The Filibuster

Is America safer

2009-10-16T13:56:00.005-04:00

With George Bush out of office?

Domain Names For Sale

www.The Filibuster.com

www.Blame It On Bush.com

www.I Hate Fox.com

www.Plan 4 Victory.com

email: newsom101@yahoo.com

Seen on Kos:

2009-08-31T18:16:00.002-04:00

Steve Benen:

Cheney thinks it was a sterling success when it came to national security and counter-terrorism. Perhaps there's something to this. After all, except for the catastrophic events of 9/11, and the anthrax attacks against Americans, and terrorist attacks against U.S. allies, and the terrorist attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Bush's inability to capture those responsible for 9/11, and waging an unnecessary war that inspired more terrorists, and the success terrorists had in exploiting Bush's international unpopularity, the Bush/Cheney record on counter-terrorism was awesome.

Isn't that special.

2009-06-08T12:16:00.003-04:00

Jonah Goldberg wants to be the Anonymity God.
He shall decide.

Sam Schulman is

2009-05-24T13:17:00.001-04:00

GAY

Abortion Control

2009-05-19T15:34:00.001-04:00

Thanks for the warning asshole.

2009-04-20T22:36:00.002-04:00

Talk To Ya Later......

Lots of email coming in — in all flavors. But I'm signing off for the night and won't be online again until mid-afternoon. I'm flying back to Minnesota for a talk tomorrow night. Details here. I hope Corner readers can make it, as it's a speech I haven't given before and could use some friendly faces in the audience. G'night.

Sometimes I get the feeling that The Pantload needs them a whole lot more than they need him.

Did They Have To Change Their Diapers

2009-04-20T21:34:00.005-04:00

after they saw this picture?

I don't understand why more people didn't see their silliness after 9/11 for what it really was. A bunch of scared babies pissing thier pants.

Fucking Liars

2009-01-24T16:19:00.005-05:00

Political Animal

January 24, 2009

ABOUT THAT CBO REPORT.... This week, congressional Republicans seized on a new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) showing the limited short-term stimulative effects of the Democrats' proposed rescue package. It's also led to widespread media coverage undermining the White House's arguments about the benefits of a stimulus plan.

There is, however, a problem. The CBO report, as it's been described, doesn't exist.

HERE for more.

updated:

Along the same line:

Pentagon's terror 'recidivism' claims blasted as 'propaganda'
Ever wonder how many of President Bush's terror war detainees were released, only to "return to the fight"?

"Their numbers have changed from 20, to 12, to seven, to more than five, to two, to a couple, to a few, 25, 29, 12, and then 24," quoted Keith Olbermann on Thursday's edition of Countdown.

The latest figure, 61, which was carried unchallenged by CNN, the MSNBC host noted, appears to be nothing but "propaganda."

A study published by Seton Hall Law Professor Mark Denbeaux on Jan. 15 finds the Pentagon wrongly altered its figures on terrorist 'recidivism' 43 times, with the latest figure being "the most egregiously so."
Full Story

Eight years of lies.

Again, Juan Cole

2009-01-08T17:49:00.002-05:00

Please go HERE to read the whole thing.

By Juan Cole

Jan. 08, 2009 |
The Gaza War of 2009 is a final and eloquent testimony to the complete failure of the neoconservative movement in United States foreign policy. For over a decade, the leading figures in this school of thought saw the violent overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the institution of a parliamentary regime in Iraq as the magic solution to all the problems in the Middle East. They envisioned, in the wake of the fall of Baghdad, the moderation of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the overthrow of the Baath Party in Syria and the Khomeinist regime in Iran, the deepening of the alliance with Turkey, the marginalization of Saudi Arabia, a new era of cheap petroleum, and a final resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on terms favorable to Israel. After eight years in which they strode the globe like colossi, they have left behind a devastated moonscape reminiscent of some post-apocalyptic B movie. As their chief enabler prepares to exit the White House, the only nation they have strengthened is Iran; the only alliance they have deepened is that between Iran and two militant Islamist entities to Israel's north and south, Hezbollah and Hamas.

The neoconservatives first laid out their manifesto in a 1996 paper, "A Clean Break," written for an obscure think tank in Jerusalem and intended for the eyes of far right-wing Israeli politician Binyamin Netanyahu of the Likud Party, who had just been elected prime minister. They advised Israel to renounce the Oslo peace process and reject the principle of trading land for peace, instead dealing with the Palestinians with an iron fist. They urged Israel to uphold the right of hot pursuit of Palestinian guerrillas and to find alternatives to Yasser Arafat's Fatah for the Palestinian leadership. They called forth Israeli airstrikes on targets in Syria and rejection of negotiations with Damascus. They foresaw strengthened ties between Israel and its two regional friends, Turkey and Jordan.

They advocated "removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq," in part as a way of "rolling back" Syria. In place of the secular, republican tyrant, they fantasized about the restoration of the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq, and thought that a Sunni king might help moderate the Shiite Hezbollah in south Lebanon. (Yes.) They barely mentioned Iran, though it appears that their program of expelling Syria from Lebanon and weakening its regime was in part aimed at depriving Iran of its main Arab ally. In a 1999 book called "Tyranny's Ally: America's Failure to Defeat Saddam Hussein," David Wurmser argued that it was false to fear that installing the Iraqi Shiites in power in Baghdad would strengthen Iran regionally.

The signatories to this fantasy of using brute military power to reshape all of West Asia included some figures who would go on to fill key positions in the Bush administration. Richard Perle, a former assistant secretary of defense under Reagan, became chairman of the influential Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee, a civilian oversight body for the Pentagon. Douglas J. Feith became the undersecretary of defense for planning. David Wurmser first served in Feith's propaganda shop, the Office of Special Plans, which manufactured the case for an American war on Iraq, and then went on to serve with "Scooter" Libby in the office of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Support Juan Cole

2009-01-07T18:29:00.001-05:00

Do It Here

Domain Name For Sale

2008-11-13T20:39:00.001-05:00

TheFilibuster.com

email@thefilibuster.com

Andy McCarthy

2008-11-06T16:12:00.003-05:00

Get a life you moron.

What's bigger than 338? [Andy McCarthy ]
472 ... the number of points the Dow is down at this moment.

What would the media have said if McCain had gotted elected and the Dow tanked about a thousand points?

For someone who doesn't care......

2008-10-25T00:12:00.002-04:00

Andy McCarthy: "It takes me much less time to delete than it does for you to write"

Me: "Hey asshole.......if you didn't care, then why did you write a 640 word pussy crybaby rant about it?"

Save It For Someone Who Cares [Andy McCarthy]
To the Obamaniacs sending me outraged emails over the phony assaulted McCain volunteer story: Get a life. It takes me much less time to delete than it does for you to write.

I don't owe you or Sen. Obama an apology. My post noted press reports on an incident that has apparently proved to be without foundation. There was no racial aspect to it as far as I was concerned: I registered only that the assault had allegedly been carried out by Obama supporters — I hadn't focused on the black-on-white aspect of the report until I read your emails. I don't live in a race-conscious cocoon: I grew up in meager circumstances and attended integrated schools in the Bronx, where there were all kinds of black people and all kinds of white people (among all kinds of people of several other backgrounds); all in all, we got along fairly well. I prosecuted white people who preyed on black people and black people who preyed on white people. I'm not a simpleton who assumes all Obama supporters are black, and that if there is a report of an Obama supporter on the giving or receiving end of harrassment (or worse) that that perforce suggests a racial incident.
READ the whole pitiful thing.

Mark Levin wants to know:

2008-10-08T00:41:00.004-04:00

Just Asking [Mark R. Levin]
Why does Andrea Mitchell ALWAYS look like she overslept? Just a random thought.

I ask:

Why does Mark Levin ALWAYS look like he lost a fight with my lawnmower?

It's Official

2008-10-03T13:33:00.002-04:00

Rich Lowry is gay. (or something)

Projecting through the Screen [Rich Lowry]
A very wise TV executive once told me that the key to TV is projecting through the screen. It's one of the keys to the success of, say, a Bill O'Reilly, who comes through the screen and grabs you by the throat. Palin too projects through the screen like crazy. I'm sure I'm not the only male in America who, when Palin dropped her first wink, sat up a little straighter on the couch and said, "Hey, I think she just winked at me." And her smile. By the end, when she clearly knew she was doing well, it was so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing. It sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around the living rooms of America. This is a quality that can't be learned; it's either something you have or you don't, and man, she's got it.

