What Sunlight Looks Like

Go Babs!

Bush Is No Conservative
By Paul Craig Roberts
Neoconservatism is actually a more extreme form of revolutionary utopianism than that of the Bolsheviks and the Jacobins.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15812.htm

The U.S. Has a History of Using Torture
By Alfred W. McCoy
This (new) legislation has effectively legalized the CIA’s right to use methods that the international community, embodied in the Red Cross and the UN Human Rights Committee, considers psychological torture.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15806.htm

Democrat's Defacto Pardon Bush et al
By Karl Sanchez
The greatest miscarriage of justice in modern times far beyond Ford's pardoning Nixon--the Democrats will provide the members of the Bush administration--who've committed known, documented, most heinous crime.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15813.htm

http://www.americanprogress.org/cartoons
Today's Cartoon: When George Writes His Memoirs...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061205/ap_en_mo/people_hepburn_s_dress
Hepburn gown sold at auction in London
LONDON - The black Givenchy gown worn by Audrey Hepburn in the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" sold at auction Tuesday for $807,000.
~~~~~
Proceeds from the sale will go to the charity City of Joy Aid, which helps India's poor.

{{{More on link. So, okay. At times I can stoop to pop-culture infotainment news, if it's interesting enough. I liked Audrey Hepburn as an actress, liked what she did in later life for others. And, let's face it: the actress, the movie and the theme song from the movie are pretty well legendary, as well as the wardrobe.}}}

House leaders abruptly pull offshore drilling bill from floor

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans abruptly pulled from floor action Tuesday a bill to open a large area of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling after it became clear the legislation lacked the two-thirds vote needed for passage.

The bill, which has already passed the Senate, was to have been one of the last major legislative achievements of this session of Congress.

It would open 8.3 million acres of the Gulf that is now off limits to drilling and also steer hundreds of millions of dollars of federal royalty payments to four Gulf coast states -- a windfall for Louisiana, which would get about half the money.

Republicans leaders gave no reason for the decision,

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/12/05/congress.roundup.ap/index.html

NonnyO & others

Good Napolean/Bush comparison

http://thepremise.com/archives/12/04/2006/761

monkey:

The House has reasons which reason does not know.

Treason rhymes with reason and 'tis the season, lemon squeezin'.

When life hands you lemons, then do that good ol' repo-man trickle-down thing and squeeze that lemon 'til the juice runs down your leg.

Posted by: DiAnne at December 5, 2006 03:13 PM

Gee. Sounds like men I've known - and eliminated from my life because eventually my contempt for their wormy little personalities knew no bounds.

I suppose that's an additional reason I spotted W's weak, sniveling, contemptable personality immediately many years ago....

... and familiarity breeds contempt....

Arnold ran as a Democrat lets see until 3 weeks after his re-election. Why people in California would not believe that Arnold would quickly retreat to his Republican roots once the election was over is beyond me, but three weeks before pushing for Republican Re-Districting in Ca., like we experienced here in Texas, is a bit much. I have urged for some time that Democratic State Legislatures consider doing the same.

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday endorsed a specific proposal to change the way political district lines are drawn, backing a plan to take the once-a-decade job away from the Legislature and give it to a bipartisan commission.

"We must bring competition back into the political process to guarantee that our elected leaders represent the full diversity of California and the will of the people," the Republican governor said at a morning press conference with "Voices of Reform," a coalition made up Republicans, Democrats and a variety of interest groups.

"Schwarzenegger has made a redistricting overhaul a priority in the coming year, despite the voters' rejection in 2005 of a ballot measure, Proposition 77, that he backed but was opposed by lawmakers and California members of Congress. Lawmakers also shelved a redistricting overhaul earlier this year."

It is also disturbing tha the Supreme Court is effectively reviewing Brown v Board of Education and is close to re-establishing that separate but equal in the 21st century is now OK. Seattle's school district apparently have seen minority enrollment in predominently white schools drop from 20% to 10% and Alito and Roberts are about to say that is just fine. Maybe DiAnne can give us more insight into this really disturbing Supreme Court review of the Seattle school district's policies."

Sacramento Bee

If there are almost as many contractors as military in Iraq, then that explains why we are there - those liberating the oil need protection

Bubba

Yes I do not understand all the legal remifications but I do understand some will try to rationalize allowing lower minority enrollments.

From what I've read:

From 1999, race could be used as a tiebreaker for admissions when there were more students applying for a school than there were positions.
This policy was suspended in 2002 after parents sued. Used to be you would name your preferred school and end up with one of your two top choices. Then they started using the tiebreaker system where "integration" was last factor, which messed up the goal of racial makeup of schools mirroring that of the district as a whole (which would be about 40 percent white).
We ended up with some predominantly white and predominantly nonwhite schools. Federal courts upheld this and Supreme Court's decision will be by summer, I think. I believe in integration but think there is potential racism everywhere.

might as well be segregation again and go back 50 years, for what this looks like -

"Rainier Beach and Cleveland high schools, both of which have falling enrollment and are attended mostly by students of color, both saw the percentage of white students fall in the past five years — from 9 percent to 7 percent at Cleveland and from 7 percent to 6 percent at Rainier Beach."

(from Seattle Times)

That is outrageous. Might as well be South Africa.

My son went to school under conditions where alot of minority kids were bussed to areas with less minorities living there. The schools were more integrated than now, but it was always those little minority kids that had to ride busses for hours in the dark. There were some "target" (attractive) programs placed in more minority schools, to attract people not of color but it was never enough.

College enrollment of minorities has dropped off too and in fact, who can hardly afford to go any more?!

More women in the workforce. Of course we need more women in the workforce.

Otherwise we'll just have to let that many more illegal immigrants in to take up their slack instead.

My kids school is about 5% white.

It is that way in most schools here. That is the way it always has been as long as I can remember.

Like South Africa...? Really?

I don't get it, Seattle does not normally have traditionally black and white schools?

Seriously I am not sure I understand your outrage/surprise...?

You know, I am acutely aware that perhaps I am the one with a perception problem.

Schools here, almost without exception, are always either 'the white school' or the 'black school' and one race generally makes up 70% or so of the student body.

Even now, when you ask about a school in the area, the first response you will get is wether it is a 'white' or 'black' school. It is an unspoken understanding that the 'white' school will be of better quality than the 'black' school.

And yes, I am speaking of our public schools.

It is one of those obvious 'quirks' that we have to learn to just live with about this place.

No, it is not right and never has been, but that is just the way it is. It works badly, but it still works.

Sometimes, living with it, we forget HOW very odd and strange it is.

When I was a small kid in Oklahoma, I know the schools I went to seemed very different, socially, than those here. But I went to these here for so long, sometimes I have to remind myself that yall do not have the same.... issues, rules. Standards.

Sometimes, I do not understand how we can even be talking about the same nation.

When I think about it, it makes me so angry and sad. I am so hurt knowing such a beautiful place could be totally forgotten. Abandoned by a nation that we are the center of.

I love the Deep South. But it just breaks my damn heart. I am glad I came back though, because my children, when they come up, will rise as certified members of The NEW South.

I know I can not change it now. Once again we have failed and even lost New Orleans. But they still have that chance to save this place, to change it, and God willing, it shall be done.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061205/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/gates_pentagon
Gates OK'd for defense by Senate panel
WASHINGTON - Robert Gates, seemingly clinching confirmation as the new secretary of defense, said Tuesday the United States is not winning in Iraq and he's confident President Bush will listen to his ideas about forging a new war strategy.
Excerpt:

"In my view, all options are on the table, in terms of how we address this problem in Iraq," he told the committee. But he also acknowledged the complexity of the challenge.

"There are no new ideas on Iraq," he said during a discussion of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which previewed its findings and recommendations to President Bush Tuesday and will release them Wednesday. Gates was a member of the group until Bush announced his nomination for the Pentagon job last month.

The senators voted 24-0 to support the nomination to replace Rumsfeld, who has become a symbol of the Bush administration's steadfast course in a war that has long since soured with the public and much of the world.

"I voted yes because in both the substance of his answers and the tone of his answers, he seemed open to course correction," said Carl Levin, D-Mich., who will be the committee's chairman when Democrats take control of the Senate next month.

During his appearance, Gates would not commit to any specific new course of action in the conflict. He said he would consult first with commanders and others.

{{{More on link. In life or death situations, instant decisions need to be made. The troops and civilians are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan for the sake of lies, oil, and oil pipelines. The only logical decision is to get the troops home ASAP, no discussion, just make the right decision, get them home by the fastest means possible (if I had my way, fiction would be real and we could beam them home like Scotty did on the Enterprise). As far as Gates' nomination, this was not a life-and-death matter. If the employees know what they're doing, DoD runs itself, it doesn't need a figurehead at the helm. There was no need to make the decision today about Gates, his nomination can be debated for any length of time, and besides which, Gates can't start until after the New Year anyway. Why the bum's rush, per Herr Boosh's dictates? Both Cons and Dems have allowed the little dictator to rush them into bad decisions since 2000. When are the Congress Critters going to figure out that when he forces instant decisions about issues that need to be debated fully, investigated fully, they will always make bad decisions?!? This is what makes it difficult for us ordinary peons to trust even Dems if they allow Herr Boosh to give them the bum's rush into instant decisions that have proved fatal to so many.... We see the absolute necessity of impeachment, but Congress Critters diddle each other and us instead of doing what's right and getting the turds out of office or charging them with the crimes we know for sure they're guilty of, with or without a trial. Politically, nothing has made sense since the SCOTUS decision of 2000. Nothing.}}}

Posted by: Christy at December 5, 2006 09:51 PM

I grew up in southern California and schools were just schools. I honestly didn't even realize people's skin color meant something until the Rodney King riots. (In 3rd grade I performed with my best friend in a Black History Month presentation and didn't think until years later that it was odd I was a non-black kid acting that I was in a segregated "colored only" school during a skit.)

Then in Oregon for high school we had kids bussed in to our school to meet the target minority percentage and I thought that was ridiculously strange. Everyone knew which kids were bussed just to meet the percentage and which ones were there to help our sports teams and jazz band win state competitions.

Stationed in Virginia I was definitely even more exposed to, and disturbed by, the racial stratification. I went to a series of churches and discovered there were "white churches" and "black churches". Schools were definitely one or the other.

And now in Alabama? It's two whole different worlds, white and black, and the most fascinating part about it is the whole post-Katrina Hispanic influx.

I do wish for those days when I was a kid and I thought skin color meant no more than eye color, race no different from heritage.

Christy
Seattle schools aimed to be 40%white and it has gotten messed up. The schools I mentioned are predominantly black and some across the water in suburbia would be mostly white and Asian (but those with money, not immigrants or poor). When my son was in elementary and middle school in the 80s and 90s the schools seemed pretty balanced but it was more the minority kids being bussed to the whiter areas, much as V described for Oregon. The racial exclusion is more subtle. So yes I might be kind of surprised and outraged as it got worse and worse.

My workplace is mostly women because that's the way health care is. I am underemployed and don't use my research degree at all. Why? Typically female reason - didn't want to move and disrupt my son's schooling with my career ambition, wrote off a research career and went the more typical clinical route. My workplace is about 20% Asian & the rest Anglo.

The only solution I see is Affirmative Action, tutoring, mentoring and scholarships. What we do not need is COW, which is Curriculum on Wheels & the product of Marvin Bush. His mom donated money for Hurrican Katrina survivors on the condition that it must buy COWs, which are purple teaching machines which teach neither math nor reading, thereby leaving children behind, like Uncle George.

I was always acutely aware skin color was at issue.

Even though I remember better social integration in Oklahoma schools, race still was the dividing line for me.

I was not acceptable to the indian kids because I was white. I was not acceptable to the white kids cause I was obviously indian.

People see what they want to see.

The thing I find most striking is that here I am simply accepted as white, because I am not black.

But yet black people are the first to recognize that I am NOT white.

The whole damn thing is bizarre to me... It always has been.

I grew up in South Dakota, home of Draconian laws and the American Taleban, racist toward native Americans and otherwise lily white. A Hispanic had his day in Supreme Court today and won.

Christy
We experienced same dynamic in SD but not here. My brother would claim to be more Sioux than he was, to not get beat up by either side.

Farting woman forces plane to land

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=40210

I received this from a Texan.

My brother had to be dug out of a principles office once by the local PD.

He had basically wielded a chair and took the principle hostage and then barricaded the office so he could whip up on him uniterrupted.

Why did that all happen?

Because my brother had been sent there for some kid bullsh*t and the principle started dressing him down and called him a 'dirty wetback'.

My brother LOST IT. He simply snapped.

Sonetimes I wonder if that man ever used the word 'wetback' again.

You know not even the cops could get my brother out of that office without killing him so they had to call my mom in to talk him down.

HAHAHA!!!!

That was such a classic family moment! We would still tease him about it but we don't dare.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200612060002?src=clip200612060002
Olbermann: Savage "Worst Person" runner-up for attack on Ellison

Two More Years
By Paul Krugman
How do you ask a man to be the last to die for a bully's ego?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15817.htm

Op-Ed Contributor
The Election Is in the Mail
By RUTH GOLDWAY

Washington

LAST Election Day, voters encountered myriad difficulties, from the unexplained glitch that temporarily halted Montana’s vote count to the 18,300 undervotes in Florida’s 13th Congressional District, to long lines, bad weather, inadequately trained workers, delayed or missing absentee ballots and complicated new identity forms. There was, however, one state where all went well: Oregon, where everyone votes by mail.

