Nuclear bombshell

Sometimes it pays to have insomnia, because occasionally you're allowed to report a scoop like this. (The full NYT story, three pages in length, is much more detailed--and much more damning to the Republicans--but is available only upon registration, so I've linked to a much more sketchy secondary source. For those who are registered, the NYT story is here.)

Now, maybe I'm no political pundit, but I gotta tell ya, this story is to me so (excuse the pun) explosive--posting Iraq's nuclear secrets on the Internet in the hope to gain some political advantage!!--that it could mean the end of any doubt about the outcome of the upcoming election. It plays directly into the "war on terr'r" issue that is supposedly the Republicans' trump card. If this story isn't blown up at least to the dimension of the Kerry flub, I don't know what...

(Update: It's now twelve hours later--two pm PST--and so far this story, despite first appearing on the front page of the NYT, has gotten no traction whatsoever, not even on AirAmerica talkshows. The "sex scandal" du jour, about "Rev." Haggard and his foibles, has bounced this incredible story of security breach off the news. It makes one wonder: Has Rove now devised a way to blast truly significant terrible news away from public attention by covering it with slightly less ugly news?)

(Up-update: End of the Friday news cycle, ten pm. The story did make some TV newscasts as a secondary or tertiary item, without much analysis, however. The implications weren't explored much, and Bush supporters were quick to chime in that the existence of such atomic plans were proof that Saddam Hussein had WMD potential, notwithstanding that these plans were pre-1991 papers that had been turned over to the UN inspectors already. But then finally, KO--that's my new hero, Keith Olberman--led his MSNBC Countdown newscast with the story, with extended commentary, and just now, on the web, the Truthout commentator, William Rivers Pitt, nailed the story. )

I can go to sleep now.

Kim Bush-il?

You've really got to work at it to become more feared as a world leader than the dictator of North Korea.

Fun, fun, fun

Writing a speech for George Bush. Try it.

Meanwhile,

elsewhere in the world, interesting things are happening.

My first reaction to this story (after thinking it was an Onion-style spoof) was of course outrage. But then, I thought this: This world we live in is peopled by bunches of peoples we simply don't comprehend. And this corollary: How grotesquely ignorant and presumptuous it is for us to think we can expect these various peoples to think and act like us, especially in matters as "civilized" as forms of political and social governance. (You knew I'd bring this around to politics, right?)

We're said to be "exporting democracy" to the world, to the Middle East and--if you listen to Bush--to all peoples and that our soldiers' presence in Iraq and Afghanistan is part of that effort. Well, I gotta tell ya, there may be peoples out there who just plain don't want it, don't understand it, don't give a damn. And there are surely people out there who resist having "democracy" imposed on them from outside, by force of arms.

Which brings me to my point. Bring the troops home! Now!

It does make you wonder

who chose the background music in this radio ad. (There's an audio link at the end of the article.)

Rhetoric trumps reality

The airwaves abound with discussion of "timelines" and "benchmarks," "cut and run" and "stay the course," "tipping point" and "last throes." And--this is awful to behold--TV pundits readily acknowledge, without critical comment, any significant change in "boots-on-the-ground reality" in Iraq must await America's election. I wonder what it would feel like to be the mother of a child who was killed or injured in the interim.

If the Republicans win the upcoming elections

this book becomes an instant bestseller.

WTF?

Our troops must wonder the same thing after a few outings like this.

Rooting for Rooney

Or, "Andy is dandy." Whatever. This clip shows why.

(In case you're wondering, the answer to Andy's question--"Why are we in Iraq?"--is this: Because Bush/Cheney/Rummie/Condi/Rove don't want to lose face.)

Riverbend is back

after two months away from her blog--and she's not happy, not one bit.

BTW--I note that my first post on this blog, in August 2003 (check my archives, listed on the left side of this blog) linked to Riverbend's "Baghdad Burning" blog--and was dated a week after Riverbend started hers. And if you happen to read our respective initial posts from that long-ago period, you'll see how sadly prophetic they are.

