The Truth Handler

Thursday, September 13, 2007

By Bush's Own Standard, Surge Has Failed - George Will

Many of those who insist that the surge is a harbinger of U.S. victory in Iraq are making the same mistake they made in 1991 when they urged an advance on Baghdad, and in 2003 when they underestimated the challenge of building democracy there. The mistake is exaggerating the relevance of U.S. military power to achieve political progress in a society riven by ethnic and sectarian hatreds. America's military leaders, who are professional realists, do not make this mistake. (emphasis mine)

RealClearPolitics - Articles - By Bush's Own Standard, Surge Has Failed

Holy shit! A conservative that understands military force isn't the answer to everything! When are the rest of you going to get it?

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Two of Seven Soldiers Who Wrote 'NYT' Op-Ed Die in Iraq

"The controversial Times column on Aug. 19 was called "The War As We Saw It," and expressed skepticism about American gains in Iraq. “To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched,” the group wrote."

Two of Seven Soldiers Who Wrote 'NYT' Op-Ed Die in Iraq

Weird, what are the odds? Normally, 120 out of 150,000 soldiers die per MONTH over there, or roughly 0.08%. Two out of 7 (29%) in just 2 WEEKS after their piece in they NYT. Strange stuff...

Hooker or Politician...which one didn't pass the lie detector?

Woman linked to Vitter is tested- NOLA.com

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

U.S. Dollar Hits New 15-Year Low

FT.com / MARKETS / Currencies - Dollar hits fresh 15-year low

This is a direct result of this administration's continued poor fiscal policies, and pressure on the Fed's monetary policies. This is extremely important to our country, and should not be underestimated. The Canadian Dollar is now at 1.04. It appears it won't be long before the "Loonie" is stronger than the "Greenback."

Newsweek: Internal Pentagon report contradicts Petraeus' testimony to Congress

NEWSWEEK has learned that a separate internal report being prepared by a Pentagon working group will “differ substantially” from Petraeus’s recommendations, according to an official who is privy to the ongoing discussions but would speak about them only on condition of anonymity. An early version of the report, which is currently being drafted and is expected to be completed by the beginning of next year, will “recommend a very rapid reduction in American forces: as much as two-thirds of the existing force very quickly, while keeping the remainder there.” The strategy will involve unwinding the still large U.S. presence in big forward operation bases and putting smaller teams in outposts. “There is interest at senior levels [of the Pentagon] in getting alternative views” to Petraeus, the official said. Among others, Centcom commander Admiral William Fallon is known to want to draw down faster than Petraeus....

Newsweek: Internal Pentagon report contradicts Petraeus' testimony to Congress - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

Colin Powell: Terrorists are not greatest threat to nation

"What is the greatest threat facing us now? People will say it's terrorism. But are there any terrorists in the world who can change the American way of life or our political system? No. Can they knock down a building? Yes. Can they kill somebody? Yes. But can they change us? No. Only we can change ourselves. So what is the great threat we are facing?"

Colin Powell: Terrorists are not greatest threat to nation - On Politics - USATODAY.com

Powell gets it. The loss of liberties we're experiencing isn't done by the terrorists, it's done by the Bush Administration, and helped along by the fear they continually bolster in the hearts of Americans. Is there reason to be scared? Sure. Is being scared reason enough to justify giving the federal government the massive powers we have bestowed upon them in the past few years? No.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Battery Operated Car - Charge 5 Minutes, Drive 500 Miles

An Austin-based startup called EEStor promised "technologies for
replacement of electrochemical batteries," meaning a motorist could
plug in a car for five minutes and drive 500 miles roundtrip between
Dallas and Houston without gasoline.

Battery-like device could power electric cars - CNN.com

Rumsfeld Calls Afghanistan 'Big Success'

In an interview billed as his first since leaving the top Pentagon post, Donald Rumsfeld calls Afghanistan ``a big success,'' but says U.S. efforts in Iraq are hampered by the failure of Iraq's government to establish a foundation for democracy.

Rumsfeld Calls Afghanistan 'Big Success' | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited

Really? All those civilians we've killed? The heroin production being at an all-time high? Osama bin-Laden escaped? Demonstrations in the streets wanting the U.S. out?

Troop blogs show increasing criticism of war

“The toothpaste is out of the tube. And, try as they might, the military’s information nannies are not going to be able to stuff it back in,” said Noah Schatman of Wired Magazine in an e-mail from Taji, Iraq. He said soldiers will pay $55 a month for a private connection.

