Lawrence O’Donnell goes after ex-Shrub speechwriter

On Morning Joe, which is a rightwing nutter-led show, Lawrence starts foaming at the mouth over the lies and obfuscation being spewed by the Bushie Mark Theissen…all the while Joey Scar is backing the Bushie Bullshit. Calm down Larry, you are going to stroke out over these assholes..and it ain’t worth it as they will never tell the truth or admit that The Shrub fucked up.

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Resisting the “Judas Cow”

Those of you who have lived with, or worked around cattle will recognize the term “Judas Cow” immediately. For those of you who may not have had the pleasure, let me take a moment to explain it to you.

In any grouping of cattle, be it 10 cattle or 100 cattle, 4 or 5 of those cattle will always move to the front of the pack, and the rest of of those cattle will always fall towards the back of the pack. The easy way to get cattle to march obediently into the trailer that will take them to the slaughterhouse is to identify those who always go out in front, and move THEM to the trailer first.

The cattle that are always in the front of the pack are known to cowboys the world over as “Judas Cows.” During any roundup of any size, anywhere, the Judas Cows (or cow,in some cases) will be identified and controlled, because the only ones you need to control are the Judas Cows. The rest of the herd will move compliantly along with their leaders to wherever you want them to go.

I am not a cow, of course. But I have lived and worked with many of them. And I can tell you that if left alone, you will be able to tell even in the pasture which cows are to be your “Judas Cows,” because the rest of the herd will soon enough always be behind the first one, or the first few. When the first one moves, the rest of them move. Individual cows do not do anything on their own; they make every single move they make based on what the Judas Cow (or cows) does. I have no way of divining the thought processes of a cow; all I can attest to is what I’ve seen. And what I’ve seen leads me to believe that the herd places a lot of trust in the Judas Cow, and will follow it into almost any situation anywhere, regardless of how reticent the individual cows may be on their own.

In this country, about 1 in 4 of us seems to have adopted the same kind of mentality that a herd of cattle adopts collectively. For 1 in 4 of us, there is no individual thinking, no attempt to navigate to anywhere on our own. Like the cattle in the herd, they simply wait for the Judas Cow to make his or her move, and they blindly follow along. Never mind that these herds have been led to an economic and fiscal slaughterhouse time after time; they continue to wait for the movement of the Judas Cow, and they go along. Back to the slaughterhouse, over and over again.

Back to a constant drop in their standards of living.

Back to warmongering for no reason other than the fattening of a few wallets.

Back to ever-lower wages, and ever-higher unemployment.

Back to the days of serfdom.

I will say here that while most of the “herd” seems to blindly follow the dictates of people like Caribou Barbie and the fat dope addict down in Florida, I don’t believe that it is only right wingers who can be led by a Judas Cow to the slaughterhouse. I am dismayed to see, in commentary after commentary, people excusing the present Administration’s failures when it comes to things like giving gay American citizens the rights that our Constitution guarantees them, or this Administration’s continuation of disastrous Chimpy policies in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, or this Administration’s failures to use the mandate it was given to affect real changes in our healthcare system, or this Administration’s defense in the courts of Chimpy’s assaults on our Constitution.”There is so much to do!”  is always the refrain. “Give him time!”

I’m sorry, but that sounds an awful lot like those “corners” we kept turning in Iraq. If I was unable to excuse the disasters of the previous Administration, I’d be a hypocrite to turn a blind eye to the continuation of those disastrous policies under this Administration, and I won’t do that. The facts, unpleasant as they might be for some to accept, are still facts.

-Reconciliation could get us a feasible health reform policy, as well as do away with the Chimpy-era tax rules that allow American corporations to pay no taxes on their foreign profits, and write off the cost of moving a facility from America to China, or Vietnam.

-One executive order could get rid of DADT once and for all in our Armed Forces.

-Instead of having to constantly beg from our Beijing bankers, there is little doubt that Congress could be persuaded to return our tax rates to the levels they were at in the Clinton era, which would erase a lot of the deficit, AND convince those who lend us money that we’ve finally become serious about plugging the holes in the Federal budget. What is required here is a President who is willing to lead, and ignore the howling from the right, rather than a President that seems intent on placating the people who have gotten us into all of these messes.

I am increasingly convinced that we have exchanged one Judas Cow for another one, and I’m not going up the ramp into the trailer. Nobody should. Whether you’re left, right, center, or all over the charts, you must recognize things that are good, and have no tolerance for those that are bad. If this President continues to take us up the ramp into the trailer, then it is on us to refuse to walk up the ramp. This President must be made to realize that there are very serious consequences for refusing to rock the boat. The Congressional leadership must be made aware of this as well.

If we don’t do this, we’re just going to get the sledgehammer from a donkey, rather than an elephant. There is nothing, anywhere, that says that this President can’t be dethroned without throwing the country back to another Rushpubliscum Judas Cow. All it takes from us is a real willingness to step off the ramp.

