Leaked Report on Iraq Reveals Almost No Progress
A draft of a leaked report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that Iraq has failed to meet 15 of 18 benchmarks for political and military progress. From the Washington Post:
The strikingly negative GAO draft, which will be delivered to Congress in final form on Tuesday, comes as the White House prepares to deliver its own new benchmark report in the second week of September, along with congressional testimony from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker.
The White House is expected to claim that the escalation in Iraq is showing signs of progress. But according to the leaked GAO report, even though attacks on U.S. troops have decreased, the attacks on Iraqi civilians remains the same--and the capabilities of Iraqi security forces are not improving.
Perhaps most significantly...
The person who provided the draft report to The Post said it was being conveyed from a government official who feared that its pessimistic conclusions would be watered down in the final version -- as some officials have said happened with security judgments in this month's National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq.
...which raises real questions about the credibility of the upcoming report from the White House in September.
Comments (37) «
Truth has been a victim of spin in our country for many years now. I don't see much of anyone trying to counter it in the news.
Florida is using it against its own party now, and I am not sure the DNC understands how vicious it is getting.
Florida Democrats spreading anger toward Dean and DNC..saying not to donate
It is about to tear us apart here. Florida has not told the truth, and the media here is not calling them on it. No wonder no one speaks out on Iraq...we can not even defend our own party.
Is there any credibility to the foreign policy in this country? Nobody believes a thing the President says or that he has the ability to do anything right.
Our troops are being held hostage to a huge military blunder by a White House, which is so incompetent, it can't even explain why we are in Iraq much less why we should stay.
It all sounds like lies and excuses and that's what it is. We should never have gone in and we should have left immediately when no WMD were found.
Surge after surge has only destroyed Iraq's infrastructure and what's left of its economy and unity.
It's a foreign entanglement from hell and the American people will put the blame directly where it belongs in the 2008 election....on those who continue say that there is any progress to be made in a place that when down the toilet three years ago.
Credibility? They have none.
Almost no progress. Read that: Almost.
The one thing that -has- bothered me, is how the Democrats seem to have done nothing so far to try and confirm the report by the Washington Post made about the progress in Iraq, which would, if confirmed, be a very viable tool to getting Bush to admit defeat no matter what he says.
If he claims that it's "too literal" or an "attack" the Dems could cite the official report and say "it's not close to an attack, and it's the very same benchmarks approved by you." What would that mean? Bush would have no choice but to pull the troops out unless he wanted to further garner the rage and hatred of the American public.
I wouldn't be surprised if the voter turnout in 2008 was even lower, with all the trust around the white house being shattered by Bush.
The thing that will kill voter turnout is people not seeing enough of a difference between the Republicans and the Democrats to think that voting Democrat will make any difference.
The Republi-lites in Congress and in the DNC need to get a clue. They need to fire the Democrat Losership committee, and start listening to the populists.
In other words stand up for the American People, and tell K-street and their greedy corporate bosses to Eff Off!
That would finish off the Republican party, and go a long way toward re-establishing our country's credibility with the American People and the rest of the world community.
Butte,unfortunately up until this point in time I`ve seen very little out of the Democratic leadership that tells me we are willing to really take it on.It is long past time to make a stand against this administration! The american people don`t get the Democratic Party because our representatives seem to stand for nothing. That means they are compliant with what this administration is doing. The real people in our party are screaming for our representatives to fight this crazy senseless fabricated war.
That should be to fight against this crazy senseless fabricated war.To stop it or begin that process toward an end.
Truth is always the first casualty of war.
That is just wrong, using the words "draft" and "Iraq" in the same paragraph.
Teamsters Will Ask Court to Block Mexican Truckers
The Associated Press
Wednesday 29 August 2007
Washington - The Teamsters Union said today it will ask a federal appeals court to block the Bush administration's plan to begin allowing Mexican trucks to carry cargo anywhere in the United States.
The union said it has been told by officials in the U.S. Transportation Department's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that the first Mexican trucks will be coming across the border on Saturday.
Teamsters leaders said they planned to seek an emergency injunction today from the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
"What a slap in the face to American workers, opening the highways to dangerous trucks on Labor Day weekend, one of the busiest driving weekends of the year," said Teamsters President Jim Hoffa.
Joining the Teamsters in seeking the emergency stay were the Sierra Club and Public Citizen.
"Before providing unconditional access throughout the country to tens of thousands of big rigs we know little to nothing about, we must insure they meet safety and environmental standards," Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope said.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in a statement, said it was working closely with the department's inspector general "as his office completes an additional assessment of the program and we prepare a detailed response to that report."
The Bush administration said last week it would start the cross-border program once the Transportation Department's inspector general certifies safety and inspection plans.
