Rick Perry promises to restart Iraq war

To be fair what Perry said was that he would send US troops back into Iraq. But the troops left because that is what an agreement with the Iraqi government signed during the Bush administration required and the Iraqi government refused to sign a new one because they wanted the troops to leave. If the US tried to send in troops now it would be an invasion.

Perry's rationale is confused and a-factual to say the least [Washington Post]

PERRY: I -- I think we start talking with the Iraqi individuals there. The idea that we allow the Iranians to come back into Iraq and take over that country, with all of the treasure, both in blood and money, that we have spent in Iraq, because this president wants to kowtow to his liberal, leftist base and move out those men and women. He could have renegotiated that timeframe.

I think it is a huge error for us. We’re going to see Iran, in my opinion, move back in at literally the speed of light. They’re going to move back in, and all of the work that we’ve done, every young man that has lost his life in that country will have been for nothing because we’ve got a president that does not understand what’s going on in that region.

Notice how these Republicans pour contempt on Obama for not understanding what is going on while demonstrating that they know absolutely of what they are talking about. Equally telling, how McElveen passed the issue to Ron Paul:

I want to give Congressman Paul a chance to weigh in here, because foreign policy is something that a lot of people think is your Achilles’ heel when it comes to getting elected.

Get that? Perry just proposed re-invading Iraq and Paul is the one whose Foreign Policy is a problem!

Iraq's current government is a coalition that was brokered by Iran. So anyone attempting to prevent the spread of Iranian influence in Iraq is rather late. The idea that the US should have a greater influence in Iraq than its next door neighbor is arrogant and stupid. There are few countries that are as far apart culturally as Iraq and the US.

It is not Obama's fault that George W. Bush's war has been a catastrophe that cost 4400 US soldiers and half a million Iraqis their lives and been a complete waste in every sense. The real fault goes to all those politicians of both parties who said nothing when Bush was starting the war. Read the rest of this post...

Gingrich gets defensive when called a chickenhawk at debate

Ron Paul is often wrong but in this instance, he's on the money. Chickenhawks like Gingrich are always trying to overcompensate for their lack of service, by being too eager to dive into a new war. We watched the Bush administration run into unnecessary wars because a bunch of chickenhawks like Cheney had to have war and look where it got us. Even if the military operations in Iraq are over, we will be treating tens of thousands of soldiers for years due to injuries from the war. As we know, it's the Republicans who are always keen to start wars, but they're also against paying for the long term costs, such as health care for veterans. Read the rest of this post...

Did 'corporate psychopaths' bring down the banks?

There's clearly something wrong with the bankers and their inability to appreciate how much destruction they caused (calling Jamie Dimon) does make you wonder. If too many of the bankers are indeed psychopaths, it's scary how much control they have over the political system. Bloomberg:

Clive R. Boddy, most recently a professor at the Nottingham Business School at Nottingham Trent University, says psychopaths are the 1 percent of “people who, perhaps due to physical factors to do with abnormal brain connectivity and chemistry” lack a “conscience, have few emotions and display an inability to have any feelings, sympathy or empathy for other people.” As a result, Boddy argues in a recent issue of the Journal of Business Ethics, such people are “extraordinarily cold, much more calculating and ruthless towards others than most people are and therefore a menace to the companies they work for and to society.” How do people with such obvious personality flaws make it to the top of seemingly successful corporations? Boddy says psychopaths take advantage of the “relative chaotic nature of the modern corporation,” including “rapid change, constant renewal” and high turnover of “key personnel.” Such circumstances allow them to ascend through a combination of “charm” and “charisma,” which makes “their behaviour invisible” and “makes them appear normal and even to be ideal leaders.”

Read the rest of this post...

CBO shows Romney lies about "savings" from repealing Health Care Reform, actually adds to the deficit

Politifact:

[Romney] also wants to save money by rolling back President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.

He made the point in the USA Today op-ed, suggesting he would "repeal ObamaCare, which would save $95 billion in 2016."

We were surprised by his suggestion. As we remembered the health care negotiations, Democrats took pains to make sure the 2010 health care law was projected to reduce the deficit, and they bragged repeatedly about their numbers.

We contacted the Romney campaign, which referred us to an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the agency that independently calculates the cost of laws proposed by both parties.

So according to the CBO analysis, a full repeal of the bill would reduce the deficit by $16 billion in 2016, much less than the number Romney cited.


And then there’s the broader picture: When the CBO looked at the first 10 years of repeal, from 2012 to 2021, it found that repeal added $210 billion to the deficit. So the deficit would actually be lower if the law is not repealed.

Read the rest of this post...

Romney's Bain Capital at work - loss of jobs, federal bailouts

In this worst economic environment since the Great Depression, is this really the person we need guiding the economy? Sure Mitt cashed in as did his friends at Bain, but the costs involved sound much too high for everyone else. It's not unlike the federal bailout of bankers, where they all got huge bonuses while the rest of us were left with the bill. Romney's Bain Capital at work:

It was a gamble. The old mill, renamed GS Technologies, needed expensive updating, and demand for its products was susceptible to cycles in the mining industry and commodities markets. Less than a decade later, the mill was padlocked and some 750 people lost their jobs. Workers were denied the severance pay and health insurance they'd been promised, and their pension benefits were cut by as much as $400 (258 pounds) a month. What's more, a federal government insurance agency had to pony up $44 million to bail out the company's underfunded pension plan. Nevertheless, Bain profited on the deal, receiving $12 million on its $8 million initial investment and at least $4.5 million in consulting fees.