On cnn.com now:

2008-10-01T04:22:00.004-04:00

Look at the 'Quick Vote'.

Whoever is in charge of dreaming up these questions is one sick fuck with way too much time on his hands.

But That's OK2!!!

2008-09-29T23:48:00.001-04:00

It's all good Sarah.

Killing ends a lifetime of spouse abuse.

2008-09-29T15:44:00.002-04:00

This is very sad.

A Miami-Dade woman who killed her first abusive husband in 1993 was murdered by her second husband this month, police say.

Bullied and threatened for years to the point of near-suicide, Cassandra Johnson pulled a gun and shot her estranged husband in the head at a Liberty City strip mall in 1993.
She escaped a murder charge.
For the next 16 years, she rebuilt her life, undergoing intense counseling, cleaning condos for work and doting over two-dozen grandchildren -- until her next husband killed her, police say.

Randy Lipkins, father of her first child, stabbed her 22 times and pummeled her face with a hammer earlier this month, Miami-Dade police say. Lipkins surrendered to police Sept. 12 -- only after leaving her body to rot in his apartment for four days.
MORE

Palin Witchcraft

2008-09-27T23:15:00.001-04:00

Oy!

John McCain's Keating Five Problem In 97 Seconds

2008-09-27T20:52:00.001-04:00

Share This.

Domain Name For Sale

2008-08-23T16:35:00.001-04:00

ObamaForPresident.co.uk

email: email@thefilibuster.com

or

newsom101@yahoo.com

Domain Name For Sale

2008-08-22T11:39:00.003-04:00

TheFilibuster.com

email@thefilibuster.com

While the Bush administration jack each other off........

2008-05-21T07:43:00.002-04:00

Lebanon rivals agree crisis deal

Rival Lebanese leaders have agreed on steps to end the political deadlock that has led to the country's worst violence since the 1975-90 civil war.

The Western-backed government and the pro-Syrian opposition arrived at the deal after days of talks in Qatar.

Talks? What the fuck is that?

Israel-Syria confirm peace talks

Israel and Syria have said they are holding indirect talks to reach a comprehensive peace agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said both sides were talking "in good faith and openly".

What the fuck? They're going to talk too?

at-Largely

2008-05-15T21:44:00.002-04:00

All the President's Nazis (real and imagined): An Open Letter to Bush

Dear Mr. Bush,

Your speech on the Knesset floor today was not only a disgrace; it was nothing short of treachery. Worse still, your exploitation of the Holocaust in a country carved out of the wounds of that very crime, in order to strike a low blow at American citizens whose politics differs from your own is unforgivable and unpardonable. Let me remind you, Mr. Bush, of your words today:

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush said at Israel's 60th anniversary celebration in Jerusalem.

"We have heard this foolish delusion before," Bush said in remarks to Israel's parliament, the Knesset. "As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."
Well Mr. Bush, the only thing this comment lacked was a mirror and some historical facts. You want to discuss the crimes of Nazis against my family and millions of other families in Europe during World War II? Let me revive a favorite phrase of yours: Bring. It. On!

There's lots more.

AmericaBlog

2008-05-14T20:17:00.009-04:00

A few months ago this was one of my favorite blogs.

Aravosis:
IT'S NOT CLOSE. YOU FREAKING LOST THE NOMINATION, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?...
The Clintons don't give a damn about our party. Their party, their church, is themselves. To hell with everyone else. I actually liked Hillary up until a few months ago.

Now I don't even waste my time.

Old Bones Clothing
Let The Good Times Roll

Update:
On another matter, it looks like I'm not the only one who has had their comments deleted from AmericaBlog. Main St. USA has an interesting post about that.

What debate?

2008-04-17T14:53:00.004-04:00

Since diagnosed with acute laziness, I've pretty much stopped blogging except in what I consider extreme cases. This is definitely one of those cases.
I'm quite a Clinton fan (Bill and Hillary) but you wouldn't really know it from my post's here. I've seen what happens to Obama descenters and I want nothing to do with that ball of wax. Chances are you stumbled onto this blog by accident anyway, so it's neither here nor there.

Last nights debate was disgusting in so many ways to say the least. My two biggest complaints: 1) I don't really like Obama that much, but if one more person brings up that flag pin bullshit one more time I'm going to vote for him in protest. Were there not any lamer questions to ask? 2) Why all the fucking commercials? (One just four minutes in) Apparently making a buck is more important than providing a public service. But judging by the questions, ratings is everything, hence the Fox style questions in the first place. If I was running the show it would have been two solid hours, no commercials and real questions.

That's all I have.

Old Bones Clothing

Firedoglake found Curveball,,,,kind of.

2008-04-01T15:27:00.003-04:00

I agree. Why isn't this front page news?

"Curveball" Revealed:

Phoenix woman:

Lost in last week's hubbub was the news that "Curveball" -- the mysterious Iraqi engineer whose bogus claims on Saddam's weapons capabilities were used by Team Bush to justify invading Iraq -- has been outed:

An Iraqi engineer who provided the information that became one of the key planks in the Bush administration's case justifying the invasion of Iraq has been tracked down by undercover reporters to a drab residential block in southern Germany.

Rafid Ahmed Alwan, code-named Curveball (a baseball term for deception), has been in hiding since the invasion five years ago, and lives under an assumed name.
Read more here.

What the.............

2008-03-28T21:10:00.004-04:00

You've got to be shitting me:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Iraqi military push into the southern city of Basra is not going as well as American officials had hoped, despite President Bush's high praise for the operation, several U.S. officials said Friday.

What are we.....a bunch of fucking monkeys?
Did anyone really think that Clusterfuck's "high praise" was going to help?
I mean, I know a lot of people that would. But I'm talking about normal people here.

Hello.

2008-03-15T00:45:00.002-04:00

JAMISON FOSER

2008-03-01T14:06:00.003-05:00

Via Eschaton

Domain Name For Sale

2008-02-13T09:45:00.004-05:00

This Domain Name is for sale:
TheFilibuster.com
For information: mail@thefilibuster.com
(Put 'Domain Name' in subject line.)

Click HERE for more Domain Names:

Visit RealNameDomains.com for Web Hosting Services.

I have a question for you.

2008-01-29T16:15:00.000-05:00

Which would you rather your young child see.....

This:
"adult female nudity," specifically a "small portion of one side of her breasts"
on your television.....

Or this, headlined on a CNN website:
Girls gang-raped, forced to be sex slaves.

Mike Cox

2008-01-24T12:58:00.000-05:00

Attorney general from Michigan on C-SPAN now.
What a schlep. Get a haircut. and a new suit.
He can barely put two words together.
And he doesn't speak for me in trying to make excuses for EPA blocking California law in regulating greenhouse gases. His argument isn't very convincing at all.

Not going to help Detroit

2008-01-24T06:07:00.000-05:00

In a way I feel sorry for Detroit in so many ways and for so many reasons. but they really should have seen this coming before the last election.

Mayor shamed by text messages.
They raise questions about trial testimony.

DETROIT -- Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said Wednesday night that text messages indicating he had a sexual affair with his chief of staff in 2002 and 2003 were "profoundly embarrassing" and "reflect a very difficult period in my personal life."

The mayor's prepared statement was released by his office after a report surfaced that text messages show he had an intimate relationship with Chief of Staff Christine Beatty, 37, who has been Kilpatrick's friend since they were classmates at Cass Tech.