Leslie Miller, a Teamsters spokeswoman, said attorneys for the federal truck safety agency advised the union's lawyers that they expect to get that certification on Friday. She said the Teamsters also were told by the agency attorneys that limited authority for trucks to begin crossing the border will be approved Saturday.
Supporters of the plan say letting more Mexican trucks on U.S. highways will save American consumers hundreds of millions of dollars. [NOT]
Labor and driver-owner groups have been fighting the measure - part of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement - since it was first proposed, saying the program will erode highway safety and eliminate U.S. jobs. [TRUE]
A one-year demonstration project would allow 100 Mexican motor carriers full access to U.S. roads. It can begin as soon as the inspector general certifies that safety and inspection plans and facilities are sufficient to ensure the Mexican trucks are as safe as U.S. trucks.
Since 1982, Mexican trucks have had to stop within a buffer border zone and transfer their loads to U.S. trucks.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/083007LA.shtml
-------
I have heard there is an open hole to the ground cut in the floor of these Mexican trucks to save time when Mexican drivers use the restroom. If Mexican trucks start ruining our highways this Saturday, I guess the stink will show up.
I really hate it that President Clinton allowed corporations so much control of the U.S. publics infrastructure, that now the MEXICANS are about to receive COMMERCIAL RIGHTS TO USE U.S. TAXPAYER ROADS.
How much taxes will a Mexican truck pay to drive U.S. roads for profit -- for the repair of the United States roads that they will ruin? It should be twice as much as a U.S. Citizen truck pays, like going to college out of state.
Since U.S. TAXPAYERS ROADS, bridges and ports are being sold to other nations, maybe the "New Liberal-Republican Lite" DLC/BUSH FASCIST REGIME have decided a sturdy infrastructure is no longer necessary for the 70% COMMON POPULATION. Do you think?
WE THE PEOPLE of the 70% COMMON POPULATION must realize that the "middle class" is NOT working people of the COMMON POPULATION, but is the quasi-aristocracy right under the aristocracy, and not be fooled by the Right Wing and DLC's destruction of the "middle class propaganda", as destruction of the whole 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION is the plan. If you are earning less than $200,000/year, you are NOT the real "middle class", and if you think you are, then you have bought the propaganda.
The only solution to the conundrum that the Right Wing REPUBLICANS and the DLC Neo-Liberal/Republicans Lite" have put the country in is for the 70% COMMON POPULATION to COMPLETELY IGNORE the DLC "middle class propaganda", as the "middle class" will never be any members of the 70% COMMON POPULATION, the "middle class" is a trope for the professional upperclass, people like Senator Hilary Clinton and other members of government and corporation, and the like, who are actually the "middle class" just below the aristocrats, not me or you or any working person of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION.
The "middle class propaganda" uses middle class as a trope for the upper class just below the aristocracy. Forget the "middle class propaganda" and pull the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION together in solidarity for Dennis Kucinich or Mike Gravel because neither Dennis Kucinich nor Mike Gravel are of the Republican Lite-Neo Liberal DLC and never have been, and either one of them or both will restore democracy, none of the others even realize the loss of democracy to be the problem as it doesn't affect them.
We have lots of people running for president, but none acceptable to the 70% COMMON POPULATION'S interest of keeping democracy, except Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel.
WE NEED A SOLIDARITY VOTE FOR MIKE GRAVEL AS PRESIDENT AND DENNIS KUCINICH AS VICE PRESIDENT TO GET RID OF THE DLC.
And, WE THE PEOPLE, the 70% COMMON POPULATION, need, also, to replace all of the DLC in the House of Representatives all the DLC we can in the 1/3rd of the Senate that is up for re-election. EVERY SEAT in the House of Representatives and 1/3 of the seats in the Senate are up for replacement. ALL DLC members MUST BE REPLACED.
VOTE OUT THE DLC. The DLC will never do what is right for the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION.
VOTE THE DLC OUT OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
VOTE THE DLC OUT OF THE SENATE.
If WE THE PEOPLE, the 70% COMMON POPULATION, will vote the DLC out, the 2009 Congress will have respect for WE THE PEOPLE, the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION. This Congress has their own agenda and NO RESPECT for the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION; and it is time for a change, it is time for the Congress of the United States to respect the will of the majority of the people of the United States, the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION.
Why does the American public NOT have any liberal NEWS in the NEWS? Why is there not ever a counter to Right Wing propaganda? The NEWS is owned by the REPUBLICAN RIGHT WING EXTREME.
The American public has been RIGHT WING "propagandized". ALL MAJOR News Networks are OWNED by the EXTREME RIGHT WING and have been for years. Check out how many networks of the publics airways Ruport Murdoch has been allowed by this fascist government to own.
