Saturday, February 24, 2007
Is Iran Next?
The latest political buzz is whether or not our bizarre administration is actually planning an attack on Iran.
Well, maybe not whether it's planned - they've already done that, according to this excellent article by Tom Rinne, but when is the operational question.
With our armed forces already stretched to the breaking point, an aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities is looking like the obvious direction. Apparently, the administration is not content to steal just Iraq's oil; they'd like Iran's too and bombing only nuclear sites in that "rogue nation" would conveniently be far afield from any oil facilities.
If the Bush gang is intent on doing damage to Iran there really doesn't seem to be much to prevent it. Congress has shown an unwillingness to stand in the way, though other countries - notably Russia - have not kept their positions secret.
If it's bombs away over Iran, we could be looking at $4 a gallon gas soon thereafter.
Happy motoring!
Well, maybe not whether it's planned - they've already done that, according to this excellent article by Tom Rinne, but when is the operational question.
With our armed forces already stretched to the breaking point, an aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities is looking like the obvious direction. Apparently, the administration is not content to steal just Iraq's oil; they'd like Iran's too and bombing only nuclear sites in that "rogue nation" would conveniently be far afield from any oil facilities.
If the Bush gang is intent on doing damage to Iran there really doesn't seem to be much to prevent it. Congress has shown an unwillingness to stand in the way, though other countries - notably Russia - have not kept their positions secret.
If it's bombs away over Iran, we could be looking at $4 a gallon gas soon thereafter.
Happy motoring!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Sunday Talk Shows Scoreboard, January 28, 2007
Notes on the shows: Who's in charge here?
That is my question after watching the absurd display presented by the network talk shows this Sunday. Meet the Press and Fox News Sunday, both led off with Republican presidential candidates, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Kansas Senator Sam Brownback, respectively. Both initial interviews quickly glossed over Iraq in the first two to three minutes before devolving into discussions of family values, abortion and religion. This display of irresponsibility was nothing short of abhorrent behavior against the public interest by NBC's Tim Russert and Fox's Chris Wallace and the producers of both shows.
Fox fell even further into the abyss, trotting out Senator Joe Lieberman on as their next guest. Lieberman tried once again to paint the November 2006 as a rejection of "partisanship" rather than the true repudiation of the President's policies.
NBC at least made an attempt at balance with NY Senator Charles Schumer as their second guest. Senator David Vitter (R-LA), a supporter of the President's "troop surge" and opponent of regional diplomacy, followed up with more talk of escalation and even mentioned that he may be amenable to sending even more troops.
ABC's This Week with George Stephanopolous was no less disheartening. The dueling Senators, Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Richard Lugar, at least - from Biden's perspective - discussed the merits of the surge and touched on Iran. Unfortunately, the discussion was too short (about 10 minutes) to be meaningful. The pundit round table didn't mention Iraq except in the context of the 2008 presidential election, preferring to focus on the proposed health care tax breaks offered by Bush in the State of the Union message and the far-off primaries.
Senator Jim Webb of Virginia waffled badly on Face the Nation, saying he's not opposed to the War in Iraq and not opposed to the president's surge policy, couching his criticism in abstractions like "opposed to the strategic mistake" and the president's "lack of a strategy."
Bob Schieffer's commentary on "the truth" was poignant and, in the current environment, rather risky. His criticism of how the government and the military has shaded (and often outright lied) about the war in Iraq and other issues, should strike a nerve in the collective consciousness. We can only hope.
Nowhere was there any mention of Saturday's 7 American deaths in Iraq nor the massive anti-war rally on the National Mall on Saturday, except for CBS, who opened their show with video from the rally on Face the Nation. The trial of "Scooter" Libby was given a short discussion by Fox's panel. Not a word was spoken about the Senate's rejection of a minimum wage increase (due to the efforts of the Republican minority) or the soon-to-be-reconvened Senate Intelligence Committee investigating pre-war intelligence - reports from which Vice President Dick Cheney office has consistently sought to delay.
In the end, watching the Sunday morning shows is a depressing experience for anyone who believes in a free, open American society with a responsible, free, fair press. The misuse of the public airwaves by the media giants which control them is appalling. It's obvious that the American public is being disserved by television media and that the only truth in journalism can be found on carefully selected internet sites and progressive radio stations.
For example, take these two articles from the highly-regarded political newsletter, CounterPunch: What's Really Going on in Baghdad by Patrick Cockburn, and Why Can't Americans See What's Coming? by Paul Craig Roberts.
