Let’s remember that we have a THREE RING CIRCUS Going:
East Ring: Economy and Financial Meltdown – Center Ring: Iraq War – West Ring: Presidential Campaign
For almost two weeks now we have been focusing almost exclusively on the Economy Ring with the latest news of the financial meltdown. Our attention on this ring was only momentarily drawn away with the presidential nominee debate last week and a few outrageous gaffes from the Republican nominee for Vice President tossed out over the past week. Perhaps we should at least take a peek at what is happening in the Center Ring. Salon published an interesting article this morning by Gary Kamiya that pulled my attention to the center ring again where the Iraq War is still holding its own as a political hot-potato this fall. His article is titled: “Remember Iraq?”
“. . . John McCain will continue the same policies as George W. Bush. He insists that Iraq remains “the central front in the war on terror,” claims that the surge was a decisive turning point and that we are now winning the war, and warns that if America elects Barack Obama, we will lose, with catastrophic consequences. Obama argues that the war was a mistake to begin with, that it led us to “take our eye off the ball” and allow Osama bin Laden to escape and al-Qaida to regroup, and that it has strengthened Iran. He says that if elected he will withdraw American troops in stages over a 16-month period. . .”
Here are a few eye-opening facts Kamiya presented regarding why the Surge really is not the success that McCain and the current administration promote it to be:
Read More »Introduced by NFL Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, and Norma Margonari, a local activist who comes from a large family of coal miners, Biden opened his remarks by thanking Pittsburgh for pitching in to help his family. He choked up and somberly spoke about how after his wife and daughter were killed in an automobile accident, Rocky Bleier, one of the Steelers, came to his sons’ hospital room to give them footballs to cheer them up, at the request of Dan Rooney’s dad.
Biden calmed fears when he said the Obama-Biden team would guarantee to keep Social Security intact. He answered questions on health care benefits and fixing the economy - but his most crowd-rousing comments were given about the Iraq War.
His statement, “Imagine a country where we only go to war when it is absolutely necessary” brought a big round of applause.
Biden continued, “and when we do….. we go with the support of the rest of the world.” More big applause. And then, ” Ladies and gentlemen, we will end this war.” Standing ovation.
Senator Biden’s got a personal interest in six-year long war, since his family learned their oldest son, Beau, currently Delaware’s Attorney General, and a captain in the National Guard, will be deployed to Iraq next month. But he’s been blasting the Bush Administration for several years for their lack of commitment to benefits for vets returning home, including making it extremely hard to be considered “eligible” for education and health benefits once their tours of duty are over.
Last year, the senator’s bill to provide funding for MRAPs, mine resistant ambush protected vehicles, paved the way for construction and distribution of these V-shaped hull tanks, directly leading to a dramatic drop in the deaths of US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who were hit by roadside bombs. The bill was passed by a vote of 75-24. The one remaining vote was Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was absent in the Senate that day.
Pittsburgh has a higher than average number of residents in the U.S. military. Speaking to the veterans and their families in the crowd, Biden continued, “The only people sacrificing right now are those who have children or husbands or wives who are serving, and the families that are left behind. And we don’t mention it often enough, but we have thousands of people who have died. We have over 30,000 who have been wounded.”
He continued, “Ladies and gentlemen, we owe them. We owe them more than we can ever repay them.”
The senator stayed to answer questions (unlike his counterpart, Gov. Sarah Palin, so far…) and left to a standing ovation.
Petraeus is getting out while the Myth of the Surge is still has a heartbeat—albeit it weak. He will take over command of the troops in Afghanistan—and the musical chairs of Bush hand-picked Generals for Iraq continues . . .
I just read in tonight’s BBC news that - Petraeus turned over command in Iraq - General David Petraeus, the outgoing US military commander in Iraq credited for improving security there, is to pass control to General Raymond Odierno. US Secretary of State Robert Gates is in Baghdad to oversee the handover. Levels of violence were high across Iraq when Gen Petraeus assumed command in February 2007. In Baghdad alone, there were 40 car bombings that month.
He implemented President George W Bush’s “surge” plan, which brought the number of attacks down dramatically. But on the eve of Gen Petraeus’ departure, a female suicide bomber blew herself up in Diyala province, killing 20 people on Monday.
