Saturday, September 08, 2007
Interesting Document From Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
As an overall picture, time has been an element in affecting negatively the forces of the occupying countries, due to the losses they sustain economically in human lives, which are increasing with time. However, here in Iraq, time is now beginning to be of service to the American forces and harmful to the resistance for the following reasons:
1. By allowing the American forces to form the forces of the National Guard, to reinforce them and enable them to undertake military operations against the resistance.
2. By undertaking massive arrest operations, invading regions that have an impact on the resistance, and hence causing the resistance to lose many of its elements.
Here he talks about using time against the US. In other words, "if we wait it out, we win". However, he does notice that things are starting to look better for the US now that we're able to conduct raids against insurgents. This progress is already starting to be seen in Iraq. With more troops able to cover more area, that leaves some of our guys enough time to actively go out and find bad guys which is al-Zarqawi's main concern.However, it's this next portion that I'm very interested in:
In general and despite the current bleak situation, we think that the best suggestions in order to get out of this crisis is to entangle the American forces into another war against another country or with another of our enemy force, that is to try and inflame the situation between American and Iran or between America and the Shi'a in general.
Specifically the Sistani Shi'a, since most of the support that the Americans are getting is from the Sistani Shi'a, then, there is a possibility to instill differences between them and to weaken the support line between them; in addition to the losses we can inflict on both parties. Consequently, to embroil America in another war against another enemy is the answer that we find to be the most appropriate, and to have a war through a delegate has the following benefits:
1. To occupy the Americans by another front will allow the resistance freedom of movement and alleviate the pressure imposed on it.
2. To dissolve the cohesion between the Americans and the Shi'a will weaken and close this front.
3. To have a loss of trust between the Americans and the Shi'a will cause the Americans to lose many of their spies.
4. To involve both parties, the Americans and the Shi'a, in a war that will result in both parties being losers.
In essence, he's saying that a technique that might be tried should be to get us to fight another enemy.7. A war between the Americans and Iran. We have noticed that the best of these wars to be ignited is the one between the Americans and Iran, because it will have many benefits in favor of the Sunni and the resistance, such as:
1. Freeing the Sunni people in Iran, who are (30 percent) of the population and under the Shi'a Rule.
2. Drowning the Americans in another war that will engage many of their forces.
3. The possibility of acquiring new weapons from the Iranian side, either after the fall of Iran or during the battles.
4. To entice Iran towards helping the resistance because of its need for its help.
5. Weakening the Shi'a supply line.
So this line of thought has me wondering: Did al-Zarqawi play both sides of the Iranian-American tensions right now?
The question remains, how to draw the Americans into fighting a war against Iran? It is not known whether American is serious in its animosity towards Iran, because of the big support Iran is offering to America in its war in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Hence, it is necessary first to exaggerate the Iranian danger and to convince America and the west in general, of the real danger coming from Iran, and this would be done by the following:
1. By disseminating threatening messages against American interests and the American people and attribute them to a Shi'a Iranian side.
2. By executing operations of kidnapping hostages and implicating the Shi'a Iranian side.
3. By advertising that Iran has chemical and nuclear weapons and is threatening the west with these weapons.
4. By executing exploding operations in the west and accusing Iran by planting Iranian Shi'a fingerprints and evidence.
5. By declaring the existence of a relationship between Iran and terrorist groups (as termed by the Americans).
6. By disseminating bogus messages about confessions showing that Iran is in possession of weapons of mass destruction or that there are attempts by the Iranian intelligence to undertake terrorist operations in America and the west and against western interests.
It certainly appears that way by the above mentioned items. Surely we have much more evidence against Iran for activities against US troops, but a document like this is pretty damning if true. Are we playing into the late al-Zarqawi's plan? Is that why we're not seeing much in terms of action against Iranian interests?Certainly their nuclear program and their idiotic President Ahmadinejad aren't helping matters in the least, but al-Zarqawi talks about Iranian "help" in Afghanistan and Iraq. Is this true? It seems very far fetched to me, but it certainly is within the realm of possibility.
If Iran does indeed only want their nuclear program for peaceful purposes, why the secrecy? Why the refusal to work even with their closest allies such as China and Russia? The evidence so far does speak of a covert nuclear weapons programs, and with Iran's acknowledged support of Hezbollah, you certainly cannot dismiss it.
The other question that I have is: How truthful is this document? Surely it's coming from a guy who lopped people's heads off for no other reason than they weren't his own color and religion, so how truthful is it?
Are we being lead down a path of war with Iran because of a guy who's been dead for over a year now? Are we dealing with a suspicious Iranian government who doesn't trust the US government and is throwing out disinformation about their nuclear program? No one in the region (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt) wants Iran to even have a nuclear program, peaceful or not. So that's got to speak volumes about the trust able nature that the Iranians have built a reputation for themselves.
My main concern for all this is that if the Iranians truly don't want war and only want their nuclear program for energy, then they need to come to the UN and say "We'll gladly open up our facilities to inspectors and gladly shut down their centrifuges and take in fuel from a third party nation that can only be used for nuclear energy, not weapons. The UN is already working on a "nuclear repository" that any nation can get fuel from and send the fuel back to. No one has a problem with this except Iran.
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
Chuck Hagel Retiring
Hagel plans to announce that "he will not run for re-election and that he does not intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008," said one person, who asked not to be named.
Hagel has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday at the Omaha Press Club.
According to one person interviewed, Hagel told Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Friday morning that he had decided to retire. Hagel's staff learned of his decision that afternoon .
Chuck has earned a label of RINO (Republican In Name Only) from various members of the Republican party and I'm sure this announcement will only cause them to celebrate. However, his leaving the Senate will mean likely another position for Republicans to scramble to win in order to keep the Democratic advantage to an absolute minimum.
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
Friday, September 07, 2007
Michael Moore Lied?
Moore says in the film, "I asked [the Havana hospital] to give us the same exact care they give their fellow Cuban citizens. No more, no less. And that's what they did."
Moore sat down with "20/20's" John Stossel and talked about that claim. When asked whether it really was an average hospital, Moore said, "Yes.""This isn't just me saying this, you know. All the world health organizations or whatever have confirmed that if there's one thing they do right in Cuba, it's health care," Moore said. "And there's very little debate about that."
