The  Beat

"Not Buying" the Spin From Petraeus

posted by John Nichols on 09/10/2007 @ 3:12pm

The good news from the testimony of General David Petraeus before a joint session of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees was certainly not found in his repetition of his claim that, despite all evidence to the contrary, the Bush administration's surge of troops into the Iraq quagmire is "in large measure" meeting its military objectives.

That political statement from Petraeus, the statistically-pliable U.S. commander in Iraq, was predicted days ago by intelligence analysts and officials with the Government Accountability Office, when they detailed how the general and his aides are using doctored data to create the false impression that sectarian violence is declining as a result of the surge.

Nor was there any news to be found in the warning by Petraeus that it would be "premature" to start taking serious steps to extract U.S. troops from the quagmire. Indeed, the best the general could propose was a return to pre-surge troop levels – the status rejected by American voters in last fall's House and Senate elections -- by some time in 2008.

Nothing that Petraeus told the House committees during the first of two days of efforts by the White House to cloak administration spin in a military uniform was any more newsworthy than General William Westmoreland's 1967 claim to Congress that progress was being made in southeast Asia. Indeed, the whole sorry performance by a another general who has chosen to sacrifice his credibility on the altar of political expediency, confirmed the bumper sticker slogan that says: "Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam."

What made Monday's hearing newsworthy, then, was the fact that the chairs of the two committees that hosted Petraeus displayed not the frustrating deference that has tended to characterize the responses of a compliant Congress to a deceptive White House but an appropriate level of skepticism.

House Armed Services Committee chair Ike Skelton, a hawkish Democrat from Missouri, opened Monday's hearing by detailing the long history of the administration's "overoptimistic" assessments of progress in Iraq. Skelton asked whether the U.S. is "beating a dead horse" by maintaining a massive troop presence in the region.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos, a California Democrat who like Skelton voted in 2002 to authorize Bush to attack Iraq, described the occupation as a "fiasco" and said in his opening statement: "It would be refreshing if these two capable and dedicated men would outline a new plan that would redeploy our troops and bring them home from Iraq. But I expect instead that the September report -- written not by one of our great military leaders and one of our most capable diplomats, but by Administration political operatives -- will be a regurgitation of the same failed Iraq strategy. I expect this report will be replete with the same litany of requests -- more troops, more money, more patience -- and all in the unlikely belief that our intervention in a bloody, religiously-based civil war will bear fruit."

Bluntly expressing his frustration with the administration's refusal to be honest with Congress – and leaving little doubt of his sense that Petraeus had been sent to Capitol Hill to maintain the deception -- the congressman told the general he was no longer "buying" claims about progress in Iraq. "We cannot take any of this administration's assertions on Iraq at face value anymore," said Lantos.

That brought cries of outrage from administration boosters. Duncan Hunter, the California Republican who is mounting a pro-war presidential campaign that is currently garnering something less that one percent in the polls, growled: "I hope the purpose of this hearing is not to discredit General Petraeus before he takes the stand."

As it happened, Petraeus discredited himself before he took the stand. The general's repetition of spun statistics and fantastical assessments merely confirmed the fact of his misplaced loyalty to an administration that has betrayed the troops commanded by Petraeus.

That was the outrage on display Monday. The skepticism expressed by Skelton and Lantos was the refreshing – and newsworthy – development of the day.

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John Nichols' new book is THE GENIUS OF IMPEACHMENT: The Founders' Cure for Royalism. Rolling Stone's Tim Dickinson hails it as a "nervy, acerbic, passionately argued history-cum-polemic [that] combines a rich examination of the parliamentary roots and past use of the 'heroic medicine' that is impeachment with a call for Democratic leaders to 'reclaim and reuse the most vital tool handed to us by the founders for the defense of our most basic liberties.'"

Comments (101)

  1. NICHOLS: The skepticism expressed by Skelton and Lantos was the refreshing – and newsworthy – development of the day.

    So, thanks to the vast Left Consp[iracy, we are well on our way to destroy the credibility of our military.....the last pillar of our federal gov't that still retains majority support and approval! How nice!

    Posted by Happy at 09/10/2007 @ 3:45pm

  2. So, thanks to the vast Left Consp[iracy, we are well on our way to destroy the credibility of our military.....the last pillar of our federal gov't that still retains majority support and approval! How nice!

    Posted by HAPPY 09/10/2007 @ 3:45pm

    um no....leave it to Bush and his supporters who either misrepresent what the military says or fires them for not saying the right thing that has destroyed their credibility. And it truly is a sad day when we can no longer trust our military because of Bush's nefarious motives. Sigh...

    Posted by jkbriscoe at 09/10/2007 @ 3:48pm

  3. Your preconceptions are showing JOHN

    Posted by CHIP THORNTON at 09/10/2007 @ 3:52pm

  4. Posted by JKBRISCOE 09/10/2007 @ 3:48pm

    The GAO, the ABC, whatever....none of them IS the overall commander of the Iraq theater stationed in the battle zone.....A commander confirmed by Congress gets torn apart before testifying....and of course, it's Bush's fault.......typical!

    Posted by Happy at 09/10/2007 @ 3:52pm

  5. Posted by HAPPY 09/10/2007 @ 3:45pm

    You're right, by God. I don't think anyone should have the right to question Bush, Patraeus, or God forbid, the Military. I'm really starting to come around to your philosophy of blindly accepting whatever Bush wants since I've come to realize that he hasn't actually led us wrong yet. Dammit if Bush says we should believe Patraeus, we'd better darn well accept it ourselves or run the risk of attacking the military! To do anything else would be downright unAmerican!

    Posted by MATTMAN at 09/10/2007 @ 4:02pm

  6. Happy --

    Does the name "Westmoreland" mean anything to you?

    The testimony of Gen. Petraeus, or any general, is not unassailable. Congress and the American public have the right, if not the obligation, to evaluate the military's assessments in comparison with independent, objective sources. And if there are variances, we should point them out.

    Your implication is that Americans should simply accept whatever Gen. Petraeus says at face value. Ask no questions, don't seek alternative sources of information, don't challenge the statistics. I can't imagine a more unpatriotic, treasonous point of view.

    Posted by scurvybro at 09/10/2007 @ 4:09pm

  7. Let's see which other members of congress will fall in line with Skelton and Lantos before getting everyone gets too optimistic.

    Posted by MATTMAN at 09/10/2007 @ 4:10pm

  8. Posted by SCURVYBRO 09/10/2007 @ 4:09pm

    Perhaps you missed a key point as to Gen. Petraeus...that of his being attacked before he ever sat down to present his report....frankly, unless he reported as exactly what BERMAN and NICHOLS believe, he is lying on behalf of the WH?

    Given the politicized nature of yet another long war, and differing measuring yard sticks for different groups with different agendas, I will `ride' Gen. Petraeus' horse/voice....with 170,000 men/women under his command, I think he has more reason to be honest than any! He could still be wrong...just like I can be wrong on so many stocks even while `riding' them!

