Friday, April 06, 2007
This Is Why I'm a Liberal and Like Other Liberals
By VictorM: Over at dailykos, thereisnospoon and Christopher Day engaged in a great point-counterpoint that shows how liberal are willing to challenge each other, not merely being ditto heads.Tackling Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh's claims that Democrats want to lose the war in Iraq, thereisnospoon says:
We control the government. We control the streets--or have the ability to do so with a single military raid. We control the infrastructure. We control the prisons. We control the economy. It is within our power to let the population live, or to "pacify" it brutally and without mercy. We own Iraq in every sense of the word: there are no enemy leaders to kill; no territory to seize; no infantry battalions to crush; no navy to sink; no air force to shoot down; no landmarks over which to place our flag in triumph. We are quite simply NOT fighting a war of any kind in Iraq. Indeed, the reason there is no military solution to this war is because there IS NO WAR. See how tidy that is?--and we don't even have to put on bullshit protectors over our ears!But Christopher Day sees it differently:
These two snippets don't give either blogger due credit for their ability to question each other. Go read the whole post and the many comments by others to see honest and thoughtful debate in action.I hate to break this to you, but its still a freaking war. It wasn't ever really just about removing Sadaam Hussein even if that was once the rationale of the week. People here act like its a big aberation that we were lied into this war. News flash: Its a rare war that isn't sold to the people with lies. Remeber the Maine? Tonkin Gulf anyone? Medical students in peril in Grenada? I could go on.
Sorry, the purpose of this war was to secure U.S. domination over Iraq and its strategic resources and to project our power over the rest of the region. As everyone who knows what PNAC stands for should know. There is nothing inconsistent with us running both an occupation AND a war. In fact its a pretty common combination. Its a war of occupation.
Labels: dailykos, dick cheney, Iraq war, rush limbaugh
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
The Judgment of the Generals
By Josh Marshall: The president keeps saying that the Democrats are substituting their judgment for that of the generals on the ground. But this is an easily rebutted statement. The entire story here is that the president substituted his judgement for that of the generals on the ground. Remember, they didn't think the surge was a good idea. So what happened? He fired them. That's why Gen. Petraeus is there. The president looked around until he could find a general willing to agree with him. And when he did he put him in charge. This isn't about the 'generals on the ground'. It's about President Bush, whose judgment has been catastrophically abysmal from the start.Labels: generals, Iraq war, josh marshall, petraeus
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Cold Fury (Mike)
By VictorM: In this series of posts, if nothing else we've shown that right-wingers live in a land of make-believe. Well, more precisely, in the land of make-shit-up. We have another example today. This idiot goes about making statements that are totally made up simply because it fits a preconceived notion in his distorted little mind.Talking about Democrats and the Afghanistan war, he says:
Does he include any references to justify that view? No. Does this view have any resemblance to the truth? No. It's just more made-up shit from a delusional right-winger who doesn't care if American kids are dying in the streets of Baghdad for no good reason.They never supported that war either, despite their lying insistence on treating it as “the good war” now.
Their support for the Afghanistan campaign began the moment the Iraq war did and not one instant before...
Labels: idiot of the day, Iraq war, stupid democrats
Friday, March 30, 2007
An enemy that at its core is pure evil
By Andrew Sullivan: How do we keep up with the nightmare of Iraq? You get numb, until some new atrocity leaps out from the void: In Kirkuk, residents walked in shocked silence behind a funeral procession for two nuns, who were sisters and longtime residents of the city.... There is one thing that this president has gotten right in this war. We face an enemy that at its core is pure evil. It's a tragedy that he has gotten almost everything else wrong. And evil is therefore winning the early battles of this war.Labels: andrew sullivan, Iraq war
Monday, March 26, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Kevin McMullough
By VictorM: Kevin McMullough is our Idiot of the Day. In true right-winger fashion, he makes up stuff, comes up with silly predictions which he dresses up as fact, and ignores the irony that he predicts impending disaster for an idea different than the one he supports, oblivious to the fact that his supported approach has produced nothing but disaster. With credibility like this, he becomes our version of Baghdad Bob.Let's take a look at some of his utterly silly remarks:
What is this obsession that liberals have with seeing America destroyed?... In other words, why are they so insistent on seeing America pummeled?... In their own echo-chamber vanity Murtha, Pelosi and company believe themselves to be smarter than the commanders of the operations in the war on terror... But they didn't just author defeat - they campaigned for it.Dude, we tried it your way. It has given terrorists reason to celebrate. It has brought shame to America. It has rendered us more vulnerable. It has increased the number of terrorists and terrorist attacks. It has been a miserable failure. The American people are fed up with your way.
If you love America, get out of the way and let the adults try to minimize the consequences of your dastardly deeds.
Labels: idiot of the day, Iraq war
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Potterville: Teenage Wasteland
By VictorM: jurassicpork at Potterville has come up with another doozy. As he points out: Including Coalition forces, as of March 19, 2007, the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War, 225 teenagers have been killed in Iraq since 3/19/03 in the time it takes to get a full college education. 214 were American.Whether you know the words to the song Teenage Wasteland by The Who or not, you really need to do yourself a favor and go visit this teenage wasteland.
