The Moment of Bush's Defeat? The Dome of the Golden Mosque

Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the U.N.'s mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different--and perhaps barren--outcome. ~George H. W. Bush

...How long would we have had to stay in Baghdad to keep that government in place? What would happen to the government once U.S. forces withdrew? How many casualties should the United States accept in that effort to try to create clarity and stability in a situation that is inherently unstable? I think it is vitally important for a President to know when to use military force. I think it is also very important for him to know when not to commit U.S. military force. And it's my view that the President got it right both times, that it would have been a mistake for us to get bogged down in the quagmire inside Iraq. ~Defense Secretary Dick Cheney

There was a time, before 9/11, when wiser minds prevailed. There were those who knew the consequences of destabilizing Iraq, who were aware of the sectarian tensions waiting to be released into a chaotic monster. (What happened to Cheney? Bitten by a vampire? An alien replicant?) Sure Saddam was a bad guy, but wiser minds weighed the 'bad' that was as better than the 'bad' that would be.

They have yet to be proven wrong, no?

Junior's advisors had a different opinion based not on the historical reality of Iraqi culture, but on their own narrow views of how people behave. Narrow and simple: Saddam is a bad man. Saddam hurts people. Taking away the bad man will make everyone happy. Won't take long, won't cost a lot.

Maybe this is why these folks were labelled the "crazies" in Washington D.C. Maybe this is why both Ronald Reagan and H.W. kept them on a short leash until Dubya loaded his administration with them, and, after 9/11, gave them free reign to set the world on fire.

Now William F. Buckley Jr. says, "Our mission has failed because Iraqi animosities have proved uncontainable by an invading army of 130,000 Americans."

"Failed," he says. Maybe those wiser minds are starting to wake up. After all, the smart question in all of this was, "Is there enough popular support in the region to be successful?" The answer to that question, according to that previous administration, was no. The current administration, based on it's own, insular ideology said yes. Because of 9/11, those who disagreed were either ignored, like Brent Scowcroft, or labelled "Bush hating treasonous angry liberals" by the right-wing propaganda machine.

Dissenters minimized and dismissed, the government controlled by one party in lockstep with the administration, the electorate blinded by fear, the press hiding under the desk and it was off to the races. The modern heroes of the only correct way to think would remake the world.

Now that ideology is buried beneath the rubble of the Dome of the Golden Mosque. History may remember this event as the "What were we thinking?" moment. But that's the problem. We weren't thinking. We allowed ourselves to be cowed by our fear while "the crazies" played the Incompetent Conqueror until creating the perfect FUBAR situation.

The first step in any possible repair is sweep the crazies out of office.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found myself listening to Fox News the other day, quite by accident, I assure you. I was astonished to hear the Shia belief that the Twelfth Imam would someday return to the Dome of the Golden Mosque labelled a "superstition."

Imagine the Second Coming of Christ labelled the same way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've noticed quite a few visits from Italy recently, courtesy of Uruknet.info, which has linked to this site. I would like to thank Uruknet for that, and welcome our Italian readers.

Cheers,
Clemsy


QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

Study: Nearly Half of U.S. Presidents Suffered From Mental Illness
The others had no excuse. ~Ironic Times

One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed. ~William F. Buckley Jr.

...[W]henever US or Iraqi security forces succeed in killing or detaining insurgent leaders, there is little effect on the overall scale of the insurgency, whose networks seem able quickly to recover – there are routinely more than 100 attacks every week (the number for January was 433). ~Paul Rogers

Besides, terrorism is not the only new danger of this era. Another is the administration's argument that because the president is commander in chief, he is the "sole organ for the nation in foreign affairs." That non sequitur is refuted by the Constitution's plain language, which empowers Congress to ratify treaties, declare war, fund and regulate military forces, and make laws "necessary and proper" for the execution of all presidential powers . Those powers do not include deciding that a law - FISA, for example - is somehow exempted from the presidential duty to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." ~George Will

Public fears that the nation's ports are not properly protected, combined with the news of an Arab country's takeover of six major ports, proved a combustible mix. ~AP

Leninism was a tragedy in its Bolshevik version, and it has returned as farce when practiced by the United States. ~Francis Fukuyama, reformed neo-con

But, nowadays, even George F. Will is worried. You know you’re in a seriously bad place when that happens. ~David Michael Green


PICKS OF THE WEEK:

Iraq's burning season by Paul Rogers

Iraq's slow burn of the last six weeks has been occurring behind the backs of most of the western media. The bombing on 22 February of one of Shi'a Islam's holiest shrines, the al-Askari mosque (the "golden mosque") in Samarra, has reignited the world's attention. But how does this latest incident, and the retaliatory attacks it has provoked, fit into the unfolding story of Iraq's conflict and United States strategy for the country?

It Didn’t Work by William F. Buckley Jr.

One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed. The same edition of the paper quotes a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute. Mr. Reuel Marc Gerecht backed the American intervention. He now speaks of the bombing of the especially sacred Shiite mosque in Samara and what that has precipitated in the way of revenge. He concludes that “The bombing has completely demolished” what was being attempted — to bring Sunnis into the defense and interior ministries.

No Checks, Many Imbalances By George F. Will

The next time a president asks Congress to pass something akin to what Congress passed on Sept. 14, 2001 - the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) - the resulting legislation might be longer than Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past." Congress, remembering what is happening today, might stipulate all the statutes and constitutional understandings that it does not intend the act to repeal or supersede.

But, then, perhaps no future president will ask for such congressional involvement in the gravest decision government makes - going to war. Why would future presidents ask, if the present administration successfully asserts its current doctrine? It is that whenever the nation is at war, the other two branches of government have a radically diminished pertinence to governance, and the president determines what that pertinence shall be. This monarchical doctrine emerges from the administration's stance that warrantless surveillance by the National Security Agency targeting American citizens on American soil is a legal exercise of the president's inherent powers as commander in chief, even though it violates the clear language of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was written to regulate wartime surveillance.

"Leninists!" Cries Neo-Con Nabob, Suing for Divorce by Jim Lobe

Francis Fukuyama, best known for his post-Cold War essay proclaiming the historic inevitability of liberal democracy, "The End of History", argued in the Times article that neo-conservatives so badly miscalculated the myriad costs of the Iraq war that they may have empowered their two foreign policy nemeses -- realists, who disdain democracy promotion; and isolationists, who oppose foreign entanglements of almost any kind.

Even more provocatively, Fukuyama called the Standard's editor, William Kristol, his ideological sidekick, Robert Kagan, and their neo-conservative comrades who led the drive to war in Iraq "Leninist" in their conviction that liberal democracy can be achieved through "coercive regime change" or imposed by military means.

Osama, Saddam and the Ports By Paul Krugman

The storm of protest over the planned takeover of some U.S. port operations by Dubai Ports World doesn't make sense viewed in isolation. The Bush administration clearly made no serious effort to ensure that the deal didn't endanger national security. But that's nothing new - the administration has spent the past four and a half years refusing to do anything serious about protecting the nation's ports.


HEADLINES

Can You Say "Permanent Bases"? The American Press Can't
by Tom Engelhardt

...How can anybody tell if the Bush administration is actually withdrawing from Iraq or not? Sometimes, when trying to cut through a veritable fog of misinformation and disinformation, it helps to focus on something concrete. In the case of Iraq, nothing could be more concrete -- though less generally discussed in our media -- than the set of enormous bases the Pentagon has long been building in that country. Quite literally multi-billions of dollars have gone into them. In a prestigious engineering magazine in late 2003, Lt. Col. David Holt, the Army engineer "tasked with facilities development" in Iraq, was already speaking proudly of several billion dollars being sunk into base construction ("the numbers are staggering"). Since then, the base-building has been massive and ongoing.

