At one time Russia was an Empire, then it was a Hegemony, then it was broken, and then came oil. Big oil prices, Russia with lots of oil, lots of money for military. Now Russia has a long history of xenophobia and paranoia regarding the West. Not all of that is the result of propaganda, Napoleon and Hitler came from the West and there have been plenty of historical examples of the other making real problems for Russia. Nationalism has been a reality of Russia for a very long time and the time since the fall of the USSR has been ... humiliating. It doesn't take expertise in Russian history and sociology to know this, just paying a bit of attention will do.
Not too long after Putin demonstrated that Bush couldn't really see his soul in his eyes and also refused to intervene in Iran BushCo started poking the Russian bear. Now poking sticks at bears is a bad idea if the bear is loose and you don't have a big gun to back up your puny stick. The purpose of NATO was to have that big gun regarding that bear; the Russians and everybody else knew it. There is a difference between an economic union like the EU and military alliances like NATO and there should be no confusion. The EU enhances the economic and political health of its member nations. NATO is about military protection from ... Russia. NATO has cooperated in military actions outside Europe, for instance Afghanistan, but it is not a world military alliance. The US has been pushing NATO closer and closer to Russia's borders and they don't like it.
The US has a demonstrably unsuccessful ABM program that it is trying to put on Russia's borders, supposedly in regard to Middle Eastern terror states. It doesn't work reliably and the Russians don't like it, big surprise. BushCo has kept pushing it in the face of Russia's objections, which aren't really unrealistic in regard to Russian history. The real trump card in this mess is that there are no credible threats in the Middle East making such a deployment necessary. It looks a lot more like pointless poking at the bear.
Georgia, S Ossetia, and Russia all have a difficult relationship and it dates back quite awhile. S Ossetia, a pretty small place, has made itself pretty clear that it doesn't care to be Georgian and Georgia has made itself pretty clear that it doesn't care to let loose of S Ossetia. Most S Ossetians have Russian passports indicating a preference for Russia and Russia for many reasons, including nationalism and border cushion likes that fine. Enter BushCo and NATO being proffered to Georgia along with military training and equipment aimed at the propaganda aspect of 2000 Georgian troops in Iraq. BushCo led Georgia to think it was important to the US.
Now exactly who is it that is supposed to be an expert in things Russian? Condi Rice. Condi was lately in Georgia and shortly there after they started shooting at S Ossetia and apparently Russian peacekeeping troop. I don't propose that she was stupid enough to tell them to do it, but I don't think it is in the least unreasonable to think she told them how important they were. This woman was the NSA head when September 11, 2001 happened ("no credible threat") and she was the NSA head when George II half-assed Afghanistan, and she was NSA head when smoking guns were mushrooms and Saddam had WMDs and had a hand in Sept 11 attacks. She was Secretary of State when Israel made a spectacular mess in Lebanon and drumbeats of Iranian War began. It doesn't hurt to remember that Iran made itself useful in our aborted Afghani campaign. Now she seems to have had a hand in the Georgian mess.
Now in regard to Russia I'm sure they take a certain amount of glee from our Afghanistan/Iraq quagmire. I'm very sure they don't like our approach to Iran. I'm real sure they haven't liked being jabbed at on their own borders. Nobody would like that, not the US, not Russia, not anybody. Russia is historically very antsy about its borders and that is not exactly specialized knowledge. Either Condi has had a hand in this stupidity or BushCo is ignoring her - and there is no sign of that. I've heard she's a pretty good piano player...
I'm pretty tired of the US being made an international pariah with domestic and international actions that only a few would have dreamed possible a dozen years ago. I am considerably less happy to be a part of those actions. I am extremely tired of militaristic misadventures being the hallmark of this administration, their idiocy is getting a lot of people killed and maimed around the world.
(oh for god's sake, I just heard a clip of Condi asserting the sovereignty of Georgia) [has she heard of Iraq?] Oh crap, the US media is banging the Russia is evil drum. This is a hell of a lot more complicated than that.
