Kicking Ass: The Democratic Party's Blog

PB Rescue Open Thread

Posted by Michael Link on October 31, 2007 at 06:10 PM

I haven't done one of these in a while, so time to get back into that habit. Here are just a few of the posts you're all writing over at PartyBuilder:

Happy Halloween, everyone. Chat away...

Comments (47) «

Thanks Mike! signed shopman

1
shopman on October 31, 2007 at 06:57 PM

these numbers all make me shudder. When do you think the Republicans will call uncle? Or will they let this go on forever if they have to?

Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered Since The U.S. Invaded Iraq 1,099,372

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html ===

Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America'sWar On Iraq 3,842

http://icasualties.org/oif/

The War in Iraq Costs
$464,371,354,005


See the cost in your community

http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182

2
PamB on October 31, 2007 at 06:59 PM

these numbers all make me shudder. When do you think the Republicans will call uncle? Or will they let this go on forever if they have to?
===================================================

PamB,

Chimpo seems to luv being King of Iraq. Maybe he'll retire to the ultra-plush embassy ...

3
rjsnj on October 31, 2007 at 07:10 PM

Well, Happy Halloween all. Don't let any GOP-PERS scare ya too much.

Later ...

4
rjsnj on October 31, 2007 at 07:11 PM

did you see my post on the previous thread, rj, where you can download scary Right Winger masks like Limbaugh, Coulter, etc??? that would be a hoot !

But then we can't make the little kids cry too much, can we? heeheehee

5
PamB on October 31, 2007 at 07:16 PM

Hagel is the Only Republican that "Gets it" !

Hagel Calls For Direct, Unconditional, Comprehensive Talks With Iran
By Steve Clemons
The Washington Note

Wednesday 31 October 2007

I have just secured a private letter - not yet publicly released - from Senator Chuck Hagel to President Bush and copied to Condoleezza Rice, Robert Gates, and Stephen Hadley. I should add that I did not receive this letter from Senator Hagel but from other sources.

The letter urges the President to pursue "direct, unconditional, and comprehensive talks with the Government of Iran."

In the letter, both attached (Hagel letter pdf) and reprinted in full below, Hagel warns that "unless there is a strategic shift [from the current situation], I believe we will find ourselves in a dangerous and increasingly isolated position in the coming months." Hagel continues, "I do not see how the collective actions that we are now taking will produce the results that we seek."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103107R.shtml

6
PamB on October 31, 2007 at 07:18 PM

President Ahole threatened once again to veto the Child Health Care bill. Then he turns around and demands $46 billion more for his planned war with Iran. President ahole also threatened to veto the farm bill, the energy bill and the health bill. That ahole also cut cancer funded to DHS.

When is Congress going to get with it and impeach the MF? He is an arrogant pr**k and must be impeached. along with cheney the other arrogant pr**k.

GOP Senator Chides Bush on Health Bill

7
Johnedwrd on October 31, 2007 at 07:20 PM

Well, Well, looks like in Italy they don't like Religion sticking it's nose into politics, either !!!!

Pope's "Morning After Pill" Speech Criticized
Reuters

Tuesday 30 October 2007

Vatican City - Politicians and pharmacists in Italy responded angrily on Tuesday to an appeal by Pope Benedict for pharmacists to refuse to dispense drugs such as the "morning after pill" if they object on moral grounds.

The Pope told an international conference on Monday that pharmacists should be guaranteed the right to conscientious objection in cases where medicines they distribute can block pregnancy, provoke abortion or assist euthanasia.

Health Minister Livia Turco said that while the Pope had the right to urge young people to be sexually responsible, he could not tell professionals such as pharmacists what to do.

"I don't think his warning to pharmacists to be conscientious objectors to the morning after pill should be taken into consideration," she told daily Corriere della Sera.

Benedict did not mention any specific drugs but appeared to refer to the morning after pill, which can stop ovulation if taken within about 72 hours of sexual intercourse. It is available only by doctor's prescription in Italy.

He also referred to RU-486, the so-called abortion pill, which is available on an experimental basis in some Italian hospitals. It blocks the action of hormones needed to keep a fertilized egg implanted in the uterus.

