I have a hard time keeping the players stright. Bush wanted to let the United Arab Emirates to manage our ports. He said that the UAE is a "committed ally in the war on terror". So . . . UAE = "good guy", according to Bush. Meanwhile, we’re all pounding our chests and beating the war drums because Iran is … Read More
We We’re In Iraq
Our government has tons of websites, dispensing all kinds of information. My favorite sites are the ones geared toward America’s youth. I stumbled upon one today, in which our government tells young girls how to get over being dumped. My favorite bit: If you’ve just had a break-up and are feeling down, you’re not alone. Just about everyone experiences a … Read More
Deal Or No Deal?
An Italian porn star offers her body to bin Laden in return for ending his tyranny.
Second Verse, Same As The First
Press Conference with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, yesterday: Q: What planning, if any, has the Pentagon been undertaken for the possibility of military action involving Iran? And has the nuclear strike option been ruled out? RUMSFELD: You know, someone comes up with an idea, runs it in a magazine or a paper; other papers pick it up and reprint … Read More
Another Day, Another Lie Exposed
The constant drumbeat of misdoings just continues: On May 29, 2003, 50 days after the fall of Baghdad, President Bush proclaimed a fresh victory for his administration in Iraq: Two small trailers captured by U.S. and Kurdish troops had turned out to be long-sought mobile "biological laboratories." He declared, "We have found the weapons of mass destruction." The claim, repeated … Read More
Well, Well, Well
It’s interesting to see who the Pentagon sees as the true enemy: A high-ranking Pentagon official has been snooping around Hillary and Bill Clinton’s personal financial records, The Post has learned. The Defense Department big shot recently scoured Sen. Clinton personal financial filings – which are required by Senate rules and publicly available. The records contain information about her investments … Read More
Civil War Dominoes
From CNN: Top intelligence officers from several Arab countries and Turkey have been meeting secretly to coordinate strategies in case civil war erupts in Iraq and in an attempt to block Iran’s interference in the war-torn nation, Arab diplomats said Tuesday. The meetings came after several Arab leaders voiced concerns about possible Shiite domination of Iraq and sect leaders’ alliance … Read More
Quote Of The Day
"The mission was to insulate the president. It was about making it appear that he wasn’t in the know." That’s a quote from a Bush administration official. What’s he talking about? He’s talking about how Karl Rove, President Bush’s chief political adviser, cautioned other White House aides in the summer of 2003 that Bush’s 2004 re-election prospects would be severely … Read More
Fox Trying To Spin Good News From Iraq
Digby caught this. Fox reporter Bill Hammer got back from Iraq and turned in a report, including this hilarious bit: We’re in a "cop-shop" outside Falluja. A year ago, they went out on patrol for three hours. Later it was one hour. Then seven minutes. Now they can’t get them to go out at all. But then again, the building … Read More
Top Ten Mistakes The Bush Administration Is Repeating From Vietnam
This is very good, and you should read the whole thing. My favorite from the list: 1. Underestimating the enemy. As in Vietnam, the superpower’s potent military has been astounded by the tenacity and competence of a nationalist rebellion attempting to throw a foreign occupier from its soil. For example, the U.S. military, a hierarchical organization, views the Sunni insurgency … Read More
It’s Not A Democracy If We Meddle Into It
For all its talk about wanting to make Iraq a self-sufficient democracy, the Bush Administration sure likes to kibbitz and strongarm: Senior Shiite politicians said today that the American ambassador has told Shiite officials to inform the Iraqi prime minister that President Bush does not want him to remain the country’s leader in the next government. It is the first … Read More
SCOTUS Report: Rumsfeld v. Hamdan
To hear Lyle Denniston tell it, the government had a rough day in front of the Supreme Court justices today, and the "existing ‘military commission’ scheme may well fail". Good. And no, Scalia didn’t recuse himself, although he opined on the subject matter earlier this month. Denniston’s analysis: With Justice Antonin Scalia taking part — and, in fact, providing the … Read More
Lying To SCOTUS — Not A Good Idea
The full story is here; I’ll just give the funny bits. Today, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case of Rumsfled v. Hamdan. At issue in the case is whether a provision in last year’s Detainee Treatment Act ("DTA") effectively strips the Court of jurisdiction to hear Hamdan’s case. The Government contends that it does. In support of … Read More
Grape News From Iraq
Yup. I’ve been too negative about the way things are going in Iraq. Sure, I could write about the events of the past few days — like the 69 Iraqis killed in military blunders over the weekend, the U.S trained police acting as death squads, the string of kidnappings, or the fact that Iraq’s ruling parties are so pissed at … Read More
Huge Iraq Screwup
The Left Coaster: A day after Iraqi Special Forces under the supervision of American advisors apparently shot up a Shia religious center in Moqtada al-Sadr’s stronghold, the Iraqi government itself is blaming us for the killings of possibly 40 worshippers, possibly execution-style. Government ministers are condemning the Americans for the killings, and Saddam’s former Number Two, a Sunni who has … Read More