Since Oregon adopted Vote by Mail as its sole voting option in 1998, the state’s turnout has increased, concerns about fraud have decreased, a complete paper trail exists for every election, recounts are non-controvertible and both major political parties have gained voters. Moreover, in doing away with voting machines, polling booths, precinct captains and election workers, the state estimates that it saves up to 40 percent over the cost of a traditional election.

Vote by Mail could offer real advantages if it were adopted nationwide. Voters would not need to take time off from work, find transportation, find the right polling station, get babysitters or rush through reading complicated ballot initiatives. The country’s 35,000 post offices could provide information, distribute and collect voting materials and issue inexpensive residency and address identifications for voting purposes.

Perhaps most important, given the concerns about voting machine security, mail ballots cannot be hacked. Tampering or interfering with mail is a federal crime, and the United States Postal Service has its own law enforcement arm, which works closely with a variety of enforcement authorities including the F.B.I. Trained election clerks can take the time to check signatures without delaying or discouraging voters. And the advantages of a paper trail outshine the glitter of black box electronic gadgetry.

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/opinion/06goldway.html

First headline I see .. Mary Cheney is pregnant. How could her own father support a party whose platform is to oppress her?!

http://smartusa.com/
This car is "just my size." {Additionally, it looks like it wouldn't kill my back getting in and out of the thing as would happen with one of those big SUV-type cars that make me feel like a toddler climbing up into a it.}

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6213366.stm
Blair agrees war 'not being won'

Jesse Jackson | Congress Must Insist Bush Isn't Above Law
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120606J.shtml
Jesse Jackson begins: "Should President Bush be impeached? The very idea seems extreme, if not loony. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has explicitly ruled impeachment off the Democratic majority's agenda. But activists and legal scholars are organizing to pressure Democrats to begin impeachment hearings. And the incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers, has issued two remarkable studies on abuses of presidential authority, raising the question of impeachable offenses."
{{{Two articles on the same link.}}}

Outgoing Republicans are leaving a fiscal mess, while Democrats look to be the fiscal conservatives.

"What a sad mess," says Senator Robert Byrd.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116537033474441872-E98_ty2LKTJimA6Xl79YKGamKmg_20070105.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

So Mary Cheney is pregnant...?

Oh wow, my handy dandy JimmyJeff gagometer just broke in half.

Ick.

President Bush's policy in Iraq "is not working," the Iraq Study Group said in releasing its long-awaited report.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Iraq Study Group's report given to President Bush on Wednesday says the United States needs to change its strategy to tackle the "grave and deteriorating" situation in Iraq.

Failure to halt the crisis could bring severe consequences to Iraq, the broader region and the United States, the bipartisan panel warned in a report handed to Bush at the White House.

Although panel co-chairs James Baker and Lee Hamilton said in an introductory letter to the report there is no "magic formula to solve the problems of Iraq," the report calls for a "diplomatic offensive" and changing the role of U.S. troops from a combat to an advisory role.

"By the first quarter of 2008, subject to unexpected developments in the security situation on the ground, all combat brigades not necessary for force protection could be out of Iraq," the report says.

"At that time, U.S. combat forces in Iraq could be deployed only in units embedded with Iraqi forces, in rapid-reaction and special operations teams and in training, equipping, advising, force protection and search and rescue."

While not recommending a timetable for withdrawal, the report says "the United States must not make an open-ended commitment to keep large numbers of American troops deployed in Iraq."

The report warns of dire consequences, both at home and abroad, if the U.S. fails to take action.

"If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences could be severe. A slide toward chaos could trigger the collapse of Iraq's government and a humanitarian catastrophe. Neighboring countries could intervene. Sunni-Shia clashes could spread. Al Qaeda could win a propaganda victory and expand its base of operations. The global standing of the United States could be diminished. Americans could become more polarized," the report says.

"We will take every proposal seriously, and we will act in a timely fashion," Bush said after receiving the report.

Bush urged Congress to take the group's proposals seriously and work with the administration to find "common ground" on Iraq policy.

"The country is tired of pure political bickering," Bush said.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said the report contained 79 recommendations, but generally supported the administration's goals to leave Iraq capable of defending and governing itself.

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/12/06/iraq.study.group/index.html

Posted by: Christy at December 6, 2006 09:42 AM

Mine, too. That poor child will carry some of its grandfather's DNA. I feel sorry for the child....

So... Let me get this straight...

"leading Democrat Silvestre Reyes is calling for the deployment of more U.S. troops....."

You know what...? I am sick and freaking tired of DEMOCRATS that somehow further the goals of the BUSHEVIKS.

This is complete, utter, and TOTAL bullshit, and I am just about sick to death of these games.

What in the hell IS this...???

" In a surprise twist in the debate over Iraq, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, the soon-to-be chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he wants to see an increase of 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops as part of a stepped up effort to “dismantle the militias.”

DISMANTLE THE MILITIAS

DISMANTLE THE MILITIAS

DISMANTLE THE MILITIAS....

Yeah, unnhhhmmm, SURE.

Only 30,000 more. Why not 50..?

Hell if we drafted all CONTRACTORS already there we could double our size IMMEDIATELY.

HOW IN GODS NAME DO THESE DEMS KEEP WINDING UP FURTHERING THE FAILED GOALS OF REPUBLICANS...?

OF THE BUSHEVIKS THEMSELVES.........?

HELL NO!!!!

This is rediculous.

NBC: 10 U.S. service members killed in Iraq
Meanwhile, mortar attack kills 8 Iraqis, wounds 40 in Sadr City district

Updated: 1 hour, 14 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Ten American service members were killed in two improvised explosive device attacks in Iraq on Wednesday, NBC News reported. The news came hours after a mortar attack killed at least eight people and wounded dozens in the Sadr City Shiite district of the capital, police said.

In the 10 American deaths, five troops were killed in the north, and five were killed in Anbar province, a U.S. military official told NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski. No further details were immediately available.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16075920/

Senator Russ Feingold will be on "Countdown" with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC tonight at 7:00 pm Central Time (8:00 pm Eastern Time). He will be discussing Iraq and his reaction to the Baker-Hamilton Commission Report. Be sure to tune in!

John Kerry on The Iraq Study Group Report

“Not one more American soldier should die because politicians in Iraq or in the United States are unwilling to face reality and change direction. We need to change course now. Today, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group issued an urgent call for a new direction in Iraq. Their report acknowledges the futility of the current policy. If the Administration will accept its recommendations, this report can provide core elements of the way forward.

“The report underscores what many of us have long been arguing: there is no military solution to our deep problems in Iraq. Most importantly the report calls on policy makers to acknowledge that for Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future, the large commitment of American forces in Iraq can not be indefinite. Meeting the report’s goal of getting our combat troops out of Iraq by early in 2008 is essential to forcing the diplomatic and political steps needed to achieve stability. I wish the report went further by making this a hard deadline for redeploying our combat troops. Iraqi political leaders have proven time and again that they only respond to hard deadlines, and I believe that a deadline is the most effective way to expedite the process and save lives.

“The report calls for a step for which I have been a strong advocate for over two years: a major diplomatic initiative bringing together others in the region – including Iran and Syria – to forge a political solution to end the violence. Prime Minister Maliki has now embraced the idea of a regional conference, and this requires real diplomacy from the Administration to make it successful. I strongly support the report’s calls for sending additional military and economic support to Afghanistan as we disengage from Iraq because it is clear that we must redeploy from Iraq to succeed in Afghanistan.”

Specter, Leahy Introduce Bill to "Restore" Habeas Corpus

In another sign of shifting ground in the post-election Congress, Senators
Arlen Specter and Patrick Leahy yesterday introduced the "Habeas Corpus
Restoration Act of 2006," which would reinstate federal court jurisdiction
over Guantanamo detainees and other suspected enemy combatants.

The bill would repeal two provisions of the Military Commissions Act of 2006
enacted in September that limit habeas corpus.
"Habeas corpus" refers to the ability of a detainee to seek judicial review
of his case.

"The Constitution of the United States is explicit that habeas corpus may
be suspended only in time of rebellion or invasion," observed Sen. Specter.
"We are suffering neither of those alternatives at the present time. We have
not been invaded, and there has not been a rebellion."

"This bill would restore the great writ of habeas corpus, a cornerstone of
American liberty for hundreds of years that Congress and the President
rolled back in an unprecedented and unnecessary way with September's
Military Commissions Act," said Senator Leahy.

See the introduction of the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act here:

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2006_cr/s4081.html

10 more dead in one day in Iraq

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20061206%5cACQDJON2006120
61246DOWJONESDJONLINE000947.htm&

Curious if others heard Bush 41 cry in his speech for Jeb Bush. Don't think that I misunderstood what I heard him mumble but it sounded to me like Bush 41 was slandering the beloved deceased Florida Governor Lauton Childs. That is disgraceful to slam anyone deceased but especially someone like the Florida Giant Governor Lauton Childs. I am sure Linda Enterkin was not thrilled to hear that speech.

Yes, 41 alluded to "dirty tricks" by Lawton Chiles in his defeat of little Jebby. "Walkin" Lawton was beloved in the Sunshine State.

Pretty arrogant crap from the father of a man who re-wrote the book on how to steal elections and run a country (or two) into the ground.

Keith Olberman ran that story last night about Bush 41's speech and it was just infuriating to hear pappa's reference to Child's dirty tricks in Florida. The idea that we will ever forget, even 6 years later, what Jr.Bush did to steal the Whitehouse in 2000 in Florida is beyond belief. All the more reason to bring Al Gore back in '08.

Oh, balls on a goose. Gore doesn't want anybody to bring him back in '08, and he's made that clear any number of times (most recently this very morning during an extended interview on NBC.)

missed that Otter about Gore on NBC this morning. I sense there would be an enormous groundswell of support for Gore. "Right in 2000, Right in 2008"

Gore To Bush On Iraq: It's Not About You; Iraq is "worst strategic mistake in the history of the United States."
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/12/06/gore-iraq-bush/

I've never felt threatened by terror - yeah, sure there are some nuts around and we don't know how, when, where or why they'll kill. What this means to me is that I'd better do what I want to do before this *possibility* takes place.

Howard's biggest claim to fame here is his tough stance on terrorists. He's arrested plenty, and had to release our most dangerous terrorist (suspect) Jack Thomas, who was so disbelieving of the whole situation that he referred to himself as "Jihad Jack". This unfortunate moment of intelligent wit was almost his undoing. The *confession* was seized upon and people everywhere were convinced of Jack's guilt. They still are even though he's been released. No evidence. Not - insufficient evidence - NO evidence. Our fear-filled - fear-mongering government officials continue to harrass him day and night. No wonder they don't want David Hicks returned. It will cost a fortune to supervise these two individuals.

The Age exposure below has the majority collectively shaking its head about how someone so dumb can be so full of his own importance to the world, that he'll make up this rubbish.

HOWARD'S BIO-TERROR DISTORTION
Firemen clad in protective gear read the Indonesian embassy's mail.
Matthew Moore
December 7, 2006

JOHN Howard and Alexander Downer sparked Australia's biggest biological terror scare last year when they exaggerated test results to claim white powder sent to the Indonesian embassy in Canberra - later shown to be flour - was a "biological agent".

Documents from ACT Pathology and the Australian Federal Police, obtained under freedom of information laws, show the microbiologist who examined the powder on June 1 last year and the AFP never called it a "biological agent" and described it as a commonly occurring bacteria.

On June 1 last year, Mr Howard told The Age: "It's not an innocent white powder, it's some kind of biological agent."

The documents reveal that some days after testing began, the powder was shown to be flour.

Among the documents is an email sent by the AFP's national manager of intelligence, Grant Wardlaw, to Justice Minister Chris Ellison at 6.35pm on the day of the attack, advising the Government the powder had tested positive to "gram baccili", but this did not mean it posed a threat.

"Gram baccili is a commonly occurring bacteria," Mr Wardlaw said in the email. "If spores of this bacteria are found to be growing in the substance, this raises the level of potential risk. Information to date indicates that no spores have been identified by pathology."

Despite this advice, the Government did not tell the media that no threat had been identified and the next day newspapers and other media gave huge prominence to the Government's claims, running headlines saying the country had had a bio-terror attack.

Mr Downer first announced in question time on June 1 that a suspicious package had been sent to the embassy. He returned shortly after to reveal "the initial analysis of the powder has tested positive as a biological agent, though further testing will need to be carried out to determine what the substance actually is".

Mr Howard then told reporters that sending the powder to the embassy was an act of "murderous criminality" and rejected a suggestion from a reporter the substance could turn out to be "rather benign".

The description of the powder as a biological agent torpedoed a wave of public anger directed at the Indonesian Government and its justice system that had been building for five days after a Bali court convicted Schapelle Corby of drug smuggling on May 27.

Before announcing the powder had tested positive as a biological agent, Mr Downer warned Parliament the public attacks on Indonesia would cause "a good deal of anti-Australian sentiment in Indonesia and make it very difficult to conclude agreements with the Indonesian Government".

Complete article here:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/howards-bioterror-distortion/2006/12/06/1165081019778.html

Hey Bubba,

Has Gore put together a platform yet? I know his interest is Global Warming, which has done an excellent job or getting the word out there via An Inconvenient Truth.

Iraq Report 'Recipe for Defeat,' Says Right Wing

by David Greene - All Things Considered
Now that the Iraq Study Group report is out, conservatives are no happier than they were with the leaked information about it. Many say it amounts to a call for surrender.

This page has link to hear audio:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6588670

Snow battles press over Iraq Study Group report: 'I'm not trying to be snide'

Wednesday December 6, 2006

White House spokesman Tony Snow battled the press during this afternoon's briefing over the significance of the bipartisan independent Iraq Study Group.

The group released a report this morning that called the situation in Iraq "grave and deteriorating" and recommended many changes to U.S. policy.

