President Bush called 2005 "a good year for the American people,"
Schivo
2,100 American lives lost overseas
Katrina
Rita
Plamegate
the Downing Street Memos
Spying on Americans
John Bolton
Alberto Gonzales
Karl Rove
Scooter Libby
Tom DeLay
Bin Laden remains free
International support over Iraq falters
Nations decry Saddam's trial
Privacy is reversed: we no longer belong to ourselves
Torture prisons
... and this is a good year??
Friday, December 23, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
Like I trust you NOW....
Trust..
It's one of those things that when it's violated - it doesn't grow back the same way again.. We believed Bush and that was our mistake..
Most recently Alberto Gonzales defended Bush's "right" to spy on Americans with the following limitations:
-"He said Bush's authorization requires that at least one of the parties be outside the country and linked to al-Qaida or an affiliated organization." Whoa Nelly.. This administration has come out to say that SADDAM is linked to al-Qaida when in fact there has been no link found between the ousted leader and the terrorist organization and 9/11.. So, Alberto, I have a real hard time believing that anyone contained in your little circle of friends can adequately IDENTIFY someone linked to al-Qaida or not... Especially when you put 8-month old children on a no-fly list because they are suspected terrorists.....
No, I refuse to believe that they have the capability to satisfy their self-imposed condition...
-"But he refused to say how many Americans had been targeted and insisted the eavesdropping was "very limited, targeted" electronic surveillance. "This is not a situation of domestic spying," he said. " Not so fast.. 60 minutes did a piece back in 2000 -- 5 YEARS ago about the Echelon program; detailing exactly how our intelligence agency has monitored virtually ANY electronic signal from cell phones, cordless phones to baby monitors.. Anything - everything - is recorded and stored.. So the very notion that Gonzales, with a straight face, can argue that domestic surveillance does not exist -- is a bold face lie..
Sorry Alberto, you're 0-2 so far.. You better step aside and let someone else take over..
-Let's bring in Republican Senator Cornyn of Texas who proclaimed that the New York Times has endangered America by exposing the domestic spy plot for purposes of selling an upcoming book release.. Oh wow.. Let's back up here a bit Johnny boy.. First of all let's not forget that it was this administration who ousted a undercover operative -- exposing an intelligence stream which may have put countless American lives at stake -- and could have averted future attacks and impeded the capture of those *KNOWN* terrorists that we keep talking about.. That very small insignificant tidbit aside.....
Secondly, the Patriot Act renewal contains greater authority to surveil virtually anyone, anytime without so much of a judicial oversight.. It's a manifested plot to circumvent the governmental process by eliminating the whole checks and balances routine that our founding fathers fought to secure.. Remember, if any one branch of the government has more control over the other, then we risk the balance of our governing capability - usurp the authority as WRITTEN that approval should be sought before wiretaps and any other surveillance is conducted is PARAMOUNT to sustain a balance within the government.. Government 101 here, John -- better take that class over I'm thinking..
However, *if* the argument is being made that we are in a time of WAR - then let's not selectively pick which points that happen to favor your agenda.. Remember, America in WAR-time meant that you couldn't profit because it would be detrimental to the economy of our country.. So, if you want to put the New York Times out on a stake, then let's address those other profiteers that seem to have gone by unscathed: gas price gouging, Haliburton's monopoly on virtually every recovery effort here and abroad not to mention every politican (not just Senator DeLay) who has profited from creative campaigning tactics that are illegal..
Now if it was a ploy for the New York Times to further their publicity for a book that's coming out, then I'd like to remind you that this administration has gone to some pretty elaborate lengths to capitalize on the press too ... Schiavo immediately comes to mind.. So unfortunately Johnny, you're going to have to face up to the fact that you and your party are guilty of doing the exact same thing that you're trying to condemn..
If we're a nation at WAR - then Johnny, you better start acting like it..
This on the heels of the Iraqi propaganda machine churning out "favorable" stories about the United States, and the constant slant companies like Fox puts out .... all of this begs the question of why do we believe these people at all.. I'm lumping everyone in this one because Democrats are notorious for exaggerating or under/over reporting their facts too..
Back in the day, if you lied and held an elected position - it was political suicide.. If you lie today, eh - you're elected for another term.. It reflects a societal change which started well beyond Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter... I can trace back to as early as Nixon when if you lied - that's bad, but we'll forgive you.. Anymore - you can flat out lie without any support or facts and it just rolls into the next news cycle.. Accountability is non-existent and yet we're setting a record for commissions, investigations and other fact-finding missions into the exploits of our elected few..
