so

Teh stupid it burnnnnns

Susan Collins askin’ pointed questions about Iraqis picking up more of their own tab. A person might think she had some hoppin’ mad constituents to face in November….

and i have sunshine…love your puppy,i do rescue of critters,they the best peeps

oh that sillyputty face shortride SPORTS….. yuk

how do you pick up the tab for 4000 dead americans plus the 10,000s of thousands forever damanged physically and mentaally?

Rebuilding infrastructure, restoring pensions, rule of law. How come Iraq gets to have that and we don’t?

Nelson: Have laws like de-baathification reform been implemented?

P & C: Well they are in process.

Yes, make it stop, make it stop! Sessions was particularly odious.

Tom Ricks fellates liveblogs McCain:

McCain is tackling the hard questions head-on with Petraeus: Why is the Green Zone still being attacked? Why did more than 1,000 Iraqi security forces defect in Basra? And what’s up with Moqtada al-Sadr?

That’s a good political tactic — he is using his position as the senior Republican on the committee to get the ugly stuff out ASAP, and do it on his terms, rather than let the Democrats set the tone. But it’s still to McCain’s credit that he is tackling it, rather than trying to put lipstick on the pig, the other possible approach.

See?
When he challenges the witnesses, he’s maverick-y and straight-talk-y.

Bush’s Iraq in a nutshell:

We will stand down when they stand up.

They will stand up when we stand down (i.e., leave).

Therefore, we can never stand down.

Catch-22.

Ah, I think, ah. Crocker is really backpedalling here.

Joe and the Republicans seem to lionize Petreaus and Crocker. Like some type of high school jock-hero worship by the kids in the marching band.

The Move-On ad on General Betrayus was spot on. I loved how it got everyone’s panties in a knot, including most of the Democrats.

Crocker’s a big um-er & ah-er.

Crocker: spinning like crazy on political reconciliation.

Look up Smarmy in the dictionary and you will see where Christy got that picture.

I REALLY can’t stand that wuss.

“Political reconciliation” = wipe out the opposition then declare victory

Crocker is such an idjit

oh swishy is up

The Administration continues to view the War in Iraq as a glass 1/10 full instead of 9/10 empty.

Ooooh, it’s Kiss-Ass Huckleberry!

Oh Joy!
Graham Crackers

oh, sheesh,Lindsey Graham is making me sick

Oh goody, Sen. Graham wants to send Crocker to a “good place” and give Patreaus another star.

Where are the witnesses’ superiors?

Where is Rice?

Where is Gates?

Why is our Iraq policy and strategy being determined by tacticians and field operators?

Enough with the underlings.

Strawman Graham is up …

Graham to Petreus: Hugs. Hugs. Hugs. Kisses. Kisses. Kisses.

You know, that’s not really helpful.

hahahahahahahahaha…sigh

Huckleberry up now. Wow, he has two sweeties, now. Is that poop on his nose McCain’s or Petraeus’?

So did Ricks say that McCain gave a stump speech on why we should stay in Iraq forever?

Smarmy = Lindsay Graham

im sorry he tries to ACT like a manly man,with other peoples balls…………..imo

I get the sense that Crocker does not like the orders he has been given from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but he feels it is his duty to salute and spread the manure.

Graham: surge is good because Al Qaeda hates the surge.

A pox on Graham. He needs to go to a bad place, a very bad place.

And of course that last 10th is just backwash.

Al Qaeda hates the surge … pfft

Gee, anyone else getting the feling that Lindsey submitted his questions ahead of time for preparation by Petraeus’ staff?

yea just another hypocritical ,murdering twit

Graham has come loaded for bare . . . and bald fellating.

What was the biggest success of the surge?

How much more soft ball can you get?

McStain, Lieberman and Graham, the Axis of Weasels.

Graham dracker tellin’ us the number one people who want us to leave are Al Qaeda in Iraq. Guess he hasn’t talked to Martha Raddatz.

Graham now pushin’ the fear-Iraqn meme….

all of them,its like moot court

Well, there’s always quitting as an optiion. Others have done it before him.

– Did McCain mix up Shi’ia and Sunni again? Watch the tape and see what you think. Spencer says yes, and provides a transcript as well. Ineptitude — or on purpose obfuscation? You decide.

mccain was trying to get the general to say mccain was right and everyone else was wrong

simple stuff there

Using his logic, Al Qaeda must love Graham because we hate him.

Graham Cracker, the McBush fill-in. What are the McBush talking points?

That’s possible, but they also were just very leading. Isn’t your lawyer term “Asked and answered”?

or did they just give him the questions?

These people are a really inferior product - I want my money back. Senators for sale

“Lebanonization” … shows how much our mil leaders are modeling Israeli practice … with the obvious results

and then we can claim Iran is all behind Lebanese nationalists too

where’s Seder’s creaking closet door???

Petraeus has only one real superior: Dubya.

One of several reasons why Admiral Fallon resigned — having a subordinate repeatedly going over your head (and getting praised for it by the President) is a real drag.

Has anyone asked about our ten dead troops in the last 24 hours?

Has anyone asked about power, water, food, ambulances, or fuel?

Has anyone asked about Blackwater’s renewed contract?

Has anyone asked about Maliki’s defeat in Basra?

Has anyone asked about Iran being the cease-fire negotiating site?

Is it all fellatio and candy?

Is all of this sacrifice bringing about a more secure America?”
Petraeus said the question is “perhaps best answered by folks broader view, and ultimately by history.” The war has “huge cost,” including more than 4000 troops who have made “the ultimate sacrifice.” But there is “no longer a ruthless dictator in Iraq [who] threatened his neighbors” and his people.” There’s a “nascent democracy,

http://www.washingtonindepende.....r-worth-it

“nascent democracy” al Sadr our enemy is looking to win big gains this election so of course our puppet Malkiki decides to ban al Sadr from the upcoming elections which will just make him more popular.

yeah - me and lindsay priming the pump for iran being attacked…..