"The Pope's appeal to pharmacists to refuse to sell the morning after pill is a very heavy interference in politics and Italian life," said Lidia Menapace, a senator of the Communist Refoundation party

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/103107WA.shtml

8
PamB on October 31, 2007 at 07:26 PM

New David Horsey

Who Elected These Guys

9
Kristen on October 31, 2007 at 07:35 PM

all these countries putting in New Leaders so they can get their countrymen the hell out of Iraq!!!


Report: Poland May Pull Out of Iraq
Associated Press 10.31.07, 12:35 PM ET



WARSAW, Poland - Polish Prime Minister-designate Donald Tusk said his future government would seek to end the nation's military mission in Iraq next year, according to an interview published Wednesday.

Poland, a staunch U.S. ally, sent combat troops to the 2003 war in Iraq and still has some 900 soldiers stationed in the southeast, despite public displeasure with the mission. Polish troops now primarily train Iraqi forces and renovate schools and hospitals.


http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/10/31/ap4284646.html

10
PamB on October 31, 2007 at 07:38 PM

Kristen, one thing I hope all this FL and other state disturbance does, it to revamp the fact that Iowa and NH get to have Primaries first, and mostly decide on who the candidate is !

Talk about out of the mainstream, how far out is Iowa and NH? I have never been to Iowa, but I have been to NH, and am not thrilled that they are supposed to be so politically savvy as to decide decisions like this !

11
PamB on October 31, 2007 at 07:45 PM

Dang, it is closing in on 8:00 and no trick or treaters!

Means I have to go and eat all that candy myself. It's a dirty job, but I have to do it to save my husband from all those calories and cavities!

I know, I know, I am too nice! :)


Blog ya all tomorrow, Dems !

12
PamB on October 31, 2007 at 07:47 PM

If anyone read my post at Party Builder I hope you read what's in my heart, not my so intelligent words. I'll vote for whoever we nominate. Not because I'm a blind sycophant but because we are better than the GOPee. It's been proven time and again. We are what's best for middle America and that is what is best America. We don't need 2 word sound bites, we need sound policies.

We also need to be aggressive in getting that message out!

13
shopman on October 31, 2007 at 08:04 PM

Here's one fit for a Halloween night.

Jury awards father $11M in funeral case

By ALEX DOMINGUEZ, Associated Press Writer

BALTIMORE - A grieving father won a nearly $11 million verdict Wednesday against a fundamentalist Kansas church that pickets military funerals out of a belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

Albert Snyder of York, Pa., sued the Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified damages after members demonstrated at the March 2006 funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq...

Snyder's attorney, Craig Trebilcock, had urged jurors to determine an amount "that says don't do this in Maryland again. Do not bring your circus of hate to Maryland again."...

Church members routinely picket funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, carrying signs such as "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "God hates fags."...

...Snyder sobbed when he heard the verdict, while members of the church greeted the news with tightlipped smiles.

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071031/ap_on_re_us/funeral_protests

Those zombies just stood there and smiled?

I guess they haven't heard that bigoted Christian Right hit, "God Hates the World and All of Its People?"

I guess they travel a lot and missed it. It's time somebody clipped their wings so they can stay home and serenade each other with such rubbish.

May Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder finally rest in peace. My heart goes out to this and other families who were accosted by these fiends.

14
SandyH on October 31, 2007 at 08:14 PM

Talk about out of the mainstream, how far out is Iowa and NH? I have never been to Iowa, but I have been to NH, and am not thrilled that they are supposed to be so politically savvy as to decide decisions like this !

Posted by PamB on October 31, 2007 at 07:45 PM

Pam, put down that Snicker now. You know how hard you're going to have to exercise to work off those extra calories. Well, one or two wouldn't hurt?

I don't think the people of Iowa are that different than anyone else in this country. Never been to NH. We need a national or a series of regional primaries.

15
SandyH on October 31, 2007 at 08:26 PM

Poland May Pull Out of Iraq

I didn't know they were still there. That being said, why don't they just leave and nobody will notice that either.

Perhaps they are just waiting in Iraq for the next stop of Cheney's Tour of Destruction on the Road to Iran.