Business as usual, I suppose..
It's one of those things that when it's violated - it doesn't grow back the same way again.. We believed Bush and that was our mistake..
Most recently Alberto Gonzales defended Bush's "right" to spy on Americans with the following limitations:
-"He said Bush's authorization requires that at least one of the parties be outside the country and linked to al-Qaida or an affiliated organization." Whoa Nelly.. This administration has come out to say that SADDAM is linked to al-Qaida when in fact there has been no link found between the ousted leader and the terrorist organization and 9/11.. So, Alberto, I have a real hard time believing that anyone contained in your little circle of friends can adequately IDENTIFY someone linked to al-Qaida or not... Especially when you put 8-month old children on a no-fly list because they are suspected terrorists.....
No, I refuse to believe that they have the capability to satisfy their self-imposed condition...
-"But he refused to say how many Americans had been targeted and insisted the eavesdropping was "very limited, targeted" electronic surveillance. "This is not a situation of domestic spying," he said. " Not so fast.. 60 minutes did a piece back in 2000 -- 5 YEARS ago about the Echelon program; detailing exactly how our intelligence agency has monitored virtually ANY electronic signal from cell phones, cordless phones to baby monitors.. Anything - everything - is recorded and stored.. So the very notion that Gonzales, with a straight face, can argue that domestic surveillance does not exist -- is a bold face lie..
Sorry Alberto, you're 0-2 so far.. You better step aside and let someone else take over..
-Let's bring in Republican Senator Cornyn of Texas who proclaimed that the New York Times has endangered America by exposing the domestic spy plot for purposes of selling an upcoming book release.. Oh wow.. Let's back up here a bit Johnny boy.. First of all let's not forget that it was this administration who ousted a undercover operative -- exposing an intelligence stream which may have put countless American lives at stake -- and could have averted future attacks and impeded the capture of those *KNOWN* terrorists that we keep talking about.. That very small insignificant tidbit aside.....
Secondly, the Patriot Act renewal contains greater authority to surveil virtually anyone, anytime without so much of a judicial oversight.. It's a manifested plot to circumvent the governmental process by eliminating the whole checks and balances routine that our founding fathers fought to secure.. Remember, if any one branch of the government has more control over the other, then we risk the balance of our governing capability - usurp the authority as WRITTEN that approval should be sought before wiretaps and any other surveillance is conducted is PARAMOUNT to sustain a balance within the government.. Government 101 here, John -- better take that class over I'm thinking..
However, *if* the argument is being made that we are in a time of WAR - then let's not selectively pick which points that happen to favor your agenda.. Remember, America in WAR-time meant that you couldn't profit because it would be detrimental to the economy of our country.. So, if you want to put the New York Times out on a stake, then let's address those other profiteers that seem to have gone by unscathed: gas price gouging, Haliburton's monopoly on virtually every recovery effort here and abroad not to mention every politican (not just Senator DeLay) who has profited from creative campaigning tactics that are illegal..
Now if it was a ploy for the New York Times to further their publicity for a book that's coming out, then I'd like to remind you that this administration has gone to some pretty elaborate lengths to capitalize on the press too ... Schiavo immediately comes to mind.. So unfortunately Johnny, you're going to have to face up to the fact that you and your party are guilty of doing the exact same thing that you're trying to condemn..
If we're a nation at WAR - then Johnny, you better start acting like it..
This on the heels of the Iraqi propaganda machine churning out "favorable" stories about the United States, and the constant slant companies like Fox puts out .... all of this begs the question of why do we believe these people at all.. I'm lumping everyone in this one because Democrats are notorious for exaggerating or under/over reporting their facts too..
Back in the day, if you lied and held an elected position - it was political suicide.. If you lie today, eh - you're elected for another term.. It reflects a societal change which started well beyond Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter... I can trace back to as early as Nixon when if you lied - that's bad, but we'll forgive you.. Anymore - you can flat out lie without any support or facts and it just rolls into the next news cycle.. Accountability is non-existent and yet we're setting a record for commissions, investigations and other fact-finding missions into the exploits of our elected few..
Business as usual, I suppose..
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Defending Decisions
Bush recently defended his decision to go forward with spying on American people - all the while pushing to re-up the Patriot Act with some modifications....