The RIGHT WING owns all the PUBLICS AIRWAYS -- the media -- began with the REAGAN administration and has been aided and abetted by President Clinton and the DLC and RIGHT WING REPUBLICAN propagandized churches. The DLC is REPUBLICAN LITE "New Liberal democrats" like the Clinton's, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Lieberman, and these Right Wing type democrats cooperated and cooperate with the RIGHT WING against the publics best interest to give the RIGHT WING control. The following Web sites have the most information that I know of concerning the RIGHT WING'S DLC use of the Democrats, and their Project For The New American Century to take over the world and make a world wide permanent underclass, the 70% COMMON POPULATION:
DLC - Democratic Weaselship Council:
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1463
PPI - Conservative Policy Institute:
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1534
UNMASKING THE DLC:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stan-goff/unmasking-the-dlc_b_39287.html
THE PROJECT FOR THE NEW AMERICAN CENTURY:
http://www.newamericancentury.org/
Investigate, nearly all one hears on television, with the exception of a couple networks, like
FREE SPEECH TV, especially the INN Report, DemocracyNOW, and many more democratic liberal programs http://www.freespeech.org/fscm2/genx.php?name=home,
LINK TV liberal democratic programming http://www.linktv.org/experience,
and PBS, especially "Bill Moyers Journal" http://www.pbs.org/search/search_programsaz.html
is RIGHT WING PROPAGANDA'S "two-choice emotional rhetoric" specifically designed to seduce, mesmerize, and intimidate the public, the 70% COMMON POPULATION, into thinking the COMMON POPULATION is "free and equal" to all RIGHT WING CONSERVATIVES, or that there is NO LEFT WING, that
WE are all ONE, which is garbage.
You will never hear anything that is important politically to the LEFT WING, the PUBLIC, the 70% COMMON POPULATION, unless in someway it is legally forced, which is seldom. All there is on television now is various kinds of entertainment to lull the 70% tired working public, the COMMON POPULATION, away from what is in their best interest, which is DEMOCRACY. The RIGHT WING EXTREME does not want the public, the COMMON POPULATION, to have a Bill of Rights, or any semblance of democracy in the United States, and the EXTREME RIGHT LEADS THE ENTIRE RIGHT WING as well as the DLC on the LEFT.
It will take a miracle from Almighty GOD for the 70% COMMON POPULATION to finish getting rid of the DLC that has infested the CONGRESS. The GENERAL POPULATION, the COMMON POPULATION, the PUBLIC received a miracle in 2006, so I'm looking forward to receiving a miracle in 2008.
Governor Dean is much more savvy than RIGHT WING'S media propaganda machine portrays him. Governor Dean figured out how to use the internet to our advantage, and Governor Dean will figure out a way for the public not be frauded in the 2008 Election, so that the 70% COMMON POPULATION can take democracy back. WE THE PEOPLE MUST HELP Governor Dean by VOTING ALL THE DLC INFESTATION OUT OF CONGRESS in 2008, as the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate are up for RE-ELECTION in 2008.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12899506
I agree the DLC is a disgrace and it's time for them to go and as for the conservative fla dems whining about this issue with dean keep on whining and get ready to be sued as well.
Iraq vs Viet Nam
World War II was started by Adolph Hitler September 1, 1939. ">http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_did_World_War_2_start FDR couldn't have started World War II as World War II was already going on, the United States just had not entered the European war until Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. Japan was an axis power allied with Germany, therefore the United States Congress [both Democrats & Republicans] declared war against the axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan.
World War II was a HOT War that developed into the COLD War with the USSR, China and Indo-China. Indo-China: Ho Chi Minh's forces, aided by the USSR and the NEW Chinese Communist government fought French and pro-French Vietnamese forces to a standstill and captured the strategic Dienbienphu Camp in May 1954. The Geneva Agreements divided Vietnam in half pending elections [never held] and recognized Laos and Cambodia as independent. The U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a REPUBLICAN, aided the anti-Communist Republic of Viet Nam in the South.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower announced May 8, 1953, that the United States had given France sixty million (60M) dollars for the Indo-China War and even more aid was announced in September of 1953. May 8, 1953 is when the REPUBLICAN Eisenhower got the United States into the Viet Nam War.
Like Iraq is an oil storehouse, Viet Nam is a mineral storehouse, and for that reason the French were trying to colonize Viet Nam [Indo-China War]. Ho Chi Minh leader of the North Vietnamese did not go along with the French colonization and kicked the French out of Viet Nam, then REPUBLICAN Dwight D. Eisenhower brings the United States into the Indo-China War [Viet Nam] on a slippery slope that slid all the way to the TET Offensive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive, and left President Kennedy and Johnson trying to figure out how to get off REPUBLICAN Eisenhower's slippery slope.