In fact, there is plenty of debate. Miami-based Cuban Human Rights activist Jose Carro says Moore's movie paints an inaccurate picture.
"These films that try to portray the health-care system as superior to that of the U.S. are lacking in truth," Carro said. He asserts that most hospitals for Cuban citizens are dilapidated, that conditions are filthy and that patients are so neglected that some are starving.
George Utset, who runs the anti-Castro Web site called therealcuba.com, says Moore's group didn't "go to the hospital for regular Cubans. They go to the hospital for the elite and it's [a] very different condition."
Well I guess the truth will always come out, even if it has to come out of the mouth of a real journalist instead of a propagandist. Don't try to sell yourself as a "documentary film maker" Michael, because we all know you're lying or telling half truths when you release yet another "film".
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
Guiliani Says Illegal Immigration Isn't A Crime
GLENN: Right. But isn't illegal immigration a crime in and of itself?
GIULIANI: No.
GLENN: Aren't you saying --
GIULIANI: Glenn --
GLENN: You're protecting criminals by saying that being treated as a criminal is unfair.
GIULIANI: Glenn, it's not a crime. I know that's very hard for people to understand, but it's not a federal crime.
GLENN: It's a misdemeanor but if you've been nailed, it is a crime. If you've been nailed, ship back and come back, it is a crime.
GIULIANI: Glenn, being an illegal immigrant, the 400,000 were not prosecuted for crimes by the federal government, nor could they be. I was U.S. attorney in the southern district of New York. So believe me, I know this. In fact, when you throw an immigrant out of the country, it's not a criminal proceeding. It's a civil proceeding.
GLENN: Is it --
GIULIANI: One of the things that congress wanted to do a year ago is to make it a crime, which indicates that it isn't.
GLENN: Should it be?
GIULIANI: Should it be? No, it shouldn't be because the government wouldn't be able to prosecute it. We couldn't prosecute 12 million people. We have only 2 million people in jail right now for all the crimes that are committed in the country, 2.5 million. If you were to make it a crime, you would have to take the resources of the criminal justice system and increase it by about 6. In other words, you'd have to take all the 800,000 police, and who knows how many police we would have to have.
GLENN: So what's your solution?
GIULIANI: My solution is close the border to illegal immigration.
Well Mr. Guiliani if it isn't a "crime" by your definition, then why do you call it "illegal" immigration? I'm not saying that we have to prosecute all 12 million illegal immigrants at once. I do say though that once you find out someone isn't here legally, they get deported unless they are reporting a crime.
GLENN: You're being attacked on immigration. Correct me where I'm wrong. You say you took over the policy that was in place before you. You basically said you can't ask for immigration status if they come in to report a crime, get medical care, use in school. You didn't start the policy, but you didn't stop it, either, right?
GIULIANI: Also I did two things about the policy. The policy as it's described by some of my opponents. The fairness to my predecessors, the policy was to report all criminals, not just all criminals. It says right in the executive order the police are instructed to report all people who are illegal who are suspected of a crime. So we reported all people who were suspected of a crime or who committed a crime to the immigration service.
GLENN: All right. Which executive order was that?
GIULIANI: It was the executive order that was signed originally by Mayor Koch, continued by Mayor Dinkins and then by me and it sets up the following situation. You have to report all illegal immigrants or anybody with a questionable status who is suspected of committing a crime. However, there are three exceptions, only three exceptions to it. One is if they're putting children in school; two is if they are reporting a crime; three is if they're going to a hospital for healthcare which, by the way, was mandated by the federal government. So the first two, even the third were necessary for public safety. New York had 400,000 illegal immigrants. The federal government never deported more than 2,000 a year. If the illegal immigrants who were in New York and not going to be removed, even though their names were being turned over when they committed crimes, then you wanted their children to go to school. Otherwise there was a real chance there would be even more crime in New York City with 70,000 children at home, with nobody to take care of them.
So just because someone puts their child through school they get an automatic pass? What the hell kind of thinking process is that?? So they get to continue to break the law even though they have children in school?? I'm speechless.
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
Al Gore Rides In Luxury Private Jet
Oh how I love to point our irony. Some people like to golf, this is my hobby. Now, I got a few people asking me about when I pointed out the hypocrisy of John Edward's and his "SUV" speech of how did I know if the SUV wasn't a hybrid.
Well unless you know of a super secret way of jet's getting all "hybrid" on us, Al Gore has been caught red handed flying on a very large private jet.
Please will someone explain to me how a private jet can now be "green" and how it can be offset by "carbon credits". You can't because you know you're full of shit, and so's Al.
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
New Osama Tape
Here's a transcript of the tape.
It's in PDF format.
But yet, even Bin Laden, thousands of miles away in the deep corners of Afghanistan/Pakistan, he knows Democrats are weak:
"One should pause, think and reflect," the speaker says, according to the transcript. "Why have the Democrats failed to stop this war, despite them being the majority?"
Perhaps stopping the war in Iraq might be one thing, but I can certainly speak for Democrats when I say, we're not going to stop the war against you and Al-Qaeda. For as much as I despise cowardice in Democrats, they certainly have a smidge of backbone when it comes to fighting you Osama.
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Judge Strikes Down Part of Patriot Act - Forbes.com
A federal judge struck down parts of the revised USA Patriot Act on Thursday, saying investigators must have a court's approval before they can order Internet providers to turn over records without telling customers.
U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero said the government orders must be subject to meaningful judicial review and that the recently rewritten Patriot Act "offends the fundamental constitutional principles of checks and balances and separation of powers."
Many of the members of my party might feel that this is a blow to them, but in fact, the judge in this case is exactly right. If you try to search anything about me, you need to get a warrant for that search. Regardless of what you may think, the fundamental rights of an American citizen must come first and foremost. To do otherwise is simply giving up on the ideals that this nation was founded upon.
Besides admitted blatant abuse by the FBI, why should they continue to have extraordinary searching powers when they can't be trusted to use them properly? When Alberto Gonzales knowingly lied about those abuses to Congress, he sealed the fate of those rights in my mind against the FBI.