In some of those more than 14,000 messages, Kilpatrick, 37, and Beatty -- both were married at the time -- exchanged sexual banter, declared their love and arranged trysts in motels in Metro Detroit and on out-of-town business trips.
But under oath last summer in a whistleblowers suit filed against the city by two former cops, they both denied a romantic or intimate relationship. They also testified that they didn't plot to fire Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown, but the text messages include exchanges about dismissing him.
.................
Kilpatrick, who has characterized himself as a strong family man dedicated to his wife and three young sons, had repeatedly and vehemently denied an affair with Beatty. Kilpatrick consistently called the officers in the whistleblowers case liars. On the witness stand, he answered with a curt "no" when asked if he had had an intimate relationship with Beatty. Those allegations of infidelity had dogged the mayor since they began to surface in late 2002 and led to the drawn-out court case that was filed in 2003. Detroit News

North Adams, MI....(welcome)

2008-01-23T17:34:00.000-05:00

Cheney..........

2008-01-23T17:19:00.000-05:00

Cheney Wants Surveillance Law Expanded.
Found on HuffPost:

WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney prodded Congress on Wednesday to extend and broaden an expiring surveillance law, saying "fighting the war on terror is a long-term enterprise" that should not come with an expiration date.

"We're reminding Congress that they must act now," Cheney told the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. The law, which authorizes the administration to eavesdrop on phone calls and see the e-mail to and from suspected terrorists, expires on Feb. 1. Congress is bickering over terms of its extension.

On Tuesday, Senate Republicans blocked an effort by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to extend the stopgap Protect America Act without expanding it, raising stakes for an expected showdown in the Senate later this week on a new version of the law.

Juan Cole

2008-01-20T05:01:00.000-05:00

Informed Comment:

Andrew Bacevich eviscerates the Iraq War party with this passionate and clear-sighted essay on 'the Surge to Nowhere' in WaPo. He points out that the real motivation behind last year's troop escalation was to avoid popular outrage building in the US electorate to the point where the troops were pulled out. He observes that the argument for the 'success' of the 'surge' is purely a tactical one. When viewed from the vantage point of grand strategy, the Iraq War is as much a failure as it has always been.

If someone came to you six years ago and said that for only $2 trillion, you could have for your colony a burned out country, a failed state, and a semi-permanent incubator of terrorism and hatred against the US, would you have ponied up the money? That's what you've got, and that is what it cost you. Detroit could have used some of that money. New Orleans could have used some of that money. Appalachia has lots of schools that need to be painted.

More here, and here

Is Joe Lieberman the new Zell Miller?

2008-01-17T11:53:00.000-05:00

Watch him show up at the 2008 Republican National Convention.
Oh, and by the way........we've all been put on alert:

Lieberman, GOP seek out Jewish vote:
BOCA RATON --
Joe Lieberman, the one-time Democrat who narrowly lost the vice presidency, stumped in South Florida for a Republican presidential candidate Wednesday evening, putting his former party on alert: The GOP is after the Jewish vote.
Lieberman told about 200 Republican Jewish activists that he's backing John McCain because his fellow senator and Iraq war hawk best understands the nature of the radical Islamic threat faced by ''our ally Israel'' -- while much of the Democratic Party has forsaken it.

''The Democratic Party, I believe, respectfully, has left the strongest roots of its foreign policy and national security,'' Lieberman said, adding that McCain ``has always believed that Israel is our natural ally, from the beginning of its modern existence to this day in the war against Islamic extremists and terrorists.''

...........
While Jews overwhelmingly vote Democratic on social issues year after year, the Republican presidential candidates this year have gone to great lengths to out-Israel each other -- from using Israeli newspaper email lists to traveling to Israel to addressing myriad Jewish groups.

That Liberal CNN........

2008-01-17T09:26:00.000-05:00

Guess they didn't have room for Republican terrorists today.
Just something about "Cuckoo's Nest" and UFO's.

This should be interesting:

2008-01-14T16:14:00.000-05:00

Kos is encouraging Democratic Michigan bloggers to vote for Mitt Romney on Tuesday to keep McCain from winning, therefore creating a dog race for the Republican party leading up to Super Tuesday.
Now John Bambenek over at Illinois Review is claiming that Markos may be encouraging voter fraud.

But according to Taylor Marsh, the Obama campaign seems to be doing something just as sneaky by encouraging Republicans to vote for Obama in the Nevada primaries. (Albeit for a totally different reason of course.) Here's a flier they're passing out:

Is the Obama campaign encouraging voter fraud too?

Google: I Hate Chris Matthews.

2008-01-12T16:06:00.000-05:00

Go to the bottom of this page and click on the SiteMeter. Then click on 'By Referrals' at the left.
More than half my referrals (which aren't many, I'll admit) are from people who Google 'I Hate Chris Matthews', or something to that effect.
That fucking asshole is wading into deep shit, and it's not going to look very pretty when he finally goes down.
But go down he will. And I'll be one happy camper when it happens.

Jamison Foser at Media Matters has the best rundown I've seen on Tweety. That guy is doing his homework, and I love him for that.

...............
Matthews has referred to Clinton as "She devil." He has repeatedly likened Clinton to "Nurse Ratched," referring to the "scheming, manipulative" character in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest who "asserts arbitrary control simply because she can." He has called her "Madame Defarge." And he has described male politicians who have endorsed Clinton as "castratos in the eunuch chorus."

Matthews has compared Clinton to a "strip-teaser" and questioned whether she is "a convincing mom." He refers to Clinton's "cold eyes" and the "cold look" she supposedly gives people; he says she speaks in a "scolding manner" and is "going to tell us what to do."
...............
Matthews periodically gets it into his head that the most important question in the world is whether Bill Clinton will be a "distraction" or whether he will "behave himself." He badgers Clinton aides about the question and warns that Bill Clinton "better watch it." He asks if Clinton will be a "good boy" or be guilty of "misbehavior." Matthews is not so subtly referring to Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky. But curiously, he doesn't have the same concerns about McCain or about Rudy Giuliani, as I wrote nearly a year ago.

Matthews has repeatedly focused on the physical characteristics of his female guests. He recently began an interview with conservative radio host and author Laura Ingraham by telling her, "I'm not allowed to say this, but I'll say it -- you're beautiful and you're smart." He ended the interview by saying: "I get in trouble for this, but you're great looking, obviously. You're one of the gods' gifts to men in this country. But also, you are a hell of a writer." Note that Matthews said Ingraham is also a good writer -- apparently, to Chris Matthews, there is no reason for men to care about whether a woman can write, only about how she looks.
...............
Chris Matthews has been treating female guests as sexual objects for years. He has been judging women -- senators, presidential candidates, the speaker of the House -- on their clothes and their voices and their appearance for years. He has been referring to women as "castrating" for years. He has been applying double standards to male and female candidates for years.

This is who Chris Matthews is. He is a man who thinks that men who support women politicians are "eunuchs."

He isn't going to stop unless you make him stop. Chris Matthews uses his voice to marginalize women. Use yours to tell MSNBC you've had enough.

I hate to see anybody fail. But Matthews is just plain asking for it. He belongs on Fox News, but I don't think even they have room for this garbage.
Please read the whole post, and then follow the links at the bottom to sound off to MSNBC.

Andrew made a funny.

2008-01-11T01:45:00.000-05:00

Way to go Andrew.

Commenting on Thursday's Republican debate:

Please Shoot Me [Andy McCarthy]

Another Frank Luntz focus group? You don't need to waterboard me — I'll tell you whatever you want to know ...
LINK

I'm sure you made your mother proud with that one.

Suckit Tweety (and Tucker)

2007-12-22T20:01:00.000-05:00

Both a couple of low life wannabe's.
Found on Atrios. Jamison Foser on Media Matters tears these assholes a new asshole.

It's fascinating to see Chris Matthews and Tucker Carlson so angry about Kerrey's comments, because as far as I can tell, Chris Matthews was the very first person to introduce Barack Obama's middle name into the national political discussion -- and Tucker Carlson was right behind him.
................
What's happening here isn't really very subtle at all. Tucker Carlson and Chris Matthews have, going back more than a year, gone out of their way to bring up Obama's middle name and his long-ago drug use. After they (and their colleagues) played a key role in bringing these matters into the national dialogue, they brutally attacked Clinton when people connected with her campaign made reference to the very things Carlson and Matthews have been talking about all along.
.............
And it isn't merely that Matthews and Carlson are blasting Clinton for things they did first; they're blasting Clinton for things they continue to do every night. Mark Penn used the word "cocaine" twice, a week ago -- in response to Matthews' prodding. Tucker Carlson has used it on his show nine times since then; Matthews has used it 12 times on Hardball. And the two have used the name "Hussein" in connection with Obama 11 times this week.
.............
It's a hell of a scam Matthews and Carlson have going -- undermining both candidates, while getting their campaigns and their supporters angry at one another.
More

You two assholes are nothing but a couple of fakes. And the people are finally starting to catch on. You're worse than George bush.

