Writing by Marq on Tuesday, 6 of February , 2007 at 3:38 pm
There is little for me to say, from UPI
U.S. Marine Gen. Peter Pace admitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday equipment will be a problem when U.S. forces in Iraq are increased.
During testimony over the $481.4 billion fiscal 2008 defense budget, Pace said the military has about 41,000 armored vehicles in Iraq — fewer than will be needed “to cover all of the troops that are deploying.”
Pace said it will be July before enough equipment is in place.
“The commanders on the ground have talked with the chief of staff of the Army and the commandant of the Marine Corps and have agreed that they will be able to share the assets on the ground so that no soldier or Marine will leave the compound without proper protection,” Pace said when asked why more troops should be deployed immediately.
Technorati Tags: armed services committee, iraq, pace, Right Wing Hypocrisy, senate armed services committee, Those Under Arms, upi
Category: Iraq, Right Wing Hypocrisy, Those Under Arms
Writing by Marq on Wednesday, 31 of January , 2007 at 1:08 am
Read this! Our own military is saying that there is not equipment to give these troops what they need to even dream of winning. Why does Bush, and the Republicans hate the troops so much
Washington Post (bolds are mine)
Boosting U.S. troop levels in Iraq by 21,500 would create major logistical hurdles for the Army and Marine Corps, which are short thousands of vehicles, armor kits and other equipment needed to supply the extra forces, U.S. officials said.
The increase would also further degrade the readiness of U.S.-based ground forces, hampering their ability to respond quickly, fully trained and well equipped in the case of other military contingencies around the world and increasing the risk of U.S. casualties, according to Army and Marine Corps leaders.
“The response would be slower than we might like, we would not have all of the equipment sets that ordinarily would be the case, and there is certainly risk associated with that,” the Marine Corps commandant, Gen. James Conway, told the House Armed Services Committee last week.
President Bush’s plan to send five additional U.S. combat brigades into Iraq has left the Army and Marines scrambling to ensure that the troops could be supported with the necessary armored vehicles, jamming devices, radios and other gear, as well as lodging and other logistics.
-snip-
Adding to the crunch, the U.S. government has agreed to sell 600 up-armored Humvees to Iraq this year for its security forces. Such sales “better not be at the expense of the American soldier or Marine,” Speakes told defense reporters recently, saying U.S. military needs must take priority.
Yep, read it people, we are willing to sell the damn trucks to Iraq, but fuck the American troops, they can kiss Bush’s ass. This makes me cry how much Bush is willing to toy with American troops lives, so he can cash in. FUCK YOU GEROGE!
Technorati Tags: army and marine, Bush, Failed Leadership, Failed Presidency, hurdles, iraq, Life in Bushs America, logistical, marine corps, Military, republicans, Those Under Arms, troop levels, War on Terror, washington post
Category: Life in Bushs America, Failed Presidency, Military, War on Terror, Failed Leadership, Those Under Arms
Writing by on Friday, 26 of January , 2007 at 11:53 am
I am almost starting to think that Bush is just daring the Congress to do something to stop him.
From AP (bolds are mine)
President Bush, on a collision course with Congress over Iraq, said Friday "I'm the decision-maker" about sending more troops to the war. He challenged skeptical lawmakers not to prematurely condemn his buildup.
"I've picked the plan that I think is most likely to succeed," Bush said in an Oval Office meeting with senior military advisers.
The president had strong words for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who are lining up to support resolutions opposing his decision to send 21,500 troops to Iraq. He challenged them to put up their own ideas.
"I know there is skepticism and pessimism and that some are condemning a plan before it's even had a chance to work," the president said. "They have an obligation and a serious responsibility therefore to put up their own plan as to what would work."
I say keep up little boy, you will loose in if you tangle with Congress. The American people are done with you, you are 3 day old guests, we are merely polite but want nothing more that for you to disappear. You see our troops as pawns in your every growing disaster called a legacy. In a desperate attempt to save face in the eyes of history you are willing to send OTHER peoples children to their death. George Bush, you are a coward, and the Republicans that have enabled you to take us this far down the road to hell are also cowards.
I beg Congress to call this little punk of a “presidents’ bluff and cut all funding for the wars in Iraq, bring out troops home, or maybe even to the country that the 9/11 hijackers worked out of, Afghanistan.