Travis
Labels: Constitutional Rights, Court, FBI, PATRIOT Act
Marty Beckerman Article
I guess my attempts at humor weren't very good. I thought that the fact I was posting about an article in the entertainment section was a big give away, but alas, I've gotten a bunch of emails. :) I also made the mistake of not labeling it "humor". I've taken care of that now. Your illusions of my being perfect in every way has been shattered forever!
No malice intended folks. At least on that front. :)
This is why I should stick with political blogs instead of writing humor. I guess the folks over at the Tonight Show won't be returning my calls. :)
Travis
Labels: Clarification, Huffington Post, Humor
The Torture Bible
Here's a neat little piece of literature I found on the Internet earlier this morning.
In it, it discusses various ways to conduct interrogations that the US employed in the 1960's. It's a 258 page document, so be warned, it's a long read.
Travis
Labels: Documents, Interrogations, US
Marty Beckerman: Picard for President: Why the (Other) Bald Captain of the Enterprise is a Better Leader than Bush - Entertainment on The Huffington P
Yes, let's debate why a fictional character on a science fiction show would be better at being President then President Bush. You know, it simply wouldn't be a complete day without pointing out the idiot blogger's over at Huffington Post. This time it's blogger Marty Beckerman.
Marty, buddy, it's a TV show. That's like comparing someone's fathering skills to Cliff Huxtable. But don't buy my end of the story take a look at the journalistic glory that is Marty Beckerman:
a nuanced political worldview that often explored the tactical necessity of choosing the lesser of two evils, the proper time for diplomacy to devolve into warfare, and other unpleasant shades of gray. (Does sex with an android count as emotional lovemaking or futuristic masturbation?)
Riveting Marty, please, go on.
At the moral center of these realist quandaries was Captain Jean-Luc Picard, whom Patrick Stewart played with Shakespearean gravitas (and without the use of William Shatner's signature toupee). The French-born, tea-drinking Picard, who popularized the catch phrase "make it so," was far more of a refined interstellar emissary than a testosterone-oozing brawler -- the Tony Blair to George W. Bush's Kirk, or more fittingly his Zapp Brannigan -- but was hardly a pacifist in an emergency. Indeed, Picard was a literate, contemplative and judicious leader, the exact opposite of what America has had so far in the Twenty-First Century.
Why doesn't this man have a Pulitzer yet?!?! It's a travesty of justice!
Travis
Labels: Huffington Post, Humor, idiocy
Iraq says won't disband police despite U.S. report | Reuters
Well thank God they actually have a brain in their heads:
Iraq's Interior Ministry said the report represented only one point of view and that while sectarianism was an issue it was being dealt with, and in any case was not widespread.
"We respect that point of view but we disagree with it," ministry spokesman Brigadier-General Abdul-Kareem Khalaf said.
"We admit there were some problems before due to sectarian loyalties but this involved just a few people. It was not widespread ... it does not reach the level of disbanding the police," Khalaf said.
"We have taken many steps to end these violations," he said.
Disbanding any police force, regardless of the level of corruption, would lead to widespread chaos and violence. With respect to General Jones, I don't think he thought this one through enough to see the long term consequences of a disbanding of the Iraqi police might have on the nation.
Travis
Watch This
Check this out. It's always funny to watch a liberal show host try to trap someone with their words and have the guest snap back with a perfect reply. Alan Colmes of Hannity and Colmes tries to show the hypocrisy of a guest and he's promptly verbally slapped back.
Travis
Labels: Hannity And Colmes
Dems already discount war report - - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper
They're discounting it because they know it's going to contain things that they don't want to hear: That progress is being made in Iraq and that enough progress has been made to warrant more time.
What's worse is that they haven't even SEEN the fucking thing and they are already discounting it. Why? Because they're trying to do a preemptive strike against the President and undermine the war in Iraq.
"The Bush report?" Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin said when asked about the upcoming report from Gen. Petraeus, U.S. commander in Iraq.
"We know what is going to be in it. It's clear. I think the president's trip over to Iraq makes it very obvious," the Illinois Democrat said. "I expect the Bush report to say, 'The surge is working. Let's have more of the same.' "
The top Democrats — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California — also referred to the general's briefing as the "Bush report."
They are calling it the Bush report because they are trying to get American's who don't have a clue about how this report is going to be made, tricked into thinking that it's all a White House washout. Bush couldn't claim progress if Petraeus isn't claiming progress. General Petraeus is scheduled to testify before Congress about the progress in Iraq. Any discrepancy between what he says to them and what Bush says in the report will be torn apart within hours.
These people have made up their mind already about the war in Iraq and have lied to the American people. They trusted General Petraeus to deliver an honest report in September about the progress or lack thereof in Iraq. Now that they have a gist of what's going to be in it, they don't like it and now are trying to undermine the credibility of a four star General.
That reeks of playing politics with the lives of our soldiers in Iraq. General Petraeus has already said that we can probably maintain the same amount of security with less forces within a few months if things look good. That's counter to what Democrats say that Bush wants. So if we can do the same with less, then that's what we should do. We should trust the guy who knows counterinsurgency like the back of his hand instead of trying to force their own naive views upon the military.
Democrats said they put more faith in a report Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office that showed Iraq failed to meet 11 of 18 political and security benchmarks set by Congress.
Ok, then let's go with that. 11 out of 18 failed to be met so far. That means that 7 have been or are close to being done. So you're willing to bail out when they're almost 1/2 way done with those benchmarks? Democrats love to talk about soldiers dying for nothing, but they won't tell you that if they pull out of Iraq like they want to and Iraq spirals out of control, those who've fought and died to achieve what we have done so far will indeed be for nothing.
"We will see what the Bush report will be at the end of next week," Mrs. Pelosi said. "The facts are self-evident that the progress is not being made. They might want to find one or two places where there has been progress but the plural of anecdote is not data."
She said Democrats were determined to uncover "the ground truth in Iraq."
Even one of their own, Representative Brian Baird agrees that we should stay a little longer until they get back on their feet. He voted originally against the Iraq war. What do Democrats do about that? They try to run smear campaigns against him and discount his own findings. He went to Iraq and specifically asked to go into areas and get the full picture, not a "dog and pony show". But other Democrats didn't like that he came to a conclusion that differs from their own.