TWEETY

2007-12-18T17:27:00.000-05:00

Chris Matthews is a fucking idiot.

Media Matters

This could be trouble:

2007-11-05T11:17:00.000-05:00

Supermodel 'rejects dollar pay'

The world's richest model has reportedly reacted in her own way to the sliding value of the US dollar - by refusing to be paid in the currency.
Gisele Bündchen is said to be keen to avoid the US currency because of uncertainty over its strength.

The Brazilian, thought to have earned about $30m in the year to June, prefers to be paid in euros, her sister and manager told the Bloomberg news agency.
However, Ms Bündchen, 27, declined to comment on her pay arrangements.
Last week the dollar hit long-term lows against the euro, the British pound and the Canadian dollar.
According to Brazil's weekly magazine Veja, when Ms Bündchen signed a deal to represent Pantene hair products, she demanded that the brand owner, Procter & Gamble (P&G), paid her in euros.
P&G was reported as saying that it could not comment on details of the contract.
There are also reports that she will be paid in euros for a deal with Dolce & Gabanna to promote its The One fragrance.
"Contracts starting now are more attractive in euros because we don't know what will happen to the dollar," Patricia Bündchen told Bloomberg.

Chris Matthews Asshole

2007-11-02T11:17:00.000-04:00

The reason I named this post 'Chris Matthews Asshole' is because I noticed a lot of people Google this a lot. I'll do anything for a little traffic.

But the reason for the post is to renew my feelings of how much of an asshole I think Chris Matthews really is.

His infatuation with the Clinton's is hitting an all time high this week, devoting almost the whole time of both his pathetic shows to basing Bill and Hillary the last few days.

But every time he gets Rudy Giuliani on his show you practically have to hold him back from giving him a blow job right there on the set.

Let's see if Matthews can grow some nuts and bring this subject up any time soon:

Paul Krugman.
Prostates and Prejudices:

“My chance of surviving prostate cancer — and thank God I was cured of it — in the United States? Eighty-two percent,” says Rudy Giuliani in a new radio ad attacking Democratic plans for universal health care. “My chances of surviving prostate cancer in England? Only 44 percent, under socialized medicine.”
It would be a stunning comparison if it were true. But it isn’t. And thereby hangs a tale — one of scare tactics, of the character of a man who would be president and, I’m sorry to say, about what’s wrong with political news coverage.
Let’s start with the facts: Mr. Giuliani’s claim is wrong on multiple levels — bogus numbers wrapped in an invalid comparison embedded in a smear.
Mr. Giuliani got his numbers from a recent article in City Journal, a publication of the conservative Manhattan Institute. The author gave no source for his numbers on five-year survival rates — the probability that someone diagnosed with prostate cancer would still be alive five years after the diagnosis. And they’re just wrong.
Here's the whole thing.

Don't hold your breath.

Thanks to Horses Mouth.

Update: Digby with more on how Matthews is one of the biggest assholes on cable.

"It's a sad day to be a Republican."

2007-10-07T22:16:00.000-04:00

ABCnews.com

Sen. Larry Craig has been chosen for induction into the Idaho Hall of Fame, despite his well-publicized arrest and guilty plea in an airport sex sting, officials said.
The nonprofit Idaho Hall of Fame Association picked Craig in March, months before he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after a Minneapolis airport police officer accused him of soliciting sex in the men's restroom, the organization's board chairman said.
"Larry Craig has made a great contribution to Idaho over the period of 20-some years. At the time it was considered, this other matter had not come up," Harry Magnuson told The Spokesman-Review newspaper Saturday.

But some Republicans said the honor is inappropriate now. Kootenai County Republican precinct committeeman Phil Thompson said Idaho Hall of Fame officials should consider at least postponing the induction.

"Maybe in 10 or 15 years we can think of this hall of fame stuff. Now is not the time," he said. "It's a sad day to be a Republican."

Balls

2007-10-05T09:56:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to see if I could touch my balls with my tail.

All I Can Say Is............

2007-09-11T21:22:00.000-04:00

Sucks to be a republican.

Will Chris Matthews ever grow up?

2007-08-14T00:14:00.000-04:00

Digby

The Daily Howler

Eschaton

Media Matters

mcjoan (kos)

DealBreaker

Crooks And Liars

Check your compassion at the door.

2007-08-11T19:16:00.001-04:00

NRO

Lee Ermey -- The GOP's Secret Weapon? [Laura Ingraham]
After listening to the Lee Ermey video message to the crowd here, I had an idea. How about Sgt. Hartman for SecDef? Or better yet for White House press secretary! Imagine the names for Helen Thomas and David Gregory he'd spit out! "Private Thomas, is it? Think you're smart, don't you? Well, get used to this—you do what I say or you will be crying for your binky by the end of the day! You, stupid, worthless, treasonous, Commie-sympathizing barnacle on a ship of fools!"
08/11 04:38 PM

When all they have left is dreams of roughing up Helen Thomas, I'd say they're very desperate. Even if it's all in fun it really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

By the way Laura....I noticed you were brave enough to slam Helen Thomas (who is loved and adored by millions upon millions around the world) with the 'Private Thomas' jab but stopped short when it came to David Gregory. Where are your balls bitch?

My sister has a website.

2007-08-11T18:41:00.000-04:00

Chris Mathews

2007-08-10T15:57:00.000-04:00

Think Progress catches Tweety giving Shrub some man love:

In A Three Minute Monologue, Matthews Gushes Over Bush’s ‘Great Neo-Conservative Mind’

Immediately following President Bush’s press conference today, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews spent three unbroken minutes fawning over the president’s “powerful rendition” of his “philosophy” without uttering a single critical word. “I thought in listening to the president, I was listening to one of the great neoconservative minds,” gushed Matthews.

Calling Bush “powerful” on three separate occasions, Matthews marveled at the president’s defense of his foreign policy:

We were given a rare opportunity to hear the real philosophy of this administration with regard to the war in Iraq. A powerful rendition by the president of why we’re there. When he talked about the fact that we can support emerging democracies in the Middle East, and that’s the only way we can prevent future 9/11’s, you’re getting to the heart of why this administration is fighting that war in Iraq.

“This president is ready to fight like a rock through the rest of his term,” Matthews proclaimed. “He made it clear that he’s going to fight as long as it takes to develop a democracy in Iraq. There’s not going to be any change come September.” Watch it:

Not that there's anything wrong with it......

2007-08-10T01:14:00.000-04:00

Is there any question now that Chris Mathews is gay?

MATTHEWS: Yeah, I think you're right. I guess I'm thinking of an Eddie Rendell were in the race -- the governor of Pennsylvania -- or if Al Gore were in the race or someone else who's a good heavyweight to be running. But, you know, I do see a lot of really good second-tier candidates here, but I don't see a big, beefy alternative to Hillary Clinton -- a big guy. You know what I mean? An all -- an every-way big guy. I don't see one out there. I see a lot of slight, skinny, second- and third-rate candidates.

We've been getting more and more insinuations along this line lately. And it's not so much what he says, but the fact that he thinks that he has to say these things at all. Is it even relevant at all just how "big and beefy" a candidate is? Actually, I'm surprised he didn't throw a 'white' into the mix.
Media Matters has a story on this.

Good Old Cut & Paste

2007-08-08T00:51:00.000-04:00

Hillary vs. Obama [Kathryn Jean Lopez]
The look on her face now when he talks seems to be "oh, you're so young and naive."

The look on my face now when you talk seems to be "for god's sake, get a life you old windbag."

Oh Bitch, don't tease me.

2007-08-08T00:39:00.000-04:00

"Sir, I Will Die For This Post" [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

More blogging from Iraq from Thomas Smith.