The titles of the Counterpunch articles alone offer an insight to the divergence of opinion and disagreement of what important journalism really is. While the mainstream TV media glosses over Iraq and debates family values and the 2008 election, real journalism is reporting directly from Baghdad and probing the president's pending attack on Iraq.
TV media failed in the run up to the war in Iraq, they have continued to fail, are failing us now and will continue to fail with a flawed, audacious sense of self-importance and faulty journalistic reasoning.
Make no mistake, the Congress won't prevent the president from sending more troops to Iraq and elsewhere and the widening of the war - including Iran - is now a distinct possibility. Even after the resounding victories by Democrats in the mid-term elections, the president's power is still absolute, the Congress - especially the Senate - continues to abrogate its responsibility and the media whitewashes all debate and discussion.
January 28 Sunday Talk Shows Scorecard
Week 12
*Total of progressive/Democrat guests to total # of guests.
**Total percentage of shows beginning with Sunday, November 12.
Chart updated weekly each Sunday.
How well are the Sunday News Talk shows presenting the progressive/Democratic point-of-view?
We look at the guests each show offers and award them a point for every one that is either an elected Democrat or shares the values of the progressive left and a zero for every one that does not. Generally, Democratic party guests get a 1; Republicans and all others, a zero.
That is my question after watching the absurd display presented by the network talk shows this Sunday. Meet the Press and Fox News Sunday, both led off with Republican presidential candidates, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Kansas Senator Sam Brownback, respectively. Both initial interviews quickly glossed over Iraq in the first two to three minutes before devolving into discussions of family values, abortion and religion. This display of irresponsibility was nothing short of abhorrent behavior against the public interest by NBC's Tim Russert and Fox's Chris Wallace and the producers of both shows.
Fox fell even further into the abyss, trotting out Senator Joe Lieberman on as their next guest. Lieberman tried once again to paint the November 2006 as a rejection of "partisanship" rather than the true repudiation of the President's policies.
NBC at least made an attempt at balance with NY Senator Charles Schumer as their second guest. Senator David Vitter (R-LA), a supporter of the President's "troop surge" and opponent of regional diplomacy, followed up with more talk of escalation and even mentioned that he may be amenable to sending even more troops.
ABC's This Week with George Stephanopolous was no less disheartening. The dueling Senators, Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Richard Lugar, at least - from Biden's perspective - discussed the merits of the surge and touched on Iran. Unfortunately, the discussion was too short (about 10 minutes) to be meaningful. The pundit round table didn't mention Iraq except in the context of the 2008 presidential election, preferring to focus on the proposed health care tax breaks offered by Bush in the State of the Union message and the far-off primaries.
Senator Jim Webb of Virginia waffled badly on Face the Nation, saying he's not opposed to the War in Iraq and not opposed to the president's surge policy, couching his criticism in abstractions like "opposed to the strategic mistake" and the president's "lack of a strategy."
Bob Schieffer's commentary on "the truth" was poignant and, in the current environment, rather risky. His criticism of how the government and the military has shaded (and often outright lied) about the war in Iraq and other issues, should strike a nerve in the collective consciousness. We can only hope.
Nowhere was there any mention of Saturday's 7 American deaths in Iraq nor the massive anti-war rally on the National Mall on Saturday, except for CBS, who opened their show with video from the rally on Face the Nation. The trial of "Scooter" Libby was given a short discussion by Fox's panel. Not a word was spoken about the Senate's rejection of a minimum wage increase (due to the efforts of the Republican minority) or the soon-to-be-reconvened Senate Intelligence Committee investigating pre-war intelligence - reports from which Vice President Dick Cheney office has consistently sought to delay.
In the end, watching the Sunday morning shows is a depressing experience for anyone who believes in a free, open American society with a responsible, free, fair press. The misuse of the public airwaves by the media giants which control them is appalling. It's obvious that the American public is being disserved by television media and that the only truth in journalism can be found on carefully selected internet sites and progressive radio stations.
For example, take these two articles from the highly-regarded political newsletter, CounterPunch: What's Really Going on in Baghdad by Patrick Cockburn, and Why Can't Americans See What's Coming? by Paul Craig Roberts.
The titles of the Counterpunch articles alone offer an insight to the divergence of opinion and disagreement of what important journalism really is. While the mainstream TV media glosses over Iraq and debates family values and the 2008 election, real journalism is reporting directly from Baghdad and probing the president's pending attack on Iraq.
