10 amI’ve heard bits about as-Sadr hiding out in Iran, but I don’t buy it. I chalk that up to rivals who are trying to discredit him as a coward or a Tehran puppet. His chief enemy in Iraq, after us, is the Badr Brigades - the military wing of ISCI, a rival political party formed in Iran in the 1990s to oppose Saddam’s regime.
That is Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, right? So, who is Malikis power base? Which militia is he fighting in Basra? Sadr was part of his coalition, had seats in Parliament….no longer? And how much truth do you think there is to the idea that Sadr doesn’t control the Mehdi army, or at least large parts of it? In the end, I would think Sadr has to choose a side, but he seems pretty good at fence sitting. In other words, by your insight, just how many Shiite polities are we working with here?
March 27th, 2008 at 11:10 amJebus, Exley - you try to paint the Democrats as shills for Saddam??
How bloody stupid are you, anyway? And desperate, too.
Don Rumsfeld was Saddam’s BFF, and there are pictures to prove it. You remember Donald Rumsfeld, right? Chimpy’s SecDef?
March 27th, 2008 at 11:14 amKeltoi
March 27th, 2008 at 11:10 am
would you mind adding the name of the person you’re responding to in your comments?
kthnkxbai
March 27th, 2008 at 11:14 amExley Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Nothing about yesterday’s revelation in federal court that three Democratic U.S. Congressmen were serving as compensated shills and propagandists for Saddam Hussein’s regime?
_______________________________________
Methinks you are trying to paint these congressmen as shamelessly collecting money from Saddam to go to Iraq and lead cheers for him. That’s a heckuva spin on the real situation, but I see you need that to set up your straw man.
Here are some other parts of the AP article you pasted — what you left out:
“There was no indication the three lawmakers knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.”
” ‘Obviously we didn’t know it at the time,’ McDermott spokesman Michael DeCesare said today. ‘The trip was to see the plight of the Iraqi children. That’s the only reason we went.’ ”
[…]
“DeCesare said McDermott was invited to go to Iraq by a Seattle church group and was unaware of any other funding for the trip.”
March 27th, 2008 at 11:15 ammisshusseinmolly
March 27th, 2008 at 11:15 am
That’s what trolls do, Miss Molly. :D
Isn’t it interesting that we’re all clamoring for investigations into all the corruption in this government, and finally they investigate — Democrats.
Don’t get me wrong, if there was actually anything to this, I’d be calling for their hides — what about the criminals in the Executive Branch!?
March 27th, 2008 at 11:20 amhey TP - great subject for a new thread:
UPDATE 1-Obama touts $30 billion US stimulus, oversight
March 27th, 2008 at 11:26 amReuters - 50 minutes ago
NEW YORK, March 27 (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama called on Thursday for a second economic stimulus package of $30 billion and for greater oversight of the US financial system to prevent another housing crisis.
Obama’s Speech on the Economy New York Times
Obama Calls for Overhaul of US Financial-Market Regulations Bloomberg
>were serving as compensated shills and propagandists for
>Saddam Hussein’s regime?
Its called lobbying, and the last time i checked, it was legal, expcept when people like JackOffAhoff start getting involved.
Curious to know why you consider truth (”we dont have WMD”) to be “propaganda”…
March 27th, 2008 at 11:35 am>Looks to be one of P’s lieutenants.
Is that what you guys are calling Mr. P’s left hand these days? this guy is too much a loser to have his own bag of Funions, let alone minions…
> You guys are calling me a troll?
yes, start changing your sentence structure, looser, so you’re not so obvious.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:36 amExley Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 10:59 am
They willingly put themselves into a position to act as dupes and shills for one of the most murderous dictators in the world. The best that can be said for them is that they intentionally put on moral blinders in dealing with Saddam’s regime.
_______________________________________
Since we have already established that A) they were unaware that Saddam financed the trip, and B) the trip was approved by the State Department (that’s BUSH’S State Department), let’s also establish what they did and said there that was Saddam “propaganda”…
Hmmm…a Google search should turn up all the treasonous things they said and did, shouldn’t it?
OK — best I can find is that they claimed there was no evidence that Saddam had WMD’s. Turned out they were right on that one. They also said that “war is not the answer”, and urged the use of diplomacy. Somehow, I think that if we had done that, we wouldn’t be stuck in this quagmire now.