From January 20, 1953 until May 8, 1953 after the end of REPUBLICAN Eisenhower's Korean War, is the exact amount of time it took a REPUBLICAN to get the United States involved in YET another war, the Viet Nam War.
Regarding REPUBLICAN confidence without merit, here is a little something about the REPUBLICAN DOMINO THEORY:
To justify his support for South Vietnam, President Dwight Eisenhower and Vice-President Richard Nixon put forward the 'domino theory'. It was argued that if the first domino is knocked over then the rest topple in turn. Applying this to South-east Asia he argued that if South Vietnam was taken by communists, then the other countries in the region such as Loas, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia and Indonesia, would follow.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/COLDdomino.htm
Knowing that the REPUBLICAN Domino Theory was UNSUCCESSFUL gives great inspiration for REPUBLICAN BUSH'S confidence in his "War of_Error", NOT!!!!!!! WE THE PEOPLE require more than the REPUBLICAN PARTY'S Policy of confidence without merit, that Right Wing Republicans are always parroting.
Nixon whined in his "confidence without merit speech" about not giving back Checkers [http://watergate.info/nixon/checkers-speech.shtml]; How many more Republican "confidence without merit" Watergates are the American people going to be subjected? REPUBLICAN Watergate's are springing up like daisies in horse manure. It is time for a CHANGE.
BTW: Saddam Hussein destroyed ALL of the WMD years before BUSH attacked Iraq, and the reason was that those types of weapons have a limited shelf life and require a humongous amount of various types of maintenance for safety of which Saddam Hussein was not willing to commit Iraq's resources, so he destroyed them. Therefore, there was NO WMD years before the weapons inspectors were trying to find WMD.
When BUSH broadcast the message to IRAQ during the BUSH administrations attack telling the Iraqis NOT TO DESTROY THE OIL FIELDS, BUSH told the rest of the WORLD what the war was about, and greed for the profits from THE OIL has continued to be the New Liberal/Republicans Lite and the BUSH administration's ONLY occupying concerned ever since. Everything the REPUBLICANS or the New Liberal/REPUBLICANS LITE say to the contrary is propaganda, which is binary [two part] emotional rhetoric for those who don't know what propaganda is. If what the Republicans/DLC are promoting has two parts, its emotional and its rhetoric, its propaganda to lead you astray.
Thomas G. Miller
----------
With NO REASON TO ATTACK IRAQ, the only reason for gathering up on Iraqis,putting them in prisons and torturing them is to intimidate for control of the occupation for Iraq's resources, worse than Hitler. Hitler, like BUSH, caused the destruction of a massive amount of people; but Hitler, unlike BUSH, was concerned about the protection of Germany and did manage to keep Germany together, so that Germany wasn't split up and divided like Kurdistan. BUSH and his administration along with the vichy DLC are dividing, selling off and compromising the United States power and infrastructure for future generations.
If anything can be disgraceful, this Right Wing-DLC administration is the epitome of disgrace. For what this RIGHT WING CONSERVATIVE EXTREME BUSH ADMINISTRATION with the help of the vichy DLC has done and are doing, and the whole lot of them, vichy DLC included, should get to stay in Gitmo. Since the entire Bush administration and the vichy DLC have a fondness for Gitmo, it seems a suitable and appropriate punishment for their adverse actions for all of them to get to stay in Gitmo for the rest of their lives.
I think that Bush & Cheney should be charged for war crimes after the end of their "Administration", if there is HONOUR and JUSTICE in the hearts and minds of the Democrats!
They have the power to do that!
What is wrong with our representation, Namely Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. They have a mandate from 70% of the people in the US to get the heck out of Iraq and restructure our foreign policy back to being a good neighbor and World citizen.
Harry Reid is talking about compromising with the GOP. No wonder they think Dems are weak knee idiots, we seem to be proving them correct. I will not donate another cent to the Democratic party until they start acting like a party for the people and get some backbone.
What is wrong with our representation, Namely Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. They have a mandate from 70% of the people in the US to get the heck out of Iraq and restructure our foreign policy back to being a good neighbor and World citizen.
Harry Reid is talking about compromising with the GOP. No wonder they think Dems are weak knee idiots, we seem to be proving them correct. I will not donate another cent to the Democratic party until they start acting like a party for the people and get some backbone.
Citizen i agree with you on Pelosi and Reid but if i was you i would donate my money to the progressive dems be the change Citizen and find some progressive dems who will stand up and fight hard for us.
ex_right_wing:
The DLC is the REPUBLICAN lobbyist formed and funded Democratic Leadership Council or Democratic Weaselship Council:
UNMASKING THE DLC:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stan-goff/unmasking-the-dlc_b_39287.html
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1463
If you will read these sites and do some investigation you will find out what the DLC is. Destroying the DLC in Congress is the most important thing one can do at this precise time.
ex_right_wing:
This is a political posting board -- NOT a message board.
there is no plan, so how can there be progress? i just hope our misfits in congress shut off the money this time and end this bs once and for all.