Labels: Iraq war, teenage wasteland
Idiot of the Day: Jonn Lilyea
By VictorM: Remember when someone said this about the terrorists: "They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other."?This right-wing idiot not only seems to not buy into that sentiment, he's a willful parrot for Dick Cheney who wants us to keep silent about all the evil they've done:
What makes this “surge” an open ended escalation is the refusal of the media and the Left to shut up and stop encouraging the jihadists. I’m not saying you should shut up for all eternity... Just shut up long enough to make the jihadists at least think there’s no way out, no way he can win the war. Unless, of course you want to “waste” more American lives.The jihadists don't think they're winning because of the left's words; they are winning, and they know it, because you can't win an occupation -- specially one so poorly planned -- and because of stupid idiots like this guy who won't join us in exercising our freedoms to point out what a bad idea this war is and how badly it has been prosecuted.
It is because we don't want to waste lives that we will not shut-up; the right-wing silence is what's helping to waste them!
Labels: dick cheney, George Bush, idiot of the day, Iraq war, wasted lives
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
George Bush: Monumental Track Record of Being Wrong
By VictorM: When people ask me what our course of action in Iraq should be, I'm reluctant to give an answer because as I see it, there are no good solutions. No matter what we do there, disaster looms. I know for sure that staying is wrong but pulling out, the most sensible solution, seems fraught with problems too. But, George Bush said something that made me realize that pulling out may in fact turn out not so bad:It can be tempting to look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude our best option is to pack up and go home... That may be satisfying in the short run, but I believe the consequences for American security would be devastating.Well, if Mr. Bush thinks that packing up and going home is so bad, I can only conclude that the opposite is true. After all, this is the "Mission Accomplished" guy, the "we'll get him dead or alive" guy, the guy that has been dead wrong about everything that matters: wrong on Social Security, wrong on Health Care, wrong on Medicare, wrong on education, wrong on every step of the Iraq war, wrong in Afghanistan (save for going there in the first place), wrong on fighting terrorism, and just about every other decision I can think of he has been wrong, wrong, and wrong!
And he hasn't been alone. Virtually all his advisers and major supporters have shared his capacity for being wrong. A small sample:
"There's a certain amount of pop psychology in America that the Shia can't get along with the Sunni and the Shia in Iraq just want to establish some kind of Islamic fundamentalist regime. There's almost no evidence of that at all. Iraq's always been very secular." ---Bill Kristol, 4/1/03
[Liberals] can't deny that President Bush has won his two wars, and won them resoundingly. ---Paul Mirengoff, Powerline, 4/26/03
"The only people who think this wasn't a victory are Upper Westside liberals."---Charles Krauthammer, 4/19/03
"The three-week swing through Iraq has utterly shattered skeptics' complaints." ---Tony Snow, Fox News, 4/27/03
Labels: George Bush, Iraq war
Monday, March 12, 2007
It Doesn't Matter That They Are Medically Unfit
By VictorM: The president made up his mind we need more troops in Iraq. There have been many questions about where those troops would come from. Well, this is one way to get some more:As the military scrambles to pour more soldiers into Iraq, a unit of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga., is deploying troops with serious injuries and other medical problems, including GIs who doctors have said are medically unfit for battle. Some are too injured to wear their body armor, according to medical records.Not a day goes by that doesn't turn this war into an even bigger fiasco.
Democrats, oh Democrats, pull the plug on this disaster. Now!
Labels: Iraq war, wounded soldiers
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Iraq war: Grim Truths and Bad Options
By VictorM: Rolling Stone magazine got together a panel of experts (and it is quite a panel) to ponder the Iraq war. They pretty much agreed that "the war in Iraq is lost. The only question now is: How bad will the coming explosion be?" Here's the three possible outcomes they see:Best Case Scenario: Civil war in Iraq and a stronger Al Qaeda.It's nice that such a distinguished panel reaches these conclusions, but those of us in the reality-based world have known this all along. My own most likely scenario is the one already unfolding before us: Years of ethnic cleansing and a stronger Al Qaeda.
Most Likely Scenario: Years of ethnic cleansing and war with Iran.
Worst-Case Scenario: World War III
Labels: Iraq war, rolling stone
Saturday, March 10, 2007
The Face of War
By Salon: Photojournalist Nina Berman discusses her award-winning portrait of severely wounded Iraq vet Ty Ziegel and his fiancée, Renee, on their wedding day -- and what was really going on behind the lens.
Read Salon's interview with the photojounalist and see a picture of Ty and Renee before the war. If this story doesn't break your heart you're one cold bastard!
Read Salon's interview with the photojounalist and see a picture of Ty and Renee before the war. If this story doesn't break your heart you're one cold bastard!