Crossposted at Reconstitution.

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Frozen in place: When conciliation is a bad thing –

Former Vice President Richard Cheney is working on his memoirs and assuring its success with a good deal of news making prior to its publication. Thursday’s Washington Post article by Barton Gellman adds to the breathless anticipation of Cheney’s potential reading public by promising revelations of previously unreported opinions and events. Here’s a Hit Tip to journalist Mark Knoller, who posted several insightful tweets about the article, along with a generous suggestion to “buy the paper” to read the story.

The Cheney piece heads the current list of “most viewed political articles” on the WaPo website. And I read it immediately, too. Headlined, “Cheney uncloaks his frustration with Bush,” it reveals more little juicy tidbits guaranteed to keep us all panting to read the published tome from cover to cover. One of the most interesting to me was this aspect of Cheney’s frustration with Bush, whom he evidently thinks “went soft.” To quote:

Cheney’s disappointment with the former president surfaced recently in one of the informal conversations he is holding to discuss the book with authors, diplomats, policy experts and past colleagues. By habit, he listens more than he talks, but Cheney broke form when asked about his regrets.

“In the second term, he felt Bush was moving away from him,” said a participant in the recent gathering, describing Cheney’s reply. “He said Bush was shackled by the public reaction and the criticism he took. Bush was more malleable to that. The implication was that Bush had gone soft on him, or rather Bush had hardened against Cheney’s advice. He’d showed an independence that Cheney didn’t see coming. It was clear that Cheney’s doctrine was cast-iron strength at all times — never apologize, never explain — and Bush moved toward the conciliatory.”

. . . The former vice president remains convinced of mortal dangers that few other leaders, in his view, face squarely. That fixed belief does much to explain the conduct that so many critics find baffling. He gives no weight, close associates said, to his low approval ratings, to the tradition of statesmanlike White House exits or to the grumbling of Republicans about his effect on the party brand.

Cheney’s intrigue – What is it that keeps us all fascinated with this man, who guarded his privacy so jealously until now? As a retired psychotherapist, I am interested in his psychological make-up, particularly his apparently persistent paranoia. Others have their own reasons. But there is no doubt that his book will jump to the top of the charts when it comes out, which will please his daughter Liz, at whose suggestion Cheney is writing the book, despite past disdain for officials who wrote “tell all” books upon leaving office. It appears that he is not “frozen in place” on this issue.

Richard Cheney appears to have acquired fixed beliefs that are frozen in place, however. The first is in the concept of the “unitary” presidency, born after Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace. And the second is in a very dark world with enemies waiting to pounce and destroy him and the nation. With a model like that, is it any wonder that there is such fear mongering and craziness associated with Republican opposition to everything Obama.

[Post date - August 13, 2009]

My Blogs: My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. My creative website is at Making Good Mondays. And Carol Gee – Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for all my websites. See also Behind the Links.

Technorati tags: news news and politics politics republicans cheney

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have we lost our way?

i have said before that we have to decide what it is america stands for. will we fight for our constitution, or decide that america is old- we need to buy a new model?

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who lotta thinkin’ goin’ on

i would ask forgiveness from jerry lee- but he’s a bit of a dick- so i won’t my partner in crime- mom- put me onto the current thought trail i am on. putting more pieces together like an intrepid nancy drew- without much to go on other than msm pieces and alternative news sources. there was a time a few years ago when folks dismissed my posts out of hand- as doom and gloom and ‘conspiracy theories’- posts about the erosion of civil liberties, an economic crash, drought and famine. well…….

i am willing to let bygones be bygones. as new pieces trickle out of the government- only the ones allowed out mind- we can put more pieces together. and based on international investigative journalism paired with a few brave souls here in america- and a new administration where it seems a few folks have some integrity- at least in doj-i am beginning to get a clearer picture.

here’s my theory- as it has always been- 9/11 was a mix of domestic and foreign terrorism. and indeed, saudis were involved- maybe even from the bin laden family who knows? from what i can pull together from various accounts- the bushes were used for their connections since the beginning of the 20th century until now. oil is king and entire world governments, now run by the international corporate conglomerates, are headed by ‘elected’ mafiosos who funnel money for oil into the saudi coffers. but hey, you don’t have to take my word for it. it seems like a bad mix of friedman ‘trickle down’ capitalism and mafia money laundering. it explains much about the stories coming out now and the way our whole way of life has been largely a facade.

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News Digest: Bush admin OLC memos released in early March

Related articles by Zemanta

• Obama releases internal Bush Justice Department memos (cnn.com)
• John ‘Torture’ Yoo now says he’ll be honest (crooksandliars.com)
• Inching toward the Truth (dailykos.com)
• Obama’s OLC nominee: ‘We must regain our ability to feel outrage whenever our government acts lawlessly.’ (thinkprogress.org)

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The Bush/DOJ Papers

A Revelation Of The Brilliance Of George W. Bush’s Legal Counsel

Depicted above is the first section of the October 23, 2001 Justice Department memorandum authored by John C. Yoo, while he was a deputy assistant attorney general, in the George W. Bush administration Justice Department.  The memo titled: “Authority for Use of Military Force To Combat Terrorist Activities Within the United States” was the second in a series of nine Bush/DOJ memos recently released to the public by the Justice Department.

