Negotiating with Terrorists, and Cowardly Setting Timetables

US, Iraq close in on deal for pullout of US troops

When people suggested talking with Iran, Neocons, Bush-supporters, Bush, Cheney, FOX News and others called them appeasers. They said, "What?! You can't negotiate with terrorists." Then Bush did it. He sent diplomats.

When people suggested setting timetables for withdrawal, that group said, "What?! That's like giving Al Qaeda the date they can take over. They'll just wait 'til we leave, then take over!" Now, Rice is over there, doing exactly that....setting timetables.

The end result is lack of credibility on the Right, and wasted time, money, and lives.

Justice Department plan would "allow the F.B.I. to open an investigation of an American, conduct surveillance, pry into private records and take other investigative steps 'without any basis for suspicion.'"

New Guidelines Would Give F.B.I. Broader Powers - NYTimes.com

"A Justice Department plan would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigation
to allow agents to open a national security or criminal investigation
against someone without any clear basis for suspicion, Democratic
lawmakers briefed on the details said Wednesday."


This isn't what America is about, people. Come on, this is getting out of control.

Russia Says Some NATO Cooperation Frozen

Russia says some NATO cooperation frozen | Reuters

"A senior Russian military official confirmed on Friday that Russia's
Defence Ministry had frozen some cooperation with the NATO military
alliance and queried the merits of a U.S. Navy operation in the Black
Sea."


Don't worry folks, Bush "looked into Putin's eyes."

How Politics Destroys Harmony and Creates Conflict

Classically Liberal: How politics destroys harmony and creates conflict.

The Lovely Benefits of the Iraq War, Nicely Summed Up By Russia's Response to Georgia Withdrawal

Russia, on Georgia withdrawal: "If I would ask
you in response to the same question how fast the American forces can
leave Iraq, for example, the answer would be as soon as we have
guarantees for peace and security there"

Lawmaker hints at long stay in Georgia, despite cease-fire - CNN.com

Pakistani Democracy Trumps U.S. Support of Military Dictator, as They Reelect President Deposed by Musharraf's Coup

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Pakistan's Musharraf steps down

More results of tough-guy diplomacy. As we focus a trillion dollars of our blood and treasure on some random guys living in caves, a nuclear power just went to a country which hates us, due to our support of a military dictator....the mind reels.

Bush Failures May Force McCain, Obama to Make Like FDR in 2009

"The next White House occupant will inherit the deepest housing recession in a generation, growing fears of bank failures, a sinking dollar, $4 gasoline and an economy bleeding jobs. He'll confront wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mounting tensions with Iran and the U.S.'s flagging international reputation.

Historians say the economic and foreign policy crises in Bush's wake will present either Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain with the biggest challenges to a new president since Herbert Hoover left office during the Great Depression." LINK

Chavez Goes Weapons Shopping in Russia Amid Arms Race

"Past Venezuelan arms purchases from Russia have strengthened ties with Moscow as its rivalry with the U.S. intensifies over President George W. Bush's plans for an Eastern Europe missile defense system..." Link


Fill 'er up, America! You're funding (and arming) our enemies! This war, and $140 oil, is great for us!

At $140/barrel, Saudi Arabia and Iran can buy all of U.S.

How much oil it'd take to buy the US? At the recent price of $140 a barrel, it turns out to be a mere 400 billion barrels, or just about the combined reserves of Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Keep supporting the $3 trillion wars to keep us on oil, boys. You're making everyone but us rich. What a strategy!