Halloween isn't the trick or treat holiday it used to be. I hope these kids know how to have fun in other ways. Mission accomplished: another holiday ruined by adults.

16
SandyH on October 31, 2007 at 08:34 PM

Someone sit this guy down and have a chat with him. Tell him that our party needs to start listening to its base, to the anti-war people.

Harold Ford: "I caution anybody who continues to talk about the past" in Iraq

Sorry, fellow, you can't tell us not to talk about how we got into Iraq, because we are about to into Iran the same way.

17
sunny on October 31, 2007 at 09:07 PM

sunny on October 31, 2007 at 09:07 PM

Sunny,

I get the sense that Harold Ford is not telling anybody not to talk about the past, period. However, he is suggesting that we cannot compare Iraq today with the Iraq we knew in 2002 - 2003. He says the way we got in was ultimately wrong, and if he knew then (he was in the House) what he knows today he never would have voted for the resolution to invade Iraq. However, because of the failed, or is that no policy, of the Bush administration we have a much bigger problem with how to get out. IMHO

18
davidual on October 31, 2007 at 09:19 PM

Sunny,

Ultimately, though, Harold Ford needs to put his money where his mouth is because the way we got in is exactly what Mr. Bush is doing with regards to Iran. Therefore, in the if-I-knew-then-department we should be a whole lot enlightened to the workings of this administration. We know now; we can say no to invading Iran for the Bush administration's folly.

19
davidual on October 31, 2007 at 09:25 PM

Harold Ford: "I caution anybody who continues to talk about the past" in Iraq

Posted by sunny on October 31, 2007 at 09:07 PM

And he has also cautioned folks about fighting for the "soul" of the DEM party since he is the head hauncho of the DLC.

20
J on October 31, 2007 at 09:47 PM

Besides who is Harold Ford, Jr. to caution anyone about anything?

Now he can speak on global issues and he couldn't even give adequete representation to the Congressional District that he had been elected to in past years? That district put up with his father until he was charged with bribery and then Jr. did a worst job which amounted to voting the "centrist" position on most issues.

None of which helped the predomenently black district that he represented.

21
J on October 31, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Bush says he gives US U.S. pharmaceuticals supposed guaranteed by the U.S. Government's FDA. Yea right, what kind of guarantee is this in a Bush White House, where Bush Corporations can secretly go to Red China and put in their ingredients in without any warning labels. I think we may be safer with Canadian bought prescriptions, the Canadian Government has better aaccountability and they are a lot cheaper.

A Bush promise has a lead weight with it, designed as a Chinese Mattel puppet toy. This Bush doll, is being sold to our kids "At Will" of huge profits in 1930 standards when Cooperations where Royal Kingdoms with White House support, without unions and a Congress of concrete accounting. Back then they poisoned the land "At Will", where our kids drank from rivers catching fire. Well now the Chinese will bear American Corporations birth defects, while they sell US defective products to our infants, who will suffer a lifetime of Bush's leaded abuse, because of his failure to hold Corporate America accountable to God and the world.

Bush is a Mattel President that acts like The Gap CEO saying kids do not need schools, they need 80 hour jobs.

What do you have with a Bush CEO, the 1930's of the depressions where all workers are slaves that need banned their Freedom and Democracy upon worker homes denied the Constitution.

Okay Hillary keep quite now, show US your lack of leadership to protect US and our children, let Bush and his 1930 policies take US back in time, while you sit on your ass not doing your homework again. If you cannot work for US now in our hour of need, then how can we ever trust you WITH OUR FUTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How can unions support Clinton's do nothing policies where we are exporting misery? Hillary take the lead out of your hinny, it is time to be a politician.