– Which leads to this question: why on earth is Lieberman given early or any rotation time on the Dem side of the aisle? Especially since, as Tom Ricks points out, the Dems on the committee seem to universally loathe him?

bingo

enough of that please

Graham now pushin’ the fear-Iraqn meme….

———–
all of them,thats the daily talking points where our WHORE media will pull sound bites

why do are the repubs so obsessed with finding Al-Quaeda under Iraqi beds still? They just keep repeating those same silly fairy tales.

McStain, Lieberman and Graham, the Axis of Weasels.

Hysterical

Huckleberry just took about 4 swigs from that glass in one min. Hmmm.

hahahahahahahahahahahaha

Yep.

There’s a noble tradition to it, which has been woefully lost upon many in the Bush Administration.

Big bad al Qaida all over Iraq and P says we are tackling them, successfully. We are safer with P on the ball. What functioning democracy is Graham talking about? He thinks if he waves his hand it will be so.

What millions of Sunnis is he talking about? The four million refugees, perhaps.

The Surge: Great? Or greatest surge ever?

Leading the witness, Graham!

The Al-Quaeda take over myth. Small Organization takes over how many millions of people? Won’t happen unless the Bush Supreme Court votes for them.

i think dirty dick is CinC

Shorter Graham: Iraq is a resounding success and we should implement those same strategies right here at home …

NEVER ASK A question,you dont KNOW the answer to

“Ineptitude”

How about “Senility”?

Do “they” know something about Mccain’s health that makes his choice of VP all that more meaningful? Every time my Grampa made those kinds of errors, people would look knowingly at one another with pity in their eyes that such a bright fellow could lose his memory so quickly.

But when Mccain does it, the media and everyone close to him just lets it pass as if it is perfectly acceptable for the man they want as President to stumble over his own memory every time he talks.

Patreaus: “War is not a linear phenomenon.”

he’s right, it’s a loop

Okay, fess up Liindsayyy. Whut’s IN that glass???

And while we are at it, why on earth are both Nelsons on the committee with Lieberman? I may need to start mainlining espresso if they keep this up…

lol
must remember that!
how appropriate!
lol

More Tom Ricks:

Crocker to Tehran: Get Smart

That was an interesting little disquisition on Iran just given by Ambassador Crocker. He said it is time for Tehran to consider “just where they want to go in Iraq.”

He added, “They should be thinking strategically.” (It would be fun to be snarky here, but I think he is right in the implied point he is making: The United States is indeed thinking strategically about Iraq — it only took us about four years to start doing that.)

But he also said, “This would be an excellent time for them to reassess.” What does he mean by that? Why would Iran want to adjust their relationship now, when there will be a new American president in place in less than a year? Or is there some sort of implied threat there: You guys better get smart, or this president still has time to pound you?

Crocker is turning into the most interesting person here today. He reminds me of something I’ve heard soldiers say in Iraq after they make some candid statement: “What are they gonna do, cut off my hair and send me to Iraq?”

Sometimes, there’s no getting round the obvious; good writing, here and in a few MSM oases, helps:

The suppression of professional military dissent helped to create the disaster in Iraq; now it is depriving American voters of an election-year debate about the defense issues that matter most…. In the long run, success or failure for the United States in Iraq will not hinge on who wins the argument about the surge; it will depend on whether it proves possible to change the subject.

– Steve Coll, The New Yorker [emph. added]
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/....._talk_coll

Ben’s hairpieces just keep getting more outrageous every year…

Has anyone asked about our ten dead troops in the last 24 hours?

—————
i did not know RIP

of course we have no MEDIA to tell me this….oy

That’s classified information, and you can expect a visit from the nice gentlemen from the NSA. Please have your identification papers in order when they arrive.

Some pix from my last run through LA:

http://freewayblogger.blogspot.....geles.html

Join me for the next war, won’t you?

They don’t want Joe to have the last word?

Levin did in his opening statements

http://levin.senate.gov/newsro.....?id=295684

A cup of Joe.

ben nelson: make the iraqis pay for their own gd occupation.

i love you muchly all my family and friends thank you!!!!

if you haven’t read this NYtimes piece about the recent crackdown on shia militias, you should…

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04.....ref=slogin

I want someone to ask the General about substandard helmets and the makers of those helmets getting another contract!

Crocker when pressed has a terrible time and just keeps going uh, uh, sort of like a fish out of water.

Geez, Crocker’s getting close to being incoherent. How’s he gonna hold up thru another hearing this afternoon? Crocker’s crackup could be a popcorn event.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/.....to-attack/

The Green Zone is turning red…

Why doesn’t someone ask about that?

Has our billion dollar embassy become a billion dollar bullseye?

thanks……..drip,drip,drip …of young lives

“A crackdown on the Mahdi Army militia is creating potentially destabilizing political and military tensions in Iraq, pitting a stronger government alliance against the force that has won past showdowns: the street power wielded by the radical cleric Moktada al-Sadr. “

Opening statement of this article

Not seeing any questions on this … when is Hilary on ?

How long do your signs stay up, if you know?

How many of these pointless hearings did they do as Vietnam dragged its sorry ass to a conclusion over more than a decade?

It’s well past time to pack up our toys and GO HOME.

crocker is truly an abomination

precisely

Puppy is sitting up here with me on the couch and dreaming of chasing bunnies. His front paws are trying to run while he’s sleeping. Too funny…

cant,they all stolen,or broken,but makking more,is very LUCRATIVE

ENJOY ,the delicious moment…..awwwwwwwwwwwww

IMO, if this hearing is meant to be a prelude to bombing Iran, they’re not doing a very good job of making the case. Iran mixed in with too much other stuff. But then we’ll see what the corporate media pull out to emphasize. They could again do the grunt work for the Rs.