    Posted by Happy at 09/10/2007 @ 4:31pm

  9. MATTMAN,

    see my post above....

    Posted by Happy at 09/10/2007 @ 4:32pm

  10. frankly, unless he reported as exactly what BERMAN and NICHOLS believe, he is lying on behalf of the WH? ----Posted by HAPPY 09/10/2007 @ 4:31pm

    HAPPY, didn't you say on the other thread that you won't believe anybody who calls for a pull-out from Iraq who isn't "Bush, Petreaus, or al-Maliki"?

    So as long as someone reports "exactly what HAPPY believes", he's telling the truth....right?

    Posted by Mask at 09/10/2007 @ 4:40pm

  11. Okay, so I don't get accused of mis-quoting....you said Lieberman, not al-Maliki---

    BLOG | Posted 09/10/2007 @ 11:01am Questioning Petraeus' Credibility by Ari Berman

    "I'm, however, a bit more "fair" & believe that if BUSH/PETRAEUS/LIEBERMAN (people who, IMO, are less driven by politics/polls and have shown personal convictions) decide the costs of staying in Iraq outweighs benefits, then I'll respect their decisions." -----Posted by HAPPY 09/10/2007 @ 2:51pm

    Posted by Mask at 09/10/2007 @ 4:47pm

  12. I wrote this testimony myself. It has not been cleared by nor shared with anyone in the Pentagon, the White House or the Congress."

    What part of this statement is incomprehensible Mr. Nichols? I guess it is a little deep for you, but even a Demoncrat or two apparently possesses the ability to discern some of the truth about our war on terrorism!

    Posted by RIO BRAVO 09/10/2007 @ 3:27pm

    "i am not a crook"

    yep, someone said it. got to be true.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 4:48pm

  13. Posted by RIO BRAVO 09/10/2007 @ 3:27pm

    But who gave him the outline?

    Posted by Hman23 at 09/10/2007 @ 4:53pm

  14. "The end result is this national telenovela."

    by ZERO

    "Hoy en Univision presentamos la nueva telenovela 'Ambición Fracasada'*"

    *"Broken Dreams of Power"--amibición is a false cognate, i.e. a word that looks similar in two languages but actually mean different things. amibición means (kinda) "blind ambition"

    another example:

    freedom in "neo-con" differs greatly in meaning from freedom in "english"

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 4:54pm

  15. "I wrote this testimony myself. It has not been cleared by nor shared with anyone in the Pentagon, the White House or the Congress."

    This is what we in the real world refer to as a LIE.

    Posted by miliTerry at 09/10/2007 @ 4:56pm

  16. Forgive the crappy editing. See you all later -

    Posted by ZERO 09/10/2007 @ 3:38pm

    i wasn't going to say anything

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 4:56pm

  17. Posted by HAPPY 09/10/2007 @ 3:45pm

    ?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 4:57pm

  18. One of the Left's anti-Military sources demolished!!!

    Army Checkmates The New Republic

    September 10, 2007 7:30 AM

    Last month Pajamas Media published an in-depth report on the scandal surrounding the "Baghdad Diarist" articles by Scott Thomas Beauchamp in The New Republic.

    Now PJM's Bob Owens interviews Major John Cross, who led the U.S. Army's investigation into Private Beauchamp's shocking claims. Even more shocking is what Cross reveals below: Among other findings, there is no credible evidence that TNR made any attempt at fact checking prior to publishing the articles. Furthermore, not one of the soldiers interviewed under oath in the investigation corroborated Beauchamp's story.

    Posted by Happy at 09/10/2007 @ 4:59pm

  19. So as long as someone reports "exactly what HAPPY believes", he's telling the truth....right?

    Posted by MASK 09/10/2007 @ 4:40pm

    Damn, MASK, you've got way too much time on your hands.....I will believe those I respect...what I personally believe, is derived from sources I respect, past, present and in the future....I'm not in Iraq...as many of the (now) ignored faithfully reminded me! LOL!

    Posted by Happy at 09/10/2007 @ 5:01pm

  20. Posted by HAPPY 09/10/2007 @ 2:51pm

    Posted by MASK 09/10/2007 @ 4:47pm

    Maliki has no credibility but does hold official capacity as head of Iraq's pitiful central gov't......which is why he wasn't listed with BUSH/PATREUS/LIEBERMAN on my credibility line....the earlier post mentioned him as "even Maliki" meaning if he calls for us to withdrawal, we need to pay heed since he is Iraq's No. 1!

    Posted by Happy at 09/10/2007 @ 5:10pm

  21. Happy-You give credibility to people who have a reason to paint a rosy picture.Do you invest based upon the opinions of people who have a reason to paint a rosy picture?Try looking at cold hard facts like attack rates,death rates,where attacks are taking place etc.Look at the Iraqi government.Look at how divided the people are there.They make us look united.We don't need opinions from either side to know if the surge is working.Facts will answer that question.

    Posted by i'm nobody at 09/10/2007 @ 5:19pm

  22. I do have too much time on my hands right now unfortunately but I want to say this. Why would someone like happy even read theNation? Is he working for the FBI or something to try to counter and discredit liberal and left thinking?

    Posted by Waltz at 09/10/2007 @ 5:40pm

  23. Posted by I'M NOBODY 09/10/2007 @ 5:19pm

    Go read the stats in Gen. Petraeus' lengthy report to Congress today. I just read it! Baghdad deaths down by 70%! Gen. P also mentioned exceeding reenlistment rates by folks under his command....sounds credible to me!

    Even a BBC poll says 53% of Iraqis DON'T want us to leave...oddly, same poll says most Iraqis condone attacks on American and Iraqi forces....

    Point is, one can choose to believe whatever one wants to....I think I am the ONLY blogger here who can accept both ways....IF BUSH/PETRAEUS/LIEBERMAN says it's time to leave, fine by me....same deal if they say, we need to stay! Seems I am pretty Fair and Balanced...

    Posted by Happy at 09/10/2007 @ 5:45pm

  24. ...Is he working for the FBI or something to try to counter and discredit liberal and left thinking?

    Posted by WALTZ 09/10/2007 @ 5:40pm

    Nice try....the FBI works for me!

    Posted by Happy at 09/10/2007 @ 5:45pm

  25. I just saw very few minutes. There was a representative that said something like: "in x minutes, nobody has said how is the Irag global war on terror going, is not it the purpose of the war?"

    The general responded: "Al Qaeda is there and we have intercepted messages from (and for) their command??"

    The follow up should have been immediate as to what do we did with that "intelligence".

    At that moment I did not want to see more and zapped. I knew the general's intervention was grossly politically tainted when after talking so much about militias, sunnis, etc he responded that way. It was clear that Al Qaeda follow up was not what the military are going after.

    Stop this madness!