TV media failed in the run up to the war in Iraq, they have continued to fail, are failing us now and will continue to fail with a flawed, audacious sense of self-importance and faulty journalistic reasoning.
Make no mistake, the Congress won't prevent the president from sending more troops to Iraq and elsewhere and the widening of the war - including Iran - is now a distinct possibility. Even after the resounding victories by Democrats in the mid-term elections, the president's power is still absolute, the Congress - especially the Senate - continues to abrogate its responsibility and the media whitewashes all debate and discussion.
January 28 Sunday Talk Shows Scorecard
Week 12
| Show | Guests | Score | WeeKTotal | Cum. Total* | Cum. %** |
| Meet the Press (NBC) | Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Senators Vitter (R), Charles Schumer (D) | 1 | 1-3 | 10-32 | 31.25 |
| Fox News Sunday (FOX) | Senators Sam Brownback (D), Joe Lieberman (I), | 0 | 0-2 | 13-32 | 40.63 |
| This Week (ABC) | Senators Richard Lugar (R), Joe Biden (D), Representative Dncan Hunter (R) | 1 | 1-3 | 17-34 | 50.00 |
| Face the Nation (CBS) | Senators Jim Webb (D), Arlen Spector (R), Mitch McConnell (R) | 1 | 1-3 | 10-24 | 41.66 |
| Total for week, all shows (12 weeks) | all guests | 3 | 3-11 | 50-122 | 40.98 |
*Total of progressive/Democrat guests to total # of guests.
**Total percentage of shows beginning with Sunday, November 12.
Chart updated weekly each Sunday.
How well are the Sunday News Talk shows presenting the progressive/Democratic point-of-view?
We look at the guests each show offers and award them a point for every one that is either an elected Democrat or shares the values of the progressive left and a zero for every one that does not. Generally, Democratic party guests get a 1; Republicans and all others, a zero.
Labels: Iran, Iraq, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Bush to America: SCREW YOU!
The president ignores voters, world opinion and expands the war. Impeachment is clearly now a viable option.
We all saw the president on the tube last night. Well, those of us who give a damn saw him and heard his speech. For those misinformed and disinterested few, here's a rough rundown of Mr. Bush's new strategy for Iraq:
Bush simply does not get it. 80% of the American public now favors a reduction of the number of troops in Iraq and either a phased or immediate pull-out. The president has purposely misread or ignored the historic vote of November 7, 2006 which put Democrats in power in the legislative branch.
In calling for an immediate escalation of the war, the president wants us to believe that he can see the future. The following excepts from his speech offer an opportunity to see what the president believes and just about how far detached from reality he is.
Well, here we see that the president's future vision is a little blurry. In fact, it was dead wrong, begging the question, why should we believe his prognostications now? Like...
Why should we believe him now? This is the same president who said there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq when there weren't. He told us that Saddam Hussein was developing a nuclear arsenal to use against us when he wasn't. He assured us that Republicans would retain power in the Congress prior to the last election. He was wrong.
Mr. Bush does not have a crystal ball; at least not one which works. Mr. Bush's vision of the future is clouded by a failed ideology, an intractable, unyielding personality and a desire to shape history in a deeply bewildered invention of his own imagination.
Bush's faulty thought processes have brought us nothing but anguish and defeat. His presidency is a mockery and a slap in the face of a once-distinguished office. He is derided by foreign leaders, uncompromising in the face of overwhelming public and private opinion, and has routinely compromised the office, the Constitution and the will of the American people.
Mr. Bush will not back down from any fight, no matter the odds, and he has proved to be more than willing to spill any amount of American blood and treasure to ensure that his misguided vision of the future is fulfilled. No cost is too high for this charlatan. No war too expensive nor too tragic; no single life to sacred to not be spared in his quest for satisfaction.
Bush has gone too far, not only this time, but in the past as well. The American public is well beyond giving him a second, third or fourth chance and it is up to the newly-convened Congress to repudiate and correct the president's mistakes.
That begins with denial of funding for any further escalation of this war and it ends with a comprehensive plan to end our engagement in Iraq. If the president does not understand that we must end our involvement in Iraq - and he clearly does not - then he must be impeached, not for being stubborn, unruly or oppositional, but for failing to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States as he swore to do in taking his oath of office.