In this particular memo the Justice Department counsel is providing an opinion to George W. Bush that in essence says that “President Bush, as president, has the authority to deploy the entire United States military establishment to conduct operations [Interpret that as combat, and everything leading up to or following combat that would  be expected by an occupying military force -Big Fella] against persons operating within the borders of the United States.”

The first paragraph of the memo, which is a summary of the findings of the president’s legal counsel, ends with the disturbing sentence:

We further believe that the use of such military force generally is consistent with constitutional standards, and that it need not follow the exact procedures that govern law enforcement operations.

It need not follow the exact procedures that govern law enforecement operations, such as obtaining search warrants, such as having to show cause before entering private property or to show cause to seize property, such as showing cause to detain or arrest any person, such as the use of appropriate force, and use of deadly force only to protect others or themlves from imminent death, as applies to anyone in the United States.

The first memo in this series of memos was issued on September 25, 2001 and concerned overriding the Foreign Intelligence Surveilance Act (FISA), the third memo, issued on November 15, 2001 provided the opinion that the president could ignore the Anti-Ballistic Missle Systems treaty with Russia.  The fourth memo, issued March 13, 2002 provided the opinion that the president could conduct extraordinary foreign renditions, the fifth memo, issued April 8, 2002 tells the president that it is not necessary for him to get Congress to pass any law authorizing the Military Commissions, the sixth memo, issued June 8, 2002 counsels the president that he may use the military to hold Jose Padilla, an American citizens, as an unlawful enemy combatant.  The seventh memo, issued June 27, 2002 tells the president that in the case of Jose Padilla, that the president may ignore Section 4001 (a) of Title 18 of the United States Code which states: “No citizens shall be imprisoned or otherwise detained by the United States except  pursuant to an Act of Congress”, that the president can detain or imprison anyone, at his whim.

The totality of the memorandums described above, as issued during a nine month period beginning immediately after the 9/11 attacks, provided the Bush administration, in their minds, all of the legal cover they needed to usurp the Constitution of the United States towards their own, often times, secret ends.  The first seven memorandums were issued during the tenure of John Ashcroft, the George W. Bush administration’s first attorney general, they remained in force throughout Ashcroft’s service and continued in force during the entire tenure of the George W. Bush administration’s second attorney general, Alberto Gonzales.

Beginning with the memo issued October 6, 2008, during the tenure of the third and last attorney general in the George W. Bush administration, Michael Mukasey, the president’s counsel began to have second thoughts.  This memorandum said in essence: “Whoops, maybe we overreacted when we were scared shitless by the terrorists and we failed to follow our normal, careful deliberative process, and now we take back our words.”

Likely the Justice department, under the leadership of an actual judge, conversent with the law (as opposed to a political operative from the far right and an intellectually clueless sycophant), and cognizant of the mounting pressure from the media and the American public, recognized its need to excercise some parental control over the George W. Bush administration, before the populace became too restive.

Then on January 15, 2009, five days before the expiration of the George W. Bush administration’s term in office, the Department of Justice issues another, still secret memo, stating in essence: that they confirm their opinion of October 6, 2008 rescinding their previous opinions, they explain why, and then they cover their asses and state in essence: that caution should be exercised when relying on any other aspects of the opinions, not explicitly stated.

This is all nothing more than brilliant, inspiring, devious, deceptive and self serving legal work by the George W. Bush administration Justice Department.  The George W. Bush legal team had their cake, and ate it too, they imparted upon the president advice that was dubious at best, giving him everything he wanted, cover to if not out and out break the law, severely warp the law, knowing he would not tell anyone what they had said, and then, when the president was about to lose all his power, and his ability to shield them, they (the crafty George W. Bush Justice Department) gave themselves the legal cover to back out of having any responsibility in the matter.

Not only will these machinations go down in history, they well may provide a perennial object lesson and case study for law students for generations to come: How to provide your client with the most incorrect legal advice possible, while absolving yourself of any responsibility, and get paid for it throughout the entire process.

Let us all hope that Eric Holder’s Justice Department, under the Barack Obama administration have their ethical values calibrated appropriately.

The complete memorandums can be found here:

September 25, 2001

October 23, 2001

November 15, 2001

March 13, 2002

April 8, 2002

June 8, 2002

June 27, 2002

October 6, 2008

January 25, 2009

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An Oral History of the Bush White House

A hat tip to Jim Leff, who tips us in his blog, Jim Leff’s Slog:

Farewell to All That: An Oral History of the Bush White House, a long piece in the new issue of Vanity Fare, very thoroughly runs through a litany of controversial (and just plain ignorant or sinister) actions of the Bush administration, with high level administration figures contributing startlingly frank commentaries about why and how it all happened. It’s eye-opening even if you kept up with events as they unfolded. And it’s jaw-dropping, even if you thought you couldn’t be more appalled.