UNMASKING THE DLC:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stan-goff/unmasking-the-dlc_b_39287.html
Democratic Weaselship Council, DLC
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1463
Official Website for the DLC, the NEW DEMOCRAT/REPUBLICAN LITE MOVEMENT:
http://www.ndol.org
The following is an alphabetical list of some members of the DLC, if you are unsure as to whether your Senator, Representative, Governor or Mayor, is of the DLC, then use their names and SEARCH this site to find out if they are members of the DLC:
http://www.nndb.com/group/269/000093987/
NAME: Birthdate: Occupation:
Brian Baird,4-7-56, US House,Washington 3rd
Max Baucus,12-1-41, US Senate, Montana
Evan Bayh,12-26-55, US Senate, Indiana
Shelley Berkley,1-20-51,US House, Nevada 1st
David L. Boren, 4-21-41, US Senate, Oklahoma
John Breaux, 3-1-44, US Senate, Louisiana,1987-2005
Maria Cantwell,10-13-58, US Senate, Washington
Lois Capps, 1-10-38, US House, California 23rd
Russ Carnahan, 7-10-58, US House, Missouri 3rd
Thomas Carper, 1-23-47, US Senate, Delaware
Ed Case, 9-27-52, US House, Hawaii 2nd
Ben Chandler, 9-12-59, US House, Kentucky 6th
Bill Clinton, 8-19-46, 42nd President1993-2001
Hillary Clinton, 10-26-47, US Senate, New York
Kent Conrad, 3-12-48, US Senate, North Dakota
Bud Cramer, 8-22-47, US House, Alabama 5th
Joseph Crowley, 3-16-62, US House, New York 7th
Artur Davis, 4-9-67, US House, Alabama 7th
Jim Davis, 10-11-57, US House, Florida 11th
Susan Davis, 4-13-44, US House, California 53rd
Cal Dooley,1-11-54,US House,California,1991-2005
Byron Dorgan, 5-14-42, US Senate, North Dakota
John Edwards,6-10-53, 2008 Presidential Candidate
Rahm Emanuel,11-29-59, US House, Illinois 5th
Eliot Engel, 2-18-47, US House, New York 17th
Bob Etheridge, 8-7-41,US House, North Carolina 2nd
Dianne Feinstein, 6-22-33,US Senate, California
Harold Ford, 5-11-70, US House, Tennessee,1997-07
Dick Gephardt, 1-31-41, US House, Missouri,1977-2005
Al Gore, 3-31-48, US Vice President under Clinton
Bob Graham, 11-9-36, US Senate, Florida
Jane Harman, 6-28-45, US House, California 36th
Brian Higgins, 8-6-59, US House, New York 27th
Rush Holt, 10-15-48, US House, New Jersey 12th
Darlene Hooley-4-4-39, US House, Oregon 5th
Jay Inslee, 2-9-51, US House, Washington 1st
Steve Israel, 5-30-58, US House, New York 2nd
Tim Johnson, 12-28-46, US Senate, South Dakota
Bob Kerrey, 8-27-43, Governor & Senator, Nebraska
John Kerry, 12-11-43, US Senate, Massachusetts
Ron Kind, 3-16-63, US House, Wisconsin 3rd
Herb Kohl, 2-7-35, US Senate, Wisconsin
Mary Landrieu, 11-23-55, US Senate, Louisiana
Rick Larsen, 6-15-65, US House, Washington 2nd
John Larson, 7-22-48, US House, Connecticut 1st
Joseph Lieberman, 2-24-42, US Senate, Connecticut
Blanche Lincoln, 9-30-60, US Senate, Arkansas
Zoe Lofgren,12-21-47,USHouse,California 16th 1995-
Terry McAuliffe, 1957, Clinton's DNC Chairman
Carolyn McCarthy, 1-5-44, US House, New York 4th
Mike McIntyre, 8-6-56,US House, North Carolina 7th
Mack McLarty, 1946,Govt.,Clinton's Chief of Staff
Gregory Meeks, 9-25-53, US House, New York 6th
Juanita Millender-McDonald,9-7-38,US House,California, 1996-2007
Dennis Moore, 11-8-45, US House, Kansas 3rd
Jim Moran, 5-16-45, US House, Virginia 8th
Ben Nelson, 5-17-41, US Senate, Nebraska
Bill Nelson, 9-29-42, US Senate, Florida
Gavin Newsom, 10-10-67, Mayor of San Francisco
Sam Nunn, 9-8-38, US Senate, Georgia, 1972-97
Nancy Pelosi, 3-26-40 Speaker of US House
David Price, 8-17-40, US House, North Carolina 4th
Mark Pryor, 1-10-63, US Senate, Arkansas
Harry Reid, 12-02-39, US Senate Majority Leader
Chuck Robb, 6-26-39,US Senate,Virginia, 1989-2001
Timothy J.Roemer, 10-30-56, 9-11 Commission member
Loretta Sanchez, 1-7-60, US House, California 47th
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, 12-3-70,US House, South Dakota
Adam Schiff, 6-22-60, US House, California 29th
Allyson Schwartz,10-3-48,US House,Pennsylvania13th
David Scott, 6-27-46, US House, Georgia 13th
Adam Smith, 6-15-65, US House, Washington 9th
Debbie Stabenow, 4-29-50, US Senator, Michigan
John Tanner, 9-22-44, US House, Tennessee 8th
Ellen Tauscher, 11-15-51, US House,California 10th
Tom Udall, 5-18-48, US House, New Mexico 3rd
Anthony A.Williams,7-28-51,Mayor,Washington,DC 1999-
David Wu, 4-8-55, US House, Oregon 1st
Katie Couric discovers heartbreak in Baghdad
by Katie Couric
