Good morning. Just a quick recap on a 24-hour story that tells us a lot about this Administration. Things will be moving fast this morning, so pour some coffee and join us upstairs on the next threat thread in a few minutes.
General David Petraeus is reported to be one of the finest Generals we have, and I have no reason to doubt that, even if he does seem to have a glass is always half full view. But when senior officers become associated with the Bush/Cheney regime, they take a risk that every one of the top generals has now experienced. Yesterday, the White House allowed Petraeus’ credibility to dangle for hours as they played politics with it, refusing at first to allow him to author the “report” both he and the White House had promised as an unbiased view from those on the ground in Iraq, then negotiating with Democrats on whether he would be allowed to testify to Congress in public.
By day’s end, even the White House realized they were destroying the reputation of the last remaining defender with any aura of independence and integrity. A White House spokesman was trotted out to declare that of course General Petraeus would give the Congress his unvarnished views, and of course he would appear in open public sessions, and of course he would answer all questions with candor and independence. Why would anyone ever think otherwise? Update: maybe because of this? [h/t Me3]
The White House is going to have a lot of job openings, and even a regime that doesn’t believe in governing is going to need recruits for another year or so. But it would probably help the recruiting effort if the White House would take down the huge sign on the White House lawn that says,
Apply Inside — Leave Your Reputations and Credibility at the Door
Loyalty Oaths Required [h/t ruffian].
Photo by Viviloob, on flickr
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Maybe we could have an empty White House until election time? It would be safer for our country, no?
Good morning, Scarecrow! Gulping coffee. ;-)
Here are some clips well worth viewing to get a glimpse at what is wrong with the DOD, MIC and the country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIjfOcGW2Yg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rRqeJcuK-A
Remember who carries out this madness.
Good Morning Scarecrow,
How much bad news do you think we’re going to get today considering that it’s a hot August Friday? I’m thinking that they are going to let slip as much as they can.
Caw, caw! Good morning Scarecrow.
I just heard on NPR that we can expect to hear about significant progress in the report. I guess if you look at the whole endeavor as a demolition mission we have made progress. The questions
I would like to have asked at the hearings are:
1) Progress towards what goal?
2) Why is that the right goal?
3) How do the changes describe constitute progress to that goal?
4) Over the last four years nothing of substance stated by this administration about the war has been true. Why should any of the current comments be given any further credibility?
you forgot the ps on the sign: loyalty oaths required
OT, but…
No health insurance, no problem:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/…..index.html
It doesn’t get much sadder than this.
Scarecrow, Mooorning. Just to let some one know American Family Assoc. is starting a drive to write, call about the hate crime bill. We need to do the same.
KayInMaine @ 1
Now there’s a thought.
good morning everyone. See you upstairs.
lisadawn82 @ 3
It’s not even time to throw out the Friday trash.
egregious @ 4
Good morning, Ms. Egregious.
darclay @ 8
We could use a little more information — I’ve not kept up with this — and bring it to the next thread, if you can, please.
This has been true for a long time now, especially since they ran O’Neill out for being too honest with them.
ruffian @ 6
That’s going right in.
SanderO @ 2
The clips to which you link remind me (as if I need reminding):
how much damage U.S. presidents have caused to be inflicted
how ineffective (at best) congress is
Good morning and an apology to Senator Reid. A couple of days ago I suggested that the Dems might be complicit in this, by not wanting Petreus to speak more publicly in Congress so that they had “heard things” which prevented them from voting against the Surge. Well Reid came out strongly against this, and the WH seems to have caved. Thanks Senator Reid.
G’morning. The NYT editorial page has it right, and the Republican consumer-directed healthcare policy is shown in action. Three more miners dead, and the mountain is still crumbling as the weight of it on the remaining coal pillars causes catastrophic failure.
From mountains on stilts of coal to Constitutions on stilts of torture: Padilla is convicted, but the jury never had a full deck with which to make the determination.
Bush has completely gutted the country. Enjoy your breakfast.
What about the War Czar Gen. Lute. I see a bare office in the White House basement. The victim of a brief bamboozlement campaign now long forgotten. What did they get? About 5 news cycles out of that one?
Maybe Lute is a Party loyalist, I just don’t know. It will be interesting to see how Party loyalty plays out going forward. One thing I have always thought is that there has been a self purging of anti Party loyalists going on for six years. So I’m thinking Party members might lay low for awhile but long term they will be in charge.
KayInMaine @ 1
Sounds like a great plan. Think of all the money taxpayers would save, no more federal taxes. And each state is theoretically independent with its’ own state government, governors, reps, attorney general….I’m all for state power. And my taxes staying within state.
Anyone care to guess the over/under on actual answers vs. “I don’t recall”?
ruffian @ 6
Sad but true, ruffian. In the reality-based sphere loyalty doesn’t require an oath, it is earned. A “loyalty oath” is a lie by both parties.
The Hollywood Reporter Outs Merv!
(This is actually BIG news — as Jane, being an old “New Hollywood” hand well knows. The dam has FINALLY bust.)
‘Crow; in trying to fend off the endgame, they’re going to run as much bullshit as they’re ALLOWED to run.
Petraeus was picked because they were about out of generals who will help them run it.
Now that the reality-croc has HIS ass in his jaws, it looks like he may be about to say “OUCH”, or at least “Gee, that hurts, and I don’t think it’s going to get any less painful or bloody” in the next 5-10 years.
Since bush and the GOP don’t HAVE 5-10 years until their reckoning, they now need to hide Petraeus and the negative part of his “assessment”. Happily enough, some democrats, and probably a few repubs, are not happy about that, and they want the good general standing tall, when he assesses.
The most salient part of it will probably be “If we don’t stay, we’re gonna be fucked worse than if we DO stay, so we need to stay.”
Which assessment ignores two relevant-but-unstated (at least by the democrats and the MSM) facts:
“The bloody-handed idjits who got us into this are the ones with a humongous vested interest in sustaining it long enough for them to GTF out of Dodge.”
and:
“Staying is not going to make it better. Only worse, when we do leave. Of course, the “worse” will come with democratic control of 2 of the three arms of government, if the democratic house and senate continue to bend over and spread their cheeks.”
Speaking for just me, personally, I’ve always enjoyed watching our pols have to go plunge headfirst into the 55 gallon drum of bullshit and koolaid, while bobbing for truth-turds like they were apples. :o)
It’s going to be one hell of an election, and the banquet table is well-set. Let’s see who comes up for air, first. :o)
David Patraeus is destined to be Colin Powell redux, methinks.
“General David Petraeus is reported to be one of the finest Generals we have, and I have no reason to doubt that”…
Col. Westhusing seemed to have a different opinion about the General.
I think once again we were played. We expected the general to say what the Whitehouse wanted,
so we downplayed his testimony. Then we hear he won’t testify in an open forum and the report will be written by the Whitehouse and we cry “WE
HAVE TO HEAR HIM TESTIFY!” Now his credibility
has gone up 1000%!