Labels: Iraq war, Nina Berman, Renee Kline, Ty Ziegel, wedding picture
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Iraq: Three Consequences We All Should Support
By VictorM: If we kill everyone in Iraq whom we believe to be a terrorist or an insurgent, arrest anyone that might have helped either, and kill or arrest everyone standing at the wrong place at the wrong time, we’d still wind up with lots of dead people and a country with three groups that can’t get along. Whether in 6 months, 6 years, or 6 decades, the moment we leave, they will continue -- as they are now -- to go at each other for control of the country. Leaving sooner rather than later will save thousands of American and Iraqi lives, save us billions of dollars, and allow Iraqi’s to control their own destiny (and what could be more noble than that? Well, other than true love and causing Humperdinck humiliations galore.) Sounds to me like three consequences that anyone who truly loves his/her country should support.
Labels: consequences, Iraq war
Iraq: Democrats should not settle for half-measures
By VictorM: Democrats continue to wrestle with ways to address the Iraq war. But anything short of total opposition to the president will taint the Democrats. As Senator Russ Feingold correctly said: "It’s still George Bush’s war, but we run the risk of gaining some ownership of it if we don’t make it absolutely clear that we are the party that wants to get out of there." Democrats should insist on ending the war now, and say it loudly, clearly, and repeatedly. If they come up short -- and they will because the Republicans will block them -- then let it be all Bush's way. Don't settle on half-measures like playing games with defunding. If they stick to this plan, the Democrats win either way: if they prevail the American people will reward them; if they don't prevail, Americans will know who to blame -- the Republicans!
Labels: democrats, Iraq war, republicans, russ feingold
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Let Republicans have their war
By Atrios: Republicans want to continue the war and Democrats want to end it. It's that simple. Any other debate is about what the best method to get George Bush to end the war is. I think even now too many Democrats... are scared they're going to be painted as traitors by the wingnut noise machine. But that's about politics and strategy, not the desired result. Democrats want to end the war, Republicans want to continue it. Make it partisan. The Republicans are. Let them have their war.
Labels: atrios, democrats, Iraq war, republicans
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Democrats Back Off Opposing Iraq War
By David Sirota: The renewed refusal by Democrats to use their majority in even the most basic way to stop the war is a declaration that the new majority is not close to using even the most basic powers afforded to it to stop or slow down the war. In other words, in backing off, the Democrats have just weeks after the 2006 anti-war election mandate effectively declared themselves as supportive of the Bush administration's stay-the-course policy - a truly sickening act of cowardice.
Labels: David Sirota, democrats, Iraq war
Monday, February 26, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Betty
By VictorM: In Betty's Page, a right-winger's blog, Betty is either confused or blatantly ignorant about recent history. Talking about Iraq, she asks: "[Democrats] say that our troops should just be used to train the Iraqi forces and not be used for combat. Hey, isn't that basically what Bush was doing for most of 2006 while the situation kept deteriorating and all the Democrats demanded that he alter?" The answer: No! Betty is wrong on the characterization of both the Democrats plan and what Bush was doing in 2006. I guess the people who are too idiotic to see how they screwed thing up are equally idiotic about recognizing a real solution.
Labels: democrats, idiot of the day, Iraq war
Sunday, February 25, 2007
The "Surge" Is On For the Long Haul
By Michael Hirsh: The British are leaving, the Iraqis are failing and the Americans are staying—and we’re going to be there a lot longer than anyone in Washington is acknowledging right now... what few people seem to have noticed is that Gen. David Petraeus’s new “surge” plan is committing U.S. troops, day by day, to a much deeper and longer-term role in policing Iraq than since the earliest days of the U.S. occupation. How long must we stay under the Petraeus plan? Perhaps 10 years. At least five. In any case, long after George W. Bush has returned to Crawford, Texas, for good.
Labels: Iraq war, Michael Hirsh, occupation, petraeus, surge
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Chlorine Gas Dirty Bombs in Iraq
By mcjoan: Another chlorine gas dirty bomb was detonated in Baghdad on Wednesday, unfortunately confirming suspicions raised on Tuesday that the chlorine gas attacks are becoming a new part of the insurgents' arsenal... While it's hard to imagine the chaos in Iraq could get any worse, it is getting worse and that trend will only continue... The debacle is only going to worsen in the coming weeks and months, and the escalation will accomplish nothing more than endangering even more American men and women's lives.
Labels: chlorine gas, dirty bomb, Iraq war
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Right-wing's dishonesty with polls
By VictorM: A few days ago, the idiot of the day referred to a poll stating that 66% of Americans want to win in Iraq. I mentioned that I was surprised the number wasn't close to 100%. Now, even according to a Republican pollster, that poll was bogus: He basically says the poll's a crock. The pollster, David Johnson, the CEO of the GOP firm Strategic Vision, tells me that some of the key questions were leading and designed to elicit the answers they got. "This poll is not the quality we've come to expect from national polling firms," Johnson tells me. Not that I needed this to confirm the stupidity of the poll or the even dumber conclusions by the right-wing blogger, but it's good to have it confirmed.
