Elections Open Thread

At dinner, what's happening? We need numbers... Read More......

American Airlines prepared to pull its advertising from ABC over "Path to 9/11" defamation

UPDATE: Considering Disney/ABC is most certainly going to be putting this tv show on DVD and selling it to the public - and airing the defamatory show again in the future - American, and all interested parties, have a strong incentive to get this problem addressed now.

It's not just Democrats complaining anymore.

American Airlines is prepared to pull its advertising from ABC in order to protest its portrayal in the network's recently aired movie The Path to 9/11, according to a source. The carrier also said it is considering legal action against the network....

The airline spends $25 million annually on broadcast TV ads; it could not immediately determined how much is spent on ABC, but according to one source, "It's extensive."

Roger Frizzell, vice president, corporate communications and advertising, American, confirmed that the client is mulling its legal options.

More from TV.com. Interestingly, last night American was backing off talking publicly about legal options, whereas now they're talking publicly and legal options and possibly pulling their advertising. That, to me, suggests that ABC wasn't exactly nice in its response to American. Read More......

Cheney on Iraq and "what if"

From Hotline's blog:

Cheney on going to war with Iraq: "If on 9/11 they'd had a nuke instead of an airplane, you'd have been looking at a casualty toll that would rival all the deaths in all the wars fought by Americans in 230 years. That's the threat we have to deal with, and that drove our thinking in the aftermath of 9/11 and does today."

You know, I've often felt this way about my neighbor. If he had had a nuke instead of a really loud stereo, I'd be looking at millions of deaths instead of simply being woken up early this morning.

So, can I kill my neighbor? Read More......

Anbar report reveals continued failures in Iraq

The intelligence report written by a Marine Colonel in Iraq's Anbar province is a uniquely ominous sign amidst the recent torrent of bad news coming from Iraq. The report essentially says that we've lost Anbar, a Sunni-dominated province about the size of Louisiana, both militarily and politically. The insurgency is strongest in Anbar and Baghdad provinces, but the size and landscape of Anbar makes it an especially attractive and useful base for militant activity and organization. Anbar lacks the oil reserves of the Kurdish north or the Shia south, and without that lucrative resource, and facing a Shia government that seems intent to ignore (at best) the Sunni minority, the Sunni region is descending into a kind of Mad Max environment. They're likely to turn to anyone who can establish a modicum of stability and governance, and so far, is hasn't been the U.S. or the Iraqi government.

For a long time, I thought it unlikely that transnational terrorist groups like al-Qa'ida would be able to set up shop in Iraq because the Islamists in Iraq are usually Shia (whereas al-Qa'ida is overwhelmingly Sunni) and the Sunnis are generally secular, far more nationalist than Islamist. But through U.S. incompetence and Iraqi neglect, terroristic groups are apparently using the Hamas/Hezbollah strategy of providing basic services to establish themselves within the social structure. Previously comprised of mostly foreign fighters, al-Qa'ida in Iraq (AQI, a.k.a. al-Qa'ida in the Land of Two Rivers, or QJBR) is gaining indigenous support. This has very little to do with historical disposition and everything to do with desperation and anger from the past few years.

As the situation has deteriorated, insurgent attacks have increased. The report describes Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia as an "integral part of the social fabric" of Anbar. The organization, which is predominantly made up of fighters who are native Iraqis, is flush with cash, much of it earned from black market or criminal activity.

Even if we had the manpower, I'm not convinced the U.S. could effectively root out these fighters; this is the kind of issue that Iraqis will have to deal with themselves -- understanding the language and the culture is crucial to that kind of operation. Still, even if we had the expertise, we don't have the troops, despite the Bush administration's continued claim that they respond to commanders in the field.

"What we recommend and what we get is going to be two different things," Colonel Gridley said. "In our perfect world, we could use some more infantrymen to be able to patrol the streets and partner with the Iraqi Army." Since the intelligence assessment was prepared in August, however, no reinforcements have been sent. To the contrary, the strain on the American troops in Anbar has increased. An American Stryker unit, which was under the overall Marine command, has been sent from Rawa to Baghdad to help with the operation there. Also, military police who had been earmarked for training the Iraq police in Anbar have also been sent to Baghdad. The Marines have sought to make up the shortfall by using existing troops.