Congress, Republican and Democrat, the ability to stop the insanity is in your hands, for the love of god, please stop this mess!
Technorati Tags: Failed Presidency, Incompetent Establishment, iraq, Life in Bushs America, Republican Culture of Corruption
Category: Iraq, Life in Bushs America, Failed Presidency, Republican Culture of Corruption, Incompetent Establishment
Writing by on Wednesday, 24 of January , 2007 at 4:51 pm
For the first time in 6 year common sense and what is good for America and the world won out over the right-wing nut bags…
From the AP
The Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee dismissed President Bush's plans to increase troops strength in Iraq on Wednesday as "not in the national interest," an unusual wartime repudiation of the commander in chief.
The vote on the nonbinding measure was 12-9 and largely along party lines.
"We better be damn sure we know what we're doing, all of us, before we put 22,000 more Americans into that grinder," said Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, the sole Republican to join 11 Democrats in support of the measure.
Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., the panel's chairman, said the legislation is "not an attempt to embarrass the president. … It's an attempt to save the president from making a significant mistake with regard to our policy in Iraq."
Technorati Tags: Failed Presidency, iraq, Life in Bushs America, Those Under Arms, War on Terror, War Profiteering
Category: Iraq, Life in Bushs America, Failed Presidency, War on Terror, War Profiteering, Those Under Arms
Writing by on Tuesday, 23 of January , 2007 at 10:39 pm
Well after I posted the last thread, ThinkProgress posted a lot more, so I am going to place them all in one post… Thank you to ThankProgess.
Bush said: “We hear the call to take on the challenges of hunger, poverty, and disease - and that is precisely what America is doing. … I ask that you fund the Millennium Challenge Account, so that American aid reaches the people who need it, in nations where democracy is on the rise and corruption is in retreat.”
FACT — MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE PROGRAM WILL SOON BE BANKRUPT: “President Bush’s signature foreign-assistance program is likely to run out of money this year, leaving in the lurch several poor countries that have labored to meet its strict eligibility standards, according to aid officials. Mr. Bush introduced the Millennium Challenge program in 2002 as a new approach to fix the perceived failures of overseas-development assistance.” [Wall Street Journal, 1/22/07]
Bush said: “We must continue to fight HIV/AIDS, especially on the continent of Africa — and because you funded our Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the number of people receiving life-saving drugs has grown from 50,000 to more than 800,000 in 3 short years. I ask you to continue funding our efforts to fight HIV/AIDS.”
FACT — BUSH POLICY HAS LED TO SHORTAGE OF CONDOMS: The U.N. and a number of advocacy groups for AIDS patients have charged that the Bush administration policy had led to a shortage of condoms in Uganda, increasing the risk of infection for many people, particularly married women and adolescents.” Jodi Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity in Washington, D.C., said that “there has been a dangerous and profound shift in U.S. donor policy from comprehensive prevention, education and provision of condoms to focus on abstinence only.” [New York Times, 8/30/05]
FACT — GAO REPORT CRITICIZED IMPLEMENTATION OF BUSH AIDS PLAN: An 87-page GAO report criticized the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) because a large part of the funding is going “to promote abstinence and fidelity is causing confusion in many countries and in a few is eroding other prevention efforts, including ones to reduce mother-to-child transmission of the virus.” The abstinence policy “is basically unworkable,” said Paul Zeitz, director of the Global AIDS Alliance. “This shows the problem very clearly and starkly.” [Washington Post, 4/4/06]
Bush said: “I propose to establish a special advisory council on the war on terror, made up of leaders in Congress from both political parties. We will share ideas for how to position America to meet every challenge that confronts us. And we will show our enemies abroad that we are united in the goal of victory.”
FACT — CONGRESS OPPOSES WORKING GROUP, FAVORS STRUCTURES ALREADY IN PLACE: In a letter addressed to President Bush on Jan. 19, 2007, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wrote, “We believe that Congress already has bipartisan structures in place, like the committee system and other Congressional working groups such as the Senate’s National Security Working Group, that could produce the result you described in your speech.” [Pelosi/Reid letter, 1/19/07]
Bush said: “Many in this Chamber understand that America must not fail in Iraq — because you understand that the consequences of failure would be grievous and far reaching.”