A very interesting read, someting to take some time for.

Illustration courtesy of The Worried Shrimp.

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Tough times

Make for a rocky road — The economic situation seems to get more scary with each passing day. More of us have less money and fewer jobs, the U.S. auto industry is still in trouble, the deficit balloons and the housing industry seems moribund. But we are in for a change; our President-elect has promised that. But he has warned that the economy will get worse before it gets better. Here is my take on why, based on the stories my regular contributors have been sending my way (see Hat Tip Key below).

Just how bad it it? AlterNet says, “This Looks Like the Start of a Second Great Depression#” (1/9/09). I am not sure I would go that far, but I am of an optimistic nature. The Raw Story reports, “US deficit to hit 1.2 trillion dollars: budget office*” (1/7/09). This bothers me a great deal, as I am a saver by nature. And TruthOut ran this story earlier: “December Job Losses at 673,000, Worse Than Thought*” (1/7/09). That’s bad for my kids but not for me, as I am a retiree.

Who gets hurt by all this? BuzzFlash notes that, “Wealth of U.S. millionaires down 30 percent*” (1/6/09). Yahoo! News notes:“Mass. investor saw inside Madoff scam#” (12/19/08). We see by the Washington Post that “Thieves Stole Indentities to Tap Home Equity#” (11/27/08) — about this Jon says, “. . . the downside of all this technology.” From Dandelionsalad: “Rachel Maddow Show: Bailout for Auto Workers Forbids Strikes*;” it was published on (1/10/09). See also, The Raw Story#. Regarding reproductive rights, The Raw Story: reports that “New Bush rule could hit poor, rural women the hardest#” (12/3/08).

What happens to our children? Under the Bush administration college tuition rates soared. Here is another manifestation of the same kind of irresponsible policies. AlterNet exposes, “How colleges are using a cynical ploy to appear more exclusive* (1/6/09). McClatchy gossips, Levi quits oilfield job; Palin denies she helped him get it* (1/5/09). The Boston Globe spins, “Help wanted: Wienermobile drivers – Globe-trotting#” – (12/6/08). There could be worse jobs out there, folks.

Who caused all this pain? Republicans reason and Think Progress reveals, “Limbaugh’s Crazy Conspiracy Theory: Democrats Started the Economic Crisis to Help Elect Obama#” (12/22/08). Yahoo! News/AP IMPACT: “How Freddie Mac halted regulatory drive#” – This was published on 12/7/08).

Are the fixes working? Time Magazine headlined, “Bailout Report Card: How Successful Have the Financial Relief Efforts Been? – The Bailout From A to F#” (1/5/09). This is an extremely valuable overview of how the current administration’s interventions have worked to date. To summarize:

Fannie and Freddie Takeovers: Grade D. Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP): Grade C. Hope For Homeowners: Grade F. Capital Purchase Plan: Grade C. Money Market Fund Insurance: Grade A. The Fed’s Actions to Ease Lending: Grade B.

What about accountability? AlterNet: “Financial Meltdown Provides Final Verdict on Reaganomics*” (1/7/09). A New York Times op-ed piece by one of my favorites, Frank Rich is a very enlightening expose of the impossibility of our situation, or is it? Headlined, “Eight Years of Madoffs#,” (1/11/09), this is a very important opinion with which we should be familiar. Rich concludes,

If Bernie Madoff, at least, can still revive what remains of our deadened capacity for outrage, so can those who pulled off Washington’s Ponzi schemes. The more we learn about where all the bodies and billions were buried on our path to ruin, the easier it may be for our new president to make the case for a bold, whatever-it-takes New Deal.

You might want to save today’s post as a souvenir of the Bush administration. Thank Goodness, it will soon be no more. The people, most of them, will be gone, but the downsides will linger for a long time, I am afraid.

Hat Tip Key: Regular contributors of links to leads are “betmo*” and Jon#.

(Cross-posted at The Reaction.)

My “creativity and dreaming” post today is at Making Good Mondays.

Technorati tags: news news and politics politics republicans economic crisis

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George, the Worst

Was George W. Bush the “Worst. President. Ever?” asks civil liberties blogger, Tom Head at About.com. He concludes, mildly, to quote:

. . . there are some things we do know about Bush. If the Bush record turns out to be exactly what it appears to be, he was primarily a president who panicked when confronted with a national crisis, declared multiple elective wars, and implemented measures that threatened, but did not permanently weaken, the rule of law. He wouldn’t be the first president who did this, and he probably won’t be the last, but history might remember him as the most banal.