Juan Cole

2007-08-07T07:42:00.000-04:00

A surge of phony spin on Iraq

Aug. 7, 2007 | As Congress prepared to go on its August recess, Pentagon officials and White House backers were desperately spinning as a success this year's escalation of U.S. troop levels in Iraq. A recent poll shows that there has been a 10 percent uptick in the proportion of Americans who think the so-called surge, first announced by President George W. Bush in January, is having a beneficial effect. But how accurate are the sunny pronouncements coming out of Washington? What would constitute a success for the surge, and how likely is it to be achieved?
The troop escalation was intended to calm down Baghdad and to give the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki breathing room to pursue a political reconciliation, especially with the Sunni Arab population. But the political goals of the surge are simply not being accomplished -- and indeed, the political situation has deteriorated substantially.

Maliki has lost even the few Sunni Arab allies he began with; the Sunni Arab coalition, called the Iraqi Accord Front, that had actually been in his government has now had its cabinet ministers tender their resignations. He has not held further reconciliation talks with dissident Sunni Arab groups. The Sunni Arab guerrilla groups are thinking of forming an opposition political party in hopes of extending their efforts to topple his government into the political sphere. His relations with Sunni Arab neighbors are so bad that Saudi Arabia declined his request to visit Riyadh.

Visit Salon and read the whole story.

Thai cops punished by Hello Kitty

2007-08-06T07:01:00.000-04:00

Police chiefs in the Thai capital, Bangkok, have come up with a new way of punishing officers who break the rules - an eye-catching Hello Kitty armband.

The armband is large, bright pink and has a Hello Kitty motif with two hearts embroidered on it.

From today, officers who are late, park in the wrong place or commit other minor transgressions will have to wear it for several days.

The armband is designed to shame the wearer, police officials said.

"This is to help build discipline. We should not let small offences go unnoticed," Police Colonel Pongpat Chayapan told Reuters news agency.

"Guilty officers will be made to wear the armbands in the office for a few days, with instructions not to disclose their offences. Let people guess what they have done," he said.

Further offences would be dealt with using a more traditional disciplinary panel, he said.

The cartoon character Hello Kitty was first introduced by Japanese company Sanrio in 1974.

The cute round-faced cat has become an Asia-wide marketing phenomenon, with Hello Kitty products such as stationery, hair accessories and kitchen appliances available across the region.

JONAH GOLDBERG

2007-08-05T01:14:00.000-04:00

Born in a Whore House........

The National Review's cruise ship stops in Canada tomorrow -- for about a minute and a half -- and those passengers with the courage to go ashore should have a wonderful time. We have a tradition of hospitality to draft dodgers.
.....................................
You have to take it in the spirit of fun. Like when I say that Jonah Goldberg fit right in, going to a girls' school, because he was born in a whorehouse. I'm just being provocative. But he really was born in a whorehouse.
..................................

I hope no one in Canada is still sore about something else Jonah Goldberg wrote:
"The Canadians have for a while now taken it upon themselves to be a "moral superpower," not a military superpower. The problem with this -- as is so often the case with groups, institutions, and even nations seeking to be the conscience of the world -- is that it leads to knee-jerk and cost-free preachiness rather than any attempt at real sacrifices... Its military, which used to punch well above its weight, is quite literally rusting through, and there are no plans to remedy that. In short, Canada has willfully forgotten that a nation which wants to be a moral superpower doesn't just say nice things, it does right things even at great cost..."

They have to understand he's just kidding around. (And that he doesn't know what the words "literally" or "rusting" mean, or he wouldn't apply them to an organization.) Even if he wasn't kidding, you'd still have to take your medicine, on the "real sacrifice" stuff, when it's coming from a man like Jonah Goldberg, who, although he didn't serve himself -- ever, anywhere, at any time -- did grow up in a broken home with a chain smoker.

In a whorehouse.

THE WHOLE STORY IS HERE

Iraq Power Grid Said to Be Near Collapse

2007-08-04T19:29:00.000-04:00

BAGHDAD -
Iraq's power grid is on the brink of collapse because of insurgent sabotage of infrastructure, rising demand, fuel shortages and provinces that are unplugging local power stations from the national grid, officials said Saturday.
Electricity Ministry spokesman Aziz al-Shimari said power generation nationally is only meeting half the demand, and there had been four nationwide blackouts over the past two days. The shortages across the country are the worst since the summer of 2003, shortly after the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, he said.
Power supplies in Baghdad have been sporadic all summer and now are down to just a few hours a day, if that. The water supply in the capital has also been severely curtailed by power blackouts and cuts that have affected pumping and filtration stations.
Karbala province south of Baghdad has been without power for three days, causing water mains to go dry in the provincial capital, the Shiite holy city of Karbala.
"We no longer need television documentaries about the Stone Age. We are actually living in it. We are in constant danger because of the filthy water and rotten food we are having," said Hazim Obeid, who sells clothing at a stall in the Karbala market.
Electricity shortages are a perennial problem in Iraq, even though it sits atop one of the world's largest crude oil reserves. The national power grid became decrepit under Saddam Hussein because his regime was under U.N. sanctions after the Gulf War and had trouble buying spare parts or equipment to upgrade the system.
The power problems are only adding to the misery of Iraqis, already suffering from the effects of more than four years of war and sectarian violence. Outages make life almost unbearable in the summer months, when average daily temperatures reach between 110 and 120 degrees.
One of the biggest problems facing the national grid is the move by provinces to disconnect their power plants from the system, reducing the amount of electricity being generated across the country. Provinces say they have no choice because they are not getting as much electricity in return for what they produce, mainly because the capital requires so much power.
"Many southern provinces such as Basra, Diwaniyah, Nassiriyah, Babil have disconnected their power plants from the national grid. Northern provinces, including Kurdistan, are doing the same," al-Shimari said. "We have absolutely no control over some areas in the south," he added.
"The national grid will collapse if the provinces do not abide by rules regarding their share of electricity. Everybody will lose and there will be no electricity winner," al-Shimari said.
He complained that the central government was unable to do anything about provincial power stations pulling out of the national system, or the fact some provinces were failing to take themselves off the supply grid once they had consumed their daily ration of electricity.
Najaf provincial spokesman Ahmed Deibel confirmed to The Associated Press Sunday that the gas turbine generator there had been removed from the national grid. He said the plant produced 50 megawatts while the province needed at least 200 megawatts.
"What we produce is not enough even for us. We disconnected it from the national grid three days ago because the people in Baghdad were getting too much, leaving little electricity for Najaf," he said.
Compounding the problem, al-Shimari said there are 17 high-tension lines running into Baghdad but only two were operational. The rest had been sabotaged.
"What makes Baghdad the worst place in the country is that most of the lines leading into the capital have been destroyed. That is compounded by the fact that Baghdad has limited generating capacity," al-Shimari said.
"When we fix a line, the insurgents attack it the next day," he added.
Fuel shortages are also a major problem. In Karbala, provincial spokesman Ghalib al-Daami said a 50-megawatt power station had been shut down because of a lack of fuel, causing the entire province to be without water and electricity for the past three days.
He said sewage was seeping above ground in nearly half the provincial capital because pump trucks used to clean septic tanks have been unable to operate due to gasoline shortages. The sewage was causing a health threat to citizens and contaminating crops in the region.
Many people who normally would rely on small home generators for electricity can't afford to buy fuel. Gasoline prices have shot up to nearly $5 a gallon, Karbala residents say, a price that puts the fuel out of range for all but the wealthy.
"We wait for the sunset to enjoy some coolness," said Qassim Hussein, a 31-year-old day laborer in Karbala. "The people are fed-up. There is no water, no electricity, there is nothing, but death. I've even had more trouble with my wife these last three days. Everybody is on edge."
Iraq has the world's third-largest proven oil reserves, behind Saudi Arabia and Iran. But oil production has been hampered by insurgent and saboteur attacks, ranging from bombing pipelines to siphoning off oil. The attacks have cost the country billions of dollars since the 2003 U.S. invasion. Dilapidated infrastructure has also hindered refining, forcing Iraq to import large amounts of kerosene and other oil products.
The electricity problems come as leaders are trying to deal with a political crisis that erupted when the country's largest bloc of Sunni political parties withdrew from the government.
President Bush called Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Vice President Adel Abdel-Mahdi to urge them to try to preserve political unity in the country, where the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is under a stiff challenge from rival political forces and insurgents.
Talabani, a Kurd, and Abdel-Mahdi, a Shiite, provided few details of the conversations in statements released by their offices. But both men have been involved in trying to solve the crisis.
Elsewhere, the U.S. military announced the death of a Marine during combat Thursday in Iraq's western Anbar province.
The U.S. military also issued a statement saying its forces killed four suspects and captured 33 others Saturday in raids in northern Iraq and along the Tigris River Valley.
In northern Iraq, a prison riot was brought under control two days after it broke out when Iraqi guards prepared to move inmates into an isolation unit and U.S. soldiers surrounded the facility.
The riot at Badoosh prison outside Mosul, about 220 miles northwest of Baghdad, involved nearly 65 inmates. Iraqi guards killed one inmate who was trying to escape from the prison yard and wounded two others inside the prison, the U.S. military said in a statement.
The U.S. military said American troops did not fire any rounds during the disturbance and no U.S. or Iraqi troops were wounded.
Associated Press Writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report