Read the rest of this post...

Top former aide to WI Gov Scott Walker accused of embezzling veterans funds

Background: Before Scott Walker was elected Governor of Wisconsin in 2010, he was the chief executive of Milwaukee County. During that time, Timothy Russell was Walker's deputy chief of staff. This story is about Russell and two accomplices in an embazzlement scheme.

The Journal-Sentinel:

Two Milwaukee County officials appointed by Scott Walker when he was county executive were charged Thursday with embezzling more than $60,000 intended for veterans and their families, instead using the stolen funds on everything from Caribbean cruises to wedding expenses to renewing Walker-for-governor websites.

Prosecutors are accusing the two men - Timothy D. Russell, Walker's one-time deputy chief of staff, and county veterans official Kevin Kavanaugh - with multiple felonies as part of the ongoing John Doe investigation into Walker staffers. The pair is accused of stealing the funds at different times using separate means.

Russell's domestic partner, Brian Pierick, was also charged in an unrelated offense.

Four points:

1. "Ongoing John Doe investigation" means there could be more charges and more, yet-to-be-revealed defendants.

2. It appears that Walker's team may have instigated the investigation, though it's unclear why Walker put Russell in charge of the finances when there were already indications that Kavanaugh was cooking the books:

Walker, in an eight-minute conference call Thursday with reporters, said he was "very disappointed" about the alleged theft but emphasized that his office had been responsible for raising initial concerns about bookkeeping at Operation Freedom, an annual military appreciation day held at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Tom Nardelli, his chief of staff at the time, had contacted prosecutors about discrepancies in Operation Freedom's past records under Kavanaugh.

Walker did not directly respond to questions about his decision to later put Russell, one of his top Milwaukee County aides, in charge of the finances of Operation Freedom. The charges allege Russell then siphoned off thousands of dollars from the group's bank account for his personal use.

So three facts: Kavanaugh looked dirty; Nardelli contacts prosecutors about it; Russell was put in charge of a dirty operation and takes part of the skim. Take out the middle fact, and the story is clear.

Add in the middle fact and you can't figure out why Walker's deputy chief of staff implicates himself in an investigation called by his own boss into Kavanaugh.

Something doesn't add up, and no one's saying what.

3. Did you notice that this Mr. Russell is gay, with a domestic partner? Just a reminder of Scott Walker's public attitude toward gays:

Governor Scott Walker is teaming up with the ultra-right wing whack jobs at Wisconsin Family Action to fight against hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples in his state. Seriously. He's attacking gay couples when they're most vulnerable -- when there's hospitalization required. Add extreme homophobia to Walker's growing resume of shame[.]

Republicans.

No indication that Walker himself is implicated in the embezzlement, though I can't imagine that Russell, if he knew that Nardelli, another Walker staffer, had contacted prosecutors, would take the risk of becoming part of the operation. Absent Nardelli's notification, you could conclude that Walker either didn't know of the embezzlement, or had put a favored staffer in position to benefit from it.

By the way, the scale of the theft was impressive; in 2010, Russell stole half of all money collected by the veterans group. The rule in Hollywood used to be — "You can't steal $10 million from a $20 million movie." Russell and Kavanaugh found a way.

The article is good; there's much more and it's well researched. This will move forward, as the investigation and trials proceed. Stay tuned.

GP Read the rest of this post...

Muddy Waters - Got My Mojo Workin'

Our winter continues to be very mild, with temperatures in the mid to upper 40's and into the 50's. It's so warm, I still have a few impatiens in the garden that didn't die off and one of my camellia bushes has buds. They're saying this is more normal compared to last winter when we had a very cold December. It still feels a bit warmer than usual though. Read the rest of this post...

Tony Blair Inc profits up 40% last year

Not bad for a recession. He certainly learned a few tricks from his own friend Bill Clinton. They both know how to cash in enormously on their public service while keeping the details murky. Jimmy Carter may not have been the best president but the man has done a lot more for the world than Blair or Clinton since leaving office. He also hasn't had a shameless money grab. Why is cashing in on influence so acceptable these days? The spin-masters can spin it however they like, but this is not much different from the corruption around the world that people like to complain so much about. The big difference is, this is the First World, they're white and considered respectable political elders. While it's easy to imagine Obama doing the same when he leaves office, it won't be surprising if only then it will become a bigger issue. The Guardian:

Unemployment is rising and companies are going to the wall as the economic turmoil continues to inflict damage across the globe. But one organisation is thriving. Records recently filed at Companies House show Tony Blair Inc is going from strength to strength. They reveal that income channelled through a complex network of firms and partnerships controlled by Blair rose more than 40% last year to more than £12m. Of this, almost £10m was paid for "management services". The money was transferred via a network of firms and financial vehicles. Accountancy experts are questioning the arcane nature of the network's finances, which makes it difficult to trace where its money is coming from, or where it is being spent. Accounts for Windrush Ventures, an obscure company that operates under the trading name "the Office of Tony Blair", suggest 2011 has been a successful year for the former prime minister. Windrush saw its turnover rise to just over £12m, up from £8.5m in 2010. Pre-tax profits rose from £729,000 to £1.1m.

Read the rest of this post...