Labels: idiot of the day, Iraq war, polls
Monday, February 19, 2007
Iraq is sucking just about all the oxygen
By VictorM: I often surf news sites and blogs looking for topics to address on this page. While the issues are out there, Iraq is sucking just about all the oxygen from all the events dominating the news. Washington is virtually quiet on education, economy, health care, environment, energy, crime, minimum wage, social security, prescription drugs, and many other issues that we need addressing. We’re at a stand still on those issues while the wage gap increases, the trade deficit widens, the middle-class gets squeezed, and our children's well-being lingers in the low-end of all the nations in the industrialized world. So tell me, between the people who want to leave Iraq and those who want to stay, which ones have the best interest of the country at heart? Let’s get the hell out of that place!
Labels: children, Iraq war, middle-class squeeze, minimum wage, trade deficit, wage gap
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Student Strike Against the Iraq War
By VictorM: I learned from this website that "Following UC Santa Barbara’s call for a student strike against the war on February 15, twenty-six other schools have joined in the fun!" I don't know how many students participated, but it's about time our college and university students start doing this kind of protesting. Up to now they have been to dormant on this issue. I hope this continues and picks-up steam -- the country and the world needs it!
Labels: Iraq war, student strike, war protest
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Conservatives Have No Credibility on Iraq
By VictorM: Conservatives are beating the drum that debating the Iraq war will cause us to lose and that the Democrats' plan is certain to bring us defeat. I have a simple question: What credibility should we give to people who are predicting that a certain action is doomed to fail when every action they've taken has already failed? No credibility. That's the right answer.
Labels: conservative, Iraq war, right-wing
Why I Have Doubts About Barak Obama
By VictorM: Recently Barak Obama commented on the Iraq War, saying: "We now have spent $400 billion and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted." It didn't take long for people to jump on his use of the word "wasted". He quickly apologized saying the remark was "a slip of the tongue." See, I have a problem with him issuing an apology when one isn't required. The truth is the lives of those soldiers have been wasted! Indeed, a terrible waste of human life! Why not stick to his guns and say what he meant instead of the phony "slip of the tongue" excuse? Obama's penchant for playing the middle and trying to play nice with everyone is aggravating and frankly, I think it's going to backfire on him.
Labels: Barack Obama, barak obama, Iraq war
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Iraq War: Enough Already!
By Jerry Nadler, during the Iraq debate in the House: The Iraq War is President Bush's war. The President deceived the American people and Members of Congress when he made the case for war. Every reason we were given for invading Iraq was false. Weapons of Mass Destruction? Not there. Saddam Hussein working hand-in-glove with Al Qaeda? Not true. And the more information that leaks out, the more apparent it becomes that these were not mistakes, but deliberate lies... We need to say "Enough already!" Enough with the lies, and the deceit and the evasions! Enough with the useless bloodshed.
Labels: Iraq war, jerry nadler, resolution
Monday, February 12, 2007
Congress should force the President
By Wes Clark, commenting on the non-binding Iraq resolution being discussed in the House: The purpose of any Resolution is to demonstrate strength of resistance to the President's strategy- so a non binding resolution is ok as a first step if it gets a broad measure of support. But in order to affect the president's strategy, the Democrats have to threaten something the President wants. This is what our Congressional leadership should be working on...is it confirmation of judges, approval of budget requests, supplementals, or whatever...the power of the purse, as well as the power to investigate, are essential powers of the Congress. I would like to see our top Congressional leaders go to the White House - after they've shown they have the leverage - and force the President to modify his strategy. I've pretty much explained what the strategy should be...but the key question now is, do we have the Congressional leverage?
Labels: congress, Iraq war, resolution, wes clark
The Real Culprit for the Iraq War Fiasco
By TPM Reader BW: Hillary [Clinton] is right to remind Democratic Primary voters that the mistakes in Iraq belong to Bush... Focusing attention on Bush's conduct of the war, and how the conduct of the war has contributed to the hopelessness of the current situation -- there Bush's responsibility is unambiguous and unshared... The story of how Bush conducted the war, and how that conduct led to the on-going fiasco and catastrophe, which is Iraq, is the story ALL Democrats should be telling, over and over, until nothing else can be heard in this country, and the U.S. gets out, out, out.
Labels: democrats, George Bush, hillary clinton, Iraq war
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Victory Is Not an Option
By William E. Odom, (select quotes from his opinion article about the Iraq war): "the president's policy is based on illusions, not realities."... "to expect any Iraqi leader who can hold his country together to be pro-American, or to share American goals, is to abandon common sense."... "We are now fighting to prevent what our invasion made inevitable!"... "One of the president's initial war aims, the creation of a democracy in Iraq, ensured increased Iranian influence, both in Iraq and the region."... "it was the U.S. invasion that opened Iraq's doors to al-Qaeda. The longer U.S. forces have remained there, the stronger al-Qaeda has become."... "If Congress cannot act, it, too, will live in infamy."
