Monday, March 29, 2004

THE LIBERATION ROLLS ON

Under the former regime, the Iraqi people didn't have the freedom to...er...wait a second here...

American soldiers shut down a popular Baghdad newspaper on Sunday and tightened chains across the doors after the occupation authorities accused it of printing lies that incited violence.

Thousands of outraged Iraqis protested the closing as an act of American hypocrisy, laying bare the hostility many feel toward the United States a year after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

"No, no, America!" and "Where is democracy now?" screamed protesters who hoisted banners and shook clenched fists in a hastily organized rally against the closing of the newspaper, Al Hawza, a radical Shiite weekly.

The rally drew hundreds and then thousands by nightfall in central Baghdad, where masses of angry Shiite men squared off against a line of American soldiers who rushed to seal off the area.
...

Many Iraqis said closing down a popular newspaper at such a crucial time would not curtail anti-occupation feelings but only inflame them.

"When you repress the repressed, they only get stronger," said Hamid al-Bayati, a spokesman for the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a prominent Shiite political party. "Punishing this newspaper will only increase the passion for those who speak out against the Americans."

BU$HCO

DISGRACING AMERICA WORLDWIDE SINCE 2001

♠Spade | 1:16 PM | Link to This Post |

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LIED RICE

Condoliezza bio:

...professor of political science, Dr. Rice has been on the Stanford faculty since 1981 and has won two of the highest teaching honors -- the 1984 Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 1993 School of Humanities and Sciences Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching.
...

...earned her bachelor's degree in political science, cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Denver in 1974; her master's from the University of Notre Dame in 1975; and her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver in 1981.

Those are some pretty serious credentials. Way out of my league. I had a whopping 3 Poli-Sci classes in college. And if I'd been at Stanford, it's very possible she could've been teaching any of them. So, when she says this:

We have separate branches of government -- the legislative branch and the executive branch. [Apparently, in late 2000 the judicial branch merged with the executive branch. - Ed.] This commission, it takes its authority, derives its authority from the Congress, and it is a long-standing principle that sitting National Security Advisors do not testify before the Congress.

And I can easily find this:

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, an independent, bipartisan commission created by congressional legislation and the signature of President George W. Bush...

I gotta wonder how it is that little ol' me can easily enough deduce that these are NOT congressional hearings, which renders her separation of powers argument wholly without merit, and her doctorate holding, political science professor brain cannot figure this out. Actually, I don't wonder. Anyone with a tenth of her intellect should be able to conclude that she's just making shit up, hoping that one or another pile of her bullshit will grow wings and fly. What I really wonder is how many piles she has to step in before the general public is going to start seeing her as something of a pathological liar.

♠Spade | 12:14 PM | Link to This Post |

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LIED RICE

Maru, re: Condoliezza:

she reeked of evasiveness, arrogance, and bullshit

[P U - Ed.]

♠Spade | 12:03 PM | Link to This Post |

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SUPPORT THE TROOPS
Bu$hCo Style

Soldiers in Iraq Buy Their Own Body Armor

Soldiers headed for Iraq are still buying their own body armor — and in many cases, their families are buying it for them — despite assurances from the military that the gear will be in hand before they're in harm's way.
...

Reliance Armor in Cincinnati, which makes armored vests for soldiers and police, has nearly doubled in size as a result of the shortage.

"We're getting people locally who are deployed National Guard and parents, specifically, coming in and buying," said Don Budke, the company's vice president of sales. "The military people don't want to advertise the fact that there are people doing this on their own."
...

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who serves on the Armed Services subcommittee, said she knows soldiers who were told by the military to buy body armor before leaving, rather than risk arriving with nothing but their shirts.

"We lagged far behind in making sure that our soldiers who are performing very difficult and dangerous missions had protective equipment," she said.
...

Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor who has talked with hundreds of families who bought body armor for soldiers in Iraq, said the military lost the trust of soldiers' families.

In that regard, it is not surprising that families bought body armor in spite of what military advised, he said.

"There still is a lingering level of mistrust with some families as to whether there are people thinking about the best equipment and needs of their loved ones," Turley said. "No one that I know of has been truly held accountable."

♠Spade | 11:30 AM | Link to This Post |

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Condoliezza on 60 Minutes:

Condoliezza under oath in front of 9-11 Commission:

♠Spade | 12:01 AM | Link to This Post |

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LIED RICE

Atrios, re: Condoliezza:

LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR

♠Spade | 12:00 AM | Link to This Post |

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LIED RICE

Richard Ben-Veniste, re: Condoliezza:

Richard Ben-Veniste, a Democratic commissioner, noted in an interview with The Associated Press that several White House staff in recent years have appeared before legislative bodies, including former national security adviser Sandy Berger when he was in office. Rice's several media appearances also undermine the White House's position, he said.

"I fail to see the logic on the one hand relying on the confidentiality of such communications with the president and yet appearing everywhere except the one entity that has been created for the express purpose of investigating and holding public hearings on 9/11,'' he said.

♠Spade | 12:00 AM | Link to This Post |

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LIED RICE

I doubt that it would come as much of a surprise to anyone, but Condoliezza comes right out and tells us where the misadministration's priorities lie:

But Rice, in an interview on the CBS program "60 Minutes," said there was "an important principle ... that sitting national security advisers do not testify before the Congress."

"Nothing would be better, from my point of view, than to be able to testify," she said, according to a transcript of the interview provided by the network ahead of broadcast.

"I would really like to do that. But ...This is a matter of policy."

Bu$hCo places policy ahead of security. And aren't they pimping G-Dub as strong on security? Hmm.

♠Spade | 4:22 PM | Link to This Post |

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Where Will You Be When Your Laxative Kicks In?

♠Spade | 12:49 PM | Link to This Post |

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CLASSIFY THIS AS "B.S."