There's a lot of things that are missing out of this puzzle.. Namely - if Bush wants to set forth and say that he was doing this out of protection for the American people, then I'd like to know exactly how many, out of the 30 times he has personally authorized this action - how many time this elicit spying actually worked to apprehend known terrorists who were plotting to attack our country..
I'm thinking if there was any success in these 30 opportunities to invade our privacy, that he would've made mention of it.. Because it would certainly bolster his argument that it was necessary for the security of this country.. Except I'm not really buying into this completely.. Not when the FBI was exposed by the ACLU that they were actively spying on peaceful members of the anti-war movement.. Even though the anti-war activists were peaceful and not a threat to national security, they were still monitored and spied on..
But how much of this is really necessary?? How much of this could've been averted had we merely listened correctly to the intelligence that was happening in normal surveillance and other information collection schemes?? Think back when the investigators into 9/11 uncovered a series, a flurry of intelligence that "something big is going to happen..." Moreover, when it's stacked against the pieces of the puzzle - then things add up.. Granted, they add up now and not at the time because I cannot believe that anyone in America would wantonly allow something like 9/11 to happen without some sort of horn or siren.. For Christ sake, even Paul Revere rode a pony......
What disappoints me more than this is the fact that this President has the audacity to blame those for leaking the story to begin with: "As a result, our enemies have learned information they should not have, and the unauthorized disclosure of this effort damages our national security and puts our citizens at risk," Bush said. "Revealing classified information is illegal, alerts our enemies, and endangers our country." And this is not the first time either:
1.) the Downing Street Memos: journalists were jailed and accused of treason (although I don't think formally charged) for leaking information that the US Administration had trumped up the facts to fit the justification for the war in Iraq.. (RESULT: No official investigation, yet a promise that the 2nd prong of the 9/11 Commission would begin looking into the Administration's role into 9/11 and beyond. Widely held in the media that this "is no surprise" which is why it's not being reported..)
2.) the Abu Ghraib jail scandal and subsequent abuses: deniability in disproportionate amounts.. Didn't happen, it must be a fabrication, we don't authorize that type of behavior.. (RESULT: Numerous soldiers were indicted, found or pled guilty to their role in the Abu Ghraib scandal)
3.) Torture Prison scandal: the US and British governments critically scorned and sought to punish those who leaked the story that the US was operating Torture Prisons in other countries.. Bush himself looked straight into the camera and said "WE DO NOT TORTURE..." But wait - an independent investigation by someone OUTSIDE of the country found that there is STRONG evidence that support the presence of Torture Prisons throughout Europe and now in northern Africa.. (RESULT: We're now running the prisons out of Morroco..)
4.) The infamous CIA-Plame leak story: "I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action." Only to hear Bob Novak say: "I'm confident the president knows who the source is ... I'd be amazed if he doesn't." (RESULT: Libby - indicted, Rove - remains under investigation, others are still being investigated. Bush remains unknowingly oblivious during the whole affair.)
And yet, we're supposed to believe him that he's looking out for our security when he's spying on anti-war activists?? Not only does he NOT acknowledge that he made a mistake, he's DEFENDING the decision - saying that it's been CONSULTED to lawyers and Congressional leadership...
Oh boy - that makes me feel better...
But it's not good when members of your own party do not agree with the provisions for renewing the Patriot Act citing privacy concerns.. Not withstanding the latest rumor that Karl Rove is going to be indicted for hiding or destroying evidence linking him to the Plame-CIA leak.. This is a flagrant misuse of information - to attempt to extort to gain political capital on those that disagree with your policy.. Handing our privacy to this administration on a silver platter is flat out wrong..
Not when we continue to have hundreds of thousands men and women in harms way..
Not when we REMAIN under threat of attack when we have not done all that we can to secure the peace and security..
Not when we ISOLATE ourselves from the rest of the international community because we want the treasure trove of a country we've just conquered..
Not when this administration TALKS about morality without PRACTICING it..
Not when this administration FLOUNDERS when it comes to the leak investigation and the administration within the White House..
Not when this President is reactive instead of proactive..
Not when we rely on the think tank that perfectly executed a war into Iraq, but had no CLUE what to do afterwards..
Not when this President galavants across this country to sign a bill for a single brain-dead woman, but he remains on vacation when tens of thousands were affected by the Hurricanes of 2005..
