Month: May 2008

Such much for the political progress in Iraq.

This is not good.

Iraq’s main Sunni Arab political bloc said on Wednesday it had suspended talks to rejoin the Shi’ite-led government after a disagreement with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki over a cabinet post.

Persuading the bloc to rejoin has been a main aim of U.S. policy in Iraq and is widely seen as a vital step in reconciling the country’s factions after years of conflict. Sunni Arabs have little voice in a cabinet dominated by Shi’ites and Kurds.

The breakdown in talks could undermine Washington’s efforts to prod Sunni Arab states to offer more support to Iraq’s government at a conference in Sweden this week as a way of countering Shi’ite Iran’s growing influence in Iraq.

"We have suspended negotiations with the government and pulled out our candidates," said Salim al-Jibouri, spokesman for the Accordance Front. He said the decision was taken after Maliki objected to a candidate for a cabinet position.

The Accordance Front pulled out of Maliki’s national unity government in August, demanding the release of mainly Sunni Arab detainees in Iraq’s jails and calling for a greater say in security matters.

Jibouri said the Accordance Front drew up a list of candidates for six cabinet posts to hand to the government but Maliki rejected the nomination for the Planning Ministry. (Via Reuters)

While the United States is making good gains militarily in Iraq, the political end of it is, quite frankly, going lousy. As it says above the new Iraq Government cannot agree on who to have in what office. Of course the Neo-Conservatives will gloss over this and say, "Oh, This does not really matter, what matter is, that we’re winning the war!" The problem with the whole idiotic mentality is, there are two fronts to this occupation of Iraq. Defeat the "Terrorists" and establish a new Government in Iraq. The first part is working well, so far, the second one, is not working well at all, as this article shows.

But as Grampy "Bedtime story" McSame says, "We will never surrender in Iraq!"

You can’t surrender a land that was never yours in the first place, Grandpa. Rolling Eyes

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Trust me, this is only the beginning of the Books whacking Bush and his White House

Shocking Yes. Surprising? Not hardly. Not talking

Quote:

Among the most explosive revelations in the 341-page book, titled “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception” (Public Affairs, $27.95):

• McClellan charges that Bush relied on “propaganda” to sell the war.

• He says the White House press corps was too easy on the administration during the run-up to the war.

• He admits that some of his own assertions from the briefing room podium turned out to be “badly misguided.” 

• The longtime Bush loyalist also suggests that two top aides held a secret West Wing meeting to get their story straight about the CIA leak case at a time when federal prosecutors were after them — and McClellan was continuing to defend them despite mounting evidence they had not given him all the facts.

• McClellan asserts that the aides — Karl Rove, the president’s senior adviser, and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the vice president’s chief of staff — “had at best misled” him about their role in the disclosure of former CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity. -  McClellan whacks Bush, White House (Via Politico.com)

Other Interesting tibits:

Among other notable passages:

• Steve Hadley, then the deputy national security adviser, said about the erroneous assertion about Saddam Hussein seeking uranium, included in the State of the Union address of 2003: “Signing off on these facts is my responsibility. … And in this case, I blew it. I think the only solution is for me to resign.” The offer “was rejected almost out of hand by others present,” McClellan writes.

• Bush was “clearly irritated, … steamed,” when McClellan informed him that chief economic adviser Larry Lindsey had told The Wall Street Journal that a possible war in Iraq could cost from $100 billion to $200 billion: “‘It’s unacceptable,’ Bush continued, his voice rising. ‘He shouldn’t be talking about that.’”

• “As press secretary, I spent countless hours defending the administration from the podium in the White House briefing room. Although the things I said then were sincere, I have since come to realize that some of them were badly misguided.”

• “History appears poised to confirm what most Americans today have decided: that the decision to invade Iraq was a serious strategic blunder. No one, including me, can know with absolute certainty how the war will be viewed decades from now when we can more fully understand its impact. What I do know is that war should only be waged when necessary, and the Iraq war was not necessary.”

• McClellan describes his preparation for briefing reporters during the Plame frenzy: “I could feel the adrenaline flowing as I gave the go-ahead for Josh Deckard, one of my hard-working, underpaid press office staff, … to give the two-minute warning so the networks could prepare to switch to live coverage the moment I stepped into the briefing room.”

• “‘Matrix’ was the code name the Secret Service used for the White House press secretary."

Unlike Jack Moss, who totally trashed Scott and his book, and even goes as far to say that Scott is lying about Bush in his book. I will say this, it is a good chance that Scott is actually telling the truth about Bush in his book. I think Jack Moss thinks that unless someone is praising Bush and saying he is 100 percent right and Iraq was a great idea, and Katrina was not his fault, they’re lying in their books. In other words, if they do not toe the party line, (of B.S.) they are just lying liberals out to discredit Bush. You see how screwed up the mind set is of the Bush apologists and Neo Conservatives?

The truth is, this book is most likely going to be one of the more stunning books, seeing that it is from an insider, someone who was in his inner circle. I personally would like to get a copy of it.