    Posted by Frank42 at 09/10/2007 @ 5:53pm

  26. Happy-When you put extra cops in a high crime area the crime rate goes down, for awhile.That has no relevance to the issue of whether or not the surge is working.If the death rate went down without the extra troops being there then we could have hope.You are hardly fair and balanced.You listen to the opinions of those who have a strong motive to paint a rosy picture rather than look at facts.Whatever happens in Iraq is out of our hands.The most we can do is play police while hoping that a miracle happens and everyone over in Iraq starts getting along.

    Posted by i'm nobody at 09/10/2007 @ 5:57pm

  27. Note the number of times "our" ambassador used " AL Qaida". Note this because nindependent sources put Al Qaida at around 5% of the insurgency. Now, why would our ambassador try and link Al Qaida to the majority of attacks? Could it be more of the ChimpCO mantra of linking Iraq to 9/11? Nahh, that wouldn't make sense, now would it?

    Lets go to tape and see about our progress reports of old:

    Chimpy McFLightsuit Nov, 2005

    The training of the Iraqi security forces is an enormous task, and it always hasn't gone smoothly. We all remember the reports of some Iraqi security forces running from the fight more than a year ago. Yet in the past year, Iraqi forces have made real progress. At this time last year, there were only a handful of Iraqi battalions ready for combat. Now, there are over 120 Iraqi Army and Police combat battalions in the fight against the terrorists -- typically comprised of between 350 and 800 Iraqi forces. Of these, about 80 Iraqi battalions are fighting side-by-side with coalition forces, and about 40 others are taking the lead in the fight. Most of these 40 battalions are controlling their own battle space, and conducting their own operations against the terrorists with some coalition support -- and they're helping to turn the tide of this struggle in freedom's favor. America and our troops are proud to stand with the brave Iraqi fighters.

    As Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead in the fight against the terrorists, they're also taking control of more and more Iraqi territory. At this moment, over 30 Iraqi Army battalions have assumed primary control of their own areas of responsibility. In Baghdad, Iraqi battalions have taken over major sectors of the capital -- including some of the city's toughest neighborhoods. Last year, the area around Baghdad's Haifa Street was so thick with terrorists that it earned the nickname "Purple Heart Boulevard." Then Iraqi forces took responsibility for this dangerous neighborhood -- and attacks are now down.

    Our coalition has handed over roughly 90 square miles of Baghdad province to Iraqi security forces. Iraqi battalions have taken over responsibility for areas in South-Central Iraq, sectors of Southeast Iraq, sectors of Western Iraq, and sectors of North-Central Iraq. As Iraqi forces take responsibility for more of their own territory, coalition forces can concentrate on training Iraqis and hunting down high-value targets, like the terrorist Zarqawi and his associates.

    We're also transferring forward operating bases to Iraqi control. Over a dozen bases in Iraq have been handed over to the Iraqi government -- including Saddam Hussein's former palace in Tikrit, which has served as the coalition headquarters in one of Iraq's most dangerous regions. From many of these bases, the Iraqi security forces are planning and executing operations against the terrorists -- and bringing security and pride to the Iraqi people.

    Similar changes have taken place in the training of the Iraqi police. When our coalition first arrived, Iraqi police recruits spent too much time of their training in classroom lectures -- and they received limited training in the use of small arms. This did not adequately prepare the fight they would face. And so we changed the way the Iraqi police are trained. Now, police recruits spend more of their time outside the classroom with intensive hands-on training in anti-terrorism operations and real-world survival skills.

    Iraq has now six basic police academies, and one in Jordan, that together produce over 3,500 new police officers every ten weeks. The Baghdad police academy has simulation models where Iraqis train to stop IED attacks and operate roadblocks. And because Iraqi police are not just facing common criminals, they are getting live-fire training with the AK-47s.

    As more and more skilled Iraqi security forces have come online, there's been another important change in the way new Iraqi recruits are trained. When the training effort began, nearly all the trainers came from coalition countries. Today, the vast majority of Iraqi police and army recruits are being taught by Iraqi instructors. By training the trainers, we're helping Iraqis create an institutional capability that will allow the Iraqi forces to continue to develop and grow long after coalition forces have left Iraq.

    Last week we learned that it would be best to scrap the ENTIRE Iraqi police force and start over. Rumsfeld told us in 2005 that 280,000 police and Iraqi armed forces would be taking over soon, very soon.

    Forgive me if I take this generals words with a pallet of salt.

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/10/2007 @ 6:04pm

  28. Happy-When you put extra cops in a high crime area the crime rate goes down, for awhile.That has no relevance to the issue of whether or not the surge is working.

    Posted by I'M NOBODY 09/10/2007 @ 5:57pm

    NOBODY's "relevance" game: With extra troops in Baghdad, deaths goes down...why is this not relevant? The Surge's military objective IS to lower violence against civilians! That is measurable by numbers of incidents & deaths.....political gains are another story and much harder to quantify, also, not directly under Gen. Patraeus' direction/command!

    Posted by Happy at 09/10/2007 @ 6:06pm

  29. Happy-it is quite relevant that we had to put thousands of extra troops there in order to being down the violence rate.That means that the Iraqis aren't voluntarily doing anything themselves.I noticed that you're playing the pick sentences out game rather than look at everything I've posted.Lame.You are quite aware that big city mayors put extra cops into high crime areas just before elections in order to bring the crime rate down temporarily and make themselves look good.You.also,know that it never accomplishes anything permanent.If you invest using the same logic you support the war with then you are not successful.I suspect that you don't listen to the opinions of people who have strong motives to paint a rosy picture when you invest your money,but do listen to such people when others lives are on the line because it doesn't affect you personally.

    Posted by i'm nobody at 09/10/2007 @ 6:18pm

  30. Happy-I noticed that you only mentioned Baghdad.

    Posted by i'm nobody at 09/10/2007 @ 6:25pm

  31. Posted by HA 09/10/2007 @ 5:45p

    The stat's Patraeus/hsuB/cHeney are putting out is BS. Iraqi and US troop death is up 60% from this period of time last year:

    Year____Jan__Feb__Mar__Apr__May__Jun__Jul__Aug__TOTAL

    2006 ___62___55___31___76___69___61___43___65___462

    2007 ___83___81___81__104__126__101___79___84___739

    Iraqi Security Forces and Civilian Deaths

    Period___Total ______Period___Total

    Aug-07___1674 _____Aug-06___2966

    Jul-07 ___1690 ______Jul-06 ___1280

    Jun-07___1345 ______Jun-06____870

    May-07___1980 _____May-06___1119

    Apr-07___1821 ______Apr-06___1009

    Mar-07___2977 ______Mar-06___1092

    Feb-07___3014 ______Feb-06 ____846

    Jan-07___1802 ______Jan-06 ____779

    TOTAL__16,303_______________9,961

    http://icasualties.org/oif/

    Posted by hsuBfools at 09/10/2007 @ 6:47pm

  32. Happy --

    A 70-percent reduction in Bagdad deaths? That's from the Department of Cooking the Books. And you're from the Land of Kool-Aid.

    You don't really rebut the assessment made by others and me here that you refuse to do anything but accept at face value whatever Bubble Boy & Co. have to say. On the contrary, your posts reinforce it.