That's playing politics with soldiers lives and the lives of Iraqi civilians.
So go ahead, discount General Petraeus, you're only showing yourselves to be petty and weak when you don't get your way.
Travis
Labels: Democrats, General Petraeus, iraq, Politics
Reuters AlertNet - Israeli army declines comment on Syria bombing report
Israel attacking Syrian targets? Israel purportedly dropped fuel tanks and flew faster then the speed of sound into Syrian territory.
Was this a dry run against them in Syria's attempts to get back Golem Heights? It certainly appears that way:
Tensions between the two neighbors have been high in recent months, with some Israeli intelligence officials suggesting President Bashar al-Assad's administration might be ready to try to take by force parts of the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in the war of 1967.
Syrian officials, including Assad, have repeatedly warned Israel in recent weeks that the occupation of the Golan Heights "cannot last forever."
Of course, Iran wants to poke it's nose into things by offering help to the Syrians:
Iran's ambassador to Damascus, Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, assured security officials in Syria that Teheran would be ready to offer Damascus any assistance it may need, Iranian media reported on Thursday afternoon following a resurgence of tensions between Israel and Syria.
Personally, I say let them take the gloves off and go to town. The Israeli's, regardless of what you think of them, are ruthless when it comes to war and intelligence gathering. We all know what happened during the 1967 war when Israel kicked the snot out of just about everyone in the neighborhood.
With Iran offering help against the Israeli's, that means that Iran can't be running interference in Iraq. Israel has no problem slaughtering everyone in it's path, so it's win-win for the US.
Counterterrorism expert Boaz Ganor said that if Thursday's overflight occurred, it's possible Israel was "collecting intelligence on long-range missiles" deployed by Syria in the north.
Imad Fawzi Shoaibi, a Syrian political analyst, speculated that Israel may have been probing Syria's new air defense systems provided by Russia, at a time when tension is running high between the two countries.
Whatever the reasoning, you can bet that things aren't going to calm down anytime soon.
Labels: Incident, israel, military, Syria
Fake motorcade causes summit stir - CNN.com
Oh man, that was hilarious! I mean, come on! Fake motorcade? That's original!
These idiots deserve any jail time that they have coming to them. To purposefully act like people they aren't and pull a stunt like this is irresponsible at best and idiotic and dangerous at worst.
Can you imagine what might have happened if police thought that the people inside the car were indeed terrorists? It's not as unthinkable as you might think. I think we all remember the limo bomb plot a little while back, so these morons are lucky the police didn't end up shooting them or anyone else getting hurt.
The police were right in treating them like a threat because they acted like a threat. I wonder what the TV station would have done if someone had gotten hurt or killed. There's bound to be lawsuits from this incident regardless of how it ends.
Travis
26,000 U.S., Iraqi troops conduct offensive - CNN.com
With more than 1/2 of the operation involving Iraqi troops, you can't tell me that they aren't starting to get on their feet.
We're starting to push militants out of Iraq. Some Moqtada al-Sadr's men are honoring his suspension orders, so the violence levels are bound to go down.
While I'm not happy with the speed of things, I think the Iraqi's can do more, I am glad to see the progress is indeed being made.
Travis
Bush, China's Hu tackle thorny issues - CNN.com
Although Bush hinted to reporters on Wednesday that he might bring it up, neither Hu nor the president said the recent cyber attack on the Pentagon was discussed Thursday.
The United States has not officially accused Beijing of hacking into the military e-mail system that serves Defense Secretary Robert Gates and hundreds of other department employees, but behind the scenes a senior Bush administration official told CNN that China is the No. 1 suspect in the June hacking incident.
On Monday, the Financial Times of London also reported that Washington believed China was responsible. Meanwhile the Chinese government dismisses such allegations as "groundless."
I kind of wished he had brought it up. There's no doubt in my mind that China's gearing up for a potential fight over Taiwan. They've been attempting to gain access to our military technology for years and it's simply idiotic not to call them to the carpet and let them know we know about it and our responses to it might be swift and severe if they continue.
In addition to discussing the delicate North Korean nuclear issue and the violence in the Sudanese region of Darfur, Bush said Hu was "quite articulate" about the contentious issue of product safety, given the string of recalls on defective Chinese-made products -- which have spanned from tainted food to hazardous toys.
Hu said he has a desire "to work for further development and the growth and business ties of our countries through dialogue and consultations."
How about you let the Chinese deal with a lot of "help us" kinds of missions around the world that only the US gets looked at with dealing with?
How about we talk about the trade deficit and China's continued artificially lowering of their currency? How about you talk about the illegal tax breaks China gives to it's businesses in order for them to compete on the world stage?
You can't have a meeting with a world leader if you don't talk about your major problems with one another and how to solve them. Otherwise it's just a photo op that no one cares about.
Travis
Cop charged in police dog's hot car death - CNN.com
If it were you or I, we'd be charged with animal cruelty, so why not hold the same standards for an officer of the law?
Being cooked to death isn't a very fun way to die, human or animal. Your brain freaks out, you sweat profusely until you're dehydrated, your organs start malfunctioning. It simply isn't pretty. Couple that with dogs having a higher than human body temperature and they have a thick coat of fur, you can imagine the kind of agonizing death this animal had.
I won't even begin to explain how expensive these dogs really are as well. Training, equipment, officer's time involved, etc, can really add up. I wouldn't be surprised that a police dog can run the same amount of money as a new car.
Travis
Labels: Animal Cruelty, Arrest
Mayors, legislators arrested in New Jersey corruption probe - CNN.com
It is important to remember that politicians should be held to the highest regard. We are entrusting them to run our nation. So when they are caught for corruption, it's one of the biggest let downs you can have in someone you voted for.
It's also dishonorable to everyone who fought and stood up for our rights to vote.
State Assemblymen Mims Hackett Jr. and Alfred E. Steele -- both Democrats -- and Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera are among those arrested, the news release says.
Steele also serves as undersheriff in Passaic County, just outside Newark. Hackett is also mayor of Orange.
