Tag: Iraq

It has been Five Years…..

That’s right folks, Five years since this War began…. Unreal.

Looking Back at Five Years in Iraq (via New York Times)

FIVE years on, it seems positively surreal.

On the evening of March 19, 2003, a small group of Western journalists had grandstand seats for the big event in Baghdad, the start of the full-scale American bombing of strategic targets in the Iraqi capital. We had forced a way through a bolted door at the top of an emergency staircase leading to the 21st-story roof of the Palestine Hotel, with a panoramic view of Saddam Hussein’s command complex across the Tigris River.

It has been five years it hardly seems conceivable. However, unfortunately, for the American people, it is a harsh reality of life. It has been five whole years, since the Bush Administration launched a preemptive strike against the sovereign nation of Iraq. This Strike, based upon bad, if not, outright false CIA intelligence. It was termed a “Slam Dunk,” by the then CIA Director George J. Tenet. Tenet resigned when this “Slam Dunk” turned out to be nothing more than a foul ball.

The thing that amazes me is the fact that the Bush Administration continues, to this day, to attempt to move the goalposts in regards to this so-called “War on Terror.” This is really, in all honesty, a case study exercise in fear mongering and Neo-Conservative Propaganda. Just ask Senator Barack Obama; he has been the victim of the fear mongering, and Republican Propaganda, all because of his racial and religious backgrounds. This information was mostly gleaned from white nationalist websites. This information was recycled, and revised to make it sound believable. It was and continues to be distributed by well meaning and very loyal people within the Republican Party and Conservatives who, quite frankly, just do not know any better.

The war however, is dragged on, all but forgotten by the mainstream media, because, I believe, they realized that people were just tired of hearing about the blood and carnage. The right wing camp, says that we are winning the war and that George W. Bush’s “Surge” is working. The reality is, that violence levels are back to down to what they were, before the civil war broke out between the two factions in Iraq. The Republicans call it progress, the rest of us that are still in touch with reality call it returning to pre-civil war levels. Some call it semantics; I prefer to call it a realist observation.

The toll of this war has been more than just physical, more than just dead bodies, although, that is a great part of it, lives ruined, lives lost, families devastated, it is quite the sad affair. However, there is a greater loss, our nation’s economy. A good friend of mine, Matt Gacht, is an auto mechanic; he specializes in working on Hummers. Since this war started, business has been bad, horribly bad. He also has a side business; he does electrical wiring in racecars. Since this war started, the cost of electrical wire has skyrocketed. It does cut into his profit margin. He would raise his rates, but if he does that, he cannot remain competitive. He is not the only person in this business. There are others in the business, people that have much more capital that he does, so, he has to be able to keep up with the big people. Sometimes, Matt Says, he feels like banging his head against the wall, because he feels like he is trapped in a difficult situation. It is tough, but his customers like him, because he takes pride in his work and he is almost disturbingly thorough.

Because I am a balanced person, I can also make this observation. The plain fact of reality is this, if this country pulls out of Iraq too fast. The country will, in fact, fall into chaos. The far left adamantly refuses to believe or accept this and it is quite sad. However, I do not believe that continuing the President’s policy and course will be a wise decision. There needs to be a change, as to what kind of a change? That will have to be decided and hashed out. There will have to be some very tough decisions made. I just hope and yes, I do pray, that there will be some wisdom used, that decisions made based upon facts on the ground and not based upon political ideologies.

Others on this: The Belmont Club and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and more via memeorandum

McCain sneaks off to Iraq……again

As if this guy couldn’t get any lamer…

This Happens: News Via AP: McCain makes unannounced trip to Iraq (via Yahoo News)

Sen. John McCain, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for president who has linked his political future to U.S. success in Iraq, was in Baghdad on Sunday for meetings with Iraqi and U.S. diplomatic and military officials, a U.S. government official said.

Details of McCain’s visit were not being released for security reasons, the U.S. Embassy said.

McCain’s visit was not announced and he was believed to have been in the country for several hours before reporters were able to confirm his arrival. It was unclear who he met with; no media opportunities or news conferences were planned.

McCain, a strong supporter of the U.S. military mission in Iraq, is believed to be staying in the country for about 24 hours.

"Senator McCain is in Iraq and will be meeting with Iraqi and U.S. officials," said Mirembe Nantongo, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Gee, I wonder if he had half of the United States Armed Forces with him this time? I wonder what he said to those people in Iraq, "Well Boys, It looks like we will be here for 100 years. Get used to it."?

Oh, to be a fly on the wall during those meetings!

Others: DownWithTyranny!, Political Punch, Right Wing News and Fausta’s blog and more via Memeorandum

You see, this is what happens when you don't play the Neo-Con Game with Bush.

You get tied up and blindfolded like an animal.