Juan Cole

2007-07-31T04:39:00.000-04:00

Third of Iraqis 'need urgent aid'

2007-07-30T03:33:00.000-04:00

Nearly a third of the population of Iraq is in need of immediate emergency aid, according to a new report from Oxfam and a coalition of Iraqi NGOs.
Read the sad news here.

Here too:

NGOs report humanitarian crisis in Iraq

By THOMAS WAGNER, Associated Press WriterMon Jul 30, 6:27 AM ET

About 8 million Iraqis — nearly a third of the population — need immediate emergency aid because of the humanitarian crisis caused by the war, relief agencies said Monday.

Those Iraqis are in urgent need of water, sanitation, food and shelter, said the report by Oxfam and the NGO Coordination Committee network in Iraq.

The report said 15 percent of Iraqis cannot regularly afford to eat, and 70 percent are without adequate water supplies, up from 50 percent in 2003. It also said 28 percent of children are malnourished, compared with 19 percent before the 2003 invasion.

"Basic services, ruined by years of war and sanctions, cannot meet the needs of the Iraqi people," said Jeremy Hobbs, the director of Oxfam International. "Millions of Iraqis have been forced to flee the violence, either to another part of Iraq or abroad. Many of those are living in dire poverty."

The report said more than 2 million people — mostly women and children — have been displaced within Iraq, and 2 million Iraqis have fled the country as refugees, mostly to neighboring Syria and Jordan.

Hobbs urged Iraq's government, the United Nations and the international community to do more to help Iraqis, despite the risk of the war's widespread violence involving coalition forces and insurgents.

"The Iraqi government must commit to helping Iraq's poorest citizens, including the internally displaced, by extending food parcel distribution and cash payments to the vulnerable. Western donors must work through Iraqi and international aid organizations and develop more flexible systems to ensure these organizations operate effectively and efficiently," Hobbs said.

Oxfam has not operated in Iraq since 2003 for security reasons, but a survey it published in April found that more than 80 percent of aid agencies working in the country could do more if they had more money.

Some humanitarian organizations refuse money from governments with troops in Iraq, on the grounds of security and independence.

"The fighting and weak Iraqi institutions mean there are severe limits on what humanitarian work can be carried out. Nevertheless, more can and should be done to help the Iraqi people," Hobbs said.

George Bush's Army.

2007-07-06T17:48:00.000-04:00

Errant Afghan civilian deaths surge

U.S. and NATO troops killed more noncombatants in the last six months than did Taliban insurgents, several tallies indicate.

By Laura King
Times Staff Writer

July 6, 2007

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — After more than five years of increasingly intense warfare, the conflict in Afghanistan reached a grim milestone in the first half of this year: U.S. troops and their NATO allies killed more civilians than insurgents did, according to several independent tallies.

The upsurge in deaths at the hands of Western forces has been driven by Taliban tactics as well as by actions of the American military and its allies.

But the growing toll is causing widespread disillusionment among the Afghan people, eroding support for the government of President Hamid Karzai and exacerbating political rifts among NATO allies about the nature and goals of the mission in Afghanistan.

More than 500 Afghan civilians have been reported killed this year, and the rate has dramatically increased in the last month.

In some instances, it was difficult to determine whether the dead were combatants or noncombatants. But in many other cases, there was no doubt that the person killed was a bystander to war.

Still, Western military leaders argue that any comparison of casualties caused by Western forces and by the Taliban is fundamentally unfair because there is a clear moral distinction to be made between accidental deaths resulting from combat operations and deliberate killings of innocents by militants.

"No [Western] soldier ever wakes up in the morning with the intention of harming any Afghan citizen," said Maj. John Thomas, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. "If that does inadvertently happen, it is deeply, deeply regretted."

Moreover, alliance officials say Taliban fighters are ultimately to blame for many of the fatalities attributed to coalition military operations because the insurgents deliberately place civilians in harm's way, using them as human shields and employing other brutal tactics.

Human rights groups acknowledge that there are mitigating circumstances. But to the families of victims such as Azizullah the salt merchant, such distinctions are lost in a wave of grief and indignation.

At dawn on June 16, Azizullah went to prayers with his older brother, Mohammed Reza. It was the last time Reza saw his younger brother alive.

At midmorning, Reza received a call on his cellphone from Afghan police saying Azizullah had been wounded, then another saying that he had died, shot by North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops as he sipped a cool drink a few steps from his storefront in a rundown district of Kabul.

"Why? Why?" Reza asked. "They are supposed to protect us, not kill us."

In a communal society such as Afghanistan, "no death is isolated," said Hekmat Karzai, who runs a security think tank in Kabul and is a cousin of the president. "When one person dies, it affects a whole village or clan or tribe. Ultimately, it affects everyone, and there's no escaping that."

By late June, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, working with local rights groups, had counted 314 civilian deaths at the hands of Western-led forces and 279 people killed by the Taliban and other militants. But that figure did not include at least 45 civilian deaths reported by local officials last weekend in Helmand province's Gereshk district.

Separate counts by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Associated Press differed slightly, but also indicated that more civilians were killed by Western troops than by militants during the first half of 2007.

On June 23, in response to the deaths of more than 100 noncombatants in a single week that were blamed on Western artillery or airstrikes in southern Afghanistan, President Karzai unleashed an angry call for caution by U.S. and NATO forces.

"Afghan life is not cheap, and it should not be treated as such," the Afghan president told reporters in Kabul.

Aides said Karzai believed that his language, the sharpest to date on the subject, was the only way to get the attention of Western policymakers after repeated appeals had gone unanswered.

Neither NATO nor U.S. forces keep a tally of civilian deaths, but Thomas said the military did not dispute the figures cited by Karzai. All sides, however, acknowledge that counting casualties is an inexact science.

Because Taliban fighters do not wear military uniforms, they can be as difficult to identify in death as in life. Much of the fighting takes place in remote, rugged areas that are difficult for independent investigators to reach.

NATO and U.S. military officials say that when in doubt, human rights groups sometimes count ambiguous cases among the civilian dead, a contention sharply disputed by the investigators.

"There is always a margin of error, but no one is interested in inflating these figures," said Anja de Beer, the director of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief, a consortium of humanitarian groups that also tallies civilian deaths.

"We do not rely only on what people say immediately after a battle. Our investigators follow up afterward, talk to village elders, to families, and look at fresh graves," De Beer said. "When there is any question of identity, we take that into account."

Often, civilians are killed in the aftermath of an attack by insurgents. Azizullah was shot and killed by troops responding to a car bomb that went off about half a mile away.

The NATO-led force said at the time that initial indications were that a soldier's weapon had accidentally discharged. Two weeks later, a spokesman said there had been no further findings.

Azizullah's family, an extended clan of 25 living in a mud-brick compound on the outskirts of the capital, veered between mourning and fury.

"Who will bring my son back to me?" asked his weeping, white-turbaned father, Mohammed Zia. "No one, no one. Not even God."

The family was particularly angered by the fact that the shooting took place more than an hour after the explosion and that there was no report of hostile fire directed at troops.