If these allegations are true, they not only deserve to lose their jobs, but to go to jail and serve as an example to others who might be thinking of becoming corrupt themselves.
Travis
Labels: Arrest, corruption, Politics
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Keith Olbermann Twists Words Yet Again
Here's a transcript of his latest rant, but there's a few problems of course:
Finally tonight, a Special Comment about Mr. Bush’s trip, and his startling admission of the true motive for this war, which was revealed in his absence.
And so he is back from his annual surprise gratuitous photo-op in Iraq, and what a sorry spectacle it was.
But it was nothing compared to the spectacle of one unfiltered, unguarded, horrifying quotation in the new biography to which Mr. Bush has consented.
As he deceived the troops at Al-Asad Air Base yesterday with the tantalizing prospect that some of them might not have to risk being killed and might get to go home, Mr. Bush probably did not know that, with his own words, he had already proved that he had been lying — is lying… will be lying — about Iraq.
He presumably did not know, that there had already appeared those damning excerpts from Robert Draper’s book “Dead Certain.”
“I’m playing for October-November,” Mr. Bush said to Draper.
That, evidently, is the time during which, he thinks he can sell us the real plan.
Really Keith! Do tell!
Which is, to quote him: “To get us in a position where the presidential candidates, will be comfortable about sustaining a presence.”
Comfortable, that is, with saying about Iraq, again quoting the President, “stay longer.”
And there it is, sir. We’ve caught you.
I'm confused, how do you catch someone when they say something out loud?
Your goal is not to bring some troops home — maybe — if we let you have your way now;
How do you know that? You're grasping at straws Keith. "I'm playing for October-November" could very well mean "I'm trying to get Iraqi violence levels down to acceptable levels around October or November. I want the American people more comfortable to keep US troops in Iraq until the Iraqi's are more able to stand on their feet, presumably within the next few months." Keith, you're assuming things. We all know that the President isn't exactly the best at public speaking.
Your goal is not to set the stage for eventual withdrawal;
How do you know that? You're assuming.
You are, to use your own disrespectful, tone-deaf word, playing at getting the next Republican nominee to agree to jump into this bottomless pit with you, and take us with him, as we stay in Iraq for another year, and another, and another, and anon.
So he's trying to get other Republican Presidential nominees to see the progress in Iraq and be ok with keeping them there if the need does arrive?
Everything you said about Iraq yesterday, and everything you will say, is a deception, for the purpose of this one cynical, unacceptable, brutal goal — perpetuating this war indefinitely.
We simply can't afford to be at war forever. No one has even suggested it. Well except you.
War today, war tomorrow, war forever!
And you are playing at it!
Playing!
A man with any self-respect, having inadvertently revealed such an evil secret, would have already resigned and fled the country!
You have no remaining credibility about Iraq, sir.
You had none to start with Keith.
And yet, yesterday at Al-Asad, Mr. Bush kept playing — and this time, using the second of his two faces.
The President told reporters, “They, (General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker) “tell me if the kind of success we are now seeing continues, it will be possible to maintain the same level of security with fewer American forces.”
And so, Mr. Bush got his fraudulent headlines today: “Bush May Bring Some Troops Home.”
What makes it fraudulent? If General Petraeus says "we should bring down troop levels", how can you possibly argue with that? He's the guy on the ground, he's the one with the experience and he's the one who's actually making a difference. Oh wait, that's right, he's also the one that Democrats are already calling a "Political Hack" and other nasty names because they know he's going to show positive results and it'll completely take the wind out of Democrats argument of complete and immediate withdrawal.
While the reality is, we know from what he told Draper, that the President’s true hope is that they will not come home; but that they will stay there, because he is keeping them there now, in hope that those from his political party fighting to succeed him, will prolong this unendurable disaster into the next decade.
You're assuming again Keith, it seems to be a pattern with you.
But, to a country dying of thirst, the President seemed to vaguely promise a drink from a full canteen — a promise predicated on the assumption that he is not lying.
Yet you are lying, Mr. Bush. Again. But now, we know why.
You gave away more of yourself than you knew in the Draper book
And you gave away more still, on the arduous trip back out of Iraq — hours in the air, without so much as a single vacation.
“If you look at my comments over the past eight months,” you told reporters, “it’s gone from a security situation — in the sense that we’re either going to get out and there will be chaos, or, more troops. Now, the situation has changed, where I’m able to speculate on the hypothetical.”
Mr. Bush, the only “hypothetical” here is that you are not now holding our troops hostage.
Hardly. Now the "hypothetical" is when can we bring troops home and how are the Iraqi security forces doing?
You have no intention of withdrawing them.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t pretend you’re thinking about it, does it?
That is your genius, sir — as you see it, anyway.
So, I'm confused, is Bush a genius or an idiot. Liberals flip flop on this so many times. But then again, they flip flop like a fish out of water, so it's not surprising.
You can deduce what we want — we, the people, remember us? — and then use it against us.
You can hold that canteen up and promise it to the parched nation.
Ooooh a metaphor! I'm impressed!
And the untold number of Americans whose lives have not been directly blighted by Iraq — or who do not realize that their safety has been reduced and not increased by Iraq — they will get the bullet points: ‘Bush is thinking about bringing some troops home. Bush even went to Iraq.’
Yes, because after Generals on the ground have said we've captured or killed almost 4,000 Al-Qaeda members, we certainly are much less safe aren't we? Al-Zahirwi has said that Iraq is Al-Qaeda's main focus point now, we've seen evidence of that statement to be true, so we must indeed be less safe! It all makes sense now!
You can fool some of the people all of the time, can’t you, Mr. Bush?
You are playing us!
And as for the most immediate victims of the President’s perfidy and shameless manipulation — those troops, yesterday sweating literally as he spoke at Al-Asad Air Base…
Tonight, again sweating figuratively in The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death…
The President saved, for them, the most egregious “playing” in the entire trip.
“I want to tell you this about the decision, about my decision about troop levels. Those decisions will be based on a calm assessment by our military commanders on the conditions on the ground — not a nervous reaction by Washington politicians to poll results in the media.”
