Yes, George Bush who proclaimed there would be "no casualties" has overseen more than five years and 25,000 of them, and thanks to advances in medicine and emergency care slightly under 4,000 have been terminal, so far. But, of course, that's just on the American side of the ledger. No one really knows how many have died because of this war and subsequent occupation. It could be 100,000 it could be a million or more. One out of every five Iraqis has become a refugee within or without their country.
The costs of the war and occupation were always downplayed, criminally, by the Bush Administration. Bush's Chief Economist Larry Lindsey was forced out after saying maybe $100 to 200 billion -- it has so far cost out of the next generation's rear-end more than $500 billion. When one adds up all the economic ramifications welcome to at least the $3 trillion dollar war. At present, the war Paul Wolfowitz said would pay for itself is running you at least $12 billion a month as an occupation.
And after all this time, people who are running for office still cannot tell a Sunni from a Shiia, but they just want to keep dropping those bombs as we enter into our 13th Friedman Unit, the undefined unobtainable victory remains yet another F.U. or two away.
Ah, but the glory of how it all began. In his State of the Union address in 2002, Bush said this:
For too long our culture has said, "If it feels good, do it."
On March 19, 2003, just before addressing the nation to announce his this disastrous war Bush was asked about this feelings:
Moments before the camera began broadcasting to the nation, Knight-Ridder reports that Bush pumped his fist and said, "Feels good."
And today, George W. Bush, will go to the Pentagon to give yet another "pep talk" to a captive audience again expressing how awesome it has all been. Especially for him, and that's what counts. Another half-hour of boogey-men, foot-stomping and ephemeral claims of "winning". And I would imagine most talking heads will not say jack-crap about it, except how "determined" he is. Maybe they can play another cherry-picked Jeremiah Wright sermon out of context again just to prove they're serious journalists without an agenda?
And then George W. Bush, our feckless leader can go home and kick back and play Cowboys & Freedom Haters with the real purpose and justification for this whole clusterf*** in his beady little eyes, Saddam's Gun.
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Good morning Attaturk.
The figure of “slightly under 4,000 have been terminal” casualties is, itself, too kind. Don’t forget that there have been in excess of 1,000 deaths of contractors directly employed by the United States war effort that have been killed as well. In prior wars, those jobs, and deaths, would not have been outsourced and would have been included; they should not be cravenly discounted or overlooked now, either by the government or us.
Watching clips of Qbama’s speech gave me a feeling of hope that perhaps, just maybe, we might get a grown up back in the white house soon.
And the out of control and under reported suicide rate for returning vets.
Excellent point.
307.
Thank everyone at FDL for keeping attention on this all week.
Have Earth Wind and Fire, Thats the of the World, playing in the background right now. Seemed fitting.
I really am hopeful this morning. Just the possibility that there may be moral courage and true leadership, the likes of which we have not seen in a long time, back in Washington soon. Oh please let it be so…..
1,786 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen Mr. Cbl and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
“Just the possibility that there may be moral courage and true leadership. the likes of which we have not seen in a long time, back in Washinton soon.”
Speakin’ of moral courage and leadership, Obama gives a BIG speech on Iraq in West Virginia today, if it gets the coverage it deserves we will be off and runnin’. The war and the economy will be the centerpieces of the general election campaign and Obama is already turnin’ his guns toward McCrazy in his issue statements. It will be interestin’ to see how closely his position on Iraq is to that articulated by the congressional candidates headed by Darcy Burner unveiled yesterday. I bet his mirrors theirs.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, WE GOTTA GET THIS GUY’S BACK!!
what the hell am i doing up
Norske,
I had been keepin my powder dry until now. Yesterday convinced me it is time to scream from every mountain top; Not. This. Time. The voices of reason, maturity, wisdom, inclusion, togetherness, peace and prosperity for ALL will not be denied.
From AP:
Damn right!
1,786 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen Mr. Cbl and the early mornin’ Firepup Freedom Fighters:
“Not this time!” should be the rallyin’ cry of all progressives today…and we may be rewarded with a twofer 1. we get real new leadership in the White House and Congress 2. we get rid of Mrs. Clinton-McCain and the DLC once and for all.
I am bemused by all the cries to watch out for the “Reagan Democrats”…those poor fuckers are all outta work or goin’ back because they lost their pensions and their shirts. Racism and fear are not gunna work…NOT THIS TIME!!
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION FASCISM AND FASCISTS WON’T GO AWAY WITHOUT A FIGHT!!
joe scar up talking about “political time bombs” in Obama’s speech yesterday. Why does this guy have a job? The verbal gymnastics required to make Barak wrong are stunning.
