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Saturday, September 13, 2008
Palin lied about Iraq visit to "battle zone"
· 9/13/2008 06:54:00 AM ET · Link 
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Good grief, she lies repeatedly about everything. Then again, considering how flimsy her resume is, this is no surprise. Hey, I looked at China from the border in Laos so does that count as a visit to China? I changed planes at the airport in Seoul, so maybe that also counts as a visit according to Palin. I took a bus through Zambia for thirty minutes after rafting down the Zambezi River. Does that bus trip count as "on the ground experience" in Zambia? Does flying over Greenland count? I could see it from the plane window, after all.
Following her selection last month as John McCain's running mate, aides said Palin had traveled to Ireland, Germany, Kuwait, and Iraq to meet with members of the Alaska National Guard. During that trip she was said to have visited a "military outpost" inside Iraq. The campaign has since repeated that Palin's foreign travel included an excursion into the Iraq battle zone.

But in response to queries about the details of her trip, campaign aides and National Guard officials in Alaska said by telephone yesterday that she did not venture beyond the Kuwait-Iraq border when she visited Khabari Alawazem Crossing, also known as "K-Crossing," on July 25, 2007.

Asked to clarify where she traveled in Iraq, Palin's spokeswoman, Maria Comella, confirmed that "She visited a military outpost on the other side of the Kuwait-Iraq border."

It was the second such clarification in as many weeks of the itinerary of what Palin has called "the trip of a lifetime." Earlier, the campaign acknowledged that Palin made only a refueling stop in Ireland.
She took a few steps over the border to an outpost and thinks that was a battle zone? Does McCain honesty think this is valid experience for a v.p. candidate? Is he serious when he repeats the "she can see Russia" line? Even with that line, she has never even said that she personally saw Russia, only that it's possible. What new lie are we going to discover next? When is the media going to quit calling her lies "clarifications" or "stretching the truth" or providing other excuses. A lie is a lie and Palin-McCain can't stop themselves from lying.

Labels: Iraq, lies, sarah palin



Thursday, September 11, 2008
Petraeus contradicts Palin on Iraq
· 9/11/2008 04:34:00 PM ET · Link 
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Oops. I guess Sarah Palin will have to retake her "My First Iraq 101" class the McCain campaign gave her this week. From Greg Sargent:
One of the McCain campaign's chief assaults on Barack Obama is that McCain is insisting that the troops return only after "victory" in Iraq, while Obama refuses to use that word -- a position the McCain forces describe as tantamount to wanting to lose.

But it turns out that none other than General Petraeus may now be refusing to use the word "victory," too.

In an interview with the BBC, Petraeus said he didn't know if he could promise "victory," said he didn't know if he would ever even use that word, and suggested that using it is irresponsible.
So Petraeus says that Palin has no idea what she's talking about. During her convention speech, which was written by John McCain's people. McCain must have approved the speech. So in fact, Petraeus is saying that John McCain has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to demanding we use the word "victory" in Iraq.

See, when you hire somebody for the second highest office in the land, and only vet their teleprompter one-liner skills, you're bound to have a few blips along the way. Blips like not understanding Iraq. Little things like that. I'm sure McCain can update Palin's teleprompter so that in the unfortunate event that she becomes president any time soon - McCain is 72 and has had 4 bouts of cancer - at least she can sound presidential even though she's utterly unqualified to lead America in a time of war. Yet again, John McCain's faltering judgment is aired for all to see.

Labels: general petraeus, Iraq, john mccain, sarah palin



Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Palin at controversial church: Iraq war and gas pipeline are God's will
· 9/03/2008 06:52:00 AM ET · Link 
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Sounds like a continuation of Bush's idea of God's will in Iraq though I suspect if asked, Bush would also throw in a natural gas pipeline from Alaska as well just for good measure.
Speaking before the Pentecostal church, Palin painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord.

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

Religion, however, was not strictly a thread in Palin's foreign policy. It was part of her energy proposals as well. Just prior to discussing Iraq, Alaska's governor asked the audience to pray for another matter -- a $30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state. "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.