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/08/31/couricandco/entry3225041.shtml
I just saw a TV program of the Marines taking Fallujha. There were no people living there, but it was an arsenal depot and there were enemy combatants. Why didn't we just level the town by air? Why didn't the Marines have granades or tank fire first? Why did they have to go into every building with resultant casualties? Why did they have to go in a second time without a rest from the first invasion there? Why don't we consider that they will try to move out and surround our troops from the rear? Why don't we use our sophisticated spying techniques to get Ben Laden. What payoff are we and our troops getting by being there? Since we decimated the middle class, and from what I heard from a Wodrow Wilson fellow we put incompetent, too young Iraquis in charge of amost everything there, what is going on?
I just saw a TV program of the Marines taking Fallujha. There were no people living there, but it was an arsenal depot and there were enemy combatants. Why didn't we just level the town by air? Why didn't the Marines have granades or tank fire first? Why did they have to go into every building with resultant casualties? Why did they have to go in a second time without a rest from the first invasion there? Why don't we consider that they will try to move out and surround our troops from the rear? Why don't we use our sophisticated spying techniques to get Ben Laden. What payoff are we and our troops getting by being there? Since we decimated the middle class, and from what I heard from a Wodrow Wilson fellow we put incompetent, too young Iraquis in charge of amost everything there, what is going on?
Unfortunately, this war will wage on. The Republicans have stacked the deck and nothing the American public or the Democrats or some of the Republicans who want this war to end, can say or do to attain that end. Now, the gnome in the White House is talking police action (a la Korea). The new thing to concentrate on now is the illegal immigration issue, which the Democrats want to address, by granting amnesty to millions of lawbreakers and the Republicans are secretly hoping that happens so they can use it against the Democrats. The American public still loses, either way.
A war on terrorism is like a war on stupidity--as long as there are people it will thrive. Just ask yourself--how many troops would it take to stamp out stupidity in Washington? More than we've got, I can assure you.
Wattree
More than 1,800 Iraqis killed in August
BAGHDAD - Civilian deaths rose in August to their second-highest monthly level this year, according to figures compiled Saturday by The Associated Press. At least 81 American service members also died in Iraq during August.
Full Story:
*Just in case any of you missed this no spin Iraq report I have posted it here one last time*
Schakowsky On Iraq Visit: ‘Surge Is A Failure,’ Warns There Is ‘Major PR Effort Going On’
Full Story:
Bush Hears About Strain on Troops
By Robert Burns
The Associated Press
Abu Ghraib Swept Under the Carpet
The New York Times | Editorial
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/30/opinion/30thu1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
ex_right_wing 8/30 06:49PM:
You keep reprimanding me. I DO NOT CARE about what you have to say concerning the way I post. I will post what I feel is worthy to post and the way I think will be best for a tired working person to find something out at this site. As far as I am concerned, there is plenty of room to post whatever you want to post, so post away. I will post what I feel is of interest to the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION of which I am a part.
You do your thing and I'll do mine.
It's now September folks and it's time the American people turn up the heat full force and let this congress know that we, the American people demand an end to this Iraq war now. Tell them no more excuses, support our troops by bringing them home now. Congress has a record low approval rating of about 18% and one of major reasons why is because they haven't done the will of the American people by ending the Iraq war. It's time for congress to use the power of the purse. Please click on the links below to send a message to both the House and the Senate. Be polite but firm, demand they end this Iraq war.