22
dlesterpoet on October 31, 2007 at 10:26 PM

You know asking Hillary to take whatever out of whatever isn't really doing much for our problems.
I was totally opposed to the war and didn't believe a word from Bush since 9/12--yes, that's since the day after the attack. But, if you recall this country was like on the brink of self implosion with nationalism. Personally I was afraid to say I was a democrat in my 65+ republican neighborhood, let alone talk about Bush like the jerk he was. And, I learned to hate - yes, hate -- Rudy at the same time.
But, had I been in her shoes representing NY and under such pressure from such an overwhelmingly large majority of people who wanted to invade Iraq I think I would have been fooled by the false intelligence too. Sometimes we believe what we need to believe subconsciencously (sp?)
And, now people are on her back about pulling us out of the Middle East asap. Well, I remember what happened when we pulled out-evacuated, really- of Vietnam. Not good at all. I didn't want the war but we're stuck with it and we have to show some backbone while we're forcing them into an unwanted form of government. And, we do have to force them now because president FUBAR got us here.
Anyway, I am much farther to the left than Hillary, but I'm supporting her because at this time I don't think we can take drastic steps here at home and abroad without severe reactions in our overall economy. That wouldn't help us get out from under our debt to foreign countries, which we desperately need to do. I'm not saying anymore *surges* or other such bullshit. I'm just saying we have to figure out how to get the UN back in the picture and I think using Bill would help with that enormously
I would love Kucinich, UFOs and all, as a president. But, that ain't happening and I think we all know it. I like the others too, and have no problem supporting them. But, my choice at this time is Hillary.
Okay, my rant is over. I just had to get that off my chest. sorry if I offended anyone.

23
Kay-Wisconsin on October 31, 2007 at 11:29 PM

Get in the metal cage if you're afraid of sharks, how fun is that?

Yellow in this case is not so mellow:


The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the combined cases of Al Odah v. U.S. and Boumediene v. Bush this fall. Those named in the case, Fawzi al Odah, a CCR client, and Lakhdar Boumediene, were illegally taken from Pakistan and Bosnia, respectively, and transferred to the Guantanamo detention center. Their combined case represents only the third time the high court will hear a Guantanamo-related issue. The previous two times, the court sided with CCR and the Guantanamo petitioners.

These cases are the first to directly challenge the constitutionality of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and its stripping of habeas corpus jurisdiction from federal courts. Habeas corpus is the most fundamental right in any democracy—the right to challenge the legality of your detention in a court of law.
ccrjustice.org/beyond-guantanamo

24
TomN on November 1, 2007 at 01:08 AM

Yea, CCR sings Fortunate Son's new lyrics:


BLACKWATER EMPLOYEES’ IMMUNITY WILL NOT AFFECT CIVIL CASE

October 31, 2007, New York, NY – The Center for Constitutional Rights and co-counsel issued a statement today in response to the news that the State Department had promised the employees of private military contractor Blackwater USA immunity in relation to the killing of innocent Iraqi bystanders in Nisoor Square in Baghdad on September 16:

“This immunity, what ever it turns out to mean, cannot stop the civil case we have filed against Blackwater. The State Department cannot immunize Blackwater and its employees from the damage action brought on behalf of the victims of the September 16 Nisoor Square shooting. The State Department’s action demonstrates the importance of civil damages cases like ours for seeking justice when the government is protecting corporate interests at the expense of human life. Blackwater cannot be allowed to continue operating extra-legally, providing mercenaries who flout all kinds of law. We cannot bring back those killed at Nisoor Square but we can hold Blackwater accountable for its actions.”

25
TomN on November 1, 2007 at 01:13 AM

Fat Food Nation: the dark side of the emergence of the busted-buscuit people by epigenetic chemical gene disinhibition:

AMA blames farm subsidies for obesity rates
advertising
BY ROB HOTAKAINEN - MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
October 29, 2007 - Posted at 12:00 a.m.

WASHINGTON - If you're feeling fat these days, blame Congress.

That's just what the nation's doctors are doing, saying that federal lawmakers are responsible for the fact that a salad costs so much more than a Big Mac.

Hoping to produce thinner waistlines, many doctors - including the American Medical Association - want Congress to stop subsidizing the production of foods that are high in fat and cholesterol and spend more to promote fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains that are not.

Farm Belt lawmakers are on the defensive.

www.victoriaadvocate.com/795/story/144803.html

- we are being transformed, and it isn't all about personal responsibility. It is about fresh food.

26
TomN on November 1, 2007 at 01:24 AM

your mom says hi sally. she needs another case of carbona.