Labels: congress, Iraq war, opinion, william odom
John Howard's Attack on Obama and Democrats
By VictorM: John Howard, Australia's Prime Minister said: "If I was running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would... pray, as many times as possible, for a victory not only for [US Senator] Obama, but also for the Democrats." Besides being highly innapropriate for a foreign leader to take sides with a political party in another country, this is just another sign that Mr. Howard comes from the same stock as Mr. Bush. In 2004 Americans blew their chance to remove one of these two war mongers from power; I hope Australians exercise better judgment and give Mr. Howard the boot.
Labels: al-qaeda, australia, Barack Obama, barak obama, democrats, Iraq war, john howard
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Republicans Own It
By VictorM: All Senate Republicans voted not to debate the Iraq War as part of a non-binding resolution. Good. There should be no debate – Republicans own this disaster all to themselves, including the latest escalation, and that’s the way it should stay until 2008. I just hope Democrats have the balls to remind voters of this.
Labels: democrats, Iraq war, republicans, senate
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Dick Armey: Admitting to a major mistake
By Dick Armey, addressing his vote for the resolution to go to war with Iraq: The resolution was a resolution that authorized the president to take that action if he deemed it necessary. Had I been more true to myself and the principles I believed in at the time, I would have openly opposed the whole adventure vocally and aggressively. I had a tough time reconciling doing that against the duties of majority leader in the House. I would have served myself and my party and my country better, though, had I done so.
Labels: dick armey, Iraq war
Friday, February 02, 2007
The Battle of Baghdad
By Kevin Drum: Muqtada al-Sadr's militia has so thoroughly infiltrated the Iraqi army and police force that they're the ones who mostly benefit from our training ... You know, everything I've heard suggests that Gen. David Petraeus is a terrific officer in all respects. And yet, there's something that's been niggling in the back of my mind for a while: namely that in August 2004, when al-Sadr was hatching this plan, Petraeus was the guy in charge of creating and overseeing the training program for the Iraqi army and police. In other words, he was the guy who was being suckered. Now he's in charge of the whole operation. Is anybody else bothered by this?
Labels: baghdad, Iraq war, kevin drum, petraeus
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Spiraling Into War with Islam
By Zbigniew Brzezinski: If the United States continues to be bogged down in a protracted bloody involvement in Iraq, the final destination on this downhill track is likely to be a head-on conflict with Iran and with much of the world of Islam at large. A plausible scenario for a military collision with Iran involves Iraqi failure to meet the benchmarks; followed by accusations of Iranian responsibility for the failure; then by some provocation in Iraq or a terrorist act in the U.S. blamed on Iran; culminating in a "defensive" U.S. military action against Iran that plunges a lonely America into a spreading and deepening quagmire eventually ranging across Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Muslims and Sharia Law
By Vox: Perhaps the Bush administration should have considered the following before deciding that democratization and exposure to Western culture would be sufficient to deradicalize Muslims in Iraq: Forty per cent of Muslims between the ages of 16 and 24 said they would prefer to live under sharia law in Britain, a legal system based on the teachings of the Koran. The figure among over-55s, in contrast, was only 17 per cent. If the British experience is any guide, then the American occupation can be expected to make things worse in Iraq.Labels: Iraq war, muslim, sharia law
Monday, January 29, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Republicanpundit
By VictorM: Republicanpundit has his own take on the recently reported attack by American troops. The report this bozo quotes says: U.S. and Iraqi forces killed some 250 gunmen from an apocalyptic Muslim cult on Sunday in a battle involving U.S. tanks and aircraft near the Shi’ite holy city of Najaf.... yet, he twice refers to the gunmen as "terrorists" and adds: If this is a sign that we are finally taking off the gloves and killing the terrorists by the minute, then I am officially signing on for the “Surge”. Well, the gunmen might have been terrorists, but they might have been insurgents wanting to liberate their country from an invasion. It takes the mind of an idiot to make the leap from "gunmen" to "terrorists". It takes an even bigger idiot to believe the number killed without further corroboration.Labels: conservative, Iraq war
Sunday, January 28, 2007
It's Time to Grow Some Balls
By VictorM: During the anti-war march in Washington, DC yesterday, the dominant theme, besides bringing the troops home, was the push to have Congress assert its authority to control the purse and consequently shut down the funding for this criminal war in Iraq. According to a Newsweek poll “Congress is criticized by nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans for not being assertive enough in challenging the Bush administration’s conduct of the war.” Undoubtedly, right-wing crybabies will try to blame Congress for losing the Iraq war, but come on, let’s face it, who cares what these people have to say anymore? This Democratic-controlled Congress better grow some balls and do what the American people demand.Labels: congress, democrats, Iraq war
Saturday, January 27, 2007
This is what democracy looks like
Feels Like the 60's!
