Fitz!

however hot it is in the Senate hearing room…it is hotter in hell for Rummy.

I’m at work, would appreciate live blogging from the members if possible

Is Feingold on hand? Cuz that would be sweet.

You go to the Senate Armed Services Committee with the words you have, not the words you wish you had

Bit NOLA –

Everyone seems to be stepping up today . . . and Rummy’s not happy.

OH Happy day! It’s long overdue for Rummy to get his feet held to the fire(or grill.)Perfect graphic.Some one down thread said he was speechless.Mr. Doublespeak isn’t quick enough.

EPU’d
“Per everyone’s comments, I just tried to get through to Hillary via her (202) 224-4451 (not the 800 number) number in DC. Now I’m on hold. Finally got through and told them to show Sen. Clinton the very positive comments about her questions of Rumsfeld in the Armed Services Committee on the 7:01 thread at FDL. Very pleasent/intelligent person answering the phone.”

We live in an over militarized world. We are drowning in weapons and blood. We are selling this death to anyone who will buy.

The killing is killing us.

Christy, I SURE hope you weren’t so busy typing or entertaining Fi that you missed Hillary’s fusillade at Rummy just now. His cred took a full burst of nails-&-ball-bearings shrapnel. Left him a-gasp.

twolf1 at 8:45
LMAO

Rummy just said something top the effect of “I dion’t think US forces will be in Iraq at these levels in a decade…”

Have you made the Gopers lament today?

Interestingly enough I heard an interview with Richard Armitage on BBC/NPR last night. Though I did not agree with all he said, he sounded like an adult who had some actual knowledge about the middle east in general and warfare in particular. Seems like he would make a good replacement for Rummy — more so than Joementum (D-Israel).

Folks, I know this is off topic here, but I just got a very odd political poll call (yes, I actually answered the phone which is very unusual) Asking who I supported in the CT primary. I live in New Hampshire. I asked if they knew they’d called New Hampshire, not New Haven, and got hung up on. very odd. (I’d have done *69, but that doesn’t work up here, unless it’s someone local)

darkblack

Effing Lindsey The Weasel Graham is up to kiss Rummy’s ass.

Christy, I SURE hope you weren’t so busy typing or entertaining Fi that you missed Hillary’s fusillade at Rummy just now. His cred took a full burst of nails-&-ball-bearings shrapnel. Left him a-gasp.

MAN, I would LOVE to see hilary GRILLING rumsfeld

we MUST get a video of that, the neo cons will go NUTZO and we’ll make a laughing stock of bush’s wonder boy

lotus — I missed it, because I had to reboot my laptop, and she’s watching Little Mermaid at the moment, so streaming vid from C-Span is my connection. I’m sorry I missed it, and hoping that they will replay it. I’m sure there will be a clip ont he news at some point soon. :)

Bring ‘em home NOW!

They’ve had their elections, let the Iraqis decide the future of their country.

Unfortunately all we’ve done is taken a country where nearly noone hated US and created a country where tens of millions will remember US only for killing their family members and destroying infrastructure that hasn’t been rebuilt.

We seem to be great at destruction and awful at reconstruction. The only people who have benefitted from this fiasco are those warmongering corporations like Cheneyburton, Bechtel, etc. who make millions off war.

There is no hell hot enough for the cabal running ruining our country.

Man, netroots are getting through to the Dems, because of the Lamont race. Like the stock market, the numbers and news are already factored in. Look at the unified way that the Dems are attacking. Win or lose, our message has already gotten through.

GO TEAM!

Christy & me to me, I betcha anything C&L will have it before long — a thing of beauty, I’m testifyin’!

Jewish Voice for Peace
“Opposed to Bombing Civilians? Sign Jewish Call to Action Petition….”

The SILENCE is deafening on the uptake to answer these very, very, very basic questions.

Christy, *ilson,
Any insight into the significance of holding the CT primary open until 8/25, as noted last thread?
Nothing to worry about?

From the Reuters article:

Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, the top U.S. military officer, was asked by a senator if he would have seen the chance of civil war a year ago. He replied, “No sir.”

You’re in charge of running a war in a region known for – hell, famous for – sectarian religious division and tribal/national conflict, and you didn’t see the chance of a civil war?

I’ve got just one question, General: have you submitted your resignation yet?

No? Then let me ask a followup: when and where will your courtmartial be held?

They had Wheaties in the cafeteria… or the generic DC-local brand, Midterms. Sigh.

EPU’d – I know I’ve been extremely harsh on Hillary. But I will be glad to be the first one to admit that I am wrong if she fights to end this debaucle – the lies, the deaths, the complete failure to make life better for Iraqi civilians, the corruption beyond our imaginations, the utter betrayal of the American public and the good people of Iraq……Hell, I would join her staff to make it happen.

Jesus, did Pace just admit he doesn’t understand the Iraqi people? Gaahhhhhh….

lhp, prior thread, really liked your “ruby red slippers” metaphor.

All of the analysis completed by esteemed researchers and academics saw most of this coming! Pace, you have got to be kidding me!!!!!

For me the signature event of the disaster of Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense was his admission that they knew the Vietnam War was lost but he advised Johnson to stay in it anyway. I don’t know how many thousands more Americans died after that, but McNamara can never be forgiven for that.

Rumsfeld is proving himself even worse than McNamara. Rumsfeld does seem deranged. Either he doesn’t understand what a meat grinder Iraq is or he does know, doesn’t care and is intentionally lying and misleading to keep troops there to die. Either way the Iraq Occupation was lost almost from the beginning.

Abizaid just said there will be “equilibrium” in Iraq in five years …

Hillary may have just gotten herself a new ticket to ride.

o/t

for those of you who can’t make it to Connecticut – there’s that other summer camp for rabid, venomous lambs – hope to meet up with some firedogs this week end !

http://www.gsfp.org/article.ph…..mp;type=21

ABIZAID: “corruption is endemic to this part of the world” ??

what about all the corrupt no bid contracts in iraq?

Sorry Gen Peter Pace, your puss is turning puce: “when the Iracky people finally decide to come together … “

this guy needs a Juan Cole IV something BAD!

