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Saturday, May 29, 2004
Update: the fracas in Caracas
Colin Powell says “we are not interfering” in Venezuela… but one must wonder whether something is afoot. He said the same thing about Haiti. Are the moral and leadership attributes of the freely elected Venezuelan leader any worse than those of the crew the Bush administration has approved by executive fiat to run a “fully sovereign” Iraq? Hugo Chavez is no Fidel Castro. But when the White House yells “oil” they want their puppet in afro-mestizo Venezuela to respond more like Stepin Fetchit than a sovereign leader.
posted by Groom
6:40 PM
Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?
So, here are Shrub and Condi working up a sweat on their adjoining treadmills and Shrub is thinking, you know, Condi doesn't look all that bad in her little running shorts and maybe she's just a six-pack away from being a decent Thursday night closer and they're both just chilling and waiting for that little brown Arab guy to bail their sorry asses out of the Iraq mess when George Tenet bursts in.
"The Governing Council has appointed a prime minister."
"Wait," Shrub says, "I thought that Boudini guy was doing that."
"Nope," Tenet says. "Jerry threatened to cut off their allowances and they picked one of ours."
"It's not that fat little friend of Dick's, is it? Karl tells we've got a problem with that one."
"No, no, that's Chalabi. This guy is his cousin and we've had him in our back pocket for years."
"Does Boudini know?"
"Well, I thought I'd better tell you first but this is very good news for us. This guy is our Iraqi Karzai."
"You're sure about that?"
"Trust me, Mr. President. It's a slam dunk."
posted by Jerry Bowles
10:42 AM
In Search of Audie Murphy
First, Jessica Lynch; now Pat Tillman. As The Boss wrote in Local Hero:
Well I learned my job I learned it well
Fit myself with religion and a story to tell
First they made me the king then they made me pope
Then they brought the rope
posted by Jerry Bowles
10:01 AM
More Proof There Is No God: No Lightning Struck Him
I call it the responsibility era. --George W. Bush, May 26, 2004
Good. Because, come November 2nd, there's just so so much for you to be held responsible for . . .
. . . in fact, I'm thinking of building you a glass booth, Mr. Bush, for your upcoming trial in the Hague . . .
posted by Michael
3:23 AM
Friday, May 28, 2004
My God, Even Jim Hoagland
Even Washington Post columnist Jim Hoagland, whose column has been a regular source of rage-induced ulcers for me when it shows up in The Japan Times has begun to see the light. His column on the Bush Iraq speech is titled Five Points of Reality That Bush Overlooked.
posted by John
9:00 PM
Supersize the minimum wage
The current US minimum wage is $5.15/hr. In California, the world’s 7th largest economy, the minimum wage is $6.75/hr. That’s a difference of 12 packs of Top Ramen at your favorite discount store. Against a backdrop of declining real wages, the California Labor Federation claims that, for today’s California minimum wage to match the purchasing power of the 1968 minimum, workers need to be earning $8.92/hr. Why aren’t Terry McAuliffe and his friends at the AFL-CIO COPE putting that one out on the wire big time?
A bill to increase California’s minimum wage to $7.75/hr is pending in the state legislature. As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, GOP legislators say that average Americans need to understand that all those Bush recovery jobs weren’t designed to feed a family of four. Or as the late, great Johnny Paycheck would say... take your McJob and shove it.
posted by Groom
4:55 PM
Naked and Dead
If you don't believe that war crimes have been committed by Americans in Iraq, this Los Angeles Times story should open your eyes. My heart breaks at the moral cesspool the Bush administration has turned us into.
posted by Jerry Bowles
4:19 PM
This is CNN
Atrios with help from Josh Marshall is encouraging bloggers to email CNN for the nice little plug that reporter Kelli Arena (why do CNN "girl" reporters have names like Candy and Kelli-with-an-eye) gave to BushCo by stating that John Kerry would be Al Qaeda's choice for President because he would pull troops out of Iraq. AS IF Bush himself is not a walking recruitment poster (I wonder if they use Jerry Bowle's Gabby Hayes doctored photo?)