Sorry, this doesn’t add up to Saddam “propaganda” OR being duped. And certainly not turning their backs on their own country or donning “moral blinders”.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:37 amkaty
March 27th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I anticipate ***crickets***
March 27th, 2008 at 11:38 amKeltoi Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 11:10 am
That is Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, right? So, who is Malikis power base? Which militia is he fighting in Basra? Sadr was part of his coalition, had seats in Parliament….no longer? And how much truth do you think there is to the idea that Sadr doesn’t control the Mehdi army, or at least large parts of it? In the end, I would think Sadr has to choose a side, but he seems pretty good at fence sitting. In other words, by your insight, just how many Shiite polities are we working with here?
It was the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), but last May it changed its name to the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC). They’re closely linked with the al-Dawa party of president Maliki, which was founded in the 1960s (by Muqtada as-Sadr’s father-in-law), supported the Iranian revolution in the 1970s, and bombed the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait in 1983.
In Basra, Maliki’s troops and the Badr brigades are fighting the Mehdi army and the other factions who are tenuously holding much of the south. The Sadrists do have about 30 seats in Parliament, and are threatening to boycott the government if the military incursions continue.
As for how much as-Sadr actually controls and how many Shi’ite polities we’re dealing with - I have no idea. Alliances are pretty fleeting in Iraq right now - tribal warlords seem to side with whatever faction they think will help them gain more power and control of resources. Much as these leaders talk about Islamic rule and Shari’a law and chasing out the imperial occupiers, it’s really all about the oil, and everyone’s jockeying for a piece.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:38 am>Don Rumsfeld was Saddam’s BFF, and there
>are pictures to prove it.
Exlexlia never seems to let the irony hit him on the way out.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:40 amSomehow, when we get in bed with saddam, or these days, with sunni insurgents who provided material support to al-queda in iraq, its not that bad, merely a means to an ends..
U.S. military leaders told President Bush they are worried about the Iraq war’s mounting strain on troops and their families.
After the meeting, White House staff reportedly circulated an internal memo addressing such concerns with the header “So?”.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:41 amme too, zooey…
but you know they are taking it apart to find something negative…
well, you can guess…
March 27th, 2008 at 11:42 am> but last May it changed its name to
> the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC).
> They’re closely linked with the
> al-Dawa party of president Maliki
WHoa,..hey, thats great and all, but i heard that brittany is like pregnant and she doesnt know who the babies daddy is, or even what species he is…
Most of my fellow americans are so stupid they dont understand that the “democractic” government we gave iraq is
March 27th, 2008 at 11:45 ammore closely allied with iran than any of the people who are fighting against the iraqi government. Thats why the Iranian president gets welcomed with flowers in a public visit and our president has to sneak in unnannouced like a thief in the night.. heckuva job cheney..
misshusseinmolly - March 27th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Sorry, this doesn’t add up to Saddam “propaganda” OR being duped.
No fair, missmolly.
You are using facts. Please restrain from doing so in any future exchange with Exley.
He is a reliable Bush cheeleader, and as such, facts and reality give him uncontrollable brain cramps.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:46 amcheck out the pic here!
must be a perspective/angle thing… ’cause i didn’t think bloomberg
was THAT short!
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/ 2008/ 03/ 27/ obamas-speech-on-the-economy/
March 27th, 2008 at 11:49 am#92 RUCerious,
Hmmmm…Pretty clear you missed this story. Even ThinkProgress covered this story……Try to keep up:
Chief of firm involved in breach is Obama adviser
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The CEO of a company whose employee is accused of improperly looking at the passport files of presidential candidates is a consultant to the Barack Obama campaign, a source said Saturday.
John O. Brennan, president and CEO of the Analysis Corp., advises the Illinois Democrat on foreign policy and intelligence issues, the source said.
Brennan briefed the media on behalf of the campaign this month.The executive is a former senior CIA official and former interim director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
He contributed $2,300 to the Obama campaign in January.
When asked about the contribution, a State Department official told CNN’s Zain Verjee, “We ethically awarded contracts. Political affiliation is not one of the factors that we check.”
Three contract employees are accused in the wrongdoing, including the one who works for Analysis Corp. and who was disciplined. That contract employee accessed McCain’s file in addition to Obama’s. None of the contract employees was identified. Learn more about the companies involved »
The other two contract employees worked for Stanley Inc. They were fired.
Stanley has had contracts with the department since 1992 and was recently awarded a $570 million contract to continue providing support for passport processing. Its CEO, Philip Nolan, contributed $1,000 to the Clinton campaign.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:50 amhussein toasterhead Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 11:38 am
As for how much as-Sadr actually controls and how many Shi’ite polities we’re dealing with - I have no idea. Alliances are pretty fleeting in Iraq right now - tribal warlords seem to side with whatever faction they think will help them gain more power and control of resources. Much as these leaders talk about Islamic rule and Shari’a law and chasing out the imperial occupiers, it’s really all about the oil, and everyone’s jockeying for a piece.
