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My thoughts five years later
2008-03-22 18:01:00 Yesterday was a day when former supporters of the invasion and occupation documented how wrong they were. For Andrew Sullivan it was: Historical Narcissism.Narrow MoralismUnconservatism.Misreading BushJohn Cole admits he was wrong about everything including "I was wrong not to trust the dirty smelly hippies." On the other side Jim Henely tries to explain why he got it right. I think what Jim ends up saying is that he was paying attention.Now I opposed the invasion and occupation - I got it right. But I didn't get it all right, I am guilty of under estimation. Now I knew that the neocons and the AIPAC Zionists were delusional and crazy but I underestimated just how delusional and crazy they were. I didn't fully appreciate that the only way you could get them to listen to you was to say exactly what they wanted to hear. And that worked even if you were a known con man and Iranian spy (Chalabi). I underestimated how little these mad men knew about the Middle East and as important how... More About: Iraq , My Thoughts , Thoughts , Years
Race, Politics and the Media
2008-03-21 15:38:00 As we can see according to the latest from the Pew Research Center There are fewer Republicans and Republican leaning Independents than at any time since 2000. The balance of party identification in the American electorate now favors the Democratic Party by a decidedly larger margin than in either of the two previous presidential election cycles.In 5,566 interviews with registered voters conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press during the first two months of 2008, 36% identify themselves as Democrats, and just 27% as Republicans.The share of voters who call themselves Republicans has declined by six points since 2004, and represents, on an annualized basis, the lowest percentage of self-identified Republican voters in 16 years of polling by the Center.The Democratic Party has also built a substantial edge among independent voters. Of the 37% who claim no party identification, 15% lean Democratic, 10% lean Republican, and 12% have no leaning either way.By c... More About: Politics , Media , The Media , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton
What I know about Purim
2008-03-20 22:08:00 Pretty much nothing. Apparently neither do St. John McBush or Joe Lieberman. My thoughts on this have been summed up over at our good friend's place, The One True Tami.
Poor David
2008-03-20 21:49:00 David Broder's column this morning has a tone of sadness and disappointment. Broder thinks that McCain should have used his trip to the mid east to distance himself from George Bush but instead it was more stay the course and actually demonstrated that he is just as clueless as Bush himself. It is obvious that the Democrats are planning to run against McCain by linking him as tightly as possible with President Bush, the instigator of the Iraq war and the captain of a seriously shaky economy.As a member of the minority party in a largely dysfunctional Senate, there is little McCain can do to rescue the economy. But the Baghdad visit offered him a chance to deal with the other big barrier to his election -- his close identification with Bush's policies in a war now into its sixth wearying year.[.....]Petraeus told Barr that he and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker had "repeatedly noted that it's crucial that the Iraqis exploit the opportunities that we and our Iraqi counterparts have foug... More About: David , David Broder , Poor
Yet Another One Bites the Dust
2008-03-20 12:36:00 The New York State House Republican delegation, already boasting a survival rate that has black rhinos chuckling at them, seems poised to shed more weight. At the far Western edge of the state, Rep. Tom Reynolds will announce today that he will not seek re-election this fall.Yet another retirement by a House Republican is imminent.GOP sources confirm that Rep. Tom Reynolds, a Western NY Congressman since 1999 and ex-NRCC chairman, will announce around noon tomorrow in Buffalo that he will not seek re-election this fall. Reynolds spokesman LD Platt did not return an e-mail seeking comment.Reynolds was the NRCC chair during the Mark Foley congressional page scandal, and then during the early days of the recent robbery (!) of their coffers. Apparently his team has been reading the tea leaves and Tom will be calling it quits. The Republicans were already down to six seats from the Empire State House delegation. This Western district still has a decided plurality of registered Republic...
One of the most dangerous people!