This is what the Bush administration strategy is in reality: deny, deceive, demagogue . . . and then clap harder. In November, Americans will have one day, one chance to tell this administration and its backers what we think of their policies and practices, one chance to hold them accountable. Let's do it. Let's change the course. Read More......

We just had lunch in NYC with a real president

We just finished a two hour blogger lunch with President Clinton at his NY office in Harlem. He had reached out to a group of us a few weeks ago, before the Disney/ABC blow up, simply because he wanted to meet some bloggers. Much of the lunch was off the record, but some was on. And while the policy discussion was fascinating, for me these kind of get togethers are far more interesting on a personal than substantive level. Meaning, it's fascinating to see someone like Clinton in person. How his brain works, what he's like personally, and just as importantly, to meet and get to know his staff so we can all help each other in the future (we are, after all, Democratic bloggers).



My impressions? He looks a little older than I expected, though befitting someone who was president for eight years (and he was first elected 14 years ago). He's got beautiful blue eyes (this isn't something I normally notice, but in his case I did, and he does, and I suspect he uses it to good effect). The man is smart as hell. He knows a lot about everything, and he gets it, he gets politics, he gets people, he understands what's going on and knows how to get things done. His political advice is no-nonsense and straight forward - he'd rather take an issue on than run from it (oh for the days of that in a Democratic politician).



Among those attending, that I can recall, were Atrios, Joe in DC and me, Chris Bowers and Matt Stoller from MyDD, McJoan from DailyKos, John Amato from Crooks & Liars (by phone from CA), Jane and Christy from FDL, Liberal Oasis, Steve from CarpetBagger, Jeraly and son from TalkLeft, Dave Johnson from Seeing the Forest, and I'm sure a few others I'm forgetting.



The lunch was only scheduled to go for an hour and he stayed with us for two. I think that means he enjoyed himself, which is good. It's of course fascinating to be in the presence of someone like Clinton. You feel for a moment a part of history, a witness to history. And you get a small glimpse at greatness. For a politico, this kind of lunch is a life's dream. But on a more practical side, as I said at the beginning, these kind of meet-and-greets are what make politics work when it works - the importance of the personal cannot be overstated. We get more done working together than working separately, and that's one of the main messages we delivered.



Joe in DC is really lucky his best friend is a good photographer.

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Bush won't help fight the terror of crime in US cities

Bush is too worried about terrorism to worry about Americans being terrorized in their own neighborhoods:

Americans were robbed and victimized by gun violence at greater rates last year than the year before, even though overall violent and property crime reached a 32-year low, the Justice Department said on Sunday.

The increases buttress reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and from mayors and police chiefs that violent crime is beginning to rise after a long decline. Bush administration officials expressed concern but said it was too soon to tell if a new upward trend had begun.

a couple weeks ago, a top Bush Justice Department Official recently told a group of Mayors and Police Chiefs that all the money was being spent on fighting terror:

"I wish I could stand here and say all that will be restored in the next year or two," McNulty said. "We are facing some big challenges. I see the challenges in fighting the war on terror. I see it is very expensive to fund soldiers overseas. At the same time, we have to find ways to get resources to win here at home."

So, the message from Bush is tough luck for you if you get robbed or shot or attacked in the your city or town. They're too busy to help. Read More......

Political Wire asks a good question

This is an important question:

If the war on terror is really a "struggle for civilization" itself, as President Bush claimed last night, why do we have just 130,000 troops in Iraq?

Bush rhetoric doesn't match reality -- again. Read More......

The White House is "delusional" on Iraq

Today's editorial in the New York Times does something Bush and Cheney don't and won't do. They tell the truth about Iraq -- and the Times seriously challenges the credibility of the White House:

Iraq had nothing to do with the war on terror until the Bush administration decided to invade it. The president now admits that Saddam Hussein was not responsible for 9/11 (although he claimed last night that the invasion was necessary because Iraq posed a risk). But he has failed to offer the country a new, realistic reason for being there.