27
gregg on November 1, 2007 at 03:38 AM

evil, commie, junk science infects religious leaders and joe lieberman ( who will become a repelican any day now...hahahahaha) !!!


Religious Leaders Act on Climate Change
By H. JOSEF HEBERT Associated Press Writer

Oct 31st, 2007 | WASHINGTON -- A coalition of religious leaders urged Congress on Wednesday to ensure that the poor and most vulnerable are protected from the effects of climate change.

The appeals comes as lawmakers in the coming months plan to consider legislation that would combat global warming.

The representatives from groups such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Association of Evangelicals, National Council of Churches and the Union Reform Judaism said Congress should require a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

A compromise bill proposed by Sens. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, and John Warner, R-Va., was expected to advance from a Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee on Thursday.

The religious leaders planned to press the bill's sponsors "to strengthen and improve protections for the poor and vulnerable as (the) legislation moves forward," said Paul Gorman, executive director of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment.

The church leaders, in a conference call with reporters, outlined their priorities for the legislation. They include helping low-income families deal with the impact of higher energy prices that result from new climate policies and making sure that vulnerable people are shielded from the environmental effects of global warming.

The group said it will seek to have 40 percent of the emissions-related revenues from climate change legislation directed to help such people. The Lieberman-Warner bill calls for a 5 percent allocation for such purposes.

"While not all of us agree on much," said the Rev. Michael Livingston, president of the National Council of Churches, "we do agree on the need to protect God's creation. It has become clear that global warming will have devastating impact on those in poverty around the world."

The Rev. Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, said 84 percent of evangelicals support mandatory limits on greenhouse gases. He said it is not a matter of political persuasion but "of moral leadership."

Added Bishop Thomas Wenksi of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: "Those who contribute least to the problem are likely to suffer the most."

28
gregg on November 1, 2007 at 03:41 AM

they lied us into war plain and simple and they should be prosecuted for it. let's put bush/cheney/rummy in chains:

From the Desk of Donald Rumsfeld . . .
In Sometimes-Brusque 'Snowflakes,' He Shared Worldview, Shaped Policy

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 1, 2007; Page A01

In a series of internal musings and memos to his staff, then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld argued that Muslims avoid "physical labor" and wrote of the need to "keep elevating the threat," "link Iraq to Iran" and develop "bumper sticker statements" to rally public support for an increasingly unpopular war...

pigs at the gate

29
gregg on November 1, 2007 at 03:45 AM

night shift at that meth lab is a tough tour isn't it sally...anyhow it seems there is a bit of disgruntlement at the state department...i wonder what kind of going away party they'll have for condi?? hahahaha

Envoys Resist Forced Iraq Duty
Top State Dept. Officials Face Angry Questions

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 1, 2007; Page A01

Uneasy U.S. diplomats yesterday challenged senior State Department officials in unusually blunt terms over a decision to order some of them to serve at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad or risk losing their jobs.

At a town hall meeting in the department's main auditorium attended by hundreds of Foreign Service officers, some of them criticized fundamental aspects of State's personnel policies in Iraq. They took issue with the size of the embassy -- the biggest in U.S. history -- and the inadequate training they received before being sent to serve in a war zone. One woman said she returned from a tour in Basra with post-traumatic stress disorder only to find that the State Department would not authorize medical treatment.

Yesterday's internal dissension came amid rising public doubts about diplomatic progress in Iraq and congressional inquiries into the department's spending on the embassy and its management of private security contractors. Some participants asked how diplomacy could be practiced when the embassy itself, inside the fortified Green Zone, is under frequent fire and officials can travel outside only under heavy guard.

Service in Iraq is "a potential death sentence," said one man who identified himself as a 46-year Foreign Service veteran. "Any other embassy in the world would be closed by now," he said to sustained applause.

Harry K. Thomas Jr., the director general of the Foreign Service, who called the meeting, responded curtly. "Okay, thanks for your comment," he said, declaring the town hall meeting over...

just send over the political appointees...after all they are the ones with the true loyalty to bush and cheney

30
gregg on November 1, 2007 at 03:50 AM

hey look sally's church got fined! guess sally will have to start putting money into the collection plate rather than taking it out...hahahaha


Huge fine for anti-gay US church

A church whose members cheered a soldier's death as "punishment" for US tolerance of homosexuality has been told to pay $10.9m (£5.2m) in damages.