In a country in such startling disarray, these bases, with some of the most expensive and advanced communications systems on the planet, are like vast spaceships that have landed from another solar system. Representing a staggering investment of resources, effort, and geostrategic dreaming, they are the unlikeliest places for the Bush administration to hand over willingly to even the friendliest of Iraqi governments.

UAE royals, bin Laden's saviours

The Central Intelligence Agency did not target Al Qaeda chief Osama bin laden once as he had the royal family of the United Arab Emirates with him in Afghanistan, the agency's director, George Tenet, told the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States on Thursday.

Bush Would Veto Any Bill Halting Dubai Port Deal

President Bush, trying to put down a rapidly escalating rebellion among leaders of his own party, said Tuesday that he would veto any legislation blocking a deal for a state-owned company in Dubai to take over the management of port terminals in New York, Miami, Baltimore and other major American cities.

W aides' biz ties to Arab firm

The Dubai firm that won Bush administration backing to run six U.S. ports has at least two ties to the White House.

U.S. Reclassifies Many Documents in Secret Review

In a seven-year-old secret program at the National Archives, intelligence agencies have been removing from public access thousands of historical documents that were available for years, including some already published by the State Department and others photocopied years ago by private historians.

At Spy Agencies, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

This was the picture painted to a House of Representatives committee last week, as its members heard from five soldiers and civilians who say their livelihoods and reputations have been destroyed or placed in serious jeopardy by their attempts to expose and correct waste, fraud or abuse in their workplaces.

U.S. terror fears, stoked by Bush, now bite him

The president, who has cast himself as America's protector against terrorism and Islamic militancy, has been thrown on the defensive by a bipartisan revolt over his administration's approval of a state-owned company from the United Arab Emirates assuming operation of six major U.S. seaports.


BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING

Time to impeach Bush

Those blasphemously "liberal" media outlets have once again deprived the American public of widespread coverage of nothing less than startling poll results. The non-partisan polling firm Zogby International last month found that by a margin of 52 percent to 43 percent, Americans want Congress to consider impeaching President Bush "if he wiretapped American citizens without a judge's approval."

Peace groups under watch

In the post-9/11 world, some unlikely figures have attracted the attention of local police and federal agents: the Raging Grannies, known for musical satire, and Quaker peace activists, known for non-violence.


OCCUPATION: IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

Explosion Destroys Dome of Shiite Shrine

A large explosion destroyed the golden dome of one of Iraq's most famous Shiite shrines Wednesday, spawning mass protests and triggering reprisal attacks against Sunni mosques. It was the third major attack against Shiite targets this week and threatened to enflame sectarian tensions.

Police Tied to Death Squads

A 1,500-member Iraqi police force with close ties to Shiite militia groups has emerged as a focus of investigations into suspected death squads working within the country's Interior Ministry.

Dozens Slain in Iraq Sectarian Violence

Gunmen shot dead 47 civilians and left their bodies in a ditch near Baghdad Thursday as militia battles and sectarian reprisals followed the bombing of a sacred Shiite shrine. Sunni Arabs suspended their participation in talks on a new government.

Attacks Surge in Iraq Despite Curfew

A car bomb exploded in a Shiite holy city and 13 members of one Shiite family were gunned down northeast of the capital Saturday in a surge of attacks that killed at least 30 people despite heightened security aimed at curbing sectarian violence following the bombing of a revered Shiite shrine.


OPINION

Why We Need Leakers
By Richard Cohen

In the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, Paul R. Pillar, the CIA's top guy for the Middle East during the run-up to the war in Iraq, speaks from retirement to show how the Bush administration selectively used intelligence. Among other things, the consensus at the CIA was that there was no link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. And while the spooks of Langley more or less concurred that Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, they also thought his nuclear program was years away from fruition. In short, there was no urgent reason to go to war.

G.O.P. to W.: You're Nuts! by Maureen Dowd

What kind of empire are we if we have to outsource our coastline to a group of sheiks who don't recognize Israel, in a country where money was laundered for the 9/11 attacks? And that let A. Q. Kahn, the Pakistani nuclear scientist, smuggle nuclear components through its port to Libya, North Korea and Iran?

SLANDER? SHE WROTE THE BOOK By Ted Rall

My utterances occasionally spark controversy but I've got nothing on Ann Coulter. The star Republican pundit, who has spewed more racist, offensive and defamatory slurs in a week than Louis Farrakhan and Pat Robertson have in their whole lives combined, has turned slander and threats of violence into a cottage industry.

Hunting with the VP

Biblical winds this past Friday brought much of the American Northeast to a grinding halt. News of the world and other modern interests and concerns were supplanted by the more mundane tasks of keeping the wood stove going, hand pumping water out of the well to keep the bathroom plumbing happy, and sending members of the tribe foraging for supplies in areas with power.

So, now to it before my gathered links acquire too much dust!

The opportunity to wax metaphorical about Cheney's "little oops" has, by now, been worked over but good.

However, not by me.

We are, of course, relieved that Mr. Whittington is recovering and was not more seriously injured, although, one wonders how he is going to get past security with all that birdshot he's impelled to carry around. Accidents happen and that should be the end of it.

However, we don't hear much from all those others who have been injured while "hunting with the VP."

The mess in Iraq is as much or more a Cheney mess as any other member of the administration or Project for the New American Century. It is, one could say, a Dick Cheney hunting expedition. Leaving aside the stated reasons for the adventure, WMD, Osama and Saddam all but lovers, spreading democracy, we were assured that the Iraq mission was going to be, well, sort of like driving up to a covey of farm raised quail released for your not very sporting pleasure.

"My belief is we will in fact, be greeted as liberators," said Dick. Remember? What we got was a staged scene of pulling down a statue. General Eric Shinseki stated that the U.S. would need "several hundred thousand troops" to maintain post-invasion order, and was encouraged into early retirement for saying so. "Wildly off the mark," said Paul Wolfowitz who, along with the rest of the administration, had an almost cultish belief that the world could only operate according to their unimaginative expectations.

General Shinseki probably thought, "Hmmm. There's going to be an grueling insurgency after the invasion. We'll need lots and lots and lots troops."

"Nah," says the BushCo hivemind. "They'll all line up to buy Big Macs, fries and a Coke."

So, in a sense, those troops in our all volunteer military agreed to go hunting with Dick, and just as he pulled the trigger on Whittington, so did he and his cohorts pull the trigger on every casualty, whatever their nationality, of this bungled campaign.

Now here's the problem: At one point Dick Cheney thought Iraq to be too risky a hunting expedition.

"Once you get to Baghdad, it's not clear what you do with it. It's not clear what kind of government you put in place of the one that's currently there now. Is it going to be a Shia regime, a Sunni regime, a Kurdish regime? Or one that tilts toward the Baathists, or one that tilts toward Islamic fundamentalists? How much credibility is that going to have if it's set up by the American military there? How long does the United States military have to stay there to protect the people that sign on for that government, and what happens once we leave?" Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, 1991

That's a rather dramatic shift in perspective.

Personally, I wouldn't go anywhere near this guy when he had a gun in his hand.

...But then, we're all hunting with the VP, aren't we?