Thune … are the Iranians in control of the Mahdi army

useful to remember - from GorillasGuides 2 years ago:
http://gorillasguides.com/2006…..n-context/

have no doubt that armed militiamen loyal to al-Sadr’s movement are engaged in some very unsavoury activities but I very much doubt that the Mahdi army is the biggest Shiite militia, and I very much doubt that they’re the ones running the death squads of people in Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Defence. But what I, or any other westerner, think is irrelevant. What’s relevant is how the vast majority of al-Sadr’s constituency see things. And how they see the situation is:

* Al-Sadr’s movement is led by people who didn’t flee Iraq but who stayed and resisted Saddam.
* Al-Sadr has consistently resisted attempts to split up Iraq.
* Al-Sadr is consistently critical of Iranian efforts to increase their influence in the country.
* Al-Sadr has flown in the face of the price rises in fuel, food, clothing, and the ration reductions imposed by the green zone government at the behest of the American led occupation.
* They see and hear the green zone government talking of dividing up Baghdad.
* They see Nouri al Maliki going to Washington to be feted by the very people whose racist and brutal occupation has unleashed a tide of blood upon their homeland (and are now trying to pin the blame upon them.)
* They see their hero, and his followers:
*
o Visiting the wounded in hospital.
Sadr city cleric visiting wounded children Imam Ali Hospital.
o Providing comfort to the afflicted.
o Seeing to it that the families get some food and money to tide them over.
o Doing their best to protect them and their homes and children.
* They see that al-Sadr and his followers are doing the things that citizens expect a real government to do in an emergency.

If you lived in Sadr city or the South who would you believe? Would you believe a pack of murderous foreigners and their puppets or would you believe what you see with your own eyes day in day out?

Ambassador Crocker always becomes inarticulate, stutters and stumbles when asked a question that he has not been prepped on or is not the Bush/Cheny line of malarkey.

So, don’t you have a movie camera on your computer?

i should be nauteous from this ,but the lies make me crave comfort food,mebbe mac n cheese

Patreaus: “The hand of iran was very clear in the recent weeks.”

Which Senator is now up? He’s asking if the Iranians pull Sadr’s strings.

P. proceeds to completely mischaracterize Sadr and his history. OK, imscharacterize is the wrong word. I should have said lie. He’s now talking about how Sadr discredited himself into being the most powerful political force in Iraq.

I want our Senators to act like they have a plan we need a coordinated attack to get our points across and we need half our guys to burn the GOPers with a rapid response to all the GOP softballs being thrown out there.

show us PROOF Betrayus

CNN.com poll, current:

Do you agree with the top U.S. military commander in Iraq that things are better than before the surge?
Yes 42% 10564
No 58% 14323
Total Votes: 24887

So?

Headline at Al Aswat:

U.S. amb. says commitment to Iraq shouldn’t be limited

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq

Tuesday , 08 /04 /2008 Time 7:10:01

http://www.aswataliraq.info/lo.....rSection=1

Baghdad, Apr 8, (VOI) - U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said on Tuesday that the United States has to make its commitment to Iraq unlimited, describing the Iraqi Parliament as having successfully working with the complicated issues.

they have not been stellar,thusly

If you lived in Sadr city or the South who would you believe? Would you believe a pack of murderous foreigners and their puppets or would you believe what you see with your own eyes day in day out?

i think you’ve hit on one of the main problems - the iraqis are just not civilized enough to ignore what they can see with their own eyes.

Thune, R-SD. By my scorecard, Bayh will be next, then Marinez (gag) and then Hillary.

Thune now, Bayh next

Wow, Petraeus saying that War/conflict is more expensive than peace … Cheney’s gonna be p*ssed …

and that is why we are stuck in this clusterfuk
THEY DONT REPORT the death and destruction,only the rose colored glass version

o/t

Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr has postponed the Million Iraqi March out of safety concerns for participants -

reuters

Which Senator is now up? He’s asking if the Iranians pull Sadr’s strings.

that’s thune

much needed break from the asshattery that is this ‘iraq report’. Had to out a HUGE pot of black beans on. We have some folks here working on the house and they will be nice and hungry come 12:30 :)

Ahhh I see I might have to discard my hip waders for eyebrow waders

They need to get organized they need a Union

Yeah, they spoiled his causus belli for bombing Iran by brokering the Basra cease fire.

Hours for the big, in your face signs, days, weeks for the more obliquely placed ones. the average viewership would be close to 100k, though that’s guesswork. signs take ten minutes or less to make, cost about a dime.

just to be very clear … those words were written by markfromireland in 2006 … the truth remains the same

I love to watch them sleep. Mine are having a ball in their dreams. It’s a sign of a happy little being! We have 3 dogs. They get cookies just for waking up. hehe

this is stikier than boiled molasses………….just total gooo

SCUBA gear with an extra tank.

Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr has postponed the Million Iraqi March out of safety concerns for participants -

that’s not OT.

proof positive that the attacks on sadrists were a “success”

Switch to C-Span 2

as diplomatic as I am, I find that under these circumstances the f-bomb would be dropped in fact would encompass every word from my lips if I were to question these idiots.

example: What the fvck were you fvcking thinking when you fvuckin planned…..(and so on and so forth)

Congratulations, and many many thanks.

The next time you see a picture of Joe (full face frontal works best) cover everything below the nose and look at the eyes. Those eyes are not smiling. Looks like a reptile.

thanks.

Ahhh I see I might have to discard my hip waders for eyebrow waders

oh puhleeze, this is me on the way to the teevee

awwww now there is a nice image. Mine is laying on her back with her feet in the air (she looks like she is flying)

hillary up now

must go pick up my Camelias and breathe fresh air………how much money can one be paid to espouse murder and mayhem on INNOCENT people?

