Bread and circuses…largely without the bread.

OT The Cushing Spot price for crude oil is currently $113.59. The price has backed off some the last couple of days. The ostensible reason for the decline today is that it is Wednesday and the weekly EIA report is out and showed a 3.8 million bbl increase in crude stocks last week. I would note two things. First, the price has not backed off that much and is still about $30 over what it should be. Second, traders get nervous when polticians start taking notice of the situation (egged on by angry voters) and this often causes a strategic but temporary retreat.

I would very much like to see the Republican party cease to be a functional entity after November.

That’s probably too good to be true. Unfortunately.

Does that mean in 2012 it will be the asians turn?

Wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Need someone to hate.
good morning, Wobbly.

So when are our friends, the Democrats, going to start demanding that our kids come home NOW???? Oh, I forgot. It would be irresponsible for us to just withdraw. And people shouldn’t be bitter. This is utter bull shit.
JGug

bom dia, twain *g*

The ever insightful Michael Gordon (on the NewsHour a couple of days ago) said US forces were building a wall between north and south Sadr City which would turn it into something like East and West Berlin. This would free southern areas from militiamen and reduce mortar attacks on the Green Zone. It was probably just me but I didn’t quite follow the part about how the southern part of Sadr City would be freed of militia elements since most militia members are drawn from and serve in the neighborhoods where they live. I also missed the bit about why turning Sadr City into a replica of Cold War Berlin was supposed to be a good thing. Then there was the way he glossed over the Iraqi Army (largely made up of ex- and not so ex- militias) and how it was different from the militias it was facing. But other than that I think Gordon was spot on and I could not agree with him more.

Why would Democrats abandon our interests in the Middle East?

heating oil here is still $4.07/gal

And here is the insanity of the occupation. Americans are fighting and dying in a conflict over which sect of Islam will rule Iraq, and in the process, are killing innocent Iraqis, whose shattered family members then retaliate against Americans, thus making the endless, vicious, violent pointless cycle complete.

bingo

there are a few things that should be added when our candidates repeat this paragraph;

“and that is what this president and his party are doing to this country

we find out that not only has this administration attacked a country he was informed by our own inteligence agencies posed no threat, he was also informed he would be creating the envirnment that would breed terrorists exponentially.

the republicans are still embracing this “strategy” and “strategist from the biggest military blunder in this nations history

Unfortunately with the media in America 2008 it’s all they need.

Why would Democrats abandon our interests in the Middle East?

very interesting post from bernhard about what those interests are (and who we share them with).

heating oil here is still $4.07/gal

The futures price for both heating oil and gasoline has dropped but with changing seasons and usual run of the mill manipulation I am not sure this will result in a retail decline in either. In theory in the next couple of days there could be slow down in rise or slight reversal in retail prices but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Wow! It’s those damned pacifists, I always knew that was the real problem with the World today.

The Pelosi Plan for conciliation and bipartisanship has been a resounding success, donch’all think? I mean look what it’s gotten us… more war, higher fuel prices, a worsening economy. But by christ, there was no fucking DFH-driven impeachment! Suck-cess!

Yeah. Pinto beans and circuses. Next will be mud pies and circuses.

Yesterday afternoon I did not agree with Blue Texan that the Reverend Wright discussion was a distraction from more important issues.

Today, after Obama’s statement and all that followed, I agree with Blue Texan. It is time to move on.

We need to call shenanigans on these stupid stories and insist on sticking to substantive topics.

Americans are fighting and dying in a conflict over which sect of Islam will rule Iraq, and in the process, are killing innocent Iraqis, whose shattered family members then retaliate against Americans, thus making the endless, vicious, violent pointless cycle complete.

The matter of which sect has already been decided; the Shiites won. Now we’re quibbling over which Shiite malitia leader will run things, and how much influence we want Iraq to have. We are fighting for the guy that would give them the most and against the guy who’d give them the least. Go figger.

how much influence we want Iraq to have

Oops! Make than “Iran.”

The fact that our putitive allies in the region are telling the US to fuck off and cutting energy deals with iran shows just how impotent Bush has made us.

The Cushing Spot price for crude oil is currently $113.59.

That’s the price in Bush dollars. If the US reverts to using real dollars, we in the US will pay much less.

Feel that surge, baby!

The history books, IMO, will say that the biggest mistake of the Bush years was not a decision made by the administration. It will be that the speaker took impeachment off the table, legitimizing the criminal behavior and paving the way for decline.

BT you are abosultely right that only card they have to play is prejudice. Unfortunately, it very well could work. With the dismal situation, any Democrat (even a dead one) should beat McCain in a landslide, but GE is a tossup.

You can count on prejudice (or outright racist attacks) being played more and more as we get closer to November It is all they have, but it may be enough.

And legitimizing the criminal behavior by future Administrations.

Precisely.

But it’s a perfect stratergery. We create the terrorists we must continue to fight. Why can’t libruls understand this?

This is a bad news day all round. I think I’m going to go back to bed and see if when I wake up it isn’t better.

Good stuff over there. That’s a good tight read and some fine comments, too.

seconded………

“It will be that the speaker took impeachment off the table,…”

Sten Hoyer made the motion to table Kucinich’s impeachment inquiry. It did not carry Hoyer then motioned to send it to the house judiciary committee. There it lies on the desk of Conyers… All democrats enabling the interests of corporate oil????? why????

Corpo-aristocrats all love one thing………….money and the power it brings….

yep.

This is a bad news day all round. I think I’m going to go back to bed and see if when I wake up it isn’t better.

Well, let’s see; Rip Van Winkle slept for twenty years but that probably is not going to be a long enough time.