Labels: bush's third term, Iraq, oil, sarah palin



Thursday, August 28, 2008
Halliburton sued under human traficking laws
· 8/28/2008 07:50:00 PM ET · Link 
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Disgusting, but hardly surprising.
One of America’s biggest military contractors is being sued by a Nepali labourer and the families of a dozen other employees who say they were taken against their will to work in Iraq. All but one of the Nepalese workers were subsequently kidnapped and murdered.

According to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, the Nepalese workers were recruited in 2004 in their home country by KBR and its Jordanian contractors, Daoud & Partners, to work as kitchen staff in a luxury hotel in Amman. Once they reached the Jordanian capital, however, their passports were taken from them and they were sent to Iraq. While travelling in an unprotected convoy, the Nepalis were kidnapped and later executed.

“It doesn’t appear that any of them knew they were going to Iraq,†said Matthew Handley, a lawyer representing the only survivor and the families of those who were killed. “A few were told they were going to work at an American camp ? They thought they were going to work in America.â€

Labels: halliburton, human rights, Iraq



Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Is the financial crisis really missing from the conventions?
· 8/27/2008 07:46:00 PM ET · Link 
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Bloomberg is ripping both parties today for their lack of specifics on the current financial crisis. I appreciate what Bloomberg is saying but I also agree with Senator Schumer that a convention may not be the place to discuss the specifics of something as detailed as SEC governance. Obama and the rest of the Democrats have hardly shied away from hammering away on the failed policies that led to this crisis, something that Bloomberg ignores in their story. To suggest that "the worst financial crisis since the Depression" merely "occurred on their [GOP] watch" is missing a major point. It didn't just occur on the GOP watch, it was created with deliberate intention on their watch. Phil Gramm anyone?

Either way, Bloomberg has a point in that the next President will be facing expensive problems such as the loss of over $1 trillion thanks to the GOP credit crisis, continuing failures by Detroit who also want a bailout despite a clear record of management incompetence and job cuts in the tens of thousands, the housing bailout and don't forget the ongoing cost of the war in Iraq. And to think we haven't even heard from the airlines come back for their third bailout since Bush arrived.

Each issue on its own is an expensive problem. Combined, we're looking at breaking the bank yet again. If anyone has a clue as to where we're going to find the money to fund all of this, I'm all ears. The ongoing Iraq costs will cause obstacles to the bailout fever gripping Washington as well as any plans for new initiatives for the future such as alternative energy or even education.

We may not be hearing too many specifics this week or next, but we will surely hear much more substance on the credit crisis in the coming weeks. Neither candidate can afford to ignore the issue and voters won't allow the crisis to be ignored.

Labels: bailout, credit crisis, Iraq, Republican economy



Thursday, August 14, 2008
New Mexico GOP House candidate hits new low: Accuses opponent of cutting throats of troops
· 8/14/2008 01:02:00 AM ET · Link 
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Nothing is too low for Republican candidates this year. Check out the video below from Democracy for New Mexico:
Last week the Association of Commerce and Industry hosted Democrat Harry Teague and Republican Ed Tinsley at a NM-02 Congressional candidate forum in Las Cruces. One of the issues discussed by the two was the Iraq war. Now the ACI membership, similar to that of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is generally moderate-to-conservative and business-oriented. And yet they broke out in boos and cries of "shame on you" when Tinsley said his piece. And they clapped and cheered as Teague explained his position on Iraq. Watch the video above to see why.


This page contained an embedded video. Click here to view it.

Labels: ed tinsley, harry teague, Iraq, new mexico



Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Embedded with the Iraqi Army
· 8/12/2008 05:01:00 PM ET · Link 
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And it ain't pretty. This is an important read to fill in the gaps when you hear McCain and Bush brag about how many Iraqi security forces we've trained. You'll recall a while back we posted an article from an American service members, in charge of training Iraq troops, who said he wouldn't trust half the Iraq security forces to "feed his dog." In any case, Iraq has become a welfare state - though in this case, it's the state that's on welfare. No need to buy the cow (or truly train the forces) when you get the milk for free. So long as Americans are willing to risk their lives to defend Iraqis, why should Iraqis bother defending themselves?