Not when this President recommends his friends for positions in the government when they are neither qualified or responsible enough to execute their various offices..
Not when this President flagrantly disregards his responsibility to the American people by unilaterally initiating a spying policy on Americans or by imprisoning journalists because they were doing their job of exposing the corruption and decadence that this Administration employs..
Yet we live in a culture of blindness..
We live in a culture of deafness..
Those that continue to support this administration when we remain in CLEAR and PRESENT DANGER - do not understand the scope of what's happening.. This is not a President getting it on with an intern.. Lives are being lost.. Families are being ruined.. And soon, we will become a police state.. Hitler and Stalin immediately come to mind because as they sought for the good of their nations - they employed the same spying policy on their citizenry..
If this is okay with those that support this administration - then I'm not sure what to say about that..
There's a lot of things that are missing out of this puzzle.. Namely - if Bush wants to set forth and say that he was doing this out of protection for the American people, then I'd like to know exactly how many, out of the 30 times he has personally authorized this action - how many time this elicit spying actually worked to apprehend known terrorists who were plotting to attack our country..
I'm thinking if there was any success in these 30 opportunities to invade our privacy, that he would've made mention of it.. Because it would certainly bolster his argument that it was necessary for the security of this country.. Except I'm not really buying into this completely.. Not when the FBI was exposed by the ACLU that they were actively spying on peaceful members of the anti-war movement.. Even though the anti-war activists were peaceful and not a threat to national security, they were still monitored and spied on..
But how much of this is really necessary?? How much of this could've been averted had we merely listened correctly to the intelligence that was happening in normal surveillance and other information collection schemes?? Think back when the investigators into 9/11 uncovered a series, a flurry of intelligence that "something big is going to happen..." Moreover, when it's stacked against the pieces of the puzzle - then things add up.. Granted, they add up now and not at the time because I cannot believe that anyone in America would wantonly allow something like 9/11 to happen without some sort of horn or siren.. For Christ sake, even Paul Revere rode a pony......
What disappoints me more than this is the fact that this President has the audacity to blame those for leaking the story to begin with: "As a result, our enemies have learned information they should not have, and the unauthorized disclosure of this effort damages our national security and puts our citizens at risk," Bush said. "Revealing classified information is illegal, alerts our enemies, and endangers our country." And this is not the first time either:
1.) the Downing Street Memos: journalists were jailed and accused of treason (although I don't think formally charged) for leaking information that the US Administration had trumped up the facts to fit the justification for the war in Iraq.. (RESULT: No official investigation, yet a promise that the 2nd prong of the 9/11 Commission would begin looking into the Administration's role into 9/11 and beyond. Widely held in the media that this "is no surprise" which is why it's not being reported..)
2.) the Abu Ghraib jail scandal and subsequent abuses: deniability in disproportionate amounts.. Didn't happen, it must be a fabrication, we don't authorize that type of behavior.. (RESULT: Numerous soldiers were indicted, found or pled guilty to their role in the Abu Ghraib scandal)
3.) Torture Prison scandal: the US and British governments critically scorned and sought to punish those who leaked the story that the US was operating Torture Prisons in other countries.. Bush himself looked straight into the camera and said "WE DO NOT TORTURE..." But wait - an independent investigation by someone OUTSIDE of the country found that there is STRONG evidence that support the presence of Torture Prisons throughout Europe and now in northern Africa.. (RESULT: We're now running the prisons out of Morroco..)
4.) The infamous CIA-Plame leak story: "I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action." Only to hear Bob Novak say: "I'm confident the president knows who the source is ... I'd be amazed if he doesn't." (RESULT: Libby - indicted, Rove - remains under investigation, others are still being investigated. Bush remains unknowingly oblivious during the whole affair.)
And yet, we're supposed to believe him that he's looking out for our security when he's spying on anti-war activists?? Not only does he NOT acknowledge that he made a mistake, he's DEFENDING the decision - saying that it's been CONSULTED to lawyers and Congressional leadership...
Oh boy - that makes me feel better...
But it's not good when members of your own party do not agree with the provisions for renewing the Patriot Act citing privacy concerns.. Not withstanding the latest rumor that Karl Rove is going to be indicted for hiding or destroying evidence linking him to the Plame-CIA leak.. This is a flagrant misuse of information - to attempt to extort to gain political capital on those that disagree with your policy.. Handing our privacy to this administration on a silver platter is flat out wrong..
Yet we live in a culture of blindness..