NOTE: The number of attacks by women bombers in Iraq has tripled from eight in 2007 to more than two dozen so far this year, according to US military officials. Diyala has been particularly vulnerable. Women have carried out 12 suicide attacks this year in the strategic and ethnically diverse province northeast of Baghdad that was a former Al-Qaeda stronghold in Iraq. Add to this news the news earlier this week that the Sunni “Awakening militias founded by Petraeus are also failing and you can easily see how the lipstick is fast disappearing from the pig that the Republicans called “the Surge”.
The “Successful” Surge Continues to Unravel as number of attacks by women suicide bombers tripled from 8 in 2007 to more than 24 so far in 2008.
The surge was never more than another Republican attempt to redefine the most colossal failure of this administration. Talk about “lipstick on the Iraq War”, look no further than John McCain’s statement that surge is working and “victory” is in sight.
Tonight I was reading from the foreign media outlet, Arab News, and I came across this further piece of evidence that not only is the surge NOT working, there is more evidence that things are getting worse:
“. . . The number of attacks by women bombers in Iraq has tripled from eight in 2007 to more than two dozen so far this year, according to US military officials.
Diyala has been particularly vulnerable. Women have carried out 12 suicide attacks this year in the strategic and ethnically diverse province northeast of Baghdad that was a former Al-Qaeda stronghold in Iraq. Iraqi and American officials hope the women training at the academy can start closing that gap. . .”
Add to this news the news earlier this week that the Sunni “Awakening militias founded by Petraeus are also failing and you can easily see how the lipstick is fast disappearing from the pig that the Republicans called “the Surge”.
The Sunni “Awakening” militias that General Petraeus founded, armed and funded have begun fighting with the Shi’a-dominated Iraqi Army, which is also bankrolled by the United States. “The Shiite-led government has recently stepped up a campaign to arrest leaders of the Awakening and dismantle parts of the program, whose members receive $300 a month from the U.S. military,” the Washington Post reported Tuesday. Many fighters have abandoned their posts and fled their homes to avoid detention, stoking fears that some will rejoin the insurgency.
Soon, the United States military will have to take sides in this fight, and when it does, American soldiers will have to battle groups armed with American weaponry. The longer the United States stays in Iraq, the worse off the country will be when we finally leave.
I have been very confused of late by the Senator McCains�s (and many others�) claim that �The surge in Iraq was a success� and even that �We have now achieved victory in Iraq�.
This, by definition it seems to me, means that the original goals of the Iraq war and �The Surge� were to end up with:
1. Over 140,000 US troops occupying a foreign country indefinitely in order to keep the lid on violence there.
2. A cost to the US economy in the order of 1 trillion dollars leaving it in the greatest deficit ever
3. A gift to terrorists of the best recruiting tool against the US they could wish for to help them spread from Afghanistan to Pakistan and around the world. Read More »
COMMENTS ON REPORTS THAT U.S. RETURNS CONTROL OF ANBAR TO IRAQIS
I just read this morning in the Arab News the announcement that the US had returned control of Anbar to the Iraqis. It was touted as marking a major milestone in Americas plan to eventually send its troops home.
Of course, and as a C.Y.A., American officials warned that the struggle against Al-Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgents was not over in the western region, the scene of some of the bloodiest battles in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion. “This war is not quite over, but it’s being won and primarily by the people of Anbar. Al-Qaeda has not been entirely defeated in Anbar, but their end is near and they know it,” said Marine Maj. Gen. John Kelly, the top US commander in Anbar, during the handover ceremony.
Read More »Gosh, I hate that I have to work tonight, but I just wanted to post about Beau Biden. He broke my heart tonight. Here this soldier is about to be shipped off to war and yet, he doesn't brag about it. Hell, he didn't even mention it.
It wasn't until he said in his introduction of his father, that he would not be able to be here in the Fall and asked us to be there for his father and for Barack Obama, that I remembered why he wont be with us. He asked us to look after his father for him. I feel a little selfish for feeling what I'm now feeling.
I don't think he should have to go. I don't think it's fair. Not because Joe Biden is the Vice Presidential candidate, but because of what he went through. He lost the first half of his family and almost little beau and Hunter. And now, Beau is going into harms way and he could lose him.
And I'm a little pissed off because , here I see this brave soldier and father of his own, and I hear Republicans , run around telling America that we, the Democrats are the ones who don't love our country. Who's children are out there ? Who's children are fighting the wars they are sending us into ?
I pray to God, that he protect our troops . All of them. But I pray that the Lord dispatches a special band of Angels to protect Beau .
(PHOTO: Obama Campaign )
As you all know my dad was deployed last Sunday to Iraq at 2:00 a.m. in the morning, I want to thank all here who have kept him along with the other troops in harms way in their prayers.