Labels: Iraq



Saturday, August 09, 2008
Salon: New evidence suggests Ron Suskind is right
· 8/09/2008 03:35:00 PM ET · Link 
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Joe Conason at Salon looks into Ron Suskind's story that Bush had the CIA fake evidence to retroactively justify the US invasion of Iraq. I ignored this story at first, worrying that it was another kooky conspiracy story, but if Joe Conason says it looks credible, then I would tend to believe Joe. Check it out for yourself - Joe digests the story nicely in only one page.

Labels: Iraq, wmd



Thursday, August 07, 2008
US reportedly close to deal on withdrawing combat troops from Iraq by October 2010
· 8/07/2008 02:22:00 PM ET · Link 
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Obama proposed 16 months.

This deal is 21 months.

Only five months difference.

John McCain just got his legs cut off by George Bush.

Labels: Iraq



Thursday, July 31, 2008
$560 million "wasted" in Iraq
· 7/31/2008 02:39:00 AM ET · Link 
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It wouldn't be fair to ask John McCain about yet another story of wasted money in Iraq. It's his pet project but somehow he manages to avoid responsibility for the countless failures. I guess when you're serving him donuts with sprinkles, it's tough to ask the hard questions. Expensive donuts, but who's counting?
The United States has "wasted" more than half a billion dollars in Iraq repairing facilities that were damaged because of poor security, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction says in a report released Wednesday.

Stuart Bowen's quarterly report arrived at a price tag of $560 million by tallying the results of more than 100 audits his office has conducted.

Further billions had to be diverted from reconstruction to security because the Bush administration did not adequately foresee how volatile Iraq would be when it began rebuilding the country, the report says.

"The U.S. government did not fully anticipate or plan for the unstable working environment that faced U.S. managers when reconstruction began in Iraq," it says.

Contractors spent an average of 12.5 percent of their reconstruction contracts on security, the inspector general found.

Bowen's team also criticizes the government for poor coordination between agencies.

Labels: Iraq, john mccain, waste



Wednesday, July 30, 2008
RAND STUDY: War on Terrorism fundamentally flawed and doomed to fail
· 7/30/2008 05:37:00 PM ET · Link 
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Today's Washington Post covers what amounts to a near complete repudiation of the Bush administration "terrorism" policy since 9/11. The fact that the study is coming from the RAND Corporation (SourceWatch profile) is huge. RAND, while technically non-partisan, has a long history shaping a hawkish US strategic policy. (To get a flavor of just what type of organization RAND is, Donald Rumsfeld has sat on their Board of Trustees.)
The Bush administration's terrorism-fighting strategy has not significantly undermined al-Qaeda's capabilities, according to a major new study that argues the struggle against terrorism is better waged by law enforcement agencies than by armies.

The study by the nonpartisan Rand Corp. also contends that the administration committed a fundamental error in portraying the conflict with al-Qaeda as a "war on terrorism." The phrase falsely suggests that there can be a battlefield solution to terrorism, and symbolically conveys warrior status on terrorists, it said.

"Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors," authors Seth Jones and Martin Libicki write in "How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al-Qaeda," a 200-page volume released yesterday.

But the authors contend that al-Qaeda has sabotaged itself by creating ever greater numbers of enemies while not broadening its base of support. "Al-Qaeda's probability of success in actually overthrowing any government is close to zero," the report states.
...
The authors call for a strategy that includes a greater reliance on law enforcement and intelligence agencies in disrupting the group's networks and in arresting its leaders. They say that when military forces are needed, the emphasis should be on local troops, which understand the terrain and culture and tend to have greater legitimacy.

In Muslim countries in particular, there should be a "light U.S. military footprint or none at all," the report contends.

"The U.S. military can play a critical role in building indigenous capacity," it said, "but should generally resist being drawn into combat operations in Muslim societies, since its presence is likely to increase terrorist recruitment."
You might remember that back in 2000, the Republicans and George Bush criticized the Clinton administration for treating terrorism as a law enforcement problem instead of a military problem. RAND confirms the Clinton strategy as more effective.