We live in a culture of deafness..
Those that continue to support this administration when we remain in CLEAR and PRESENT DANGER - do not understand the scope of what's happening.. This is not a President getting it on with an intern.. Lives are being lost.. Families are being ruined.. And soon, we will become a police state.. Hitler and Stalin immediately come to mind because as they sought for the good of their nations - they employed the same spying policy on their citizenry..
If this is okay with those that support this administration - then I'm not sure what to say about that..
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Speaking in volumes
"Former 9/11 Commissioners: U.S. at risk.."
This article speaks volumes for a number of reasons:
1.) This administration has no clear idea of what the war on terrorism actually is
2.) This administration remains dedicated to the pursuit of Iraq no matter the cost
3.) The administration and Congress have neglected to heed the warnings of the 9/11 commission that set forth an important line of security precautions that reveal several flaws in our infrastructure and our intelligence..
4.) We're further isolated, fragmented and otherwise spread from one end of the globe to the other..
Even if this was not the terrorist's intent from the onset, all the needs to happen is to wait -- wait until we're isolated -- wait until we're vulnerable -- wait for the right time all the while keeping a consistent pressure on the peace in Iraq..
Saddam's trial will likely be a puppet show..
Iraq's ex-Prime Minister claims he was the target of an assassination attempt.. But if you read the story - you should be able to hear what the people are saying: they are fed up, they are frustrated, they are angry.. We're not talking about an uncivilized country, we're talking about an anger fueled by resentment..
All the meanwhile, we seem to have lost track of a chemist who is passionate about the "terrorist cause" and is currently developing chemical warfare to use against the Aghan/US forces.. Yeah - that's a problem..
So I have a really bad time believing Bush, the administration or any Senator or Congressman at this point who believes there are promising, good things happening right now.. It's not that I don't want bad things to happen to the Iraqi people, but no one seems to be listening to the Iraqi people.. Especially after we learn that the military has taken the liberty for planting news stories that favor the American military over there.. This is particularly disturbing because no matter how much we try to hold the country together, it's going to be completely unraveled just as fast as we're putting it together..
I said it once, I'll say it again: we're very presumptuous whenever we say "They want to be just like us..." No, Mr. Bush - they don't..
The country doesn't seem concerned anymore.. We just mosey along with our days - waiting for the next attack to happen.. *shrugs*
I guess all we can do is wait..
This article speaks volumes for a number of reasons:
1.) This administration has no clear idea of what the war on terrorism actually is
2.) This administration remains dedicated to the pursuit of Iraq no matter the cost
3.) The administration and Congress have neglected to heed the warnings of the 9/11 commission that set forth an important line of security precautions that reveal several flaws in our infrastructure and our intelligence..
4.) We're further isolated, fragmented and otherwise spread from one end of the globe to the other..
Even if this was not the terrorist's intent from the onset, all the needs to happen is to wait -- wait until we're isolated -- wait until we're vulnerable -- wait for the right time all the while keeping a consistent pressure on the peace in Iraq..
Saddam's trial will likely be a puppet show..
Iraq's ex-Prime Minister claims he was the target of an assassination attempt.. But if you read the story - you should be able to hear what the people are saying: they are fed up, they are frustrated, they are angry.. We're not talking about an uncivilized country, we're talking about an anger fueled by resentment..
All the meanwhile, we seem to have lost track of a chemist who is passionate about the "terrorist cause" and is currently developing chemical warfare to use against the Aghan/US forces.. Yeah - that's a problem..
So I have a really bad time believing Bush, the administration or any Senator or Congressman at this point who believes there are promising, good things happening right now.. It's not that I don't want bad things to happen to the Iraqi people, but no one seems to be listening to the Iraqi people.. Especially after we learn that the military has taken the liberty for planting news stories that favor the American military over there.. This is particularly disturbing because no matter how much we try to hold the country together, it's going to be completely unraveled just as fast as we're putting it together..
I said it once, I'll say it again: we're very presumptuous whenever we say "They want to be just like us..." No, Mr. Bush - they don't..
The country doesn't seem concerned anymore.. We just mosey along with our days - waiting for the next attack to happen.. *shrugs*
I guess all we can do is wait..
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Losing Face...
Bush is losing his political standing regarding the Iraq war..
As if this is suddenly *astonishing* news, but it's not..