John Casper @
15

darkblack

seconded

twolf1 @ 5

You go to the Senate Armed Services Committee with the words you have, not the words you wish you had

My first real chuckle of the day…Thanks

Peterr – re Clemons on Hillary: anything that keeps her on the sidelines in 2008 is a good thing, IMO.

medaka, amen.

ABIZAID: “corruption is endemic to this part of the world”
That’s rich.

meta was he talking about the USA?? ; )

Saxby chambliss…isn’t he one of the Sister of Perpetual Indulgence?

OT LieberLiar sends out false flyer about Social Security link

punaise @
36

John Casper @
15

darkblack

seconded

Hear, hear.

Or, in darkblack’s case, I guess that should be see, see.

Rat Bastahd #19

Well said. Bring those troops home- NOW.

Lotus, Hope:

I left a cadidiot-visits-korea update in the previous thread …

Good news: he hasn’t started a war there, yet.

BC

HopeSpringsATurtle @ 42

Saxby chambliss…isn’t he one of the Sister of Perpetual Indulgence?

HA HA HAHH!

Sober comment: why are all the “officials” who get up in front of the mike so fucking stupid? I mean, no, really! It’s like the Neanderthal gene has taken over all branches of the US government. Can any of these people even READ? Okay, I know they can read, but can they FUCKING learn to surf out just WHAT to read? And then use a bit of logic to sift through it?

/frustration rant off. Enough for me tonight, Firepups. Got edos to phodit and cush to but all day tomorrow….

Stay cool in CT, and if any of you are in Hartford over the next couple days, I have something lovely to post, just say when ….

DefJef @
9

We live in an over militarized world. We are drowning in weapons and blood. We are selling this death to anyone who will buy.

The killing is killing us.

Sadly, no truer words were spoken.

puppethead at 30:

20,000 u.s. soldiers died in vietnam between ‘68 and ‘72, after they knew the war plan was a failure.

Since we’re crowing about darkblack, may I also?

The Nefarious Leslie @ 44

punaise @
36

John Casper @
15

darkblack

seconded

Hear, hear.

Or, in darkblack’s case, I guess that should be see, see.

Under the heading of “it’s not my blog” I’d like to extend the welcome mat from the commenting section.

I hope darkblack’s fdl presence is in no way diminished by yesterday’s whatever.

G’morning, Christy and ‘pups!

Hello, mermaid….

Morning FDL.

I missed the beginning of Rummy’s grilling. Is he under oath? Would they normally put someone under oath during this kind of testimony?

Kurt says
August 3rd, 2006 at 9:19 am*

Oh he’s muttering oaths about now,I’d say. Lol.

Listening to Rummy talk about the wonderful Iraqi election made me wonder about CT. Will they be holding their election following the same guidelines? You know, closing all the airports and prohibiting vehicular traffic for a couple of days before next Tuesday?

medaka @
47

HopeSpringsATurtle @ 42

Saxby chambliss…isn’t he one of the Sister of Perpetual Indulgence?

Sham-bleat Sexless?

absolutely o/t

and posted only in the event one of y’all needs a chuckle – otoh, if you go to the message boards on ME, you’ll want to shoot somebody . . .

http://www.raptureready.com/

btw, proud to be a tribulation saint !

Rummy refusing to thread that needle about staying through a civil war. He really is digging himself into a deeper hole by the minute.

medaka @
47

Sober comment: why are all the “officials” who get up in front of the mike so fucking stupid? I mean, no, really! It’s like the Neanderthal gene has taken over all branches of the US government. Can any of these people even READ? Okay, I know they can read, but can they FUCKING learn to surf out just WHAT to read? And then use a bit of logic to sift through it?

No, they can’t read, intelligently or otherwise. Why? Because too many Americans can’t.

To paraphrase George Carlin (I don’t remember the exact quote), “When you have a nation of lazy, ignorant people, you have a government of lazy, ignorant people. This is the best we can do.”

Hotline details the one of Hillary’s questions-

She proceeded to grill him, garnering wall-to-wall coverage on all the cable networks.

Clinton: ““You are presiding over a failed policy. Given your track record, why should we believe your assurnaces now?”

Rumsfeld’s response began: “My goodness.”

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/

I wouldn’t depend on it, Don.

Dont underestimate the effect of Lieberman’s problems in Connecticut. Midterm wheaties is right. Now these guys know that at least some of the electorate is watching, and not buying the spin, and are pissed as hell, and willing to do something about it. Like vote.

Gilliard on Joe’s ‘volunteers’

http://stevegilliard.blogspot……acist.html

apologies if previously posted

yeah, like I’m gonna listen to Sessions blather on

lina @
49

20,000 u.s. soldiers died in vietnam between ‘68 and ‘72, after they knew the war plan was a failure.

Great comment

I wish they would ask them about ISRAEL, APAIC and this story. Looks like the Neo-Cons are pushing for FOUR WARS – Get the CRAZIES out of my Govt!!!

Via Raw Story:
“Columnist Sidney Blumenthal in Salon claims that Israel is receiving intelligence from the US’s National Security Agency.

Blumenthal claims to be in touch with “a national security official with direct knowledge of the operation” to supply Israel with signals intelligence from American assets to help it monitor armament transfers from Syria and Iran to Hezbollah. He states that President Bush has approved the intelligence sharing.

Bush is being influenced by neoconservatives in his administration led by Vice President Dick Cheney’s staff and Elliot Abrams, senior director for the Near East on the National Security Council.

The group, according to Blumenthal, seeks to start a ‘four front war’ by giving Israel the pretext to strike Iran and Syria.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been briefed, but is not a central actor in the plan.”

punaise @ 54

medaka @
47

HopeSpringsATurtle @ 42

Saxby chambliss…isn’t he one of the Sister of Perpetual Indulgence?

Sham-bleat Sexless?