FACT — LAWMAKERS, MILITARY COMMANDERS, AND EXPERTS OPPOSE ESCALATION: Sen. John Warner (R-VA), an influential conservative on military affairs, offered a resolution that opposes President Bush’s escalation plan. “Combined with near-unanimous Democratic opposition to Bush’s war policy, the Republican stands show a broad bipartisan lack of confidence in the president’s course.” Nearly seventy percent of Americans say they oppose Bush’s escalation. Top military leaders, including former Gen. Colin Powell, the current Joint Chiefs, and Gen. John Abizaid, have expressed their opposition to putting more U.S. troops on the ground. The president’s strategy goes against the recommendations of the recently-released Iraq Study Group. One Bush administration official admitted that the escalation plan is “more of a political decision than a military one.” [Seattle Times, 1/23/07; Newsweek, 1/20/07; Office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); Washington Post, 1/10/07; NBC, 1/2/07; ThinkProgress, 1/3/07]
Bush said: “My fellow citizens, our military commanders and I have carefully weighed the options. We discussed every possible approach. In the end, I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance of success.”
FACT — ESCALATION HAS BEEN A FAILURE: During the last six months, the United States has increased — or “surged” — the number of American troops in Baghdad by 12,000, yet the violence and deaths of Americans and Iraqis has climbed alarmingly, averaging 960 a week since the latest troop increase. This past summer, Bush announced a major effort to secure Baghdad, stating at a news conference that thousands of U.S.-led coalition troops would be moved into the city. Violence intensified throughout the country, and U.S. deaths in Iraq spiked. [AP, 1/9/07; Washington Post, 10/27/06; CNN, 6/14/06]
Bush said: “Free people are not drawn to violent and malignant ideologies — and most will choose a better way when they are given a chance. So we advance our own security interests by helping moderates, reformers, and brave voices for democracy.”
FACT — RICE AVOIDED PUSHING DEMOCRACY IN MIDDLE EAST TRIP: On a recent trip to the Middle East, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice failed to mention Egypt’s poor human rights record. “It was clear that the United States — facing chaos in Iraq, rising Iranian influence and the destabilizing Israeli-Palestinian conflict — had decided that stability, not democracy, was its priority, Egyptian political commentators, political aides and human rights advocates said.” [NYTimes, 1/16/07]
Bush said: “For too long our nation has been dependent on foreign oil. And this dependence leaves us more vulnerable to hostile regimes, and to terrorists who could cause huge disruptions of oil shipments … raise the price of oil … and do great harm to our economy.”
FACT — BUSH’S VOLUNTARY APPROACH HAS FAILED TO CURB EMISSIONS: Carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. have increased by 354 million metric tons since 2001. The Energy Department’s latest analysis projects America’s carbon dioxide emissions will increase by one third from 2005 to 2030. [DOE; SustainableBusiness]
FACT — BUSH STILL DENIES FUNDAMENTAL CLIMATE SCIENCE: Last February, President Bush claimed there is still “a debate over whether [global warming] is man-made or naturally caused.” There is no real scientific debate over this question. Most recently, the National Academy of Sciences has unequivocally stated that natural causes cannot explain the unprecedented warmth over the last 400 years. Rather, “human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming,” the report states. [ThinkProgress; National Academies Press]
Bush said: “It is in our vital interest to diversify America’s energy supply — and the way forward is through technology.”
FACT — BUSH PROMISED TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES LAST YEAR, DIDN’T DELIVER: At last year’s State of the Union, President Bush said the “best way to break this addiction [to oil] is through technology.” Yet his 2007 budget actually proposed to spend less on energy efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy resources in inflation-adjusted dollars than was appropriated in fiscal year 2001 — $1.176 billion in nominal dollars in both 2001 and 2007. [State of the Union, 1/31/06; President’s Budget, FY 2007]
FACT — EMPHASIS ON TECHNOLOGY IS STANDARD RIGHT-WING TALKING POINT: Influential conservative political consultant and wordsmith Frank Luntz has advised politicians to point to the promise of technology in order to delay implementation of mandatory cuts in global warming pollution. “We need to emphasize how voluntary innovation and experimentation are preferable to bureaucratic or international intervention and regulation,” Luntz advises. [Luntz Environment Memo]
Bush said: “For too long our nation has been dependent on foreign oil. And this dependence leaves us more vulnerable to hostile regimes, and to terrorists who could cause huge disruptions of oil shipments…raise the price of oil…and do great harm to our economy.”