Democratic Congressman John Murtha's statements have sent a rippling effect through both parties which has stirred up the controversy surrounding the course and action for the Iraq war.. While I may or may not agree with some of his assertions, it was another blow to Bush's attempt to keep his Iraqi project afloat..
But then Bush did something earlier in the week that was just astounding.. He gave a 35 page account for his strategy to win the Iraq war.. I haven't seen this document - I have better things to do with my time, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, 2 years later, two thousand military lives lost, tens of thousands of Iraq people, a fragile government -- and our President, the one who sold the American people that Saddam had WMD and was harboring terrorists and the incontrovertible link between Iraq and Al Qaeda -- the President that has admitted failures in his abilities to handle this war and respond to disasters .... contrived the equivalent of a thesis paper on exactly what it would take to win the war in Iraq..
Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE the idea that our President is actually formulating a plan - but two years after the fact does not seem to be an entirely good way to govern a country, or to run a company..
Apparently others are equally concerned:
"Two of America's allies in Iraq are withdrawing forces this month and a half-dozen others are debating possible pullouts or reductions, increasing pressure on Washington as calls mount to bring home U.S. troops."
The story continues to report that Bulgaria and the Ukraine will begin to pull out their troops by mid-December.. Australia, Britain, Italy, Japan, Poland and South Korea are all looking into plans of their own that would scale back their involvement in the region.. All of this is announced on the heels of Bush's 35-page plan where he calls upon Americans to be "patient.."
Patience..
Amazing how we didn't exercise this so called patience when attempting to determine Iraq's involvement, or (the lack therein) with the events of 9/11, the link to terrorism or even Saddam had possessed WMD.. It comes to find out, if we had been focused and patient 3 years ago - we would not be in the situation we're in today..
Patience..
Saddam's trial is being delayed again - as Saddam himself is saying that there is no jurisdiction over presiding over his alleged crimes.. He disavows the government and maintains that he's still the President of Iraq.. Reports have been circulating that in the likelihood that Saddam is found innocent - the American advisors overseeing the trial are going to make sure Saddam is charged with everything down to jaywalking.... Wow.. "How's that democracy working in Iraq, Dubya??"
Patience..
The Military has admitted to paying off news stories printed in Iraq to give coalition forces a much better slant with the people of Iraq.. We have the same phenomenon happening over here as well - people just don't recognize it because it's called Fox News.. I applaud the military for at least admitting that they are deliberately trying to slant the news -- because they are courageous enough to admit it.. Do we think Murdoch will ever do anything like this?? Eh, not so much..
Patience..
Then there are two stories which have been particularly unnerving: our government has vehemently denied the deliberate bombing of Al Jazzera -- yet, arrests have been made against those that leaked the story because the information was contained in classified material.. Wait.. Arrests were made because someone leaked information contained in classified files - that would make it true, wouldn't it??
The slippery slopes continue with the allegations of torture prisons in Europe.. As the investigations mount, our President is steadfast to say: "we don't torture.." Abu Ghraib is merely a resort in comparison from the other torture prisons that have been circulating in various news rooms.. If in fact the allegations are true - and our prisoners have been sent to these prisons -- then we have yet another lie from this President.. The nerve has been sliced with Condoleeza Rice's warning to our European allies: back off..
The battle cry is slipping, George..
Nations are not rushing to your aid, George..
Allies are backing away, George..
If anything, Bin Laden is probably smiling right now.. America is now very isolated from our allies, several of which that have spanned several decades.. Friendships and cooperation has been fractured by this administration.. With a cavalier approach to politics, foreign relations and this "war on terrorism" George Bush is simply losing ground -- quickly.. Even though we continue to sink deeper and deeper into this abyss this administration is quite comfortable and content to allow it to happen..
We're exposing ourselves to a greater threat - an invisible threat which this administration is blind to: leadership.. He can't effectively govern a country or a war like he's a Monday morning quarterback.. It's ineffective, it's negligent and it's very scary..
The United States of America needs leadership and we need it now..
As if this is suddenly *astonishing* news, but it's not..
Democratic Congressman John Murtha's statements have sent a rippling effect through both parties which has stirred up the controversy surrounding the course and action for the Iraq war.. While I may or may not agree with some of his assertions, it was another blow to Bush's attempt to keep his Iraqi project afloat..