The Westboro Baptist Church was taken to court by the father of Lance Cpl Matthew Snyder, a marine who died serving in Iraq in March 2006.

The church cited its constitutional right to free speech in its defence.

But Albert Snyder's lawyer urged the jury to ensure the damages were high enough to stop the church campaigning.

Members of the church - based in Topeka, Kansas - have denounced homosexuality for years, initially targeting the funerals of Aids victims.

But they later extended their pickets to the funerals of soldiers, who they say are being punished by God because of the US' tolerance of homosexuality .

Last year they caused outrage when they attended the funeral of Matthew Snyder with signs reading "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "You're going to hell".

31
gregg on November 1, 2007 at 03:55 AM

sally is a member of the nicely conservative westboro baptist church...its a well known fact.

and in the end its all about the oil isn't it?

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Oil leaped nearly 2 percent to top $96 for the first time on Thursday, extending the previous day's 5 percent surge after an unexpected sharp fall in U.S. crude stocks and data showing strong economic growth.

The rise toward oil's inflation-adjusted peak of $101.70 from April 1980 was also supported by a drop in the U.S. dollar, which fell to record lows against the euro after the U.S. Federal Reserve cut rates by a quarter percentage point.

....nite, nite. be back at a more civilized hour.

32
gregg on November 1, 2007 at 03:59 AM

Could someone please delete frosty's crap so I can read this more clearly?
And, on Hillary being a liar.......well she was far from being the only one who voted for the war on our side of the isle, isn't she? And, do you know positively that she was given truthful intell? Because I sure don't. Did it occur to any of you Hillary haters that just maybe she figured that the military might have been able to hold their own against Rumsfeld and complete a successful take over? I am still shocked at how many Pentagon officials had to kow tow to Rumsfeld on the whole mess there.
And, on the 98 thing with Bill. Didn't Saddam's sons in law say he did have weapons and they got rid of them? I'm not sure what year that was. But, perhaps now knowing that they were not onboard with Saddam--since he had them all killed- maybe Bill was counting on something like a palace coup?
Well, I won't waste my time here defending one democrat against another, including myself.
I just think that if we all don't stop taking too big of bites out of who may very well end up as our candidate we're going to have a replay of 04 and that would permanently sink this nation into a depression followed by second world status.

33
Kay-Wisconsin on November 1, 2007 at 04:19 AM

Hussein Kamel, the highest-ranking Iraqi official ever to defect from Saddam Hussein’s inner circle, told CIA and British intelligence officers and U.N. inspectors in the summer of 1995 that after the gulf war, Iraq destroyed all its chemical and biological weapons stocks and the missiles to deliver them.
KAMEL WAS SADDAM Hussein’s son-in-law and had direct knowledge of what he claimed: for 10 years he had run Iraq’s nuclear, chemical, biological and missile programs. Kamel told his Western interrogators that he hoped his revelations would trigger Saddam’s overthrow. But after six months in exile in Jordan, Kamel realized the United States would not support his dream of becoming Iraq’s ruler after Saddam’s demise. He chose to return to Iraq—where he was promptly killed.

Kamel’s revelations about the destruction of Iraq’s WMD stocks were hushed up by the U.N. inspectors, sources say, for two reasons. Saddam did not know how much Kamel had revealed, and the inspectors hoped to bluff Saddam into disclosing still more. And Iraq has never shown the documentation to support Kamel’s story. Still, the defector’s tale raises questions about whether the WMD stockpiles attributed to Iraq still exist.

Kamel said Iraq had not abandoned its WMD ambitions. The stocks had been destroyed to hide the programs from the U.N. inspectors, but Iraq had retained the design and engineering details of these weapons. Kamel talked of hidden blueprints, computer disks, microfiches and even missile-warhead molds. “People who work in MIC [Iraq’s Military Industrial Commission, which oversaw the country’s WMD programs] were asked to take documents to their houses,” he said. Why preserve this technical material? Said Kamel: “It is the first step to return to production” after U.N. inspections wind down.

rest at Common Dreams

34
Kay-Wisconsin on November 1, 2007 at 04:24 AM

good morning.