    In case you're wondering, here's what some objective evidence looks like:

    * Overall civilian deaths in all of Iraq are increasing; civilian deaths in August were 1,809, up by 49 compared to July's 1,760 deaths.

    * May was the deadliest month in 2007, with over 1,900 civilian deaths. The Pentagon's estimate of sectarian deaths does not include Shi'a on Shi'a violence, Sunni on Sunni violence, car bombings or people being shot in the head from in front.

    * The drop in violence in Baghdad has more to do with population displacement than the surge. Before the war, Baghdad had a 65 percent Sunni majority. It is now 75 percent Shi'a. More than half of all Baghdad's neighborhoods are now Shi'a dominated as compared to a handful just a year ago.

    * Since the surge began, the number of internally displaced persons in Iraq has doubled to 1.1 million, 200,000 of whom are in Baghdad alone. Every month in 2007 has seen more American casualties than the same month in 2006. Since the surge began, more than 800 American servicemen have died.

    * The quality of life for ordinary Iraqi's continues to deteriorate. Some 70 percent of Iraqi's lack adequate water supplies, compared to 50 percent before the invasion, nearly 30 percent of Iraqi children are malnourished, and Iraq is meeting only 50 percent of its electrical demand. Consequently, 2.4 million people have already left Iraq and are living as refugees throughout the Middle East and that Iraq is second on a the list of the world's most badly failing states.

    I imagine that you might suggest the preceding data is just more propaganda from left-wing liberals who hate America. Close. It's from Lawrence Korb, a former official in the Reagan administration.

    Posted by scurvybro at 09/10/2007 @ 7:00pm

  33. More US Troop wounded than this time last year:

    Jul-2007____608_____Jul-2006____525

    Jun-2007___ 744____ Jun-2006___ 459

    May-2007___655 ____May-2006___442

    Apr-2007___ 649_____Apr-2006___433

    Mar-2007___ 618_____Mar-2006___496

    Feb-2007___ 517_____Feb-2006___342

    Jan-2007___ 639_____Jan-2006___289

    http://icasualties.org/oif/

    Posted by hsuBfools at 09/10/2007 @ 7:00pm

  34. I will believe those I respect...what I personally believe, is derived from sources I respect, past, present and in the future....----Posted by HAPPY 09/10/2007 @ 5:01pm

    And it'd be fair (in reverse) to say that you DON'T respect stuff that disagrees with what you believe. For instance, anything that disagrees with your view on an issue HERE at "The Nation"...you wouldn't respect.

    Right?

    Posted by Mask at 09/10/2007 @ 7:41pm

  35. So are blue dog democrats.----Posted by FRANKGRITS 09/10/2007 @ 7:42pm

    FRANK, you SERIOUSLY don't consider Hillary a "Blue Dog"?!?!?!

    The woman who discovered she opposed the war less than a year ago?

    Posted by Mask at 09/10/2007 @ 7:54pm

  36. Little Johnny----I always knew it was your agenda that always was most important to you---never the country. But you have sunk to a new low---Now General Patreaus is a liar because he disagrees with you. You aren't just Little Johnny Nichols any longer, you are Little Johnny Nichols the whore --you have sold your soul to a political agenda----You and Moveon.org who buys an add in the New York Times and fills it with lies (by the way suprised to see CNN call them on it--but I guess miracles sometimes do happen). I said long ago that I would accept what General Patreaus said ---even had some others on this board who usually disagree with me say that they would also agree with the General---now let's see. I used to have some small amount of respect for Little Johnny Nichols the Whore---now I have none. For those of you that do--Have some fun --compare the lives of Little Johnny the Whore and General Patreaus----Compare their educational background---compare their accomplishments----compare their experience----General Patreaus is the most knowledgeable person on the planet when dealing with the issue of Iraq while Little Johnny the Whore is only knowledgeable about his particular political agenda. Who do you want to believe?

    Posted by Len Mosse at 09/10/2007 @ 9:34pm

  37. "pointless battle or in leaving and letting the Iraqi's butcher each other"

    Where is all your fucking liberal compassion???What does it say about your morals when the USA is winning in Iraq it is bad news for you liberals....I think it speaks volumes about what you traitors care about the most.....your selfish power lusts....but funny how history shits all over you anti-american assholes....I am enjoying the show

    Posted by Frankshits at 09/10/2007 @ 9:38pm

  38. Even though the Republicans are smiling because they know they have enough dead-enders to obfuscate and delay the war's end, they are merely killing time till they must face what they truly loathe: the voting public (let's see these morons include their "polls and public sentiment are for spineless cowards" phraseology in the upcoming election campaign cycle). Conservatives are feeling cute and perky due to their old standby tactic of hiding behind a compliant man in uniform- as usual, letting a soldier fight their battles for their sissy-asses. The US military had to recently shut down Baghdad's streets to city traffic for two weeks. Hardly sustainable policy for an urban area with a population equivalent to that of Chicago. These charlatans, as usual, have been sweeping inconvenient and unpleasant news under the carpet for this media stunt in their desperation. It's sad and disgusting how Republican congress members railed against their feared bogeyman, Moveon.org, but failed to address the voice of the Iraq people, who when surveyed by the BBC, report in numbers exceeding seventy percent that the "surge" a failure in terms of security.

    Posted by Oustbush at 09/10/2007 @ 9:47pm

  39. Dont you find it amazing that the latest diatribe from OBL sounds a lot like the kook left stalinists??Could have been a speech given by:

    * Chucky Schmucky Schumer * Chuck Schumer * Stretch Pelosi * Nancy Pelosi * The Dwarf Senator * Barbara Boxer * "Little Dick" Durbin * Dick Durbin * Dr. Demento Dean * Howard Dean * Hillary Rotten Clinton/Her Thighness * Hillary Rodham Clinton * BJ Bill Jefferson Clinton * Bill Clinton * The Cape Cod Orca * Ted Kennedy * The Dumbest Man in the Senate/Plugs * Joe Biden * John "D-Student" Kerry * John Kerry * Harry "The Body" Reid * Harry Reid * Dianne FrankenFeinstein * Dianne Feinstein * Screwball with Screwball * Hardball with Chris Matthews

    * Countdown to No Ratings, with Keith Overbite * Countdown, with Keith Olbermann * MSLSD * MSNBC * American Criminal Liberties Union * American Civil Liberties Union

    * Foolsgold * Russ Feingold * Lard Ass * John Murtha * Stimpy Hoyer * Steny Hoyer * Mr. Potato Head * Tim Russert * Jim "Mellon Head" Webb * Jim Webb * The Spiteful Troll * Al Franken

    and on and on and on....so many traitors....so little time

    Posted by Frankshits at 09/10/2007 @ 9:50pm

  40. I used to have some small amount of respect for Little Johnny Nichols the Whore---now I have none. For those of you that do--Have some fun --compare the lives of Little Johnny the Whore and General Patreaus----Compare their educational background---compare their accomplishments----compare their experience----General Patreaus is the most knowledgeable person on the planet when dealing with the issue of Iraq while Little Johnny the Whore is only knowledgeable about his particular political agenda. Who do you want to believe?