One must compliment Mr. Bush’s writer.
That, perhaps, was the mostly perfectly crafted phrase of his Presidency.
But well crafted or not, is it true? I believe it is. I believe it's the right thing to do. Politicians, especially Democrats, will say or do anything to keep themselves in power and they see positive results coming from Iraq and with their constituency saying "get out of Iraq now!", they are stuck either looking like a pandering bunch of idiots, or a dangerously short sighted bunch of idiots.
For depraved indifference to Democracy, for the craven projection of political motives onto those trying to save lives and save a nation, for a dismissal of the value of the polls and the importance of the media… for a summary of all he does not hold dear about this nation or its people — nothing… could top that.
As if, sir, you listened to all the “calm assessments” of our military commanders –rather than firing the ones who dared say The Emperor Has No Clothes, and The President, No Judgment;
Pretty hard to dismiss General Petraeus isn't it? I mean he can do it, but it would be political suicide to do so.
As if, sir, your entire presidency was not a “nervous reaction”, and you yourself, nothing but a Washington politician;
As if, sir, “the media” does not largely divide into those parts your minions are playing, and those others who unthinkingly and uncritically serve as your echo chamber, at a time when the nation’s future may depend on the airing of dissent.
And as if, sir, those polls were not so overwhelming, and not so clearly reflective of the nation’s agony and the nation’s insistence.
But this President has ceased to listen.
Why? Because there are vast consequences to withdrawal that Democrats simply don't see? They don't know about the 1991 slaughter of Iraqi citizens that rose up against Saddam that we encouraged? They don't think that we'd have a nation of pissed off people if we pulled out and they were summarily slaughtered as well?
This President has decided that night is day, and death is life, and enraging the world against us, is safety.
To tell you the truth, I could give a shit what the world thinks of us. I only care about the safety and security of America.
And this laziest of Presidents, actually interrupted his precious time off to fly to Iraq to play at a photo opportunity with soldiers, some of whom will — on his orders — be killed before the year, maybe the month, is out.
Just over 500 days remain in this Presidency.
Consider the dead who have piled up on the battlefield in these last 500 days.
Consider the singular fraudulence of this President’s trip to Iraq yesterday, and the singular fraudulence of the selling of the Petraeus Report in these last 500 days.
Consider how this President has torn away at the fabric of this nation in a manner of which terrorists can only dream in these last 500 days.
And consider again how this President has spoken to that biographer: that he is “playing for October-November.” The goal in Iraq is “To get us in a position where the presidential candidates will be comfortable about sustaining a presence” and consider how this revelation contradicts every other rationale he has offered in these last 500 days.
In the context of all that… now, consider… these next 500 days.
Mr. Bush, our presence in Iraq must end.
Even if it means your resignation.
Won't happen.
Even if it means your impeachment.
REALLY won't happen. Democrats simply don't have the backbone to do it. So whine all you want, we all know you're full of hot air. They also don't have the votes, or the criminal charges.
Even if it means a different Republican to serve out your term.
President Cheney? Yeah, I'm sure that Democrats would go for that.
Even if it means a Democratic Congress — and those true Patriots among the Republicans — standing up and denying you another penny for Iraq, other than for the safety and the safe conduct home of our troops.
Go for it. Hell, I double dare you to do it. You'll end up getting the reputation that you so richly deserve just like the one you got after Democrats defunded the Vietnam war. Ones of cowardice and undermining troops with no money to pay for proper equipment and supplies.
But alas, Democrats don't have the backbone to do it. They are too worried about doing what's popular instead of what's "right" in their minds. They lack the courage, the conviction, and the moral radar to actually do anything about the Iraq war, which they are so enraged about.
This country cannot run the risk of what you can still do to this country in the next 500 days…
Not while you, sir… are playing.
And you sir, are assuming, grasping at straws, and trying to rile up people who aren't going to have the intestinal fortitude to stand by their principles.
Travis
Labels: Democrats, idiocy, iraq, Keith Olbermann, Politics, Republicans
Paula Gordon: An Open Letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi - The Huffington Post
Some people are just too dumb for words. Case in point, yet another Huffington Post blogger, Paula Gordon. She writes an "open letter" to Nancy Pelosi telling her to not to authorize any attacks on Iran.
Here's her reasoning:
A plan is not an action and stories about America attacking Iran have been floating around for years. However, given:
• the deteriorating condition of Iraq,
• setbacks in Afghanistan,
• overextended and depleted U.S. military,
• astonishing cost of the Iraq adventure and related actions (threatening the economic viability of the nation and demonstrably diminishing the quality of life),
• ongoing intelligence failures (c.f., Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, by Tim Weiner),
• the demonstrated inability of this Administration to plan for what-happens-next (e.g., Amb (ret) Peter Galbraith's The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End),
• the potentially catastrophic consequences of attacking Iran,
• the inattentiveness of mainstream media,
• the Administration's arrogant disregard of the Constitution, the laws of the land and the people's will expressed through Congress,
• the messianic paranoia laced throughout this Administration, and
• the feeble response of Congress to all the above,
I think what she meant was:
Senator Pelosi,
I don't have the foggiest idea on what's going on in Iraq. I don't know or don't care to do even the most basic research on the rumors of Iranian support of insurgents who are shooting at and murdering US troops. I certainly don't think that we should actually retaliate against people who are shooting at US troops.
I mean, God forbid we actually DEFEND ourselves at anything.
But I'm getting off subject. Because of the deteriorating situation in Iraq, and setbacks in Afghanistan, that automatically gives the Iranians full permission to take pot shots at our guys.
I certainly can't be bothered to research Iran's support of Hezbollah, a known terrorist organization, and be deeply troubled by Iran's obvious nuclear weapons ambitions.
I also can't put two and two together and think that maybe if the Iranians weren't supporting the insurgency in Iraq that maybe the picture in Iraq might be a LOT more better then it appears on the news. I mean, that would make Republicans right, wouldn't it?
In closing Ms. Pelosi, I want to make sure that our friends and enemies know that we're going to back down from a fight if it gets too hard. I want our enemies to know that if we're busy with something else, we can't be bothered to retaliate against known aggressors. I just want everyone to know that when the going gets tough, liberals will push for withdrawal because they're pussies.