35
gregg on November 1, 2007 at 07:58 AM

seems there is a bit of disgruntlement at the state department...i wonder what kind of going away party they'll have for condi?? hahahaha

Envoys Resist Forced Iraq Duty
Top State Dept. Officials Face Angry Questions

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 1, 2007; Page A01

Uneasy U.S. diplomats yesterday challenged senior State Department officials in unusually blunt terms over a decision to order some of them to serve at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad or risk losing their jobs.

At a town hall meeting in the department's main auditorium attended by hundreds of Foreign Service officers, some of them criticized fundamental aspects of State's personnel policies in Iraq. They took issue with the size of the embassy -- the biggest in U.S. history -- and the inadequate training they received before being sent to serve in a war zone. One woman said she returned from a tour in Basra with post-traumatic stress disorder only to find that the State Department would not authorize medical treatment.

Yesterday's internal dissension came amid rising public doubts about diplomatic progress in Iraq and congressional inquiries into the department's spending on the embassy and its management of private security contractors. Some participants asked how diplomacy could be practiced when the embassy itself, inside the fortified Green Zone, is under frequent fire and officials can travel outside only under heavy guard.

Service in Iraq is "a potential death sentence," said one man who identified himself as a 46-year Foreign Service veteran. "Any other embassy in the world would be closed by now," he said to sustained applause.

Harry K. Thomas Jr., the director general of the Foreign Service, who called the meeting, responded curtly. "Okay, thanks for your comment," he said, declaring the town hall meeting over...

just send the political appointees over and post condi there to mother hen them...oh yeah and give them each a copy of ayn rand's "atlas mugged" to keep them occupied

36
gregg on November 1, 2007 at 08:07 AM

Morning, Gregg! 53 and clear here this morning.

37
Cyn_NY on November 1, 2007 at 08:07 AM

they lied us into war plain and simple and they should be prosecuted for it. let's put bush/cheney/rummy in chains:

From the Desk of Donald Rumsfeld . . .
In Sometimes-Brusque 'Snowflakes,' He Shared Worldview, Shaped Policy

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 1, 2007; Page A01

In a series of internal musings and memos to his staff, then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld argued that Muslims avoid "physical labor" and wrote of the need to "keep elevating the threat," "link Iraq to Iran" and develop "bumper sticker statements" to rally public support for an increasingly unpopular war...

pigs at the gate

38
gregg on November 1, 2007 at 08:09 AM

Reflecting an increasingly aggressive strategy for the 2008 election cycle, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, acknowledged on Wednesday that the Democrats are gunning for the seat of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY.
Schumer cited McConnell as a Democratic target for the first time during an open press briefing, and took a swipe at the Senate GOP leader, suggesting that his proximity to President Bush and his sagging poll numbers put him directly in electoral limbo.

"One state that we have our eye on," said Schumer, "you've all seen the numbers, Sen. McConnell's numbers are not very good and we are hopeful of having a Democratic governor and we are going to go out and try to get a Democratic senator."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/10/31/schumer-takes-aim-at-sena_n_70622.html

39
Cyn_NY on November 1, 2007 at 08:11 AM

cloudy here cyn. gotta run.

40
gregg on November 1, 2007 at 08:14 AM

Morning, Dems,


Found this article of interest this morning.

All that crowing by the Righties that deaths are down, so the surge must be sorking is nothing but more Spin and Koolaid.


Drop In Iraq Deaths Debated
Some Take It As Evidence Surge Is Working; Others Say Figures Misleading
By NED PARKER | Los Angeles Times


But other say that the picture is more complicated and that the civilian death toll, which plummeted nationwide from nearly 2,000 in January to 875 in October, according to the Associated Press count, has dropped in large part because those seeking to cleanse their neighborhoods of rival religious sects by and large have succeeded.

"Everyone in our neighborhood is Sunni; even the birds flying above us are Sunni," said Mohammed Azawi, a resident of the formerly mixed district of Ghazaliya.


