Incredible

From MSNBC:

Ahmad Chalabi and his nephew Salem Chalabi said Monday that warrants issued for their arrests by Iraq's Central Criminal Court were part of a political conspiracy trumped up by former Saddam Hussein loyalists.

Ahmad Chalabi, a former Governing Council member with strong U.S. ties, was wanted in Iraq on counterfeiting charges, while Salem Chalabi, head of the special tribunal in charge of trying Saddam, faced an arrest warrant for murder, Iraq's chief investigating judge said Sunday.

And the White House acts like nothing's wrong? This was the Great Iraqi Hope and the Grand Inquisitor. These were the guys who were going to give this whole Iraq fiasco legitimacy. Don't you remember Ol' Ahmed sitting with Laura at the State of the Union Address last year? The excuses for war were given based on intelligence these assholes provided. Bunch of fucking amateurs in the White House. Quoting Theresa Heinz:

"Three more months, three more months, three more months!"

Some shit

Not only is that nitwit Keyes running against mah brotha Barak in Ilinois, there's a moron running in Tennessee too. From Xan at Corrente:

[. . .]

Next we come to a guy who embarasses even Tennessee Republicans, which, trust me, takes some doing. We get this, interestingly enough, via the Taipei Times, proving this fellow, James Hart, is mortifying the Volunteer State in places that previously had been unaware it existed:

An unabashed racist will represent the Republican party in the November election for a congressional seat after a write-in candidate failed to derail his effort.

With 86 percent of the primary vote counted on Thursday, write-in candidate Dennis Bertrand had just 1,554 votes compared to 7,671, or 83 percent, for James Hart, a believer in the discredited, phony science of eugenics.

In November, the Republican candidate will oppose Representative John Tanner, a Democrat who has represented the northwest Tennessee district for 15 years.

Hart, 60, vows if elected to work toward keeping "less favored races" from reproducing or immigrating to the US.

Hart said he will have lots of time to campaign for the general election since he was forced Wednesday to resign from his job as a real estate salesman because of the attention he drew during the primary.

While campaigning, Hart sometimes wears a protective vest and carries a .40-caliber pistol, but he said he has run into no trouble.

"When I knock on a door and say white children deserve the same rights as everybody else, the enthusiastic response is truly amazing," he said.

If a black person opens the door, he says he simply drops off campaign literature and leaves.
Via his campaign website we note the above, plus the following:

[. . .]

Entire post.


I'm surprised Bubba has nothing to say about this. I'm sure he will and I'll link to it when he does.

A Polack and

a Moron go into the Oval Office . . . Sounds like the beginning of a joke anyway. Guess what, it is! The Polish Prime Minister met with President SNAFU today at the White House. I know there's a Polish joke in there somewhere. Why did the Polack go to Iraq . . .

Plan . . . what?

From the Daily Howler:

SEQUEL ONE—$87 BILLION REDUX: “All of this should have been done a year ago,” this morning’s Times editorial says. The editorial is called “The Iraq Reconstruction Fiasco,” and it discusses that $18.4 billion in reconstruction money which Congress voted last October. The money was part of the famous $87 billion to “fund the troops”—the bill which Kerry voted against, a vote for which he is now routinely trashed. The editorial notes that Bush Admin has failed to put that $18 billion to work:

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL: Of the $18.4 billion Congress approved last fall, only about $600 million has actually been paid out. Billions more have been designated for giant projects still in the planning stage. Part of the blame rests with the Pentagon's planning failures and the occupation authority's reluctance to consult qualified Iraqis. Instead, the administration brought in American defense contractors who had little clue about what was most urgently needed or how to handle the unfamiliar and highly insecure climate. [my emphasis]

Gee! Any chance that Kerry (and others) may have been right when they said they wanted a more detailed plan before giving Bush this “blank check?” The editorial fails to raise this point, but that’s the way your press corps works. . .

[. . .]

Entire post.