2008-03-19 23:12:00 Yesterday John McCain either gave up straight talk for good or demonstrated that he doesn't have a clue about Iraq. It got more play in the MSM than I thought it would, for example this by Michael Cooper of the New York Times.McCain Missteps on Iraq; Democrats Pounce JERUSALEM ? Senator John McCain?s trip overseas was supposed to highlight his foreign policy acumen, and his supporters hoped that it would showcase him in a series of statesmanlike meetings with world leaders throughout the Middle East and Europe while the Democratic candidates continued to squabble back home.But all did not go according to plan on Tuesday in Amman, Jordan, when Mr. McCain, fresh from a visit to Iraq, misidentified some of the main players in the Iraq war.Mr. McCain said several times in his visit to Jordan ? in a news conference and in a radio interview ? that he was concerned that Iran was training Al Qaeda in Iraq. The United States believes that Iran, a Shiite country, has been training and financ... More About: People , Dangerous
Brilliant At Radio - The Cost of the Iraq War
2008-03-19 12:54:00 Today on Mid Stream Radio , Ron and I will be sitting down to chat with Jill and Melina of the fabulous progressive blog, Brilliant at Breakfast. We'll be covering Obama's speech on race relations from yesterday as well as the cost of the Iraq war five years later. Tune in at 1 pm eastern, 10 am Pacific, and feel free to join us in the always lively chat room. You can call in to (646) 595-3963 with questions or comments for us or the guests.See you on the radio! More About: Iraq War , Cost
Obama hits a home run - McCain swings and misses
2008-03-18 19:52:00 Polls will show that Barack Obama hit a home run today saying what he needed to say about race in America. (See update below) Meanwhile John McCain showed the American people and the world that he is just as clueless about Iraq as he is the economy.A McCain Gaffe in Jordan AMMAN, Jordan -- Sen. John McCain, traveling in the Middle East to promote his foreign policy expertise, misidentified in remarks Tuesday which broad category of Iraqi extremists are allegedly receiving support from Iran.He said several times that Iran, a predominately Shiite country, was supplying the mostly Sunni militant group, al-Qaeda. In fact, officials have said they believe Iran is helping Shiite extremists in Iraq.Speaking to reporters in Amman, the Jordanian capital, McCain said he and two Senate colleagues traveling with him continue to be concerned about Iranian operatives "taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back."Pressed to elaborate, McCain said it was "common knowledge and has... More About: Home
Capitalize the profits-socialize the losses
2008-03-18 16:13:00 We already had plenty of examples of what happens when financial markets are virtually unregulated - deep recessions, depressions and bursting bubbles that threaten the entire economy. But even though the seven figure CEOs were begging for government bail outs they howled with indignation when it was suggested that more regulation was needed. E.J. Dionne gets it right:The Street on Welfare Never do I want to hear again from my conservative friends about how brilliant capitalists are, how much they deserve their seven-figure salaries and how government should keep its hands off the private economy.The Wall Street titans have turned into a bunch of welfare clients. They are desperate to be bailed out by government from their own incompetence, and from the deregulatory regime for which they lobbied so hard. They have lost "confidence" in each other, you see, because none of these oh-so-wise captains of the universe have any idea what kinds of devalued securities sit in one another's p... More About: Economy , Profits , Losses
Dick And John's Road Trip
2008-03-18 03:31:00 Dick Cheney and John McCain both went to Iraq this weekend so they could demonstrate just how well the surge is working. Of course Iraq did not cooperate.Cheney cites 'phenomenal' Iraqi security progress as bombing kills 40 BAGHDAD ? Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday made a surprise visit to Baghdad, where he pledged that U.S. forces would "not quit before the job is done" and said that a massive troop buildup had achieved "phenomenal" improvements in security.At sunset Monday, however, a female suicide bomber killed at least 40 people and injured more than 50 when she blew herself up in a crowded pedestrian area near a Shiite Muslim shrine in the southern holy city of Karbala, according to government and hospital officials. Among the victims were several Iranian pilgrims who'd come to worship at the Imam Hussein shrine, one of Islam's most sacred sites.And the U.S. military announced the deaths of two soldiers who were killed Monday when their Humvee struck a roadside bomb n... More About: Dick Cheney , Dick , Trip
The Deafening Silence
2008-03-17 21:19:00 To read many right wing blogs, including some of our good friends at Hot Air and Right Wing Nuthouse, you would think that Barack (h-word) Obama hadn't held an exhaustive press availability for the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times over the Tony Rezko questions. But if you follow that link you will see the nearly endless transcript of an interview where Obama sought to clear the air and allowed the reporters to ask anything and everything they would care to ask about Rezko, Jeremiah Wright, his choice of housecats as a child and pretty much anything else. The result? There's just not much meat on 'dem bones, folks.I could play the usual game here of listing various quotes from Obama, his answers to questions, etc. but for once I'll ask you to just click through and take the time to read the transcript, long though it may be. The purchase of his house? Explained. Rezko buying the lot next door? Explained. There are documented statements from the buyers, the sellers, the real... More About: Silence
Iraq and Vietnam
2008-03-17 05:18:00 Captain Ed may have gone over to the dark side but there is still a rational voice on the right, Rick Moran. In IRAQ 5 YEARS GONE he looks at the forces that guaranteed that the VietNam war was never winnable. In our ignorance, we failed to see that rather than liberators, we were seen by most Vietnam ese in both the north and the south the same way the French were viewed ? colonial occupiers. This made any government we supported illegitimate in the eyes of almost everyone. In the end, we went from fighting Communism to bolstering a cruel dictatorship. Yes, we killed a lot of Communists (and civilians), winning every major engagement but were forced to leave when it became obvious that there would be no end to it. The South Vietnamese government was in control at the point of our bayonets and there was absolutely no prospect for them to ever claim legitimacy with the South Vietnamese people.And comes just short of admitting the same thing is going on in Iraq . The majority of Iraqis ...