EWEE!! Suddenly the image of Malcolm Mcdowell (was it? I know it wasn’t McLaren) in Lindsay Anderson’s O Lucky Man! comes to mind….if you’ve seen the flick you know: where he is in a hospital bed and tries to strike up a conversation with the patient next to him, who happens to just be a wimpering human head grafted onto a sheep’s body….which realization sends Malcolm out the window and on to even more picaresque loony stuff….

needing SHLEEP here, Dogs….

OfT:
Deal for Claude Allen:
(sorry if this’s been posted already….)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..02056.html

Any comment from Madame Former Prosecutor?

LJ/Aquaria @ 57

medaka @
47

Sober comment: why are all the “officials” who get up in front of the mike so fucking stupid? I mean, no, really! It’s like the Neanderthal gene has taken over all branches of the US government. Can any of these people even READ? Okay, I know they can read, but can they FUCKING learn to surf out just WHAT to read? And then use a bit of logic to sift through it?

No, they can’t read, intelligently or otherwise. Why? Because too many Americans can’t.

To paraphrase George Carlin (I don’t remember the exact quote), “When you have a nation of lazy, ignorant people, you have a government of lazy, ignorant people. This is the best we can do.”

not a good image for falling asleep, LJ/A. Aircon is revved, time for some more melatonin, and maybe a bit of Excedrin PM, “for pain with sleeplessness”, hah! as if there were any other kind….

I tuned in after the Dems had finished questioning and listened to Republican after Republican, asking the stupidest, leading questions. Like, “General, wouldn’t you say that if we set a date for withdrawal that it would just inflame the situation?”.

If these id-jits are elected time-after-time by the American people, I might just give up.

By the way, does anyone have a link to the Dems’ questions to Rumsfeld, Pace, etc?

TIA

cbl @9:30 -

Whenever I see Sessions, I think, “That boy has lost his banjo.”

Jesus’ General

“Yellow Elephants for Joe”
“Canvassing for Joe”
Warning, this is 100 proof political satire. Jesus’ General has been a guest poster at FDL twice.

Cbl – thanks for posting the Gillard comments on Joe’s favorite College Republicans. And to me at least (being the total NON -expert), Joe needs to explain his use of these very College republicans to help him.

Rummy on budgets . . .

The fact that the DOD refuses to include Iraq expenditures in their ordinary budget speaks volumes about the lack of planning and/or the desire to avoid being held accountable. “Just pass this special bill, or everyone will think you hate the soldiers.”

Folks, we paid for WWII through the regular appropriations bills. Of course, we also had Harry Truman to hold profiteers accountable then, too.

I don’t suppose anyone’s asked Rummy about a new Truman Commission . . .

wheaties, French wheaties, are sure to give the menopausal aged white male a stiffie

not that I’m that age yet, and yes, white senatorial guys get menopausal too but it’s usually called creeping conservatism

I think the grief that Lieberman is getting about his Iraqi War is putting some spine into Hillary today …

Rumsfield “My goodness.”

No Don, your goodness has nothing to do with it.

*ilson46201 @ 71

I think the grief that Lieberman is getting about his Iraqi War is putting some spine into Hillary today …

And it’s also possible that at least some senators are just as sick of being lied to as we are. Especially senators who’ve been getting private classified briefings that don’t square with reality.

(Not that I’m privy to classified briefings, but I can’t imagine they’re saying much that is different in private from what they say in public. They just get to be more specific, and can use those neato charts and photos and gizmos and stuff.)

by chance did that puke Sessions (L School deferrment for Vietnam) mention that up until March of this year, Alabama had lost more of it’s Guardsman/Reservists in Iraq than any other state ???

yeah, I thought so

Wow, I gotta say, RGJoe’s “below-this-I-shall-not-sink” depths continue to appall.

How could any Democrat, let alone one six years ago granted the privilege and honor of being a national standard-bearer with the great Al Gore, hire College Republicans? CR and YR are under-rock-dwellers. There is a direct line from their criminal enterprise and the BushCo criminal enterprise, in fact they are one and the same.

I am stunned at RGJoe’s mendacity. There is little in this tired world of ours that prompts me to this level of outrage. Here we are, on this little blog, organizing to get folks to Connecticut for Ned, housed and fed and working this weekend, and RGJoe hires CRs to do his bidding, as DRIVER/SUPERVISORS.

That’s it — I’ll be back shortly, gotta detour to

http://www.actblue.com/page/blueamerica

==================
Had Enough, Connecticut?
==================

OT

Jane and Firedoglake were mentioned repeatedly on Air America Phoenix this morning, The Mike Newcomb show was covering the new poll on Lamont and Leaverman.

John Casper @ 15

darkblack

huh?

HopeSpringsATurtle @ 42

Saxby chambliss…isn’t he one of the Sister of Perpetual Indulgence?

The man who “approved this message” when Rove did his Cleland-morph>>Saddam campaign. A blight on the Senate with whom no honorable human being would have an contact. Ostracization needs to be brought back. Dammit.

Jim @ 78

John Casper @ 15

darkblack

huh?

darkblack is an FDL “artist in residence” whose hilarious creations generally keep us in stitches. It was his dark-face piece that was the basis for the HuffPo brou-haha yesterday, so one assumes he’s off licking his wounds. The shout-out is just moral support from viewers who are appreciative of his oeuvre.

Love the comments, & the graphic, about rummy’s big day.

Gotta miss the live stuff, & even missed a lot of the run-up ’cause of heat-related garden chores, but can’t wait to see C-Span replay, blow by blow.

YEEHAW! Saw it comin’ yesterday, ’cause so did rummy. I happened to blunder into a press-ta-doodle w/ rummy, Pace & press corpse Wed. aft. NEVER seen rummy like that before. Very soft voice, no edge, no wise-cracking, no twinkly-eyed sparring, not even whining.

He. Looked. So. Just. Plain. Tired. -Spent. -Whipped…

Then I heard about the hearings – AH HAH!

Someone’s yanked out the supports from beneath his sorry feet, & he’s twisting, twisting, allbyhissownself. FINALLY! *sniffle*

Jim @ 79

HopeSpringsATurtle @ 42

Saxby chambliss…isn’t he one of the Sister of Perpetual Indulgence?

