The warmongers are following Bush’s line and saying our troops will be needed in Iraq for years to come. Petraeus told congress today that this war is not a mathematical exercise. While touting the “success” the war has gone through recently they showed how the violence has reduced in the last few months. Not taking into account the cease fire by Iraqi rebels they gave all of the credit to the surge and presence of US troops there. Of course the reports were prepared before the cease fire started to unravel a couple of weeks ago. There was little mention of the renewed escalation of deaths and maimings in the war ravaged country.

In the past 2 days at least 12 more US soldiers have been needlessly killed. Hundreds of Iraq citizens, either armed or civilian have been killed in the past couple of weeks. Many more soldiers, who the United States have armed, defected and took their weapons with them to be used against the very people who gave them the guns and ammo. Yeah. Thats success. But for who? Nobody is winning and the United States is losing big. More every day.

From the AP;

“I do not want to keep our troops in Iraq a minute longer than necessary to secure our interests there. Our goal — my goal — is an Iraq that no longer needs American troops,” McCain said in a nine-minute statement. “And I believe we can achieve that goal, perhaps sooner than many imagine. But I also believe that to promise a withdrawal of our forces, regardless of the consequences, would constitute a failure of political and moral leadership.

————-

The FAILURE OF MORAL LEADERSHIP HAPPENED LONG AGO !!!! The liars that got us into this war failed. The ones who keep us there failed. Those like John McSameoldbushit have failed. They are continuing with the failure at a huge cost to you and me but big profits for them. I wanna tell McSame that the political and moral leadership he aspires to is already a failure and that he will just continue the failing. Not bringing the “surge” troops on schedule is another failure.

As a man who says he doesn’t know much about economic things, even McCain must see how this war is affecting our economy. The american people do. Besides all of the outsourcing of jobs to other countries, rising unemployment and more businesses failing here at home, huge foreclosures in housing, the war is costing us dearly. I shudder to think of the burden this administration, and the McSame administration if for some reason he is elected, is leaving for future generations here.

Thats enough of my anti McSame rant for now. Petraeus also said to the Armed Forces Committee, “We haven’t turned any corners, we haven’t seen any lights at the end of the tunnel. The champagne bottle has been pushed to the back of the refrigerator. And the progress, while real, is fragile and is reversible.” 

He said an Iraqi operation earlier this month to stop Shi’ite militias in the southern city of Basra, which President George W. Bush had called a “defining moment” for Iraq, was a disappointment and not adequately planned or prepared.

More proof that the Bush plan isn’t working. How could Bush place an inadequate General in charge if his operations can’t be planned or prepared properly. Oh! I guess it’s because of the way Petraeus pukes the Cheney/Bush plans for political advancement. This war is tumbling around Bush’s feet just like every thing else he and his administration touches.

Before long the posturing was in full swing. But so was the posturing in Iraq. During the Q and A going on in Wahington, Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr threatened to unleash his Mahdi Army militia against U.S. and Iraqi forces. Threatening to lift the cease fire declared in August Sadr said, “If it is required to lift the freeze (cease-fire) in order to carry out our goals, objectives, doctrines and religious principles and patriotism, we will do that later and in a separate statement”. This all is in the aftermath of the failed attempt to disarm opposition militias in Basra 2 weeks ago.

Both Clinton and Obama were claiming to have plans to start withdrawing the troops soon after they take office. While there are naysayers that say this would be bad because the factional fighting would grow it seems that the factional wars are going on even though our soldiers are there. The withdrawal of our troop, however gradual, seems like a good idea to me. Why do we feel some need to have our kids in harms way when the wars are going to continue. The United States has no business being the worlds police.

So with the liars talking about successes and the rest of the world looking on in disbelief it looks like the war has just begun. I don’t think our soldiers have any place in this war and really am looking forward to the new presidency. There is a possibility that the disaster started by this administration could be stopped. Well, maybe not stopped but less American troops would be lost to the civil war that we have no chance of stopping or changing. Our leaders helped get this civil war started by removing the tyrant that kept it quelled without a plan to keep it down. Now that it’s un fixable by a western power it seems too late.