    Posted by LEN MOSSE 09/10/2007 @ 9:34pm | ignore this person

    Does someone, like hospital staff or your mother, come by to wipe the slobber from your face, or do you just sit there alone staring at the screen like an blathering imbecile? Jeesh! What a psycho.

    Posted by Oustbush at 09/10/2007 @ 9:58pm

  41. NOBODY's "relevance" game: With extra troops in Baghdad, deaths goes down...why is this not relevant?

    Posted by HAPPY 09/10/2007 @ 6:06pm | ignore this person

    Uh, hey HappyHS, it's not relevant because at the same time deaths inside Baghdad went down, deaths outside of Bahdad went up by just as much, if not more. (Duh!)

    The 'logic' you can salvage from your argument seems to be that we would need to have a comparable and simultaneous 'surge' in every other large metropolitan area of Iraq. Shouldn't take maore than say...another 200,000 troops or so.

    Good luck with that argument.

    Posted by Lillian at 09/10/2007 @ 9:59pm

  42. Does it seem strange to anyone else that for guys who are getting the BEST "shot in the arm" for continueing this quaqmire war....

    the neo-cons here are verrrrrrrrrrrrrrry pissed off.

    Sure there's the "unforgivable insult" to Gen. Petraeus...but it seems more.

    You'd think they'd be happy at the prospect (likely after his testimony) of the continueing occupation, like they want.

    But they're not...just incandescently angry?!?!?

    Posted by Mask at 09/10/2007 @ 10:05pm

  43. frankshits?

    well i hope so...good for him.

    but i'm sorry your team got busted for flagrant violations (not busted hard enough, by the way), but i just can't trust bush's cherrypicked politico-generals no matter how competant and talking point chocked they are...

    why, shits, did we go into iraq? to git bin laden? the guy who got us? if war opponants are anti-american wusses (ineffective charactarization now that people know the truth, but keep on bandying it about, please - makes you sound parroty and lackwitted), then the guys who sent our troops to attack an uninvolved third party to 9/11 ust have been grade a morons.

    well, so its unamerican wusses or grade a morons, eh?

    nope - you right wingnuts no longer control the dialogue nor definitions.

    yer outside the mainstream, bub. (always were...)

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 10:06pm

  44. Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/10/2007 @ 10:06pm

    and responding with a moniker like that suggests seriously anally retentive erectile dysfunction. get some viagra. enjoy the priapus...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 10:09pm

  45. Hey Dumbfuck,

    Explain exactly what you traitorous libs are accomplishing again????ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!

    You nitwits think you won big on Iraq in 06....guess you never counted on the good ole USA to ultimately prevail....

    And of course that is the crux of why you anti-american fools will not win the WH in 08....despite what Hillary Rotten or BJ say.

    You simply cannot be trusted....pretty typical of your average Stalinist

    Posted by Frankshits at 09/10/2007 @ 10:21pm

  46. Posted by OUSTBUSH 09/10/2007 @ 9:58pm

    i'm going with little johnny the whore. compared to the neocons, just the sound of his name inspires me with more confidence than cheney's komisar general.

    yup, count me in with the whore. are

    we gonna be shirts or skins?

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 10:25pm

  47. Do you invest based upon the opinions of people who have a reason to paint a rosy picture?

    Posted by I'M NOBODY 09/10/2007 @ 5:19pm

    enron?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 10:25pm

  48. Posted by WALTZ 09/10/2007 @ 5:40pm

    well, i would love to call up Rush Lameboy and have a chat

    that's the beauty of this whole deal.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 10:27pm

  49. Nice try....the FBI works for me!

    Posted by HAPPY 09/10/2007 @ 5:45pm

    and hopefully for WALTZ, too

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 10:28pm

  50. Posted by HAPPY 09/10/2007 @ 6:06pm

    happy, this is a farce. these guys sat down and said, "o.k. we gotta get some good numbers. what can we leave out? what can we exaggerate?"

    enron accounting--looks great until you ask ¿how can it be SO good?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 10:33pm

  51. Posted by HSUBFOOLS 09/10/2007 @ 6:47pm

    i don't know whether to thank you for your informative post or cry.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 10:36pm

  52. and it is placing a very low value on the lives of our troops.

    Posted by FRANKGRITS 09/10/2007 @ 7:46pm | ignore this person

    and iraqis

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 10:38pm

  53. Hey Dumbfuck,

    Explain exactly what you traitorous libs are accomplishing again????ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!

    Howdy darlin!

    Explain exactly what you self deluded/educated beyond your intelligence neocon ideologues were thinking when you idiotically draged us into a war that had (HAD) nothing to do with the attack on 9/11 and actually seems to enabled the real bogey man to remain free to this day? that was your moron team that did that? stupid or just dumb? hmmm...

    You nitwits think you won big on Iraq in 06....guess you never counted on the good ole USA to ultimately prevail....

    06 was the beginning of the real good ole usa's comeback, and the beginning of the end of your up-jumped halfwit obverse democratic fascist ayn rand repackaged nihilists reign of lies. these things take time! your ideology has a lot ore discrediting to come, guy...

    And of course that is the crux of why you anti-american fools will not win the WH in 08....despite what Hillary Rotten or BJ say.

    You simply cannot be trusted....pretty typical of your average Stalinist

    Posted by FRANKSHITS 09/10/2007 @ 10:21pm

    ah, the projectionist fantasies of an out-of-the-mainstream disciple of an evil ideology. go get a job at the heritage foundation or the cato institute. should be easy these days. ah, conservative think tanks - last refuge for crusty old discredited ideologues with penis issues...

    your political heros were not only evil - they were not a tenth as smart as they thought themselves...the more demigodlike the objectivist's self perception, the sweeter the crackup when confronted with undeniable evidence to the contrary...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 10:39pm

  54. Posted by MASK 09/10/2007 @ 10:05pm | ignore this person

    Mask,

    I would say it's because this is the first visibly favorable outlet or platform they've managed to secure in many, many months. This is their day and they will grasp with a death grip, lashing out from their perceived safe zone, even if for the briefest of moments. These scum are wounded and have temporarily caught their breath before being forced to flee again. They have nasty, yellow fangs, don't they?

    Posted by Oustbush at 09/10/2007 @ 10:42pm

  55. You know, and this is out there in the thin air, I think I may have an answer to my question....

    Now, this may seem weird, but hear me out. What if the neo-cons are soooooooo angry today, not at us "traitorous libs who are attacking a war hero" (hey, maybe we could get jobs with the Swift Boat Vets, huh?)....

    what if they're mad at.....Petreaus and Crocker?

    Huh?, you say (no, actually I did...saw myself type it..heheh).