After you've done all that please take a moment during the week during business hours to call the Whitehouse comments line and tell them enough is enough, support our troops, bring them home now!
The number to call:
1-202-456-1111
Last but not least please take a moment to write a letter to your newspapers about ending the Iraq war. Even if your letter doesn't get printed it's very important to do this because it will help shape how the media reports the news and help gain more public support in ending this immoral war. You can take action by clicking on the link below. Thank you.
Rep. Maxine Waters had and still has the right ideas on Ending the Iraqi War. This is a video the entire congress should watch and maybe the rest would fall in line and get some back-bone.
What difference, exactly, does the report make when you have leaders such as Pelosi who is like a giddy little school girl whenever she is around the bubble-boy Bush?
And the star-struck Reid who never met a microphone he didn't slobber all over? What a frickin joke!
These leaders are so thrilled just to be in the same company as our stupid little idiot Bush that they are NEVER going to do anything to jeopardize that!
Besides, it was the weak leadership of Democrats like Pelosi and Reid that enabled the Republicans to take control of our government in the first place.
chasemonster:
You are correct. Giddy Pelosi and Dumb struck Reid are DLC NEW Republicans Lite Faux-Liberals and their leader IS BUSH. That's why they act like they do when BUSH is around. It makes me sick as well, since they are suppose to represent the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION of which I am a member.
The only way the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION will ever get any REPRESENTATION CONCERNING better employment conditions, better jobs, higher pay, medical insurance, better laws and all the situations common to the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION that need help Congressionally will have to be done when the DLC has been removed by the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION by "write in" voting for Mike Gravel for President and Dennis Kucinich for Vice President.
WE MUST LEARN TO DO "WRITE IN" VOTING and NOT VOTE FOR THE DLC CANDIDATES, NONE OF THEM. As long as the leaders of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION get giddy and star gaze the REPUBLICANS, there is NO WAY the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION can expect to have their best interest represented by this Congress.
But, while much of the nation's attention is focused on the presidential race, the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate are also up for election in 2008, and WE THE PEOPLE, the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION, can pay them back on Election Day by voting out and replacing ALL the incumbents in the House and 1/3 of the Senate, then the next Congress will be more inclined to do the will of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION. It is better not to have any representative than to have a DLC representative that is suppose to represent you, but doesn't, and instead of representing you, represents the CONSERVATIVE RIGHT WING EXTREME against you.
We must do "write in" voting if we want a candidate that represent the 70% COMMON POPULATION, as any candidate that represents the COMMON POPULATION will not be supported by the DLC Republicans Lite or the RIGHT WING MEDIA. Call the Election Board and learn how to do "write ins" in your state and "write in" grassroots candidates.
Mike Gravel has GRIT and is a grassroots candidate. Vote for Mike Gravel for President.
Dennis Kucinich has more backbone than any other candidate, although I wish he had called for the impeachment of BUSH along with Cheney.
Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich are the ONLY Grassroots candidates running for President. All the rest are members of the DLC Republican organization specifically organized to lead Democrats to the RIGHT.
DO NOT VOTE A REPUBLICAN IN BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW GOOD A REPUBLICAN SOUNDS, STILL THE REPUBLICAN EXTREME WILL LEAD THEM AROUND BY THE NOSE, JUST LIKE BUSH.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12899506
UNMASKING THE DLC:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stan-goff/unmasking-the-dlc_b_39287.html
DLC, Democratic Leadership "Weaselship" Council:
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1463
DLC NEW DEMOCRAT/REPUBLICAN LITE MOVEMENT'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
Published on Wednesday, September 5, 2007 by CommonDreams.org
Nancy Pelosi Should Listen to Karl Rove
by Medea Benjamin
Karl Rove might be a nasty guy, but he’s no dummy. In a press interview as he left office, he gave the Democrats some free advice. He described his politics as building on the energy of the base of the Republican Party and expanding it outward. He mentioned that the Democrats could build on the energy of their base, like the “Pink Ladies”, he said, referring to the Code Pink women who dogged him until the day he left office.
Instead of courting the “Pink Ladies” and the energetic peace movement that helped put the Democrats in power and turned Pelosi from Minority leader into Madam Speaker, Pelosi has alienated CODEPINK and most of the peace movement. It started the day she became Speaker, when she said that defunding the war and impeachment were off the table. It worsened when she compromised with the conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats on an Iraq funding bill instead of supporting the Progressive Caucus. And it totally fell apart in May 2007 when she allowed Congress to give Bush another $95 billion for war with no timetable for withdrawal. While Pelosi herself voted against the bill, many anti-war activists held her responsible since she failed to put pressure on the conservative Democrats to form a united front against another blank check for war. They also pointed out that in the case of both the unrestricted war funding and the expanded FISA wiretapping, she had the power to just keep the bills off the floor.