Prayer really works. I am not at liberty to disclose where in Iraq my dad is, but one thing I can say is where he is at there is a lot going on. He called at one in the morning Pacific standard time on Wednesday.
His third day in the field of honor and he was grazed in trhe face by shrapnel durring skirmish with Iraqui insurgents. Was treated in the field and returned to the to his job standing.
I thank the Great Spirit Grandfather for having protected him from losing his life, being that things could have been worse. Others are not that lucky. I thank alll for your prayers.
He still has many months to go in Iraq and hopefully he will be returning home safe and well before again getting redeployed.
I will be starting a support group here on PB for all PB members who have a loved one in harms way in that God forsaken land.
Our troops are the best there is and we need to fully support them at all times.
Their sacrifice is for us and our homeland. It is hoped that people really appreciate their sacrifice. They only follow orders and not to be blamed for their part in the belicose action. Please, do not let the history of Vietnam repeat it'self by blaming the troops and treating them like garbage on their return from the ongoing conflict.
Remind your legislators to insure they are properly taken care of upon their return. There is too much injustice already of misstreatment upon them having returned maimed physically and mentally.
T'a'a' iiyisi ahe'hee.
Little Dine'
If any of you have any doubt regarding whether or not this administration and Dick Cheney in particular knew the consequences of an Iraq invasion, this 1994 video of Cheney will erase those doubts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csKkdKlLUTc&feature=related
They knew and they didn't care.
The appeal of money from Halliburton in his pockets apparently outweighed the price that Americans would have to pay.
And isn't it amazing that there are still those who say that these people should not be tried for war crimes.
Read More »
As I've mentioned before, the only reason there has been no time table for getting out of Iraq is because the Bush Administration is still trying to bully the Iraqi government into signing over oil deals with American companies. Believe me, if those deals had been signed, most of our troops would have been out of Iraq shortly thereafter. However, instead of allowing the oil companies to economically rape the people of their nation as our government has allowed here in our own country, the Iraqi government wants to protect its people by nationalizing oil.
To support them in these efforts, there are many groups such as "Hands Off Iraqi Oil" who are supporting the Iraqi people in remaining steadfast against the Bush Administration. (Maybe they can also be called upon to help the American people as well.)
Hands Off Iraqi Oil is a UK coalition opposing any foreign exploitation of Iraq's oil reserves that rips off the Iraqi people. Members include Corporate Watch, Iraq Occupation Focus, Jubilee Iraq, PLATFORM, Voices UK, and War on Want. Supporters include the Stop the War Coalition.
To be added to our updates list, please email: handsoffiraqioil@gmail.com.
Media Contacts: Greg Muttitt +44 7970 589 611; Ewa Jasiewicz, +44 7749 421 576
http://www.handsoffiraqioil.org/
One of the hallmarks of the Bush Administration has been to fire competent people and replace them with those who, if not totally incompetent, are at least less competent than their predecessors and all of the replacements are obvious mouthpieces for Bush.
We have seen this clearly in two areas: one was with the firing of all those US attorneys and replacing them in some cases with incompetents and all of them less experienced and qualified, and the other example has been in Iraq with the Bush replacement of one general after another. If you dare to suggest that we should leave or that the surge is not working: BINGO, you are out.
Here are four that I remember off the top of my head. I think there was one more General, but his name escapes me: General Tommy Franks; General George Casey; General Peter Pace; and General Fallon. Read More »The only possible value it might have in building troop morale (and if that is the case, then fine, I'm all for it). However you can learn all you need to know about Iraq by watching some of the videos created by our service people and government contractors and reading some of the financials associated with payouts to no-bid contractors. You don't need a "three-day tour" paid for by the American taxpayer to know and understand what a house of cards that Iraq is. I do and I don't consider myself to be half as smart or half as educated as Obama. I'm sure he gets it and more.
The Seven Years war (Ironic isn’t it? We have been in a seven years war.) and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake are said by some literary critics as being the two events that most influenced Voltaire in writing his satirical novella. The Lisbon earthquake was a natural disaster that also created a tsunami and fires. After the earthquake, Voltaire who had been a believer in the Optimism theory that this is the best of all possible worlds decided that it was not.