OP-ED Cliff (Cole) Notes
2008-03-17 00:57:00 John Cole reads the 5th anniversary OP-EDs so you don't have to.Op-Eds Made Simple More About: Iraq , Notes , Insanity , Cliff
Senator Clinton And The Democratic Party, Where Now?
2008-03-16 22:29:00 ***Crossposted from Chuck for... This article has now had three days of play on Reuters through Blogburst/ so I'm not stepping on them posting it here now.***Before the Texas and Ohio Primaries I stated that without a convincing win in one or both states Hillary should quit. She got that type of win in Ohio, ugly, but she got it. I stated afterwards that she should stay in because there is real value in a contested primary, the voters get a chance to measure judgment and character as well as policies; all the while allowing candidates to grow. A certain nasty undertone had followed the Clinton campaign since South Carolina, it flowered before Texas and Ohio and is now in full bloom. It is the ugliness of political opportunism. I suppose you're ready to read a call for a Clinton withdrawal.You won't get that. I am sincerely disturbed and angered by the recent tacks taken by Hillary. They are an aspect of politics I'd much rather left to the Republicans, who have worked hard for a... More About: Elections , Democrats , Party , Democratic , Democratic Party
The Protect The Bush Administration Act
2008-03-16 21:16:00 So far the House has defied Bush on telecom immunity. Those left right wingers over at CATO have been explaining why they should continue to do so. The current FISA act gives the government all the power it needs to wiretap people it should be wiretapping while making it difficult to wiretap those it shouldn't be. The Bush administration doesn't want the telecoms to go to court because it was wiretapping groups or individuals it shouldn't have. The New York Times finally gets it:The Intelligence Cover-Up For more than two years now, Congress, the news media, current and former national security officials, think tanks and academic institutions have been engaged in a profound debate over how to modernize the law governing electronic spying to keep pace with technology. We keep hoping President Bush will join in.Instead, the president offers propaganda intended to scare Americans, expand his powers, and erode civil liberties ? and to ensure that no one is held to account for the ill... More About: Fascism , Administration , The Bush
Riding the Storm Out
2008-03-16 17:16:00 "Riding the storm out,Waiting for the fallout"- R.E.O. SpeedwagonWhile the eyes of the nation focused on the media tsunami surrounding Eliot Spitzer and his famous singing hooker, power brokers in the Republican party were watching a different type of storm rolling over their landscape.Week of Bad News Highlights Difficult Challenges for GOP in Fall ElectionsRepublicans on Capitol Hill were suffering a run of bad news that could hold dire implications for the campaign season.It started with the loss last weekend of the seat held for two decades by former House speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). It got worse when Republicans lost potentially strong challengers to Democratic senators in South Dakota and New Jersey, and failed to field anyone to oppose the reelection bid of Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.).Let's recap the list of body blows hitting the GOP all at one time.Losing Denny Hastert's seat to Bill FosterFailing to field a reasonable challenger to multiple Senate and House seatsNRC... More About: Storm
Way too early to worry
2008-03-16 06:26:00 Zogby has conducted a poll including Ralph Nader that shows McCain beating both Clinton and Obama. It shows Nader getting five or six percent which is ridiculous. The Supreme Court alone should be enough to convince all but one percent or less not to throw their vote away. And there are the other issues that will haunt McBush in the general election. Iraq: St John McBush is constantly reminding us that the surge has been a success. Juan Cole reports that the daily death count is once again increasing - 20 in January, 26 in February and 39 so far in April. And even General David Petraeus seems to be contradicting McCain as to how successful the surge has been.The Economy: The economy continues it's death spiral in spite of what George W. Bush might say. The dollar is no longer welcome even in third world countries. The FED was forced to bail out Bear Stearns in order to postpone a complete meltdown. The FED is all but powerless to halt the decline and the US faces what may perhaps b... More About: Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Worry , Early
The Vetting of Obama
2008-03-15 23:32:00 I always thought that Hillary Clinton 's greatest strength was that she had already been thoroughly vetted - it was going to be difficult for the Republicans to come up with anything new. I also thought that Barack Obama 's greatest weakness was a lack of such vetting. The MSM and the Republicans gave Obama a free ride early on in hope that he would take the nomination from Hillary. For that reason I think much of Hillary's dirty campaign was useful. Now that it looks like Obama may not only win but could actually win the general election the free ride is over. Memeorandum has been all about Obama's "spiritual advisor", Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr and Obama's relationship with Tony Rezko. Now it's coming from the corporate media not the Clinton campaign. It's good that it's coming to light months before the general election but it could cost Obama the nomination.