Troop blogs show increasing criticism of war - Military News, Marine Corps News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Marine Corps Times

Ron Paul wants to bring the troops home now. He took in more campaign contributions from active soldiers than any other candidate in Q2. Put this information together with the story above, and it seems quite clear that it's time to bring them home.

U.S. 37th in the World in Child Mortality

"Out of 173 countries, only four have no paid leave for new mothers -- Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, Liberia and the U.S.A. (One of these countries is not like the others.) Our health care system is the most expensive in the world per capita, yet our child mortality rate is 37th."

Joan Blades: A Peaceful Revolution - Living Now on The Huffington Post

It doesn't seem our health care system based on cronyism is working very well. It certainly doesn't seem like we're getting our money's worth. I saw Sicko. It's worth seeing. I'm not so sure Moore comes up with any solutions, but I think he does a good job of showing the flaws in our current system.

Donald Rumsfeld to Teach World Peace

Donald Rumsfeld to join Hoover Institution at Stanford

That is not a joke headline from The Onion, it's actually true. Yeah, when I think of world peace, three names immediately come to mind Ghandi, the Dhali Lama, and Rummy.

70% of Iraqis Say Surge Has Failed

"About 70% of Iraqis believe security has deteriorated in the area covered by the US military "surge" of the past six months, an opinion poll suggests.The survey by the BBC, ABC News and NHK of more than 2,000 people across Iraq also suggests that nearly 60% see attacks on US-led forces as justified." (emphasis mine)

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US surge has failed - Iraqi poll

U.S. Tells Iran that Full-Compliance with Probe Won't Even Be Enough

"The U.S. urged Iran on Monday to cooperate with a probe into past suspicious nuclear activities but said even full compliance would not be enough to ease international concerns over Tehran's possession of bomb-making technology."

U.S. Urges Iran to Cooperate With Probe - washingtonpost.com

If I were Iran, I wouldn't comply with the probe if I was being told that full-compliance wouldn't even assuage others' concerns.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

IAEA Chief Inspecting Iran Doesn't See Any Nuclear Weapon Activity

ElBaradei reiterated expectations that Iran's atomic
program, subject to IAEA inspectors' scrutiny since 2003, may be
cleared by the end of this year of suspicion that the project
was used as cover for nuclear weapons development.
``We have not come to see any undeclared activities or
weaponization of their program,'' ElBaradei said. ``Nor have we
gotten intelligence to that effect.''

Bloomberg.com: IAEA Chief ElBaradei Seeks Stop to Iran 'War Drums'

Ron Paul Commercial on Principles and Integrity

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Republicans Worry as Youth Desert the Party

"American Republicans are in bad shape beyond next year's election for basic reasons, aside from the war in Iraq or the unpopularity of the incumbent; almost every important indicator is negative for them. Among key constituencies, the most worrisome are young voters, the fastest-growing slice of the U.S. electorate and one where lifetime habits are ingrained early. These voters - 18- to 29-year-olds - are deserting the Republicans."

Letter from Washington: Republicans worry as youth desert the party - International Herald Tribune

Republicans, the future of your party for decades is at stake here. It's not a time for more of the same. It's time for a radical change of course. By nominating Ron Paul as your candidate, you can restore the confidence and integrity to your party in one move, all the while bringing with you a generation of young voters who will lean your way for the rest of their life.

The View of America from Iran

Noble Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi has argued that Washington's policy of "helping" the cause of democracy in Iran "has made it more difficult for the more moderate factions within Iran's power hierarchy to argue for an accommodation with the West."

The view of America from Tehran. - By Reza Aslan - Slate Magazine

Yacht owners, including Sen. Ted Kennedy (D) whine about offshore wind farm

The source of unhappiness is Kennedy's efforts to kill an offshore wind farm on Nantucket Sound. Cape Wind was to be the first such project in the United States and a source of pride to environmentally-minded New Englanders. Polls show 84 percent of Massachusetts residents in favor. But now it appears that America's first offshore wind farm will be near Galveston, Texas.

Opinion | Political attacks knock wind out of Kennedy's sails | Seattle Times Newspaper

What I Learned From Bush

People to this day are outraged at Clinton for the example he set for their children. Fine, I agree. But, how many multiple times worse is Bush's example? Clinton committed an immoral act of pleasure between two consenting adults. It was non-violent, and didn't affect foundational ideals of our country. When you think about the lessons for our children, how can you not be outraged at Bush and the Neocons?