Cheers,
Clemsy

QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

Al Qaeda Thanks Media For Tipping Them Off to U.S. Spying
Terrorist group “had no idea” U.S. intelligence agencies were listening in. ~Ironic Times

The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist. ~Winston Churchill

If the entire body of official intelligence analysis on Iraq had a policy implication, it was to avoid war. ~Paul Pillar

In the shadowy world of international terrorism, almost anyone can be `linked' to almost anyone else if enough effort is made . . . . [But] the intelligence community never offered any analysis that supported the notion of an alliance between Saddam and Al Qaeda. ~Paul Pillar

Feeding the administration's voracious appetite for material on the Saddam-Al Qaeda link consumed an enormous amount of time and attention at multiple levels, from rank-and-file counterterrorism analysts to the most senior intelligence officials. It is fair to ask how much other counterterrorism work was left undone as a result. ~Paul Pillar

Paul Pillar was the CIA's national intelligence officer for the Middle East and South Asia from 2000 to 2005, and is now another name to add to the impressive list of witnesses for the prosecution. (If only.)

I was very surprised to receive a mission so vital to our exit strategy so late. I would have expected this to have been done well before troops crossed the line of departure. That was my first reaction: 'We're a little late here.' ~Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton, who was given his mission to train the new Iraqi military a week after Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech (Wow. Another witness for the prosecution.)

This half-decade tsunami of scandals has had the intended effect: overload the senses, short circuit the outrage, dizzy the opposition. How many times have Bush's opponents simply thrown their hands up in disgust, overwhelmed by the enormity of the administration's over-reach? ~Peter Daou


Spin-as-usual is one thing. Striking at the civil liberties, due process and balance of powers that are the heart of American democracy is another. ~NY Times

But the cover-up is the story, because it says so much about the Bush administration: about its savage hatred of the press, about its secretiveness, about its manipulation of facts, about its ability to blithely lie and call it truth, about its inability to be accountable for any error, about its obvious disdain of the American public. ~The Rude Pundit on the Cheney shooting


QUOTES FROM THE HIVE MIND

What conservatives have realized during the last five years is that we have not elected a conservative president. ~Bill Lauderback, executive vice president of the American Conservative Union

He was not careless or incautious (and did not) violate any of the (rules). He didn't do anything he wasn't supposed to do. ~Mary Matalin on Dick's hunting accident. (Did she just say Cheney was supposed to shoot Mr. Whittington?)


PICKS OF THE WEEK:

National Security Whistle-Blowers Allege Retaliation

Military and intelligence officers told spellbound lawmakers Tuesday that their careers had been ruined by superiors because they refused to lie about Able Danger, Abu Ghraib and other national security controversies.

Intelligence, Policy,and the War in Iraq By Paul R. Pillar

The most serious problem with US intelligence today is that its relationship with the policymaking process is broken and badly needs repair. In the wake of the Iraq war, it has become clear that official intelligence analysis was not relied on in making even the most significant national security decisions, that intelligence was misused publicly to justify decisions already made, that damaging ill will developed between policymakers and intelligence officers, and that the intelligence community's own work was politicized. As the national intelligence officer responsible for the Middle East from 2000 to 2005, I witnessed all of these disturbing developments.

Who Will Blow the Whistle Before We Attack Iran? By Ray McGovern

The question looms large against the backdrop of the hearing on whistleblowing scheduled for tomorrow afternoon by Christopher Shays, chair of the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations. Among those testifying are Russell Tice, one of the sources who exposed illegal eavesdropping by the National Security Agency, and Army Sgt. Sam Provance, who told his superiors of the torture he witnessed at Abu Graib, got no satisfaction, and felt it his duty to go public. It will not be your usual hearing. (Mr. McGovern puts the above Paul Pillar article in perspective toward the bottom of the page. Check it out.)

Porter Goss's Op-Ed: 'Ignoturn per Ignotius!' By Sibel Edmonds (a.k.a. Whistleblower)

The timing of your recent op-ed in the New York Times interestingly coincides with the upcoming Congressional hearing by the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations on National Security Whistleblowers. Your comments are predictably consistent with the pattern of "pre-emptive strikes" you and the administration have been keen on maintaining. I do not blame you for your opposition to legislation to protect courageous whistleblowers, which will enable the United States Congress to reclaim some of its authority and oversight that it has given up for the past five years. No sir, you have all the right and reason to be nervous. However, I must take issue with your attempt to mislead the American public - another habit of your heart - by presenting them with false information and misleading statements.




HEADLINES

Ex-CIA official rips war case

The former CIA official charged with managing the U.S. government's secret intelligence assessments on Iraq says the Bush administration chose war first and then misleadingly used raw data to assemble a public case for its decision to invade.


Cheney Shoots Fellow Hunter in Mishap on a Texas Ranch

Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a prominent Austin, Tex., lawyer on Saturday while the two men were quail hunting in South Texas, firing a shotgun at the man while trying to aim for a bird, a member of the hunting party said.

More Questions Raised About Delay in Reporting Cheney Misfire

The more than 18-hour delay in news emerging that the Vice President of the United States had shot a man, sending him to an intensive care unit with his wounds, grew even more curious late Sunday. E&P has learned that the official confirmation of the shooting came about only after a local reporter in Corpus Christi, Texas, received a tip from the owner of the property where the shooting occured and called Vice President Cheney's office for confirmation.

Bush's Job Approval Stuck Near Bottom

President Bush's marks on overall job approval and for handling the economy are mired near their lowest levels despite a spike in consumer confidence over the past month, an AP-Ipsos poll found.

U.S. Anti-Terrorism Measures Said to Ensnare Refugees Fleeing Terror

Terror victims are being denied sanctuary under U.S. counter-terrorism laws even as next year's federal budget threatens to push ever greater numbers to seek safe haven in the first place, refugee advocates said this week.

Harvard study blasts Bush education policy

President George W. Bush's signature education policy has in some cases benefited white middle-class children over blacks and other minorities in poorer regions, a Harvard University study showed on Tuesday.

Bush Budget Would Cut Popular Health Programs

President Bush has requested billions more to prepare for potential disasters such as a biological attack or an influenza epidemic, but his proposed budget for next year would zero out popular health projects that supporters say target more mundane, but more certain, killers.

U.S. Has Royalty Plan to Give Windfall to Oil Companies

New projections, buried in the Interior Department's just-published budget plan, anticipate that the government will let companies pump about $65 billion worth of oil and natural gas from federal territory over the next five years without paying any royalties to the government.


BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING

UPDATE: Total Information Awareness Lives

Congress voted to shut down the Pentagon’s controversial Total Information Awareness program in 2003 (though not before it was renamed “Terrorism Information Awareness” — sound familiar?).

Spying Necessary, Democrats Say

Two key Democrats yesterday called the NSA domestic surveillance program necessary for fighting terrorism but questioned whether President Bush had the legal authority to order it done without getting congressional approval. (Gosh, do you think the Republican majority will say no? Green party: looking more and more attractive.)


SCANDAL CORNER

Valerie Plame Leak Sabotaged America's Iran-Watching Intelligence Effort

An important and provocative report has just been published that suggests that Iran was the target of much of Valerie Plame's covert investigative work and that outing her identity had far worse consequences than has thus far been acknowledged.

Report: US is abusing captives

A draft United Nations report on the detainees at Guantanamo Bay concludes that the U.S. treatment of them violates their rights to physical and mental health and, in some cases, constitutes torture.


Why U.S. Intelligence Failed, Redux

Paul Pillar, the CIA's senior intelligence analyst for the Middle East from 2000 to 2005, has written a critique of the Bush administration's handling of pre-war intelligence on Iraq that, in effect, corroborates the British “Downing Street Memo” in accusing the Bush administration of rigging the evidence to justify the invasion.