Does anyone expect the only major all news cable channel that is not run out of the RNC to be fair and balanced these days? While it is probably unrealistic to expect that the SEC will give Dick Parsons the pass that they have so far given "Kenny Boy," CNN's parent, Time Warner, is hardly in a position to exercise the kind of editorial independence that is required on this topic.
posted by Evelyn
3:41 PM
This is Your Captain Speaking
The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), the union that represents most of the nation's airline pilots, has endorsed John Kerry for president. The union's Executive Board voted unanimously to endorse the presumptive Democratic nominee at a meeting today in Washington.
"The evidence is clear that President Bush's record adds up to an unending string of actions that have hurt pilots, other working Americans, and the unions that represent them. It is time for a change," said Capt. Duane E. Woerth, president of ALPA. PR Newswire
These guys tend to be conservative and many are ex-military types so this is significant.
posted by Jerry Bowles
11:35 AM
Panic at Mayberry Lake
Uh oh. Looks like Barney is in big trouble with Andy this time.
posted by Jerry Bowles
10:11 AM
Republican Potty Reptile
Jessica Cutler is no Monica Lewinsky. Just a hottie on the staff of Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) until she published her Capitol Hill sexcapades on the net. Boink, boink! She got her ticket punched right out of the Beltway. Too bad she didn't have a close encounter with DeWine's pal Sen. George Allen (R-VA), who needs some comeuppance after yesterdays remark about Al Gore being mentally unstable.
posted by Groom
9:33 AM
Nation's Elected President Rips Bush A New One, Proposes We Return To Right Side Of Looking Glass Come November
posted by Michael
1:34 AM
Kerry vs. Bush, Why Not Listen to Kerry Himself?
If you find yourself confused by slipshod accounts of John Kerry's position on national security and how it does or does not differ from that of the current administration, why not skip the pundits' rehashes? Go instead to the words of Kerry himself.
More than a century ago, Teddy Roosevelt defined American leadership in foreign policy. He said America should walk softly and carry a big stick. Time and again, this Administration has violated the fundamental tenet of Roosevelt's approach, as he described it: "If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble."
But that is precisely what this Administration has done. They looked to force before exhausting diplomacy. They bullied when they should have persuaded.
They have gone it alone when they should have assembled a team. They have hoped for the best when they should have prepared for the worst. In short, they have undermined the legacy of generations of American leadership. And that is what we must restore.
"If a man continually blusters...." Teddy sure nailed it, didn't he.
posted by John
1:08 AM
Pope Condemns Torture As Affront to Humans
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul II condemned torture Thursday as an intolerable affront to human dignity, lamenting that reports of abuses "constantly arrive from all continents."
The pope made no mention of any countries or specific cases in his speech to seven new ambassadors to the Holy See.
On June 4, John Paul is scheduled to meet with President Bush, whose administration is under heavy criticism for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by the U.S. military at Abu Ghraib prison. Several Vatican cardinals have already assailed the abuse.
Now, in scrupulous fairness to Dubya, the Catholic Church has little room to criticize -- after all, Bush's chief purpose was only "inquisitorial" as well . . .
posted by Michael
12:58 AM
Thursday, May 27, 2004
What Gore Said About Kerry
The BBC finds little difference between George Bush and John Kerry when it comes to policy on Iraq. Already a tide is swelling of groans and moans from those who would like to see Kerry differentiating himself more sharply from Bush. Do note, however, the following astute observation buried deep in Al Gore's recent speech.
In my opinion, John Kerry is dealing with this unfolding tragedy in an impressive and extremely responsible way. Our nation's best interest lies in having a new president who can turn a new page, sweep clean with a new broom, and take office on January 20th of next year with the ability to make a fresh assessment of exactly what our nation's strategic position is as of the time the reigns of power are finally wrested from the group of incompetents that created this catastrophe.
Kerry should not tie his own hands by offering overly specific, detailed proposals concerning a situation that is rapidly changing and unfortunately, rapidly deteriorating, but should rather preserve his, and our country's, options, to retrieve our national honor as soon as this long national nightmare is over.
Eisenhower did not propose a five-point plan for changing America's approach to the Korean War when he was running for president in 1952.
We would all like to see a clear and persuasive alternative to the clusterfuck that the Bush administration has made of Iraq. But on careful reflection I think Al is right. It is one thing to criticize the administration's incompetence and ideological blinders, another to rush into a rapidly evolving situation with specifics that may be irrelevant by January 2005.
posted by John
10:53 PM
Disorderly Retreat
So, we backed down in Fallujah; now, we've backed down in Najef. A new Bush strategy is emerging: "Fuck it, you guys do whatever you want."