By VictorM: There will be an anti-Iraq war march today in Washington, DC starting at 11:00 (assembly and rally), followed by the march at 1:00 PM. Visit the United for Peace website for more details. I'll see you there and I'll bring back some pictures!Labels: Iraq war, peace march, united for peace
Friday, January 26, 2007
Stubborn-in-chief
By VictorM: President Bush had this to say about those lawmakers who disapprove of his plan to escalate the war in Iraq: “They have an obligation and a serious responsibility therefore to put up their own plan as to what would work.” They have, Mr. president, they have. You just won't listen! You continue to do the same thing over and over, expecting different results.Labels: Iraq war
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Iraq: Democrats vs Republicans
By Kos: It's frustrating that despite the lessons of history and the GOP's own actions, so many Democrats are still afraid to actually lead on Iraq. They couch their "opposition" to Iraq in so many layers of caveats and rhetorical fluff that clarity and force of conviction are sacrificed. Take a look at how Webb did it: "[Democrats] might bring the war in Iraq to a proper conclusion that will also allow us to continue to fight the war against international terrorism, and to address other strategic concerns that our country faces around the world." See, it's that easy. The contradiction between the parties is stark -- one wants to end the war in Iraq and focus on truly battling international terrorism, the other doesn't. We want out, they want to escalate.Labels: democrats, Iraq war, republicans, webb
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Simple Question, Simple Answer
By VictorM: On his right-wing blog, Jules Crittenden, asks: Psychopaths are out there trying to kill Americans. That’s the Number One issue. What is the Democratic Congress going to do about it? Um... they might do what Bush hasn't: hunt them down and kill them without killing thousands of innocent Iraqis and diverting billions of our dollars to their friends!Labels: conservative, democrats, Iraq war, liberal
Friday, January 05, 2007
Thirty Percenter!
By VictorM: If you're a baseball hitter, getting a hit 30 percent of the times you're at bat is a very good thing. But, if you are the president of the United States, 30 percent approval is pretty rotten. But that's exactly where Mister Bush is, according to this CBS News poll. But things get even worse when it comes to approval of his handling of the Iraq war -- he gets down to 23% support. Think about this: more people (25%) think the second coming of Jesus Christ will happen in 2007 than think Mr. Bush is doing a good job in Iraq. Enough said.Labels: approval, George Bush, Iraq war, polls
Playing with the number of dead
By VictorM: Gateway Pundit, a conservative blogger, is lambasting all the "nutty left" liberals who quoted the Lancet study that projected around 550,000 Iraqi deaths since the invasion. All because the Iraqi government put out "official figures" that are much lower. OK, a few observations: 1) Since when is the death of 16, 273, the government's figure, something to brag about? 2) Since when are "official" Iraqi numbers anything anyone can trust? (Hell, we can't even trust the White House numbers). 3) The Lancet study and the Iraqi numbers reflect different counts. The Lancet is for all deaths in any way related to the invasion, the Iraqi numbers are only for war-related deaths. 4) Why lie to make a dumb point? Gateway Pundit claims Lancet's number was "in the last two years", but the Lancet study clearly says it's "between March 2003 and July 2006". That, 3 years and 4 months. Anyway, which numbers are right? I don't, but I know the Gateway Pundit is wrong on all counts.Labels: gateway pundit, Iraq war, lancet
Thursday, January 04, 2007
One in two million
By 8ackgr0und N015e: Ross McGinnis was 17 years old when he enlisted, and 19 years old when he died... The kid was one in a million. Actually, more like one in two million... A few weeks ago, young Mr. McGinnis was riding in the back of a Humvee on patrol in Iraq when someone tossed a grenade in the back... he chose to jump on the grenade and saved the lives of everyone else... Ross McGinnis has been recommended for the Congressional Medal of Honor. It is a rare honor. A mere 125 Medal of Honor recipients currently walk among 300 million Americans. That’s where the 1 in 2 million number comes from... Some are suggesting Congress should award the medal without the traditional two-year waiting period. I hope they don’t. The President on behalf of the Congress awards the medal. Maybe I’m petty, but I don’t think Mr. Bush should be allowed to taint this decoration by touching it. There is too much blood on his hands.Labels: George Bush, Iraq war, medal of honor, ross mcginnis
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
If a Military Times Poll Falls in a Forest...
By Steve Benen: The Military Times newspapers published a massive new poll after questioning 6,000 randomly selected active-duty members of the Armed Forces. The results ran counter to much of the conventional wisdom -- barely one in three service members approve of the way the president is handling the war; a majority believe it was wrong to go into Iraq in the first place; and a plurality reject the notion of sending additional troops into the war. For reasons that are unclear, the media seems to have missed the poll entirely.Labels: Iraq war, military, polls
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
A Lynching...