Crap. CSPAN 2 is Senate now (although I still admire Dodd, who is speaking) and the CSPAN website is freezing up on me. I don’t think they want us to see Hillary’s questions.

what are they doing when they’re milling around on the other side of the House doors? i always wonder. i like to watch the procession walk in.

bwaaaaaahhahhahahhahhahaha

agreed a toxic waste suite is the better way to go. I need to protect my ears, my brain, etc.

Where are you seeing it? Not on my CSPANs anymore.

Damn C-Span. They cut off when Sen Clinton turn came.

its on CNN

try msnbc

Go to CNN. Thay are carrying it Live.

Back to C-Span!

Thanks!

Many thanks.

oh ick.

C-Span has it back on #1

Jeff Sessions, stoopidest man in the senate finalist, maybe for the all-time list.

Clinton giving a speech but it is a pretty good one.

Crocker: We don’t need no advice and consent to tie us up in Iraq forever.

From CNN’s online coverage of this event…

“Officials have said privately it’s hoped that one or two brigades could leave before Christmas.”

Would that possibly be more accurate to say “before the election,”…as in JUST BEFORE THE ELECTION… And just in time for republicans at every level to claim “Victory in Iraq!” Or at least their latest version of “Victory?”

They aren’t ready to bring any troops home yet, they need them to be “coming home for Christmas” (the same “x-mas” framing they used in WW2, WW1 and the Civil War) just before November’s date with democratic destiny.

That “coming home for Christmas” theme seems to be playing out already.

Crocker - may not bring to Iraqi parliament (unconstitutional in Iraq)

Clinton asking about status of forces agreement for long term deployment of troops to Iraq.

Crocker says it will not be submitted to Congress although Iraqi Parliament gets to.

Speaking of Bomb bomb, Lieberman and McCain, AFL-CIO has urgent action:

With the U.S. economy in near free fall, President Bush has sent the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to Capitol Hill—Bush wants to force a vote before he leaves office next January.

The all-out, nationwide mobilization to let members of Congress know that working Americans oppose this deal begins today.

As the fight gears up, we need to know whose side your members of Congress are on.

Call your senators and representative today to ask if they will side with workers and oppose the Colombia FTA. The call is toll free:

1-866-338-5720

more sucksesses in Iraq: Iraq Bans Vehicles in Baghdad Wednesday

So the Iraqi government gets to vote on America staying forever but the American Senate does not? Good question Clinton has Obama been up yet?

do tell

Is this C-Span?

Hillary asking now about agreement–will it be submitted to our congress?

Um, no. It’ll be an executive agreement.

Dictateror rules….

a friend and i made a big sign and hung it from below a bridge on the main route into city center when invasion started. hung it at 2am (with lots of work to make it hard to take down). returned before 8am to see it (and photograph), and it was already gone. :(

The General looks scared?

I’m listening on NPR.

Yep. Yoonitary Executive still lives.

Obama’s not on this committee. Foreign Affairs meets with Pets this afternoon

I want someone to challenege them on the bullshit they are throwing out. throw out some numbers and facts. Someone, please

Hillary is doing great but I want a more agressive line of questioning

Obama will be this afternoon in the Foreign Relations Committee. This is Armed Services.

So the Iraqi government gets to vote on America staying forever but the American Senate does not?

any agreement like that is not a treaty, this president can make believe he can give away our assets unilaterally all he wants but he cannot

until of course he declares martial law

Oct. 22, 1972: A series of top-secret cables from Mr. Kissinger in Saigon to the White House explain a sticky situation. Days before the 1972 American presidential elections, after months of secret negotiations, Mr. Kissinger had declared: “Peace is at hand.” But he had not yet explained its terms to South Vietnam’s president, Nguyen Van Thieu.

I will proceed with some shock tactics with Thieu today. . . . We face the paradoxical situation that the North, which has effectively lost, is acting as if it has won, while the South, which has effectively won, is acting as if it has lost. One of the major tasks now is to restore realities and get the psychological upper hand. . . .

he is very evil,parsing his words

Does anyone else wonder at CNN’s offering Hillary all this free press, why didn’t they cover any of the others on C-Span over at CNN?

Just curious…

Rewarding that strongman of Colombia, so it can better fight “the enemy” Venezuala. Who would have thought?

P. trying to say that when he said the Iraqi hadn’t made any political progress he didn’t mean it. That there has been progress. Blah, blah, blah.

C-SPAN on the web is so busy that I can’t even get their page to load. First time that has ever happened to me.

Hillary did her homework. P should do his second rate tap dance on this one.

yes, tame

Hey, Raven! Damn, I was hoping you’d show up.

Same in Iraq … they won’t present to Parliament since Parliament would not approve it. They send to executive council (read our puppets) and then tell the Parliament it’s all done as they did a few months ago with the extension of the UN agreement.

Um, no. It’ll be an executive agreement.

congress must serve immediate notice, no future administration will be bound by any unilateral agreement of a president without vote by congress

period

yeah, isn’t that just dandy, another ‘executive’ fait accompli

I know!

Yes, I want someone to ask how the surge can be called a success if we need more troops in Iraq after it than before it.

congress must serve immediate notice, no future administration will be bound by any unilateral agreement of a president without vote by congress

better then that;

“any unilateral agreement by any administration is disolved by congress immediately”

period THAT

It would be completely un-Wellesley if she didn’t do her homework. She’d be drummed out of the alum assn.

Good “conditions” questions, Hillary!

Unfortunately, there are no conditions for success of failure.

History will judge when we can leave Iraq.

Same for me. I wonder if that is why CNN stepped up, since CSPAN said they were taking the hearing off CSPAN1 (although it’s back on there now)?

P and his geometry and calculus in response to questions he can’t answer without telling the truth.

This is frustrating. Does anyone have a link? C-Span is freezing up on me.

clinton doing a good job, imo.

too simple,ya know simple answers to simple questions

Man, it must be SLOW!