And the hawks claim it's not Viet Nam all over again.
posted by Jerry Bowles
7:01 PM
Exsanguination Blues
We know that John Kerry doesn’t own the SUV he tools around in… it belongs to his family. And all those gas guzzlers down at Shrubby’s Crawford dude ranch …they’re working vehicles owned by the enterprise not the prez. Deborah Saunders has a great piece in todays San Francisco Chronicle reminding us that when it comes to the politics of miles per gallon Kerry and the SUV liberals are no different than the Bushes and Roves and DeLays who hate them. One more reason that unverified electronic voting is so popular on both sides of the aisle these days.
posted by Groom
6:37 PM
Rx drug “benefit”… another Bush bait and switch… where’s Kerry?
After Astra-gliding America on Medicare the AARP is eating crow with a finding that prices on top-selling drugs used by seniors are increasing at five times the rate of inflation. This wipes out the “savings” pimped by the White House to and makes you wonder why the Grey Panthers at Century Village haven’t dispatched a posse to give Tommy Thompson a wood shampoo for all the lies HHS put out in support of this piece of Kleptocracy. America's tattered "social net" should be a core issue for all Dem candidates. The drug "benefit" goes into effect June 1st. The more the Dems stay quiet and suck up to K Street lobbyist money the more they become disconnected from their core base of average American voters. And, unfortunately, the more John Kerry risks becoming to the presidential nomination what Ira Magaziner was to the Clinton health care inititiative.
posted by Groom
3:01 PM
Score One for Common Sense
John Kerry will accept the nomination in Boston afterall. Now if we could only decide if we really want him to be our guy. Maureen Dowd summed it up today: "Mr. Kerry has made a huge $25 million ad buy in recent weeks, believing that the better voters know him, the more they'll like him. But many Democrats fear he's one of those supercilious/smarmy candidates (like Al Gore) for whom the opposite is true: the more you know him, the less you want to see him."
posted by Jerry Bowles
10:37 AM
The Civil Center?
Interesting piece today by Martin Schramm on Capitol Hill Blue, talking about the likes of Lugar (R) and Biden (D), Clinton (D) and Graham (R), joining together in what looks like all too rare examples of support for rational political discourse.
posted by John
3:21 AM
The Road to Baghdad
If we ever do get ourselves out of the mess in Baghdad, or put another way, if the situation there ever stabilizes to allow our troops to avoid Middle Eastern conflicts, it will only be in concert with ousting Ariel Sharon, whom Nicholas Kristof nails as a greater threat to Israeli security than Yasir Arafat. Unmentioned in this piece – and in the remarks that retired Gen. Anthony Zinni made to the Center for Defense Information which Kristof quotes – is the role that Bill Clinton played in trying to accomplish what my mother would call “first things first.”
Zinni’s entire address is well worth examining, but his note of the strategic error of going to Baghdad without solving the Israeli-Palestinian problem, indeed of believing as the Perle/Wolfowitz cabal did, that going to Baghdad would solve the problem, is memorable:
“That the road to Jerusalem led through Baghdad, when just the opposite is true, the road to Baghdad led through Jerusalem. You solve the Middle East peace process, you'd be surprised what kinds of others things will work out.”
Rather than credit Bill Clinton with this understanding, the chicken hawk cabal sniggered over his eleventh hour attempts at Camp David to get Arafat to accept Barak’s terms. In fact, Bush viewed Clinton’s inability to broker a deal with Arafat and Barak at Camp David with the greatest contempt. In BushWorld, as we know, where the geopolitical is never about policy or reality but more a game of Christian “who’s on first,” anything that had the mark of Clinton’s astute understanding was cootie-ridden.
I am certain that Bill’s upcoming tome will address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, since it was the great unfinished business of his administration. Hopefully, it will also spark a new discussion of policy toward Sharon, and finding a permanent road out of Baghdad. Evelyn Keyes
posted by Jerry Bowles
12:04 AM
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
"Semper Fi" (to the Country, that is)
General Anthony Zinni goes straight to the heart of the matter when it comes to talking about Iraq.