Oh yeah, we can just go in there and take over. Planning, we don't need no steenking planning.

You know, I write spy novels and some science fiction. The reason I bring this up is not to peddle books, but to make an observation. Bush & Co's actions sound like the plot of a fucking spy novel. It's as if they're taking literary license with the war, the way I would when I ask my audience to suspend their belief in the flow of time and the details. (If writers didn't, novels would be SO long and boring, and filled with minutiae, that no one would want to read them.) But wars don't proceed like novels do. The president is not an omnipotent being, like a writer, who can mold the world so the outcome is in his favor. War, and running a country, involves minutiae on a biblical scale and all the details have to be addressed BEFORE war is declared. It's as if Bush thinks the world works like a TV show or a pulp fiction novel.

Alan Keyes

Ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Update: 12:00:

From Josh Marshall at TPM:

Quite simply, I knew that Alan Keyes -- whom I recently called the master of grandiloquent nonsense -- would not let me down.

Keyes kicked off his campaign in what I guess we should be calling his new hometown of Chicago today. But first he had to get over the fact that a few years ago he not only knocked Hillary Clinton for relocating to New York to run for Senate -- after all most every Republican did that -- but had to dress it up in typically Keyesian mumbo-jumbo

Harkening back to the wisdom of no one in particular, Keyes intoned, "I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent people there. So I certainly wouldn't imitate it."

The best walk back I heard for this one was the response from a Republican party official in Illinois a few days ago -- as related to me by a TPM reader -- who, when confronted with this seeming change of mind, shot back that ... you guessed it, 9/11 changed everything!

[. . .]

Entire post.

Welcome to New York

Have a nice fucking day. Ain't nobody in NYC wants the Republicans here in a couple weeks:

[. . .]

As Republicans get excited about converging on Madison Square Garden to bask in the political limelight this month, many New Yorkers apparently are not amused. A recent survey by a Manhattan public relations firm found 83 percent of those polled do not want the Republican convention in town. When asked why, more than half, 53 percent, were worried about traffic, street closures, and security hassles. All of this, prompting the city's biggest cheerleaders to soothe and reassure New Yorkers that it will all be worth it.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City(R[-Asshole]): "It is not going to cost the city anything other than the $25 million in security and it'll generate hundreds of millions in economic activity. It's really going to be great for the whole city. And I think everybody is really looking forward it."

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly adding the city can handle large-scale events without a hiccup, and that it won't be as bad as many fear.

Ray Kelly, NYC Police Commissioner : "I think there will be a lot less disruption than people seem to think or the media has been talking about...certainly in the vicinity of Madison Square Garden."

Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, New York City (R): "The fact is, you are in the hands of the New York Police Department, they have done a masterful job of making the city safer than it was before September 11th, 2001."

While city leaders past and present put the best spin on the convention, the same poll found 70 percent are afraid to go to work the week of August 30th because of security concerns. Tapping into the fear factor, other states are now trying to lure New Yorkers away for the week.

Amanda Smart, Manhattan Resident: "I feel like it is going to be a mad house. We have a hard time getting to work. It is going to be terrible to be in the city that week." [my emphasis]

[. . .]

Full story.

Yeah, this is gonna be wonderful.

We're ALL getting it in the ass

Via Jesus' General:

Kasim Hilas told a CID investigator that he witnessed a harrowing incident one night on Tier 1A. "I saw the translator Abu Hamid fucking a kid," Hilas stated. "His age would be about 15-18 years. The kid was hurting very bad and they covered all the doors with sheets. Then when I heard screaming I climbed the door because on top it wasn't covered and I saw Abu Hamid, who was wearing the military uniform, putting his dick in the little kid's ass. I couldn't see the face of the kid because his face wasn't in front of the door. And the female soldier was taking pictures. Abu Hamid, I think he is Egyptian because of his accent, and he was not skinny or short, and he acted like a homosexual (gay). And that was in cell #23 as best as I remember."