IIRC, Sleeping Beauty slept for 100 years. That probably won’t be a long enough time either.

I think it was Frye (Futurama) who slept for a 1,000 years. That might be long enough to get past these current messes.

glad you liked it. moon of alabama is the old commenting site (and group of commenters) from billmon’s day’s at the wiskeybar. after he couldn’t take hosting comments any more bernhard (probably the best commenter at the wiskeybar) volunteered. the group has stayed together all these years and is still one of my daily reads.

another especially interesting post of bernhard’s i’d recommend is his latest in his series of “fed rate cut kills people“

I largely agree with that, but I don’t think the Sunnis do.

I really don’t understand why Islam and sects are constantly being brought up.

This is politics and nothing much more– civil war– the same politics that existed for generations. Go back in history, not too far, and one can witness that the British failed and the 3 cultural entities survived against their occupiers wishes. True, not a democracy, but the Ba’athists brought about a semblance of working unity government.

We did not improve on their established formula at all and we put all three peoples plus oil and hatred up in the air and we are juggling with them at their and our peril.

They make a whole lot of trouble for a 20% minority.

BT,

This is one of the most concise, poignant comments I have witnessed regarding the Iraq quagmire:

“And here is the insanity of the occupation. Americans are fighting and dying in a conflict over which sect of Islam will rule Iraq, and in the process, are killing innocent Iraqis, whose shattered family members then retaliate against Americans, thus making the endless, vicious, violent pointless cycle complete”.

A 20% minority nicely equipped with full automatic assault rifles, lots of high explosives, RPGs and mortars. It is relatively easy to raise an undue amount of hell with that type of equipment.

Making sure everyone’s tires are are properly inflated will result in a savings of 10% fuel used. And it is a good time to start driving 55.

As for the war, why is it still being funded and why are the Democrats getting credit? for the bill.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/…..38;sc=1000

REWRITE:

“The killings of three U.S. soldiers in separate attacks in Baghdad at the behest of Jeremiah bin al Wright pushed the American death toll for April up to 47, making it the deadliest month since September.”

scattered reports of US using cluster bombs in Sadr City – (accusations but no evidentiary link yet)

am not military/technical

is this some military genius’s answer to the targeting/sensoring issues posed by the sandstorms ? is some murderous idiot attempting kitchen-sink approach ?

I have been totally disgusted with the MSM and our politicians since the “surge” was implemented. We had the Iraqi media silenced and our own media has shut down on any coverage because the “American Public” is tired of the Iraq news. (We’d much prefer a daily dosage of Britney). 100’s of people were kileed this month again, and we don’t hear anything. You don’t even hear of our own deaths. If they aren’t worth mentioning, what are they there for.

Bread and circuses…largely without the bread.

thus the very circus-pecked statements from MalKKKin and ilk

Check out who voted no on the cluster bomb ban…

http://www.senate.gov/legislat…..vote=00232

Cluster bombs are among the most deadly weapons of war. These are weapons of terror that kill mostly innocent people. I consider their use as a war crime, at least the way they are being used against the Iraki people. They have been used for years against Irak. So it would be no surprise if they were being used now for genocide.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl…..ignpolicy1

‘It has to be highly questionable whether the use of such weapons in built-up areas is legal under international law.’

The usual suspects.

It isn’t even a circle jerk, it is a danse macabre — the death of reason that unites the conservative mentality. There is no logic or rational for which to continue focusing on non-sequitur like Wright when the most important issues concerning America’s standing on the world stage hang in the balance. It is unadulterated idiocy to continue in that vein, but the conservative media will persist because to do otherwise would be to admit that the policies, positions and support for a foolish war are complete insanity.

Well, intelligent people already know that these people are insane, but those intelligent people are the elite 45%. There’s about another 30% that are just concerned with who got kicked of of Dancing with the Stars (talk about your Danse Macabre), and then there’s the famous 28% who just lap up the pablum this administration feeds them. The remaining percentage is probably busy clinging to religion, guns and Nascar.

I’m from a part of the country that doesn’t use heating oil, so I’m ignorant as to pricing of that commodity.
It seems to me, though, that something that needs less refining than gasoline, therefore gets more gallons per barrel than gasoline, could cost more than gasoline. Is there sales tax included? That would explain part of it. Also, no state or fed. road use taxes.
Clue me in, if you can.

Glenzilla has a good related article taking down Brian Williams’ once again, this time for his vacuous defense of NBC’s failure to cover the Pentagon propaganda story. “He did nothing wrong,” says Brian, those two four-star generals he interviews are good lads and my friends.

Williams denies that his generals have conflicts of interest worth disclosing. NBC denies finding their conflicts of even passing interest, or that its parent company, GE, finds war highly profitable. Covering it in glowing terms garners NBC market share (rather than angry phone calls from Rove).

What’s also at work is the same corruption we’ve seen illustrated at McSame’s barbecues and Russert’s Vineyard clam bakes. To Williams, his generals are his “good friends”. Not sources, not expert witnesses who’s financial and emotional interests may taint their view on warfare or this war. Those former generals remain powerful and now make a lot of money. Williams imagines himself powerful and makes a lot of money. Their employers do the same. Those are the ties that bind.

Williams’ attitude is corrupt. He leads the charge, along with Fox Noise, in corrupting journalism and relegating it to the dustbin of propaganda.

Williams’ attitude is corrupt. He leads the charge, along with Fox Noise, in corrupting journalism and relegating it to the dustbin of propaganda.

Yeah, but he looks so serious and somber with those hound dog eyes of his.

Surely you must be mistaken.

He doesn’t look corrupt.