Dancing with Myself

Support the Troops

Petraeus or Be Tray Us?

What the fuck?  The guy's a shill for the administration.  He's not off limits.  Maybe he was before he started shilling for the Administration, but not afterwards.  Anyone blind to that is blind on purpose, because you can smell the shit even if you don't see it.  I realize that a lot of people have a different view.  Most of them are the same ones who bought all of Bush's bullshit about starting the war in Iraq.  Like I said in my earlier post, we are so fucked. 

For the record:  I despise the fact that Diane Feinstein voted to condemn the ad.  That old dinosaur should retire already.  I didn't like her when she was the mayor of San Francisco, and I don't like her now.  She is one of those people who has become incredibly wealthy while in service to her many constituencies.  It didn't hurt when she married Richard Blum, either.  Just as I'm sure that being married to Feinstein didn't hurt his opportunities to get the contract for the luggage carts at San Francisco's Airport.  I'm just saying, that's all.

Canada looks better every year.  God bless the Queen.

We Are Fucked!

Listening to Bush last night was depressing as hell.  He doesn't care what it costs in human lives or money.  Iraq will remain occupied until his successor brings the trips home.  The question being asked around the world today is "Is he delusional or deceptive?"  Does he believe the crap he's spouting, or that's just the cover story and he knows that the Democrats aren't going to call him on it.  What can they do besides cut off funds to the troops?  How about impeaching the entire administration?  Does that sound too radical?  Yeah, for the Democrats in the Senate, it's way too radical.  Their preferred response is to huff up like a rooster.  That really works.

Bluegal at Crooks and Liars put up this old Walter Cronkite commentary from the days immediately following the Tet Offensive in 1968.  It's deja vu all over again.

War is Stupid

Clinton Refuses to Apologize for her Vote Authorizing the President to go to War in Iraq

Clinton Gives War Critics New Answer on ’02 Vote - New York Times.  The story goes that she's not going to apologize for voting to authorize the President to wage war in Iraq.  I agree with her decision.  I'm just put off by what I consider her true feelings on the subject. 

Hillary's not opposed to the war in Iraq.  She's just opposed to the way Bush is waging it.  I get the impression that she's convinced that if she were in charge, it'd be going a helluva lot differently than it is presently.  She will not apologize for upholding the Imperial Presidency.  She intends to be both President and Imperial.  Therefore, why should she tell Bush how to win the war in Iraq when she can do it herself in another couple of years and get full credit?

As a candidate, Hillary doesn't do shit for me, but if she's the Democratic Party's nominee, I can get behind it completely.  I think Hillary would make an excellent president.  I don't have a real favorite right now.  I like John Edwards because he's so good looking and speaks democratic populism so well.  I think a snowball  has a better chance in hell than he does at getting the nomination.

Among the Republicans, I think Mike Huckaby is seriously cute.  The rest are a bunch of idiots, and he's probably as looney as the best of them.  Regardless of who the nominee is for either party, I would probably vote for a yellow dog as a Democrat before I voted for any Republican under any circumstance.  I hate what I just confessed to, but the truth is what it is.

Best Line of the Day

"The biggest red herring in this debate is the constant innuendo that those who don’t support expanding the war are somehow opposing the troops. It’s nothing more than a canard to claim that those of us who struggled to prevent the bloodshed and now want it stopped are somehow less patriotic and less concerned about the welfare of our military personnel."  --Rep. Ron Paul, Republican from Texas

On the floor of the House of Representatives speaking in favor of the anti-escalation resolution.  (Thanks to TPM Cafe.)

PAY FOR THE WAR NOW

The only thing more offensive than the war in Iraq is the fact that we're doing it on credit.  I demand that Congress raise taxes to pay for it.  Congress should tax corporations who have made money on the war in Iraq.  Congress should tax executives who have received huge compensation packages.  Congress should tax the oil companies who have benefited from the doubling of the cost of oil because of Iraq.

Make the wealthy pay for this war their children do not fight.

TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY BILLION FUCKING DOLLARS FOR AN UNJUST AND IMMORAL WAR IS TOO MUCH!

Sorry, didn't mean to start screaming. 

Oh, I want to scream one more time:

IMPEACH CHENEY!

Resolve and Sacrifice

Bush Calls for Resolve was the headline in today's SF Chronicle.  "As President Bush asked Americans for another chance in Iraq Wednesday night, he was speaking to a nation that has largely given up on his wartime judgment, has lost faith in his ability to succeed and is likely to have grave reservations about his assertion that the quickest way to end the conflict is to escalate it." Marc Sandalow, S.F. Chronicle Washington Bureau Chief.

Resolve?  You want resolve?  You can't handle resolve, Mr. Bush.  How about asking for sacrifice?  How about if some of your most rabid right-wing supporters sent their sons and daughters to Iraq.  How about if we started paying for the war by a tax on obscene wealth and profits?  Not only should we not make your tax-cuts for the wealthy permanent, we should roll them back and even surcharge them.  Let's pay for this boondogle of yours by charging oil companies who have made record profits a tax on those profits.  Those executives who scored bonuses of over $100 million dollars for either success or failure, they should pay taxes on their windfalls.  Companies such as Halliburton who have made billions off of the Iraq war should also pony up some of those ill-gained profits.

This war is wrong on so many levels that it boggles the mind.  Congress says it can't do anything.  Bullshit.  Congress can begin by repealing its authorization to the President for war.  It can remind him that the Constitution makes Congress responsible for declaring war, not the President.  It can censure him.  Congress can demand a pay-as-you-go war.  What Congress cannot do is nothing.  Desperate people begin making desperate choices.  Bush and his cohorts are dangerous.  In his speech, he threatened Iran and Syria with military action.

Today we raided an Iranian consulate in Iraq.  That is an illegal act of aggression against a sovereign state.  We didn't like it when the Iranians seized our embassy in Tehran and held our diplomats hostage.  If it was wrong then, it's wrong now. 

These are very dangerous times, and we have an idiot with his finger on the nuclear trigger.

The Bush Plan for Victory in Iraq

Thanks to John Aravosis at Americablog.

Best Phrase of the Week

Quagmire of the Vanities.

We salute Paul Krugman for his clever and succinct phrase which most accurately sums up the problem of Iraq and the Bush Administration.