FACT — DESPITE PAST RHETORIC, FOREIGN OIL DEPENDENCE HAS INCREASED: President Bush has pledged to reduce our energy dependence in every State of the Union he has delivered since taking office. At the same time, the United States has become increasingly dependent on foreign oil, from 58 percent of oil consumed in the U.S. in 2000 to 70 percent in September 2006. U.S. dependence on OPEC nations for oil imports “has risen to its highest level in 15 years.” By focusing on expanding domestic exploration, he perpetuates our dependence on oil. [ThinkProgress, 1/3/07; Department of Energy; Financial Times, 1/2/07]
Bush said: “We need to expand Health Savings Accounts … help small businesses through Association Health Plans … reduce costs and medical errors with better information technology … encourage price transparency … and protect good doctors from junk lawsuits by passing medical liability reform. And in all we do, we must remember that the best health care decisions are made not by government and insurance companies, but by patients and their doctors.”
FACT — HSAs DO NOT OFFER MEANINGFUL SAVINGS FOR AMERICANS: “Low- and middle-income uninsured people will gain meager or no tax savings” from health savings accounts, according to a Commonwealth Fund study. Roughly 50 percent of uninsured adults pay no federal income taxes, meaning that “tax incentives for high-deductible health plans would have little impact on uninsured adults.” [Commonwealth Fund, April 2005]
FACT — HSAs PRIMARILY BENEFIT THE RICH: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found “that the average income of HSA users was $133,000 in 2004, compared to $51,000 for all non-elderly tax filers.” Most low-income individuals “do not face high enough tax liability to benefit in a significant way from tax deductions associated with HSAs.” [CBPP, 12/7/06; Kaiser Familiy Foundation, 10/4/06]
FACT — HSAs WILL NOT DECREASE THE NUMBER OF UNINSURED: HSAs are “not likely to be an important contributor to expanding coverage among uninsured people” because most of uninsured Americans “do not face high-enough marginal tax rates to benefit substantially from the tax deductibility of HSA contributions.” [Commonwealth Fund, April 2005]
FACT — AMERICANS ARE DISSATISFIED WITH HSAs: Just 33-42 percent of enrollees in consumer-driven health plans were satisfied with their health care, compared to 63 percent of those people with traditional coverage. Two-thirds of people prefer an employer-selected set of plans over an employer-funded account and choosing insurance on their own. [Commonwealth Fund, December 2005]
Bush said: “My second proposal is to help the States that are coming up with innovative ways to cover the uninsured. States that make basic private health insurance available to all their citizens should receive Federal funds to help them provide this coverage to the poor and the sick. I have asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with Congress to take existing Federal funds and use them to create ‘Affordable Choices’ grants.”
FACT — BUSH PLAN WILL CUT $30 BILLION FROM PUBLIC HOSPITALS: Bush’s ‘Affordable Choice’ grants will not involve any new federal money. It will instead “redirect some of the $30 billion the government spends annually to care for people without health insurance who show up at hospitals and emergency rooms. There are about 47 million Americans without health insurance.” [USA Today, , 1/23/07; American Progress, 1/23/07]
Bush said: “First, I propose a standard tax deduction for health insurance that will be like the standard tax deduction for dependents. … [F]or the millions of other Americans who have no health insurance at all, this deduction would help put a basic private health insurance plan within their reach. Changing the tax code is a vital and necessary step to making health care affordable for more Americans.”
FACT — MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WILL BE UNABLE TO AFFORD EXPENSIVE INDIVIDUAL PLANS: Karen Pollitz, a Georgetown University researcher who co-authored a 2001 study on the individual health-insurance market for the Kaiser Family Foundation, found that people who aren’t in perfect health are largely unable to buy individual health insurance. In her study, Pollitz found that “roughly 90% of applicants in what’s known as less-than-perfect health were unable to buy individual policies at standard rates, while 37% were rejected outright.” Individual health insurers may deny coverage to people based on their medial history, or put them in “a high-risk category that it makes health coverage too expensive.” [MSN]
Bush said: “The time has come to end this practice [of congressional earmarking]. So let us work together to reform the budget process … expose every earmark to the light of day and to a vote in Congress.”