The troops need to come home.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus will testify in front of congress today. They are supposed to give the glowing reports of success we are supposed to be seeing in the conflict there. You know…the surge is working, we are in control of he Green Zone, we have had less casualties because of the surge. That kind of Bushieshit.

They probably wont talk about the 4023 US soldiers killed at first. I wonder if the 29,628 officially wounded soldiers will even be mentioned. Nobody there will have the balls to mention the stop-loss, flopping our troops back for another tour, travesty that is going on. I doubt the tragic loss of up to a million Iraqi lives and the displacement of over 4 million people will come up either. Just a lot of posing and puffing of the chest.

While both McCain and Clinton are on the Armed Forces Committee McCain is the one to give the opening speech. Lieberman and Graham are on that committee as well. The pundits are saying that the hearing there will just be a Bush Butt Buddy Blowout Bash. That Clinton’s late question will seem insignificant after all of the Repulicaspeak at the beginning of the session.

Then the warmongers will travel down the hall to the Foreign Relations Committee where Barack will be . I am in agreement with the news people that the questions asked there will be less party line and more about the realities of the war. Maybe the General and Ambassador will have to be more candid. Maybe they will show some truth in the testimony. I really don’t think they will be allowed to by the administration but maybe their lies will have more of a chance to be exposed. If the questions are being asked by non Bushies maybe they will slip and tell a real fact or two. I doubt that though.

I just hope it doesn’t turn into a campaigning debacle. There are so many risks to that. This question and answer period is about lives. It’s about bringing our troops home. It’s about the billions of dollars wasted. It’s about lies told and lies exposed.

It isn’t about partisan politics because when our soldiers are there all party lines go away. The men and women serving may feel their own political feelings but they are comrades and don’t need party division when their lives and safety are at stake.

Lets hope something positive comes from these meetings. Lets hope the answers they give don’t satisfy the American public and the demand for the immediate return of our men and women gets louder. Lets hope the liars are exposed and the McSame ideas get shot down.

Lets hope.

“Idgit Voters” , from The Onion.

Although it’s satire it is soooooooo true.

Campaigning must be hard. Long hours, early mornings to late night. Candidates wake early and stay up nights. Tough, kind of like a truck drivers job.

I have driven 14 hours looking forward to a nap at the receiver while they unloaded me only to be told I would have to put my fingerprints on every box while I was the one unloading the trailer. Then when it was unloaded have dispatch send me to a shipper 150 miles away to load before I could get some sleep.

I sympathize with their fatigue and really hope all of them stay somewhat healthy. What I don’t understand is how some pussy pampered politician could compare campaigning with torture.

Check this Huckabee quote out then see if you think he is making light of an illegal torture procedure. What a dweeb!

I haven’t paid much attention to the news over the weekend. Just babbling about Huckabee dividing the nation and black people pushing for Obama. The race card has been played hard lately but Clinton has gotten hurt from whoever is voting for Barack. Bad enough that she felt the need to change campaign managers in the middle of the stream. Aging bald dudes seem to be working for the change Obama promises by the looks of things at the Rotus Ranch.

Clark, the head rancher over there also has a nice blog with music reviews. Go check it out at Clarks Picks.

Rotus has a somewhat different take on some issues and I try to read his stuff every day. I think you should too.

Singer John Mellencamp asked the McCain campaign to stop playing his music at rallies. The songs “Pink Houses” and “Our Country” have been heard at the rallies lately according to Rolling Stone.

Especially since he has been using those songs at John Edwards rallies like this time in Des Moines, IA January 2, 2008.

Or this one ate same rally.

Here is a link to a different quiz and info on candidates in the race for president.
Glassbooth

Traffic. “Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys”. Santa Monica, 1972.