From a witness to the atrocities committed by American troops at Abu Ghraib.

Who served?

Via Kos from AWOLBush.com:






They also have a list [here] of who in government shirked military service.

Vets and Kerry

Kevin Hayden at The American Street sees it the same way I do. Kerry showed courage on the Mekong Delta and when he came home and testified before Congress against the war.

[. . .]


Just as the Abu Ghraib sergeant knew his revelations would invite a backlash, Kerry was aware he'd get a backlash, too. Thirty-two years later, some are pissed at him still.

I not only view Kerry as a hero for his service in 'Nam. He was a hero for risking the wrath of some vets in his effort to end the war and save thousands of more lives from being wasted. That's the sort of gratitude one gets for moral courage: 32 years of bitterness and ads timed to hurt him politically.

They just don't get that he's already a winner and will be even if he doesn't get elected. Moral courage is something I haven't seen in the White House in a couple of decades.

[. . .]

Entire post.

A new one

From Jesus' General:

Arrival Day

Who knew, and my wife is Jewish. I'm gonna give her hell for not knowing about this, she remembers the million or so other Jewish holidays throughout the year. From The Head Heeb:

One month to Arrival Day
Eleven months ago on September 7, 2003, The Head Heeb celebrated the first annual Arrival Day, a secular commemoration of the first American Jews' landing in New Amsterdam in 1654:

Arrival Day is different from other Jewish holidays in that it is a purely secular occasion - a celebration of the Jewish ethnic group rather than the Jewish religion. As such, non-Jews are allowed, and indeed encouraged, to participate. Just as everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day, on Arrival Day everyone is Jewish.

The occasion was marked with a blogburst featuring 16 essays on the American Jewish experience, preceded by a series of discussions on the past and present of the American Jewish community.

This September 7 will be the second Arrival Day. I'd like to at least match last year's participation, and as before, both Jews and non-Jews are welcome to take part. I ask only that the entries touch somehow on Jews, Judaism, Jewish thought, perceptions of Jews or interaction between Jews and gentiles. Because this year is the 350th anniversary of the American Jewish community, I also ask - although I won't require - that the essays focus on a common theme: the Jewish future. Between now and September 7, I will post a weekly series of articles on that subject; all those who want to join in, please let me know.

Good Jesus freaks

You know how I go off on the Christo-Fascist, Right-wing, bible-thumping, Jesus freaks. Well, there are some good ones out there. Via Melanie at Just a Bump in the Beltway:

Church Folks for a Better America

We are Christians, from different communions.
And citizens who span the political spectrum.

We grieve that our nation is not standing for “liberty and justice for all,” nor treating Iraqis as we would be treated. We believe that accountability begins at home, that wise leaders know their mistakes, and that honest leaders admit them. Fear and resentment will never guide us to a just and lasting peace. Any nation that hopes to be “under God” must live for a positive vision of world community, not a blind response to terrorism that tragically makes others see us as if we were terrorists ourselves.

If you're the God-fearing sort and want to see what level-headed Christians are all about, go see 'em.

Animals

I'm an animal lover so when I see pictures of peoples' pets, I usually steal 'em and post them here. Case in point.

Atrios' cats:




And our little monster's baby picture:

A man of the people

From WTF Is It Now??:

He's a fucking idiot

From Wampum:

Bush on sovereigns and sovereignty..

As I mentioned earlier, at some point this morning I had Bush's appearance before the Unity Conference as white noise in the background as I sat here econoblogging. But I had to wait for the transcript to make sure I hadn't dreamed this passage:

[Q] Good morning. My name is Mark Trahant. I'm the editorial page editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a member of the Native American Journalist Association. (Applause.) Most school kids learn about the government in the context of city, county, state and federal. And, of course, tribal governments are not part of that at all. Mr. President, you've been a governor and a President, so you have a unique experience, looking at it from two directions. What do you think tribal sovereignty means in the 21st century, and how do we resolve conflicts between tribes and the federal and the state governments?