The man who “approved this message” when Rove did his Cleland-morph>>Saddam campaign. A blight on the Senate with whom no honorable human being would have an contact. Ostracization needs to be brought back. Dammit.

I was working in Georgia when Saxby Chambliss took office. It was around the time that song “Sex and Candy” was popular on the raddio. He ruined it for me. Ever since then, the chorus of that song (as it plays in my head) is “I smell Saxby Cham-bliss here …”

I’d like two stakes please, medium oak, with malletts on the side.

Tom Delay hearts Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman finally got the endorsement he’s been seeking for a long time. On Hannity & Colmes tonight, Tom Delay finally threw his hat into the hotly contested CT race and announced his support for Joe Lieberman over Ned Lamont. I’m sure the Democratic voters of CT will be totally swayed by his late entry into the campaign and some are saying–privately–that it’s the turning point in the race.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/

I feel better now, having added a mite to Ned’s ActBlueAmerica coffers. For those of you who aren’t going to Connecticut, it’s one way to show Ned love.

I really admire those of you watching Rumster spin. I can’t do it, any more than I can read Malkin. It sounds like HillDog is spinning for the cameras, eh? “Watch my shiny anger over here, not my changed position.”

Which hasn’t changed — right? HillDog’s still enabling this BushCo war, ain’t she?

Jim,
There’s a lot of pluralism wrt interpretation of the symbol used.
No one at FDL, least of all darkblack, intended anything even remotely approaching the white supremacy interpretations that Lieberman made in order to depict himself as the victim.
The decision to pull the photo was 100% correct.
IMO it was too layered and nuanced for distribution in this context.
Once an artist creates something, it ceases to be the sole property of the artist. Other people can interpret it in whatever way they want.
IMO, darkblack is a tremendous asset to FDL and I hope s/he continues to choose to display their art here.

astralplame @ 82

“like disco lemonade”

Annnnnd …. we’re BACK! Or at least I am. Was the denial-of-service only on my machine? That was no fun.

Gallup: 55% Now Back U.S. Pullout from Iraq Within a Year

NEW YORK A new Gallup poll released today revealed another upward bump in the number of Amercians who now want a complete U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq in the next 12 months.

That number now stands at 55%, with 19% supporting immediate withdrawal and another 36% wanting it done by August 2007.

http://www.editorandpublisher……1002950052

the Universe hiccups and burps now and then … no big deal

John Casper at 85:

IMO, darkblack is a tremendous asset to FDL and I hope s/he continues to choose to display their art here.

Abso-fucking-lutely. Also, Mr. Casper, nice pronounage!

Did all y’all miss darkblack’s HuffPo comment at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..2#comments

lotus @ 87

Annnnnd …. we’re BACK! Or at least I am. Was the denial-of-service only on my machine? That was no fun.

No lotus… I wuz freakin’ out too!

:(

Thanks Coz.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001258.php

Following in the footsteps of nader another unethical Green used by the rethugs

Re Iraq: The Al-Askariya “Golden Mosque” in Samarra was bombed on Febrary 22, 2006. If you needed a date for when the civil war began in earnest, that date is as good as any. 5 months later, the generals are still behind the curve and that does not bode well for a change in the morass that is the US policy and strategy in Iraq. They are still in denial that the civil war isn’t on the way but is already here.

Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, “Iraq could move toward civil war.”

and

“Am I optimistic whether or not Iraqi forces, with our support, with the backing of the Iraqi government, can prevent the slide to civil war? My answer is yes, I’m optimistic that that slide can be prevented,” he said.

While Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “We do have the possibility of that devolving into civil war.”

And in a Kumbaya moment:

“Shiite and Sunni are going to have to love their children more than they hate each other,” Pace said

http://www.usatoday.com/news/w…..htm?csp=24

If these guys were any further behind the times they would still be debating the relative merits of the horse vs the tank.

We’re all neo-cons now.

-Chris Matthews

punaise @ 86

“like disco superfly“

GSD @ 95

We’re all neo-cons now.

-Chris Matthews

Ich bein ein NeoCon?
no thanks

lotus @ 88

Annnnnd …. we’re BACK! Or at least I am. Was the denial-of-service only on my machine? That was no fun.

And how come lotus and I were the only ones to show up at the designated emergency comment location? Please bookmart it, firedoglake-aholics.

o/t but a great article in teh NY Times about ned. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08…..wanted=all
he really is the real thing.

We’re all jelly donuts now.

-JFK

are we back?

astralplame @ 96

punaise @ 86

“like disco superfly“

“so you want to be a junky
remember: Freddy’s dead”

you go to the tangled tubes of the internets with the servers you have, not the servers you wish you had

Beautifully said, John @ 10:08.

darkblack’s art has encouraged me on many a grim day; long may s/he create it.

What can possibly go wrong with this?

(Snip)

Shias from southern and central Iraq have begun travelling to Baghdad in answer to Muqtada al-Sadr’s call for a “million man march” in support of Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Waving Iraqi flags and chanting “Death to America! Death to Israel”, the demonstrators mounted convoys of buses and headed for the capital on Thursday, some of them wearing white shrouds symbolising their readiness to accept martyrdom.

http://english.aljazeera.net/N…..96194B.htm

-GSD

Jane

Sure hope you’re not beatin’ up on yourself, girl.

Hindsight is so grand for all the malkinnikans of this world, who pale beside your abundance of brainpower, courage, spirit, initiative, & good heart.

Go forth with head held high.

I took your darkblack graphic as a sharp reminder of GoJo’s hired “supporters” spreading racist, lying flyers slandering Ned.

Ned seems to be handling any “fallout” just fine. And I think most people will do likewise.

I’ll have my Rummy well done please.

op99 @ 97

lotus @ 88

Annnnnd …. we’re BACK! Or at least I am. Was the denial-of-service only on my machine? That was no fun.

And how come lotus and I were the only ones to show up at the designated emergency comment location? Please bookmart it, firedoglake-aholics.

I’ve been in and out around here, what with C-SPAN and overseeing/helping The Kid with a new Brio train layout (”Daddy, I want it to go under the bed and around the toybox, not under the toybox and around the bed . . .”), but I didn’t notice a glitch in service.