Note that last item about the U.S. military taking little to no role on the ground in Muslim countries. This is exactly what opponents to the Iraq war tried to say ahead of the invasion.

Bottom line, the war on terror is the real fight - on the war in Iraq Barack Obama was right and John McCain was wrong. McCain's willingness to stay in Iraq "maybe one hundred" years shows his complete lack of understanding of the root cause of terrorism.

Labels: barack obama, Iraq, john mccain, terrorism



Tuesday, July 29, 2008
McCain endorses "timetable" for Iraq - again - right after he said he never did
· 7/29/2008 10:22:00 AM ET · Link 
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He's baaaack. Only a day or so after declaring that he NEVER said the word "timetable" (he did), McCain is now again saying that a 16-month withdrawal timetable from Iraq is fine with him, if the commanders on the ground approve it. I'm actually kind of enjoying this.

Labels: confused, Iraq, john mccain



Monday, July 28, 2008
Over $4 billion in failed rebuilding projects for Iraq
· 7/28/2008 05:37:00 AM ET · Link 
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So where has McCain been when this was collapsing? Iraq is his pet project, so let's hear what he's been doing to protect American taxpayers and make sure that our money is spent wisely in Iraq. The Republicans can't stop telling everyone how well they run the economy but the facts say something radically different. Their friends fail to meet the terms and conditions of contracts and yet they're still paid. Everyone else should be so lucky.
The pages also add another narrative to the wider probes into the billions lost so far on scrubbed or substandard projects in Iraq and one of the main contractors accused of failing to deliver, the Parsons construction group of Pasadena, Calif.

"This is $40 million invested in a project with very little return," Bowen told The Associated Press in Washington. "A couple of buildings are useful. Other than that, it's a failure."

In the pecking order of corruption in Iraq, the dead-end prison project at Khan Bani Saad is nowhere near the biggest or most tangled.

Bowen estimated up to 20 percent "waste" — or more than $4 billion — from the $21 billion spent so far in the U.S.-bankrolled Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund. It's just one piece of a recovery effort that swelled beyond $112 billion in U.S., Iraqi and international contributions.

But the empty prison compound — in the shadows of more than two dozen watchtowers now dotted by birds' nests — is an open sore for both American watchdogs and local Iraqi politicians who had counted on the prison as an economic boost.

Labels: Iraq, john mccain



Sunday, July 27, 2008
McCain on ABC: I never said nothing about no timetable. (Even though he said it the day before)
· 7/27/2008 03:28:00 PM ET · Link 
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Wow.

One day after McCain said he thought sixteen months was a "pretty good timetable" for withdrawing from Iraq, McCain claimed he never said the word "timetable." Seriously, McCain said to Stephanopoulos "I didn’t use the word timetable." One day later.

Is he for real?

Think Progress has a longer video of the interview. Two things: 1) George Stephanopoulos really is intimidated by McCain; 2) McCain either thinks it doesn't matter what he says or doesn't remember what he says. Neither is good.

Labels: Iraq, john mccain



Friday, July 25, 2008
McCain actually thinks 16-month timetable is "a pretty good timetable"
· 7/25/2008 06:29:00 PM ET · Link 
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For all McCain's squawking and complaining and railing about Iraq timetables, today, on CNN, the GOP nominee endorsed the 16-month timetable. That's al-Maliki's idea -- and what Obama has proposed, too, p.s.

You're probably thinking, after all McCain has done to castigate Obama for pushing a timetable, he couldn't possibly have gone on CNN and supported a timetable himself. But, yes, he did:
This page contained an embedded video. Click here to view it.

Labels: al maliki, Iraq, john mccain



Thursday, July 24, 2008
McCain claimed Iraq was "the first major conflict since 9/11" -- ignoring the war in Afghanistan, where the 9/11 attackers were based
· 7/24/2008 08:24:00 PM ET · Link 
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Okay, maybe the punditry will finally start paying attention to McCain's constant screw ups on basic foreign policy issues. They should, because this is one big error uncovered by the Cenk Uygur. Yesterday, he called the war in Iraq "the first major conflict since 9/11." As Cenk wrote:
Was Afghanistan not major enough for him? It almost reminds you of when Don Rumsfeld was not impressed with invading Afghanistan because it did not provide a rich enough target environment. He needed something more major.