Hey, well, at least we are not all that different after all!
Sigh.
There is a new thread at top with a really good article about the 2nd Battle of Basra. I read it twice, reealllll slow, and frankly it gives me a headache. I think I’ll print it out make a flow chart.
So - is it Sadr or Badr that is launching the rocket attacks on the Green zone, do ya think?
March 27th, 2008 at 11:50 amHeh! All this spinning for three Congressmen who flew to Iraq to defend Saddam Hussein on Hussein’s dime is quite amusing….ThinkProgress gets itself in a twitter with former Sen. Frist asks his local zoning authority for a variance…But taking money from Saddam Hussein? A-okay!
Hysterical….
March 27th, 2008 at 11:53 amwow… delusion thy name is (R)
Update | 10:13 a.m. : Tucker Bounds, McCain campaign spokesman issued the following statement on Mr. Obama’s speech:
“No amount of rhetoric can hide Senator Obama’s clear record of embracing the liberal tax and spend, big government policies that hit hardworking American families at a time when they’re most vulnerable, and are certain to move America backward.”
March 27th, 2008 at 11:53 amkaty,
Holy crap! No wonder he didn’t run for prez. :D
March 27th, 2008 at 11:54 amExley
March 27th, 2008 at 11:53 am
It’s been investigated — actually investigated! — and you’ve got nothing, as usual.
I feel sorry for you if you actually equate something like this to a humorous (and sad) story about Frist’s fence.
But that’s just how you trolls are…
March 27th, 2008 at 11:59 am“It’s been investigated — actually investigated!”
Yes, partially, and ThinkProgress tried to ignore it. Thanks to me, however, the subject has now been broached and discussed on this site.
You’re welcome.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:02 pm>All this spinning for three Congressmen who flew to Iraq to >defend Saddam Hussein on Hussein’s dime is quite amusing.
Its not spinning.. still waiting to you to explain why you consider the truth to he “propaganda”…someone paid for them to take a trip.
Exlexlia, this is old news, in any case. Dont you have any new links telling us how well the surge is going?
March 27th, 2008 at 12:06 pmExley
March 27th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I look forward to you active and vigorous quest for impeachment hearings into the alleged crimes of this administration.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:08 pm>and ThinkProgress tried to ignore it.
right. because its very important. i mean, its like police officers taking cookies from someone who voluntarily lets them search their house…
March 27th, 2008 at 12:08 pm“this is old news”
Hardly. The indictment was just unsealed and the story came out yesterday.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:11 pm> The indictment was just unsealed and the story came out
> yesterday.
The indictment against the congressman? Right?
Its called lobbying, its perfectly legal. And as some people mentioned, none of them had any clue Saddam was footing the bill. And if he was, so what? Would you be upset to know that Saddam paid for Rumsfeld’s trip to come shake his hand?
So Ex, got anything about how well the surge is going?
March 27th, 2008 at 12:13 pm“And as some people mentioned, none of them had any clue Saddam was footing the bill.”
So, your defense is that they were dupes and allowed themselves to be used.
Okay….That is quite an endorsement!
March 27th, 2008 at 12:15 pm2 year olds and brick walls…
not worth it…
March 27th, 2008 at 12:18 pm>and allowed themselves to be used.
to tell the TRUTH… yes… the TRUTH, that saddam had no WMD.
or are you an espouser of the “we can’t rule out that the Romulans took saddams WMD away on a cloaked warbird” theory?
now, about how well the surge is going exlexlia..? you used to post heartening links on a near daily basis..what you got for us today?
March 27th, 2008 at 12:21 pmS-U-R-G-E ?
anything ?
please?
March 27th, 2008 at 12:22 pmhow my Surge stock doing today Exlexlia, can you tell me?
March 27th, 2008 at 12:23 pmCJ,
If they are so proud of their trip on Saddam’s dime, why did Rep. Thompson say, “Obviously, had there been any question at all regarding the sponsor of the trip or the funding, I would not have participated?”
Well, maybe you should have been a little more diligent and responsible before you took your little expense-paid trip, Rep. Thompson…
March 27th, 2008 at 12:27 pm>If they are so proud of their trip on Saddam’s dime…
I wouldnt claim to speak for them. Ask them.
Surge???
March 27th, 2008 at 12:36 pmSurge Exlexlia?