Rather than tell us exactly what they did do regarding counter-terrorism measures, Bu$hCo gives us this (hold your nose):

Republicans Want to Declassify Clarke's 2002 Testimony

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said on Friday top congressional Republicans were seeking to declassify testimony that former counterterrorism adviser Richard Clarke gave in July 2002 about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Frist challenged Clarke's credibility in a week the White House has launched tough attacks to discredit President Bush's former aide, who has charged that the president failed to properly heed threats of terrorism.

Frist, a Tennessee Republican, said there appear to be contradictions between what Clarke told a pair of congressional panels two years ago and what he said this week before a bipartisan commission investigating those attacks.

Now, isn't this illegal?:

He quoted Clarke as telling Congress behind closed doors, "the administration actively sought to address the threat posed by al Qaeda during its first 11 months in office."

Wouldn't that qualify as releasing classified information?! Isn't that still against the law?

♠Spade | 11:41 AM | Link to This Post |

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THIS SHOULD BE EASY

For President, choose one:

Kerry Promises to Create 10 Million Jobs

"Time after time, (the Bush) administration has put ideology first and jobs last. Today, I'm announcing a new economic plan for America that will put jobs first," Kerry said.

Bush Pushes High-Speed Internet Access by 2007

"We ought to have universal, affordable access to broadband technology by the year 2007," Bush said in a speech in Albuquerque, New Mexico. "And then we ought to make sure that as soon as possible thereafter consumers have plenty of choices..."

♠Spade | 11:21 AM | Link to This Post |

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LOOP-DEE-LOOP

Does anyone know if that's Richard Clarke out of the loop three seats left of Wonderboob on September 11, 2001?

♠Spade | 1:36 AM | Link to This Post |

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STOOGE SCOTTY

Someone should tell McClellan that if he's going to accuse somebody of being contradictory in his statements, perhaps he should at least make a half-hearted attempt to avoid making contradictory statements:

In answering one question:
"And contrary to his assertion that he wasn't able to brief senior officials until late April, the first deputy level's meeting on al Qaeda was held on March 7th. And that's -- and Dick Clarke was the one who conducted the briefing."

In answering the next question:
"Well, Dr. Rice, early on in the administration, started holding daily briefings with the senior directors of the National Security Council, of which he was one. But he refused to attend those meetings, and he was later asked to attend those meetings and he continued to refuse to attend those meetings."

Oh, what a tangled web we weave...

♠Spade | 1:09 PM | Link to This Post |

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LIED RICE

CONDOLIEZZA:

"He was in every meeting that was held on terrorism," Ms. Rice said. "All the deputies' meetings, the principals' meeting that was held and so forth, the early meetings after Sept. 11."

"SENIOR OFFICIAL":

Rice twice complained directly to Clarke about his rare appearances at her senior staff meetings. In one e-mail, Clarke responded he was "too busy" and that after he missed another meeting Rice responded that he would have a "problem" if he did not start attending.

♠Spade | 12:54 PM | Link to This Post |

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"President Bush has acted swiftly to unify and streamline our efforts to secure the American homeland."

♠Spade | 2:28 AM | Link to This Post |

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P A T R I O T

"I also welcome the hearings because it is finally a forum where I can apologize to the loved ones of the victims of 9/11.

To them who are here in the room, to those who are watching on television, your government failed you, those entrusted with protecting you failed you and I failed you. We tried hard, but that doesn't matter because we failed.

And for that failure, I would ask -- once all the facts are out -- for your understanding and for your forgiveness."

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"By invading Iraq, the President of the United States has greatly undermined the war on terrorism."

♠Spade | 1:11 AM | Link to This Post |

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SPECIAL CONDOLIEZZA EDITION

Where Will You Be When Your Laxative Kicks In?

♠Spade | 1:10 AM | Link to This Post |

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YOU WANT "SCURRILOUS?"

Condoliezza Rice called reporters to her West Wing office today almost immediately after Richard Clarke's appearance in front of the 9-11 Commission to rebut his testimony--when at pretty much exactly the same time she could've been doing so in front of the commission herself.

[Did I say "I can't make this shit up?" - Ed.]

♠Spade | 1:04 AM | Link to This Post |

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Today on
"I CAN'T MAKE THIS SHIT UP"

Special guest star: Condoliezza Rice

"Of course we all knew that one day a catastrophic attack was possible."

Which, "of course," begs the question, "Well, what did you do about it?" And to answer that question we have a

Cameo appearance by: Richard Clarke

"We developed that strategy in the last several months of the Clinton administration and it was basically an update on that strategy. We briefed Condi on that strategy. The point is that it was done before they came to office and she never held a meeting on it. It was done before she asked for it.
...

I asked - on January 24 in writing to Condi - urgently for a meeting on cabinet level - the principal's committee - to review the plan and I was told I can't have that. It had to go to the deputies. They had a principals meeting on September 4.

♠Spade | 12:38 AM | Link to This Post |

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PROGRAMMING SNAFU?

I've tuned in to some of the 9-11 Commission hearings yesterday and today, but apparently there was some sort of error in the program listings because I think I've been watching the hearings from the Why Didn't We Bomb Afghanistan in 1998 Commission instead. Can anyone tell me where I can find the 9-11 Commission hearings on my television dial?

♠Spade | 10:30 AM | Link to This Post |

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PUH-LEEZE

Really, why do they waste our time?

Supreme Court to Take Up 'Under God'

Does anybody have any doubt whatsoever as to the outcome?

♠Spade | 2:22 AM | Link to This Post |

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PROPAGANDA WARS

Micah Ian Wright has 40+ new posters like this one:

He's got a new book coming out, too.

♠Spade | 1:35 AM | Link to This Post |

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