There is no plan for Iraq, only speeches. And there is no sense of reality coming from the White House either:

Its hard to figure out how to build consensus when the men in charge embrace a series of myths. Vice President Dick Cheney suggested last weekend that the White House is even more delusional than Mr. Bushs rhetoric suggests. The vice president volunteered to NBCs Tim Russert that not only was the Iraq invasion the right thing to do, if we had it to do over again, wed do exactly the same thing.

Bush's White House can't make a plan for Iraq, they're too obsessed with the next election in the U.S. Read More......

Remember when war profiteering was unpatriotic?

How soon some forget. Funny how the GOP doesn't find anything wrong with taxpayer funded war profiteering. I guess when it comes back via campaign contributions, it's somehow OK. Some values... Read More......

Lindsey Graham: we screwed up Iraq

Bush and Rove aren't going to like this. One of their own Republicans is blasting them:

"I know Iraq is a mess and we have screwed up seven ways from Sunday," the South Carolina senator told about 300 people at the College of Charleston on Sunday.

Now when Lindsey says "we have screwed up," he means, of course, Bush, Cheney and the GOP. Read More......

Bush's p.r. offensive is facing skepticism

We'll start to have a sense later this week from polling whether Bush's full-scale offensive to politicize terror has had an impact. But, based on the New York Times article today, Bush is up against some intense initial skepticism -- at least in Colorado's Seventh Congressional District:

Mr. Bush has plenty of supporters in this Denver suburb and the surrounding cities, an evenly divided swing district that is a bellwether in the battle for control of the House. But interviews over the last three days here found Republicans, Democrats and independents all expressing degrees of skepticism about Mr. Bush’s motives in delivering a set of high-profile speeches on terrorism and the war in Iraq two months before Election Day.

While it is too early to know whether the White House will succeed in winning over enough voters to make a difference in what is shaping up as a tight race, the interviews suggested that Mr. Bush’s newest efforts to cast his party as better suited than Democrats to defend the country had yet to overcome concern and anger among many voters about Iraq and a more generalized sense of discontent with the administration.

If this latest political ploy by Bush doesn't work, the GOP is in big, big trouble. Read More......

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

It's a big primary day across the country. Some of the key contested races to watch are Massachusetts Democratic Governor, Rhode Island Republican Senate, New York Democratic Governor and Attorney General, DC Mayor, Maryland Democratic Senate and the Democratic primary for Maryland's Fourth Congressional District where Donna Edwards is going to be the big surprise today.

Any other races to watch?

Anything else we need to know? Read More......

Attack on US Embassy in Damascus leaves 3 dead

It is very strange to see something like this happen in Syria. Details are light at the moment but more should be coming out as the day progresses. One of the attackers is in custody.

Gunmen apparently blew up a car outside the U.S. Embassy and exchanged fire with Syrian guards on Tuesday in a brazen attack on Damascus' diplomatic neighborhood. Syrian security forces killed three of the attackers, the government said.

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How to battle high murder rates in Iraq

It's an easy process really: you change the rules. Telling the truth is so old fashioned and really has no place in our democratic society today. I mean, what really constitutes a murder anyway? Is a person who was blown to bits really the same as someone who was shot or tortured? Uh huh, it's all so clear now, isn't it?

The U.S. military did not count people killed by bombs, mortars, rockets or other mass attacks when it reported a dramatic drop in the number of murders in the Baghdad area last month, the U.S. command said Monday.

The decision to include only victims of drive-by shootings and those killed by torture and execution, usually at the hands of death squads, allowed U.S. officials to argue that a security crackdown that began in the capital August 7 had more than halved the city's murder rate.

Hmmm, I see.

At the end of August, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, said violence had dropped significantly because of the operation. Caldwell said "attacks in Baghdad were well below the monthly average for July. Since August 7, the murder rate in Baghdad dropped 52 percent from the daily rate for July."

However, Caldwell did not make the key distinction that the rate he was referring to excluded a significant part of the daily violence in and around the capital. On Monday, for example, at least 20 of the 26 people slain in the capital were killed in bombings.

Read More......