And you wonder why so few good folks enter politics?

Here's why.

A last-ditch effort at peace

If this doesn't work, will anything?

Twisting in the wind

That's a phrase that became popular in the Watergate era, referring, as I recall, to the plight of one of Nixon's protectors (Jeb Magruder, I believe) when he was summoned to a grand jury. Someone (Nixon's domestic adviser, John Ehrlichman, I think) decided not to intervene, to leave him "twisting in the wind" as a result of his adverse testimony.

Well now, Bush is twisting in the wind over his Iraq madness, and but for the death and destruction his policy is inflicting on innocents, I would be giggling as he twisted. Indeed, to be honest, I am giggling.

BTW, while Googling "twisting in the wind," I stumbled on this site. I didn't discover the source of the phrase, but I sure had fun.

A Cheap Shot, I admit it

Look, I'm as disappointed in AirAmerica as are other true political leftists, who view the "alternative" radio network as nothing more than silly, wimpish noise from naysaying talk-radio freaks. I've stopped listening, actually, unless KPFK and our local UCSB channel are doing rap music. And so--it's with a bit of chagrin that I offer this tidbit, which sounds precisely like what Al Franken or his ilk on AirAmerica would come up with: Bush has conceded that our recent Iraq experience appears quite like the Tet offensive in VietNam, which turned the tide of American sentiment againt the war. Except with regard to VietNam, Bush had planned and effected a successful exit stategy.

Amnesty revisited

Some months ago, the amnesty issue raised the spectre of the US placing our soldiers in the gunsights of Iraqis, only to have the Iraqi government extend amnesty to Iraqis who shot American troops. I recall at the time how luxurious it was to watch Bush/Cheney twist in the wind over such a prospect. Now it has surfaced again, and I intend again to enjoy the show, except that this time I hope the question is addressed full-on, and that question is, Does the US really respect the sovereignty of Iraq? And, as a corollary, Does the US really want Iraq to try, with full force, to effect a reconciliation between the warring factions? If the answers to the foregoing two questions is yes, Rummie/Bush/Cheney/Condi, then (1) shut the fuck up about Iraq's amnesty grants, and (2) get our troops the hell out of that country.

The Polish army at work

Check out the heading on this banner. LOL.

Poring over polls

Spend more than a moment over these poll figures about Bush's approval rating. Check out the level of "disapproval" over time, for example. You'll note, going back a year over the various poll results, that at no time has Bush's disapproval consistently been near the 60% level, until the last month or so. Check out the spread between his approval and disapprovals levels. At an alltime high now, with the disapproval percentage being so much higher than the approval percentage that one wonders how he still manages to have so much influence in our political system.

Wanna change to a parliamentary system? I sure do. At least--as happens on live TV from London--the leader gets grilled by those parliamtentarians who chose him.

I get weary, just plain weary

of reading books and news reports and essays from "frontline" authors telling us stupid Americans what we already know, what we've known for years. Of course the baldest example is Bob Woodward, who makes millions putting into print the truisms that Bush is in denial about the state of everything; that Rumsfeld is a demagogue; that Condi is an idiot. Lately we're informed that it's likely that American oil interests will soon take over Iraq's oil production. Oh, really?!!! Imagine my surprise!!

Here's what I want to know, oh smarty-pants pundits. When are you going to tell us something we don't already know?

Don't do as I do

I got out of the stock market entirely about three months ago, and since then the Dow has gone up and up, hitting new highs. I knew this would happen--always does.

And yet, just take a gander at this chart and the accompanying comment. China and Japan own us now, and all it will take is one sneeze, one burp, and the American Empire is over.

It feels good to be on the sidelines watching, rather than in the arena, fighting with lions and tigers and bears, oh my.

Goddam right!

Ship this illegal immigrant outa here!