Snow took particular exception to a question asked by NBC's chief White House correspondent, David Gregory, characterizing it as too "partisan."

"On the evaluation of the report... the co-chairs say the following: 'stay the course is no longer viable'; 'the current approach is not working,' and; 'the situation is grave and deteriorating,'" Gregory said. "Chairman Hamilton says he is not sure whether the situation can be turned around."

"Can this report," asked Gregory, "be seen as anything other than a rejection of this President's handling of the war?"

Snow responded, "Absolutely."

The former Fox News Channel anchor said that while the quotes were from the report, he needed "to try to place them in context."

"Number one - they are not trying to score partisan points or to look back," said Snow. "The second thing is that they understand the difficulties."

Snow claimed that the Iraq Study Group "adopted the goals that the administration has laid out," and that Gregory and other White House reporters "understand that trying to frame it in a partisan way is actually at odds with what the group itself says it wanted to do."

"Let me be clear - are you suggesting that I'm trying to frame this in a partisan way?" Gregory asked.

"Let me put it this way," Snow responded. "Where in the report does [it say] what you have said is 'can you read this as anything other than a repudiation of policy' and the answer is I can."

"You're suggesting," a defiant Gregory then replied, "that the representations of this report are in sync with the way the President has described the reality in Iraq and his policy towards Iraq."

Snow said he wasn't trying to be "snide."

"Go through - rather than - because you'll accuse me of nitpicking - read it," Snow insisted. "I'm serious - I'm not trying to be snide."

"If you go through and you take a look at the metrics in the beginning, we've acknowledged that you've got a deteriorating situation in Baghdad," Snow maintained.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Snow_battles_press_over_Iraq_Study_1206.html

Of the people killed in Iraq in the last couple of days, two were with the MN Natl. Guard. One was from a town not far from where I went to high school (I recognize the last name, but not sure if he's related to anyone I knew 40-45 years ago). The other one was from a different part of MN. Then today there was news of a fellow from this state who was killed in a US military vehicle accident (non-combat casualty) in Iraq. What a waste of perfectly good human potential....

The Iraq Study Group is a cruel joke and keeps us in Iraq for a minimum of two years longer. None of the recommendations are binding. DimWit will still do whatever the hell he wants, and - most disappointing of all - Democrats will (as Christy pointed out) still give DimWit and his PNAC and oil and Halliburton, et al., buddies billions from our tax revenues, and not do one thing to stop them. I have to wonder how many Democrats are on the take, financially, from Bu$hista Buddies. There is no other explanation for them voting in favor of so much crappy legislation, voting in favor of Gates, et cetera, other than some Dems getting the same monies as neoCons. It doesn't otherwise register in my brain that Dems can be that stupid, not unless they benefit financially from giving the Cons whatever they want.

Posted by: monkey at December 6, 2006 07:21 PM

What kind of koolaid do they serve around that place, anyway o_O

The best taxpayer money can buy... FoolAid.

The Juice is on the Noose

Thanks to the ISG report, I am running out of new ways to tell my friends and neighbors, "There, see? Kerry was right all along! Toldja!"

But that's okay, I'm perfectly content to keep on recycling the old ones.

:0)

My Senators weigh in:

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray issued the following statement:

This unanimous, bi-partisan report shows that we need to change course in Iraq. I want to commend the bipartisan members of the Iraq Study Group for sharing their expertise, giving an honest assessment, and laying out a path forward in Iraq.

I've been to Iraq, I've sat down with our troops, and I've seen how hard they're working under very difficult circumstances. We all support them, and we all want them to be able to complete their mission successfully and come home safely.

What the Administration is doing today is not working. The Iraq Study Group has given its recommendations to the President, and now it's up to the Commander-in-Chief to present his plan for a new direction in Iraq.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell issued the following statement:
The Iraq Study Group recommendations represent an important step forward. I support many of the Iraq Study Group's key recommendations and have previously called for some of these options such as more robust diplomatic and political efforts in Iraq and the region. These recommendations taken as a whole clearly indicate that a change of course is needed.

I agree with the Iraq Study Group recommendation that the United States cannot have open ended commitment in Iraq. U.S. forces should move out of a combat role into a support role for the Iraqi Army.

We need to act urgently to press for a political solution and build international consensus to stabilize Iraq and the region.

Additionally, I believe that the United States should engage in direct talks with Iran and Syria on a range of issues to address serious threats to global stability.

Former Senator Gary Hart:

But, for all the foreign policy folderol we will hear in coming hours and days concerning the ISG report, it will be but sound and fury if President Bush does not experience a second born-again conversion. He has raised stubbornness to a high art, believing it to be evidence of strength. For him, ignorance is a form of conviction. Given his belief in divine guidance, it would help a bit if James Baker appeared before him as the Archangel Gabriel. But even for Baker, whom many in Washington seem to believe can walk on water, that is a stretch.

The ISG report, and others to follow, will do little to change the mind of a man who still thinks he was placed on earth for the evil hour of 9/11, who believes America is an Avenging Angel whose 21st century mission is to eradicate evil from the earth, and who, as Captain Ahab, willingly suspends the verities of the U.S. Constitution in the pursuit of his own White Whale.

(hat tip to Mark Barrett at http://www.thepremise.com

from the Editors of The Independent UK, 6 December 2006

Iraq: One by One, They Tell the Truth
The Independent UK

Wednesday 06 December 2006

As Tony Blair flies out to meet George Bush, the latest admission of failure in Iraq has made the two leaders appear even more isolated.
Colin Powell

After telling the UN assembly in 2003 that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, the former Secretary of State admitted in May 2004 the claims were "inaccurate and wrong and, in some cases, deliberately misleading".

Colonel Tim Collins

The Army colonel made a famous rousing speech to troops on the eve of battle. But in September 2005, he declared:

"History might notice the invasion has arguably acted as the best recruiting sergeant for al-Qa'ida ever."

Paul Bremer

The former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq admitted in January 2006:

"It [the invasion] was a much tougher job than I think I expected it to be ... we really didn't see the insurgency coming."

Zalmay Khalilzad

Contradicting the usually upbeat rhetoric, the US ambassador in Iraq said in March: "We have opened a Pandora's box". And unless the violence abated, Iraq would "make Taliban Afghanistan look like child's play".

Jack Straw

The former foreign secretary, one of the cheerleaders for the war, said in September: "The current situation is dire. I think many mistakes were made after the military action - there is no question about it - by the United States administration."

Gen Sir Richard Dannatt

The British General admitted in an interview in October: "I don't say that the difficulties we are experiencing round the world are caused by our presence in Iraq but undoubtedly our presence in Iraq exacerbates [them]."

Richard Perle

Regarded as one of the intellectual godfathers of the war, Perle changed his tack in November, admitting that "huge mistakes were made" in the invasion of Iraq. "The levels of brutality we've seen are truly horrifying," he added.

Ken Adelman

Last month, the noted neoconservative said: "The national security team... turned out to be among the most incompetent in the post-war era. Not only did each of them have enormous flaws, but together they were deadly."

Donald Rumsfeld

A memo from the hardline former defence secretary revealed this week that he had been looking for a change of tactics. "In my view, it is time for a major adjustment ... what US forces are doing in Iraq is not working well enough..."

Robert Gates

Yesterday, Mr Rumsfeld's proposed successor was asked at a Senate hearing whether the US was winning the war in Iraq. "No, sir," he replied. And he warned that the situation could lead to a "regional conflagration".

Tony Blair ...

George Bush ...

-------

Blair agrees Iraq war going nowhere

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1806163.htm

The consensus is that the war in Iraq is going badly, and things are also going to hell in a handbasket in Afghanistan. [Yeah, like that's something we haven't known since Saddam's statue came down. Whatever.]

The only two opinions I've heard in my channel flipping during news is: We can still prevail if we only stay the course as dear little dictator Herr Boosh wants to do. The second option is to follow ISG's non-binding recommendations and stay in Iraq for two more years and then start to withdraw our troops - conveniently, just in time for the '08 election....

Overlooked: the lies that got us into the illegal, unconstitutional, unjust, immoral, unethical, and dishonorable war in the first place, and who was telling the lies to begin with, and what to do about the lying criminals who are leading this country and keeping our troops in Iraq....

What's wrong with that picture?

It shouldn't take any longer to get the troops transported out of Iraq or Afghanistan than it did to transport them in to those countries.

OIL FOR SALE: IRAQ STUDY GROUP RECOMMENDS PRIVATIZATION
By Antonia Juhasz, AlterNet
The Iraq Study Group may not have a solution for how to end the war, but they do have a way for their corporate friends to make money.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/45190/

{{{Ah. I was wondering when oil would be mentioned in connection with ISG recommendations....}}}

Poverty follows families to the suburbs
Suburban poor outnumber their inner-city counterparts for the first time

WASHINGTON - As Americans flee the cities for the suburbs, many are failing to leave poverty behind.

The suburban poor outnumbered their inner-city counterparts for the first time last year, with more than 12 million suburban residents living in poverty, according to a study of the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas released Thursday.

“Economies are regional now,” said Alan Berube, who co-wrote the report for the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. “Where you see increases in city poverty, in almost every metropolitan area, you also see increases in suburban poverty.”

Nationally, the poverty rate leveled off last year at 12.6 percent after increasing every year since the decade began. It was a period when the country went through a recession and an uneven recovery that is still sputtering in parts of the Northeast and Midwest.

“Looking back at the 1970s, you would have seen cities suffering and suburbs staying the same,” said Berube, research director at the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program. “But the story is different today.”

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16077694/

Gee, since the decade began, eh? Who's been right about THIS all along as well?

Say Hello to the Goodbye Weapon

By David Hambling
Dec, 05, 2006

The crowd is getting ugly. Soldiers roll up in a Hummer. Suddenly, the whole right half of your body is screaming in agony. You feel like you've been dipped in molten lava. You almost faint from shock and pain, but instead you stumble backwards -- and then start running. To your surprise, everyone else is running too. In a few seconds, the street is completely empty.

You've just been hit with a new nonlethal weapon that has been certified for use in Iraq -- even though critics argue there may be unforeseen effects.

According to documents obtained for Wired News under federal sunshine laws, the Air Force's Active Denial System, or ADS, has been certified safe after lengthy tests by military scientists in the lab and in war games.

The ADS shoots a beam of millimeters waves, which are longer in wavelength than x-rays but shorter than microwaves -- 94 GHz (= 3 mm wavelength) compared to 2.45 GHz (= 12 cm wavelength) in a standard microwave oven.

The longer waves are thought to limit the effects of the radiation. If used properly, ADS will produce no lasting adverse affects, the military argues.

Documents acquired for Wired News using the Freedom of Information Act claim that most of the radiation (83 percent) is instantly absorbed by the top layer of the skin, heating it rapidly.

The beam produces what experimenters call the "Goodbye effect," or "prompt and highly motivated escape behavior." In human tests, most subjects reached their pain threshold within 3 seconds, and none of the subjects could endure more than 5 seconds.

"It will repel you," one test subject said. "If hit by the beam, you will move out of it -- reflexively and quickly. You for sure will not be eager to experience it again."

more...
http://tinyurl.com/yetyqh

Proudest Monkey
by Dave Matthews Band

Swing in this tree
Oh, I am bounce around so well
Branch to branch,
limb to limb you see
All in a day's dream
I'm stuck
Like the other monkeys here
I am a humble monkey
Sitting up in here again

But then came the day
I climbed out of these safe limbs
Ventured away
Walking tall, head high up and singing
I went to the city
Car horns, corners and the gritty
Now I am the proudest monkey you've ever seen
Monkey see, monkey do, yeah

Then comes the day
Staring at myself I turn to question me
I wonder do I want the simple, simple life
that I once lived in well
All things were quiet then
In a way they were the better days
But now I am the proudest monkey you've ever seen
Monkey see, monkey do, yeah
Monkey see, monkey do

http://www.rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wired.com%2Fnews%2Ftechnology%2F0%2C72134-0.html%3Ftw%3Dwn_index_1

“The crowd is getting ugly. Soldiers roll up in a Hummer. Suddenly, the whole right half of your body is screaming in agony. You feel like you've been dipped in molten lava. You almost faint from shock and pain, but instead you stumble backwards -- and then start running… You've just been hit with a new non-lethal weapon that has been certified for use in Iraq -- even though critics argue there may be unforeseen effects.”

C-SPAN3 has the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing of the ISG- with Baker & Hamilton. They are saying it should last until 11 am EST. Seems rushed to me... Anyway, it's available via streaming video through links on
http://www.c-span.org/homepage.asp

re. December 7, 2006 09:48 AM

C-SPAN probably will have replay link for the video posted later in the day...

In the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing of the ISG, Lieberman just said that, "contrary to" the media analyses, he doesn't think the report differs much with the current admin policy...

Et tu, Liebershnitzel?

MSNBC: At press conference with Blair, Bush says 'we will prevail in Iraq.'

Monkey
I think that's just propaganda on the part of Bush and Blair, not wanting to appear to lose face. The real test will be whether they will engage in dialogue with Syria and Iran, which Blair has pressed for much moreso than Bush. I got that impression from the BBC this morning.

I also sent a congratulatory message to VP Cheney on his imminent grandfatherhood and signed it with my name, city and political affiliation. It's to send the message that his dear Republican affiliates will not stand by loyally as they are not sincere when it comes to family values. They are always talking only about fundamentalist white heterosexuals only.

Bush and Blair seem to pretend it's a football game where you can outlast the defense if you're on offense enough.

They haven't understood that it's a war. People are dying. They're ineffective, incompetent, and corrupt gameplan has never been winable in this contest of wills.

Anyone game for irc today or tonight? Pick a time (early eastern time) and I'll try to get there.

How many ways can you say CORRUPTION?

Federal Gov't Fails to Collect Oil, Gas Royalties

The agency that collects royalties from oil and gas producers lacks the data, coordination and manpower to keep track of companies operating on federal land and in federal waters, a report by the Interior Department's inspector general said.

The report criticized the Minerals Management Service for relying on "compliance reviews," which depend on information provided by the companies, rather than detailed audits, independent information or site visits...
~~~~~~~~
Oil-Lease Agency Found Inadequate
Interior Report Cites Sloppy Oversight
WaPo link: http://tinyurl.com/u2oam