“There has been poor strategic thinking in this,” says Zinni. “There has been poor operational planning and execution on the ground. And to think that we are going to ‘stay the course,’ the course is headed over Niagara Falls. I think it's time to change course a little bit, or at least hold somebody responsible for putting you on this course. Because it's been a failure.”
The CBS website story leads with this description of the General.
Retired General Anthony Zinni is one of the most respected and outspoken military leaders of the past two decades.
From 1997 to 2000, he was commander-in-chief of the United States Central Command, in charge of all American troops in the Middle East. That was the same job held by Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf before him, and Gen. Tommy Franks after.
posted by John
11:33 PM
You Know Al
President Bush offered a brief and half-hearted apology to the Arab world - but he should apologize to the American people for abandoning the Geneva Conventions. He also owes an apology to the U.S. Army for cavalierly sending them into harm's way while ignoring the best advice of their commanders. Perhaps most importantly of all, he should apologize to all those men and women throughout our world who have held the ideal of the United States of America as a shining goal, to inspire their hopeful efforts to bring about justice under a rule of law in their own lands. Of course, the problem with all these legitimate requests is that a sincere apology requires an admission of error, a willingness to accept responsibility and to hold people accountable. And President Bush is not only unwilling to acknowledge error. He has thus far been unwilling to hold anyone in his administration accountable for the worst strategic and military miscalculations and mistakes in the history of the United States of America.
He is willing only to apologize for the alleged erratic behavior of a few low-ranking enlisted people, who he is scapegoating for his policy fiasco. Al Gore, at NYU today Very tepid GOP response here. I don't think these guys have anything left.
posted by Jerry Bowles
6:32 PM
Painting the town with terror
Shrubby’s chicken fried speech was topped off with a Texas-size spoonful of terrorism. Now, sicherheitsleiter Tom Ridge is putting his stink on the situation.
“Credible…but not specific information… disturbing new reports… high profile events.” Tag lines to a 1940s film noir trailer? Try neurolinguistic programming… When Rydz was asked about the gravity of the terror threat he so duly hyped, he responded that the information on possible attacks "was not the most disturbing that I have personally seen during the past couple of years." Translation C-3 validity at best, at worst, total F-6 bullshit (on scale of A and 1 being highest; letter for quality of info, number for quality of source- US industry standard for grading collected material).
Elder Ashcroft and Bush family retainer “Dial M” for Mueller put their icing on the terror torte in the Washington Post. Calling all cars… be on the lookout for several suspected al Qaeda operatives who may be in the country.
Ashcroft says the terrorists are "almost ready" to attack. But being "almost ready" is the equivalent of someone being "almost pregnant." Either you are, or you arent. America's top cop had the photos of the suspected terrorists flash on TV for a bite. But to truly alert the "homeland," wouldn't it be more helpful to see the faces of these al Qaeda operatives on the post office wall, or maybe in the mailbox twice a week like the faces of the missing children. But hey, we're living in funny times… no budget money for those kind of visuals. This crew can’t even find the anthrax perp who shut down Congress. The only thing they might be able to do right is have enough cash on hand to buy themselves an October surprise...
posted by Groom
4:07 PM
Al Gore, Patriot
A huddled mass of angry Democrats yearning for red meat gathered at New York Univesity's Skirball center at midday today to hear Al Gore try to feed the spirits of the faithful until John Kerry figures out that there is a presidential campaign going on. Al did not disappoint, labeling George Bush "the most dishonest president since Richard Nixon" and the Bush administration "the most incompetent in the 228-year-history of the United States of America."
Gore looked older and grayer than I remembered but he managed to whip up some genuine indignation as he skillfully drew a straight line from Bush's "arrogant" policies to the abuse at Abu Ghraib, Afghanistan, Guantanamo and "places we haven't heard about yet." He called for the immediate resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, Stephen Cambone, Condolezza Rice and George Tenet, adding that Tenet was "a close personal friend whom he admired" but saying that he bore too much responsibility for the administration's foreign policy debacle to be spared.
He was critical of the administration's "arrogance and contempt" for the "rule of law," especially its abandonment of the Geneva Conventions which he said he was afraid made American soldiers vulnerable to "payback." He said Bush owed the American public an apology for abandoning the Geneva Conventions" and owed the world an apology for "dishonoring America."