“Restore the Constitution” (image by Wordle.net) — What of that lofty phrase under the incoming Obama administration? Glenn Greenwald’s very important New Year’s message to us at Salon.Com is this: “2008: The Year That Was Another brutal year for liberty.“  In summary, “The good news is that it’s clear what the Obama
administration must do to end the decade-long war on the Constitution.”  Greenwald’s conclusion, to quote:

For the last seven years, Democrats have repeatedly cited GOP political dominance to excuse their wholesale failures to limit, let alone reverse, the devastating war waged by the Bush administration on America’s core liberties and form of government. With a new Democratic president and large majorities in both Congressional houses, those excuses will no longer be so expedient. As dark and depressing as these last seven years have been for civil libertarians, culminating in an almost entirely grim 2008, there is no question that the Obama administration and the Democrats generally now possess the power to reverse these abuses and restore our national political values. But as the events of the last 12 months conclusively demonstrate, there are substantial questions as to whether they have the will to do so.

President-elect Barack Obama was educated to the rule of law at Harvard, and later taught Constitutional law at the University of Chicago. We get some hints about what could be coming legally from a (12/29/08) Politico.com story headlined, “Liberal legal group comes to the fore.” The mostly Democratic organization was founded at the beginning of the Bush regime, and was modeled after the conservative Federalist Society.  The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy takes no position on individual cases or specific policy proposals but has a broad legal philosophy that is not “constitutionalism.” The guiding phrase could be the“lived circumstances of the law, ” and would include the consideration of outside factors in constitutional law cases. Several of its board members are advising the Obama Transition Team. To quote:

Sixteen appointees and advisers helping president-elect Barack Obama’s Justice Department transition efforts all recently sat on the board of an organization little known outside legal circles: The American
Constitution Society for Law and Policy.

The liberal legal network, which blossomed during eight years of Democratic exile, counts as its veterans Obama’s choice for attorney general, Eric Holder: Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain; and future White House Staff Secretary Lisa Brown.

. . . In recent months, the society has become an informal Justice Department in waiting, laying out what some Washington lawyers expect will be the broad contours of the next administration’s legal policy. In his June address before the group, Holder described his vision for reversing what he called the “the disastrous course” set by the Bush administration, advising the next administration to close the Guantanamo Bay military prison, declare that the U.S. does not torture, and end warrantless domestic
surveillance – all positions backed by Obama.

The President-elect’s legal portfolio remains an important advantage for the future. Given the widespread inquiries into the Blagojevich appointment of the President-elect’s Senate successor, it is clear that we expect that OBama and his people will  have followed the spirit and the letter of the law in this scandalous matter. Politico.com
published “Obama’s five rules of scandal response” associated with the 12/23/08 Obama report detailing contacts with the embattled Governor’s office. To list them in Politico’s words:

“1 – Be transparent, to an extent,  2 – Don’t let the news cycle dictate response,  3 – No freelancing, 4 – Aides take hits to protect the boss, and 5 – Shy away from even justified fights.”

“Gitmo” is an even more significant legal scandal waiting to be confronted. The full story is here (12/23/08) at ProPublica. In a surprising earlier related matter, the September 11 defendants asked to confess# at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, according to a Yahoo! News (12/8/08) story, from which I quote:

The judge said he would question the five, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has already said he planned the September 11 attacks “from A to Z,” to ensure they understood the impact of their decision.
All five could face the death penalty.

The judge, Army Col. Steven Henley, said he would not accept any guilty pleas during the hearings scheduled this week but did not explain why.

He read from the defendants’ note, which began: “We all five have reached an agreement to request from the commission an immediate hearing session in order to announce our confessions … with our earnest desire in this regard without being under any kind of pressure, threat, intimidations or promise from any party.”

The note said all five
wished to plead guilty and withdraw all pending motions filed by their
military-appointed lawyers, whom they do not trust and have tried to
fire.

There are a huge number of issues that just will not go away. What is the legal fallout that remains with the government’s warrantless wiretapping program? The Director of National Intelligence is yet to be nominated, though it could still be Adm. Dennis Blair. CQ Behind the Lines David C. Morrison lists a few more that will come up again in the future:

A federal judge who earlier rejected Bush administration claims of exemption from domestic surveillance laws, has been asked to strike down an act of Congress retroactively immunizing illegal wiretappers, the Los Angeles Times’ Carol J. Williams recounts. Speaking of immunity, The New York Times’ Eric Lichtblau has A.G. Michael Mukasey seeing no need for President Bush to issue blanket pardons of officials implicated in controversial counter-terror tactics.

Our current president
(OCP) is in office for 15 more days and 11 hours. The Constitution is in place in our nation’s capitol. Obama transition team members are spread out all over Washington. Scandals brew. Congress is coming back to town tomorrow. Gitmo is still open for business. And the Obama family is moving to Washington today, so the girls can start to school
on time. Things are definitely moving along.

Hat Tip Key: Regular contributors of links to leads are “betmo*” and Jon#.

(Cross-posted at The Reaction.)

My “creativity and dreaming” post today is at Making Good Mondays.