"It's bad in Iraq," said the Decider.

Thank you for e-mailing Vice President Cheney. Your comments, suggestions and concerns are important to him. Unfortunately, because of the large volume of e-mail received, the Vice
President cannot personally respond to each message. However, members of the Vice President's staff consider and report citizen ideas and concerns. Please visit the White House web site for the most up-to-date information on Presidential initiatives, current events, and topics of interest to you.

Thank you again for taking the time to write.

from Center for American Progress:

Reality Check

On a day when ten more U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq, the Iraq Study Group (ISG) released a report that is "nothing less than a repudiation of the Bush administration's diplomatic and military approach to Iraq and to the whole region," and a "blueprint for a fundamentally different approach" to the war in Iraq. The report details the "grave" situation there, as well as the many policy failures that have led to this point. Although the report is a "stunning indictment" of Bush's failures, the recommendations are "still couched in language vague enough to allow the president to pretend it is the 'new way forward' his aides are now talking up, rather than a timetable for withdrawal, which is on Mr. Bush's no-go list." The president yesterday called the report a "very tough assessment" with some "very interesting proposals," but emphasized he "probably won't agree with every proposal." Indeed, even if Bush were to follow all 79 recommendations, there is no guarantee the plan would work. As the report concedes, there is "no magic formula" for fixing Iraq. Yet the best way forward is to strategically redeploy our troops out of Iraq. Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Lawrence Korb explains, "Not setting a date for a complete withdrawal of all of our military forces from the country will leave the Iraqi government and military believing they can continue to count on U.S. military power to support them come what may. ... We simply cannot leave our brave soldiers in harm's way if progress is not made pacifying the country over the next 18 months."

GETTING A GRIP ON REALITY: White House Press Secretary Tony Snow described the report as "an acknowledgment of reality" -- a reality the administration has ignored for years. (In October, Bush claimed "we're winning" in Iraq.) "The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating," the report says. Bush's Iraq policy "is not working, as the level of violence in Iraq is rising and the government is not advancing national reconciliation." "The ability of the United States to influence events within Iraq is diminishing." The language echoes the sentiments of incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates' admission that we are not currently winning in Iraq. The report also chastises the administration for its "significant underreporting of the violence in Iraq." "Good policy is difficult to make," the report says, "when information is systematically collected in a way that minimizes its discrepancy with policy goals."

NO TIMELINE FOR WITHDRAWAL: The Iraq Study Group was "careful to modulate its wording to avoid phrases and rigid timelines that might alienate the White House." The report calls for U.S. troops to shift into supporting roles for the Iraqi army, and by the "first quarter of 2008, subject to unexpected developments in the security situation on the ground, all combat brigades not necessary for force protection could be out of Iraq." The panel does not make clear what kind of "unexpected developments" it has in mind, and the careful use of "could" rather than "will" leaves the administration with ample wiggle room to continue to support "conditions-based" troop levels. Snow emphasized this point to reporters, saying there is "nothing in here about pulling back militarily." "This is no different than the current policy," Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) points out. "We must do what is best for America and insist on a responsible plan for redeployment."

A CALL FOR TOUGH DIPLOMACY: The report argues that "Bush, Vice President Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have bungled diplomacy in the region with unrealistic objectives and narrow strategies." It calls for a New Diplomatic Offensive and an international Support Group structure under which the "United States should engage directly with Iran and Syria." "You talk to your enemies, not just your friends," James Baker said yesterday. He added: "We're talking not about talking to be talking. We're talking about tough diplomacy." (Strategic Redeployment calls for "strong diplomacy" in the region, and suggests peace talks involving Iraq's internal actors and Iraq's neighbors, including Iran, "who have an interest in making sure Iraq does not degenerate into further chaos.") The White House ruled out one-on-one talks with Iran, but refused to say if it supported a broader diplomatic initiative.

SAYING NO TO MORE U.S. TROOPS: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has called for 20,000 more U.S. troops to be sent to Iraq. "Without additional combat forces" in Iraq, he argued again yesterday, "we will not win this war." The bipartisan study group opposed such a move in no uncertain terms. "Sustained increases in U.S. troop levels would not solve the fundamental cause of violence in Iraq, which is the absence of national reconciliation," the report says. "Meanwhile, America's military capacity is stretched thin: we do not have the troops or equipment to make a substantial, sustained increase in our troop presence. Increased deployments to Iraq would also necessarily hamper our ability to provide adequate resources for our efforts in Afghanistan or respond to crises around the world."

WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS: The ISG report emphasizes the need to engage more effectively in the battle of ideas in the Arab world. First, the report says, Bush "should state that the United States does not seek permanent military bases in Iraq." (Last June, the New York Times reported the administration was making plans for "maintaining a force of roughly 50,000 troops there for years to come.") Second, the U.S. must show a "renewed and sustained commitment" to a "comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace on all fronts." The Center for American Progress put forward these ideas months ago, urging the administration to "make key policy shifts -- including declaring it does not seek permanent bases in Iraq and intensifying its efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

http://www.americanprogress.org

As for Say It Ain't So Joe... this is an approximately on-topic Q + A exchange taken verbatim from a blog belonging to a Certain Senator from Massachusetts (hereafter to be referred to simply as 'CSM', ahem):

---------------

Does anyone know Lieberman's response?

> Posted by Tia | December 7, 2006 1:19 AM

-----

Oddly enough, Tia, nobody seems to have heard much from Mr. Lieberman lately. He's not having much of a talking-head presence on the cable-news circuit, or being asked to publicly comment on the several big Iraq-centered news stories making the rounds in recent days. Considering how much of his maverick re-election campaign centered on those very issues, you'd think he would be opining away on them every time you turn on your television. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Perhaps he burned more bridges this year than he realized.

>Posted by Otter | December 7, 2006 5:32 AM

-----

More for Tia:

Lieberman did appear on CBS' 'Face the Nation' last Sunday to comment on the leaked Rumsfeld memo, as noted here [at http://tinyurl.com/ymqdj7 ]:

"'The Rumsfeld memo itself is in many ways surprising,' Lieberman said. 'He raises possibilities of doing things such as redeploying our troops, which he has always said that he was against.'

"Lieberman suggested that perhaps Rumsfeld was making a last-ditch effort to save his job.

"'Seeing as how the President said –- when he announced the nomination of Bob Gates to replace Don Rumsfeld –- that he and Rumsfeld had conversations about the possibility of this change in the two weeks preceding, you wonder whether Rumsfeld didn't get the message or he did get the message and this was his attempt to try to hold on to his job,' he said."

During the same appearance on CBS Lieberman also displayed more of reasoning that has made him such a darling of the inveterate stay-the-course crowd when he said, "Asking Iran and Syria to help us succeed in Iraq is like your local fire department asking a couple of arsonists to help put out the fire. These people are flaming the fire."

And as David Swanson pointed out during his live-blogging coverage of the Gates confirmation hearings for Atlantic Free Press [at http://tinyurl.com/ym4hdv ], Lieberman had high praise for Gates because the latter wants "to succeed, not withdraw" in Iraq.

One can only wonder why the media isn't putting Lieberman on camera every five minutes to explain his increasingly-suspect points of view on all things Iraqi. You should think they'd love setting him up as either a fatuous fall guy or a powerful counter-puncher, depending on how you feel about the MSM's so-called fair and balanced reporting.

Newsblogger Paul Hogarth certainly has his own views on the matter, as noted in his BeyondChron piece [at http://tinyurl.com/ycs564 ] in which he quotes further from that same CBS interview:

"Meanwhile, Lieberman insisted that the War is still 'winnable,' explained that Iraq is an instrumental element of our War on Terror, supported sending more U.S. troops into the quagmire, and asserted that withdrawal would be a 'statement of weakness' and send a 'signal to the Iranians that we are negotiating out of fear.' If there was any doubt why Karl Rove called Lieberman on the day after he lost the Democratic primary, this was it. At a time when even most Republicans have stopped drinking the neoconservative Kool-Aid and are asking the Bush Administration tough questions, Joe Lieberman can always be counted on to be their biggest cheerleader. "

So if what he had to say in that December 3 'Face The Nation' interview is any indication, it appears that Lieberman's response is pretty much what you'd expect it to be. One thing you can say about the maverick senator from Connecticut, he's staying the course on this one.

> Posted by Otter | December 7, 2006 6:19 AM

---------------

stay the course chide a cowboy,
Otter

Its deja vu all over again. Don't we ever learn anything?

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Dubai Ports World, the Arab-owned company which set off a furor with its purchase of six U.S. port operations earlier this year, has been cleared to join a federal pilot program to test the methods used to screen U.S.-bound cargo for radiation."

Who's dumb idea was this? Dubai to screen our cargo-that is totally nuts.

Hrm. They're not screening our cargo (at least not yet), they're helping us test our cargo-screening technology. And besides the fact that we're more likely to have problem cargo coming in from places where the Dubai firms operate (which is, essentially, everywhere), it's also important to remember that Dubai is an extremely capitalistic country with a vested interest in protecting the American economy, not crashing it.

Courtesy John in the Morning at http://www.kexp.org, Seattle, whose music column didn't used to have to include obituaries of people who should still be enjoying the music. It's a damn shame and we have a President who doesn't even attend funerals.

Russell Culbertson Jr
LONE PINE It’s small town rural America where they rally around the flag and support our troops in Iraq.But the painful reality of thewar has hit Lone Pine, Washington County with a devastating blow. Army Specialist Russell Culbertson Jr., 22, was one of four soldiers killed by a roadside bomb near Abu Ghraib prison.
His friends and family tell KDKA’s Paul Martino they can’t believe he didn’t make it out alive.
“I don’t know what we’ll do without him,” said Charlene Adams. Culbertson was a 2003 graduate of Trinity High School. He loved cars and was saving the money he made in Iraq to buy a new Camero.

Ryan E. Haupt, Norman R. Taylor & Nathan J. Frigo
Colorado Springs Gazette -- The Army on Friday identified three Fort Carson soldiers who died in Iraq on Tuesday when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee. Killed were Staff Sgt. Ryan E. Haupt, 24, of Phoenix; Sgt. Norman R. Taylor III, 21, of Blythe, Calif.; and Pfc. Nathan J. Frigo, 23, of Kokomo, Ind. The three, all assigned as snipers in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, were riding together to protect a convoy traveling between Baqouba and Balad when the bomb went off. The deaths came days before the brigade was scheduled to begin coming home from Iraq. The first soldiers to return to Fort Carson after the brigade’s yearlong tour are due back Sunday. Frigo and Taylor were honored at Friday night football games in their hometowns.
Frigo lettered in cross country and track at his high school in Indiana. His father, Fred Frigo, said the determination shown by the 6-foot-3-inch runner as he raced down the track at Northwestern High School was an early indication of what led him to the Army.

Daniel A. Brozovich
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Daniel Brozovich, who began military service as a gung-ho Marine and never lost that edge in 20 years with the Army National Guard, died Wednesday in a roadside bombing in Ashraf, Iraq.
Sgt. 1st Class Brozovich, 42, of Greenville in Mercer County, was on his second tour in the war. He never wavered about the worthiness of the cause, nor did he complain about the disruptions it caused in his civilian life, said his wife, Mary. "He believed in his country. He wanted to keep it safe," she said in an interview yesterday. Ryan Brozovich, the fallen soldier's 11-year-old son, said he took comfort in knowing that death came swiftly. "I'm glad he didn't suffer," Ryan said.

David M. Unger
Kansas City Channel -- LEAVENWORTH, Kan. -- A soldier from Leavenworth who reveled in making others laugh has died in Iraq, his mother said.
The Department of Defense has not released the official details of Army Cpl. David Unger's death. His mother, Diana Pitts, told KMBC her son was killed Tuesday when an improvised explosive device struck his armored Humvee. At least two other soldiers also were killed, she said."The only way I can remember my son is he made everybody laugh," Pitts said. "For almost 22 years, he was the rock of our family." Unger, who graduated from Leavenworth High School in 2003, would have celebrated his birthday on Halloween. He leaves behind a wife, Laura Unger, and a son and daughter. Laura Unger said she met David in high school.

Christopher E. Loudon
Williamsport Sun Gazette -- An Army soldier with ties to Sullivan County was killed Tuesday in Iraq, and his family is mourning his loss. U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Christopher E. Loudon, 23, of Brockport, near DuBois, will be sorely missed for his dedication as a husband and father and as a soldier fighting terrorism, his wife and mother-in-law said from their Muncy Valley-area residence Wednesday night. Loudon’s widow, the former Jacey Laidacker, 24, who lives with her mother and father, Suzanne and Larry Laidacker, described her husband as a "soul mate" and "best friend." "Chris was the most caring, kind, strong person that I know," she said. "I’m going to miss him every day." Loudon, who was attached to the 4th Infantry Division based in Fort Hood, Texas, was killed by a roadside bomb that exploded as he was riding by in a Humvee on patrol in Baghdad, Suzanne Laidacker said.

Timothy J. Lauer
Pittsburgh Tribune Review -- Army Spc. Timothy J. Lauer was a family man in Crawford County who enjoyed music, sports and playing cards. Lauer, 25, of State Street, Meadville, was one of three soldiers killed in Iraq when a roadside bomb went off near their vehicle in Baghdad, the Defense Department announced Tuesday. Also killed in Saturday's explosion were Staff Sgt. Joseph M. Kane, of Darby, Delaware County, and 1st Sgt. Charles M. King, of Mobile, Ala. The three were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. Lauer was a 2000 graduate of Cochranton High School, where he played football and baseball, and Crawford County Vocational-Technical School. He was a member of the Black Water Band and enjoyed bowling, hunting, fishing and playing cards.

Garth Sizemore
Mt. Sterling, KY (AP) -- A soldier from Montgomery County has died from combat-related injuries in Iraq, military officials said Thursday. Staff Sgt. Garth Sizemore, 31, of Mount Sterling, died Tuesday after he was shot by enemy forces during patrol in Baghdad, the Department of Defense said. Sizemore was assigned to 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Schweinfurt, Germany.
Sizemore attended Montgomery County High School and Morehead State University before enlisting seven years ago, his father, Glenn Sizemore, of Mount Sterling said in an interview Thursday.

Stephen Bicknell
Montgomery Advertiser -- PRATTVILLE -- The reality still hasn't set in for the friends and former teammates of Stephen Bicknell. Two days after the 19-year-old Army private was killed in Iraq, those close to the 2005 Prattville High School graduate still struggled to comprehend the loss. "I found out (Monday) night, and it really shook me up," said Caleb Glass, a former teammate and member of the Class of 2005. "I couldn't go to bed. I was up until 5 a.m., trying to find out more. "My brothers have been in the military for years, and I have other family members (serving). But this is the first close person I've lost. The seniors on (the 2004) team were close. We were a family. He was a brother to me."
Bicknell was a receiver and backup quarterback for Prattville's 2004 state runner-up team. Head coach Bill Clark informed his team of his death Tuesday morning. Many of the seniors already knew."A lot of the seniors played with him," Clark said. "There's a sense of disbelief when something like this happens to someone so young. It was hard for the players to accept, just like it was for the coaches when we found out (Monday night)."

Lester D. Baroncini Jr
The Mercury News -- BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Lester Domenico Baroncini was moved to join the Army after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but his interest in the military started long before that. As a boy, one of Baroncini's favorite Halloween costumes was fatigues so he could pretend to be a soldier, said his family pastor, the Rev. Craig Harrison of St. Francis of Assisi Church. Sgt. Baroncini, 33, was killed on Sunday when two land mines detonated near his humvee in Samarra, Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Thursday. Also killed in the explosion was Pfc. Stephen D. Bicknell, 19, of Prattville, Ala. Both were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. Baroncini helped with relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina in October 2005, then was deployed to Iraq in July.