[BUSH]: Tribal sovereignty means that, it's sovereign. You're a -- you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And, therefore, the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities.

Now, the federal government has got a responsibility on matters like education and security to help, and health care. And it's a solemn duty. And from this perspective, we must continue to uphold that duty. I think that one of the most promising areas of all is to help with economic development. And that means helping people understand what it means to start a business. That's why the Small Business Administration has increased loans. It means, obviously, encouraging capital flows. But none of that will happen unless the education systems flourish and are strong, and that's why I told you we've spent $1.1 billion in the reconstruction of Native American schools.

Ugh. I'm speechless.

This is your President, ladies and gentlemen. You know, in a way I'm happy Cheney is really running the country, bad as it is. Could you imagine what Bush would fuck up all on his own?

Nazis, once more

Why the Hell Robert Kennedy Jr. goes on Sean Hannity's show is beyond me, but at least he got his message out.

Via TBogg:

[. . .]

HANNITY: All right. Let's start with one. First of all, you start with, in your book, page 193, you talk about, "communism is the control of business by government, fascism is the control of government by business. My American Heritage dictionary defines fascism as a system of government that exercises dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of the state and business leadership together with belligerent nationalism. Sound familiar?" Are you accusing this president of being -- and this administration of being fascist like, Nazi-like?

KENNEDY: No, what I -- the point is that if you read that in context, is that Americans have to understand that there's a huge difference between free market capitalism, which is great for a democracy, which democratizes our country, that brings efficiencies, and the corporate crony capitalism that has been embraced by this administration, which is as antithetical to democracy in America as it is in Nigeria. Today, you have polluters running the agencies that are supposed to protect Americans from pollution. The second in command at EPA is a Monsanto lobbyist. The head of the air division at the EPA is a -- is a utility lobbyist.

HANNITY: I...

KENNEDY: Let me finish.

HANNITY: Go ahead. Go ahead.

KENNEDY: Who for his lifetime has been defending the worst polluters in America. The head of the public lands now, Sean, is a mining industry lobbyist. The head of forest service a timber industry lobbyist, and on and on and on.

HANNITY: I understand your point.

KENNEDY: These people did not enter government for public service. They entered to undermine and subvert the very laws that they're charged with enforcing.

[. . .]

HANNITY: And then you say the following: "These governments use provocation of terrorist attacks, continual wars, invocations of patriotism and homeland security to privatize the commons, tame the press, muzzle criticism by opponents, turn the government over to corporate control.

'It's always a simple matter to drag people along,' noted Hitler's sidekick Herman Goering, whether it's a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a parliament or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them that they are being attacked, denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism, and expose the country to danger -- and exposing the country to danger. And it works the same in any country," is what you say.

Then you go on to say -- you're talking about fascism and Nazism -- and the next line in this book of yours says, the White House has clearly grasped this lesson. That is disgraceful to make that comparison.

KENNEDY: Well, you know, Sean in this -- you know, look at the comparisons. Look at our -- what is -- look at the terror alert, for example, that we -- that was...

HANNITY: Nazism and fascism? That we're using the tactics of fascists and Nazists? That's what you're saying about your president? You can't disagree without being that obnoxious?

KENNEDY: We can disagree with each other, Sean, and that's something that we ought to be able to do without calling each other names.

HANNITY: You're the one calling them fascists and Nazis, comparing them to fascists and Nazis.

KENNEDY: Well, I never called the president a fascist or a Nazi.

HANNITY: You found a nice round-about way to compare his tactics to the fascists and the Nazis.

KENNEDY: And the point that I'm making, which is very clear in that book, is that control of government by corporations is as dangerous as control of government by communism.

HANNITY: That is unbelievable.”

[my emphasis]

Years from now, historians will describe the 2000 elections as the Crawford Putsch.

Low-life, rat bastid

This pissed me off. From Kevin T. Kieth at Lean Left:

[. . .]