A digression, for whatever reason I don’t know—perhaps just thinking about the best of all possible worlds, inspired by a recent post by Cato. If I were queen and no satire intended except for the queen part, this is my vision of the best of all possible worlds:
The ACLU, the NATION, and others who are suing the government for violating the Constitutional rights of Americans with FISA would win their case in the Supreme Court. This would mean that the Bush administration is guilty of committing a felony by asking the Telecoms to commit a felony and they would immediately be removed from office. There would be no need for a long drawn out impeachment to remove Bush AND his friends in the Senate would not have a say in the matter. They would be tried in a court of law. (Which in my opinion was the ONLY reason that this FISA amendment ever came into being—to protect George Bush and his minions. Read More »This was a myth that was deliberately created with misinformation by the Bush Administration. They knew what they were doing and they knew they were lying. They used the backdrop of the horror of 9/11 as a fear base to manipulate Congress and the American people into not only declaring war on an innocent nation but also in convincing the American people that they needed to give up some of their basic rights as guaranteed by the Constitution in order to be “safe.” Too bad more of our Congressional leadership didn’t realize that these are exactly the propaganda tactics used by the Nazis in the ‘30’s against the German people. Still, the Bush Administration did their job so well and had so much support from mainstream media that many Americans still cling to the myth today that there was a connection between 9/11 and Iraq. We were bamboozeled by lies and distortions from the Bush Administration.
Read More »One of the things that amazed me about the Iraq invasion was that the Bush administration just released the entire army of Saddam's immediately after "mission accomplished." I've forgotten how many of them, but as I recall the number was close to half a million soldiers. They just dismissed them. This was a huge mistake. Except for the few, perhaps 500 or so of his officers, they should have kept this professional military force intact and indoctrinated them with all the good that the new society was going to accomplish and brought them on board. Instead, the Bush administration essentially fired these men, put them out of work. Put them out on the street. Most of them knew nothing but professional soldiering. Instantly the USA created about half a million deadly enemies.
Now it appears that the Iraqi government, led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is doing a similar thing--making paupers of its citizens. I just read an article from the North American Inter Press Service that says that Iraqi refugees are being foresaken even by their own government.
It is estimated that five million Iraqis have been displaced by the conflict. Iraqi refugees in neighbouring countries are still living in harsh conditions.
Read More »I don't know about you, but I'm fed up with Congress and their BS. At the top of my list is the Iraq War. We elected the Democratic majority to Congress in 2006 on the mandate to end the war in Iraq. And what have they done? Not only have they continued to give George Bush everything and more that he asks for, they have INCREASED, not decreased the number of troops in Iraq.
Here is a great video of Russ Feingold. In it he explains quite clearly how Congress has the Constitutional Power to End the Iraq War now. They just continue to BS us.
Let's stop makeing excuses for Congress and start demanding that they represent the people and not the Bush Administration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iThF86SYRJk&feature=related
Iran’s total defense spending for 2006, the latest available, was nearly 55 percent less that Israel’s, despite having ten times the population of Israel.
Per capita, Israel's expenditure was calculated to be nearly 17 times higher at an average of $1,737 per person compared with only $110 for each Iranian.
U.S. military spending, and Israel's are far and away the highest in the world.
Israel has a population that is comparable to that of Massachusetts. U.S. military spending per capita is $1750; Israel's is $1380. Russia spends $432 per capita.
This article put the defense spending of Israel, Iran and the USA into its proper perspective.
VERY!
In fact Bush is so unpopular within the ranks of the GOP that rabid right-wing Dana Rohrabacher who hails from Orange County CA was quoted as saying: "I don't think there are a lot of people who want to see him at the convention. He should stay home from the Republican convention and everyone would be better off."
LOL. Not since the days of Richard Nixon have members of the GOP been so openly derogatory of their President. Yes indeedy, the Republican National Convention will indeed be interesting. I would not be surprise if George gets a touch of flu a day prior to the Convention.
SOURCE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/04/gop-rep-bush-should-stay_n_110949.html
Does anyone have any news on whether Ron Paul has actually rented Williams Arena for his counter celebration in Minneapolis on Sept. 2 in the middle of the Republican convention? The last report I could find is from June 12.
I disagree with him on many issues, and I also agree with him on a few--particularly those that deal with issue of war.
Ron Paul named the H.R. Res. Con 362 for what it is "a declaration of war on Iran." He is right-on in that assessment. 362 is for Iran what the resolution to authorize Bush to attack Iraq if Saddam refused to give up WMD's was in October of 2002--permission for war.
IF YOU HAVE NOT, PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE IN THE HOUSE TODAY AND TELL THEM TO VOTE NO ON 362.
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