You can pre-order yours at:

Like I said in the title of this post, this is only the tip of the iceberg. I believe that torrent, a flood, if you will, of books will come out, after Bush leaves office, by former staffers, and friends of his, some glowing and some will be glaring. Bush might lose some friends over it too. You cannot stifle truth and it will prevail in the end.  It shall be interesting, to say the least.

Update: The White House responds:

The White House is panning a new book by former presidential spokesman Scott McClellan.

"Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House. For those of us who fully supported him, before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad – this is not the Scott we knew," Dana Perino, one of his successors at the podium, says in a statement to reporters.

"The book, as reported by the press, has been described to the president. I do not expect a comment from him on it – he has more pressing matters than to spend time commenting on books by former staffers," she says.

How prissy. Rolling Eyes

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Neo-Conservative navel grazing….

This is about as close as I’ve seen the Neo-Conservatives saying, "We screwed up".

In the fall of 2003, a few months after Saddam Hussein’s overthrow, U.S. officials began to despair of finding stockpiles of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. The resulting embarrassment caused a radical shift in administration rhetoric about the war in Iraq.

President Bush no longer stressed Saddam’s record or the threats from the Baathist regime as reasons for going to war. Rather, from that point forward, he focused almost exclusively on the larger aim of promoting democracy. This new focus compounded the damage to the president’s credibility that had already been caused by the CIA’s errors on Iraqi WMD. The president was seen as distancing himself from the actual case he had made for removing the Iraqi regime from power. "How Bush Sold the War" (via WSJ.com)

The problem was, they never found the WMD’s. They actually admit that, in this piece.

Feith goes on:

But the most damaging effect of this communications strategy was that it changed the definition of success. Before the war, administration officials said that success would mean an Iraq that no longer threatened important U.S. interests – that did not support terrorism, aspire to WMD, threaten its neighbors, or conduct mass murder. But from the fall of 2003 on, the president defined success as stable democracy in Iraq.

This was a public affairs decision that has had enormous strategic consequences for American support for the war. The new formula fails to connect the Iraq war directly to U.S. interests. It causes many Americans to question why we should be investing so much blood and treasure for Iraqis. And many Americans doubt that the new aim is realistic – that stable democracy can be achieved in Iraq in the foreseeable future.

To fight a long war, the president has to ensure he can preserve public and congressional support for the effort. It is not an overstatement to say that the president’s shift in rhetoric nearly cost the U.S. the war. Victory or defeat can hinge on the president’s words as much as on the military plans of his generals or the actions of their troops on the ground.

The sad part about all this is, The Neo-Conservatives have so badly damaged the Conservative movement, that it will take years, if not decades to fix the damage done. All because of a single piece of flawed CIA intelligence. All because Bush, in his blind arrogance, did not follow the simple Russian proverb, "Trust, but verify." There is even talk, among some circles that Bush even went as far to attempt to smear or destroy those who dared to challenge him. Valerie Plame is a good example of this. Although, there are those who dispute her story with varying degrees of vibrato.

Others: via Memeorandum 

Ol' Barry gets it wrong……again….

Seems the Obamassiah can’t even tell a straight story.

Quote:

How many Duh-bamas are we going to get out of Barack’s Memorial Day appearances? Here’s the latest:

Obama also spoke about his uncle, who was part of the American brigade that helped to liberate Auschwitz. He said the family legend is that, upon returning from war, his uncle spent six months in an attic.

No, that didn’t happen. Auschwitz is in Poland. It’s on the opposite side of Germany from the American Army. Obama’s uncle might have gone there at some point, but not in an official capacity and certainly not as a liberator.

Man, He is something, isn’t he? Just another idiot empty suit. Promises hope and change, all the while robbing them blind.

It is going to be an interesting election year.

Bob Barr, Another Opinion….

This is very interesting….

via Alexander Brunk:

Quote:

As of Saturday, Bob Barr is now the official Libertarian party nominee for President of the United States. Some conservatives, dissatisfied with John McCain as the GOP’s standard bearer, seem to think that here is a candidate ripe to receive the protest votes of thousands of movement conservatives dissatisfied with the direction that McCain is taking our party.

I wasn’t shocked that the libertarian party picked Barr – they are desperate for a candidate who more than a tiny fraction of the country has actually heard of. He’s a compelling speaker and will gain publicity for the party. But I’m surprised at how willing they are to ignore much of Barr’s history in doing so.

Certainly, it seems ironic that the man who was once congress’s greatest champion of the “War on Drugs” is now the leader of a fringe party devoted to opposing it. A man who rails against overspending in Washington himself voted for No Child Left Behind, which libertarians hate. A man who was one of the main movers and shakers in the impeachment trial of President Clinton, which most libertarians opposed. A man who voted for the Patriot Act, but has now spent the last five years speaking out against it.

The bottom line is that when he was in congress, Barr was a loyal Republican footsoldier, not a movement conservative or libertarian who just happened to have an R next to his name.

His criticism of big government Republicanism, and then his movement toward the libertarian party and his rejection of Republicans altogether only occurred after Republicans rejected him – tossing him out of his congressional district in a 2002 primary, and failing to support an attempted return to congress the following year.