This asshole fraudulently advertised himself as an abortion service provider and offered abortions at lower cost than local clinics. He also told women who called him that the other clinics were dangerous, and they should deal with him instead. He then systematically misled those women into waiting for an abortion appointment at his "clinic" - which didn't actually exist - making appointments and then canceling them, telling them repeated lies, and continually discouraging them from going to another provider, until they had gotten so far into their pregnancies that they could not afford a (more-expensive) late-term abortion and were forced to carry the pregnancy to term against their will.

[. . .]

His lies and manipulation not only caused women to undergo unwanted pregnancies and deliveries, but stole their personal liberty and demolished their ability to plan for and deal with other difficulties they faced.

[. . .]

Entire post.

Go there and read the whole thing. Makes my fucking blood boil. I want to treat this guy like an Iraqi prisoner.

Deep shit

From Kos:

Cole on outing of Al Qaida double agent
by kos
Sat Aug 7th, 2004 at 04:01:06 GMT

Juan Cole sums it up nicely:

So one scenario goes like this. Bush gets the reports that Eisa al-Hindi had been casing the financial institutions, and there was an update as recently as January 2004 in the al-Qaeda file. So this could be a live operation. If Bush doesn't announce it, and al-Qaeda did strike the institutions, then the fact that he knew of the plot beforehand would sink him if it came out (and it would) before the election. So he has to announce the plot. But if he announces it, people are going to suspect that he is wagging the dog and trying to shore up his popularity by playing the terrorism card. So he has to be able to give a credible account of how he got the information. So when the press is skeptical and critical, he decides to give up Khan so as to strengthen his case. In this scenario, he or someone in his immediate circle decides that a mere double agent inside al-Qaeda can be sacrificed if it helps Bush get reelected in the short term.

On the other hand, sheer stupidity cannot be underestimated as an explanatory device in Washington politics.

People, this is bigger than the Plame Affair (as horrible as that outing was). We are locked in a bona fide war against a shadowy enemy. We finally infiltrate an Al Qaida cell, and our asset is burned in a matter of days either out of political expediency or sheer stupidity.
It boggles the mind.

As Juan Cole, regardless of which it is, the current administration does not deserve to be in power. Kerry needs to make this an issue.

Yay!

Cross posted from The Fixer because I'm a happy camper.

Been trying to sell my science fiction manuscripts for some time now. Got this about an hour ago:

[. . .]

I found the manuscript intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable (I'm a romance writer -- what can I say) and we would be honored to offer a contract for publication -- if the manuscript is still available. At this time, I've slated it in for an August, 2005 release. Luckily, the manuscript needs very little work. In fact, if you give it another thorough read for typos, it may be able to go to print "as is." Honestly, this is the first time I've been able to say that. You did a wonderful job and should be commended.

[. . .]

I'm a happy camper. I'll give out all the details when the contracts are signed. Yay!!!

It's getting worse

From The Head Heeb:

Even as the Chadian government wrestles with the problem of housing and feeding hundreds of thousands of refugees from Darfur, a crisis is developing among another group of refugees in Chad: those from the Central African Republic. Some 27,000 refugees from the CAR fled to Chad during the civil war of 2001-03 and, although a national unity government put in place after the March 2003 coup has restored some stability in the capital region, continued provincial unrest has prevented the exiles from returning home. Now, they are facing starvation because the UN World Food Program has run out of money to supply them. Unless more international aid is forthcoming, the CAR refugees will be forced to rely solely on the host communities for food - and given that Chad can barely feed itself, the prospects of adequate local assistance seem grim.

Update: 16:23:

Matt Yglesias:

Invade Sudan?
What would it take to halt genocide in Darfur? Rather a lot, it seems. I think, though, that this sort of all-or-nothing attitude is counterproductive. If you say that 7,000 troops is desperately inadequate, you're going to wind up getting zero. Meanwhile, it seems that 7,000 troops could probably do a great deal of good.