Abramoff Said to Claim Close Ties to Rove

Three former associates of Jack Abramoff say the now-convicted lobbyist frequently told them he had strong ties to the White House through presidential confidant Karl Rove.

Senators: Cheney Should Be Probed in Leak

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald should investigate Vice President Dick Cheney and others in the CIA leak probe if they authorized an aide to give secret information to reporters, Democratic and Republican senators said Sunday.

Katrina Report Spreads Blame

Hurricane Katrina exposed the U.S. government's failure to learn the lessons of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as leaders from President Bush down disregarded ample warnings of the threat to New Orleans and did not execute emergency plans or share information that would have saved lives, according to a blistering report by House investigators.

Bush lied over Katrina, sacked head of disaster agency says

Michael Brown, head of the federal disaster agency at the time of Hurricane Katrina, has reopened a painful wound for President George Bush, charging that the White House knew New Orleans' protective levees had broken far earlier than it had acknowledged.


OCCUPATION: IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

General Says Training of Iraqi Troops Suffered From Poor Planning and Staffing

The American general in charge of training the new Iraqi military after Baghdad fell says the Bush administration's strategy to use those forces to replace departing American troops was hobbled from its belated start by poor prewar planning and insufficient staffing and equipment.


RELIGION

"Shadow War" : mainstream Protestant denominations under seige

John Dorhauer's new weekly series on Talk To Action may be unprecedented : Dorhauer's series concerns an over two decade long campaign, by the far-right wing financed Institute For Religion and Democracy and so called "renewal" groups advocating literal interpretations of the Bible and far right social and political views, to destroy mainstream Protestant Christianity in America.

Their Own Version of a Big Bang

Evangelist Ken Ham smiled at the 2,300 elementary students packed into pews, their faces rapt. With dinosaur puppets and silly cartoons, he was training them to reject much of geology, paleontology and evolutionary biology as a sinister tangle of lies.


OPINION

The Enemy By William Rivers Pitt

They called it "Cyber Storm," and it was a war-game exercise run last week by the Department of Homeland Security. The war game had nothing to do with testing the security of our shipping ports, borders, infrastructure or airports. "Cyber Storm" was testing the government's ability to withstand an onslaught of information and protest from bloggers and online activists.

Cheney, "A Beer or Two" and a Gun -- UPDATED

Vice President Dick Cheney, who was forced to leave Yale University because his penchant for late-night beer drinking exceeded his devotion to his studies, and who is one of the small number of Americans who can count two drunk driving busts on his record, was doing more than hunting quail on the day that he shot a Texas lawyer in the face.

Rumsfeld and Cheney Revive Their 70's Terror Playbook by Thom Hartmann

Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney are at it again.

Last week, Rumsfeld told the press we should be preparing for "the Long War," saying of the war this administration has stirred up with its attack on Iraq that, "Just as the Cold War lasted a long time, this war is something that is not going to go away."

The last time Rumsfeld talked like this was in the 1970s, in response to the danger of peace presented by Richard Nixon.

An Arrogance of Power By David Ignatius

I would be inclined to leave Cheney to the mercy of Jon Stewart and Jay Leno if it weren't for other signs that this administration has jumped the tracks. What worries me most is the administration's misuse of intelligence information to advance its political agenda. For a country at war, this is truly dangerous.

Trust, Myth and the Siren Song of George W. Bush

It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that's not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty. People love the president because he's certain of his choices as a leader, even if the facts that back him up don't seem to exist. It's the fact that he's certain that is very appealing to a certain section of the country. I really feel a dichotomy in the American populace. What is important? What you want to be true, or what is true? ~Stephen Colbert

Trust me.

It's a seductive whisper. On the other side of saying, "Yes," is warmth, safety and the relief of relinquishing the burden of responsibility. On a personal level everyone has a moment when you can ignore or confront some event or symptom.

Like blood in your urine.

That didn't happen. Bury it. Put it away. Everything's fine.

Highlight, delete.

The temptation is powerful and seemingly built into our psychology. Courage is required to counter it. Courage and something stable to hold onto, be it faith or philosophy.

Joseph Campbell, the eminent mythologist best known for his interview with Bill Moyers just before his death, asserted that the stories, images and symbols of myth are more than ancient history and quaint tales. They tell us, he says, of who we are and how we may come to terms with the world we live in. "Myth," he said, "is the public dream. Dream is the private myth." Myth, like dreams, send us messages wrapped in symbolism.

On his voyage home, Odysseus encountered the island of the Sirens, beautiful beings whose sweet song drew sailors to wreck their ships on the rocks. The hero was advised to have his and his crew's ears stuffed with wax to avoid the danger. But Odysseus wanted to hear the song, so had himself tied to the mast of his ship while the crew, deafened with wax, rowed safely past the danger.

The Siren's song nearly drove the hero mad, but his foresight protected him from throwing himself over the side to certain death.

One feels a bit like Odysseus when listening to the siren song of George Bush and his administration. The last State of the Union address was well delivered, and the subtle temptation to decide there was no blood in the urine whispered throughout.

"Hindsight alone is not wisdom. And second-guessing is not a strategy."

Trust me.

The past is no matter.

Highlight, delete.

"With so much in the balance, those of us in public office have a duty to speak with candor."

Trust me.

The past is no matter.

Highlight, delete.

"Members of Congress, however we feel about the decisions and debates of the past, our nation has only one option: We must keep our word, defeat our enemies and stand behind the American military in its vital mission."

Trust me.

The past is no matter.

Highlight, delete.

"We now know that two of the hijackers in the United States placed telephone calls to Al Qaida operatives overseas. But we did not know about their plans until it was too late."

Trust me.

"The terrorist surveillance program has helped prevent terrorist attacks. "

Trust me.

"This year my budget will cut it again and reduce or eliminate more than 140 programs that are performing poorly or not fulfilling essential priorities."

Trust me.

"So tonight I announce the Advanced Energy Initiative -- a 22 percent increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy to push for breakthroughs in two vital areas."

Trust me.

"Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025."

Trust me.

The mast we must tie ourselves to is the truth of what we know has happened. We know, that regardless of the ideology behind the drive to invade Iraq, the American people were misled again and again. We remember, and will not ignore, the sudden urgency after 9/11 in every word from the administration that death and destruction from Iraq was imminent.

We will not forget the utter incompetence of the post invasion plan that continues to take American and Iraqi lives every day.

We will not ignore the statement that Bush was not "talking literally" about replacing 75% of our Middle East oil imports with new technologies.

We will not ignore that a "22 percent increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy" really means budget cuts and staff lay-offs at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

We will not ignore that slashing 140 "poorly performing programs" means less money for the poor, less money for college loans, less money for the elderly.

We will not forget that Osama bin Laden still walks free to be used at need for political ends.

The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him. ~G.W. Bush, 9/13/01

I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority. ~G.W. Bush, 3/13/02

Terrorists like bin Laden are serious about mass murder and all of us must take their declared intentions seriously. ~G.W. Bush, State of the Union, 2006

And we will not trust this president, or any other, to violate our right to privacy without judicial and legislative oversight for whatever reason, because we know, and our Founders have warned us, that once that door is opened, no matter how long it takes, tyranny will surely result.

Blind faith in government is about as unpatriotic a quality as an American can have.

But don't take it from me:

Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one. ~Thomas Paine

The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground. ~Thomas Jefferson

Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. ~Thomas Jefferson

Unless the mass retains sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals and their families selected for the trust. ~Thomas Jefferson

Government is not reason. It is not eloquence. It is a force, like fire: a dangerous servant and a terrible master. ~George Washington

What role have you chosen? Are you trusting your way onto the rocks? Filling your ears with wax?