New Project
2008-03-15 18:11:00 I have a new project. In addition to my all picture site, Just Pictures, I have started a new site dedicated to preservation and restoration of old photos and documents, Preserving The Past. I will be showing some images from the past with a little history when available. In addition I will be sharing digital restoration tricks I have learned and developed. More About: Blogging , Project
Delusion and denial
2008-03-15 02:11:00 George W. Bush is about the only one left who doesn't think the US is already in a recession. Today at The Economic Club of New York he did admit that the economy going through 'tough time' but once again denied it was in recession. Now I really hate to compare George W. Bush to Herbert Hoover, Hoover was a very intelligent man and a true humanitarian, but Hoover's anti government ideology led to the Great Depression and George W. Bush seems to be advocating the dame ideology. NEW YORK - President Bush preached optimism and Republican orthodoxy of minimalist government intervention Friday as the best approach to an increasingly troubled economy.[.....]His main message, aside from displaying confidence in the U.S. economy?s underpinnings and historical resilience, was to caution against overreaction by policymakers that could damage the economy?s short- and long-term prospects, something he did about a half-dozen times in 40 minutes of remarks.Now Bush may deny the economy is in ... More About: Economy , George W Bush , Bush administration , Denial
Thanks George
2008-03-14 16:44:00 The US government has redesigned the five dollar bill to make it more difficult to counterfeit. The question is why would anyone bother. After seven plus years of Bush administration mismanagement the five dollar bill is not worth the fancy new paper it's printed on.Dollar's clout sinks worldwide SAO PAULO, Brazil - Antique store owners in lower Manhattan, ticket vendors at India's Taj Mahal and Brazilian business executives heading to China all have one thing in common these days: They don't want U.S. dollars.Hit by a free fall with no end in sight, the once mighty U.S. dollar is no longer just crashing on currency markets and making life more expensive for American tourists and business people abroad; its clout is evaporating worldwide as foreign businesses and individuals turn to other currencies.Experts say the bleak U.S. economic forecast means it will take years for the greenback to recover its value and prestige.Negative dollar sentiment is growing in nations where the do... More About: Economics , George
Why would anyone want the job?
2008-03-14 05:52:00 As I watch the bloody battle for the Democratic nomination I have to keep asking myself; why would anyone want the job. In a little over seven years the Bush administration has made a disastrous mess of everything. The unwise and mismanaged invasion and occupation of Iraq held every one's attention for much of it. But the war has really impacted very few. Many if not most are being impacted by the economy which is heading south faster everyday. Paul Krugman takes a look at that today and concludes there is little Ben Bernanke and the Fed can do about it - it will be up to the next administration. I used to think that the major issues facing the next president would be how to get out of Iraq and what to do about health care. At this point, however, I suspect that the biggest problem for the next administration will be figuring out which parts of the financial system to bail out, how to pay the cleanup bills and how to explain what it?s doing to an angry public.Why would anyone want ... More About: Economy
Come Back?