Oh, a good one. Hillary points out that U.S. has now taken military responsibility for So. Iraq for the first time.

History will judge when we can leave Iraq.

SUCCESS IN IRAQ IS JUDGED BY WHEN WE LEAVE!

put THAT in a hat and repeat it time and time again

Like when she didn’t read the report before she voted for the war?

Cspam radio can be streamed through itunes.

vfrtgkjjuu

no homerun,but steady chiseling

Very seven sisters, unsisterlylike ;)

Wow - C-SPAN 1 finally loaded!

lol.

Petraeus “as a sovereign country’s leader” re Maliki … bwahahahahaa

P. invoking humor here saying Iraq is a sovereign country. He should give spew alerts.

Under what conditions would the General pull out? None because everything that happens good or bad in Iraq means the surge is working.

eh Christy, vet visit ok?

Lieberman smiles, we get screwed.

spew alert….Martinez

“Dramatic and significant progress has been made.”

Right.

Slow or fast, doesn’t matter…your talent for reality checks is an invaluable contribution. Always.

That’s because a Republican is up!
Gotta run, chores are calling. I hope to be back for Obama’s questions this afternoon.

Here’s the link for the CSPAN radio
There’s a time delay I think

Uh oh. I wasn’t aware that she hadn’t read a report. Thought she felt misled because she thought she was voting for a threat not an action.

Martinez up now on status of forces agreement … it’s all routine, nothing to see at all

I’m watching the coverage on CNN. Just to comment on the coverage, they said that Petraus came to the hearings armed with facts. He had charts! I think this is called the Dilbert strategy. Just because he had a bunch of bullshit made up in chart form does not make it fact.

Hi Peanut!
LOL
LOL
LOL

Has anyone used the term “swimmingly” yet…?

We need to make clear to the GOP the richest top 10% will pay for this war. That would break GOP support for Bush!

Was that the puppy or the Peanut typing that one?

Shorter response to Clinton’s questions:

“Have you not done tormenting me with your accursed time! It’s abominable! When! When! One day, is that not enough for you, one day”! ( from Waiting for Godot)

She did an excellent job, no doubt. But this whole line of questioning is way too tame for me, I want some agressive questioning. rapid fire shit to put him on the hot seat. It’s bad enough that we have to witness all the rimming going on

they dont even mask their hard on for Iran, addington and Darth,and possibly Scootie wrote the questions

A little digging would be nice :>)

Under what conditions would the General pull out?

When ordered by the National Command Authority, i.e., the President, or when facing encirclement by hostile forces.

eCahn … did not read, here’s the link:http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/05/report_clinton_.html

“Iran, Iran, Iran!!!!!!”

Pentagon always has power point charts. So much so that they joke about it. Any half-assed reporter should know that.

Has anyone used the term “swimmingly” yet…?

Apparently perris went swimming this morning

Hi Mod Sorry that comment was not in reply to Raven it was a comment I was writing and then I thought about replying to Raven and I hit the button. Mod can you fix it?

yup…………the FUKKIN NEOCONS still have us by the shorthairs

Martinez: Congress doesn’t need to approve status of forces agreement because it doesn’t in other cases.

This overlooks the fact that this has never happened in a war zone.

Aside from Warner, all the Republicans have tried to out fellate each other.

OK, sorry bad image there.

“Iran is behind all our woes in Iraq.”

fuk you you WATERCARRYING toady Martinez

link didn’t work for me. (I copied & pasted it but came up page cannot be displayed.)

same DISMAL status quo

vcfthrhdg fgnfbdvgrfyvgtf dnnfg

Has anyone used the term “swimmingly” yet…?

Guilty, I did.

okay,over and out……..fresh air time

http://www.walnutretreat.com.a.....elias2.jpg

that and all the first born of the congress people the support it have to enlist in the infantry

My point exactly.

I’m crackin up here.
Such strong opinions!
LMAO

Some stuff in life is utterly predictable. They might as well scale this back to the annual Patreus / Crocker-of-shit pro forma report on the lack of progress in Iraq.

Patreaus: “The hand of iran was very clear in the recent weeks.”

So?

Hi Mod Sorry that comment was not in reply to Raven it was a comment I was writing and then I thought about replying to Raven and I hit the button. Mod can you fix it?

You made the mistake and now you want someone else to fix it….. where have I heard that before?

agreed.

*running for brain bleach*

Patreaus: “The hand of iran was very clear in the recent weeks.”

So!

Sorry gang — The Peanut decided to expres her frustration at being forced to watch Patraeus with momma while I was helping the puppy visit the lawn. *g*

Pryor: On your chart I’m seeing a little less green here and more yellow.

This is unintentionally funny but is a good indication of just how realistic and useful these BS charts are.

OK. Sometimes I miss the obvious.

Thank Heavens, I thought Lucky had taken control of the keyboard …

The handwriting is on the wall. The Peanut is going to be a blogger.

Do they sure they have money and power but they know that like Henry Kissenger they will be remembered in history as war criminals which they won’t mind.
But they will also be blamed for America losing in Iraq because they made some very stupid mistakes.
The Neocons love to think that they are the smartest guys in the room, the Elite its part of their identity!
There is nothing worse we can do to them than call them stupid.

The hand of iran Cheney was very clear in the recent weeks

There, that one’s fixed.

Well, I notice that she doesn’t type words yet, but she sure knows where the “submit comment” button is!

Don’t be sorry!
She mimics Momma pretty good if ya ask me, she even has the space bar figured out!

must find a way to laugh… otherwise it’s a black pit of despair.

Prime example where we need a rapid response from a Democratic Senator.

No apology neccessary. It was much needed comic relief.

P says the reason he isn’t winning in Iraq is because of Iran. Maybe he should train with Iran to improve his performance and come up to them. Has he figured out why they are more effective than he is? That might work better for hime than his math and calculus.

ahh potty training….