Or tying yourself to the truth.

Cheers,
Clemsy



QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

NEGROPONTE, GOSS COMPLAIN TO SENATE PANEL ABOUT ILLEGAL SPYING LEAKS
Government's lawbreaking capability compromised when people find out about it. ~The Ironic Times

The last thing I ever wanted was to be alive when the three most powerful people on the whole planet would be named Bush, Dick and Colon. ~Kurt Vonnegutt

The Federalists believed you don't give the masses real democracy - you only want to give them a little bit. ~Thom Hartmann

My participation in that presentation at the UN constitutes the lowest point in my professional life. I participated in a hoax on the American people, the international community and the United Nations Security Council. ~Colonel (ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson, formerly Colin Powell's chief of staff

The spending on the Iraq conflict alone is now approaching the cost of the Korean war, about $330bn in today's dollars. Meanwhile the cost of the overall "war on terror" - relabelled The Long War in the Pentagon - is already close to half a trillion dollars, and will soon equal that of the 13-year Vietnam war. ~The Guardian

When will a journalist or public figure, outside the blogosphere, ever have enough balls to say flat out that Dick Cheney is a liar? ~David Fiderer

Asked why the president used the words 'the Middle East' when he didn't really mean them, one administration official said Bush wanted to dramatize the issue in a way that "every American sitting out there listening to the speech understands." The official spoke only on condition of anonymity because he feared that his remarks might get him into trouble. ~Knight Ridder on Bush reducing dependency on Mideast oil

The [Bush Family's] sense of how to win elections comes out of a CIA manual, not out of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. ~Former GOP strategist Kevin Phillips

Much of the problem is the media itself, which serves as a disinformation agency for the Bush administration. Fox 'News' and right-wing talk radio are the worst, but with propagandistic outlets setting the standard for truth and patriotism, all of the media is affected to some degree. ~Former Wall Street Journal and National Review assistant editor Paul Craig Roberts

Wait a minute. Drawing the lone superpower into an endless global struggle, draining it of its wealth and will … that was Osama bin Laden’s strategic goal, right? Didn’t we have some intelligence on that once? ~Michael Hirsh

Most of us sense that when, decades from now, the story of this administration comes out, it will be one of ordinary incompetence, of rigid and incurious people overwhelmed by events in a world they don't dare look around and see. ~Garrison Keillor

I'm amazed that the president would make this (announcement) on national TV and not inform us of these details through the appropriate channels. ~LA Mayor Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on alleged foiled al Qaeda attack on Los Angeles.

At this point the administration's budget strategy seems to be simply to ignore reality. ~Paul Krugman

The vice president's vindictiveness in defending the misguided war in Iraq is obvious. If he used classified information to defend it, he should be prepared to take full responsibility. ~Sen.Ted Kennedy on Libby's testimony that he was authorized to leak classified information


QUOTES FROM THE HIVE MIND

We will uphold the messenger of God not only by our voices but also by our blood. ~Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah (Cartoonists take note.)

I think these civil rights leaders are nothing more than racists. And they're keeping ... their African-American brothers enslaved, ~Mary Matalin

You know, a lot of people probably think math and science isn't meant for me — it kind of seems a little hard, algebra. I can understand that, frankly. ~George W.Bush

I don't think the American people, if you look historically, elect angry candidates. Whether it's the comments about the plantation or the worst administration in history, Hillary Clinton seems to have a lot of anger. ~Ken Mehlman, playing "Let's Frame the Potential Presidential Candidate!"

The administration has gone a long way in the last couple of days to assure people that this highly classified program is critical to the protection of the nation. I think they've more than made a persuasive case. The real question is how do we have oversight. ~Sen. Orin Hatch (Um, Orin? The FISA court... that's your oversight.)

There was one time I had a shot at Clinton. I thought 'Ann, that's not going to help your career. ~Ann Coulter

If we find out someone [referring to a terrorist] is going to attack the Supreme Court next week, can't we tell Roberts, Alito, Thomas and Scalito? ~Ann Coulter


PICKS OF THE WEEK:

Cheney 'Authorized' Libby to Leak Classified Information

Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, testified to a federal grand jury that he had been "authorized" by Cheney and other White House "superiors" in the summer of 2003 to disclose classified information to journalists to defend the Bush administration's use of prewar intelligence in making the case to go to war with Iraq, according to attorneys familiar with the matter, and to court records. (Can Dick go to jail now? Please?)

Powell's former chief of staff on Iraq intel: 'I participated in a hoax'

Wilkerson stood strongly by his earlier description of Cheney and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld as having formed a cabal to hijack the decision-making process, emphasizing both their determination to ignore the Geneva Conventions and the "inept and incompetent" planning for post-invasion Iraq. And he concluded, "I'm worried and I would rather have the discussion and debate in the process we've designed than I would a dictate from a dumb strongman. . . . I'd prefer to see the squabble of democracy to the efficiency of dictators."

Top 10 'Conspiracy Theories' about George W. Bush, Part 1 by Maureen Farrell

Top 10 'Conspiracy Theories' about George W. Bush, Part 2

With the most secretive, power-hungry administration in recent history, George W. Bush has generated a cornucopia of theories. Many of them are ridiculous while others, like the assorted conspiracies relating to Skull and Bones, simply confirm suspicions about frat boys and prove that privilege and networking do, in fact, catapult people into high places.

Some theories, however, have Tina Turner-strength legs. (Not for Kool-Aid drinking pod people.)

Thom Hartmann Brings Context to Today's Political Frays, A BUZZFLASH INTERVIEW (A must read for Thom fans.)

The Effectiveness Thing by Paul Krugman

We are ruled by bunglers. Every major venture by the Bush administration, from the occupation of Iraq to the Medicare drug program, has turned into an epic saga of incompetence. In retrospect, the Clinton years look like a golden era of good government.


HEADLINES

Some Democrats Are Sensing Missed Opportunities

Democrats are heading into this year's elections in a position weaker than they had hoped for, party leaders say, stirring concern that they are letting pass an opportunity to exploit what they see as widespread Republican vulnerabilities. (Gosh. Hard to determine whether to hang my head in shame, shake my head in unbelieving exasperation or laugh my sardonic head clean off.)

Exclusive: Can the President Order a Killing on U.S. Soil?

In the latest twist in the debate over presidential powers, a Justice Department official suggested that in certain circumstances, the president might have the power to order the killing of terrorist suspects inside the United States. Steven Bradbury, acting head of the department's Office of Legal Counsel, went to a closed-door Senate intelligence committee meeting last week to defend President George W. Bush's surveillance program. During the briefing, said administration and Capitol Hill officials (who declined to be identified because the session was private), California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein asked Bradbury questions about the extent of presidential powers to fight Al Qaeda; could Bush, for instance, order the killing of a Qaeda suspect known to be on U.S. soil? Bradbury replied that he believed Bush could indeed do this, at least in certain circumstances.

Conservatives ask: Is Bush still one of us?

The Wall Street Journal editorial page accused President Bush of playing "miniball," code for a Clintonian love of "small political ideas." Robert Novak reported private concern among congressional conservatives that Mr. Bush was moving toward bigger government. George Will called Bush's most memorable line - that America is addicted to oil - "wonderfully useless."

House Committee Squashes Torture Queries

Republicans easily defeated three resolutions seeking information about the Bush administration's policies on torture after a heated committee hearing.