Russia says will use military means if U.S. deploys shield

Link

Bush's Dollar Drop Maps Loss of U.S. Clout at Final G-8 Summit

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aH0_cYGS8Avc&refer=home

Guantanamo Bay interrogation techniques copied from Chinese who used them to get false confessions from Americans during Korean war

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2236257/Guantanamo-Bay-interrogations-based-on-faulty-Chinese-communist-methods.html

Handy List of McCain Flip Flops

Link

Coalition troop deaths in Afghanistan surpass Iraq

Link

Fox News Alters Photos of Journalists They Don't Like

http://mediamatters.org/items/200807020002

Inspector General finds Bush Admin. guilty of politicizing the Justice Dept through illegal hiring practices and is sending out grand jury requests

WashingtonPost.com

White House Does Not Want Haliburton Oversight

WASHINGTON (AP) — "The Army's march to overhaul its tarnished contracting system has been slowed by an unlikely foe: the White House.

The Office of Management and Budget, President Bush's administrative arm, has shot down a service plan to add five active-duty generals who would oversee purchasing and monitor contractor performance.

The boost in brass was a key recommendation from a blue-ribbon panel that last fall criticized the Army for contracting failures that undermined the war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, wasted U.S. tax dollars, and sparked dozens of procurement fraud investigations.

As the Army's contracting budget ballooned — from $46 billion in 2002 to $112 billion in 2007 — it had too few experienced people negotiating and buying equipment and supplies, according to the panel. Worse still, there wasn't a single Army general in a job with contracting responsibilities. That meant the profession had little clout at a critical time." Link

US faces prison ship allegations

BBC NEWS | Americas | US faces prison ship allegations: "The comments come five days after the UN accused the US of stalling on their requests to visit Guantanamo Bay."

I definitely prefer being the pristine accuser, rather than the guilty accused.

Amnesty Bill Covers Torturers, Too; To Be Bundled With War Supplmental

CRIMES AND CORRUPTIONS OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER NEWS - Amnesty Bill Covers Torturers, Too; To Be Bundled With War Supplmental

'Persons immune from lawsuits include "Anyone" who "provid[ed] assistance to an element of the intelligence community . . . in connection with intelligence activity involving communications that was (i) authorized by the President during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending on January 17, 2007 and (ii) designed to prevent or detect a terrorist attack, or activities in preparation of a terrorist attack, against the United States and (B) the subject of a written request or directive . . . indicating that the activity was (i) authorized by the President; and (ii) determined to be lawful."'

Legalization would end drug war in Mexico, world

Legalization would end drug war in Mexico, world

Legalize All Drugs - By John Stossel

Townhall.com::Legalize All Drugs::By John Stossel

Habeas Corpus: The Bulwark of Our Liberties

Habeas Corpus: The Bulwark of Our Liberties

The following is an excerpt from the majority opinion in yesterday’s Supreme Court decision in Boumediene v. Bush. Citations to books and articles have been removed to facilitate reading.

First Public Interview with "Curveball," the Guy with the 'Intelligence" the Bush Admin Based an Invasion of Another Country On

'Curveball' speaks, and a reputation as a disinformation agent remains intact - Los Angeles Times

McCain's Offshore Drilling Position A Flip From Three Weeks Ago

McCain's Offshore Drilling Position A Flip From Three Weeks Ago - Politics on The Huffington Post: "It is hardly a secret that when it comes to offshore drilling, Sen. John McCain was against the idea before he was for it. On Monday, the Arizona Republican told a crowd in Texas that he was abandoning his long-time support for a federal moratorium on drilling along the nation's coastlines in favor of allowing states to decide for themselves."

Ex-State Dept. official: Hundreds of detainees died in U.S. custody, at least 25 murdered

Think Progress » Ex-State Dept. official: Hundreds of detainees died in U.S. custody, at least 25 murdered.: ""

Documents confirm U.S. hid detainees from Red Cross

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 06/18/2008 | Documents confirm U.S. hid detainees from Red Cross: "WASHINGTON — The U.S. military hid the locations of suspected terrorist detainees and concealed harsh treatment to avoid the scrutiny of the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to documents that a Senate committee released Tuesday."

General Who Probed Abu Ghraib: Bush Officials Committed 'War Crimes'

General Who Probed Abu Ghraib: Bush Officials Committed 'War Crimes' - Politics on The Huffington Post: "The remarks by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who's now retired, came in a new report that found that U.S. personnel tortured and abused detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, using beatings, electrical shocks, sexual humiliation and other cruel practices."