Otter
I think that's half our problem - being bedfellows with any country capitalistic to sell out by protecting us while people die, buying our weapons, etc. We've been propping up dictators, aligning more or less secretly with leaders or groups & so on for years. It may be less of a secret to alot of other people in the world, rather than the average American & that's just the way the government likes it. Watch out for blowback though! The discrepancy between the world's richest and poorest is growing all the time, and in this country, has increased with supply-side economics and tax breaks for the rich. When I checked out Cheney's website, he's sitting there with King Abdullah. Sure this may help our economy but it pisses off the poorest of the Saudis and radicalizes them. Not a wise policy in the end. There may be Americans rich enough to invest in Dubai, stay at the artificial islands in Dubai, check out the city skyline which will soon dwarf alot of ours, or buy Rolexes at the Dubai mall but that's not most of us. I noticed that the airline consultant for Boeing that I hear on local radio has taken to referring to United Arab Emirates simply as "Emirate." How rich is an Emir? Obscenely rich. Who staffs most of the hotels and builds alot of the buildings and complexes there? Slave labor, such as from Philipines. I saw a documentary on it while in France.

I mean, how embarrassing and dangerous it is to have a President quoted in the New York Times as saying something like this (referring to diplomatic talks with Syria and Iran, only they have to agree to his terms first):

“if Syria and Iran is not committed to that concept, then they shouldn’t bother to show up.”

Does he think Syria and Iran is one place?

ISG report is sobering, and this article is even more so:

ISG: Fatal Flaw

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061218/fatal_flaw

What are we doing over there? What can we do? It's appalling, unbelievable, unfathomable madness.

Posted by: not my president at December 7, 2006 06:23 PM

Oh come on, it's not like he started the sentence with "Yo Blair" or anything moronic like that.

What it is.

If the weather holds, we down here in FLA should get a rare view of a night launch of the Space Shuttle. Launch Time: 9:35 p.m. EST

Night launches are awesome, you can actually see the boosters fall away (even from 200 miles south of the Cape) and follow the orbiter through the night sky for several minutes until it fades away to a little tiny blip of light.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/index.html

Some people call me the Space Cowboy.

Yes; but then again, some people call you Maurice.

(BTW, monkeyman, I got to jam with a really good drummer the other night -- tasty, fluid, versatile, rock-steady, polyrhythymically competent, hipped into volume dynamics and subtleties of flow, and even able to drool out of both sides of his mouth at the same time. Unfortunately the guitarist who brought us together is very much a one-trick pony, which kinda limited the riddim section's options there. But we did exchange phone numbers so we can set up some outside play-dates later on. And while on the one paw I was annoyed & frustrated by what my post-surgery chops still won't let me do again just yet, on the other paw at least I'm back in the pocket enough to not embarrass myself in polite musical company. So overall, it was definitely a Good Thing.)

Ray McGovern | Taps for the Constitution
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706J.shtml
Ray McGovern writes, "Gates may have 'fresh eyes,' but if past is precedent he will add but marginally to the flavor of the self-licking ice cream cone that passes for Bush's coterie of advisers. What Bush has done is substitute Sugary Gates for Rumsfeldian Tart. Otherwise, the Cheney/Bush recipe is likely to remain the same as the US draws nearer and nearer to the abyss in Iraq."

David Swanson | Honesty in Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706N.shtml
David Swanson writes, "We should recognize that Nuremberg's condemnation of aggressive war was not a legal theory but a description of facts. Following the Holocaust, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg called the waging of aggressive war 'essentially an evil thing ... to initiate a war of aggression ... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.'"

http://www.americanprogress.org/cartoons
Today's American Progress cartoon

Posted by: Otter at December 7, 2006 07:35 PM

Just say yo to drums.

(Nice to have ya back in the pocket again).

2, 3, 4

The countdown to liftoff of Discovery on mission STS-116 continues to tick down to a launch at 9:35 p.m. EST. Launch managers are reporting the ship is in excellent condition and ready for flight.

Commander Polansky and his crew are now seated inside the space shuttle, making final checks and powering up the vehicle's systems.

Earlier in the evening, the Ice Inspection Team reported seeing a small build up of ice attached to the white "beanie cap" that tops the shuttle's fuel tank. After some discussion, the engineering team determined that the small piece of ice or frost is not a danger to Discovery or its crew.

A cold front continues to move across the Kennedy Space Center area, bringing clouds and winds along with it. NASA's weather team is watching cloud altitudes and wind speeds closely, and remains hopeful conditions will permit Discovery to launch.

The STS-116 mission is the 33rd for Discovery and the 117th space shuttle flight. During the 12-day mission, the crew will continue construction on the International Space Station, rewiring the orbiting laboratory and adding a segment to its integrated truss structure.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Space Cowboy?
Maurice?
Gangster of Love!

Posted by: NonnyO at December 7, 2006 02:01 AM

Exactly, NonnyO. That's all I am hearing on the news, too, is that we "must stay in Iraq until the job is done (what job?) because to withdraw would only show the "terrorists" that we are weak and then they will come to the U.S. and attack us over here."

B.S. The majority of "terrorists" fighting over there are Iraq's own civilians in a civil war. I am so tired of hearing this line O'Baloney over the media I could, well, you know.....

Calling all musicians ..

just saw Gnarls Barkley - highly recommended!!

I know that I'm a lone voice here on this issue, and you are probably tired of my constant harping on the matter. Both the American Government and the Australian Governments are complicit in the appalling Gitmo obscenity and it must end!

From today's Melbourne Age:
Supporters call for Hicks release
Andrea Petrie
December 8, 2006 - 3:56PM

David Hicks was described this morning at a rally attended by Melbourne's legal fraternity as a "sacrificial lamb" as the campaign to bring the Guantanamo Bay detainee home gathered pace.

About 300 people including judges, crown prosecutors, barristers and solicitors assembled on the steps of the County Court on the eve of the fifth anniversary of his detention, to condemn the United States Government's treatment of Hicks and the Howard Government's failure to intervene and have him repatriated.

Liberty Victoria's immediate past president, Brian Walters SC, said Hicks had been denied natural justice.

"An accusation of crime calls for a genuine charge and a serious trial in front of a properly constituted court," he said.

"David Hicks currently faces no charges, is held in appalling conditions and authorities are trying to manipulate the system so that he will not receive a fair trial. Australia is complicit in this. We need only ask for his return and he would be returned."

Mr Walters said for the past 2.5 years, United States authorities had argued that Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where Hicks is being held, was outside the rule of law and should not be subject to the oversight of courts.

"Every civilised nation on earth objected to those commissions. Britain objected, France objected, Germany objected, Pakistan demanded the return of its citizens rather than face the commissions, so did Saudi Arabia. Afghanistan objected and of course these military commissions were never good enough for US citizens," he said.

"There is only one country in the world that has supported the treatment of its citizens in this way: Australia."

He described Hick's treatment as an "appalling tragedy".

"Australia only has to pick up the phone and ask for his return and David Hicks will be returned."

Mr Walters said the United Nations Human Rights Committee had called for the closure of Guantanamo Bay as has the United Kingdom Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, European parliament, Germany and the international Committee of the Red Cross. "And so should we," he said.

"Denial of human rights such as we see with David Hicks, has the capacity to metastasise through our whole body politic. We should join with the rest of the world in condemning this kind of treatment.

"We don't tell someone who's been held in these conditions for five years that he should just plead guilty and get it over with. Five years is a long sentence but he hasn't been sentenced to anything and he does not know day-in, day-out, month-in, month out, week-in, week-out, year-in, year-out when it will be that he can again taste freedom."

To read more: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/supporters-call-for-hicks-release/2006/12/08/1165081139242.html

P.S.

Fe, thanks for the BEAUTIFUL picture of the sunrise. That is gorgeous!!!!

And, yes, we are at sunrise. May those rays of sunshine that hold so much hope shed light on destruction and bring much needed change and growth of positive answers for our country and our world.

December 8, 2006
Changes Are Expected in Voting by 2008 Election
By IAN URBINA and CHRISTOPHER DREW

By the 2008 presidential election, voters around the country are likely to see sweeping changes in how they cast their ballots and how those ballots are counted, including an end to the use of most electronic voting machines without a paper trail, federal voting officials and legislators say.

New federal guidelines, along with legislation given a strong chance to pass in Congress next year, will probably combine to make the paperless voting machines obsolete, the officials say. States and counties that bought the machines will have to modify them to hook up printers, at federal expense, while others are planning to scrap the machines and buy new ones.

Motivated in part by voting problems during the midterm elections last month, the changes are a result of a growing skepticism among local and state election officials, federal legislators and the scientific community about the reliability and security of the paperless touch-screen machines used by about 30 percent of American voters.

The changes also mean that the various forms of vote-counting software used around the country — most of which are protected by their manufacturers for reasons of trade secrecy — will for the first time be inspected by federal authorities, and the code could be made public. There will also be greater federal oversight on how new machines are tested before they arrive at polling stations.

“In the next two years I think we’ll see the kinds of sweeping changes that people expected to see right after the 2000 election,” said Doug Chapin, director of electionline.org, a nonpartisan election group. “The difference now is that we have moved from politics down to policies.”

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/08/washington/08voting.html

Thank you to Kofi Annan, pressuring the world on Darfur

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/12/08/darfur.annan.reut/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Woz
Thanks for pointing out collaboration between governments in perpetuating nightmares. That is one reason I like to read foreign press and follow foreign elections and have come to feel more like a world citizen. That and the fact that corporate advertisers and the government have a huge say as to what our highly consolidated and generic press here covers and in what depth (or in this case, shallowness).

Cyrano
If what you submitted about voting is true, then this is a great way to wake up in the morning.

The other issue I had been thinking about was the mass migration out of Iraq. On the way home last night, my husband had Randi Rhodes on Air America & I don't normally listen to that, but she said to take the figures and multiply them by 10 and it would be possible to imagine what it would mean if an equal number of people were leaving America at once.

Then when I got home, I had an email that said 100,000 had been leaving Iraq per month, on average, recently. That's 1,000,000 here. My friend was speculating that maybe the war would end simply because Iraq would be empty. How are the outlying countries going to deal with an influx of refugees? Before the Iran/Iraq war, Iraq was on the way to becoming an economic powerhouse, like Saudi Arabia. Maybe that's what the western world didn't want to see. Anyway, Randi Rhodes had also quoted the UN as saying that only $700,000 had been received to put toward helping refugees. Seems like a drop in the bucket.

Poll: Few Americans expect victory in Iraq
Dissatisfaction with Bush’s handling of war hits new high of 71 percent

Updated: 34 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Americans are overwhelmingly resigned to something less than clear-cut victory in Iraq and growing numbers doubt the country will achieve a stable, democratic government no matter how the United States gets out, according to an AP poll.

At the same time, dissatisfaction with President Bush’s handling of Iraq has climbed to an alltime high of 71 percent. The latest AP-Ipsos poll, taken as a bipartisan commission was releasing its recommendations for a new course in Iraq, found that just 27 percent of Americans approved of Bush’s handling of Iraq, down from his previous low of 31 percent in November.

“Support is continuing to erode and there’s no particular reason to think it can be turned back,” said John Mueller, an Ohio State University political scientist and author of “War, Presidents and Public Opinion.” Mueller said that once people “drop off the bandwagon, it’s unlikely they’ll say ‘I’m for it again.’ Once they’re off, they’re off.”