Suicide Blast, Clashes in Pakistan Kill 22

A suicide bombing ripped through a Shiite procession Thursday in northwestern Pakistan, sparking riots during the Muslim sect's most important holiday. At least 22 people were killed and dozens injured, officials said.

A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA

George C. Deutsch, the young presidential appointee at NASA who told public affairs workers to limit reporters' access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word "theory" at every mention of the Big Bang, resigned yesterday, agency officials said. (The lad lied on his résumé. Tsk tsk.)

Bush's Social Security Sleight of Hand

Last year, even though Bush talked endlessly about the supposed joys of private accounts, he never proposed a specific plan to Congress and never put privatization costs in the budget. But this year, with no fanfare whatsoever, Bush stuck a big Social Security privatization plan in the federal budget proposal, which he sent to Congress on Monday. (Everybody hates a sneak, George.)

White House Knew of Levee's Failure on Night of Storm

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bush administration officials said they had been caught by surprise when they were told on Tuesday, Aug. 30, that a levee had broken, allowing floodwaters to engulf New Orleans.

Brown: I Warned White House as Katrina Hit

Former federal disaster chief Michael Brown, the face of the government's listless response to Hurricane Katrina, said Friday he told top Bush officials the day the storm howled ashore of massive flooding in New Orleans and warned "we were realizing our worst nightmare."


BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING

US plans massive data sweep

The US government is developing a massive computer system that can collect huge amounts of data and, by linking far-flung information from blogs and e-mail to government records and intelligence reports, search for patterns of terrorist activity.

The Unasked Question in the Domestic Spying Debate

Given the administration’s track record on accuracy, why does anyone, let alone everyone, in the major media go along with this instead of saying, “Why should we believe these guys know an al-Qaeda operative when they see one?” (Bingo.)

Surveillance Net Yields Few Suspects

Intelligence officers who eavesdropped on thousands of Americans in overseas calls under authority from President Bush have dismissed nearly all of them as potential suspects after hearing nothing pertinent to a terrorist threat, according to accounts from current and former government officials and private-sector sources with knowledge of the technologies in use.

Rove counting heads on the Senate Judiciary Committee

The White House has been twisting arms to ensure that no Republican member votes against President Bush in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation of the administration's unauthorized wiretapping.

Secret Court's Judges Were Warned About NSA Spy Data

Twice in the past four years, a top Justice Department lawyer warned the presiding judge of a secret surveillance court that information overheard in President Bush's eavesdropping program may have been improperly used to obtain wiretap warrants in the court, according to two sources with knowledge of those events.

Republican Who Oversees N.S.A. Calls for Wiretap Inquiry

A House Republican whose subcommittee oversees the National Security Agency broke ranks with the White House on Tuesday and called for a full Congressional inquiry into the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program.

Republican Speaks Up, Leading Others to Challenge Wiretaps

When Representative Heather A. Wilson broke ranks with President Bush on Tuesday to declare her "serious concerns" about domestic eavesdropping, she gave voice to what some fellow Republicans were thinking, if not saying.


SCANDAL CORNER

DeLay Rejoins House Appropriations Committee

"Allowing Tom DeLay to sit on a committee in charge of giving out money is like putting Michael Brown back in charge of FEMA," said Bill Burton, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, referring to the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency who resigned after the flawed federal response to Hurricane Katrina.


OCCUPATION: IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

Lawmakers Fear Lack of Progress on Iraq

The Bush administration is falling short in its efforts to rebuild Iraq, increase oil production and spawn a new government that is representative of all factions there, lawmakers of both parties said Tuesday. (Duh.)


RELIGION

Hezbollah Leader to Bush: 'Shut Up'

The leader of Hezbollah, heading a march by hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslims Thursday, said President Bush and his secretary of state should "shut up" after they accused Syria and Iran of fueling protests over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Forgetting someone?

Amid the rubble of the worldwide uproar over the Danish cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad, the Bush administration sees an opportunity -- to whip up ill will toward two of the many Islamic countries involved in the protests. In an amazing coincidence, they just happen to the two countries where the neocons have long coveted some type of military action in Bush's second term: Iran and Syria.

...However, when we were growing up there was a TV game show called "You Don't Say," and its motto was, "It's not what you say, it's what you don't say." And boy, is that true in this case -- because Rice made no mention of the countries that had done the most to inflame the controversies -- Egypt, Pakistan, and most notably, Saudi Arabia.

Cartoon editors face mixed fates

Editors who have republished controversial cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad have faced a wide variety of different fates.

While some have been applauded for defending freedom of speech, others have been fired, arrested or received death threats.


OPINION

Republican Jokers: Push For Energy Independence Is Just A Punch-Line
by Molly Ivins

I like to think that Republicans are having fun. They're such cards. What a wheeze, what a jape. Talking about energy independence in the State of the Union Address! President Bush said, "America is addicted to oil" and, we will "break this addiction." Oh what a good trick to see if anyone thought he actually meant it!

"Dangerous" Academics: Right-wing Distortions About Leftist Professors
by Robert Jensen

In an “urgent” email last week, right-wing activist David Horowitz hyped his latest book about threats to America’s youth from leftist professors.

The ad for “The Professors -- The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America” describes me as: “Texas Journalism Professor Robert Jensen, who rabidly hates the United States, and recently told his students, ‘The United States has lost the war in Iraq and that’s a good thing.’”

We Hold This Truthiness to Be Self-Evident by Michael Winship

There's an old saying that politicians use statistics like a drunk uses a lamppost -- more for support than illumination. Increasingly, it seems all manner of facts and figures are manipulated, massaged or just plain made up to fit an existing set of beliefs, regardless of the actual truth.

Vonnegut's Blues for America by Kurt Vonnegut

No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious and charitable institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful.

The Democrats' Tiny Megaphone

Sen. John Kerry says a key reason that the Democratic political message seems so muddled to many Americans is that Democrats have a smaller “megaphone” than the one wielded by the Republicans and their conservative allies.

Think How Lucky We Were by Molly Ivins

It is one of the most famous sentences in all of American rhetoric: "My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total." But what catches the eye today is the sentence that followed that famous declaration, the sentence that makes one so ashamed for Al Gonzales. Barbara Jordan's great, deep voice brought the impeachment hearings against Richard Nixon to an awed silence when she vowed, "And I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution."

Who's Hormonal? Hillary or Dick? by Maureen Dowd

The Republicans succeed because they keep it simple, ruthless and mythic.

Kirkuk, A Memo, A Speech

A Peak Under the Radar

A month ago I posted a link to a story about the growing Kurdish nationalism in what is increasingly being referred to, as I mentioned in December, as Kurdistan. This week I heard a story on the growing ethnic violence in Kirkuk, a city that is central to 40% of Iraq's oil reserves and home to Chaldean Christians, Assyrians, Turkomen, Arabs and a majority of Kurds.

Here are some quotes from the above article:

It doesn't matter if we have to fight the Arabs in our own battalion. Kirkuk will be ours. ~Gabriel Mohammed, a Kurdish soldier in the Iraqi

The Ministry of Defense recently sent me 150 Arab soldiers from the south. After two weeks of service, we sent them away. We did not accept them. We will not let them carry through with their plans to bring more Arab soldiers here. ~Col. Talib Naji, Kurd serving in the Iraqi army on the edge of Kirkuk

Kirkuk is Kurdistan; it does not belong to the Arabs. If we can resolve this by talking, fine, but if not, then we will resolve it by fighting. ~Hamid Afandi, the minister of Peshmerga for the Kurdistan Democratic Party

We will do our best diplomatically, and if that fails we will use force. The government in Baghdad will be too weak to use force against the will of the Kurdish people. ~ Jafar Mustafir, a close adviser to Iraq's Kurdish former interim president, Jalal Talabani, on securing Kurdistan's borders

Of interest is that a google of this topic results in very little recent information. There are lots of links from 2003 and 2004, and then... practically nothing.

