No, it’s not all hunky-dorey, Senator McCain: U.S. and Iraqi forces launched the security offensive in February. In March, violent deaths dropped in Baghdad, according to Iraqi morgue and police statistics. But violence rose elsewhere in Iraq, fueled largely by suicide bombings. In March, a total of 2,762 Iraqi civilians and policemen were killed, down 4 percent from the previous … Read More
Memo To Bush
Bush on TV this morning: It has now been 57 days since I requested that Congress pass emergency funds for our troops. Instead of passing clean bills that fund our troops on the front lines, the House and Senate have spent this time debating bills that undercut the troops. *** In a time of war it’s irresponsible for the Democratic … Read More
Flip-Flopper Flip-Flops
Matthew Dowd, the Bush advisor who pinned the term "flip-flopper" on John Kerry in the 2004 elections, had flip-flopped himself. Or, some might say, he’s come to Jesus. It’s the biggest Bush "insider" to break with Bush, telling the New York Times this weekend that "Kerry was right" about Iraq. UPDATE: Hmmmm. Lots of disillusionment going around.
John McCain Is Losing It
He used to be a maverick and a straight-talker. Now he’s completely bonkers. In recent days, he’s been touting how safe Baghdad is, even as news reports have highlighted bombings and attacks in the normally-safe green zone. For his pollyannish comments, McCain was fittingly ridiculed. But rather than let it go, he decided to amp it up. At a press … Read More
Remains Of 9-11 Victims Used To Fill Potholes
I’m speechless: The pulverized remains of bodies from the World Trade Center disaster site were used by city workers to fill ruts and potholes, a city contractor says in a sworn affidavit filed Friday in Manhattan Federal Court. Eric Beck says debris powders – known as fines – were put in a pothole-fill mixture by crews at the Fresh Kills … Read More
About The Confession
The headlines today are full of stories about how Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has now confessed to masterminding 9/11 as well as, well, everything (including the Lindburgh baby kidnapping*). My first and only reaction? Is this news? Didn’t we already know this? And the answer to both questions, respectively, is: No, it’s not news, — and yes, we already knew this. … Read More
How Overstretched Is The Military?
It’s so overstrateched that the Army is now sending wounded soldiers back to Iraq: "This is not right," said Master Sgt. Ronald Jenkins, who has been ordered to Iraq even though he has a spine problem that doctors say would be damaged further by heavy Army protective gear. "This whole thing is about taking care of soldiers," he said angrily. … Read More
Collateral Damage
Another sad side effect of this war: "[R]oughly 250,000 American servicemen and women struggling with PTSD, and almost 60,000 military marriages that have been broken by this war."
Democratic Leadership Announces Plan For Iraq
The key detail: President Bush will be required to certify on July 1, 2007 and again on October 1, 2007 whether the Iraq government is meeting key benchmarks in reducing violence and other areas. If Bush certifies that, yes, the Iraqis are meeting them, then withdrawal would begin on March 1, 2008, and be completed by September 1 of that … Read More
Let Me See If I Get This Straight
Let’s get a timeline: In 1995, Clinton cuts off all trade and investment with Iran. U.S. companies were no longer able to do business with Iran. After that announcement, Halliburton decided that business with Iran, then conducted through at least five companies, would all be done through a subsidiary incorporated in the Cayman Islands. This way, Halliburton could skirt around … Read More
Walter Reed Scandal Grows
The Walter Reed scandal sheds a spotlight on the basic difference between conservatives and progressives. The conservative’s mantra is that government is necessarily bad, and it can’t do anything right. The progressive’s mantra is that government can do good things, if we just permit it to. Of course, when conservatives control the agencies of government, their mantra becomes a self-fulfilling … Read More
Troops Unprepared
How can people who "support the troops" allow this to happen? Rushed by President Bush’s decision to reinforce Baghdad with thousands more U.S. troops, two Army combat brigades are skipping their usual session at the Army’s premier training range in California and instead are making final preparations at their home bases. Some in Congress and others outside the Army are … Read More
Quote Of The Day
Laura Bush on Larry King Live: And many parts of Iraq are stable now. But, of course, what we see on television is the one bombing a day that discourages everybody. One bombing a day? C’mon, Laura. Here’s a list of incidents Iraq over the past week. By my count, there are 34 involving bombs. That’s five a day.
Fourteen Years Ago Today….
I was helping sooty shaken people out of the World Trade Center, after it was bombed. My story here.
Gibson: People Who Think There’s Too Much Anna Nicole News Are “Iraq Snobs”
Wonkette: Fox News tool John Gibson is disgusted by Anderson Cooper’s “news-guy snobbery,” because the handsome CNN anchor keeps reporting on stupid Iraq!Bravely defending the constant cable-news coverage of a fat drug-addict porno gal’s death, Gibson told his radio audience that Cooper is just trying to be a fancy snob with all this “U.S. troops killed every day” stuff, which … Read More