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16107249/

Good news, if it happens...

By the 2008 presidential election, voters... [snip] ...including an end to the use of most electronic voting machines without a paper trail, federal voting officials and legislators say.
New federal guidelines, along with legislation given a strong chance to pass in Congress next year, will probably combine to make the paperless voting machines obsolete...
[snip]
Motivated in part by voting problems during the midterm elections last month, the changes are a result of a growing skepticism among local and state election officials, federal legislators and the scientific community about the reliability and security of the paperless touch-screen machines...
~~~~~~~~
Changes Are Expected in Voting by 2008 Election
NYT: http://tinyurl.com/yls7p6

Link @ December 8, 2006 10:02 AM

The changes also mean that the various forms of vote-counting software used around the country — most of which are protected by their manufacturers for reasons of trade secrecy — will for the first time be inspected by federal authorities, and the code could be made public. There will also be greater federal oversight on how new machines are tested before they arrive at polling stations.

Posted by: monkey at December 8, 2006 09:19 AM

Monkey,

So what's changed in 2004 to now? Has the situation in Iraq disintegrated that much more or are people suddenly in enough pain that they don't buy the lies anymore?

Either way, JK was right in 04. Many Democrats were right in 04. It is something that we'll have to make sure in 07 that the Democrats are going to stick to the job and get things done.

Of course, don't count on Lieberman. He's not a Democrat in any sense of the word. Call him a closet Republican.

Posted by: aimzzz at December 8, 2006 10:02 AM

Good news if it happens. ALl of us here already know about the computer malfunctions and the suppression from 2000 on. And we all know which party most strongly protected that corruption. (Of course, I hope the Democratic party will take a stronger stand than they have in the past.)

Amazing what being IN power does to people's spines.

Former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, a one-time Democrat who switched to the Republican Party and warmly embraced Reagan-era conservatism, has died. She was 80. Kirkpatrick's death was announced at the senior staff meeting of the U.S. mission to the United Nations, said spokesman Richard Grenell, who said that Ambassador John Bolton asked for a moment of silence.

Posted by: DiAnne at December 8, 2006 09:15 AM

http://www.nytimes.com/
Uneasy Havens Await Those Who Flee Iraq
By HASSAN M. FATTAH
"Iraqis fleeing the chaos of their country now threaten the social and economic fabric of Jordan and Syria." (more at link)

kj
I know a few Iraqi immigrants here in US who know little of the language, have few relevant job skills, are worried literally sick over the fate of relatives in Iraq, and fled bad political conditions only to find out that they are arguably as bad or worse now. Add to this that they may well face discrimination in this country.

There are still plenty of Korean and Vietnamese immigrants. Imagine being displaced from your home and country by war. How can Bush argue that there is or will be any type of victory? It seems impossible.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061208/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/guantanamo_new_prison
Guantanamo detainees going to new prison
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - The U.S. military transferred the first group of detainees on Thursday to a new maximum-security prison at Guantanamo Bay designed to restrict contact among the prisoners and prevent attacks on guards.
{More on link.}

Guantanamo, a Thriving Development
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706G.shtml
Le Monde's Corine Lesnes updates Kafka's "Penal Colony" with her description of the bustling development of Guantanamo since the arrival of the "enemy combatants."

The New York Times | Welcome Political Cover
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706E.shtml
The editors of the New York Times write: "Iraq is so far gone that nobody expected the panel to come up with a breakthrough solution. As the co-chairmen - former secretary of state James Baker and former representative Lee Hamilton - began their letter accompanying yesterday's report, "there is no magic formula to solve the problems of Iraq. And the study was never going to change the basic facts: there is no victory to be had in Iraq, and however American troops withdraw, they will leave behind a deadly mess."

Iraq Spiraling Into World's Biggest Refugee Crisis
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706C.shtml
The surging violence in Iraq has created what is becoming the biggest refugee crisis in the world, a humanitarian group said today. Last month, the UN estimated that 100,000 people were fleeing the country each month, with the number of Iraqis now living in other Arab countries standing at 1.8 million.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13062.htm
Orwell Rolls in His Grave (Video)

IRAQ DOESN'T NEED ANY MORE HEAVY WEAPONS
By Stephen Pizzo, News for Real
The Baker-Hamilton report proposes to "beef up Iraqi military" with billions in new hardware -- the absolute last thing the war-torn country needs.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/45253/

WE MUST PREVENT PERMANENT BASES IN IRAQ
By David Swanson, davidswanson.org
Congress passed a law banning permanent bases in Iraq and the Baker-Hamilton Report suggests that Bush state we don't have long-term plans - meanwhile, construction continues.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/45223/

Legislators May Reconsider Suspending Detainee Habeas Corpus
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706B.shtml
The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee signaled this week that he'll join prominent Democrats in seeking to restore legal rights to hundreds of suspected terrorists confined at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and elsewhere. His co-sponsor, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who'll become chairman of the Judiciary Committee when the Democrats take over in January, noted that the effort to secure habeas appeals for all detainees failed by only three votes.

{{{IMHO, every time we see anything from print media referring to MCA '06, the reinstatement of habeas corpus, we need to write to members of the judiciary, and to our reps, and urge them to introduce legislation to repeal the entire MCA '06, which is unconstitutional and illegal (since it obliterates the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Geneva Conventions, and US law and sets a prez up as a dictator and final arbiter of our laws). There is just no good reason to let the law stand as is, nor is there any good reason to repeal only selected parts of it. The whole piece of "legislation" was bad to begin with, and remains one of the most idiotic pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress Critters who are far too beholden to Herr Boosh and his criminally corporate coterie.}}}

Joseph L. Galloway | Leave Iraq Now; Don't Wait Until 2008 Election Day
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120806A.shtml
Joseph Galloway writes: "There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there's only one way to leave Iraq: Load our people up on their trucks and tank transporters and Bradleys and Humvees and head for the border. Now."

ACLU Lawsuit Begins, Claims Rumsfeld Ordered Torture
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120806B.shtml
Lawyers representing Mr. Rumsfeld and three US Army commanders are set to appear in federal court here Friday in response to a lawsuit charging that the defense secretary authorized torture and other illegal abuse of military detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq - including at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison.

Cracks Between Bush and Blair Over Talks With Iran and Syria
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120806C.shtml
Differences have emerged between Tony Blair and George Bush on strategy in the Middle East, even as the two leaders agreed that a major change of course was necessary in Iraq in the wake of the devastating critique delivered this week by a high-level bipartisan panel in Washington.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/12/08/impeachment_morally_right_vs_politically_wrong.php
Impeachment: Morally Right vs. Politically Wrong

Thanks Dianne, NonnyO et al for providing such a great source of news articles from around the world. It certainly saves time skimming the net for information. I'm wondering ....... if 20 insurgents were killed and 8 were children - doesn't that mean that 12 insurgents were killed plus 8 children ....... and if it does mean 12 not 20 insurgents were killed and 7 were women - does that mean that the women were insurgents or simply that there were women trying to take care of the 8 children? Sounds like a whole lot of "Well they could have been if...... "

And speaking of trying to take care of the children, he segued adroitly...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House ethics committee has concluded that Republican leaders did not break any rules in handling ex-Rep. Mark Foley's improper advances to former male pages but were negligent in protecting the teenagers, a congressional aide said Friday.

okay so it's not like they did anything wrong even though they did everything wrong,
Otter

Dianne,

Not to be dramatic, but I've taken to expressing thanks for "comfort" the minute I wake up every morning. Warm, soft bed, pillow, plenty of blankets, roof over my head, husband and cat nearby, functional kitchen just down the hall. I told one of my sisters about it and now she is spending an extra five minutes every morning doing the same thing. So no, I can't imagine the chaos of displacement due to war. It's heartbreaking, cruel and barbaric and in no one's language equal to "victory."

I haven't exchanged gifts in forever but am going to visit both of my sisters (and brand new great grand niece and another newly preggers niece) for the holidays and want to bring a little something for everyone. I found a site in Pakistan that employs Afghan women and they make woven bookmarks. Not much, but if I'm going to spend $$ on an airplane (and help pay for its fuel), the least I can do is buy 100 bookmarks and pass them around to everyone I know.

It's #$%&& insane what we've done to the world under the shield of 9/11/01. No way to justify any of it. And imo we haven't begun to feel the blowback.

Otter,

I don't think "wrongdoers" applies to the Foleys of this country. I'm sure he was just "misunderstood" and a victim of some sort or other. Too bad Dobson doesn't have the 5-10 years available to help him. He has to write his column, you know. Maybe some softie liberal will help Foley out, conservatives have a world to wreck in the name of Big Daddy Oil, you know. Busy, busy people, those 'wingers. Foley's been cast-off.

PS. The above was written with sarcastic font ON.

YALL WON'T BELIEVE THIS!!!!!!!!1

Minutes after the Iraq Study Group placed an improvised explosive device beneath the Bush administration's Iraq policy yesterday, panel member Lawrence Eagleburger was asked how President Bush reacted to the recommendations.

"His reaction was, 'Where's my drink?' " the former secretary of state cracked after the commission's White House visit and Capitol Hill news conference. Reaching for his own cola, Eagleburger continued: "He was a little loaded. It was early in the morning, too, you know."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120601903.html

Posted by: Christy at December 8, 2006 03:34 PM

ummm, under yhe circumstances, it's important to include the next line in the article:

The retired diplomat certainly did not mean that the president had fallen off the wagon. But if any event would call for a stiff one, this was it:

Aimzzz, I know BUT...

How can you say one is 'loaded' that early in the morning, and not IMPLY that he had 'fallen off the wagon'???????

He DOES NOT clarify by saying, 'The president in fact WAS NOT LOADED/WAS NOT DRINKING..'???

Kinda hard too when people actually in the room says HE WAS.

"The retired diplomat certainly did not mean that the president had fallen off the wagon. "

EXCEPT the words that diplomat actually says made it clear HE WAS LOADED.

No, no, he 'certainly did not mean the president had fallen off the wagon'

But he CERTAINLY did make clear that at one of the most important moments this nation ever had delivered to it, george w bush was DRUNK.

"Falling off the wagon'... More like falling off a cliff.

I love the way Milbank tried to cover with the, 'Well he CERTAINLY did NOT mean'...Even after describing the president DRUNK at the ISG meeting.

And then, he goes on to not confront it, but to add that atleast they did not say he had body oder!

And, as the Post makes clear, GEORGIE WAS DRUNK around about the same time my local high school teacher was informed her son, a new father, had just been killed in Iraq.

You know, that really explains a lot about that bat shit insane press confrence he and the poodle gave later that afternoon.

I called my mother as it was happening and told her georgie was going insane on my tv.

He wasn't in a phychotic break with reality, HE WAS DRUNK and had been since early that morning.

kj - agreed. I'm grateful every day. Now if only we could ignore the monsters of the world and they'd disintegrate. But, if that's the worst I have to tolerate, then it's nothing.

We've got a resurrected monster hoping to get back into Australian Federal politics. A little moment of gratitude that this woman will get nowhere on the world stage of politics - although gdubya did. Pauline Hanson is reentering the political sphere of Australian Federal politics. Her big announcement came with the words that she has to stop Australia bringing in all these South Africans - they've ALL got AIDS or TB, she says. And we've got to keep muslims out!

Most people from Africa here are refugees from Sudan - anyone black is South African according to Pauline. She probably thinks Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda are all states of South Africa. Or little black townships perhaps. We should set her up with gdubya - now there's an intellectual match.