SurGE?
March 27th, 2008 at 12:36 pmS
U
March 27th, 2008 at 12:37 pmR
G
E ?
March 27th, 2008 at 12:38 pmSo, with all the other trolls getting put on the disabled list because of TP’s new get-tough policy, did the trollmasters slap Exley on the shoulder and say, “it’s all up to you, son”?
March 27th, 2008 at 12:41 pm“I wouldnt claim to speak for them.”
Fair enough….Nor would I expect you to defend their actions. That is their burden.
Now, as to the surge you keep asking about — The success of the Bush-Petraeus surge in dramatically reducing casualties among the US military and Iraqi civilians and in fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq has been thoroughly documented in the media and even (begrudingly) here at ThinkProgress. Given the wealth of information out there on this subject, I am not sure exactly what additional info you are looking for. Please specify.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:43 pmWHAT’S THAT SPELL?!!!
DEATH!
March 27th, 2008 at 12:44 pmIf the troll masters are going to send a lightweight like Exlax into a battle of wits unarmed, the least they could do would be to strap a fact or two to his utility belt.
But no. Not a logical conclusion to be found in Exlax’s arguments. Nothing. Just a brief flash of spin, then a small green globule on his drum seat.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:44 pmExley Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
“I wouldnt claim to speak for them.”
Fair enough….Nor would I expect you to defend their actions. That is their burden.
Now, as to the surge you keep asking about — The success of the Bush-Petraeus surge in dramatically reducing casualties among the US military and Iraqi civilians and in fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq has been thoroughly documented in the media and even (begrudingly) here at ThinkProgress. Given the wealth of information out there on this subject, I am not sure exactly what additional info you are looking for. Please specify.
ROTFL! Actually, this week has proven people like myself right and what I’ve been saying for months, that Al Sadr and not the surge is responsible for the decline in violence! But don’t let reality change your mind exlax, that would make you a free thinking human being, instead of the dum bass bot you actually are!! ROTFL!!
March 27th, 2008 at 12:56 pmExley Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
“And as some people mentioned, none of them had any clue Saddam was footing the bill.”
So, your defense is that they were dupes and allowed themselves to be used.
Okay….That is quite an endorsement!
Considering the money came about from US Oil purchases and the GOP bringing Saddam to power to fight the commies and eventually the Iranians (thanks rummie), isn’t it really GOP money that flew them there? ROTFL! You’re a dumb little b**ch!
March 27th, 2008 at 12:58 pmyay! a win by default! … she must be so proud!
The longer she continues, the more chance Obama might slip up and make a mistake that turns the tide of the campaign. Clinton has made it clear she will not consider bowing out of the race until all of the states have concluded their voting.
…
wear us all down, is more like it… she hopes…
not likely, I hope…
keep bringing down those negatives, hil… just what we need…
March 27th, 2008 at 1:16 pm… shame on you…
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section
Self defense?
Armed America, a photobook by Kyle Cassidy:
http://www.armedamerica.org/index.html
March 27th, 2008 at 2:41 pmEx was talking about the “surge” in blood money payments to warlords like al sadr. as long as we keep shipping plane loads of unaccounted-for cash into Iraq, and paying militiamen not to shoot their guns, everything will be hunky-dory. it won’t affect our economy at all, because our unicorn cavalry will continue to pull cash out its ass for at least another five thousand years.
March 27th, 2008 at 4:36 pmkaty Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
yay! a win by default! … she must be so proud!
The longer she continues, the more chance Obama might slip up and make a mistake that turns the tide of the campaign. Clinton has made it clear she will not consider bowing out of the race until all of the states have concluded their voting.
…
wear us all down, is more like it… she hopes…
not likely, I hope…
keep bringing down those negatives, hil… just what we need…
… shame on you…
Wow, when did you become such a disgusting b**ch? Hillary has virtually the same number of delegates than Obama, and most of the Obama advantage stems from the rabid caucus goers like yourself that have attempted to “wear us all down” with your hopium b***sh*t.
Obama is too inexperienced, too flawed and too untested for this, and that’s why he and the rest of you cult idiots can’t win without browbeating down the Hillary supporters. You act like you’re all going to force us to drink your koolaid or you’re going to shoot us if we don’t!
And who are you defending? A man who attended a church for two decades that published a pro-Hamas, anti-Israel opinion article on why Israel doesn’t have a right to exist - in a church bulletin in July. The same man that had an openly homophobic extremist as an entertainer and outreach person to churches in the south, while refusing to have is picture taken with