But then Bush did something earlier in the week that was just astounding.. He gave a 35 page account for his strategy to win the Iraq war.. I haven't seen this document - I have better things to do with my time, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, 2 years later, two thousand military lives lost, tens of thousands of Iraq people, a fragile government -- and our President, the one who sold the American people that Saddam had WMD and was harboring terrorists and the incontrovertible link between Iraq and Al Qaeda -- the President that has admitted failures in his abilities to handle this war and respond to disasters .... contrived the equivalent of a thesis paper on exactly what it would take to win the war in Iraq..
Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE the idea that our President is actually formulating a plan - but two years after the fact does not seem to be an entirely good way to govern a country, or to run a company..
Apparently others are equally concerned:
"Two of America's allies in Iraq are withdrawing forces this month and a half-dozen others are debating possible pullouts or reductions, increasing pressure on Washington as calls mount to bring home U.S. troops."
The story continues to report that Bulgaria and the Ukraine will begin to pull out their troops by mid-December.. Australia, Britain, Italy, Japan, Poland and South Korea are all looking into plans of their own that would scale back their involvement in the region.. All of this is announced on the heels of Bush's 35-page plan where he calls upon Americans to be "patient.."
Patience..
Amazing how we didn't exercise this so called patience when attempting to determine Iraq's involvement, or (the lack therein) with the events of 9/11, the link to terrorism or even Saddam had possessed WMD.. It comes to find out, if we had been focused and patient 3 years ago - we would not be in the situation we're in today..
Patience..
Saddam's trial is being delayed again - as Saddam himself is saying that there is no jurisdiction over presiding over his alleged crimes.. He disavows the government and maintains that he's still the President of Iraq.. Reports have been circulating that in the likelihood that Saddam is found innocent - the American advisors overseeing the trial are going to make sure Saddam is charged with everything down to jaywalking.... Wow.. "How's that democracy working in Iraq, Dubya??"
Patience..
The Military has admitted to paying off news stories printed in Iraq to give coalition forces a much better slant with the people of Iraq.. We have the same phenomenon happening over here as well - people just don't recognize it because it's called Fox News.. I applaud the military for at least admitting that they are deliberately trying to slant the news -- because they are courageous enough to admit it.. Do we think Murdoch will ever do anything like this?? Eh, not so much..
Patience..
Then there are two stories which have been particularly unnerving: our government has vehemently denied the deliberate bombing of Al Jazzera -- yet, arrests have been made against those that leaked the story because the information was contained in classified material.. Wait.. Arrests were made because someone leaked information contained in classified files - that would make it true, wouldn't it??
The slippery slopes continue with the allegations of torture prisons in Europe.. As the investigations mount, our President is steadfast to say: "we don't torture.." Abu Ghraib is merely a resort in comparison from the other torture prisons that have been circulating in various news rooms.. If in fact the allegations are true - and our prisoners have been sent to these prisons -- then we have yet another lie from this President.. The nerve has been sliced with Condoleeza Rice's warning to our European allies: back off..
The battle cry is slipping, George..
Nations are not rushing to your aid, George..
Allies are backing away, George..
If anything, Bin Laden is probably smiling right now.. America is now very isolated from our allies, several of which that have spanned several decades.. Friendships and cooperation has been fractured by this administration.. With a cavalier approach to politics, foreign relations and this "war on terrorism" George Bush is simply losing ground -- quickly.. Even though we continue to sink deeper and deeper into this abyss this administration is quite comfortable and content to allow it to happen..
We're exposing ourselves to a greater threat - an invisible threat which this administration is blind to: leadership.. He can't effectively govern a country or a war like he's a Monday morning quarterback.. It's ineffective, it's negligent and it's very scary..
The United States of America needs leadership and we need it now..
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Wow - we've JUST got a strategy now!!
I woke up yesterday morning to the following headlines:
"Bush Maps Out New Iraq War Strategy..."
Within the next hour it was replaced with: "Bush Maps Out Iraq War Strategy..." The exact same story, just a different tag line... hmmm...
Think about this - Bush decided two years and over 2k fatalities later that it was a pretty good time to "map out" an Iraq War Strategy...
Shouldn't we have done this before we went into Iraq??
"Bush Maps Out New Iraq War Strategy..."
Within the next hour it was replaced with: "Bush Maps Out Iraq War Strategy..." The exact same story, just a different tag line... hmmm...
Think about this - Bush decided two years and over 2k fatalities later that it was a pretty good time to "map out" an Iraq War Strategy...
Shouldn't we have done this before we went into Iraq??
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