FACT — BUSH HAS ENGAGED IN HIS OWN EARMARKING: Bush has engaged in his own earmarking, using the federal budget process to “reward political supporters, campaign contributors and sometimes members of Congress” for votes on a presidential priority. Unlike with appropriations bills, you have no way to know whether an executive earmark “comes from some agency’s discretionary fund, and they decide to put it in some key district or state” for political gain. [Wall Street Journal, 2/21/06]
Bush said: “A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy — and that is what we have. … This economy is on the move — and our job is to keep it that way, not with more government but with more enterprise.”
FACT — BUSH’S TAX CUTS THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO BUDGET DEFICITS: Tax cuts “have been the single largest contributor to the reemergence of substantial budget deficits.” “Between 2001 and 2006, the passage of the Bush tax cuts without the offsetting savings have cost $1.2 trillion in lost revenues, or more than 80 percent of the cumulative deficit during this period.” [Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 10/12/06; Center for American Progress analysis, 1/22/07]
FACT — DEFICITS HAVE MUSROOMED UNDER BUSH: Bush has “never proposed a balanced budget since it went into deficit, never vetoed a spending bill when Republicans controlled Congress and offered little sustained objection to earmarks until the issue gained political traction last year.” “The budget outlook for the period 2002 to 2011 deteriorated by $8.5 trillion from 2001 to 2006 and for 2006, it decreased by $753 billion.” [Washington Post, 1/4/07; Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 12/13/06; Center for American Progress analysis, 1/22/07]
FACT — ECONOMIC GROWTH HAS BEEN RELATIVELY SLOW UNDER BUSH: Economic growth fell to 2 percent in the third quarter of last year, following 2.6 percent growth in the second quarter and a surprisingly strong first quarter growth of 5.6 percent. “This was the first time in more than three years that the economy registered two consecutive quarters of growth below three percent.” [CBS News, 12/21/06; Center for Amercan Progress analysis, 12/21/06]
Technorati Tags: Failed Leadership, Failed Presidency, Government, iraq, Republican Culture of Corruption
Category: Iraq, Failed Presidency, Failed Leadership, Republican Culture of Corruption, Government
Writing by on Tuesday, 23 of January , 2007 at 10:22 pm
In short here is what you need to know about the State of the Union.
- Please Democrats love me
- Please Democrats give me a chance to kiss your ass
- Please Democrats allow me to destroy Social Security
- Please Democrats allow me to destroy Employee Health Care.
- Please Democrats give me a chance on Iraq, I know I have had 4 years, but I need more time.
- Please Democrats I mean it this time when I say energy independence, those 6 other times, I was just kidding.
The only shocker to this nightmare president was that he admitted that there is global warming.
Technorati Tags: Failed Presidency, Government, iraq, Life in Bushs America, Republican Culture of Corruption, Right Wing Hypocrisy
Category: Iraq, Life in Bushs America, Failed Presidency, Right Wing Hypocrisy, Republican Culture of Corruption, Government
Writing by on Monday, 22 of January , 2007 at 6:02 pm
Oh no, it is the day before the State of the Union address by one of the most disrespected and hated “presidents” in modern time, what do we do? Well we do what we always do, we release a new Al Qaeda video and hope for the best that it scares the shit out of a few people.
I am almost starting to think that the “hosts” of these guys is in fact George himself, I mean it. They are working for George, or they have the best timing in the world, anytime ol’ Bush is looking like a dear in the headlights, BOOM there is a new video.
Forget America Al Qaeda, you should just play the lotto, because no one has the luck you guys do…
Oh and about the vedio, well it is official, no one thinks Bush’s escalation in Iraq is a good idea, the terrorists said it gives them more to shoot at.
Also for the record, it is over 5 years later and Al Qaeda is still free, Hey Bush, why don't you tell the American people why you have not captured Osama, "Dead it Alive"?
Technorati Tags: Failed Presidency, Incompetent Establishment, iraq, Military, Republican Culture of Corruption, Right Wing Hypocrisy, War on Terror
Category: Iraq, Failed Presidency, Military, Right Wing Hypocrisy, War on Terror, Republican Culture of Corruption, Incompetent Establishment
Writing by on Wednesday, 17 of January , 2007 at 6:49 pm
Why should you care, well honestly, you shouldn’t, the people of the state of Pennsylvania were smart enough to unelected this dumbass. In fact the only reason this guy has a voice is because FOX News, the right-wing hack Channel, gave him one.