The man in the suit just bought a new car from the profit he made on your dreams.

It’s Sunday. Turn it up.

In the Mid ’80’s I was in Oakland California when I saw some political graffiti on a warehouse wall.

“Shoot Bush First” it said.

That was the Reagan days and the Bush being referred to was our presidents daddy, then the V.P..

That has stuck with me for years and although the only gun I would like to see shot today is the “impeach gun”, I think its time that weapon is fired…at Cheney first. Impeachment of our nations leaders seems important now. If we let these fools get by with their “high crimes and misdemeanors” it will tell future leaders that they have no accountability to the American people.
Skippy has more in todays post.

Only 366 more days until George Walker Bush leaves the Whitehouse. This is a leap year so we have that extra day of his bullshit but it is an exciting year anyway. January 20, 2009 can’t come soon enough.

We will have another president at that time and hopefully the American people will have a real chance to have their voices heard. Maybe the voting machines will be fixed and not miscount the votes like they did in New Hampshire last week. Maybe “undesirable” voters wont be banned from the polls. Maybe Bushco wont steal the election this time. Maybe this time we will actually get the lesser of two evils and a thinking person will be the puppeteer.

Since W has been the president with record setting vacation days I’m sure a few more of them are in his plans for this year. Probably the longest will be in November and December. Sure those days will be filled with the duties of every lame duck. Pardons, commutations and favors to cronies but thats par for the offices course. They all do it.

I am still apprehensive about who the electoral college will place in there. I am not convinced that any of the frontrunners aren’t already in the war machine’s pockets. Barring the religio-nuts and 9/11 Gulliani I think we will be better off in the long run. Maybe we will have a minority for the first time. Maybe just another white man who fits the rich politician norm. Whoever, it’s time for a real change.

Almost anyone would be better than The Evil Bushman and his cronies.

Today is Michigan’s primary election. This little montage of pictures backing The Plasmatics “Pig Is A Pig” fits all of the candidates in my opinion.

Nobody could do it like Wendy O Williams. May she rest in peace.

Paying on the internet this morning I came across Saturdays post on Drinking Liberally. I linked to the quiz to see how they would match me up with the candidates using their short answer form. The results have me aligned with Gravel then Kucinich. Then Dodd, Obama, Edwards, Clinton, Biden and Richardson finishing up for the Democratic Party.

On the Repube side 9/11 Gulliani was the closest to my answers with a 37% ranking.  AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!! Not Rudy Please!

See how you match up at Go To Quiz.

In many parts of the country innuendos and accusations are flying. Obama, Clinton and Edwards are either picking each other apart or propping one another up. 9/11 Gulliani isn’t even trying to be in thwe same place as McCain or Romney. The big media is hammering away on talking points and quotes of the candidates and not paying much attention to the babbling of a very scary politician elsewhere.

George W is touring the Middle East right now. Drumming up support for an invasion of Iran and supposedly negotiating a peace deal with Israel and Palestine.  Hanging out with the leaders of countries he is friendly with he is babbling his rhetoric and generally paving the road to an extended war with another madman on the same level of insanity as himself.

As Georgie tours the Sunni controlled countries he rails against the Shiite dominated Iran. Spreading the already festering hatred and resentment he is fueling a war that will just be a continuation of the centuries old dispute of theological differences. “But the time has come for a holy land where Palestinians and Israelis live together in peace.” , he said in a speech today.

I have wondered how his interpretation of his own religion has allowed him to delude himself into thinking that 2 religious groups who have been warring for a long time will be able to agree to share the same “holy land”. If he thinks he can convince Americans that it can happen he is probably right. Americans are gullible. They will swallow whatever pill that is shoved into their face by the teevee news no matter how ridiculous it seems.

So in this time of mudslinging in the US I guess The Evil Bushman got jealous. He felt the need to sling some himself and who better to sling things at but Iran. Or maybe it was his plan all along. Start the war with Iran while America was looking another way.

Into the future.