We all saw the president on the tube last night. Well, those of us who give a damn saw him and heard his speech. For those misinformed and disinterested few, here's a rough rundown of Mr. Bush's new strategy for Iraq:
- Send 20,000 more troops into and around Baghdad
- Send another carrier strike group into the Persian Gulf
- Threaten the Maliki government
- Ostracize and isolate Iran and Syria
- Ignore the wishes of the American people
- Start a major fight with Congress
Bush simply does not get it. 80% of the American public now favors a reduction of the number of troops in Iraq and either a phased or immediate pull-out. The president has purposely misread or ignored the historic vote of November 7, 2006 which put Democrats in power in the legislative branch.
In calling for an immediate escalation of the war, the president wants us to believe that he can see the future. The following excepts from his speech offer an opportunity to see what the president believes and just about how far detached from reality he is.
We thought that these elections would bring the Iraqis together, and that as we trained Iraqi security forces we could accomplish our mission with fewer American troops.But in 2006, the opposite happened. The violence in Iraq — particularly in Baghdad — overwhelmed the political gains the Iraqis had made.
Well, here we see that the president's future vision is a little blurry. In fact, it was dead wrong, begging the question, why should we believe his prognostications now? Like...
Failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the United States.
The consequences of failure are clear: Radical Islamic extremists would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region, and use oil revenues to fund their ambitions. Iran would be emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our enemies would have a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks on the American people.
If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people — and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people.
This new strategy will not yield an immediate end to suicide bombings, assassinations, or IED attacks. Our enemies in Iraq will make every effort to ensure that our television screens are filled with images of death and suffering. Yet over time, we can expect to see Iraqi troops chasing down murderers, fewer brazen acts of terror, and growing trust and cooperation from Baghdad's residents. When this happens, daily life will improve, Iraqis will gain confidence in their leaders, and the government will have the breathing space it needs to make progress in other critical areas. Most of Iraq's Sunni and Shia want to live together in peace — and reducing the violence in Baghdad will help make reconciliation possible.
...the Gulf States need to understand that an American defeat in Iraq would create a new sanctuary for extremists and a strategic threat to their survival.
The terrorists and insurgents in Iraq are without conscience, and they will make the year ahead bloody and violent. Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue — and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties. The question is whether our new strategy will bring us closer to success. I believe that it will.
But victory in Iraq will bring something new in the Arab world — a functioning democracy that polices its territory, upholds the rule of law, respects fundamental human liberties, and answers to its people. A democratic Iraq will not be perfect. But it will be a country that fights terrorists instead of harboring them — and it will help bring a future of peace and security for our children and our grandchildren.
...we concluded that to step back now would force a collapse of the Iraqi government, tear the country apart, and result in mass killings on an unimaginable scale. Such a scenario would result in our troops being forced to stay in Iraq even longer, and confront an enemy that is even more lethal. If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home.
Why should we believe him now? This is the same president who said there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq when there weren't. He told us that Saddam Hussein was developing a nuclear arsenal to use against us when he wasn't. He assured us that Republicans would retain power in the Congress prior to the last election. He was wrong.
Mr. Bush does not have a crystal ball; at least not one which works. Mr. Bush's vision of the future is clouded by a failed ideology, an intractable, unyielding personality and a desire to shape history in a deeply bewildered invention of his own imagination.
Bush's faulty thought processes have brought us nothing but anguish and defeat. His presidency is a mockery and a slap in the face of a once-distinguished office. He is derided by foreign leaders, uncompromising in the face of overwhelming public and private opinion, and has routinely compromised the office, the Constitution and the will of the American people.
Mr. Bush will not back down from any fight, no matter the odds, and he has proved to be more than willing to spill any amount of American blood and treasure to ensure that his misguided vision of the future is fulfilled. No cost is too high for this charlatan. No war too expensive nor too tragic; no single life to sacred to not be spared in his quest for satisfaction.
Bush has gone too far, not only this time, but in the past as well. The American public is well beyond giving him a second, third or fourth chance and it is up to the newly-convened Congress to repudiate and correct the president's mistakes.
That begins with denial of funding for any further escalation of this war and it ends with a comprehensive plan to end our engagement in Iraq. If the president does not understand that we must end our involvement in Iraq - and he clearly does not - then he must be impeached, not for being stubborn, unruly or oppositional, but for failing to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States as he swore to do in taking his oath of office.
Labels: Bush, Iran, Iraq, Maliki, troops