Jane’s so busy feeding pumpkin bread to Kobe that she overlooks throwing Purina Hamster Chow to the poor little critters that power the wheels of FireDogLake…

Millineryman – do you want cheese on your rummy? hope so because it’s already covered with it.

Look at this crap Rummy et al are spouting. To translate:”fear, fear, 911, 911, Islamofascists bad, westerners great, stupid ragheads, America is all that counts, etc, etc. And that great blast from the past: we gotta fight ‘em over there so we don’t have to fight ‘em over here . . . and other great hits.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08…..r=homepage

pond bookmarked.

great idea, and not just for kewl kidz anymore!

punaise @ 102

astralplame @ 96

“so you want to be a junky
remember: Freddy’s dead”

“I blame society – society made me what I am“

Nice trex.

All I got to see were Nelson and Chambliss, not exactly the grillings I understand went before. Any transcripts up yet with Hillary, McCain’s questions, etc.?

OP99, at the designated alternate site they wouldn’t let me post…and when I tried to get an account, they still wouldn’t. What do they have against whirlpools?

Thanks TSF, Dale.

Hezbollah?

Let me get this straight. Hezbollah, composed of Lebanese, was formed in 1982 to resist the invasion and occupation by Israel of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is now fighting off another attack by the same foreign country. And Hezbollah are the bad guys? And the French Resistance were the bad guys for fighting the German invasion of France during WWII? And the Palestinians have no right to a homeland, and they are bad guys also? And Cindy Sheehan is a bad guy too for voicing the truth about the Iraq Bush War? And Lieberman is a good guy and Lamont isn’t because of their opposite views on Iraq?

Now how weird is that, Bong and op99 — busted our chops but nobody else’s? Waaah. And I even hit the FDL tip-jar yestiddy.

Cozumel

That number now stands at 55%, with 19% supporting immediate withdrawal and another 36% wanting it done by August 2007.

What I found interesting about that is the Kerry Amendment 4442 pretty much proposed this. It came up for a vote on June 22, 2006 and mandated a withdrawal of almost all US forces within a year or by July 2007. Since we are in August, August 2007 would be much the same, a year. The Kerry Amendment lost with 13 Yeas 86 Nays and 1 Not Voting. These were the Yeas

Akaka (D-HI)
Boxer (D-CA)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Wyden (D-OR)

Re my previous comment, it’s not just the generals who are behind the curve but most of the Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike.

rat at 10:29

That’s what C-Span is for. At least I’m countin’ on ‘em. ;->

Guess I wasn’t the only one having trouble getting in…glad things are working again.

I think Rumsfeld hates Hillary with every fiber of his being. I caught a snippet yesterday when he repsonded to questions about why he wasn’t going to attend this hearing, and he muttered something about how some wanted to have the hearing for political reasons – and it seemed to me that he was talking about Hillary.

That’s what made her steely-eyed confrontation with him today extra-delicious *g*

On June 4 Howard Dean was on a New York Times Magazine forum with Matt Bai. It was the first Sunday With The Magazine. They finally have the audio on this appearance up. It is a very good interview–well worth listening.

Click here for a partial transcript and a link to the audio of the interview.

lotus

how u doin’ girl? that storm gonna leave u alone?

Makes me feel better to hear signs that you do keep a watchful eye. We’re thinking of you. ;->

(((peace)))

That Hill is obviously still in full possession of her trial chops. (I said something close to this before, just as my FDL crashed, so I don’t think it got through to yez.)

Yes, thanks, Adie. Last I heard, T.S. Chris was falling apart nicely.

Anne 10:35

you BET he hates Hil. I’m sure she knows, & gets a big kick out of it. As do I.
evil evil man… put another coal on that fire for me ;->

as much fun as it is to see so many of you over at the ‘pond’ site – I am again getting the anxiety I felt when I first put it up – (leopold weekend 06)

if I can find the page scribbled with the passwords, I will place a very large, visible disclaimer that in no way is it affiliated with this site – like many, this site is all but sacred to me personally, and the idea of doing/saying anything that could hurt this place or offend the Goddesses would crush me

now where in the hell did I . . .

lotus

thanks! that’s what I wanted to hear!

now gotta dash out under a passing cloud & tie up peppers before t’storms hit & flatten-em this aft.

back later…

Meanwhile, Yahoo news runs AP shorty:

Generals raise fears of Iraq civil war
The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East told Congress on Thursday that ” Iraq could move toward civil war” if the raging sectarian violence in Baghdad is not stopped. “I believe that the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I have seen it,” Gen. John Abizaid, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Oh they “could”, could they? Paying attention, obviously.

WaPoO’s National Security Correspondent and Pulitzer Prize winner Dana Priest is just back from Capitol Hill (the Rummy Show) and chatzing now at http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01192.html

Re Lebanon, at least 46 Hezbollah guerillas and 38 Israeli soldiers have been killed. In the meantime, some 477 Lebanese and 26 Israeli civilians have been also died. All the talk that Israel is being careful and “surgical” in its strikes and that it is Hezbollah that is targeting civilians is so much propaganda. The numbers don’t lie.

Copies of the opening statements of Rummy, Peter Pace, and John Abizaid should be available here.

According the the note at the top of the page, “All witnesses are asked to provide electronic copies of their opening statements. Some witnesses’ statements are missing because electronic copies of their remarks have not been provided to the Committee.”

If you try the links, you will note that none of these three complied with the committee’s request. Why am I not surprised?

Does C&L have that exchange up yet?

CSPAN’s camera stayed on Hillary as she finished speaking, still spearing him with her eyes. What I’d have given for a split-screen to see his face too. He really did take a long pause before that “My. Goodness.” (and another before he could say more).

Lovely moment.

Like the former ever-changing color of the terror alert level, the withdrawal of troops from Iraq depends mostly on Republican poll numbers and little on conditions on the ground.