Technorati tags: news news and politics politics rule of law constitution presidential transition obama law

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Saying Hello To 2009

And soon we will be saying goodbye to George W. Bush, The Decider, the commander in chief.
On the 20th day from today President-elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office. Between now and then gives us a chance to make judgments about what we would hope our next President might avoid or modify during his tenure. But one thing is certain; there will be change and uncertainty for some time to come.

More than meets the eye – Many of us are still asking, as did AlterNet’s Gary Brecher, “How did we let this guy get away with being a war president#?” Unfortunately, the bill for our current president’s so-called “war on terror” is not going away anytime soon. Time Magazine reported recently that the tab will be a trillion dollars#. They say that it is even costlier than expected, “$775,000 a year for one soldier in Afghanistan.” In December of 2006, the NYT reported, “The Iraq war will cost more in 2007 than the $110 billion projected by the White House, said the head of the administration’s budget office#.” This figure was just a tad off, I would say.

We wondered whether this would ever happen — “Iraq takes control of the Green Zone from the U.S.,” is the headline from the 1/1/09 Yahoo! News.  To me war has never been about the threat of WMD, the politics of sectarian divisions within the country, or which brilliant General was in charge. To me the war has always been about the fatalities, both American and Iraqi. To quote:

The United States handed over control of the Green Zone and Saddam Hussein’s presidential palace to Iraqi authorities on Thursday in a ceremonial move described by the country’s prime minister as a restoration of Iraq’s sovereignty.

. . . Violence around Iraq had plunged in 2008, with attacks declining to an average of 10 a day from 180 a year ago. The murder rate in November was less than 1 per 100,000 people — far lower than many cities in the world. U.S. military deaths in Iraq also plunged by two-thirds in 2008 from the previous year, a reflection of the improving security following the U.S. military’s counterinsurgency campaign and al-Qaida’s slow retreat from the battlefield. According to a tally by The Associated Press, at least 314 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq in 2008, down from 904 in the previous year. In all, at least 4,221 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003. For Iraqis, the fatalities had also plunged: During 2008, at least 7,496 Iraqis died in war-related violence according to an AP count, including 6,068 civilians and 1,428 security personnel, down 60 percent from 2007.

And we have no idea what will happen in Iraq in 2009 – On C-SPAN last evening I watched a fascinating presentation by U.S. News‘ author Linda Robinson, who wrote “Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search For a Way Out of Iraq.” Her analysis was solid, her reporting excellent and her conclusion open-ended. In the same vein about a month ago Time Magazine asked, “When the U.S. Leaves, Will Iraq Strut or Stumble?“# To quote:

. . . don’t expect peace to break out anytime soon. In a country seething with ancient animosities, it’s almost certain that politics will be attended by violence. Ahead of provincial elections in January, there’s a potentially explosive Shi’ite-vs.-Shi’ite clash brewing in the south.  In Sunni areas to the west and north of Baghdad, a new alliance of tribal sheiks, many of them U.S.-funded ex-insurgents, are challenging the Sunni parties currently in power.

But it is in Kirkuk where the disputes seem most intractable. At its simplest, this is an old-fashioned turf war. The Kurds want the city and its hinterlands to be folded into the northern province of Kurdistan. Turkomans (a distinct ethnic group sharing ancestry with modern Turks) and Arabs would prefer it to remain outside Kurdish hegemony, in the separate Tamim province. Each group points out that the city was once ruled by its forebears. All know that outside Kirkuk is one of Iraq’s largest oil fields. Also at stake is the larger, constitutional question of whether Iraq should have a powerful central government, favored by Turkomans and Arabs, or highly autonomous regions, as the Kurds wish.  And finally, there are outside influences: Turkey backs the Turkomans and, with Iran, opposes greater Kurdish power.

Even in these tough economic times the remainder of the Military Industrial Complex continues to thrive. See this 12/15/08 essay from Mother Jones: “Back to the future with the Complex.” To quote:

Is it possible that one of the Pentagon’s contractors has a tripartite business model for our tough economic times: one division that specializes in crock-pots, another in adult diapers, and a third in medium caliber tactical ammunition?

. . . It isn’t hard to imagine more civilian firms, especially ones which are already Pentagon contractors, getting into (or back into) the weapons game. After all, when the Big Three Detroit automakers were scrounging around for a bailout just a few weeks ago, they used America’s persistent involvement in armed conflict as one argument in their favor. For example, Robert Nardelli, Chrysler’s chief executive, told the Senate that the failure of the auto industry “would undermine our nation’s ability to respond to military challenges and would threaten our national security.” While that argument was roundly dismissed by retired Army Lt. Gen. John Caldwell, chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association’s combat vehicles division, it probably wouldn’t have been if the automakers made more weapons systems.

Will Presto be the back-to-the-future model for Pentagon contractors in the lean times ahead? Only time will tell. At the very least, it seems that, as long as Americans allow the country to wage wars abroad, require their salads to be shot, and have bladder issues, National Presto Industries has a future.