I'm pretty sure that's the gist of the article she wrote.
Travis
Sen. Sam Brownback on Yahoo! News Photos
Oh my God, how sad! I count 10 people that came to see Senator Brownback. That's just pathetic. I think I might be able to garner up more warm bodies then that.
Travis
Labels: Pathetic, Politics, Senator Sam Brownback
Arrest Warrant Issued For Fugitive Fundraiser Hsu - News Story - KTVU San Francisco
Uh Oh, it looks like major Democratic donor Norman Hsu has skipped out on his court appearance and there's been a warrant out for his arrest. It'll be pretty nice to see him in handcuffs because once he's arrested, he won't be getting bail and his $2 million dollar bail has been forfeited to the county. A nice chunk of change if you ask me.
I wonder if Representative Kennedy will NOW return the campaign donations that Hsu gave or if he's still going to argue about sending back the $6k.
But one thing Kennedy didn't take into account was the fact that Hsu was already convicted of the crime and was due to be sentenced to 3 years in jail when he skipped out in 1992.
Last week, Hsu said he thought the criminal charges had been taken care of when he completed his bankruptcy proceedings in the early 1990s.
"I have not sought to evade any of my obligations and certainly not the law," Hsu said in a prepared statement.
Really Hsu? Then why did you skip out on your bail today? It's because you're a common criminal who thinks he's above the law.
I wonder why Democrats don't get all in a hissy over this guy. He's basically the same thing as Jack Abramoff. A corrupt major donor to a political party. So let's hear it Democrats. Tell me what a horrible guy this Hsu is and how he deserves to go to jail.
Or will you end up being the apologist and making excuses?
Travis
Labels: corruption, Democrats, Politics
U.S. report says Iraq Interior Ministry 'dysfunctional' - CNN.com
An independent report is now saying that the Interior Ministry is "dysfunctional and sectarian" and should be "disbanded and reorganized". Didn't we already do that once and it came back to bite us in the ass when people were all of a sudden unemployed and pissed?
Well at least the Pentagon isn't going down that road again:
The Pentagon said Wednesday it does not agree with the report's recommendation that the Iraqi National Police be disbanded.
Think about that for a minute, they want to disband the Iraqi police force. Sure, there's always going to be rogue officers and corruption in any police department, even ones here in the US, but to completely disband the police is insanity.
But then they turn around and make this comment:
The report says the "Iraqi Police Service must be better trained and equipped," and the commission "believes that the Iraqi Police Service can improve rapidly should the Ministry of Interior become a more functional institution."
So do they need just better training and equipment or do they need to be disbanded and reorganized?
But it's not all bad news.
The report has promising words for the Iraqi army, special forces, navy and air force, describing them as "increasingly effective" and "capable of assuming greater responsibility for the internal security of Iraq."
So the Iraqi police force needs work, but the military is working out pretty well. If that's the case, then work on the police force, don't disband them. It'll lead to lawlessness and higher levels of violence.
Do I really need to get a job writing reports for Congress? Because it appears that these idiots don't have a clue when it comes to repercussions of their words.
Travis
Labels: Congress, iraq, Report
Couric: 'Real Progress' In Iraq
Even Katie Couric is seeing "real progress" in Iraq. Journalists are some of the most liberal people on the planet, and if they are starting to see progress in Iraq, do you think that others might follow suit and want to actually stay until the job is done in Iraq?
Probably not, but it is telling when a major news reporter like Couric says things like "We hear so much about things going bad, but real progress has been made there in terms of security and stability," Couric said Tuesday. "I mean, obviously, infrastructure problems abound, but Sunnis and U.S. forces are working together. They banded together because they had a common enemy: al Qaeda."
It's what I've been telling you all along. Things are getting better, but you don't see that from the various liberals who want an immediate pull out of Iraq.
Jon Soltz, whom I do respect as a former soldier, won't even admit that. Take a look at this video:
Mr. Soltz won't even admit that progress is being made (at the roughly 2 minute mark remaining) when he's presented with facts about the progress in Iraq.
What I do wonder is if Jon Soltz saw things in Iraq during his time there and that has skewed his vision of what's going on there now. Mr. Soltz berated Dan Senor about "not going to be lectured by you" But he will be "lectured by General Petraeus". Well if that's the case Mr. Soltz, then why not wait for his report?
What's really telling is that Jon Soltz actually ADMITS there's positive progress in Iraq at the 1:45 left mark when he says: "There are not troops in Anbar Province because there's a political reconciliation."
He just blew his argument out of the water. Sorry Jon, I respect you very highly about your service to this country, but I believe you are wrong on this and people who are going there now have a better idea of what's going on.
Travis
Labels: iraq, Jon Soltz, Katie Couric
Judge wants everyone in UK on DNA database | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited
Even visitors to the UK. Yeah. Good luck with that. No one is going to agree to that. The UK is already one of the biggest "nanny states" in the world, why would anyone want to give up their DNA? Something like that would be ripe for abuse. It certainly wouldn't fly here in the US.
Hell, there are people getting sued because jails want DNA samples from all inmates even BEFORE they are convicted. There are even examples of jails being told to get rid of the samples and they aren't doing it.
So don't think for a minute that the British will fall for this.
Here's a scary example of abuse. Someone works at the DNA lab. They get mad at their significant other and plans their murder. What's to prevent them from grabbing a sample and smearing it all over the crime scene, making it look like the person actually did the crime?
Now that's a worst case scenario, but you can imagine other's that are just as scary. People want to be free from Big Brother, and to ask everyone to give up their DNA samples, even visitors, just simply isn't going to happen. If they put something like that into place, you can watch their tourism trade drop to next to nothing. I know I wouldn't visit the UK if they did that, or I'd get right back on the plane and head for home.
Travis
CNN.com - CNN Political Ticker McCain: 'Little jerk' comment made in jest «
Boy CNN is really grasping at straws here. This is such a non story, I can't believe that it's even on CNN's site. But here we go. A young man asked a question: "Do you ever worry you might die in office or get Alzheimer's or some other disease that might affect your judgment?"