Norske,
Am honored and deeply flattered that you replied to me. Twice! I normally just lurk. I am sick of lurking. Just lurking makes me part of the problem. I am 52 years old and have waited all of voting life, silently, for the nation to address racism, hate, violence and war in a productive and meaningful fashion. I will lurk no more.
NOT. THIS. TIME
I just flat out refused to give those people even a few minutes of my life this morning. scar is an @ rsehole…always was; always will be. Had high hopes for mika providing some small measure of pushback against him and she has proven to be an utter disappointment. The female on in the mornings who came over to CNN from the bedbug place was expected to bring that mentality with her and it’s nice to see she has been relatively evenhanded in her presentations…. probably because she’s incapable of writing her own screeds.
Why even waste your time with the bobbleheads on the networks and cable? These people have such a perverse, insular and distorted view of the world.
All it does it raise your blood pressure to listen to these assholes. Amazing how with a bit of logic and some skewed information they can “craft” the right wing narrative they do.
I won’t watch these jerks anymore ever. Their perspective is so predictable and so wrong.
The MSM needs to be taken apart and reconstituted and charged with some real reporting of information and spare us the pundits and the experts. ALL of them. Let the people come to their own conclusion was is going on. Just report ALL THE FUCKIN TRUTH. ALL OF IT.
Good morning, pups. MoDo is alone today. She titled her column “Black, White and Gray” and says that overriding aides who objected to putting race center stage, Barack Obama addressed a painful, difficult subject straightforwardly with a subtlety and decency rare in American politics.
http://mgpaquin.wordpress.com/
The coffee, tea and hot chocolate are ready, and I’ve got bagels and cream cheese. If you’re not having a sweet bagel, try the cream cheese with the fresh herbs. Have a good day. 307 and counting.
Proof we Macies love our ‘puters: *G*
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008.....cbook-air/
MoDo can be constructive at times.
Mika tried to push back this morning when he started pontificating about what it takes to be president. Can you even imagine? This from a guy who could not even keep a congressional seat. Of course he is incapable of seeing the irony there. I have just had my fill of people that are not capable of introspection. That would be the very trait that allows our current leader to announce that Iraq remains, in his mind, the “right thing to do”.
Alon that line, NYU journalism professor, Jay Rosen, tore Wolf Blitzer a new one for his lame follow-up to Obama’s speech: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....92139.html
Have pretty much arrived at that same form of “make them go away” myself….with occasional exceptions. Kyra Phillips spewing propaganda (sp?) from Iraq about how she’s able to stand in one particular place to broadcast today; twit has no idea it was cleared out on purpose so she could read those lines. *click*
Mr. Cbl @ 21 -
Amen, brother!
Good morning all. What a happy fucking day. He does not care. He does not give a damn. He is truly a revolting person. If it was not against the law I would say exactly what I would want to happen to him. Instead I say Impeach the son of a bitch ( and I do mean bitch).
There that feels better. Now for some hot choc while I contemplate the impending snow storm.
Greg Mitchell over at E&P on some of the “unsung heroes” of Iraq War coverage:
http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp.....1003727226
And more on the Hannaford Supermarket customer credit theft story:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com.....d=sec-tech
Off to work. I will, as always, have y’all on in the background. I hope all are safe from the severe weather.
AHA!! So I’m not the only one who does that!
Good Morning. MSM is ignoring the Iraq anniversary. Anyone surprised?
They’ve got video of a scary black man talking…stealing our freedoms.
Why would anyone believe what DoD says about the number of US casualties? They ALWAYS lie. No one knows how many of our guys have died.
PROTEST TONITE!
AH! 7:20 and finally the Today Show brings up Iraq.
Five Years in Iraq and The Today Show spends 70 seconds discussing it.
me too! Can I get you more tea?
Good Morning Attaturk and pups,
yeah. some anniversary, it’s got the Iraqi’s nostalgic for the good ol’ days under Saddam
Mmmmm…. tea…. [holds out cup]
Thanks!
Bush made a speech yesterday and said it’s all been worth it, just like our involvement in Japan and Korea. And thankfully unlike our involvement in Vietnam, where we cut and ran, and millions of innocent people paid the price. (Of course, nobody called him on his revisionism.)
Here’s what’s on Washington Journal:
7:30 am - Brian McGough, Iraq & Afghanistan War Veteran, 2001-03
8:00 am - Richard Schmierer, State Department, Iraq Affairs Director
8:30 am - Paul Helmke, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, President, & Stephen Halbrook, National Rifle Association, Board Member
Here are comments from the major news outlets regarding Obama’s speech yesterday.