2008-03-13 21:00:00 We have heard a lot about the dismal state of the Republican Party in 2008. Here in Oregon the Republicans have not won a state wide office for several election cycles. They lost control of the State House in 2006 but they have been talking about a come back. The Oregonian reports it won't be this year.Oregon's anemic filing day Despite its bold assertions to the contrary, the GOP came up short in its bid to take on Democrats Leaders of Oregon's struggling Republican Party have done a lot of talking lately about the GOP being poised to make a big comeback on the state political front.It's talk that wasn't aggressively backed up by action Tuesday on Oregon's filing deadline for the May primary.Not a single Republican filed for attorney general, the party apparently having no one else to turn to a month ago when presumed GOP candidate Kevin Mannix began eyeing a run for Congress instead. And while several seasoned Democrats leaped into the race for secretary of state Tuesday, th... More About: Back
Running Interference
2008-03-13 16:37:00 The tabloid TV "news" networks continue to run interference for John McBush and the Republicans. While they report non stop on the Clinton-Obama range war and Spitzer's fall from grace they deteriorating situation goes unreported and it is working.Support for war effort highest since 2006 American public support for the military effort in Iraq has reached a high point unseen since the summer of 2006, a development that promises to reshape the political landscape.According to late February polling conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 53 percent of Americans ? a slim majority ? now believe ?the U.S. will ultimately succeed in achieving its goals? in Iraq. That figure is up from 42 percent in September 2007.The percentage of those who believe the war in Iraq is going ?very well? or ?fairly well? is also up, from 30 percent in February 2007 to 48 percent today.The situation in Iraq remains fluid, of course. A surge in violence or in troop deaths could lead... More About: Running , Interference
More on Fallon Resignation
2008-03-12 17:17:00 Many if not most of us jumped to the conclusion that the resignation of Navy Adm. William Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command was the first step to an attack on Iran.Juan Cole disagrees:Secretary of Defense Robert Gates denied Tuesday that the abrupt resignation of Admiral William Fallon as CENTCOM commander indicates an imminent war against Iran. I think Gates's denial is credible. There is no sign of an American war on Iran, which would involve key positioning of warships, materiel and troops. There is no congressional mandate for such a thing, despite the non-binding Kyl-Lieberman resolution in the senate. A provocation is not out of the question, but it would be a risky move in an election year and could easily backfire on the Republican Party (ask Aznar in Spain).My guess is that the real reason for moving Fallon out is not Iran but Iraq, and that he is being made to step down for the same reason that Donald Rumsfeld was. He does not agree with the long-term troop escalat... More About: Resignation
Hubris
2008-03-12 17:05:00 Elliot Spitzer built a career going after the rich and powerful who thought they were above the law. In the end it turns out he was afflicted with hubris just like his targets. Even the business talking heads on CNBC had to admit that much good had come of Spitzer work as NY AG even though they didn't approve of his techniques. It will all be over for Spitzer this morning but it's far from over. Clients one through eight and ten through whatever can't be sleeping very well. Their names and involvement will eventually see the light of day. The Republican prosecutor may yet regret opening this can of worms. The clients are all going to be the rich and powerful and a majority of the rich and powerful are Republicans.
The lunatics win another one
2008-03-11 22:38:00 You should be very afraid. Dick Cheney and the rest of the criminally insane neocons and Zionists have forced yet another rational senior military commander out paving the way for attempt to create Armageddon before they lose power.Admiral Fallon Resigns as Head of Centcom WASHINGTON ? Navy Adm. William Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, which leads U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, is stepping down, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Tuesday.Fallon claimed ongoing misperceptions about differences between his ideas and U.S. policy are making it too difficult for him to operate, Gates said, agreeing. He added that the differences are not extreme, but the misperception had become too great."I believe it was the right thing to do, even though I do not believe there are, in fact, significant differences between his views and administration policy," Gates said, noting that he accepted the request to retire with "reluctance and regret.""I don't know whether he was mis... More About: Iran , Insanity , Lunatics
The continuing air tanker saga
2008-03-11 19:10:00 Boeing's loss of the Air Force tanker contract continues to make waves. Perhaps the Northrup Grumman/EADS proposal is better. Perhaps the embarrassment that resulted from Boeing's unethical conduct in 2003 was a factor. That said this could still hurt John McCain :McCain advisers lobbied for European plane maker WASHINGTON (AP) -- Top current advisers to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign last year lobbied for a European plane maker that beat Boeing to a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract, taking sides in a bidding fight that McCain has tried to referee for more than five years.Two of the advisers gave up their lobbying work when they joined McCain's campaign. A third, former Texas Rep. Tom Loeffler, lobbied for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. while serving as McCain's national finance chairman.[.....]"The aesthetics are not good, especially since he is an advocate of reform and transparency," said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the aerospace consultin... More About: Boeing , Corruption , Pentagon , Saga
The Economy and Spitzer on the Radio Today
More articles from this author:2008-03-11 12:25:00 Today at 1 pm Eastern, 10 am Pacific on Mid Stream Radio , Cindy (a.k.a. The Lady Logician) and I will sit down with noted economist King Banion of SCSU Scholars, who will explain the sub-prime mortgage crisis in layman's terms and what the "slap in the face" theory of economics means. In the second half, we'll be talking about Eliot Spitzer 's legal problems and I'll be giving listeners a primer on Hudson Valley politics, and why Spitzer's career might not be over at all.Be sure to sign up for a free user account at the BTR homepage and grab a nickname so you can join us in the always lively web chat. You can also call in to (646) 595-3963 if you have questions or comments for us or the guest. Alternately, you can just use the player in the upper right hand column of this blog to listen. You can also subscribe to iTunes to download the shows and listen to them later at your convenience. More About: Economy , Today 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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