"We thought the foreign troops, the Americans, would bring peace to this country," said the father. "Now they have killed my son, and I do not want to see their faces ever again."

Political analysts say that despite the increase in civilian deaths, most Afghans still support the presence of international troops.

"It's an obvious truth that the Western forces bring security that we need," said Said Najib Mahmood, a political science professor at Kabul University. "But they are killing a lot of people, and because of that there is a loss of trust and confidence in the government."

Many analysts say the nature of combat tactics employed by both sides makes it very difficult for the military to avoid inflicting civilian casualties, a fact that the Taliban movement exploits to the maximum.

When allied forces come under fire from a walled compound of the kind that dots every Afghan village, the likeliest response is an airstrike — a strategy that exposes Western troops to less danger than moving in on foot.

Sometimes, even hours of painstaking surveillance fail to turn up signs of noncombatants in the line of fire.

"Often we will refrain from making a strike because we suspect there might be civilians present," said Thomas. "But sometimes we're wrong."

If so, the consequences can be devastating.

"We see whole families killed together in their home — mothers, babies, everyone," said Abdul Matim, a parliament member from Helmand province, who has personally investigated many of the civilian deaths in his home district. "It's a terrible sight."

Another common insurgent tactic is suicide car bombings aimed at military convoys. In response, jittery troops sometimes fire on civilians who are merely driving erratically or who accidentally come between military vehicles. Often there are more such shootings when a contingent of troops has recently arrived in Afghanistan.

"It takes time to figure out that not everyone in a turban is a suicide bomber," said Karzai, the analyst, who directs the independent Center for Conflict and Peace Studies in Kabul.

After a suicide bombing last week on the outskirts of Kabul that targeted a U.S. military convoy and killed two Western security officers, Afghan police anxiously waved journalists away.

"Don't go close," they warned. "The Americans might shoot you."

Criticism over civilian casualties frustrates NATO and U.S. officials, who say atrocities by the Taliban expose civilians to far greater dangers.

In one widely cited recent case, insurgents allegedly tried to trick a 6-year-old boy into blowing himself up at an Afghan police checkpoint, fitting him with a suicide vest they told him would eject flowers at the push of a button. Police managed to free the child.

At the same time, Western officials acknowledge that whatever the provocation, they must adhere to international norms of combat.

"We are rightly held to a higher standard of behavior," said Nicholas Lunt, the chief NATO civilian spokesman in Afghanistan.

At the compound of Azizullah's family, his four children, all younger than 5, tussled together on the floor and gazed with bright curiosity at visitors. Their uncle Mohammed Reza explained that they were too young to comprehend that their father was dead.

"I asked them where they think he is, and they say they don't know," he said. "They don't understand yet that he is never coming back."

Happy Birthday Asshole

2007-07-06T10:47:00.000-04:00

Silly.

2007-07-02T05:20:00.000-04:00

CNN: England smoking ban in effect.

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- England snuffed out smoking in bars, workplaces and public buildings on Sunday in what campaigners said was the biggest boost to public health since the creation of the National Health Service in 1948.
The legislation is designed to protect people from the effects of second-hand smoke at work, which doctors estimate kills more than 600 people a year. The government hopes it will help smokers quit and discourage children from lighting up.

So what's next?
Ban Alcohol in bars too?

This is good.

2007-06-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

Egypt 'sets up Mid-East summit'

BBC NEWS
The Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, has invited the Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian leaders to a summit next week, Palestinian officials have said.

Mr. Bloomberg

2007-06-21T00:11:00.000-04:00

Please do the right thing.

Donate the $500,000,000.00 to embryonic stem cell research.

I Need More Fucking Paris Hilton

2007-06-09T20:23:00.000-04:00

And I Need It Now.

Meet the New Crazis.......

2007-06-02T15:51:00.000-04:00

Daily Kos (LithiumCola)

...............
Dr Mohamed ElBaradei: Well, I disagree. Now. I disgreed with them before, and unfortunately again we have to go through the painful experience of Iraq to show the limit of power. You know. The world has become too complex, too complicated; you cannot impose your will simply by use by force. You really need to understand where people are coming from, you need to understand the root causes, and you need to adopt a pragmatic approach. You need to split the difference. You need to reconcile your differences.

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/6/2/83341/93866

Cheney Lied, Thousands Died.

2007-04-06T04:54:00.000-04:00

Hussein's Prewar Ties To Al-Qaeda Discounted

Today's Washington Post:

Captured Iraqi documents and intelligence interrogations of Saddam Hussein and two former aides "all confirmed" that Hussein's regime was not directly cooperating with al-Qaeda before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, according to a declassified Defense Department report released yesterday.
The declassified version of the report, by acting Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble, also contains new details about the intelligence community's prewar consensus that the Iraqi government and al-Qaeda figures had only limited contacts, and about its judgments that reports of deeper links were based on dubious or unconfirmed information. The report had been released in summary form in February.
The report's release came on the same day that Vice President Cheney, appearing on Rush Limbaugh's radio program, repeated his allegation that al-Qaeda was operating inside Iraq "before we ever launched" the war, under the direction of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the terrorist killed last June.

Bitch.

Update: More at TPMmuckraker.

What kind of Fuckery is this?

2007-04-05T16:58:00.000-04:00

I just had to link to this great post by TRex:

Firedoglake: Watch the Video (sorry, link is broken)

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email: newsom101@yahoo.com

God Bless Nancy Pelosi.

2007-04-05T12:39:00.000-04:00

Let’s Give Up A Moment For Nancy Pelosi

By Welshman at Daily Kos

Update:

The Independent:

Pelosi: "We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace," Mrs Pelosi said later. She said her delegation "expressed concern about Syria's connections to Hizbollah and Hamas".

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2007-03-27T19:29:00.000-04:00

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2007-03-25T11:47:00.000-04:00

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what kind of fuckery is this

what kind of fuckery is this?

Go to Real Name Domains for all your Web Hosting Tools.

I WANT YOU

2007-02-21T22:00:00.000-05:00

SUNUNU

Born September 10, 1964 (Age 42)

United States Armed Forces
Military Age......17_49

There You Go Again

2007-02-21T19:36:00.000-05:00

Newsweek: US overstates Iran-Iraq link; may be repeating actions that led to 'wrong calls' in Iraq

The Raw Story: A US official briefing news media in Iraq "strayed from script" and overstated the link between Iranian leaders and violence in Iraq, reports Newsweek. The briefing set off a firestorm in the United States, where questions have been raised about the Bush administration's Iran intelligence, and comparisons are being drawn between the buildup to the Iraq war and current rhetoric being bandied about Iran.
"According to several Washington intelligence officials involved in monitoring fallout from the presentation, the Baghdad briefers were supposed to stick closely to a script and slide show about Iranian weapons shipments into Iraq that had been carefully vetted by the National Security Council in Washington," reports Newsweek. The slide show presentation said that Iran and the Quds Force were providing money and weapons to Iraqi militants, but did not mention specific ties to the upper echelons of the Iranian government. At some point in his presentation, says Newsweek, the briefer apparently went off script and said that the Quds Force had been authorized by "senior Iranian officials ... to supply insurgents with weapons designed to kill Americans."

Here's the Newsweek article.

Iraqi Official Fired for Criticizing Maliki in Rape Case

2007-02-21T19:05:00.001-05:00

NYT:

BAGHDAD, Feb. 21 — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki fired a top Sunni official today after he criticized the government’s handling of a young Sunni woman’s account of being raped by members of the Shiite-dominated security forces.

Good Ole Maliki. Just another chip off the (Bush administration) block

Iraqi Official Fired for Criticizing Maliki in Rape Case

2007-02-21T19:05:00.000-05:00

NYT:

BAGHDAD, Feb. 21 — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki fired a top Sunni official today after he criticized the government’s handling of a young Sunni woman’s account of being raped by members of the Shiite-dominated security forces.

Good Ole Maliki. Just another chip off the (Bush administration) block

George Bush is Gay

2007-02-19T20:43:00.000-05:00

Bush Wants To Make Romance In Bin Laden's Butt: Wonkette.

(i stole this pic)

Go To AMERICAblog.