GREAT diary up at Kos about a chance encounter with Lieberman at a local library.

http://cos.dailykos.com/storyo…..34316/9203

I couldn’t despise these rat-bastards more…(No offense meant rat bastahd)

twolf1 – Stewart is going to pick that up, I just know it.

The civil war in Iraq started the day the United States under Bush, invaded Iraq in it’s war of choice. I was a lot more comfortable about the Middle East when Saddam was in control. He was able to keep potential warring sects from self-immolation, there was clean water, electricity, food and air conditioning, etc. These Generals warning of the possibility of civil war in Iraq. Good God, who do these guys think we are?

Liars. Bald-face liars, and incredibly stupid ones to boot. There just doesn’t seem to be an end to their capacity for lying and stupidity, and we let these people have the keys to the most powerful weapons on earth.

… “It is getting worse,” agreed an Army staff officer who
served in Iraq and stays in touch with comrades in Baghdad
through e-mail. “It just seems there is a lot of pessimism
flowing out of theater now. There are things going on that
are unbelievable to me. They have infiltrators conducting
attacks in the Green Zone. That was not the case a year
ago.”
This weekend, in a rare departure from the positive talking
points used by administration spokesmen, Secretary of State
Colin L. Powell acknowledged that the insurgency is
strengthening and that anti-Americanism in the Middle East is
increasing. “Yes, it’s getting worse,” he said of the
insurgency on ABC’s “This Week.” At the same time, the U.S.
commander for the Middle East, Gen. John P. Abizaid, told
NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “we will fight our way through
the elections.” Abizaid said he believes Iraq is still
winnable once a new political order and the Iraqi security
force is in place.
Powell’s admission and Abizaid’s sobering warning came days
after the public disclosure of a National Intelligence
Council (NIC) assessment, completed in July, that gave a
dramatically different outlook than the administration’s and
represented a consensus at the CIA and the State and Defense
departments.
In the best-case scenario, the NIC said, Iraq could be
expected to achieve a “tenuous stability” over the next 18
months. In the worst case, it could dissolve into civil war.
The July assessment was similar to one produced before the
war and another in late 2003 that also were more pessimistic
in tone than the administration’s portrayal of the resistance
to the U.S. occupation, according to senior administration
officials. “All say they expect things to get worse,” one
former official said.
One official involved in evaluating the July document said
the NIC, which advises the director of central intelligence,
decided not to include a more rosy scenario “because it
looked so unreal.”

Emphasis mine. Excerpted from Congressional Record: September 29, 2004 (Senate), Page S9873-S9916, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE REFORM ACT OF 2004, Testimony by Senator Harkin, Exhibit 1 Exhibit 1 [From the Washington Post, Sept. 29, 2004] Growing Pessimism on Iraq (By Dana Priest and Thomas E. Ricks).

Let’s see.

Four NATO troops killed in Afghanistan.

Iraq in the throes of civil war.

Iranian leader stymies world on missile efforts.

Olmert claims Hezbollah capacities destroyed and Israel suffers highest and deadliest barrages of missiles to date.

North Korea fires on South Korea, tests missiles repeatedly.

Boy, things have really calmed down in the world since the Bush folks have taken over. They know how to ratchet tensions down.

-GSD

MSNBC looks like it has the video up of Hillary and Rumsfeld. I would provide the direct link, but viewing it requires some sort of video software I don’t have apparently…

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

OT re the “pond” site — could not post there. It wanted to set up a blogger account and then said that GrandmaJ already existed. Well, duh. Its me. So never got to comment there. Is ther a special trick that I need to know?

Curious that’s all. And a password yet? Well I suppose it is “rabid lambs” or such. But I was just lost and left.

Tony the the lap doggie Blair is on now on CNN. Time to get angry again. This man is a war criminal.

GrandmaJ, re: the pond site -
If you want to leave a comment, click on the “other” button when it asks for your info. It will let you leave a comment without all that other rigamarole.

Still no ability to post from home, but today Talent proved everything I ever said about yellow ties.

Saw only the very end of Hilary – I’m going to go find the vid.

Also – anyone with suggestions on getting my laptop posts to go through, let me know.

PS – did anyone do a blink count? So many basic questions with loooooooonng pauses and hundreds of blinks before even starting an answer.

*s*

Lamont’s Single Issue Voters
by emptywheel
“The Q-Poll shows that 44% of Lamont’s supporters support him mainly because of Lieberman’s stance on the Iraq war. And Markos anticipates a bunch of pundits frowning on the large number of “Single Issue” voters.

For a pundit to suggest the Iraq war is a “Single Issue” simply betrays their ignorance of the impact that war has and will continue to have on this country and the rest of the world
some are opposed to the war because they’re opposed to 2,500 Americans dead, 18,000 Americans wounded, perhaps 100,000 Iraqis dead, untold wounded. Some oppose the war simply because it uses violence to solve problems that should be solved using other means.

Some are opposed to the war because it has ruined our military. Two-thirds of our active army and three-quarters of our National Guard face readiness problems because it needs to replace equipment used in Iraq. Extended deployments and lowered recruiting standards are having bad effects on the military, their families, and our mission. The Iraq war–sold as a way to make our country safer–has only exposed it defensively……”

Old Sow @ 118

OP99, at the designated alternate site they wouldn’t let me post…and when I tried to get an account, they still wouldn’t. What do they have against whirlpools?

You just have to change your “identity” to “other.”

I feel totally OK about trolls saying “I love it when Democrats eat their own” – all’s fair, really. I love it right back when Republicans eat their own. But when the right, and even the ostensibly non-partisan media, chides and tssks opposition to [Sen. Lieberman, Bush, all of them] as fond and foolish, condescending with this attitude of “oh little one, having a tantrum, are we?” it really makes me want to hit them with my shoe. Actually, my boot. One of the steel-toed ones.

None so blind as them who will not see.

wxyz — that IS a great diary, and if you go back to the end of our last thread, you’ll see that djomin tried to post it here first, couldn’t get in, so put it on DKos instead.

Welcome and Bravo, djomin!

twolf1 @ 110

Millineryman – do you want cheese on your rummy? hope so because it’s already covered with it.

Indded, I’d say he’s full of it already.