By Riverbend, a girl living in and blogging from Iraq: America the savior… After nearly four years and Bush's biggest achievement in Iraq has been a lynching. Bravo Americans... One of the most advanced countries in the world did not help to reconstruct Iraq, they didn't even help produce a decent constitution. They did, however, contribute nicely to a kangaroo court and a lynching. A lynching shall go down in history as America's biggest accomplishment in Iraq. So who's next? Who hangs for the hundreds of thousands who've died as a direct result of this war and occupation? Bush? Blair? Maliki? Jaffari? Allawi? Chalabi?Labels: George Bush, Iraq war, riverbend
Monday, January 01, 2007
The Real Reason George Bush is Failing in Iraq
By VictorM: If you believe in the power of prayer maybe you’ll accept this conclusion: George Bush’s problems with Iraq have nothing to do with incompetence, lack of vision, revenge, greed, callousness, or any of the many other reasons liberal level at the president; the problem is that Mr. Bush isn’t praying enough. Maybe instead of clearing cedar at his ranch he should be on his knees praying just a little harder.Labels: George Bush, Iraq war, prayer
No Happy New Year message
Jordan Hess... could bench-press 300 pounds and then go home and write poetry. He learned the art of glass blowing because it seemed interesting and built a computer with only a magazine as his guide. Most recently, he fell in love with a woman from Brazil and took up digital photography, letting both sweep his heart away... On Nov. 11, Specialist Hess, 26, freshly arrived in Iraq, was conducting a mission as the driver of an Abrams tank when an improvised explosive device, or I.E.D., blew up with brain-rattling force. The blast was so potent it penetrated the 67-ton tank, flinging him against the top and critically injuring his spine. His four crewmates survived. For three weeks, he hung on at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, long enough to utter a few words to his loved ones and absorb all their kindness.Labels: Iraq war
Sunday, December 31, 2006
While You Were at War . . .
By Richard Clark: Without the distraction of the Iraq war, the administration would have spent this past year -- indeed, every year since Sept. 11, 2001 -- focused on al-Qaeda. But beyond al-Qaeda and the broader struggle for peaceful coexistence with (and within) Islam, seven key "fires in the in-box" national security issues remain unattended, deteriorating and threatening... Global warming... Russian revanchism... Latin America's leftist lurch... Africa at war... Arms control freeze... Transnational crime... The Pakistani-Afghan border... As the president contemplates sending even more U.S. forces into the Iraqi sinkhole, he should consider not only the thousands of fatalities, the tens of thousands of casualties and the hundreds of billions of dollars already lost. He must also weigh the opportunity cost of taking his national security barons off all the other critical problems they should be addressing -- problems whose windows of opportunity are slamming shut, unheard over the wail of Baghdad sirens. (Ed. note: Read Mr. Clark's opinion piece for details about the seven key issues.)Labels: Iraq war, richard clark
Saturday, December 30, 2006
New Way Forward... to where?
By VictorM: Doesn’t this extensive round of consultations Mr. Bush is conducting with various experts to arrive at a “new way forward” alarm you? I mean, the man started the war and has been in charge ever since. Shouldn’t he have been coming up with “new ways forward” all the time? Adjusting to the enemy as needed? Surrounded by experts every step of the way? The current get-togethers and slogans denote panic and just how clueless this administration really is about how to conduct this war.Labels: George Bush, Iraq war, new way forward
Friday, December 29, 2006
Iraq: You know your country is in trouble when
By Riverbend, an Iraqi female blogging from Baghdad: A day in the life of the average Iraqi has been reduced to identifying corpses, avoiding car bombs and attempting to keep track of which family members have been detained, which ones have been exiled and which ones have been abducted.
You know your country is in trouble when:
1. The UN has to open a special branch just to keep track of the chaos and bloodshed, UNAMI.
2. Abovementioned branch cannot be run from your country.
3. The politicians who worked to put your country in this sorry state can no longer be found inside of, or anywhere near, its borders.
4. The only thing the US and Iran can agree about is the deteriorating state of your nation.
5. An 8-year war and 13-year blockade are looking like the country's 'Golden Years'.
6. Your country is purportedly 'selling' 2 million barrels of oil a day, but you are standing in line for 4 hours for black market gasoline for the generator.
7. For every 5 hours of no electricity, you get one hour of public electricity and then the government announces it's going to cut back on providing that hour.
8. Politicians who supported the war spend tv time debating whether it is 'sectarian bloodshed' or 'civil war'.
9. People consider themselves lucky if they can actually identify the corpse of the relative that's been missing for two weeks.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Gerald Ford's take on the Iraq War and GOP retribution
By Steve Benen, commenting on president Gerald Ford's just revealed criticism of the Bush administration handling of the Iraq war as a "big mistake": will Ford's criticisms of the Bush gang's handling of the conflict change the way the former president will be honored? Based on his comments to Bob Woodward, Ford's concerns were very much in line with those of many congressional Democrats, most of whom were dismissed by the right as weak on national security and dangerously ignorant on foreign policy. As it turns out, Ford agreed with Democrats that the U.S. should only go to war when a conflict is "directly related to our own national security" -- and Iraq didn't fit the bill. I'm curious; will this temper the GOP's praise of the former president?Labels: gerald ford, Iraq war
Bush, Iraq, and Blackjack
By bobinson, commenting on president Bush considering increasing the troop level in Iraq, called by some as "doubling down": "Doubling down" comes from Blackjack. It is what one does when the odds are in favor of the player to win. If the player is dealt, for instance, a nine and a two, and the dealer is showing a two, the odds are better than even that the player will be dealt a card that will beat the dealer. Bush, however, wants to "double down" with his ten and two while the dealer is showing an ace. They call that "throwing good money after bad."Labels: double down, Iraq war
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Return of the Military Draft?
