Great Stuff Happening in Iraq This Week

Our Home in the Green Zone

Although more and more politicians are entertaining the notion of declaring victory in Iraq and then getting out, we are still spending lots of our tax dollars on some awfully permanent construction. Take the new Baghdad Embassy. More than a billion has been spent (so far) to provide a safe place for diplomacy in the city. The fifteen foot thick walls should help. Of course, it will cost more than just a billion, but planners are asking for some of that Iraqi oil money that was supposed to pay for the war. Apparently, this embassy is only the beginning, although it will cover 104 acres of prime Green Zone property and employ thousands. Further on up the road the Plan calls for four super bases throughout the country of Iraq. Doesn't this sound like staying the course ?

The McCain War Plan

John McCain has let the American Public in on his plan to win in Iraq - send in lots of troops. Currently, the idea of sending about 20,000 new troops is being bruited about, but it may be doubtful that such an increase will make a great difference in the killing. I think maybe the real reason that McCain is asking for more is that he wants to distance himself mightily from Bush's disastrous war strategy in view of his campaign for President in 2008. Totally callous. This is how it was done in Vietnam, and if anyone knows Vietnam, it's McCain. In Vietnam times, the hawks like Curtis LeMay (sounding like our former Secretary of Defense) started their winning strategery with "bombing them back to the Stone Age." Although he didn't serve there, President Bush learned from Vietnam that we should stay the course.

We always had the top technology. We've still got the weapons, but no good, new ideas. Not that this is a new idea, but I suggest giving all the major factions (Sunnis, Shias, and Kuwaitis) a cut by partitioning the country, then leaving.

About Time

From Steve Sack of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Some Good Sonny Boy

Congratulations, Dr. Dean

The Democrats won races where they haven't been in the running for years. The final capitulation came from Virginia, a Southern state,against a Republican who was (past tense) a national figure. The DNC helped win in communities where the incumbents thought the Dems had little chance. I think Howard Dean should be praised for his 50 state strategy, even if he didn't spend the DNC's funds the exact way that every Democrat wanted. It surely looks like he was doing something right. The complaints and rumors about his losing his position are unconscionable.

Update: Wouldn't you think that Rahm Emanuel and Howard Dean deserve at least a segment on Meet the Press this Sunday ? You'd be wrong. Instead, Little Russ has chosen to put on several supporters of the Iraq War, all Republicans. No Democrats at all. What Liberal Media ?

Bye John

Now that the Democrats have won both the House and the Senate, we should be expecting John McCain to honor his promise before the election. He's said to be a man who keeps his word. As I recall it,he said, "I think I'd just commit suicide." Do you think the Democrats could get his seat ?

Guard Your Glass, Dems

Rohypnol
Thank you for your simile, Grover Norquist. Bipartisanship is like Date rape. Democrats can now apply this kind of thinking to the new situation in Washington.Curious how the Preznit wants to "bury the hatchet" and encourage bipartisanship now that Democrats will assume control of all committees and the legislative agenda. Republicans, in developing their Contract for America under Gingrich and Delay, tightened their control so much that Dems were not given a role at all in much law making or committee work, and were forced to constantly threaten the filibuster to be heard at all. Democrats were given huge amounts of legislation that they never were given the opportunity to read to vote upon as quickly as possible. In fact, the Republicans took power in '94 and did not rest until they nearly impeached the President while issuing thousands of subpoenas and spending millions on counterfeit investigations like Travelgate. Of course, the Democrats have been admonished that they shouldn't do anything like that. That wouldn't be good, the Repugs say - do as I say, not as I have done.

Try as I might to come up with an instance of bipartisanship from the President, I cannot. Bloggers have looked back to No Child Left Behind and Bush's broken promises to Ted Kennedy for an illusory semblance of cooperation. After that there's nothing at all, and even legislation from his own party has been hedged upon by nearly 800 "signing statements." Last week he was still striping the Dems together, as aiding and excusing terrorists as he has done so often. With Bush, Cheney, and Rove it was always something more than a dissenting opinion among equals on the merits of an issue; it was a personal attack on Dems as America haters, usually pointing to a strawman who didn't really exist. Also last week, he cynically admitted that he sometimes has to lie, as he did about Rumsfeld's resignation. Isn't obvious that if the Republicans had done better in the election, Rumsfeld would still be Sec of D ? A glint of reality has entered the Preznit's consciousness ; he has learned that his war policy has failed a national referendum in this election.

I think it's important for the President and Republicans to be treated exactly the way they treated the "Democrat" Party. And Mr. Bush has certainly indicated how important he really thinks bipartisanship is - by attempting a lame duck escape on warrantless surveillance and Bolton's nomination.

Now that so many of their ideas and so much corrupt behavior has been rejected by the voters, Bush feels we should do what he never did, work together with the other party and carry out his program anyway. We've learned that his idea of "bipartisanship" is simply to do what he wants. Infinite hypocrisy. I say no chance: we need to do what is best for all of the people.

Update: Lincoln Chafee says he will block Bolton's nomination. How fitting.

Bush's Idea of Bipartisanship

Tasteless Jokes

In all the mountainous molehill over Senator kerry's slip up about our troops, I can't help but remember Preznit Bush's absolutely tasteless joke about WMDs. At the Foreign Correspondent's Dinner in 2003, Bush planned out and deliberately delivered his joke about finding WMDs. He illustrated his "joke " with video of his Majesty looking around the White House (behind curtains, in closets)for those darn WMDs. Where the heck were they ? LOL

His total arrogance and disregard for our troop's mission was and is staggering to this day. Thousands of our beloved soldiers have died because of Bush and those non-existent WMDs.His tasteless behavior was enforced by substantial laughter from his audience, the so-called cream of the mainstream media.Yet I certainly don't recall that this garbage was treated as a news story at all. It was just a funny from the Prez.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from Mike Lucovich !

The Real Reason

Preznit Bush actually spilled the beans today on his colleague Rush's show today. In speaking of Iraq, he finally got down to the real reason why we must stay the course: access to oil.

The Decider said, "...they(the terrists) will be in a position to use oil as a tool to blackmail the West. People say, 'What do you mean by that?' I say, 'If they control oil resources, then they pull oil off the market in order to run the price up, and they will do so unless we abandon Israel, for example, or unless we abandon allies."

There's no telling what Bush will let slip when he's not tightly controlled by his handlers or he lacks his Karl Rove transmitter in his ear.Maybe he should have simply begged Prince Bandar to boost production, instead of starting a war.

Incredibly, Limbaugh called this "visionary."