GSD, wasn’t it Bush that described himself as a “uniterer and not a dividerer”? He’s certainly uniterered the rest of the world alright.

Perhaps it’s the heat, but man, today I’m more pissed than usual at this administration.

Just saw on MSNBC that they’re now referring to Ned as “Millionaire Mogul.” Who writes their crawl lines? Or Norah O’Donnell’s scripts? Karl Rove? Talk about right out of the Rethuglican playbook.

They deserve to get an e-earful. feedback@msnbc.com

Hmmm, let’s see, earnest entrepreneur; valued volunteer teacher; friendly family man; accessible activist…. The real nice guy in the race.

If MSNBC wants the mantle of news network, it’s time to knock off the stenography and do some real reporting.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I see our mission as a tough love campaign for Dems and the media. We expect much better of them and we’re going to be watching…and participating. Small stones….

Hartford Courant has a great take on Colbert’s repeated invites to RGJoe to appear:

http://www.courant.com/news/po…..s-breaking

via Lord Kos. Who, apparently decided to make up for his recent non-mention of the ‘lake and our lass Christy, in today’s Kommunication regarding RGLoe’s “questioning” of the war.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..15633/8316

Mary, I have read your laptop connectivity comments with concern for the rest of us. I’m glad you can at least read us. The fact we’re deprived of your comments is a serious concern to me.
Going into the vote less than five days away resources are obviously stretched way beyond normal, but please keep us informed.
If you’ve got something you want commented, email it to me at
johncasper at hotmail dot com and I’ll comment it as soon as I can.

Wanna see the perfect pic and headline to override yesterday’s turmoil? Here:

http://www.courant.com

Mary#146 – Blink count – good thought! Also, did he lean forward or rest his elbows on the table/podium? When one is about to pitch a lie, they’ll often lean forward in some way. Nose scratching is another sign – some theory about blood rushing to the nose when one lies.
Or has RummDumm become totally immune to the physical affectations of the lie?

TeddySanFran @ 133

WaPoO’s National Security Correspondent and Pulitzer Prize winner Dana Priest is just back from Capitol Hill (the Rummy Show) and chatzing now at http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01192.html

This you, Teddy?

San Francisco, Calif.: Good day, Ms Priest, and thank you for chatting with us today. Could you tell us why the Pentagon hasn’t been able to ramp up restoration of parts/materiel/readiness in the wake of the Iraqi occupation? Was there no Plan B — an alternative to “greeted as liberators” — throughout the entire building? We’d have replenished our supplies by now, after a six-month shock-and-awe liberation, but I wonder if everyone in the Pentagon fell under that spell.

Dana Priest: To some extent, they did. But also, since the war keeps escalating, and the Army keeps growing and wearing out its equipment, it’s a matter of keeping up, and keeping up as Gen. Pace said at today’s hearing, without adequate funds to restore all the worn out equipment. So that creates a big lag.

Prairie Sunshine @ 152

Just saw on MSNBC that they’re now referring to Ned as “Millionaire Mogul.” Who writes their crawl lines? Or Norah O’Donnell’s scripts? Karl Rove? Talk about right out of the Rethuglican playbook.

That is disgusting. I like Citizen Candidate Ned Lamont or Entrepenuer Ned Lamont.

They need to have it pointed out that J-Lie is a millionaire, too.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

new thread: “Packing is such sweet sorrow”

How come nobody here is calling for an immediate cease-fire between Sunnis and Shiites?

When Rumsfeld speaks, he always sounds as though he is restraining himself from adding “you idiots.” He has a big thought bubble lazily floating over his head that says “maybe they’ll buy this load of crap and get off my back already”

Mary, same offer as John Casper’s, only my email is lotuslander@cfl.rr.com. (Don’t worry, folks, I’ve posted it here that way before w/o suffering spam barrages … as far as I know [got major spam filters].)

Reading the Reuters link above about how Rummy said that if we leave Iraq the terrorists will take over from Spain to the Phillipines gave me a flashback to the Domino Theory of Viet-Nam!

Thanks John & Lotus.

It is weird – but work computer is fine.

The weirdest part is how when I re-try, it always tell me that it is a duplicate message.

If anything seems “can’t wait” from home, I may take you up on the email offer. Thanks again.

Hey op99 — all the EssEffs are mine in the Priest chat.

Even the comeback after she signs off — when she takes my snarkalicious request for an apology and threat to report her to Miss Debbie!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01192.html

Hate to ask again, but I’d really like to see a video of Hillary vs Rumsfeld. Anyone have a link or an idea. They don’t have it at C&L.

TIA

raw story has some of the video

here’s the transcript

CLINTON: Mr. Secretary, we’re glad you are here. In your opening statements, you reference the commonsense of Americans. I think it’s fair to say that collective common sense, overwhelmingly, either does not understand or approve of the way you and the administration are handling Iraq and Afghanistan. Under your leadership, there have been numerous errors in judgement that have lead us to where we are in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have a full-fledged insurgency and full blown sectarian conflict in Iraq. Now, whether you label it a civil war or not, it certainly has created a situation of extreme violence and the continuing loss among our troops and of the Iraqis. You did not go into Iraq with enough troops to establish law and order. You disbanded the entire Iraqi army. Now, we’re trying to recreate it. You did not do enough planning for what it is called “phase four” and you rejected all the planning that had been done previously to maintain stability are the regime was overthrown. You underestimated the nature and strength of the insurgency, the sectarian violence, and the spread of Iranian influence.

Last year, Congress passed “The United States Policy in Iraq Act” which I strongly supported. This law declares 2006 to be a year of significant transition into full Iraqi sovereignty with Iraqi security forces taking the lead for the security of a free and sovereign Iraq. Thereby creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq. However, we appear to be moving in the opposite direction. With the number of U.S. troops in Iraq scheduled to increase, not decrease. That’s the only way I think you can fairly consider the decision with respect to the 172nd striker brigade.