TheStreet.com Debunks Huckabee by Fact Checking Ron Paul's Arguments

Huckabee Takes Unfair Shots at Ron Paul - Markets - Market Features

2003 Video: Economist Predicts Iraq Costs

Selective Amnesia - The Pundits Who Sold the Iraq War Change Their Tune and Bury Their Records

"When political leaders make drastic mistakes, accountability is delivered in the form of elections. That occurred in November when voters removed the party principally responsible for the war in Iraq. But the invasion would not have occurred had Americans not been persuaded of its wisdom and necessity, and leading that charge was a stable of pundits and media analysts who glorified President Bush’s policies and disseminated all sorts of false information and baseless assurances.

Yet there seems to be no accountability for these pro-war pundits. On the contrary, they continue to pose as wise, responsible experts and have suffered no lost credibility, prominence, or influence. They have accomplished this feat largely by evading responsibility for their prior opinions, pretending that they were right all along or, in the most extreme cases, denying that they ever supported the war."

Selective Amnesia - The American Conservative

The Economist's Most Democratic Countries

War on Drugs Sabotaging American Economy

"Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder," said Arnold Toynbee, whose 12-volume "Study of History" traces the rise and fall of civilizations. Get it? The "fall" is an "inside job." Attitudes, behavior and values die first. The soul is left for dead.Oh, some outside force may push the button, pull the trigger or, as in ritualistic hara-kiri, some stranger may bring the sword down upon our neck. But we set the ball in motion. We create the world around us, including our enemies, as individuals and as nations -- we are totally responsible for our karma, our fate, our destiny, our demise.

The 'lost war' -- the war on drugs -- is undermining America - MarketWatch

Friday, September 7, 2007

The Classist U.S. "Justice" System in a Nutshell

Former State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel admitted to "reckless and immature" behavior Thursday as he pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.The 45-year-old Charleston multimillionaire told U.S. District Judge Joseph Anderson that he purchased the drug, used it and shared it with others over a two-year period.A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in several months, Anderson said, after a pre-sentence report is complete. Although Ravenel faces a maximum term of 20 years in prison, he is likely to serve little time because of sentencing guidelines and a deal he struck with prosecutors last week.

GreenvilleOnline.com -Local News-Ravenel pleads guilty to drug charge - (9/7/2007)

How much time would a poor, non-politically connected person get for buying a POUND of cocaine?

Gaffe-prone Bush in fine form at APEC summit

"Bush's tongue started slipping almost as soon as he started talking at a business forum on the eve of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Sydney.

"Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction," he told Prime Minister John Howard. "Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit.

"As the audience of several hundred people erupted in laughter, Bush corrected himself and joked, "He invited me to the OPEC summit next year." Australia has never been a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Later in his speech, Bush recounted how Howard had gone to visit "Austrian troops" last year in Iraq. There are, in fact, no Austrian troops there. But Australia has about 1,500 Australians military personnel in and around the country.

Upon finishing his speech, Bush took the wrong way off-stage and, looking slightly perplexed, had to be re-directed by Howard to a center-stage exit."

Gaffe-prone Bush in fine form at summit - Politics - MSNBC.com

(insert music) "Well, I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free...."

Bremer Says He Had Bush's "Full Support" for Disbanding Iraqi Army

How I Didn’t Dismantle Iraq’s Army - New York Times

Bush Knew Iraq Had No WMD

Two former CIA officers say the president squelched top-secret intelligence, and a briefing by George Tenet, months before invading Iraq.

Bush knew Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction | Salon

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

White House Claims It's Exempt from FOIA

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington:

Two weeks ago, CREW documented how the White House website conflicted with the Bush administration’s claim that the Office of Administration was not subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. On August 23, 2007, the Washington Post took note of the conflict between the White House website and the White House position:
The claim, made in a motion filed Tuesday by the Justice Department, is at odds with a depiction of the office on the White House’s own Web site. As of yesterday, the site listed the Office of Administration as one of six presidential entities subject to the open-records law, which is commonly known by its abbreviation, FOIA.
The White House website has been scrubbed — and a new message indicates that the Office of Administration is now exempt from FOIA requests. Read on…

Crooks and Liars » White House changes website. Now claims Office of Administration exempt from FOIA.