With a Bush Administration request for even more war money looming in September, CODEPINK and a coalition of 1,300 anti-war groups called United for Peace and Justice have been pushing for a meeting with the Speaker to see what her strategy will be this time around. If she really wants to end the war, as she insists she does, what lessons did she learn from the Spring defeat that will ensure a different outcome this Fall? How can the peace movement work together with the Speaker to make sure her new strategy works?
Despite countless requests, Pelosi has refused to have either a private meeting with the peace community or a public Town Hall meeting in her district. The last time she held a Town Hall meeting was in January 2006-almost two years ago!
During the August recess, while Congresspeople all over the country held meetings on the issue most pressing to their constituents-the war-Pelosi rejected a request from over 30 San Francisco peace and justice groups, ranging from Jewish Voice for Peace to Muslim American Voice, from the Labor Council to MoveOn.
So on August 12, CODEPINK took the request to her home, organizing an encampment and hunger strike outside her Pacific Heights mansion. It is a tactic that was successful with Senator Dianne Feinstein. After six days of having campers outside her home, Feinsten came out to have a cordial half-hour discussion with the fasters and promised a longer meeting. Not Pelosi. During the two-week campout and hunger strike, Pelosi’s only interaction with the activists was her hostility toward them. Arriving home late one evening, hunger striker Toby Blome asked “Why won’t you meet with us?” “I’ll never meet with you,” the Speaker screamed. “Get away from my house.” When Blome asked her about the homes of all the Iraqis whose privacy we invade, Pelosi snapped and called her “a nut.”
Hoping the Speaker would change her mind, the activists kept up the vigil, sleeping on the hard cement, drinking only liquids, and trekking to her downtown office every day singing (to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat) “Nancy, Nancy you’re our rep, It’s time to end the war, Meet, meet, meet with us, That’s all we’re asking for.”
On Day 5 of the hunger strike, Pelosi’s San Francisco Director Dan Bernal coldly told the fasters and their supporters that the Speaker would not have the time to meet with peace groups in her district anytime during the August recess, period. That very night, CODEPINK in Arizona emailed us an article from the Ahwatukee, Arizona paper saying the Speaker had made a surprise appearance at a “Democrats and Donuts” coffee klatch in their little town before going on to a fundraiser. “I was amazed she took so much time to speak with us,” gushed local organizer Pamela Jamar Wald in the Ahwatukee paper. The next day, CODEPINK Los Angeles passed on the news that Pelosi was meeting with high-dollar donors at the estate of Beverly Hills political fundraiser Daphna Ziman. While Pelosi had no time for her constituents, she spent the month of August jetting around to fundraisers in seven states.
Meanwhile, it’s not just passionate peace activists who are disillusioned. An August Field Poll of California voters found Pelosi’s approval rating plummeted from a high of 48 percent in March to 39 percent by August- a tie with Vice President Dick Cheney. The drop came primarily from Democrats and independents disappointed that Congress has been unable to change policy in Iraq. California voters’ view of the entire Congress was a disastrous 20 percent approval, 66 percent disapproval-the lowest rating since the Field Poll started asking the question in 1996. It’s even worse nationally. An August national Gallup poll found 18 percent approval, 76 percent disapproval–the worst since the group started asking the question in 1974.
Nancy Pelosi is not only blowing it with the peace movement-turning those who should be her base into her adversaries and paving the way for “peace mom” Cindy Sheehan to make a spirited run for her Congressional seat-she’s also blowing it with the majority of Americans.
Our advice? Stand up to Bush. Don’t allow Congress to give another blank check for war. Force the conservative Dems to follow your lead. Don’t only vote the right way, but use your power as Speaker to only allow bills to the floor that include a fixed timeline for withdrawal or stipulate that funds only be used for the safe and speedy withdrawal of our troops.
And one more thing. Take a clue from Karl Rove. Build on the energy and passion of the anti-war movement. Make them your allies. If you can meet with Syrian strongman Bashar al-Asad, you can surely meet with the peace-loving Pink Ladies, the Quakers, Veterans for Peace and others who have been the heart and soul of our nation’s efforts to end this shameful war.
Medea Benjamin (medea@globalexchange.org) is cofounder of Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org) and CODEPINK: Women for Peace (www.codepinkalert.org).
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Nancy, you REPUBLICAN COOPERATOR, your BASE is NOT the 20% minority Professional Middle Class that is your class and cultural base, or your overlords, the 10% American aristocracy ---YOUR BASE that is going to KICK YOU OUT IS YOUR POLITICAL BASE, THE 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION. Bye, Bye.
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