    Look, what is the major blog Right-wing attack of the last 2 years been..."no cutting and running"..."no removing the troops until the 'job is done'" or "until 'victory'" (get them to define that specifically).

    So...in addition to his "Things are getting better at the Little Big Horn, the Indians are running out of arrows" stuff, General Petraeus said he'd support the removal of 18,000 troops by next summer. 4000 by this Christmas. Ambassador Crocker too.

    In other words, an active duty general in charge in Iraq and a senior member of the Bush Administration WERE THE FIRST to officially call for..."cutting and running".

    Think about it, is "the job done"?...nope. Do we have "victory"?...nope. Some "success", but no victory. Yet this military leader and diplomat FROM THE ADMINISTRATION...have agreed to pull troops out of Iraq, as us "traitorous liberals and pacifists" have wanted (not EXACTLY what we wanted, but simplistically somewhat the same).

    So the knee-jerk Righties are seeing the first "surrender"...coming from the Bush Administration. After all, surely KEEPING the "Surge Troops" there would make things "even better" over the next year...until next Summer, when it should be safer than San Jose on a Sunday. So why pull them out before "the job is done" or "victory is at hand".

    The answer?...because it's POLITICALLY EXPEDIENT to do so. It throws a bone to the Blue Dog Democrats and calms the nerves of the Republicans who are seeing their re-election chances slipping away in 2008. It's not "strategic"....it's a calculation to show atleast SOME regard for reality...that this is a 65-75% DISAPPROVED occupation and the Administration HAS to cave somewhat....and they're sending out Petraeus and Crocker to BOTH talk happy talk and "things getting better" AND say "Sure, we can start a pull-out of some kind".

    IOW....Bush...is "cutting and running". Not significantly, not rhetorically, but he IS giving in to the political realities...something our fierce "Stay until victory...this is the titanic struggle of civilizations...Islamo-fascism is the new World War-2" Righties VIGOROUSLY want to ignore and consider "weak" to even contemplate, much less kowtow to.

    But Bush is....pulling out the Surge troops, while meaningless...helps him politically and helps the Republicans.

    So the constant charge that "Dems just want us to lose this war, that's why they want the troops out. Even the start of a pull-out would signal defeat" and "Bush will fight the fight and never give up, and he will ignore the polls and show his principles to the end"....just got cut out from under them.

    Way off base?...maybe. But an idea...to explain the hysterical anger on what SHOULD be a day of taunting gleefulness from our pro-war 29% Clubbers.

    Posted by Mask at 09/10/2007 @ 10:45pm

  56. Posted by OUSTBUSH 09/10/2007 @ 10:42pm

    Another theory...see above.

    Posted by Mask at 09/10/2007 @ 10:45pm

  57. Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/10/2007 @ 10:39pm | ignore this person

    You and Frosty have some fun with these lame-brains. Is Frankshits Barry25 with a name change? Certainly looks like the same putridness. I have to get off to get sleep. Have a pleasant time mauling these defenseless idiots.

    Posted by Oustbush at 09/10/2007 @ 10:48pm

  58. General Patreaus is the most knowledgeable person on the planet when dealing with the issue of Iraq

    Posted by LEN MOSSE 09/10/2007 @ 9:34pm

    what nonsense. 26,783,383 iraqis no a hell of a lot more about iraq than somebody born in cornwall on hudson, new york.

    he seems to be well educated but he will never truly understand iraq

    does he speak arabic? kurdish? aramaic?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 10:49pm

  59. Posted by OUSTBUSH 09/10/2007 @ 10:48pm | ignore this person

    sweet dreams. thank god we're the undisputed mainstream and the coulter/lungblow clones are back in their place - the funny farm of american politics.

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 10:54pm

  60. the neo-cons here are verrrrrrrrrrrrrrry pissed off.

    BY MASK

    RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR UUUUUUUUUUUUUUU SURE?

    it's not hot in here now. it's getting fetid.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 10:54pm

  61. Posted by MASK 09/10/2007 @ 10:45pm | ignore this person

    Your guess is as good as mine. I would say they are concerned about their fellow Republicans jumping ship, closer to the next election cycle, so this may be part of future strategy to mitigate future weakness in the legislature. I'll sleep on the theory tonight. Pleasantries for the evening.

    Posted by Oustbush at 09/10/2007 @ 10:55pm

  62. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 09/10/2007 @ 10:49pm

    wonder what cushy haliburtony big money job petraeus guy has lined up for after he retires...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 10:56pm

  63. sweet dreams. thank god we're the undisputed mainstream and the coulter/lungblow clones are back in their place - the funny farm of american politics.

    Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/10/2007 @ 10:54pm | ignore this person

    They do provide abundant humor, don't they? Good dreams to you also.

    Posted by Oustbush at 09/10/2007 @ 10:58pm

  64. Posted by FRANKSHITS 09/10/2007 @ 10:21pm

    c'mon guys

    quit playing around

    this is no time for parodies of asinine boors

    people are dying.

    who's doing this?

    this can't be real

    is there a problem with the internet tubes?

    fuck shit hell cunt motherfucker asshole dickhead bastard*

    now i get it. i was using the wrong language.

    *at the age of four, yes four, MY PARENTS SCOLDED ME FOR WRITING ALL THE BAD WORDS I COULD THINK OF ON A PIECE OF PAPER. they did this because they loved me.

    Please refrain from straying off-topic and making personal attacks. Your comment may be edited or removed at the discretion of Nation staff. Our goal is not to stifle debate but to keep it relevant.

    dios mío, que gente tan vulgar.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 11:07pm

  65. Posted by MASK 09/10/2007 @ 10:45pm

    the people who had it in them to either say, "oops...i was wrong", or lie and say "i was against it all along" or just hide and hunker down and hope everyone forgets their position have already done all that.

    there is a certain percentage of morons who will stick with their beliefs no atter how absurd. just look at scientology and literal creationists!

    some folks still send pat robertson money...some folks spend thousands of dollars on their dog's tombstone...

    some folks will buy into the neocon bs until they croak...

    "that was cool, huh huh, when we killed that frog. it won't croak again..."

    butthead's haiku

    "heh heh, heh heh heh, heh heh, heh heh heh, heh heh, heh heh heh heh heh..."

    beavis's haiku

    sound like political operatives/foriegn policy experts in chimpy's government...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 11:08pm

  66. up-jumped halfwit obverse democratic fascist ayn rand repackaged nihilists reign of lies.

    by IBBLEBLIBBLE

    ouch

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 11:09pm

  67. haikus dont come out well on this thing...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 11:10pm

  68. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 09/10/2007 @ 11:09pm

    if i'd only left that "s" off of "nihilists" would have been perfect, though the misspell/grammarfart lends it a certain spittle flying edge to the rant...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 11:12pm

  69. is the coast clear?

    [sigh]

    lions won.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 11:15pm

  70. Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/10/2007 @ 11:12pm

    your use of adjectives would make dickens proud!