I wish sites like ThinkProgress would just let morons like this fade off into nothingness.
Technorati Tags: Crazy Evangelicals, Failed Presidency, Incompetent Establishment, iraq, Life in Bushs America
Category: Iraq, Life in Bushs America, Failed Presidency, Crazy Evangelicals, Incompetent Establishment
Writing by on Wednesday, 17 of January , 2007 at 10:58 am
Just like the rest of the this failure of an administration it is all about the message and not about the substance. The White House is going ape shit over the fact that the Senate is working on a NONBINDING resolution about the escalation of Bush’s war in Iraq. AmericaBlog points out, “Here's an idea for the White House: worry less about the battle over a resolution in the Senate, worry more about the actual war in Iraq.”
The New York Times
Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, an outspoken Republican critic of the administration’s Iraq policy, will join two leading Democrats in introducing a resolution opposing President Bush’s buildup of troops in Iraq, putting a bipartisan stamp on the looming Congressional showdown over the war…
…
That official said that the message to Congressional Republicans was similar to the one the White House spokesman, Tony Snow, conveyed Tuesday at his press briefing: that approval of any resolution critical of Mr. Bush’s approach, even if nonbinding, would send a damaging message.
“In an age of instant and global communication, what message does it send to the people who are fighting democracy in Iraq?” asked Mr. Snow. “And, also, what message does it send to the troops?”
Mr. Bush on Tuesday stepped up his challenge to Congress to provide an alternative plan if it is going to criticize his.
Technorati Tags: Failed Leadership, Failed Presidency, iraq, Life in Bushs America, Traitors in the White House, War on Terror, War Profiteering
Category: Iraq, Life in Bushs America, Failed Presidency, War Profiteering, Traitors in the White House, Failed Leadership, War on Terror
Writing by on Tuesday, 16 of January , 2007 at 3:02 pm
Remember that sad day in September of 2001 when a group of terrorist that were trained in Afghanistan and “hosted” by the ruling party, the Taliban? After those gruesome attacks we vowed to go after the people that brought those buildings to the ground, remember that?
Well George Bush, and the Republicans that let him run amuck, screwed the retaliation for that tragic event up, and has since squandered the resolve of the American people on Iraq, a nation that did NOTHING to us. Guess what, the Taliban is back, and stronger than ever!
From CBS News (Bolds are mine)
… Asked about prospects for increasing U.S. troops levels in Afghanistan, where the Taliban resistance has been growing, Gates said that if U.S. commander asked for more, "then I would be strongly inclined to recommend that to the president."
There are nearly 24,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, which Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said was the highest number since the war began in 2001. He said he sees no prospect of reducing the U.S. troop presence during 2007 and he held out the possibility of adding some troops.
Eikenberry told reporters earlier Tuesday that he has recommended to the Pentagon that an infantry battalion of the 10th Mountain Division, which is about halfway through a scheduled four-month deployment in eastern Afghanistan, be ordered to stay for the remainder of the year.
The unit is scheduled to deploy to Iraq later this year, an illustration of how stretched U.S. forces are by the two wars.
Eikenberry said in an interview that Taliban attacks surged by 200 percent in December. A U.S. military intelligence officer said that since the peace deal went into effect Sept. 5 the number of attacks in the border area has grown by 300 percent.
"It's going to be a violent spring," Eikenberry predicted.
Technorati Tags: Failed Leadership, Failed Presidency, Incompetent Establishment, iraq, Life in Bushs America, War on Terror
Category: Iraq, Life in Bushs America, Failed Presidency, War on Terror, Failed Leadership, Incompetent Establishment
Writing by on Monday, 15 of January , 2007 at 10:59 am
Clearly the only think the Neo-cons know is more war. Both of these evil bastards gave almost the same reason for escalating the wars. I have selected a few paragraphs, but I welcome you to go and read them both. We know how one of the wars turned out, so why are repeating it again. Oh I remember because AIE told Bush to, American People 0 , Right-Wing think tank 2.