Read the story over at the New York Times:

The Baiji refinery, with its distillation towers rising against the Hamrin Mountains, may be the most important industrial site in the Sunni Arab-dominated regions of Iraq. On a good day, 500 tanker trucks will leave the refinery filled with fuel with a street value of $10 million.

The sea of oil under Iraq is supposed to rebuild the nation, then make it prosper. But at least one-third, and possibly much more, of the fuel from Iraq’s largest refinery here is diverted to the black market, according to American military officials. Tankers are hijacked, drivers are bribed, papers are forged and meters are manipulated — and some of the earnings go to insurgents who are still killing more than 100 Iraqis a week.

“It’s the money pit of the insurgency,” said Capt. Joe Da Silva, who commands several platoons stationed at the refinery.

Five years after the war in Iraq began, the insurgency remains a lethal force. The steady flow of cash is one reason, even as the American troop buildup and the recruitment of former insurgents to American-backed militias have helped push the number of attacks down to 2005 levels.

In fact, money, far more than jihadist ideology, is a crucial motivation for a majority of Sunni insurgents, according to American officers in some Sunni provinces and other military officials in Iraq who have reviewed detainee surveys and other intelligence on the insurgency.

Yeah, them Neo-Conservative, Rockefeller-type, Republicans wouldn’t want those pesky jihadists tapping into their oil profits.

You see, we went into that country, based on totally false intelligence, and now the people that don’t think we belong there. The jihadists, who want to defend their land, is now getting their money supply cut off. Do I defend the one’s who blow up our troops? Hell No. But I am realist, that says, if we’d attacked the RIGHT DAMN COUNTRY IN THE FIRST FUCKING PLACE, we wouldn’t be in this situation.

In case anyone forgot, there was a report this week, that said, despite what the feckless, idiot, bastards on the far right want to believe, that there were NO OPERATIONAL ties between Saddam and Al-Qaeda.

Like I’ve said before, we need change, badly. November 2008 cannot came fast enough for me.

Speak for yourself, idiot libber….

Now this here, is the type of people that I totally detest. Angry

Commentary: Why I Don’t Support the Troops (via Berkeley Daily Planet)

In the recent political battle around the Marine recruiting station in Berkeley there has been much confusion around the concept or slogan of “supporting the troops,” but opposing the unjust wars of the Bush regime. Many who oppose the Bush regime wars also say they “support the troops.” Let me say it straight out—I do not support the troops and neither should you. It is objectively impossible to support the troops of the imperialist military forces of the U.S. and at the same time oppose the wars in which they fight.

This idiot ought to be arrested and tried for treason. These are the one’s that the Far right are talking about. "Imperialist Military Forces", kiss my behind! Damn Liberal twit.

I see why they use the term "Moonbat" to describe these idiots.

Don’t like the country? Get the hell out and live in Russia or better yet, Iran. They’d love you there.

Others: Right Wing News

(H/T Memeorandum)

The Story that GWB wishes the world would forget about….

I must confess, I find this most funny. Hee hee 

Pentagon Report on Saddam’s Iraq Censored? (via Rapid Report)

ABC News’ Jonathan Karl Reports: The Bush Administration apparently does not want a U.S. military study that found no direct connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda to get any attention.  This morning, the Pentagon cancelled plans to send out a press release announcing the report’s release and will no longer make the report available online.
The report was to be posted on the Joint Forces Command website this afternoon, followed by a background briefing with the authors.  No more.  The report will be made available only to those who ask for it, and it will be sent via U.S. mail from Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia. 
It won’t be emailed to reporters and it won’t be posted online.

Asked why the report would not be posted online and could not be emailed, the spokesman for Joint Forces Command said: "We’re making the report available to anyone who wishes to have it, and we’ll send it out via CD in the mail."
Another Pentagon official said initial press reports on the study made it "too politically sensitive."

I would guess so, this is like red meat for the left.

If you think that the Democrats won’t use this, for campaign purposes come November, You’re crazy.

Others: Hullabaloo, Donklephant, News Hounds, TPMMuckraker, democracyarsenal.org, The Newshoggers, Liberal Values, Talking Points Memo, Bang the Drum, The Carpetbagger Report and The Washington Independent

Obama snags Mississippi

He’s gaining by the minute.

Obama Wins Mississippi (via MSNBC)

NBC News declared Barack Obama as the projected winner in the Mississippi primary on Tuesday, the latest in a string of racially polarized contests across the Deep South and a final tune-up before April’s high-stakes race with Hillary Rodham Clinton in Pennsylvania.

Obama was winning roughly 90 percent of the black vote but only about one-third of the white vote, extending a pattern that carried him to victory in earlier primaries in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana.

I think, considering what Hillary Clinton’s surrogate said about Barack Obama, This is just payback. I mean, Hillary, I believe is trying to cause division in the Democrat Party. I think it’s immature and shows much about her.

