LiveBlogging the Iraq Hearings

Karen, what time is the hearing actually scheduled to start?

DW: 9 am.

Cindy Sheehan is here and being interviewed now.

Does anyone know if this is being broadcast anywhere? Is WPFW doing a live radio broadcast?

Thanks and thanks for doing this Karen.

Thanks!
Cindy Sheehan will be here May 7. We should go.

Try this: http://www.wpfw.org/

I am glad Dr. Paul Pillar is painting a comprehensive picture of what we did not do well. He is providing a full rendering of what life is really like in Iraq today. The definition of democracy is up for grabs, really.

Pillar doing an intense analysis of the "what-ifs"--no outcome is going to be totally effective. If Shi-as take ver the south...Sunnis the north...Kurds have their place, etc. it will not hold together.

He thinks we will see something that looks more like Lebanon. With militias.

Barbara Lee asks of Dr. Pillar.

"Is there a civil war taking place now?"

Answer: It's semantics. As Secty. Rumsfield correctly said, we are not seeing the firing on Ft. SUmter. This is more like Lebanon--no front lines, organized militias, bodies on the streets every day. By that standard we are seeing a civil war today. It can get worse from here..."

"From your background and perspective, what would be the advantages of placing multinational forces and removing our troops?"

Answer: "There is no good choice here. I recommend a not-sudden but sooner-rather-than-later withdrawal."

Pete de Fazio just announced that the Republicans are discussing holding open floor discussions on the war.

They must be hearing something...

Pillar: We are in the realm of "moral hazard."

I had read yesterday that head of the Armed Services Committee (Republican) wanted to hear from those 6 Generals who want Rumsfeld out - they would be asked to testify in the Senate.

One other thing - video on media shown only once - on Sat. Night Live
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/04/25.html#a8046

Rice & Rumsfeld not exactly welcomed with open arms

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0604270181apr27,1,7098539.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

This is sounding more like Vietnam all the time in that we were not invited & aren't wanted & there seems to be no end.

Pillar, in closing: What is most of concern are the trends. The totals of casualties per month are trending up. We are seeing a lot of attention on the new leadership--stronger than the old, but they are forceful proponents of the Shi'a interests and Sunnis are concerned.

We are not seeing much progress.

Three with firsthand knowledge:

• Ms. Faiza al-Arji. She is a native Shia Iraqi, married to a Sunni Iraqi. They have three sons who currently live in Amman, Jordan. She will speak about her family’s experiences in Iraq before and during the war and subsequent occupation.
• Dr. Dahlia Wasfi. She was born to a Jewish mother and an Iraqi father. She recently put her medical career on hold to visit with family members in Iraq, and recently returned from a three-month stay in Basra and Baghdad. She will describe her experiences in Iraq and discuss the life of Iraqis under occupation.
• Charlie Anderson (Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class, U.S. Navy-Ret.) He served with the Marine Crops’ Second Tank Battalion during the invasion of Iraq. He is now the Southeast Regional Coordinator of Iraq Veterans Against the War and will discuss his experiences in the military during the war in Iraq.

are up now.

Faiza is telling what it is like in Iraq right now. They used to live in a mixed culture. The occupation created sectarianism. Bremer divided Iraq. The north for the Kurds, the middle for the Sunnis, the south for the Shi'as. She says "we never heard of such a thing before."

Dr. Wasfi giving the medical background and updates. Her testimony is devastating. She is demanding immediate withdrawal of troops -- "we don't want a timetable, we want a priority."

Charley talking about why he joined the military--ideological and for college support. He saw it as a career. But he feels his service to his country ended before his miltary service did.

Why he was sent to Iraq: WMDs and ties between Saddam and Al-Queda, But soldiers do not question why. He was completely unprepared for desert survival and was such a poor shot that he never was allowed to practice. He had no body armor at first. He had no ammunition and was told not to shoot unless "Death was imminent". He could not think of another reason why he would shoot...

Dr. Wasfi: When Rice and Rumsfield go to Iraq, they never leave the green zone. They represent the people who are creating the civil war.

Signs are positive about Maliki, according to Faiza.

Great job, Karen... Thanks for the up-to-the-minute reporting.

Thanks, Vic. I am learning here too.

Jim McGovern speaking about HR 4232.