I agree with the peanut
sdfhsjdsdkjsdkjs

Just like the evidence for WMD?

But they will also be blamed for America losing in Iraq

Sorry-they won’t. We will. The DFH’s and their “willing accomplices” in the media.
As if that were true.

Prior doesn’t know shit about Iraq, and what he thinks he knows, he mixes up.

Christy looks like she needs to work on her spelling….*G* kids are just great! I miss those kid of happening as mine are all adults now and the grandkids all live far away :>( so I don’t get to see them as much as we would like.

The Peanut makes more sense than the General. Give her a pat on the back.

sadr as iranian puppet?

Pryor just went off the deep end talking about Sadr and the Iranians. Crocker jumps in to agree vociferously.

can he please shut up now? just moreso painful to watch/listen to

By his own admission, Pryor says Lieberman is his mentor.

whaaaa that is a new one

“Does Sadr want to be the Ayatollah of Iraq?” NO!

I tuned in to see McCaskill ask her question. This may conflict with the ring ceremony at 12:15! Help!

Someone sent me a link to an NYT article about military commanders concerned that men and women are increasingly unfit for military serviceafter multiple deployments .

Pryor read somewhere somwhere *thumbing fingers, licking lips* that Sadr is a superstar in Iran and looking for Ayatahollah status in iran. Petraeus: Sadr is in Iran(?!)
I thought he was too busy. . . .

“Iran is behind all our woes in Iraq.”

Palestine is behind all our woes in the Middle East.

hey Peanut !! - love that Lucky!

I thought Sadr was at loggerheads with Iran. What is Pryor reading?

SPEW ALERT!

“The question for this congress is, do we proceed on this proven strategy of success?”

It would take a major suspension of disbelief not to admit that there has been major progress.

I like that. I don’t think it means what he thinks it means.

Palestine and oil addiction.

well yeah because well ummm Sadr is a shia and so are the iranians (you know the other arabs). nevermind that Sadr is a rabid nationalist (let that lil fact just slip on by. no, no, don’t even acknoledge it…just let it go)

After Pryor and Lieberman, We need new and alot better Democrats. There is no coordination on questioning and the scattershot approach gives the “experts” a chance to propagandize .What a crappy hearing, like Kafka

Palestine is behind all our woes in the Middle East.

Israel is the cause of all our woes in the ME

What’s the criterion for a senator getting on this committee? An IQ less than 80?

Does Wicker have a question?
He looks senatorial.

I’m confused I thought the puppet was al-Maliki. Again what is Pryor reading?

Apparently perris went swimming this morning

yes he did, it wasn’t as “swimming” as afghanistan though

Republicans certainly love themselves some General Petreaus. The brown noser party they are.

Is this idiot comparing Bush to Lincoln and Washington? Now THAT requires suspension of disbelief, big time.

Wicker’s awfully sure of his framing, usually when someone repeats something so often, they are either trying to convince themselves or the rest of us of an opinion, not facts…

They sure want “the surge” to be a success, regardless of the rality. If the surge is working, why is the Green Zone turning red? We can’t even protect our own, let alone the Iraqi people. But still, these brainwashers put forward their version of reality as if none of us reads the papers or watches TV or reads the blogs.

Mississippi seems to be popping up lately, is Haley Barbour McCain’s likely VP?

Yes , I don’t need to be schooled on Iran v. Arab v. Turkey v. Kurd. But Congress might need it.

The number one reason Mark Pryor sits in the Senate today is Clinton and Clarks support in Arkansas.

Do we continue with this proven success? Asks Wicker of Mississippi. It would be a catastrophe if we leave prematurely, he says further. Now how did this guy get elected to this position? His constituency must be a piece of work.

I think there is something in the water in Mississippi that has a special affect on white people.

No one thing, country or idea is behind our woes in the Middle East. There’s more than enough woe we’ve brought there at the behest of our clients, or in our own interests, to go around. and around…

What’s the criterion for a senator getting on this committee? An IQ less than 80?

It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it?

a must read at kos

Covering Iraq
by BarbinMD
Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:44:46 AM PDT
While David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker make their latest appearance before Congress to wax poetic on the success of the “surge,” let’s take a few moments to look at the role the media plays in enabling these mouthpieces for George Bush to peddle their fairy tales.

In the deadliest year for U.S. troops in Iraq and where none of the key benchmarks, laid out by George Bush more than a year ago, have been met, media coverage of the war has dropped to just 3% of all news coverage. And when the media does bother to cover the war, they seem to have fallen into the habit of downplaying or minimizing events. And while they are certainly not the only media outlet guilty of this, let’s use the Washington Post for examples of the shoddy reporting we are seeing on Iraq these days, starting with this article in today’s paper (found on page A-8, by the way):

a note from Lieberfart no doubt

How about Senator Springs?

Wicker is one of “them,” in every sense of the word as we know it from Ram Dass’ definition in “Be Here Now.”

Yes. From certain states.

let’s try again:

Who Read the NIE before voting on Iraq

The full list is at the bottom

What’s the criterion for a senator getting on this committee? An IQ less than 80?

and zero empathy.

Senatorial. Now there is a term that requires deconstruction, along with “presidential”. I am going to start a whisper campaign: Kucinich looks presidential, pass it on.

For these Senators who argue the surge has been a success, why is it with this success we need more not fewer troops in Iraq? Why must we stay there longer rather than leave sooner? Their definition of success sounds like a lot more of the same only more so.

In the deadliest year for U.S. troops in Iraq and where none of the key benchmarks, laid out by George Bush more than a year ago, have been met,

by what metric could they POSSIBLY say the surge is ANY kind of success?

Jeebus, this torks me off.

“What do the troopers want?”

And General P equates supporting the POLICY with supporting the troops, yet again. Cuz if I don’t support the PRESIDENT and the policy, then I’m spitting on the troops.