ABA Poll Shows Defense Attorneys Don't Think Laws Making Us Safer

…we asked 50 defense attorneys who’ve worked on federal terrorism cases since 9/11 their opinions of the legal war on terror. (We also asked 50 prosecutors, but U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Dean Boyd told assistant U.S. attorneys across the country not to participate. He declined to tell us his reason.) ABA Journal

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

The Budget Deficit is Much Bigger Than You Think

There will be lots of celebrating in Washington next month when the Treasury announces that the federal budget deficit for fiscal 2007, which ends Sept. 30, will have dropped to a mere $158 billion, give or take a few bucks. That will be $90 billion below the reported 2006 deficit, and will be toasted by the White House and Treasury as a great accomplishment.But I have a nasty little secret for you, folks. If you use realistic numbers rather than what I call WAAP -- Washington Accepted Accounting Principles -- the real federal deficit for the current fiscal year is more than 2 1/2 times the stated deficit.

Fortune: Bush's budget numbers - Sep. 4, 2007

Monday, September 3, 2007

Bush Doesn't Recall How or Why Iraqi Army Was Disbanded

But when Mr. Draper pointed out that Mr. Bush’s former Iraq administrator, L. Paul Bremer III, had gone ahead and forced the army’s dissolution and then asked Mr. Bush how he reacted to that, Mr. Bush said, “Yeah, I can’t remember, I’m sure I said, ‘This is the policy, what happened?’ ” But, he added, “Again, Hadley’s got notes on all of this stuff,” referring to Stephen J. Hadley, his national security adviser.

In Book, Bush Peeks Ahead to His Legacy - New York Times

Second British general slams U.S. policy in postwar Iraq

U.S. plans for handling Iraq after the 2003 invasion were "fatally flawed," a retired British general said, adding that the U.S. administration had refused to listen to British concerns about postwar planning. Major General Tim Cross said he had talked to former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld before the invasion about the need to have international support and enough troops on the ground to reconstruct Iraq. "He didn't want to hear that message. The U.S. had already convinced themselves that Iraq would emerge reasonably quickly as a stable democracy," Cross told the Sunday Mirror.

Second British general slams U.S. policy in postwar Iraq - Yahoo! News

British Pullout of Basra

British forces have pulled out of Basra Palace, the onetime southern residence of Saddam Hussein that became the symbol of the UK's role in the US-led invasion. The British departure from their last remaining base inside the walls of Basra City, signalled their disengagement from the conflict and has highlighted a growing and public discord between Washington and London over Iraq, with the Americans claiming the move will severely undermine security.

British leave last remaining Basra base: What was achieved? - Independent Online Edition; Middle East

British Spy Agency Spied on George Orwell Fearing What He Thought and Said Was a Danger to the State

Odd clothes and unorthodox views - why MI5 spied on Orwell for a decade | News | Guardian Unlimited Books

Hmmmm.....

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Florida Politicians Vote to Buy $4,000 HDTV's for Tampa Stadium Luxury Boxes

Last week, the Tampa Sports Authority approved a spending plan for Raymond James Stadium, nearby Legends Field and other authority properties. Half of the capital improvement budget is going for the televisions. Another $350,000 will replace refrigerators and ice makers in the luxury suites -- because there is nothing worse than having to drink your vodka warm.
Suite deal: When it comes to sports, there's plenty of tax dollars to go around: Political Whore: News: Creative Loafing Tampa

"Oh, those damn poor people make me so mad! They just leech off the system!"

Bush Seeks Immunity for AT&T and Verizon for Helping White House's Illegal Eavesdropping

The authority would effectively shut down dozens of lawsuits filed
against telecommunications companies accused of helping set up the
program.
Bush seeks to grant immunity - U.S. Security - MSNBC.com

These are lawsuits between private parties.

War Costs Soar, Could Top $1.4 Trillion

Additional war costs for the next 10 years could total about $472 billion if troop levels fall to 30,000 by 2010, or $919 billion if troop levels fall to 70,000 by about 2013. If these estimates are added to already appropriated amounts, total funding about $980 billion to $1.4 trillion by 2017.
Danger Room - Wired Blogs

They assured us this war would fund itself with oil revenues.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

David Walker - America on Brink of Bankruptcy (must see)

Great Article on Ron Paul in Wisc. Paper

"Dr. Paul might not be the perfect candidate for most Americans, but if we want a president with a fair mind and consistent principles, the Texas congressman merits a second glance. Hopefully his hypothesis, “freedom is popular,” will prove correct."

The Badger Herald - It’s no joke: Ron Paul the real deal