Barbara Lee speaking about her amendment to H.R.4939, the administration’s $91 billion supplemental request for Iraq, Afghanistan and Katrina relief.

She has gotten conflicting stories on what the admnistration plans to do about these bases, which, according to someone, look like cities.

Thanks for the reporting.

Heard Congressman Jane Harmon on NPR on the way in, questioning blank check to Negroponte & many other things. She's great. Heard all about lst quarter oil profits & think we need a windfall profits tax. Then the usual on corporate CEO golden parachutes - several million for life to someone who was a poor manager (Pfizer) - one example.

BBC - heard China/Nigeria making oil deals - China has the investment capital, Africa has the resources, China has teh markets

Comcast - noticed some Israeli high-up claims North Korea sold surface-to-air missiles to Iran that are capable of carrying nuclear warheads & hitting Europe.

Well, on with the day. Thanks to all those troops who are fighting to make it possible for me to drive to work. That's what it boils down to. & sorry to hear about the Australian family who had the wrong dead soldier son delivered to them.

Jim Hightower was going to do a story later today about Halliburton building detention camps - in America.

I want to know what Congress thinks about that.
Hearing just a bit too much lately from a guy named Hoekstra - what a dinosaur.

John Conyers: The messages presented today ARE getting to the American people, but we are doing what the Congress OUGHT to have been doing for the past few years. When you can't get the official hearings, holding your own works!

All the resolutions are important, and Pacifica is doing it's part as well.

What impact will these hearings have on the forthcoming elections?

Rep. Allen says: One thing that is happening is that the people are AHEAD of this administration and Congress. As people become aware that we are fueling the insurgency itself, it is a major issue for voters.

Rep. Lee: In what's left of this democracy, there is still accountability, and people will hold their officials responsible. Katrina, Ohio, Iraq, all being understood and the links to hypocrisy are there.

Should Rumsfield resign?? Maxine wants your opinion...

YES!! for the troops' sake.

Benson on China

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/benson/

OT but relevant to today's committee results killing net neutrality:

A Letter to the Verizon/AT&T Five

Matt Stoller, Wed Apr 26, 2006 at 06:13:30 PM EST

I've been asked for background, so here goes. This post refers to a vote on internet freedom (or 'net neutrality') that took place in a House Committee today. Right now your broadband ISP isn't really allowed to block legal web sites or services to their customers. A law that passed in a House Committee today lets them. It's a little more complicated than that, but that's the gist. Pretty soon your broadband provider will be allowed to block Google, Vonage, or your favorite blog if a competitor pays them, if they develop a competing service, or if they just don't like you. This sort of undermines the whole internet thing, and I'm fighting against it. More info is at Savetheinternet.com. These five people I'm highlighting are the Democrats who voted against a free internet, and I'd like you to call them up and let them know that their vote against the Markey Amendment (that's what the amendment was called) is simply outrageous. They need to know people are mad.

Dear Verizon/ATT Five,

I know how much you enjoy getting campaign contributions from telecommunications interests, and I hope that you find yourself swimming in contributions. I mean, you've earned it, since voting against freedom on the internet isn't going to get you many fans. I'm also glad you're so accessible to your constituents, and I've taken the liberty to list the amount of money you received from cable and telephone interests, as well as your office's phone number.

1. Ed Towns (NY-10) received $22,000 from cable and telecom company interests. I'm glad I can you reach you at (202) 225-5936.

2. Al Wynn (MD-04) received $19,100 from cable and telecom company interests. I'm glad I can you reach you at (202) 225-8699.

3. Charlie Gonzales: (TX-20) received $16,500 from cable and telecom company interests. I'm glad I can you reach you at (202) 225-3236.

4. Bobby Rush: (IL-01) received $21,000 from cable and telecom company interests. I'm glad I can you reach you at (202) 225-4372.

5. Gene Green: (TX-29) received $12,000 from cable and telecom company interests. I'm glad I can you reach you at (202) 225-1688 tel.

It's hard work to make hundreds of thousands of internet users really really mad. But you persevered, and in all likelihood your reelection campaigns will be that much richer. Congrats, guys, you made Santa's naughty list.