Neocon multiple orgasm.

Haley Barbour

barf bag alert.

Claire’s up, hope she comes through for US.

Yeah, McCaskill, go get em!

“Iraq has a budget surplus, we don’t, and we’re paying and they aren’t.”

Jingoism is alive and well. Patriotism 101

you know, I just had a memory I believe everone forgot concerning Iraq, if you remember, the advice concerning how to deal with the festering failure was;

“go long or go home”

I forget where that advice came from, I think the Iraq study group

Thanks. Worked this time.

OT: NYT has good story on lobbying for Colombian trade deal. Some paragraphs describe former Clinton officials lobbying their fellow Democrats.

McCaskill up. “I’d like to focus on the financial sacrifice for our country”. Sounds much more confident than last time.

McKaskill comes out the shoot with hard questions. Love the question - why does the Iraq government have a surplus (our money) and we have a deficit? Why and how long do we plan to pay the Iraqis?

I don’t have the right shoes.

Great start, “Where’s the Iraq Oil Money going and why are we spending so much of our own falling dollars?”

Thank you, Roger Wicker, for that puff question.

Mississippi would be so proud of your unwilliness to question our GREAT military.

Every Congress needs a sycophant. Well done!

How much does the Iraqi government pay for permanent bases, Sons of Iraq? Good question.

McCaskill: We invade Iraq, and stick them with the bill, Maybe? Sounds like a good idea? eh?
(Disclaimer: Maybe I am misunderstanding McCaskill)

I want someone to ask why the U.S. is arming & paying its enemies.

Success for their military industrial complex campaign coffers?

I find that hard to believe

Neocon multiple orgasm.

Careful how you use that term. Whenever William Kristol sees “neocon multiple orgasm” in print, he pops a few amyl nitrates open, sniffs ‘em up, pulls down his pants, and heads to the computer keyboard with his next inspiration.

Question; who, ultimately, has more power over the money “thing”, Petraeus or Cheney?

I’d bet Petraeus has no idea how that part works, and he is kept well out of the money loop, at all levels, because even he might get patriotic cold-feet if he knew what was really going on.

Let me review my understanding of the surge: Wake up in the morning and borrow $50 from China. Give the $50 to an insurgent to not kill me today. Tomorrow wake up and repeat.

and that’s seen as a “progressive frame” … sigh

You just won worst mental image of the day.
Congratulations!
GAG

Just like the evidence for WMD?

The forged documents supposedly showing Saddam buying Niger yellowcake is the clearest evidence this was never about mistakes. It was always a man-made conspiracy to commit a war crime. Find who pushed for the docs to be forged and the 16 words to be put in the State of the Union Address and you have part of the group who are guilty. It was bogus from the start!

Boyohboyohboy. McKaskill zinged Crocker right between the eyes with Malaki backed down because he lost.

and repeat even though that insurgent you payed not to kill you gave 3 dollars of it to somebody else to do the job

a net profit for him of 47 dollars and you are still dead

Well my problem is this. They didn’t ask us to come (Iraqis). Do they really have a surplus? They need some money to rebuild the infrastructure.

I want someone to ask why the U.S. is arming & paying its enemies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny_j-bAhq68

For the Love of Money

She has a point that if Iraq isn’t willing to pay it tells us they aren’t interested in our being there. Yep, thus should leave.

McCaskill hits hard but Crocker says he will give it a different read. Too funny. Revamp the truth.

He hit that cotton ball right out of the park, didn’t he?

McCaskill? Or did I say bad?

And boyohboyohboyohboy, is Crocker ever punting on that one.

It was all gonna pay for itself, recall? We’d have $15 a bbl oil, buck-fifty gas, and the whole thing was gonna be wrapped up nicely for less than a hundred milliom.

Did Crocker just tell me that Maliki is STRONGER after Basra?

Oh, I see, it’s a complex situation.

My understanding is that Iran has greater influence in that country now than we do.

Heck of a job, Bushie.

Have the Democrats coordinated their questioning for this hearing?

Has Sadr won politically because of Basra?

Crocker gives standard answer: Maliki has broad-based support. Names group I have never heard of. “Maliki is perceived as being willing to go into action against extremist Shia”.

McCaskill follows up. Crocker: “Sadr is trying to put some distance between himself and these Jaish al-Mahdi special groups”.

What a crock(er)!

Crocker is saying that Maliki’s bumbling in Basra made him more popular in Iraq.

I guess he could make the same argument that Bush has become more popular because of his handling of Iraq. Oh wait…

ohhs nooes it’s Chambliss. someone get out the astroglide

Chambliss is the typical old guy who loves sending young men into war.

I think McCaskill is looking for a way to frame the issue to gin up more ire in the U.S. & thus to end the war. What the U.S. owes Iraq is incalculable, but will never be paid anyhow.

Chambliss: Thee-ater. Woohoo! *cheerleader*

Opps.

CSPAN should be required to give me spew alerts before Chambliss and others of his ilk appear.

Short Ride, on the other hand, should be FORBIDDEN from appearing on my teevee or in my hearing, EVAH.

I forgot about the subcontractors. Both sides must have them

He is trying to baffle us with bullshit

I agree with mui1. The Iraqi government has a surplus but they need to spend it on civilian needs. OTOH a sovereign country can pay for its own military. Iraq is not likely to be part of a collective security arrangement such as NATO.

“I forgot about the subcontractors. Both sides must have them”

Don’t you mean, “Both sides: must arm them” ?

I want someone to ask why the U.S. is arming & paying its enemies.

You can’t have a war if there’s no ‘opposition’ to shoot your soldiers, thus sending them home dead to stir up the remaining citizenry to the effect that the war must go on…forever.

Of course, having an ‘enemy’ of goat-herders would be easier than having real opposition.