The wars will move to Afghanistan, or Palestine, or Iran, or Pakistan, or India or . . . We will arm our own soldiers or sell arms to others. The complex seems dug in for the foreseeable future.

Hat Tip Key: Regular contributors of links to leads are “betmo*” and Jon#.

(Cross-posted at The Reaction.)

My “creativity and dreaming” post today is at Making Good Mondays.

Technorati tags: news news and politics politics war middle east iraq military

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Saying Goodbye to 2008

When it comes to 75% of Americans#, we cannot say “Goodbye to all that,” including George W. Bush, soon enough. To set the stage for this post, check out “Bush by the Numbers 2.0.” from ProPublica:  “. . . our look at the 43rd president’s impact across American life.”  This piece is a set of great graphic comparisons of before and after Bush, a catalyst in America’s declining influence#.

Say Goodbye to “That’s not my fault” –

• Regrets? Bush has too few to mention, according to this 12/23/08 story at Politico.
• Christopher Cox, SEC Chairman: (from ProPublica and WaPo)  “When Cox was asked whether he should be blamed for a culture of lax enforcement that allowed multiple warnings about . . . [allowing Madoff] fraud to go undetected, he said: “Absolutely not. In fact, it’s in the DNA here that people thrive on bringing big cases.”

Say Goodbye to Republican failures (from ProPublica) –

• “Browse Iraq Reconstruction History for Yourself” (12/15/08) Read it and weep.
• “HUD Secretary Steve Preston told today’s Washington Post that the [Hope for Homeowners'] program is a flop: Only 312 people have applied because it’s “too expensive and onerous for lenders and borrowers alike.” “
• Robert F. Dacey, GAO chief accountant’s report:
  “Since a consolidated federal financial report was first required by law starting in fiscal year 1997, the GAO has said that agency systems for keeping track of finances were flawed.” [Agencies that cannot pass an audit: Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, for example]
• Why Detroit got the kitchen sink of questions: (from 12/9/08 TPM Muckracker) A GAO report on how treasury disbursed bailout monies gives us “two kinds of news about the TARP program – bad news and worse news,” says Rep. Barney Frank.

Say Goodbye to the mystery of the mortgage crisis –

• Watch the old movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” to learn how it all happened (from Newsweek).
• Read Arianna Huffington# (from AlterNet,) who says, “The Right-wing Economics That Got Us Into This Mess Should Go the Way of Soviet Communism.”
• CNBC’s Biased Reporting on the PPT# [Plunge Protection Team]: (from Funny Money Report) — Did the government manipulate the financial market?

Say Goodbye to corporate greed, lawlessness and ineptitude, facilitated by Vice-President Dick Cheney. (see also — “Cheney’s Legacy of Deception*” from 12/23/08 – TruthDig.

• “The 10 Worst Corporations of 2008#. The financial meltdown and economic crisis illustrated that corporations will destroy even themselves in search of profit.” (from AlterNet): “AIG: Money for nothing. . . Cargill: Food Profiteers . . . Chevron: ‘We can’t let little countries screw around with big companies’ . . . Constellation Energy: Nuclear Operators . . . CNPC (Chinese National Petroleum Corp): Fueling Violence in Darfur . . . Dole: The Sour Taste of Pineapple . . . GE: Creative Accounting . . . Imperial Sugar: 13 Dead . . . Philip Morris International: Unshackled . . . Roche: Saving Lives is Not Our Business . . . “

Say Goodbye to “disgusting” Republican hypocrisy# –

• Robert M. “Mike” Duncan#: (from Newsweek)
  The chairman of the Republican National Committee said Saturday he was
  “shocked and appalled” that one of his potential successors had sent
  committee members a CD this Christmas featuring a 2007 parody song
  called “Barack the Magic Negro.”

Say Goodbye to political spin –

• Year-end Whoppers# (from Newsweek): “Consider some of the bogus claims we’ve debunked just since Election Day.” And from Think Progress: “Limbaugh’s Crazy Conspiracy Theory: Democrats Started the Economic Crisis to Help Elect Obama#.”
• Get Ready for a Lost Decade# (from the Wall Street Journal): Pure pessimism — “Our point here is that the bad policy vicious circle probably has a long way to run. While it’s still possible to entertain wild hopes about an Obama administration, such hopes are partly self-liquidating on closer inspection — they exist in the first place only because Mr. Obama has given us so little to go on, except campaign boilerplate. Bottom line: Politics is in charge — in a way that makes a lost decade of subpar prosperity more likely than not.” The Plank adds its own “Depressing Thoughts*” about the world’s fiscal future.

We are not sure to what we are saying “Hello,”with the inauguration of President-elect Obama. But we are ready for change.  We are ready to say goodbye to unwillingness to take responsibility for things gone wrong. We will be happy to say goodbye to failure after failure. We are tired of hearing, “I have no idea what happened.” We are  ready to say goodbye to inordinate corporate influence on our government. We will be happy to be saying goodbye to a reality too filled with Republican hypocrisy, lies, spin, secrecy and deception. We have nowhere to go but up.

