The Liberal Avenger points to a wonderful Salon article which asks "four of the biggest questions Fitzgerald’s investigation may be able to answer". I’ll post the "questions", but seriously, the whole article is worth a read: Did the vice president’s office put pressure on intelligence analysts in the run-up to war? Did pressure from the vice president’s office have anything … Read More
The Pollari-Hadley Connection
Josh Marshall, not one to give in to hysterics and histrionics, points to an article in today’s Italian Daily La Repubblica — an article which, if accurate, could "rock the foundations of official Washington". I strongly urge you to read the whole thing, including Josh’s cautionary caveats, but here is the gist: It’s about the forged Niger/uranium documents. Back in … Read More
2000
There is no earthly logical reason why the 2000th U.S. soldier killed in Iraq is more tragic than the 1999th or, for that matter, the 1998th. These are miles on your car’s odometer — these are individual people. With families. With friends. And with futures which are no more. But still, for some reason, "2000" is viewed as a milestone. … Read More
Iraq Full Of Ingrates
With the U.S. death toll approaching 2,000, let’s take a brief sstop to see exactly how Iraqis feel about their liberation. From Britain’s Sunday Telegram: Millions of Iraqis believe that suicide attacks against British troops are justified, a secret military poll commissioned by senior officers has revealed. The poll, undertaken for the Ministry of Defence and seen by The Sunday … Read More
“I’ll Never Fall For Bush Aga-ai-ai-ain”
You know we live in strange times when anti-war songs are being penned by . . . Burt Bacharach. On his new album, in which he writes lyrics (as opposed to just music) for the first time: the most stridently political number, "Who Are These People?" [is] sung by Elvis Costello. That song, expressing disillusionment with the war in Iraq, … Read More
Manipulated Intelligence
Color me unsurprised: The lengthy account by New York Times reporter Judy Miller about her grand jury testimony in the CIA leak case inadvertently provides a revealing window into how the Bush administration manipulated journalists about intelligence on Iraq’s nonexistent weapons of mass destruction. Whatever the implications for special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s probe, Miller describes a conversation with Vice President … Read More
Support The Troops!
The Pentagon has reneged on its offer to pay a $15,000 bonus to members of the National Guard and Army Reserve who agree to extend their enlistments by six years, according to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Seattle). The bonuses were offered in January to Active Guard and Reserve and military technician soldiers who were serving overseas. In April, the Office of … Read More
Terrorism Hysteria
Cathy Young has posted a very sane analysis of the recent phenomenon of prominent right-wing bloggers jonesing for a new domestic terrorist attack. (Via Is That Legal): Michelle Malkin, Powerline, and The Jawa Report flogged the story relentlessly, picking up every sensational detail and railing against the "mainstream media" for ignoring and covering up the story. In a typical passage … Read More
Biological Attack? By Who? Against Whom?
I blogged about it here, but there was little national attention to it. But Salon is picking up on the story. From Sploid: DID WASHINGTON ‘TEST’ BIOWEAPONS ON D.C. WAR PROTESTERS? It is the most perplexing "non story" of the American terror era: For the first time ever, a half-dozen of the bioweapons air sensors installed around Washington, D.C., all … Read More
Looks Like TOO MUCH Democracy, If You Know What I Mean
Iraq’s electoral commission said Monday it intended to audit "unusually high" numbers in results coming from most provinces in Saturday’s landmark referendum on the draft constitution. The commission’s statement came after Sunni Arab lawmaker, Meshaan al-Jubouri, claimed fraud had occurred in the vote — including instances of voting in hotly contested regions Saturday by pro-constitution Shiites from other areas — … Read More
Pentagon Gives Up In Corruption Fight
They aren’t even trying these days. Or in the days of 2004. The chief Pentagon agency in charge of investigating and reporting fraud and waste in Defense Department spending in Iraq quietly pulled out of the war zone a year ago – leaving what experts say are gaps in the oversight of how more than $140 billion is being spent. … Read More
The Bush Photo-Op: The Rest Of The Story
A soldier appearing in the Bush photo-op conference (discussed here) gives the soldiers’ side of the story on his blog: Yesterday, I was chosen to be among a small group of soldiers assigned to the 42ID’s Task Force Liberty that would speak to President Bush, our Commander-in-Chief. The interview went well, but I would like to respond to what most … Read More
Strange Metrics
Gen. Abizaid, on Meet the Press, was explaining why he believes that the readiness of the Iraqi army is pretty good: "[T]here’s more people in the field fighting and participating in operations than at any time in the past and their casualty rate is double, if not triple that of which ours is, which means they’re out there fighting." So … Read More
Margaret Thatcher – Iraq War Opposer
The hits keep on comin’ for the neo-cons: Baroness Thatcher has criticised Tony Blair for taking Britain to war in Iraq on the basis of flawed evidence about Saddam Hussein’s weapons. The former prime minister’s embarrassing criticism emerged as Mr Blair was among the 670 guests who attended a party to mark her 80th birthday. Although Lady Thatcher remains a … Read More
Supporting The Troops
Bush surrounds himself with people in uniform. He shows genuine grief for the fallen and sympathy for their families, and praises those who have paid the "ultimate price for our security and freedom". Yet, here’s the price, literally, that the soldiers pay: His hand had been blown off in Iraq, his body pierced by shrapnel. He could not walk. Robert … Read More