Senator Obama did an interview on a special late edition of Hardball with Chris Matthews. He basically repeated his talking points, however, he did answer the nasty stuff said about him very well. That says much about Obama’s character.

 

Here’s The Video:

Of course, the pundits are saying it was a easy win, because, according to the "Pundits" or as I like to call them, the educated Political idiots, say that it is because of the large African-American Population, which is, in my opinion, simple-minded and short sighted. He won because people believe in the man, is that so hard for the Media to admit that? Confused

More on the Obama Victory @ Memeorandum

Democrats win Seat held by Rep. Dennis Hastert

Read about it here.

There is quite a bit that could be said about this. Many other Bloggers have already written much of it.

The writing is simply on the wall. I do not place the blame squarely on Bush himself. Because I am keenly aware of how things operate in Washington D.C., I know that the blame does not all go to him.

I blame the advisers who went to him, the ones who were the dye-in-the-wool Neo-Conservatives, who went to him and said, "We can change the shape of the middle east, by invading Iraq." He, of course, bought into that foolish mindset and the scramble for intelligence began and when they found a piece of questionable intelligence, they proceeded to cherry pick it, to suit their needs.

What followed was the quagmire that we are involved with now. This will end up costing this Nation for many years to come. Current cost estimates are at 3 trillion dollars.

Of course, this all did happen and it is not a nightmare, and at what cost? Conservatism is now in it’s death throws, Republicans are now the scourge of American, Obama is the new messiah for America and the Democrats will, most likely, hold the majority in the both houses of Congress.

America wants change and Obama and, somewhat, Hillary are offering that. But what kind of a change are they really going to bring?   What will we see? An end to a war, ended so fast that Iraq descends into chaos? Will we see Churches being closed because they dare to speak out against the Homosexual lifestyle? America’s tax system changed to force churches to pay income tax? Our civil liberties being taken away, the ability to set up a blog and criticize the government, taken away as a threat to national security?

Some of us have not forgotten the tragedy, which happened in Waco, Texas.  I often ask myself, if the liberals take the White House again, will there be more Waco’s? Will they be more Ruby Ridges? Will they be more out of control Government Police action?

I have always believed in balance in Government, the balance of two political parties, both checking one another and each preventing the other gaining total power in the houses of Government. However, what we are seeing now, with the Conservatives being chased to the fox holes, is possible throwing of our Government into a total liberal state, and quite frankly, that scares me to death. I believe in freedom, in all it’s forms, whether it be Speech, Religion, Expression, Press, or whatever else, and I am quite afraid that the Liberals do not believe in total freedom, oh they believe in freedom of speech, as long as it fits their political ideologies.

There are those who say that the Iraq War will bankrupt this Nation. I disagree, I believe that National Healthcare plan will bankrupt this Nation or at worst, place a bigger demand of foreign currency from China and other countries. This is totally eroding our Nation’s sovereignty, with each deposit that we take. 

It is going to be an interesting four years, after the liberals win Congress and the White House. I just have a sinking feeling that the United States is going to be stuck with buyers remorse, because many people are, to coin a phrase, "Betting the farm", on this new messiah, and I have sinking feeling that there is going to be this massive let down, when he gets in office and absolutely nothing changes. It is a grim outlook, but I am afraid it is the reality of the situation at hand.

Bombing Attempt at a Military recruitment center in New York.

The only reason I’m most likely the first Blogger writing about this, is because I just happen to be up this early, or up this late! SleepyYawn

CNN is calling it a "bang"

MSNBC is calling it a "small explosion"

and Fox News is calling it an TERRORIST ACT OF EPIC PERPORTIONS! "Explosion"

It happened at a Military Recruitment Center, go figure. Rolling Eyes

I can hear the Right Wingers HOWLING now. Angry"Them liberals are pure evil!"

There are unconfirmed reports that George W. Bush was spotting happy dancing in his underwear. SurpriseWinkingBig GrinTongue

Something tells me, this is going to be the biggest story on the right wing and maybe no so right wing, Blogosphere by later today.

For now, I’m going to bed, Night Ya’ll! Don’t let nothing exciting happen, till I wake up! Sleepy

Update: Looks like I was correct. Click here

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I have fixed feelings about this

Is this a genuine desire to help a family, or is it a effort to capitalize on the death of a U.S. Solider?

Didn’t he have insurance?

Did his family get a nice settlement when he was killed?

Are they just trying to prey on the emotions on those who support our Military?

As Michelle Malkin well put it, "SUCK.IT.UP!"

I mean, I have a disability as well, I was born with Attention Deficit Disorder with hyperactivity. But you don’t see me setting up a "Feel sorry for me page", do you? No.

I admit, I’m the eternal pessimist and a proud cynic. I make no apologies.