Legal Drugs Kill Far More Than Illegal, Florida Says

Legal Drugs Kill Far More Than Illegal, Florida Says - NYTimes.com: "An analysis of autopsies in 2007 released this week by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission found that the rate of deaths caused by prescription drugs was three times the rate of deaths caused by all illicit drugs combined."

Good thing the gov't is protecting us from those evil drugs! Thank you DEA!

America's prison for terrorists often held the wrong men

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 06/15/2008 | America's prison for terrorists often held the wrong men

Former Army Secretary: A Third Of The Prisoners Don't Belong In Guantanamo. U.S. has wrongfully imprisoned "perhaps hundreds" of men "in Afghanistan, Cuba and elsewhere on the basis of flimsy or fabricated evidence, old personal scores or bounty payments."

McCain Calls Arizona a Swing State...His Home State

McCain Calls Arizona a Swing State - The Washington Independent - U.S. news and politics - washingtonindependent.com

John McCain angrily denounces mandatory caps on carbon dioxide. Guess who's campaign released a plan for mandatory caps last month?

Crooks and Liars » McCain confused about his own energy policy: "QUESTION: The European Union has set mandatory targets on renewable energy. Is that something you would consider in a McCain administration? […]"

What's wrong with this guy? It's gone beyond flip-flopping. It's just a weird lust for power thing.

Article from The Onion in Jan. 2001 Predicts Everything Bush Administration Does

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over' | The Onion - America's Finest News Source: "WASHINGTON, DC–Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that 'our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over.'"

Get Osama Bin Laden before I leave office, orders George W Bush

Get Osama Bin Laden before I leave office, orders George W Bush - Times Online: "President George W Bush has enlisted British special forces in a final attempt to capture Osama Bin Laden before he leaves the White House."

George, I know you're trying to do this for your "legacy," but maybe the outlook for your legacy would have been better if you had done this right away, instead of putting it off 'til the last second, spending $3 trillion of our children and grand children's money on an unrelated revenge killing of Saddam.

Maliki raises possibility that Iraq might ask U.S. to leave

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 06/13/2008 | Maliki raises possibility that Iraq might ask U.S. to leave: "Maliki made the comment after weeks of complaints from Shiite Muslim lawmakers that U.S. proposals that would govern a continued troop presence in Iraq would infringe on Iraq's sovereignty."

Cost of Iraq War 2008

Cost of Iraq War 2008: "

"

Army's PR Office Spreading Partisan Attacks On Obama

Army Shows Its Colors - Intel Dump - Phillip Carter on national security and the military.

This is the problem of the military industrial complex that Eisenhower warned us about. The military getting involved in politics. Go to YouTube if you haven't seen his famous TV speech.

The Federal Government Keeps Two Sets of Books

USATODAY.com - What's the real federal deficit?: "The set the government doesn't talk about is the audited financial statement produced by the government's accountants following standard accounting rules. It reports a more ominous financial picture: a $760 billion deficit for 2005. If Social Security and Medicare were included — as the board that sets accounting rules is considering — the federal deficit would have been $3.5 trillion."

Supreme Court Repudiates Bush for Third Time

Court says detainees have rights, bucking Bush: "In a stinging rebuke to President Bush's anti-terror policies, a deeply divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign detainees held for years at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have the right to appeal to U.S. civilian courts to challenge their indefinite imprisonment without charges."

Another Iraq War Estimate, This Time $2.7 Trillion

Iraq war could cost taxpayers $2.7 trillion - Jun. 12, 2008

Family Values: McCain vs. Obama

Talking Points Memo | Obama's Baby Mama?:

The Obamas have been married for 16 years, and only to each other. John McCain left his first wife after she was in a car accident to marry an heiress 20 years younger than him. Who's marriage does Fox News insult?