Oh yeah, and incidentally Blogpac is making a list of people to primary and people to make nice with in 2008. You know, the PAC for the internets, which is raising money here.

love,

The Internets

PS. And as an aside, we didn't include Eliot Engel (NY-17) and Bart Stupak (MI-01) on this list, because they changed their votes and decided to protect freedom on the internet. The other Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Republican Heather Wilson of New Mexico, voted to protect the internet as well. Thanks. They can be thanked and should be thanked here.

OK, DCP central launched Cindy Sheehan, David Swanson, Medea Benjamin, Ann Wright, and three Iraqi women at the Hart Office Building a few minutes ago, where they are carrying pink roses and a clear message to Sen. Bill Frist: troops in Iraq need to come home NOW, no permanent bases.

Will keep you informed.

Should Rumsfield resign?? Maxine wants your opinion...

Posted by: karen at April 27, 2006 11:00 AM

No. He should be fired. He's not doing a heckuva job.

I wonder if you could call the media (like CNN) ahead of something like Cindy and the women are doing today. That would make great press. Or would it backfire and they would carry Cindy away again?

Rumsfeld should never have been hired.
No one should have had anything to do with Paul Bremer, Chalabi & their ilk. Most of all, people with energy & oil connections should not be lobbyists, let alone hold the highest places in government. It is completely immoral in addition to being a conflict of interest.

Maxine Waters knows all that, but as a citizen, I've got her back.

The biggest impact would be if ALL AMERICANS quit driving for one whole day, no exceptions.

Truth,

Press has been alerted. We will look for signs of life there...

Who is the President of the United States accountable to?

We have no more checks and balances.

We HAVE GOT TO TAKE '06.

BREAKING! Activists Occupy Frist's Office

Submitted by bob fertik on Thu, 2006-04-27 19:34. Activism | Cindy Sheehan | Nonviolent Resistance

Urgent: call Senator Frist's office at 202-224-3344 and demand that he meet with the Iraqi women.

David Swanson just called from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's office to report that he and a group of women activists are occupying the office to demand a meeting with Senator Frist to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

The activists include three Iraqi women who testified at this morning's Out of Iraq hearing:

Dr. Dahlia Wasfi
Aseel Albanna
Faiva Al-araji (right)

They are joined in the protest by:

Cindy Sheehan
Ann Wright
Medea Benjamin
Gael Murphy

The Iraqi women want to meet with Frist today because they are leaving the U.S. tomorrow. They represent the 82% of Iraqis who want the U.S. out of Iraq.

http://www.democrats.com/node/8743

Urgent: call Senator Frist's office at 202-224-3344 and demand that he meet with the Iraqi women.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1040368

Seattle peace activists are local offic, acc/SNOW mailing, trying to get her to come out against the war. She did not have them arreste, as she could have.

Frist's phone number is busy. Heh.

Going to turn on the tube to see if it made Headline News.

It should! ;-)

P.S. *67 blocks your caller id from coming up when the party you are calling answers.

Always remember Paul Wellstone.

not so-O.T. and 'nuff said anyhow,
Otter

[carried over to the following thread, but WTF -- so have your personal assistant blueberry her assistant and have her fax my lawyer's personal assistant who will have her own assistant email back a generic and totally content-free reply, and let one of them somewhere somehow sue me for something already...]

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My personal opinion in re The Donald, which for emphasis' sake is *not* that of the DCP or any other such oganization nor anything of its ilk:

Yes, Donald Rumsfeld *should* resign his post as Secretary of MisDefense. Absolutely. Formally, and with prejudice.

But this sentiment -- which once again I reiterate is *purely* my own, and is not representative of any other aquatic mammals and/or e-scrivners and/or any other web-based noms du tron anywhere at any time or any place, ahem -- is directly tied to my awareness of the fact that ritual seppuku is no longer recognized as a valid expiation of accumulated personal guilt and dishonor in modern Western circles of thought these days.

although I still gotta say that if he had even half of (the liddle kiddy-sized version with a special toy in every box) of the political and personal cojones that someone like, say, nancy pelosi does then he'd've resigned long since already,
Otter

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[Just my extra and additional $.02 -- your $3/gallon mileage may vary of course. Products sold by weight, not volume. Contents may have settled during handling. Do not try this at home. Please do not adjust your set. There are no user-serviceable parts inside your head. Copied right 2006, all rites preserved, by Planet Otter Productions. Thankyouverymuch.]