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/10/2007 @ 11:16pm

  71. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 09/10/2007 @ 11:16p

    thanks, but i screwed up butthead's haiku too (left out a "huh huh" at the end of the second line).

    oh well, at least i'm mainstream now...lol

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 11:26pm

  72. 50 bucks says we are still here arguing next year about Iraq.

    I won in 03, 04, 05 and now 07. Each year Chimpy assured me victory was just around the corner. Each year the neo-cons called me a traitor and said I didn't "get it" . "Just give it till next year".

    280,000 Iraqis were being trained up in 05.

    In the spring of 08, the best Patraeus will give us is the same troop levels as spring of 06.

    Victory is just around the next corner, behind the Fat Lady with the Marlborough filled tracheotomy

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/10/2007 @ 11:44pm

  73. lions won.

    Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 09/10/2007 @ 11:15pm

    Lions could take Uof Michigan this year!! That's how good the Lions are!

    I have a copy of last weeks Sports Illustrated, I want to track Carr down in a restaurant and have him sign the historic cover. Right after Rummy signs my copy of "How America Lost Iraq". (shhh, it was the media and five liberal democrats, not George W. Bush, who were actually in charge. Don't let it out though).

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/10/2007 @ 11:49pm

  74. Posted by FRANKGRITS 09/10/2007 @ 11:45pm

    not if Senator Vitter gets to her.

    He's a Patriot! A Real American. Not some liberal loser.

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/10/2007 @ 11:51pm

  75. Posted by CRABWALK 09/10/2007 @ 11:44pm |

    "the sun'll come out, tomorrow...and tomorrow and tomorrow, creeps along at this..." oops, gettin my tomorrows mixed up...

    Posted by FRANKGRITS 09/10/2007 @ 11:45pm

    well at least your bowl movements are doing well. thats whats important. a jewish pal told me there is a passage in the torah that advises one thank the lord for every successful bowel movement. the older i get, the more i respect the wisdom of the hebrews...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 11:52pm

  76. Posted by CRABWALK 09/10/2007 @ 11:49pm |

    hah! the apocalypse approaches! keep an eye on steve spurrior's (the) usc gamecocks...debuting at #17..."we love our cocks" as we say down here in redstateland-souf cakalaka...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/10/2007 @ 11:55pm

  77. Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/10/2007 @ 11:52pm

    If you've ever eaten a Passover Dinner, you would be even more impressed.

    Remind me to one day share with you the real secret of the Chanukah miracle. It had more to do with extra methane in the cave than an actual Heavenly wand flip.

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/10/2007 @ 11:57pm

  78. Published on Monday, August 30, 2004 by The Australian

    Iraq Success 'Catastrophic': Bush

    by Roy Eccleston in New York

    GEORGE W. Bush has admitted the US failed to plan for a speedy victory in Iraq, describing the sudden collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime as a "catastrophic success".

    In a rare concession from the President, who dislikes admitting error, Mr Bush told Time magazine that his planners had not considered the prospect of a quick collapse.

    "Had we to do it over again, we would look at the consequences of catastrophic success – being so successful, so fast, that an enemy that should have surrendered or been done in, escaped and lived to fight another day," he said.

    Mr Bush sought to blame the prolonged war -- in which 969 US troops have been killed so far -- on an over-quick victory that meant the US ended up having to fight "a third more" of Hussein's Baathist supporters than military planners had expected.

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/11/2007 @ 12:00am

  79. Posted by CRABWALK 09/10/2007 @ 11:57pm

    my jewfriend likes to call me "bunker". he likes to tell me ugly jewish jokes and see how uncomfortable i get...great guy.

    how do you play the jewish defense in football? nickel and dime 'em til you get the quarterback...ba dum bump! actually that was rather mild for him...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/11/2007 @ 12:04am

  80. Laughatliberals.com produced this gem in 05

    "

    On Dec. 15, Iraqis will go to the polls one final time to elect a democratic government based on that constitution. Then finally, by Dec. 31, the democratic government will take control of Iraq.

    Recognize that the real success of the Iraqi election was the fact that there was an election and millions of people risked death and murder so they could vote. Get over your Bush hatred and celebrate with them.

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/11/2007 @ 12:07am

  81. shalom, compatriots

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2007 @ 12:17am

  82. The best advice I can give about the Petraeus report is this:

    "Fool me once, shame on you Fool me--can't get fooled again ".

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/11/2007 @ 12:18am

  83. Posted by CRABWALK 09/11/2007 @ 12:07am

    and i do empathise with the poor bastards in that country who will be staying in that hellhole after we do leave, but much like in vietnam, we'll take in a relative handful who will become good apple pie gobbling americans and leae their country so screwed up they will have to fix it, maybe with another brutal dictator.

    do I feel guilty? eff no! i didnt support this crap from the get go and i sure never voted for the idiots who got us there...

    but those sociopaths (by definition) cant feel guilt,so i guess the only one who feels some guilt over these bloody lies is...colin powell...

    because the american public will not tolerate this screw-up turned bloodbath black hole of baghdad much longer.

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/11/2007 @ 12:19am

  84. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 09/11/2007 @ 12:17am

    funny how close that is to salaam...arabs are actually moe seitic than jews. most russian jews are descendents from an indo european nomadic tribe who converted to judaism in the dark ages, the only mass conversion to judaism in history, so theyre not even "semitic".

    chanukah (or however its spelled) is a really podunk minor jewish holiday, by the way. became popular when merchants felt bad that jews had no pagan based holiday of their own to spend money on stupid overpriced crap and argue with their relatives on an officially sanctioned commercial/religious holiday.

    man, it all gets so simple once you liberate yourself from cherished bullshit...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/11/2007 @ 12:28am

  85. Posted by FRANKGRITS 09/11/2007 @ 12:45am |

    the magic word...night all...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/11/2007 @ 12:53am

  86. I would say it's because this is the first visibly favourable outlet or platform they've managed to secure in many, many months. This is their day and they will grasp with a death grip, lashing out from their perceived safe zone, even if for the briefest of moments. These scum are wounded and have temporarily caught their breath before being forced to flee again. They have nasty, yellow fangs, don't they?

    Posted by OUSTBUSH 09/10/2007 @ 10:42pm

    Ha Ha, Good one Ouster. Whistling in the dark to keep your spirits up?

    You may not have noticed but you will find, perhaps more slowly than most, that the C-in-C's favourite general has just delivered the coup de gras.