2007-02-19T15:19:00.000-05:00

No one ever hits this blog on purpose anymore. It's always the result of a Google/ Blogsearch, random mistake etc. I don't really mind that much.
I'm still going to link to AMERICAblog because they're doing a great, overdue solid, and in many ways 'Public Service' for all the honorable soldiers and Marines coming home form Iraq, Afghanistan and many other places.
They're bringing attention to just one of the major fuck-ups of this criminal administration. Our troops deserve much better.

Novak: House GOP fired Veterans-friendly committee chair in order to "save money"

Military doc weighs in on vets scandal.

Another Walter Reed horror story, from the Army Times

"If Iraq don't kill you, Walter Reed will."

Military amputee uninvited from Bush event because the press would see him with no legs

Bush budget will cut health care for vets

It's time to fire Major General George W. Weightman, now

No gifts for the wounded soldiers, please - it's Christmas

Shame

Why don't these people get a life?

2007-02-18T05:37:00.000-05:00

With One Word, Children’s Book Sets Off Uproar

NYT:

The word “scrotum” does not often appear in polite conversation. Or children’s literature, for that matter.
Yet there it is on the first page of “The Higher Power of Lucky,” by Susan Patron, this year’s winner of the Newbery Medal, the most prestigious award in children’s literature. The book’s heroine, a scrappy 10-year-old orphan named Lucky Trimble, hears the word through a hole in a wall when another character says he saw a rattlesnake bite his dog, Roy, on the scrotum.
“Scrotum sounded to Lucky like something green that comes up when you have the flu and cough too much,” the book continues. “It sounded medical and secret, but also important.”
The inclusion of the word has shocked some school librarians, who have pledged to ban the book from elementary schools, and reopened the debate over what constitutes acceptable content in children’s books. The controversy was first reported by Publishers Weekly, a trade magazine.

I feel sorry for these people's children.

This has Dick Cheney's name written all over it.

2007-02-12T04:25:00.000-05:00

Do you believe U.S. foreign policy is fueling a nuclear arms race?

Did Rice have a talk with Bremmer?

2007-02-07T03:44:00.000-05:00

Bremmer today:......if the American military had to put 70,000 men back on those buildings, we're talking about a significant augmentation of American forces.

Republicans block Senate debate on Iraq

2007-02-05T23:38:00.000-05:00

Smart Move.

Who doesn't hate Chris Matthews?

2007-01-31T16:56:00.000-05:00

SWAMPLAND

A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT

2007-01-02T04:33:00.000-05:00

Imagine all the people..........

(See post below)

You're twisted Cliff May.
You should get that checked.

Cilff May is a sick fuck.

2007-01-02T00:56:00.000-05:00

How long did it take you to think this one Cliff?.
Where's your head at? Do you have kids of your own you sick bastard?

NRO:

A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT [Cliff May]
Imagine that Saddam had not been executed. Imagine that he had been sentenced to life in prison.

Now imagine that a group of pro-Saddam terrorists seizes an elementary school. They say they will kill all the students and teachers if Saddam is not released within 24 hours.

Should Saddam then be released? Or should several dozen innocent children and their teachers be killed?

Is it not better that we have guaranteed that it will never be necessary to make such a choice?

I'll leave it to bloggers with better imagination than me to figure this one out. But I do have one question for you:

Imagine a group of pro-Manson, or pro-Hinckley, or pro-Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold terrorists seizes an elementary school with 3 of your kids in it?

Should Manson be released, or Hinckley, or Harris and Klebold?

Or should several dozen innocent children and their teachers be killed?

Take your pick you little sick fuck.

Oh, and by the way, for a bunch of morons that are too fucking good to do 'hypotheticals', you just broke Boy Wonders golden rule.

If my president doesn't care about the enviorenment, why should I?

2006-12-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

CNN:
Drilling might resume in Alaska bay.

I'm counting the days

2006-11-23T09:49:00.000-05:00

I won't be happy until I see Nancy Pelosi rubbing knees with Dick Cheney, sitting behind the biggest embarrasment this country has ever known at the State of the Union Address.

This Year......

2006-11-23T09:39:00.000-05:00

I'm giving Thanks to Juan Cole.

www.juancole.com

John Podhoretz is a Sick Fuck.

2006-11-23T09:02:00.000-05:00

NRO:

Very Petty, But Still Something to Be Thankful For [John Podhoretz]
I can't help but have a joyous feeling in my heart on Thanksgiving days when it rains cats and dogs on the Macy's parade. Why? I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I was taken to the parade as a small child and forced to stand in the cold seven deep unable to see a thing. In any case, when you're in your warm house and you turn it on and see the balloons waving and people shivering, you have to admit you feel a small thrill...

That's just sick.

IMPEACH BUSH

2006-11-22T21:31:00.000-05:00

Then impeach Cheney.

Madam President.

Hey, I'm all for same sex marriages, but.........

2006-11-21T01:42:00.001-05:00

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Should Marijuana be legal in Michigan:

A: YES

B: no

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I dare those ChickenHawk NeoCons to put that on the next ballot.

I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

2006-11-04T22:12:00.000-05:00

Welcome

It's no surprise to me that more and more reports are coming out to suggest that going to church makes people more happy, more prosperous, and more successful in every way. Church improves lives for many reasons, but the main reason is that it brings people together. Healthy, warm, long-term relationships make life work well. Being part of a network of good friends provides us with strength, confidence, and joy. Nothing else short of faith in Jesus gives us such incredible, life-altering blessings as being deeply and positively connected with other people.

Small Groups at New Life Church have helped thousands of people find that strength, confidence, and joy. Over the years, we've heard countless stories about how joining a small group changed lives. Marriages have been rescued. Children have been saved. Businesses have prospered. Year after year, people who connect through small groups experience incredible growth.

I want all New Lifers to be a part of a small group, because I want all New Lifers to experience the blessings that come by connecting with others. Do it today, and get started on the rest of your life.

God bless you,
Ted Haggard
Senior Pastor

Tweety

2006-11-04T05:04:00.000-05:00

It's funny how Chris Matthews suddenly panders to the Dem's now that they're becoming important.

Isn't this the point when people start pulling the trigger........on themselves?

2006-11-03T21:01:00.000-05:00

update: Stage One.

BOOM

2006-11-03T01:39:00.000-05:00

Looks like someone's going to have another Temper Tantram soon.

U.S. Web Archive Is Said to Reveal a Nuclear Guide:

NYT:

Last March, the federal government set up a Web site to make public a vast archive of Iraqi documents captured during the war......
.........
But in recent weeks, the site has posted some documents that weapons experts say are a danger themselves: detailed accounts of Iraq’s secret nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war. The documents, the experts say, constitute a basic guide to building an atom bomb.........
.........
The documents, roughly a dozen in number, contain charts, diagrams, equations and lengthy narratives about bomb building that nuclear experts who have viewed them say go beyond what is available elsewhere on the Internet and in other public forums. For instance, the papers give detailed information on how to build nuclear firing circuits and triggering explosives, as well as the radioactive cores of atom bombs........
.........
European diplomats said this week that some of those nuclear documents on the Web site were identical to the ones presented to the United Nations Security Council in late 2002, as America got ready to invade Iraq. But unlike those on the Web site, the papers given to the Security Council had been extensively edited, to remove sensitive information on unconventional arms.
.........
The campaign for the Web site was led by the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Peter Hoekstra of Michigan........
.........
Some of the first posted documents dealt with Iraq’s program to make germ weapons, followed by a wave of papers on chemical arms.
.........
On Sept. 20, the site posted a much larger document, “Summary of technical achievements of Iraq’s former nuclear program.” It runs to 51 pages, 18 focusing on the development of Iraq’s bomb design. Topics included physical theory, the atomic core and high-explosive experiments.

Domain Names For Sale

2006-11-03T01:36:00.000-05:00

TheFilibuster.com

Plan4Victory.com

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AllThingsLiberal.com

Email me at: newsom101@yahoo.com

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

2006-11-02T03:54:00.000-05:00

Domain Names For Sale

2006-08-10T06:47:00.000-04:00

TheFilibuster.com

Plan4Victory.com

BlameItOnBush.com

Email me at: newsom101@yahoo.com