Now it could be argued that he was being a jerk, or that he asked the question in jest, or what have you, but the question was indeed asked. John McCain answered the question professionally, and honestly. Then he made the comment of "Thanks for the Question You Little Jerk…You’re Drafted!" Everyone laughed and they all knew it was said in jest.
However, CNN runs the story and tries to make it into something it's not. McCain offered up an explanation, even though one wasn't needed, so that the politically correction idiots out there know when to laugh at something.
Travis
Labels: Funny, John McCain
Dobbs: Mexican president's blatant hypocrisy - CNN.com
Well of course the Mexican President is going to show hypocrisy when it comes to illegal immigration. With our porous borders, our lax immigration laws, and Mexico's inability to meet it's own citizens needs in Mexico, sure, they love to try to sponge off the US as much as possible.
Mexico looks at the US as a mere pressure valve. We're here to take in all their citizens who don't want to live in Mexico. We're here to feed, clothe, and pay for medical care for their citizens. But try that same kind of crap in Mexico and you know what? You have ZERO rights in Mexico. Why? Because they aren't foolish enough to try to help everyone like we are.
Why do you think that Mexico protested the proposed 700 mile long border fence? If they didn't think of us as something to be sponged off of, why would they care?
Even by Mexico's standards, Calderon's blatant hypocrisy is breathtaking. Calderon told the Washington Post more than a year ago that he believes laws are not a relative concept, nor subject to a personal concept of justice. Calderon declared a big difference between himself and his rival for the Mexican presidency, Manuel Lopez Obrador, was this: "I believe in the rule of law." Obviously he does not believe in the rule of U.S. law on U.S. soil.
If you really want to solve the immigration problem, you need to build fences, go after employers with hefty fines, and actually enforce immigration laws. If a person is convicted of a crime, they need to be deported, not released back into society. If they are, you are helping them commit a crime.
No one is saying "no immigrants", we're saying "no illegal immigrants". There's a difference.
Travis
Labels: hypocrisy, Illegal Immigration
NYC taxi drivers' group strikes over GPS rules - CNN.com
I've spoken about this before, but it appears that now the cab drivers are striking over the requirement that they all have GPS units and touch screens in their cab so people can pay with a credit card.
Where's the problem? Your employer requires you to have something as a part of your job, you get it. Or you don't have a job. It's really as simple as that. The employer has the right to know where you are at all times. Plus, when you're out in public, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy. The Supreme Court has ruled on this before, so I'm afraid that cabbies simply don't have a leg to stand on.
What's worse is that they are making their supervisors think twice about the cabbies. If one cabbie didn't have a problem with it and another one did, when it comes time to cut jobs, who do you think the supervisor's going to pick?
I'm not saying let an employer walk all over you, but you certainly have to pick your battles and this is one that cabbies simply can't win.
Travis
Source: GOP leaders want Craig to quit as planned - CNN.com
Ha ha! I was only kidding! That seems to be what Senator Larry Craig is saying now that he's come out and is trying to withdraw his resignation from the Senate. He's actually trying to get his guilty plea withdrawn as well.
I've spoken with several people in the criminal justice field and they have all agreed that his chances of getting his guilty plea withdrawn are almost zero. They have all said that a judge would look at it and say "why should I allow this. You understood it, you signed it, and you moved on with your life."
Senator Craig is only doing this because he wants to keep his job. Personally, I think even if he does manage to keep his job by some miracle, the voters of Idaho, a VERY conservative state, would vote him out anyways.
Sorry Larry, but you broke the law, you plead guilty, now you want to avoid the heat from committing that crime. It's simply not going to happen.
Travis
Labels: crime, Politics, Republicans, resignation, Senator Larry Craig
Germany: 'Massive' attacks foiled - CNN.com
Germany seems to have a problem with terrorists growing within their country. The 9/11 terrorists called Germany home for a long while. Now it appears this time, they've captured three people who were planning "massive" attacks.
With the accumulation of almost 1500 pounds of hydrogen peroxide, that can make one nasty bomb if mixed correctly.
Kudos to the German authorities for thwarting what might have turned out to be a very nasty surprise for someone some day.
Travis
Labels: Germany, terrorist, US
Air Force probes mistaken transport of nuclear warheads - CNN.com
Oh man how heads are going to roll over this one. "Missing" nuclear weapons for 3 and a half hours? Oh yeah, someone's going to get a major talking to. How do you forget that nuclear weapons are on an aircraft? I would personally think that I would be EXTREMELY nervous around nuclear weapons and thus, want to know where they were at all times if I were in charge of them.
Look for someone having to scrub toilets over this one.
Travis
Labels: Air Force, Massive Mistake, military, Nuclear Weapons
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Rep. Kennedy Will Keep Hsu Donations
No of course not, why would he bother returning money so that it at least appeared that he wasn't going to be swayed by tainted money? Even Hillary returned Hsu's money. Now is he not returning the money because he actually needs it, or is he not returning it because he's a scumbag?
Travis
Labels: corruption, Democrats, Politics
Indicted USF Student has Terror Past in Egypt :: Articles by IPT :: The Investigative Project on Terrorism
On of Florida's finest may have thwarted a terrorist attack.
Two Egyptian students enrolled at the University of South Florida have been indicted for carrying explosive materials across states lines. One of the defendants also is charged with teaching the other how to use them for violent reasons.
Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, 24, an engineering graduate student and teaching assistant at the Tampa-based university, faces terrorism charges for teaching and demonstrating how to use the explosives.
According to officials familiar with the case, Mohamed has been arrested previously in Egypt on terrorism-related charges. He is said to have produced an Internet video showing how to build a remote-controlled car bomb.
This wasn't a couple of kids acting up and playing with minor explosives:
The local sheriff in South Carolina said the explosives were "other than fireworks."
Now I don't know about you, but I went through a phase of chemistry, physics, and math and loved playing with explosives. Nothing too outlandish, but stuff that in large quantities can blow up a small tree or a large pumpkin.
My chemistry teacher at the time noticed it and took me under his wing and I learned a great deal about how things worked and how things didn't work. He taught me how to respect chemicals and explosives and things of that nature and through it all, he n