So, Mr. Secretary, as we return to our states for the August recess, our constituents have a lot of questions and concerns about the current state of affairs in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I don’t need to remind any of us that we continue to lose our young men and women. 120 from New York, alone. Besides the U.S. losses, violence does seem to be increasing. From January to June of this year, there were 14,338 Iraqi civilian casualties. At least, as far as anyone can count. In May and June alone, there were more than 5000 deaths and more than 5700 injuries. In a July 22 article in the New York Times, General Abazaid was quoted as saying, “Two months after the new Iraqi government took office, the security gains that we had hoped for had not been achieved.” Then there was the big ballyhooed announcement of “forward together” and the commitment by the new Iraqi government to secure Baghdad. Two months into that, it is clear that it’s not working and we are now putting in more American troops and following the lead of Senator McCain’s line of questioning, we’re moving [the troops] from other places that are hardly stable and secure.

In Afghanistan, your administration’s credibility is also suspect. In December, 2002, you said the Taliban had gone. In September of 2004, President Bush said, “The Taliban is no longer in existance.” However, this February, DIA director, Lt. Gen. Maples said that in 2005, attacks by the Taliban and other anti-coalition forces were up 20% from 2004 levels and these insurgents were a greater threat to the Afghan government’s efforts to expand its authority than at any time since 2001. Further, Gen. Ikenberry[sic] made a comparable comment with respect to the dangers that are now going on in Afghanistan and the failure to be able to secure it.

Obviously, I could go on and on. The recent book, aptly titled, “Fiasco”, describes in some detail the decision making apparatus that has lead us to this situation. So, Mr. Secretary, when our constituents ask for evidence that your policy in Iraq and Afghanistan will be successful, you don’t leave us with much to talk about. Yes, we hear a lot of happy talk and rosy scenarios but because of the administration’s strategic blunders and, frankly, the record of incompetence in executing, you are presiding over a failed policy. Given your track record, Secretary Rumsfeld, why should we believe your assurances now?

This is my letter to MSNBC:

To Whom It May Concern.

Norah O’Donnell is entitled to her right-slanted opinion though I did think the ‘news’ was supposed to report the events of the day, not editorialize them. Regardless of what kind of politics you play there at MSNBC, the crawl is starting to look like Fox News. Is that your point? Are you pandering extra-hard to the lemming morons that watch it?

You called Ned Lamont, on your crawl, a “Millionaire Mogul”. Can you people read? Do you just get republican talking points on tape and voice them on air? I have relied on your network for my news because I felt that you used to portray things in a balanced manner, but no more. Your slow but steady drift to the right and repetition of opinion or short-shrifted information as fact is despicable. You disgust me with your lazy refusal to do any of the difficult investigative work of reportage by regurgitating over-repeated talking points you’ve heard somewhere else. I must admit though that you are simply playing the same game other major media outlets play. But to your detriment.

Ned Lamont is much more than a successful businessman. He has captured the attention of not only the Citizens of Connecticut, but the Country. He has done so with his unflagging spirit, integrity and forthright attiude about the taking back of Our Country from the right-wing minority run by corporate interests.

You should be ashamed of yourselves and I feel certain there is a special place in hell for those of you that quietly coax along flash over substance and profits over truth.

Sincerely,

that’s TOO sweet, sounds as eloquent as kennedy.

I want to see her entire session with rummy

phoebes:

somebody said they saw part of the exchange on msnbc…

hth
:-)

is everything in italics for everyone else?

Hopie – reload your browser – it should be fine!

Oh – and Hope? Great letter :)

You know what? I’ve had it with this bullshit. Everyone gets so excited when they see Hillary, Specter, etc. “go after” BushCo, but at the end of the day, what happens?

NADA

NOTHING

I want to see a Dem (or even a Rep) Senator stand up and shout “YOU LYING SON OF A BITCH!!” I want to see someone – ANYONE – have the courage to toss Rumsfeld, Alito, and any other smirking, smug little fascist Bush sends to the Hill to do his bidding, right out of the hearing on his ass. How much longer are we going to put up with this dog and pony show?

Why didn’t Rumsfeld hit back with “But, you voted for this policy Senator. Are you against it now that it’s going badly?”

This might at least force a few Senate Dems to clarify their positions on the war in public.

Are they for it?
Are they for it, but don’t like it’s implementation?
Are they against it?

What are they except lyin’ lawyer corporate-fed politicians?

If the Democratic party doesn’t hash out this issue then we’re gonna lose in ‘08 – PERIOD. It’ll be the same divisive situation we had with Kerry (for) v. Dean (against).

Of course, fixing the electronic voting system is primary. Without that it won’t matter where anybody stands…the Repubs will stand over us all.

Geez, why did the Bushites bring all this nonsense on us? I mean, if they’d just kept funding moderate-talkin’ Repubs the old-fashioned way they’d win some seats here and there. What exactly did they get from this particular Dubya administration they couldn’t have gotten any other way? Was it a multi-trillion dollar theft perhaps? Heh.
Was it the hope of perpetual political power without accountability? Perhaps.
Oh, I know, it was so W could get some revenge on Saddam for trying to take out Poppy.

BTW, why *is* George H W Bush nicknamed “Poppy”? Could it have something to do with running opium through the CIA? Just wonderin’.

Uh oh, gotta run. I see the snark patrol coming.

phoebes at 167

Really late catching up with you, & EPU’d to boot
(power outage this afternoon/eve)

You should be able to find that footage you want at C-Span, amidst film of the whole committee hearing today.

Re: Hugh at 94:

On ABCNews last night, as on all the major channels, they showed the Peter Pace “Peace will come when the Iraqis start to love their children more than they hate each other” quote. Then on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, they showed it again, then cut to Stewart giving one of those faces like he just swallowed a lemon, as if to say, “A general made that up?” This morning, while reading Tom Friedman’s “From Beirut to Jerusalem” (published in 1989, p. 230 of the paperback edition), I came across a passage about the civil war in Lebanon in February 1984, when an American psychologist, asked when there will be peace in Lebanon, was quoted as saying, “When the Lebanese start to love their children more than they hate each other.”

Well, at least Pace is trying to read up on the people he’s shooting at … I guess that’s a good thing.