He used the words "war crimes" and he was not talking about a handful of reservists at Abu Ghraib. He said George Bush and his band of "incompetents" had made America far less safe with their "recklessness" and "arrogance."
The only resistance he encountered with the audience (and it was restrained) is when he said he thought John Kerry was doing the right thing by not being too specific about what he might do in a situation that "is so fluid and changing so rapidly." Better to keep your options open and take a look at the whole thing with a fresh eye when Kerry is president. He pointed out that General Eisenhower got elected by promising to "go to Korea" but never spelling out what he would do when he got there.
It was a terrific speech--basically, the speech we all wish John Kerry would make. These are my notes from memory. When I find a transcript online, I'll link it. Transcript (Thanks, Brian)
posted by Jerry Bowles
2:54 PM
WTF?
Apparently the use of torture is more widespread then we even thought. We're even torturing our own soliders:
"But Maj. Laurie Arellano, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Southern Command in Miami, said Spc. Sean Baker's medical discharge last month was not related to the head injury he received during training at the detention center, where the U.S. government is holding suspected terrorists. She declined to elaborate, citing medical privacy laws.
Arellano's comments came a day after Baker said he posed as an uncooperative prisoner and was beaten so badly by four U.S. soldiers that he suffered a traumatic brain injury, requiring a medical discharge.
Baker, of Georgetown, said the soldiers only stopped beating him when they realized he might be American
Castro would be proud.
Brian Rodgers
posted by FPN
10:34 AM
How to Win Friends and Influence People
The US-led "war on terror" is behind a surge of human rights abuses around the world, according to a report by Amnesty International. The organisation said America's offensive against global terrorism was "bankrupt of vision" and had "made the world a more dangerous place". BBC May 26, 2004
posted by Jerry Bowles
9:26 AM
A Headline That Says It All
U.S. Emphasizes Intent to Transfer Full Power to Iraqis -- With Limits Los Angeles Times
posted by Jerry Bowles
8:31 AM
Kerry is an Idiot
If Kerry loses the election it will be because of his failure to distinguish and distance himself from Bush’s foreign policy, especially in Iraq. Kerry’s “my-internationalism-is-greater-than-Bush’s-internationalism” is political pabulum, or in Biblical terms, a clanging cymbal signifying nothing.
Take a minute to name one significant difference between Bush and Kerry on foreign policy. Take five minutes, if you have to. Sure, Kerry will govern differently and not rely on advice from the neocon Keystone Kops, but he is not stating a difference on the campaign trail now when it counts, and Nader is beating him to the punch. It’s one thing to play it safe and guard against the up-coming October surprise; it’s another to state principles of foreign policy that go beyond the changing realities in Iraq. For example, defining the dimensions of democracy for other cultures, clarifying the role of the military in foreign policy, articulating an exit strategy with an implied timeline (the Powell Doctrine that this administration failed to identify or execute), the role of Geneva Conventions, a formula for intervention not based on some fuzzy coalition math, and a pledge to seek a declaration of war from Congress in all future engagements—something no modern president has done, but something all future presidents should do.
Today’s New York Times analysis of the similarity between Kerry’s and Bush’s position on Iraq, Safire’s column, “The Bush-Kerry Nondebate,” and Kristof’s column, “The Bush and Kerry Tilt [on Israel]," are painful reminders of Kerry’s ineptitude. The choice of a credentialed foreign policy expert as VP is the only card Kerry has left to play, and my guess is he will bungle that opportunity as well.
When my wife seeks to comfort me in times like this, she says, "Kerry may be an idiot, but at least he is our idiot."
posted by Josh
8:15 AM
6 Lashes With a Wet Noodle
The NY Times has taken a critical look back at its Iraq coverage and concludes in an article this morning that there were "...a number of instances of coverage that was not as rigorous as it should have been." The paper avoids mentioning Judith Miller, its most gullible reporter who was responsible for most of the misinformation, and instead blames the failings on "Editors at several levels who should have been challenging reporters and pressing for more skepticism." They were, it concludes, "perhaps too intent on rushing scoops into the paper." In other words, it's all Jayson Blair's fault
posted by Jerry Bowles
12:22 AM
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
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