In all likelihood, this was a simple mental mistake for McCain, among a litany of others recently. But it does go toward state of mind. They never saw Afghanistan as a priority.
Now, McCain did manage to work in a reference to 9/11, which makes his gaffe even worse. We went to war in Afghanistan directly because of 9/11. The masterminds of the 9/11 attack were operating in Afghanistan. They're still out there because McCain supported Bush's war in Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11.

This pattern of basic errors by McCain is becoming quite disconcerting.

Labels: afghanistan, Iraq, john mccain




Wash Post: "CBS Admits to Editing McCain's Iraq Answers"
· 7/24/2008 08:15:00 AM ET · Link 
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That headline, "CBS Admits to Editing McCain's Iraq Answers" in the print edition of the Washington Post sure caught my eye this morning. Pretty interesting admission, so I figured I'd post it. But, that's not the online title. As you can see, in "The Trail," that piece has as much more innocuous title, "McCain's Interview on CBS." Yes, it's McCain's interview on CBS, but it's a whole lot more than that:
In response to critics, led by MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann, CBS News Senior Vice President Paul Friedman noted the full transcript and video were available online. He added in a statement: "The report was edited under extreme time constraints and one piece of tape was put in the wrong order. Fortunately, this did not in any way distort what Senator McCain was saying."

Democrats quickly seized on McCain's statement in the interview, saying that it contained a remarkable gaffe for a politician who's supposed to be an expert on the Iraqi conflict.

As Democrats eagerly pointed out, the awakening started months before the surge in troops was announced in January of 2007. Troops did not actually get deployed until March of 2007, long after the awakening began.
So, in fact, if CBS News Senior Vice President Paul Friedman knew the actual issues involved in his network's editing mistake, he'd know that CBS did distort what McCain was saying.

Labels: cbs, Iraq, john mccain



Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Do the Republicans want to leave Iraq ever?
· 7/23/2008 09:34:00 PM ET · Link 
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I get the need to withdraw from Iraq in an orderly manner that protects our troops and preserves whatever gains we've made. But, isn't it a bit odd that we're "negotiating" with the Iraqi government over whether, and when, we're ever going to be leaving Iraq? Basically, the "negotiating" positions are:

1. Iraq: Buh-bye
2. US: No

I just find it odd that we're "not an occupying force," but at the same time, the government in power, that we're supposedly there to help, has to "negotiate" our withdrawal, rather than just being able to tell their friend that it's time to go. Not to mention, the very fact that we're negotiating, and clearly opposing the Iraqi government position, which is "please leave," suggests that Bush and McCain really don't want us to leave Iraq for a long time. And just look at how upset Bush and McCain are with Obama, and Maliki, ever since their positions fused as one. It's as though the Republicans are simply don't want to leave Iraq, ever.

Labels: Iraq




Why the right wing and the media swiftboated General Wesley Clark
· 7/23/2008 06:39:00 PM ET · Link 
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Because he's one of the best things the Democratic party has - a general who is on our side. A general who was the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. What the Republicans know, and we always manage to forget, is that they always go for our strengths. John Kerry is a war hero? Then attack his war record. George Soros is funding Democratic advocacy, then demonize Soros. MoveOn has become a major fundraiser and activist resource for Democrats, then make MoveOn a bad word in the Democratic party. The blogs have become a powerful left-wing noise machine, then demonize and marginalize the blogs.

They always target our strengths. And our problem? We always let them. It's time we stopped shoving our best assets to the side, and started using them. And here, without further ado, is the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, General Wesley Clark.

Labels: Iraq, Wesley Clark




Jed presents "John McCain's Neverending War"
· 7/23/2008 01:13:00 PM ET · Link 
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Watch this:

This page contained an embedded video. Click here to view it.


Jed does it again. Bravo.

Jed posted this video last night. So far, it's had over 25,000 views, which is very impressive for a nine-minute video. Jed also reports that the McCainiacs have been trying to bury it on Digg. So, he's trying again. Digg it.

Labels: Iraq, john mccain








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