Intresting, that.

According to this recent NPR story, the ethnic violence in Kirkuk is escalating.

My money is on this breaking into the mainstream media within the next few months as an already full fledged crisis that will take the Great Uninformed totally by surprise.

...And the Kurds will declare independence before the end of the year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About that New Memo....

So a new Downing Street Memo came to light illustrating Blair and Bush's intention to invade Iraq regardless of evidence of, well, anything.

Mr Bush told Mr Blair that the US was so worried about the failure to find hard evidence against Saddam that it thought of "flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft planes with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours". Mr Bush added: "If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach [of UN resolutions]".

This took place in January, 2003. I will remind you of the claim, four months earlier, these gentlemen made regarding a certain nonexistant International Atomic Energy Agency report. Remember? The one that supposedly stated Iraq would have a nuke within six months?

Bush is so impeachable only Shakespeare can do it justice:

"Judgement has fled to brutish beasts and men have lost their reason."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The State of the Union Speech That Said Nothing About the State of the Union

The speech was well written, no? Weaved around the issues nicely and valiantly attempted to frame the opposition as isolationist and protectionist.

I bet the writers at the drawing board were very pleased with themselves. "That's it! Defeatists and Isolationsists and Protectionists! They're doomed!"

My personal reaction was, "What?"

Remember when conservatives were considered isolationists and protectionists? What a topsy-turvy world we live in.

In true black and white thinking, Bush's assumption is that his strategy for the "War on Terror" is the only correct one, which, if the War on Terror is to go on forever, he's right.

The rest of the speech was rather lean on substance but I am very happy that the administration is going to protect us from "human-animal hybrids". Last thing we need is mice with human brains developing people traps.

(Mrs. Clemsy and I just knew that Jon Stewart and friends probably hooted and hollered at this point in the speech. Sure enough, he led with it on the Daily Show.)

Some would say, crass and meanspirited of course, that the chimp-human thing has already been done with disappointing results.

Of course we were all very pleased to hear that BushCo is dedicated to relieving us from our addiction to Mideast oil.

Especially since most of us probably didn't hear the curious clarification the next day. (Which, btw, has been an excellent and effective strategy for this administration: the lie is reported widely, the correction blurbed in deep and below the fold.):

One day after President Bush vowed to reduce America's dependence on Middle East oil by cutting imports from there 75 percent by 2025, his energy secretary and national economic adviser said Wednesday that the president didn't mean it literally. LINK

Nice references about alternative energy programs, huh? Challenging the scientific community, and all that. Too bad about the budget cuts and staff lay-offs at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, though.

I wish I kept count of how many times the CNN camera showed cheering Republicans vs. non-cheering Democrats. The camera definitely had a preference for the smiley side of the aisle.

BTW, the day of the speech Bush's approval rating dropped to 39%. As of today, there's no indication of any speech bump. Poor guy. He obviously practiced a lot. I gave him high delivery marks.

Cheers,
Clemsy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

Study: U.S. Ranks 28th in World on Environment
We're doing better in soccer. ~The Ironic Times

Report: Bush taking fiddle lessons. ~The Ironic Times

In fact, the political reality is that the Democrats could come out as champions of the vast majority of Americans if they stopped getting scared off by the bogeyman of the mythical, non-existent "conservative" center. ~Buzzflash

Fighting last year [in Afghanistan] left some 1,600 people dead, the highest death toll since 2001, as militants stepped up their campaign against the U.S.-backed central government. ~AP

The top climate scientist at NASA says the Bush administration has tried to stop him from speaking out since he gave a lecture last month calling for prompt reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases linked to global warming. ~The New York Times

Republicans didn't tolerate this kind of behavior from the Clinton White House in the midst of its fundraising scandal. "At every turn, they are stonewalling, covering up and hiding," Haley Barbour, then the head of the Republican National Committee, said as the Clinton administration tried to brush off questions about its fundraising before the 1996 election. Mr. Barbour complained of the administration's "utter contempt . . . for the public's right to know." ~The Washington Post on the Abramoff-White House connection

In a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Friday, 76 percent of those surveyed said the Bush administration should provide a list of all meetings any White House officials have had with Abramoff. Two in three Republicans joined with eight in 10 Democrats and political independents in favoring disclosure, according to the poll. ~AP

The so-called right-to-life movement in the United States has expanded its agenda way beyond the original focus on abortion. Given the political power of religious conservatives, the impact of a whole range of patient services could be in danger. ~Lois Uttley of the MergerWatch project

Even after more than 83 incidents were reported during a six-month period in Iraq and Kuwait, the 24-hour rape hot line was still answered by a machine that told callers to leave a message. ~Marjorie Cohn on assaults on female U.S. military personnel

It is astonishing that the Bush administration would align itself with Sudan, China, Iran, and Zimbabwe in a coalition of the homophobic. ~Scott Long, director of the Human Rights Watch

Iraqis are demanding a timetable for U.S. withdrawal, and most believe that the U.S. has no plans to leave even if the new government asks them to. ~Steven Kull, the director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland

80 percent of Iraqis overall assume that the United States intends to keep bases in Iraq. The breakdown of people who have that belief is 92 percent of Sunnis, 79 percent of Shiites and 67 percent of Kurds. ~Drew Brown, Knight Ridder Newspapers

It is undeniable that unprecedented numbers of government whistleblowers face retaliation with no adequate protections. We are stunned that the Congress is offended to hear the truth about its failure to help whistleblowers and are even punishing their own seasoned researchers for talking about it. ~Danielle Brian, Project on Government Oversight

There is little room for nuance in my opinion on this. If your religious beliefs interfere with your job providing any and all desired or required care for a patient, you have several options- change your job, change your religion, suck it up and hope yours is a forgiving God. ~Juan Cole

The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money. ~Alexis DeTocqueville

All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it. ~Alexis DeTocqueville (see Bush quote below)


QUOTES FROM THE HIVE MIND

I’d like to leave behind a legacy — or a think tank, a place for people to talk about freedom and liberty and the DeTocqueville model of what DeTocqueville saw in America. ~George Bush

...In uncertain times it's easy for people to lose confidence in the capacity of this country to lead and to shape our future. ~George Bush (It's you we have no confidence in George, not the country. You.)

Osama Is irrelevant. ~Rush Limbaugh

MI [military intelligence] may receive information from anyone, anytime. ~Lt. Gen. Robert W. Noonan Jr., the deputy chief of staff for intelligence.


PICKS OF THE WEEK:

Bush told Blair we're going to war, memo reveals

Tony Blair told President George Bush that he was "solidly" behind US plans to invade Iraq before he sought advice about the invasion's legality and despite the absence of a second UN resolution, according to a new account of the build-up to the war published today.

A memo of a two-hour meeting between the two leaders at the White House on January 31 2003 - nearly two months before the invasion - reveals that Mr Bush made it clear the US intended to invade whether or not there was a second resolution and even if UN inspectors found no evidence of a banned Iraqi weapons programme.

State of Delusion by Paul Krugman

So President Bush's plan to reduce imports of Middle East oil turns out to be no more substantial than his plan -- floated two years ago, then flushed down the memory hole -- to send humans to Mars.