Richard Nixon's Address to the Nation April 30th 1970
…Despite that warning, North Vietnam has increased its military aggression in all these areas, and particularly in Cambodia….
…First, we can do nothing. Well, the ultimate result of that course of action is clear. Unless we indulge in wishful thinking, the lives of Americans remaining in Vietnam after our next withdrawal of 150,000 would be gravely threatened. Let us go to the map again. Here is South Vietnam. Here is North Vietnam. North Vietnam already occupies this part of Laos. If North Vietnam also occupied this whole band in Cambodia, or the entire country, it would mean that South Vietnam was completely outflanked and the forces of Americans in this area, as well as the South Vietnamese, would be in an untenable military position. * Our second choice is to provide massive military assistance to Cambodia itself. Now unfortunately, while we deeply sympathize with the plight of 7 million Cambodians whose country is being invaded, massive amounts of military assistance could not be rapidly and effectively utilized by the small Cambodian Army against the immediate threat. With other nations, we shall do our best to provide the small arms and other equipment which the Cambodian Army of 40,000 needs and can use for its defense. But the aid we will provide will be limited to the purpose of enabling Cambodia to defend its neutrality and not for the purpose of making it an active belligerent on one side or the other. * Our third choice is to go to the heart of the trouble. That means cleaning out major North Vietnamese and Vietcong occupied territories ‹ these sanctuaries which serve as bases for attacks on both Cambodia and American and South Vietnamese forces in South Vietnam. Some of these, incidentally, are as close to Saigon as Baltimore is to Washington. This one, for example, is called the Parrot's Beak. It is only 33 miles from Saigon…
…Now let me give you the reasons for my decision.
* A majority of the American people, a majority of you listening to me, are for the withdrawal of our forces from Vietnam. The action I have taken tonight is indispensable for the continuing success of that withdrawal program. * A majority of the American people want to end this war rather than to have it drag on interminably. The action I have taken tonight will serve that purpose. * A majority of the American people want to keep the casualties of our brave men in Vietnam at an absolute minimum. The action I take tonight is essential if we are to accomplish that goal.
We take this action not for the purpose of expanding the war into CambodiaVietnam and winning the just peace we all desire. We have made - we will continue to make every possible effort to end this war through negotiation at the conference table rather than through more fighting on the battlefield… but for the purpose of ending the war in…
George Bush's Address to the Nation Jan 10th 2007
...But in 2006, the opposite happened. The violence in Iraq — particularly in Baghdad — overwhelmed the political gains the Iraqis had made. Al Qaeda terrorists and Sunni insurgents recognized the mortal danger that Iraq's elections posed for their cause, and they responded with outrageous acts of murder aimed at innocent Iraqis…
…The consequences of failure are clear: Radical Islamic extremists would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region, and use oil revenues to fund their ambitions. Iran would be emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our enemies would have a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks on the American people. On September the 11th, 2001, we saw what a refuge for extremists on the other side of the world could bring to the streets of our own cities. For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq…
…This is a strong commitment. But for it to succeed, our commanders say the Iraqis will need our help. So America will change our strategy to help the Iraqis carry out their campaign to put down sectarian violence and bring security to the people of Baghdad. This will require increasing American force levels. So I've committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq. The vast majority of them — five brigades — will be deployed to Baghdad. These troops will work alongside Iraqi units and be embedded in their formations. Our troops will have a well-defined mission: to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to help them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security that Baghdad needs…
…Their solution is to scale back America's efforts in Baghdad — or announce the phased withdrawal of our combat forces. We carefully considered these proposals. And we concluded that to step back now would force a collapse of the Iraqi government, tear the country apart, and result in mass killings on an unimaginable scale. Such a scenario would result in our troops being forced to stay in Iraq even longer, and confront an enemy that is even more lethal. If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home…
Technorati Tags: Failed Presidency, iraq, Republican Culture of Corruption, Right Wing Hypocrisy, War on Terror, War Profiteering
Category: Iraq, Failed Presidency, Right Wing Hypocrisy, War Profiteering, Republican Culture of Corruption, War on Terror
Writing by on Monday, 15 of January , 2007 at 10:23 am
For the first time in a while someone is calling out the “president” and his administration for maybe not telling the truth to Americans when it comes to IraqIraq) (Well everything really, but for now, let’s stick to
From McClatchy Newspapers (My Bolds so there)
President Bush and his aides, explaining their reasons for sending more American troops to Iraq, are offering an incomplete, oversimplified and possibly untrue version of events there that raises new questions about the accuracy of the administration's statements about Iraq.