When Bob Barr was in congress, when he had the opportunity to stand up for the principles he now claims to champion, he didn’t. He is not the principled leader he claims to be. And conservatives and libertarians alike looking to cast a protest vote should look past him.

You know I kind of had a feeling that this was true. I just was not sure. It is what I suspected. I noticed that during the voting process at the Libertarian convention, that were were a few who spoke out against Bob Barr. Now I see why.

I'm contributing at another Conservative Blog….God help us all…

Well, it can’t be that bad. I haven’t been tossed yet, but then again, I did just sign up about 5 minutes ago.

I am contributing to "The Next Right". I am bringing my Paleo-Conservative/Libertarian/Constitutionalist voice to the joint. Hopefully, I won’t tick anyone off, well, maybe just a little. TongueHee hee

Anyhow, so, if you see my name over there, yes, that is really me. Big Grin

Another good reason to get rid of the United Nations

This is sick and totally disgusting…

Quote:

Children in post-conflict areas are being abused by the very people drafted into such zones to help look after them, says Save the Children.

After research in Ivory Coast, southern Sudan and Haiti, the charity proposed an international watchdog be set up.

Save the Children said it had sacked three workers for breaching its codes, and called on others to do the same.

The three men were all dismissed in the past year for having had sex with girls aged 17 – which the charity said was a sackable offence even though not illegal. – Via the BBC’s Special reports 

Here’s another good reason why the United Nations ought to be dissolved, or at least the United States should formally withdraw from. The very agency that was sent to help people, is harming them.

Isn’t this clean indication that it was a mistake to have the United Nations in the first place? It should be.

Terrible, Just terrible.

A perfect example of the Neo-Conservative Media Machine…

Is found right here.

Go on over and read it. I’m not quoting the nonsense over here. Those Neo-Conservative jackasses are still drinking the Kool-Aid of George W. Bush.

malkintinfoil2fp Those Morons need to read Chuck Baldwin’s latest article. But as I would expect, Chuck’s articles will be ignored by the Neo-Conservatives. Who want to run this Nation over a cliff into a war with Iran and the middle east, that will bankrupt this Nation and will cause the rest of Arab world to hate our guts.

We have our own selves to blame, we elected that Rockefeller Conservative, Big Government, Big Spending, Pro-War Conservative, and now we’re paying for it.  The sad part is, the Republicans are either too dumb, or simply unwilling to stand up and say, "this is wrong!" I guess they have to protect their incomes.

Hopefully, someday, the American Conservative will wake up from their Neo-Conservative Kool-Aid stupor. Until they do, America will be stuck with the Liberalism of Barry and his friends.

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Iraq violence falls to four-year low

This is a good thing….But!

Quote:

The U.S. military said Sunday that the number of attacks by militants in the last week dropped to a level not seen in Iraq since March 2004.

About 300 violent incidents were recorded in the seven-day period that ended Friday, down from a weekly high of nearly 1,600 in mid-June last year, according to a chart provided by the military. – via LA TIMES

This is not a time to gloat, but rather a time to pray for the stability of that country. Because, quite frankly, it could all come ripping apart at any time. Not to sound like a critic or a negative person.  But the security of that country is hanging by a thread.

I have seen the comments on the left, and yes, they have some valid points, but at least give it a chance. It is all those people in Iraq have.

I think everyone that believes in God should utter a prayer this week for the country of Iraq and our Brave men fighting there.

Ouch.

You know, stuff like this right here, makes me quite sad. Sad

Yes, that’s a harsh headline for this piece.

But I’ll ask you to forgive me because, as a Veteran, there isn’t a day on the calendar that causes my hatred — and I do indeed mean hatred — of George W. Bush to bubble over the top more than Memorial Day.

"On Memorial Day, we honor the heroes who have laid down their lives in the cause of freedom, resolve that they will forever be remembered by a grateful Nation, and pray that our country may always prove worthy of the sacrifices they have made," reads Bush’s official Memorial Day proclamation, issued by the White House on Thursday.

The Chickenhawk-in Chief says a lot of things that make this Vet’s blood boil but stuff like saying that he prays "…that our country may always prove worthy of the sacrifices they have made" is almost vomit inducing. – Dead Troops Remembered By President Who Had Them Killed- (Via The Huffington Post)

Now unlike Jack Moss, AKA Macsmind, I won’t skewer this guy. I can see his anger and outrage over this War. The fact is, The United States did go into Iraq on bad intelligence. The United States was absolutely wrong as how the war would go. People like Bob have every right to be angry. Only people that feel that he doesn’t have a right to be angry or would say he is wrong are the Bush and Republican Party apologists, like Jack Moss.

I will be honest with you all, this type of seething anger is what is tearing this Nation apart. I do not believe that it has been this bad since Vietnam.

What America needs right now, is someone that will bring the American people back together, because whether you’re a Liberal, Conservative or a Libertarian/Constitutionalist like me, you are still an American. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are all in this together. The quicker we all figure that out, the better that this Nation will be for it.

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