By Ezra Klein: The Bush administration's VA Secretary, Jim Nicholson, just said that our society would benefit from "replacing the all-volunteer force with a tough draft purged of the deferments that allowed many to avoid service in Vietnam." Meanwhile, Mark Krikorian wants a draft so we have a bigger military to fight more awesome wars. And Charlie Rangel wants a draft so we have a more diverse military that will make it nearly politically impossible to fight any wars. Meanwhile, I don't want a draft because, unlike Krikorian, Rangel, and Nicholson, I'd actually be vulnerable to it, so such a plan looks less like an awesome political theory abstraction and more like my life would be in the hands of the fools and knaves currently running our government. I didn't feel this way about national service a few years ago, incidentally. But one effect of the Iraq War was to shred any illusions that our leaders are wise and prudent and take seriously the lives entrusted to their care.Labels: draft, Iraq war, military
Friday, December 22, 2006
Iraq: One Way Or The Other
By Ned Lamont: If you believe the Churchillian rhetoric, it's time to move from Donald Rumsfeld's minimalist force to Colin Powell's overwhelming force. To do that, you must prepare the American people for the real costs of war, financial and human - with the prospect of higher taxes and a draft; and you must sober up the people to the fact that we will be in Iraq a long time, as long as necessary to transform the country and the region. To stay or to go - we cannot have it both ways... Sen. John McCain said we must send the troops necessary to win the war; otherwise, it is "immoral" to leave our outnumbered troops to die. It is high time for Washington to decide. Splitting the difference is politically palatable, but it is the coward's way out and simply delays the inevitable.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Bush's Surge of Another Kind
By Rude Pundit: It is the plaintive sigh of thousands, millions of men every day, faced with the spam deluge that promises them penis enlargement... It's a simple desire: "Just a little more, maybe 15 or 20% bigger, and all my problems will be solved"... But it's got nothing to do with your game building up to the deliciously anticipated sound of the unzip. It ain't gonna make you funnier, better looking, or rich... The ludicrous debate over whether or not to have a surge of U.S. troops in Iraq is being approached with all the wishful thinking of any man who has ever received his package of peter pills in the mail... This ain't golf, although the rich executives running our country would like to take a mulligan. Because, see, you have to fuck a partner with the [penis] that you have, not the [penis] you might want.Labels: Bush, Iraq war, penis enlargement, surge
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Bush's "surge" tactic
By Juan Cole: Bush seems likely to try the "surge" tactic in Iraq of putting in substantially more troops, perhaps 20,000, in an attempt to take Baghdad and clear it of 'terrorists.' Hope springs eternal in the human breast, which is the only explanation for adopting this stupid idea. The Iraqi masses are now politically mobilized, and they are well armed. There are 27 million Iraqis, and some 6 million of them in the Sunni Arab areas. 20,000 US troops is a drop in the bucket. Some are saying the US should try to destroy the (Shiite) Mahdi Army. The Mahdi Army is an urban social movement, and cannot be destroyed by conventional military forces. Bush is about to take us on another destructive wild goose chase.Labels: Bush, Iraq war, juan cole, mahdi army
Monday, December 18, 2006
When will Iraq War get better?
By Atrios: I know I'm just a dirty fucking hippie with the stupidest blog on the internets, but I've known for a long time that Iraq is not going to magically get better and that George Bush isn't going to leave because he equates leaving with losing. One of the biggest disappointments with our broader political class is due to the failure of them to understand this rather obvious point. George Bush is stubborn and incompetent, wishes are not ponies, and hope is not a plan.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Laura Bush and the good things in Iraq
By VictorM: Talking about Iraq, Laura Bush blamed the media: “It is not encouraging coverage for sure. There’s no doubt about it. But I do know that there are a lot of good things that are happening that aren’t covered.” Never mind that the count of casualties and acts of violence are being under-reported by the Bush administration. I’m willing to give Mrs. Bush the benefit of the doubt but I will need some token of her optimism. So here’s the deal: I’ll believe Mrs. Bush after she convinces her daughters to take their next fun trip to Iraq. Until then, I'll take Mrs. Bush optimism as just another lie.Labels: Iraq war, laura bush
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Iraq Study Group: waste of time
By VictorM: It took the Iraq Study Group 9 months to arrive at the same conclusions that sane people had all along (see here). Despite a voluminous report, they didn’t have the balls to say what needs to be said: that there are no good ways out of the worst foreign policy decision in the history of the United States. The Iraq war is George Bush’s anvil and he should be left alone to sink or swim with it. Everyone else should step out of the way and let him have his way; after all, our troops are volunteers who voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Bush and the American people freely elected him to a second term, even after knowing the mess Mr. Bush had created. So now both are getting exactly the stubborn and incompetent indecision they deserve. The real victims are the Iraqis, but neither the Iraq Study Group nor the Iraq war were ever about them anyway.Labels: Bush, foreign policy, Iraq war, ISG