Hat Tip Key: Regular contributors of links to leads are “betmo*” and Jon#.

(Cross-posted at The Reaction.)

My “creativity and dreaming” post today is at Making Good Mondays.

Technorati tags: news news and politics politics republicans bush

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Historical Hysterics and The Rest Of The Best Of 2008

Kinda pleased to have the Obama presidential win as  the most important thing that happened in the world this past year. With the collapsing economy trying to steal his limelight, his historic election still tops my list of historical hysterics we watched in 2008. I had a good friend “break up” with me, in an e-mail no less, because of my views about McCain and the atrocious way his votes treat the troops who are fighting for what they believe is our freedom. Although I cast my vote for the Green Party’s Cynthia McKinney it pleased me to see how the country was so hungry for some kind of change they voted in our first black president. Hopefully he tries to keep his promise of change even if he is surrounding himself with the good ol’ backroom boys of our capitol.

(The new bosses just before they came onstage in Chicago Nov. 4, 2008)

The Who “Wont Get Fooled Again”

The destruction of the American economy by the backroom boys (yes…if there are any women who helped shape the policies that caused this disaster I still call each of them a backroom boy as well.) comes up in second place as the most newsmaking story this year. Thousands lost their homes and jobs this year so the C.E.O.’s could take home billions in bonuses.

The only upside to folks losing their homes, jobs being cut, the collapse and bailouts etc. is they came just before the elections. John McClone and the You Betcha Babe were gaining on the “nigra boy” but his cronies part in the economic doom tainted the vote and even the hardcore racists had to look closer at promised “change”.  (The racism in that statement came from a conversation with my mom who called Obama that all the time. Now she is forced to say “Our President”.)

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq still raged on. March saw the number of troops killed in Iraq reach the 4000 mark and the election news smothered the outrage that I thought would have had the American people marching in the streets demanding the end of this atrocity based on lies and deceit.  During this time the press kept us appeased with the ridiculous crap from the primary trail. President Bushit said all of the things the war machine wanted to hear and so did the candidates. Alien Trucker even posted a Pink song on this blog. The only Pink song I have ever thought listenable. It carries such a message I am going to repost it here and hope Mr. Obama listens to it as well, and considers taking that walk with Pink…or any regular world citizen…every day.

Hurricane Gustav visited the Gulf Coast in September and found many many homes and businesses there still bearing the “blue roof”. You know…the big tarps that were put there after Katrina 3 years ago to keep residents dry while waiting on FEMA or the insurance money to come through so they can be repaired. Funds that were supposed to go there have been diverted many times over and still the destruction has no fix. Even the beautiful Sanger Theater in New Orleans, the site of many a great song played for us, is still un-renovated because the people need housing worse than the entertainment that plays, dance or Government Mule can offer.

(Filmed at the Sanger)

Unemployment and homeless rates rose higher than they have in decades. Businesses and factories around the nation have cut back production or closed completely. Folks have taken to robbing or begging just to get by. More than one have robbed someone or asked to take a shift at the Cumberland Mine just to make a house payment.

The price of crude oil topped $100 a barrel and plummeted down again by mid-December. In the midst of financial hardship Americans paid the highest at the pump in our history and are now being thankful that prices are down again…to higher than they were five years ago.

California’s Proposition 8 won. WON!?!?? I believe it was a huge loss on the civil rights front as it shows that bigotry and prejudice is not a thing of the past. Backed by Big Religion the “moral” right fought civil rights again basing their hatred on Old Testament hatred. IT’S 2008 PEOPLE! Those laws handed down by “GAWD” are ancient and really have no part in today’s law making.

So as we make our way into 2009 and all of the marvels and wonder it brings I am not so sure we have loads to celebrate. I am looking forward to seeing the change the new administration brings. I do see that after a while of beans and rice I may be able to afford some chicken by the end of the year. Not everything is doom and dismay. Sometimes it just seems that way.

These are just a few of the important stories of the year. I really didn’t want to go into speculating how they would influence 2009 so I just stopped here.

I really hope it gets better.

Led Zepplin. “The Song Remains The Same”

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Iraq Press Conference

George W. Bush apparently made an impression on the Iraqis this weekend…

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iraqi shoes

many folks don’t know that shoes are a big deal in iraq- when someone takes off their shoes and throws them or hits something with them- it’s not a happy thing.  it makes me angry at the ignorance of our media- if you are going to ‘report the news’- then know what the hell you are talking about and don’t act like an ignorant son of a bitch.  gah!  not to mention that shrubtacular, as usual, has no fucking clue.

“Apparently, Bush was unfazed by the incident. “I didn’t feel the least bit threatened by it,” he said.”

from bloomberg:

“In Arab culture, throwing shoes is a grave show of disrespect. The man shouted an Arabic phrase, which an Iraqi present translated as “this is a farewell kiss, dog.”

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