Chambliss says we should be very pleased with the success in Iraq. Here’s the small business loan (shark) story and its success by P. They too are very successful and bring good will. They are grateful for our military and what they are doing.

“Waist Deep in the Big Muddy” comes to mind watching this crap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjONblHLPPI

Crocker: “The strategy that began with the surge is working.”

Does everyone realize that the word “working” is utterly meaningless?

Working harm? Working ill? Crap!

what with the apples and oranges comparisons?

Geez, why didn’t I think of that?

I heard an ugly blog rumor that Kristol is a eunuch..

…made into a “castrado” so he could sing soprano for the neocons.

He has certainly proven to be impotent in terms of journalistic credibility.

Rings now.

Chambliss harping on al Qaeda. They were our main reason for being in Iraq, etc.

Oops. Petraeus says the first Sunni tribal leaders rebelled against al Qaeda in in late 2006. This is of course before the surge started.

The only conundrum is how to show their appreciation. Do they shower us with flowers or bullets.

P cries the violence in Iraq is due to al Quida. Before it was Iran. I am so confused. Which is it? Maybe it’s al Quida in Iran.

Consumer goods from Iran to Iraq especially food stuff. Well, they prefer a certain cuisine so why not.

Senator Webb

Webb up

Webb brings up the point I just made.

webb follows up on the timing.

The Iraqis are eating Iranian food!

Don’t some subcontractors just concentrate on stealing without the need to be armed? Like with a pencil & paper? I like the idea of a C-Span spew alert when ever certain officials appear.

There are serious food shortages in Iraq … and the govt has cut back the rations all Iraqis receive.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77615

BAGHDAD - Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr threatened Tuesday to lift a seven-month freeze on his Mahdi Army militia if the Iraqi government does not halt attacks on his followers or set a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal.

Hey Muqtada, according to secret military plans leaked today about a drawdown, you might as well wait till early November…

Stars and Stripes reported that the Iraqis were so grateful to our military they the women blew kisses at them.

A friend I used to work with told me he thought Lieberman looked like a child molester. He said there was something about his mannerisms that just screamed molester. We used to laugh about it all the time. Since then whenever I see Lieberman I can’t help but think of him as a child molester.

webb sits on both the foreign relations and armed services committees?

Webb — troops are a-political; leave politics out of the troops.

Prairie — We appreciate our troops so much we want to bring them home alive, well, whole to tell em so.

also Bill Nelson

oh good grief. why no flowers? no panty flinging?

It’s hard to farm in a war zone. When the Vietnamese tried it they had napalm dropped on them and their fields were defoliated so if they tried to farm they would get cancer from the contaminated areas.

Yes, is the electricity back on in Baghdad? Or only in the green zone? Not to mention the libraries and museums. (How are they ever going the national heritage back from Sotheby’s and Christies) Also more hand to mouth stuff.
This is all reminding me of pre-Joan of Arc era France. Should the French(Iraqis) warring aristrocacy pay for fortress England (America)?

2 screamingly frustrating hours of dog and pony show - with brief exceptions in questions from McCaskill, Hillary, and Kennedy.

Webb’s doing pretty well. The rest SUCKS.

Does Hillary get another turn?

Best Qs so far:
McCaskill
Clinton
Collins

Go gals!

Oh great, the ass wipe (Cornyn) who wanted folks to sign his petition in support of petraeus. Oh look, he blew him a kiss

BTW…

*Unlimited, warrantless wiretaps by the FBI since 1994.
*Department of Homeland Security’s National Applications Office conducting illegal, domestic sattelite surveilance.
*And, DOJ just doesn’t seem to have the resources to provide copies of a couple of memos that they would be more than happy to provide to Congress if they just could.

Notice the similarities???

The current administrations gross unconstitutional actions are hiding in plain sight, and no one will care. (except Christy and the ‘pups)

Sen. Corny: 18 benchmarks. What success? They’ve met twelve, right? Right?

They just played an Irish jig as Papelbon came up to get his ring. This was too cute to shut up about.

I want someone to point out that Iraq is already a failed state with no prospect of unbecoming one.

If Petraeus and wants panty waiving, he’ll get it from Sen. Cornyn and Chambliss and Lieberman.
Cornyn is fishing for “potential threats” Al Quaeda.
Now he’s chickenhawking the dead Texas soldier.

As Cornyn’s performance shows- this hearing is 100% political- and unfortunately- the goopers are ahead about fifty to one.

Make it stop )i.e. Sessions’ weird little alien-sounding voice.??

Only the voters of Alabama can do that.

If I were to guess what Alexander Stephens’ (Confederate VP) voice sounded like, I would guess that Sessions’ squeaky little drawl comes as close as any modern southern pol.

More proof that the English Royals aren’t the only inbreds in this war…

“no prospect of unbecoming one.”

Well Put!

Here are the 18 Iraq Benchmarks. PDF, 1 page.

Ask the Clintons to lecture General Petraeus?

I heard Petreus use the term “troopers” twice, and was a bit alarmed by the sly insertion into the “war” lexicon a term that connotes “stormtroopers” to many.

Also heard a new term for Petrus’ command…something about the “multinational blah blah blah”…what do people make of that?

These slimy bastards just slip new terms into the debate and unless someone calls them on it, the debate is on their terms, and its direction is inevitably one preferred by the warmongering Neocon_ and AIPAC-led GOP.

Can someone photoshop a spiked dog collar on Lieberman for me? It seems he’d look more credible that way.

where is live blogging of the hearings!!

The Sen For Relations committee is giving these 2 traitors a much harder time - where is the live commenting going on?

hello? is anybody listening??

Oh well, it ain’t as if anybody’s but Cheney’s opinion matters!

BTW how’s that SCOURGE workin’ out General BetrayUs?

well, i’m here and i’m listening, but i don;’ know where they are!
:(
Hamburger.

Iraq Hearing Live Blog