Palace Revolt

They were loyal conservatives, and Bush appointees. They fought a quiet battle to rein in the president's power in the war on terror. And they paid a price for it. A NEWSWEEK investigation. (Held over from last week.)

Spies, Lies and Wiretaps

A bit over a week ago, President Bush and his men promised to provide the legal, constitutional and moral justifications for the sort of warrantless spying on Americans that has been illegal for nearly 30 years. Instead, we got the familiar mix of political spin, clumsy historical misinformation, contemptuous dismissals of civil liberties concerns, cynical attempts to paint dissents as anti-American and pro-terrorist, and a couple of big, dangerous lies.


HEADLINES

Refineries cut production to protect gasoline profits

Oil refiners cut fuel production in some states this week to counter slipping profit margins, drawing fire from critics already incensed by soaring gasoline prices and Big Oil's recent record profits.

The End of the Internet?

The nation's largest telephone and cable companies are crafting an alarming set of strategies that would transform the free, open and nondiscriminatory Internet of today to a privately run and branded service that would charge a fee for virtually everything we do online.

Administration backs off Bush's vow to reduce Mideast oil imports

What the president meant, they said in a conference call with reporters, was that alternative fuels could displace an amount of oil imports equivalent to most of what America is expected to import from the Middle East in 2025.

Pentagon investigation of Iraq war hawk stalling Senate inquiry into pre-war Iraq intelligence

The second part of the Senate investigation into bungled pre-war Iraq intelligence is still being held up by an internal Pentagon investigation of Douglas Feith, one of the war's leading architects, RAW STORY has learned.

'Bigotry Conquers All,' Gay Rights Groups Say of U.S. Vote at UN

The governments of the United States and Iran--part of President George W. Bush's ''axis of evil'' and his current nuclear bete noire--demonstrated rare unity of cause this past week when Washington backed a Tehran initiative to deny UN access to advocates of sexual minorities' rights.

Two Top Papers Ask: Is the Earth Heading for Doom--With an Assist from the White House?

While most Americans remain preoccupied with war, terrorism, high gas prices--or the coming Pitt-Jolie baby--an issue that may dwarf all of those concerns receives major attention on the front page of the Sunday editions of The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Corporate Wealth Share Rises for Top-Income Americans

New government data indicate that the concentration of corporate wealth among the highest-income Americans grew significantly in 2003, as a trend that began in 1991 accelerated in the first year that President Bush and Congress cut taxes on capital.


SCANDAL CORNER

Fitzgerald Hints White House Records Lost

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald is raising the possibility that records sought in the CIA leak investigation could be missing because of an e-mail archiving problem at the White House.

The prosecutor in the criminal case against Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff said in a Jan. 23 letter that not all e-mail was archived in 2003, the year the Bush administration exposed the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame. (Can we call Cheney "Tricky Dicky" now?)

New Details Revealed on C.I.A. Leak Case

Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff told prosecutors that Mr. Cheney had informed him "in an off sort of curiosity sort of fashion" in mid-June 2003 about the identity of the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak case, according to a formerly secret legal opinion, parts of which were made public on Friday.

White House Official Warned Abramoff

David Safavian provided "sensitive and confidential information" about four subsidiaries of Tyco International to Abramoff regarding internal deliberations at the General Services Administration, say the court papers filed Friday in a criminal case against Safavian.

Iraq, Niger, And The CIA

Vice President Cheney and his then-Chief of Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby were personally informed in June 2003 that the CIA no longer considered credible the allegations that Saddam Hussein had attempted to procure uranium from the African nation of Niger, according to government records and interviews with current and former officials. The new CIA assessment came just as Libby and other senior administration officials were embarking on an effort to discredit an administration critic who had also been saying that the allegations were untrue.


BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING

Senate Panel Rebuffed on Documents on U.S. Spying

The Bush administration is rebuffing requests from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for its classified legal opinions on President Bush's domestic spying program, setting up a confrontation in advance of a hearing scheduled for next week, administration and Congressional officials said Wednesday. (Classified legal opinions? Why would legal opinions be classified?)

EFF's Class-Action Lawsuit Against AT&T for Collaboration with Illegal Domestic Spying Program

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a class-action lawsuit against AT&T on January 31, 2006, accusing the telecom giant of violating the law and the privacy of its customers by collaborating with the National Security Agency (NSA) in its massive and illegal program to wiretap and data-mine Americans' communications. (Also see their FAQ)

Top 12 media myths and falsehoods on the Bush administration's spying scandal

Media Matters presents the top 12 myths and falsehoods promoted by the media on President Bush's spying scandal stemming from the recent revelation in The New York Times that he authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to eavesdrop on domestic communications without the required approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court.

News WSJ/NBC poll - HIDEOUS results for Bush on spying, more

How concerned are you that the Bush administration's use of these kinds of wiretaps could be misused to violate people's privacy--extremely concerned, quite concerned, not really concerned, or not concerned at all?

Extremely concerned ........................... 31
Quite concerned ................................... 25
Not really concerned............................ 22
Not concerned at all............................. 21
Not sure................................................ 1

Official: Army Has Authority to Spy on Americans

“Contrary to popular belief, there is no absolute ban on [military] intelligence components collecting U.S. person information,” the U.S.Army’s top intelligence officer said in a 2001 memo that surfaced Tuesday.


OCCUPATION: IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

Nearly half of Iraqis support attacks on U.S. troops, poll finds

The poll also found that 80 percent of Iraqis think the United States plans to maintain permanent bases in the country even if the newly elected Iraqi government asks American forces to leave. Researchers found a link between support for attacks and the belief among Iraqis that the United States intends to keep a permanent military presence in the country. (Permanent bases in the country? Wherever did they get that idea? Gosh!)

Military Hides Cause of Women Soldiers' Deaths

In a startling revelation, the former commander of Abu Ghraib prison testified that Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, former senior US military commander in Iraq, gave orders to cover up the cause of death for some female American soldiers serving in Iraq.

Fierce Fighting Kills 37 in Afghanistan

Fighting raged across southern Afghanistan on Saturday with attacks on government offices and a police convoy killing a district chief and 15 others — raising the death toll from two days of battles to 37, officials said.

Audit: U.S.-Led Occupation Squandered Aid

Iraqi money gambled away in the Philippines. Thousands spent on a swimming pool that was never used. An elevator repaired so poorly that it crashed, killing people.


RELIGION

Religious Groups Get Chunk of AIDS Money

New groups are springing up to win a piece of President Bush's $15 billion AIDS program, with traditional players and religious groups joining forces to improve their chances in a competition that already has targeted nearly a quarter of its grants for faith-based organizations.

Among those winning grants were:

_Samaritan's Purse, which is run by Graham's son, Franklin. It says its mission is "meeting critical needs of victims of war, poverty, famine, disease and natural disaster while sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ."

Health Workers' Choice Debated

More than a dozen states are considering new laws to protect health workers who do not want to provide care that conflicts with their personal beliefs, a surge of legislation that reflects the intensifying tension between asserting individual religious values and defending patients' rights.

About half of the proposals would shield pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control and "morning-after" pills because they believe the drugs cause abortions. But many are far broader measures that would shelter a doctor, nurse, aide, technician or other employee who objects to any therapy. That might include in-vitro fertilization, physician-assisted suicide, embryonic stem cells and perhaps even providing treatment to gays and lesbians.


OPINION

A False Balance by Paul Krugman

"How does one report the facts," asked Rob Corddry on "The Daily Show," "when the facts themselves are biased?" He explained to Jon Stewart, who played straight man, that "facts in Iraq have an anti-Bush agenda," and therefore can't be reported.