    Let me share, what I think is a pertinent parable, with you. During the Malayan Emergency the Ghurkhas from Nepal, who are adept at the military use of a wicked knife called the khukri, had been putting the wind up the enemy with it and the story has been told of a Communist insurgent who heard the swish of a Ghurkha khukri and said: "ha, missed me" to which the Ghurkha replied: "shake your head

    Posted by lrjones4 at 09/11/2007 @ 01:06am

  87. good morning to all:

    a sad day in mexico, a few years ago

    the secretary told me,

    and so i ran to the t.v. (the one with the good reception)

    and i saw and didn't believe

    and i changed the channel

    but it wouldn't go away

    a crash? the chaos. the bystander standing by,

    hoping as i was, as you were (where were you?)

    dust, screaming, bewilderment, "MOVE, NOW!"

    as if one could put order to the insanity

    and yet time was frozen

    so much confusion

    yet time was frozen

    now the radio, too

    i called my wife

    "oye, no vas a creer lo que pasó"

    "i know" i said, "i'm watching CNN en español"

    and then, the rumours, the hope stopped.

    and the icy grip on time was shattered

    as the second testament to,

    what shall i call it?

    hate, malice, ignorance,

    nothing will suffice

    insufficient words suffer when faced with

    such a daunting task

    and people leapt one last time

    praying to land in the arms of those who wanted them back

    and time raced forward and backward--but with what aim?

    one cannot feel empathy for the dead,

    for death is theirs alone.

    but to those trapped, trapped

    because they forgot their lunch box

    or wanted to get a good start that day

    i felt their pain and fear and why? why? why?

    if only for a moment

    and then i could not share their pain

    now, no one could.

    we could only run

    my condolences to all

    fz

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2007 @ 02:46am

  88. QUAGMIREJONES

    I have bridge I would like to sell you an option on. You buyin'? It's located in a nice peaceful neighborhood in Baghdad. Only blowed up once.

    I think Someone forgot to tell the Iraqis about the victory that you are so proud of.

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/11/2007 @ 08:50am

  89. A day that will live in infamy, followed by a failed war that will live in infamy, till some more neo=cons get afraid of some one else and start another war in Asia they will not fight themselves and cannot finish.

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/11/2007 @ 08:56am

  90. General Betray-US hates America. Why else would he lie to us.

    Posted by conshame at 09/11/2007 @ 09:49am

  91. When Mr. Berman (D) of New Jersey was questioning Betrayus, Betrayus actually accidentally admitted in a major idiotic blunder that he is training "former branches of Al Qaida that have split with Al Qaida and are now fighting alongside us".

    Posted by conshame at 09/11/2007 @ 10:15am

  92. Christ,FROSTY! Do you have to repeat long post on every thread!

    BTW, nothing personal, I don't tend to read most long posts (LRJones & SRJ excepted)....I know you have certain talent either of an original nature or cut-n-paste from elsewhere.....but you know what they say, time is money!

    Posted by HAPPY 09/11/2007 @ 10:51am

    Posted by Happy at 09/11/2007 @ 10:52am

  93. RIO BRAVO, ZERO, MASK,

    GENTLEMEN, CAN ANY OF YOU TELL ME HOW MANY TIMES HAS NORWAY BEEN ATTACKED BY BIN-LADEN AND AL QAEDA:

    Debate about U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security rests on one pillar that has not been thoroughly debated and that is the single premise of:

    1. Are you an imperialist, a neo-conservative lunatic fool who genuinely believes that the United States has the UNCHALLENGEABLE RIGHT TO RULE THE WORLD, WITH MILITARY FORCE IF NEED BE, KILLING ANYONE WHO WOULD DARE TO CHALLENGE U.S. GOVERNMENT POWER

    OR

    2. Do you genuinely believe that National Security and U.S. Foreign policy should be based on the single premise of the conservative principle that war is the tool of last resort after all other venues have been exhausted and that Pearl Harbor Style pre-emptive war is illegal and that national defense is strictly that, Defense of the Homeland

    Once this debate is held and option number one is completely discredited and no longer accepted by the American people then option number two is viable, workable, and true security for America and its allies can be obtained.

    If you wish to destroy option number one, achieving true security based on the premise of option number two, then stop voting for ANY POLITICIAN who believes in mindset number one one...........

    Posted by POSEIDON at 09/11/2007 @ 11:28am

  94. Posted by POSEIDON 09/11/2007 @ 11:28am

    Uh....#2.

    Which I think I have made clear many times, POSEI.

    Posted by Mask at 09/11/2007 @ 11:56am

  95. Petreaus spent 17 days in August shilling for the administration's occupation of Iraq. After his testimony in front of Congress, he went to spin for Britt Hume's softball Faux interview. He has willingly put his credibility at risk, and should be subject to rigorous skepticism.

    Anyone who equates criticism of Petreaus with criticism of the military is simply regurgitating ludicrous right-wing talking points. I respect the men and women in theatre under the general for serving our nation with courage and dignity, without the general's option of sacrificing their honor for political expediency.

    Posted by drhammer at 09/11/2007 @ 12:14pm

  96. Posted by LEN MOSSE 09/10/2007 @ 9:34pm | ignore this person

    Does someone, like hospital staff or your mother, come by to wipe the slobber from your face, or do you just sit there alone staring at the screen like an blathering imbecile? Jeesh! What a psycho.

    Posted by OUSTBUSH 09/10/2007 @ 9:58pm

    Well said, Oust! Seconded!

    Posted by Dr Decibels at 09/11/2007 @ 12:20pm

  97. Baghdad deaths down by 70%! Gen. P also mentioned exceeding reenlistment rates by folks under his command....sounds credible to me! Posted by HAPPY 09/10/2007 @ 5:45pm

    Creative "Enron" style bookeepinh - in other words, A LIE.

    20K enlistment bonuses, criminals and high school dropouts - yeah, enlistment is doing GREAT.

    Fucking "HAPPY" moron.

    Posted by Dr Decibels at 09/11/2007 @ 12:22pm

  98. up-jumped halfwit obverse democratic fascist ayn rand repackaged nihilists reign of lies.

    by IBBLEBLIBBLE

    ouch

    Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 09/10/2007 @ 11:09pm

    Get some, Ibble! Damn, I hope I never piss you off!

    Posted by Dr Decibels at 09/11/2007 @ 12:30pm

  99. Posted by HAPPY 09/11/2007 @ 10:52am

    no, i wrote that one. actually i write them all. i just paste numbers, lyrics, quotes and newspaper articles

    i don't normally do the paste-a-thon.

    but not everyone reads every thread.

    i just wanted to extend my condolences to all (humanity)

    i figured that if someone wanted to read it, they would

    and if they had already seen it they could just scroll on down.

    BTW i bet you used more time writing your post than scrolling-on-down.

    o+]

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2007 @ 1:14pm

  100. The Coalition Provisional Authority gave away $9 billion to whoever without much care at all and now the Iraqi government seems to be doing the same. We should impeach Bush and Cheney and find somebody who can handle the situation in Iraq without making it a corrupt scandal.

    Posted by Waltz at 09/11/2007 @ 1:33pm

  101. "Before Gen. David Petraeus's report, and to give it a context of optimism, the president visited Iraq's Anbar province to underscore the success of the surge in making some hitherto anarchic areas less so. More significant, however, was that the president did not visit Baghdad. This underscored the fact that the surge has failed, as measured by the president's and Petraeus's standards of success."

    -- From today's column in the Washington Post by George F. Will, noted flaming liberal and America-hater.

    Posted by scurvybro at 09/11/2007 @ 3:06pm

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