Just report ALL THE FUCKIN TRUTH. ALL OF IT.
The media must be held accountable for their actions.
If they won’t talk about the war, maybe they will show all of the peace actions happening across the nation today. Yeah right.
Kudos to all taking part today to stop this illegal occupation.
THE WAR IS A LIE…AND THE NATION KNOWS IT h/t freewayblogger
Sorry. Good Morning Attaturk and each and every one of you peace lovin pups.
Crazy John McCain is catapulting the lying propaganda, that Al Qaeda is allied with Iran. “It is common knowledge has been frequently reported in the media.” Also, “The surge is working.” Crazy is becoming even more delusional, as five years of his 100 year war have been completed. We have heard this all before and it is tiresome.
http://www.latimes.com/news/pr.....3722.story
BJS we need a local branch of the freewayblogger here. I am so sick of all the flags attached to overpasses.
We need some truth grafitti. We need to remind the people.
Why don’t some of these peace orgs buy some billboard space?
there are monetary costs that can never be weighed, that the leger will never tell
each and every person gives a positive return, that is, on the whole, the government gets more from each of us then it spends
that positive return is now lost, and of course we can project that loss onto the children that will never be born
also, there is lost productivity from the loved ones that are affected by the war, if someone’s son dies in the war, on the whole these people loose productivity
and there is the loss in confidence for the country, where once other systems respected our government and our people, that has turned into vile hatred, where once owning an american made product could be a sign of influence, now it is viewed with vile contempt
and of course, those that wanted to visit our land, to contribute, now do not
one of my very best friends is a famous nuerologist, a muslim, and he and his family once rejoiced at their american holdings, now they have divested and will be leaving this country, their family never to return
and what about the einstein and the newton that will never be born?
what about that?
there are costs that will never be told, losesnever that mever be known and these prices will be payed by our children, their children and theirs, for generations upon generations
and the lost assets will never be known
When have they ever? :-(((
Per Bush’s doctrine of “return on success,” U.S. efforts in Iraq have obviously been unsuccessful so far.
and I will bring this up every single day until the man is released but
WHY THE HELL IS SEIGLEMAN STILL IN JAIL?
HE IS BEING BEATEN WHILE INCARCERATED, HE IS INCARCERATED FOR BEATING A REPUBLICAN IN AN ELECTION
he is the cog that will bring this administration down, he is the story that will land rove in jail
yet since the 60 minutes broadcast, crickets
……..
crickets
…….
why are there crickets, even at the lake?
we have to do something
why are there crickets, even at the lake?
Marion, I love your breakfasts, but as someone who remembers the authentic bagels baked by unionzed bagel makers at night and delivered to stores in NYC strung like beads on a string where they hung on the door handle til the owner opened up, i prefer my herbs and sweet on the bagel.
Sorry to grumpy. must be hanging around at Kos where the dem. vs. dem. wars flame on has turned me so.
Hope I don’t sound Dowd’y.
Are you sure they’re not those little frogs? They sound a lot alike. And those little frogs love lakes.
“Progress”
“Turning point”
“Last throes”
“Surge”
“Shock and awe”
I’m all for purging these phrases from the English language until the Iraq war is but a distant memory in our minds.
…Dowd’y on a regular day. not today.
Why Spitzer Was Bushwacked
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/G.....0Dj04.html
new post.. I think I got a zed…:)
Funny that. I have painted a bunch of cardboard w/ceiling white and am figuring the lettering out. IMPEACH
you left out the most important word to purge
“homeland” a nazi phrase which is used in the place of American
I want the democrats to JUMP DOWN THE THROAT of anyone that invokes that word when referring to this country
Grumpless good morning and bad anniversary to you. onward to the real work of the day.
there’ll always be the light at the end of the tunnel
EPUd, but as a native New Yorker those are the bagels I remember too. Almost impossible to find, but we do have a bakery down here that produces a more or less reasonable facsimile. Me, I’m a poppy seed bagel girl… (God, I’m beginning to sound like my mother! “When I was a girl…”)
NYT did an article on where to find the old style revived bagel.
no longer have link, but here are some names:
Upper West Side: Absolute Bagels.
2788 bway @ 108
dark, well-baked, not too dense or sweet, just chewy enough. special order the minibagel
Murray’s Bagel,
21st …8th
crisp, chewy, dark, shiny
The Bagelry.
88th & Lex
order minibagels. chewy, crusty.
Iraqi journalist films Baghdad today w/o the propaganda of U.S. corporate media.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl.....y.of.walls