Woz,

I hope I didn't sound like I was advocating moments of gratitude as a method of dealing with the monsters in the world... because that sort of luxury I think belongs to the cloistered among us who spend their days observing the Hours in prayer. It's just my attempt to start the day by reminding myself how lucky I am to have food and shelter when so many in the world don't have those basics. War is an obscenity.

I'm not aware of Australian politics, but it sounds like you have a GWB clone on your hands. There is so much technology these days and still so much blind ignorance. Breaking frames is difficult work.

Wowzers.

A CSM, not to mention ever more members of the MSM, are not the only ones who recognize the corrosive value of presidential hubris and "stubborn pride" -- today we have this example (quite likely only the first among many) of even the most pro-admin supporters finally breaking ranks and calling a disaster a disaster:

---------------

WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. Gordon Smith, who voted in favor of the Iraq war and has supported it ever since, now says the current U.S. war effort is "absurd" and "may even be criminal."

In a major speech on the Senate floor, the Oregon senator called for rapid pullouts of U.S. troops from Iraq and said he would have never voted for the conflict if he had known the intelligence that President Bush gave the American people was inaccurate.

Citing the hundreds of billions of dollars spent and the nearly 3,000 American deaths, Smith said, "I for one am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way being blown up by the same bombs day after day. That is absurd. It may even be criminal. So either we clear and hold and build or let's go home."

[snip]

Full article is here: http://www.examiner.com/a-444985~Smith_says_Iraq_war_may_be__criminal_.html

---------------

where are we going and what are we doing in this handbasket,
Otter

And in my weak attempts to open one pair of eyes at a time, that I was able to convince my sister to open her eyes every morning and think about the people in Afghanistan and Iraq instead of herself and her life is just one of those attempts. She's a fallen Democrat. I'm trying to bring her back into the fold. One Republican at a time. (Although I'd prefer a tidal wave.)

Otter,

THAT'S the kind of tidal wave necessary! Good find!

Though he referred to the war in Iraq and the deaths of American troops in that country as “criminal” in a speech on the Senate floor last night, Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) insists he did not mean the word to imply the conflict was a breach of either domestic or international law, RAW STORY has learned.

"Don't think of criminal in the sense that a law has been broken,” Smith spokesman R.C. Hammond told RAW STORY.

He went on to acknowledge that the use of the word was intended metaphorically.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Smith_says_criminal_comment_on_Iraq_1208.html

Ahhh, that did not take long.

Down here thay call that crawfishin'.

kj - no - that's exactly what I thought - I found myself homeless a year ago and different ones gasped and said, what will you do? where will you go? Hey - this is Australia. If necessary I'll go to a backpackers and have cheap rental, shelter, safety, cooking facilities, internet - and company - what else would I need.

This from today's Melbourne Age:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/bush-struggling-to-deal-with-iraq-humiliation/2006/12/08/1165081152836.html

Has he? Has he met Cindy Sheehan?

Woz
The immigration issue is being used by the rightwing in US, Europe, UK and Australia, it seems, and to me, it's just the new form of racism. I think we should accuse such politicians of racism, to their face, and have them admit it. Then we should ask them to justify in what way that is Christian, if that's what they're pretending to me. Then tell them to stick with religion and stay out of politics.

The other thing I'm sick of is people having to apologize or clarify what they said. I wish entertainers, politicians and others in the public eye would just say, "I said what I said. Make of it what you will." & move on. It's too easy for wing nuts to do the framing of the message & the calling of the shots. It might be a good response to just say "That's not the issue."

Look at the words they are reduced too...

"Don't think of criminal in the sense that a law has been broken,”

And I LOVE this part..

“It's absurd, it's an outrage that our troops keep getting sent are getting sent in to battle,”

I suppose cause we only send troops to do peaceful things.

"I would have never voted for this conflict had I reason to believe that the intelligence we had was not accurate. It was not accurate, but that is history.”

Yeah THAT IS HISTORY!!

It has NO RELATION AT ALL to ongoing and current events.

Because if it did, it would not only be in the sense of breaking the law, but this guy in particular would be one of the CRIMINALS that helped to perputrate a world wide fraud.

DiAnne - we've been that route with Pauline Hanson when she created and led the racist party called One Nation, which died a natural death under great scandals of fraud and other illegal carry on - she was convicted and jailed.

Pauline Hanson wears the Racist tag with pride.

DiAnne,

I like that plan! Especially the last command: "Then tell them to stick with religion and stay out of politics."

:-)

Woz,

"Interesting" life experience, eh? !!! Glad you survived!

Christy - criminal? loaded? amazing when they make a slip and then find themselves redefining the words.

You know what Nonny?

Me too I wonder how many dems have been outright bought off.

And then there is blackmail.

I do not understand why in all this talk of bushes CRIMES, blackmail is somehow simply ignored.

It would actually be on of the least of their crimes. AND with illegal wiretaps he could get enough info on ANYONE, including Koffi Annan and his offspring issues.

I am almost certain both Annan and Howard of Australia were flat out BLACKMAILED and I think there are members of Congress here that are so afraid of something they will sell us all out to keep from being nailed.

I doubt foley the republican is the only child molester in congress.

Strangely enough, I also believe John Kerry was blackmailed. I would almost bet my own life on it.

And I do not care what anyone says, EVERYONE has something they are willing to betray everything to hide.

Rove is a bully who preys on peoples deepest weaknesses. If he could not buy them he had to apply some other kind of pressure.

They can not do what they have done WITHOUT overt and deliberate blackmail.

Hello Woz...

My theory is John Howard and all his friends were blackmailed by georgie into supporting the war in Iraq.

The pressure was applied using the fact that Howard and friends all had been scamming the Oil for Food program by manipulating wheat exports.

In otherwords, Howie and his thugs got caught by georgie ALREADY stealing from the Iraqis.

All that Howard had to do to make it go away on an international level, is simply help us invade Iraq.

Do you think this is a plausible theory?

Why do Aussis think Howard went along..?

U.S. judge skeptical of Rumsfeld torture suit
Source: Reuters
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08392543.htm

A U.S. judge expressed skepticism on Friday that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld could be held personally liable for the abuse of Iraqi and Afghan prisoners, including at Abu Ghraib.

U.S. District Chief Judge Thomas Hogan said that while torture is unacceptable, he was not sure whether the nine Iraqi and Afghan residents had a right to sue Rumsfeld in U.S. courts.

"What you're asking for has never been decided by a court before," Hogan said at a hearing in the high-profile case.

"How do you (limit) this right ... so you don't have a bin Laden or somebody bringing lawsuits here? How do you control that, and where does it stop, I guess is my problem," he added...

hmmmm... reminds me od someone-- I just can't think of the name...

Kremlin hits back with campaign to smear dead Russian spy
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2060070.ece

Democrats Will Try to Block Pay Raise
Democrats Say They Will Try to Block Congressional Pay Raise
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2708726

Lieberman, Collins Propose Iraq Strategy Group
Hartford Courant link: http://tinyurl.com/yfvnxz

McKinney Introduces Bill to Impeach Bush
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120806Z.shtml
In what was likely her final legislative act in Congress, outgoing Georgia representative Cynthia McKinney announced a bill Friday to impeach President Bush.

http://www.americanprogress.org/cartoons
Today's American Progress cartoon

Robert Parry | Time for Bush to Go!
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120806S.shtml
"George W. Bush had a point when he disparaged the Baker-Hamilton commission's plan for gradual troop withdrawals from Iraq by saying 'this business about graceful exit just simply has no realism to it whatsoever.' It's now obvious that there can be no exit from Iraq - graceful or otherwise - as long as Bush remains president," writes Robert Parry.

Katha Pollitt | Double, Double Toil and Trouble
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120806WB.shtml
Katha Pollitt raises awareness on misogynistic statements made recently on the varied issues of the day - from the war in Iraq to immigration.

Exxon Spends Millions to Cast Doubt on Warming
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120806EC.shtml
The world's largest energy company is still spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund European organizations that seek to cast doubt on the scientific consensus on global warming and undermine support for legislation to curb emission of greenhouse gases.

EPA Shortens Science Reviews, Angering Some
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120806HA.shtml
The US Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday streamlined the way it updates regulations for the nation's worst air pollutants, a move that drew immediate charges that officials are trying to quash scientific review to benefit industry at the expense of public health.

GM Eyeing New Buyouts
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120806LA.shtml
Even as buyouts are pushing UAW membership below 500,000 - one-third of its historic peak - Wall Street analysts said Thursday that General Motors Corp. is looking to further reduce its US hourly workforce before 2010.

Revolt Over New Federal Mercury Law
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120806EB.shtml
Facing a mandate to slash toxic mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants, 23 states are thumbing their noses at a federal cleanup plan and are instead developing their own far tougher plans to deal with mercury.

Deal on Tax Breaks Thursday Opens Way for Expanded Gulf Drilling
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120806EA.shtml
An agreement on a tax package Thursday moved Congress closer to opening a vast area in the Gulf of Mexico, 125 miles south of Florida's panhandle, to oil and gas drilling.

(Pssst! New thread!)

Today I heard the beginning of a speech by Abraham Lincoln on slavery. It applies today if torture is substituted for slavery as the subject...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speech at Peoria, Illinois
October 16, 1854

I can not but hate [the declared indifference for slavery's spread]. I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world -- enables the enemies of free institutions, with plausibility, to taunt us as hypocrites -- causes the real friends of freedom to doubt our sincerity, and especially because it forces so many really good men amongst ourselves into an open war with the very fundamental principles of civil liberty -- criticising [sic] the Declaration of Independence, and insisting that there is no right principle of action but self-interest.
[more...]

http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/slave07.htm

Posted by: Christy at December 8, 2006 06:24 PM

After listening to that hour-long video on one of the links I posted above, I'm pretty well convinced that both Gore and Kerry were somehow bought off by the current criminals in charge of this nation. I don't know how or why, but for both of them to give in SO EASILY, even meekly, something had to have happened behind the scenes. Ditto all the Congress Critters who have supported the unconstitutional and illegal war in Iraq (not to mention there is no longer a good reason to stay in Afghanistan, so we should leave there, too), and the idiotic legislation in the Patriot Act and subsequent amendments, the MCA '06, etc. There is NO logic to so many Dems betraying their constituents otherwise, not to mention betraying this nation by supporting an illegal and unconstitutional war based entirely on LIES.

Anyone else besides me notice the expression on Blair's face at that "news" conference a day or two ago just after the ISG had presented their non-solutions that keep us in Iraq for another two years for sure, and indefinitely otherwise? DimWit was dang near apoplectic, but Blair had a stunned look on his face, staring off into space at a point just beyond DimWit, not looking directly at DimWit but past him (the one clip I saw had Blair staring straight into a camera, an almost bewildered look on his face, like he was wondering what he was doing there), and I thought to myself that Blair looked like he was wishing the earth would open up and swallow him whole. Blair did not want to be there. Yes, I think Blair was bought off, too, but I don't know how or why.

And Howard from Australia.

And all of the leaders of the nations who were part of the "coalition of the willing" - the coalition willing to support the war crime of invading Iraq.... I have always suspected they were the coalition of the blackmailed, since no one in his/her right mind would support the outlandish crap espoused by the installed administration with that egomaniacal madman Herr Boosh at its head. No person who has kept any moral or ethical standards at a high level would cave in to Herr Boosh and his evil minions. They had to have been bought off, blackmailed.

IMHO, of course.