Moreover, American forces have felt it necessary to make tacit deals with groups that have been involved in the ethnic cleansing, and many Baghdad residents who have not been killed have fled. The number of people displaced internally in Iraq has risen to 2.25 million, while another 2 million have left the country.


http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc-iraqdeaths1101.artnov01,0,5546698.story


so let them spin it all they want, this surge of our troops did nothing. People are still leaving the country at astronomical rates. Genocide and Civil War is going on, and no one will admit it.

41
PamB on November 1, 2007 at 08:18 AM

this one in the Guardian, UK is of interest also.

Hope that little troll who posed as a Military guy the other day is still reading ! THERE WERE NO AL QAEDA IN IRAQ UNTIL BUSH INVADED! Got that?

"The head of MI6 at the time of the invasion of Iraq said last night that the government placed too much weight on intelligence claims to help persuade opponents in parliament to support the war. Sir Richard Dearlove said Iraq demonstrated the dangers when "policy was built round intelligence and little else or when it was used for the primary justification for government action".

Sir Richard also admitted that claims by neo-con elements in the Bush administration that there were links between al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein were not true. "You know as well as I know there was no connection between 9/11 and Iraq," he said.

Though Sir Richard's admissions reflect those made by others since the invasion of Iraq, and notably in Lord Butler's report on the use of intelligence, it is the first time he has commented publicly on the affair. He was speaking at the London School of Economics on the subject of Intelligence and the Media at a meeting sponsored by the Polis thinktank.


He acknowledged that over Iraq the relationship between the intelligence agencies and the media "suffered greatly" because trust was compromised. The fundamental causes of this was "not under the control of either party", he said.

Leaked minutes of a meeting on Iraq chaired by Tony Blair in Downing Street on July 23 2002 reveal that Sir Richard , reporting on his talks in Washington, warned that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy". Sir Richard is reported to have since downplayed the significance of the comment.


(This is why Hillary, Kerry, Edwards all voted for authority to invade Iraq also! Intelligence was manipulated. They were LIED to.)


http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,,2202952,00.html

42
PamB on November 1, 2007 at 08:42 AM

I AM LIVID! I rec'd a huge colored postcard thing from Senator Hugh T. Farley, republican of course. He is targeting Gov. Spitzer's plan to give illegal aliens driver's licenses. It speaks of 9/11 and terrorism and national security. I just emailed him a rip roaring letter. If you are so inclined, you can email him here at his site: www.senatorfarley.com. I know this is a NY issue, but it will eventually affect all of us. And, if you don't understand Spitzer's plan, you can read abou it here: www.ny.gov/governor

43
Cyn_NY on November 1, 2007 at 08:51 AM

heading out for a while too.

catch up later, Dems.


(still smiling over the fact that I irk the trolls so much. Because they have no defense against TRUTH. Because they have a cast of the worst candidates in history that THEY don't even like. )

When Senator Craig engages in homo behavior PamB calls him a pervert but when greggy or HillWilliam do the same she calls it an "alternative lifestyle".

Posted by FrostyVonZeppelin on November 1, 2007 at 03:17 AM


NO, little stevie wonder, it is not the fact that Craig is homosexual that we call him a pervert and YOU KNOW IT! It is the fact that Craig sits in a public restroom in MN, hoping you or Harpo will come by and see his foot dance and his finger popping, and maybe he can solicit some sex with a stranger. That is what is perverted! So save your crapola against HillBill, it makes you look stupider than you usually do!

44
PamB on November 1, 2007 at 08:51 AM

Morning Pam, Cyn, and Gregg.

It's 35 here this morning. Still no rain. Looka like the east coast is going to be pounded with rain from the tropical storm. Batten down the hatches.

45
Johnedwrd on November 1, 2007 at 09:17 AM

New thread, by the way.

46
MichaelLink on November 1, 2007 at 09:35 AM

Bob, could you please tell your candidate to get his head out of his ass and his foot out of his mouth?

Here's a clue for you: If you mean to speak about disadvantages by socio-economic status, don't fucking mention minorities, mention socio-economic groups.

47
GregL on November 1, 2007 at 09:39 AM


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