It goes on for a bit but SusabG over at DailyKos said it best.
After quoting extensively from Bush’s speech on escalation given Wednesday, the gutting begins:
That version of events helps to justify Bush's "new way forward" in Iraq, in which U.S. forces will largely target Sunni insurgents and leave it to Iraq's U.S.-backed Shiite government to - perhaps - disarm its allies in Shiite militias and death squads.
But the president's account understates by at least 15 months when Shiite death squads began targeting Sunni politicians and clerics. It also ignores the role that Iranian-backed Shiite groups had in death squad activities prior to the Samarra bombing.
Reporter Seibel then hammers Rice for repeating the same "incomplete, oversimplified and possibly untrue version of events" during Barbara Boxer’s questioning at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing the following day. Then Rice is smacked down for repeating the same fairy tale before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Then Stephen Hadley gets nailed for repeating it on Meet the Press this morning. Then the reporter observes:
Much like the administration's pre-war claims about Saddam's alleged ties to al-Qaida and purported nuclear weapons program, the claims about the bombing of the Shiite mosque in Samarra ignore inconvenient facts and highlight questionable but politically useful assumptions.
A brief historical background is then offered about Shiite death squads, much of it relying on McClatchy’s own reports from the past few years – reports that were dead-on and in direct contradiction to most of what the administration was peddling.
Why is this important? Because of this:
Beginning in 2002, the administration's case for a pre-emptive war in Iraq was plagued by similar oversights, oversimplifications, misjudgments and misinformation. Unlike the administration's claims about the Samarra bombing, however, much of that information was peddled by Iraqi exiles and defectors and accepted by some eager officials and journalists.
… The administration has continued to offer inaccurate information to Congress, the American people and sometimes to itself. The Iraq Study Group, in its December report, concluded, for example, that the U.S. military was systematically under-reporting the violence in Iraq in an effort to disguise policy failings. The group recommended that the military change its reporting system.
Are these people liars or fools, McClatchy implicitly questions near the end of the piece:
Whether many of the administration's statements about Iraq for nearly five years have been deliberately misleading or honest but gullible mistakes hasn't been determined. The Senate Intelligence Committee has yet to complete an investigation into the issue that was begun but stalled when Republicans controlled the committee.
Real journalism. Real fact-checking. Real analysis. Go read the amazing piece in full, folks, to get an idea what real reporting looks like. It’s enough to make you weep for joy.
Technorati Tags: Failed Leadership, iraq, Liars!, Republican Culture of Corruption, War on Terror
Category: Iraq, War on Terror, Failed Leadership, Republican Culture of Corruption, Liars!
Writing by on Sunday, 14 of January , 2007 at 9:34 am
Where has all the money gone, well I have a few guesses, Halliburton, KBR, The Carlyle Group, and a few other choose, connected, corporations.
From the LA Times
By the time the Vietnam war ended in 1975, it had become America's longest war, shadowed the legacies of four presidents, killed 58,000 Americans along with many thousands more Vietnamese, and cost the U.S. more than $660 billion in today's dollars.
By the time the bill for World War II passed the $600-billion mark, in mid-1943, the United States had driven German forces out of North Africa, devastated the Japanese fleet in the Battle of Midway, and launched the vast offensives that would liberate Europe and the South Pacific.
The Iraq war is far smaller and narrower than those conflicts, and it has not extended beyond the tenure of a single president. But its price tag is beginning to reach historic proportions, and the budgetary "burn rate" for Iraq may be greater than in some periods in past wars.
If U.S. involvement continues on the current scale, the funding for the Iraq war — combined with the conflict in Afghanistan and other foreign fronts in the war on terrorism — is projected to surpass this country's Vietnam spending next year.
And the accumulating cost is adding to resistance to President Bush's war policy in Congress as well as in public opinion, even though concern about the cost in human lives, the war's impact on America's place in the world and other such factors loom larger.
Technorati Tags: Failed Leadership, iraq, Traitors in the White House, War on Terror
Category: Iraq, Traitors in the White House, Failed Leadership, War on Terror