Now that BushCo has managed to stir up trouble with Russia we need to... Do exactly what? We don't have any big guns. The military is bogged down and nearly broken. Our economy is in tatters. Cheney and McHero are ranting away, economic sanctions, ditching Russia with G8, oh we'll punish them... I guess neither of them think gasoline prices are high enough. Did somebody forget about oil and the rather large amount of oil and natural gas Russia exports? Who loses in an economic set to? I have to wonder just how stupid Republicans propose to be and just how badly we get to suffer for it? It's enough to make you wish Babs had told GHWB, "NO!" one night...
Showing posts with label Condi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Condi. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Sunday, October 14, 2007
BushCo Misjudges Putin
McClatchy ran a story about the steadily worsening relations between Russia and the US. Back in 2001 George II looked into Putins eyes and saw his soul. At the time I wondered about that sort of reasoning, nothing in Putin's background created such an impression on me as his eyes did George. If the Secret Service were to actually allow such a thing and George got to look into my eyes he'd read anger and disgust, but then, I'm not a KGB case officer. In the grand scheme of things looking into my eyes would probably have a less detrimental effect on world affairs. Now given the man's background I would expect a couple of things, nationalism, authoritarianism, a distrust of the West, and an ability to dissemble.
Given nationalism, a KGB officer for pete's sake, and the position of head of state I would expect that not only would the security concerns of Russia come foremost, but also its perception as a powerful state. Couple that with a distrust of the West, we are talking about the KGB, I'd think it was a particularly stupid idea to poke a stick at the bear. The stick being anti-missile missiles near their border, that stick being a particular stupid poking mechanism since it isn't even proven technology. I don't think it is exactly far fetched thinking to see a nation that was an empire a short while ago as rather sensitive to developments within its former colonies, particularly developments fostered by its previous 'enemy' and biggest competitor for global influence. Here's the really scary part, Condi is supposed to be an expert on Russia. Former NSA head and now Sec State couldn't see this coming - Putin doesn't like the anti-missile missile idea, not at all, and he's hot. (for public consumption)
BushCo has had some idea that Russia could be useful, and it probably could - given that its interests coincided with ours -but unless those interests were very compelling, security and nationalism are going to trump. That the influential neo-cons in the Admin didn't apply their rationales to Russia's agendas is astonishing, it seems they only applied to US interests. I'm beginning to run out of a supply of disgust for these people's ability to project their wishful thinking onto reality. They were going to be "creating reality" while the rest of us were stuck on what's actually there and the word for that kind of thinking is wishful.
I may be slightly blinded by my complete disrespect for these people so I'll ask this, "what exactly have they done that worked out?"
Now they can scarcely be blamed for Russia being Russian, but they certainly might have paid attention to that fact. I won't go into the Iraq, flowers, and oil paying for it thing; beyond, "Really?" "Heck of a job" still looks like an entire mess. I wouldn't go asking anybody below upper middle class how this economy is working out. South America seems to be brimming over with pals of the US. OK, the rich have gotten a lot richer and their corporate cronies are raking it in, but I don't remember that as "public" policy.
These people are making us less secure - economically, militarily, and politically and it is starting to reach the point of dangerous. If Iran is supposed to be such a big threat then why is it that we are poking the outside government with the most influence. Another fourteen months of this may be a stretch.
Given nationalism, a KGB officer for pete's sake, and the position of head of state I would expect that not only would the security concerns of Russia come foremost, but also its perception as a powerful state. Couple that with a distrust of the West, we are talking about the KGB, I'd think it was a particularly stupid idea to poke a stick at the bear. The stick being anti-missile missiles near their border, that stick being a particular stupid poking mechanism since it isn't even proven technology. I don't think it is exactly far fetched thinking to see a nation that was an empire a short while ago as rather sensitive to developments within its former colonies, particularly developments fostered by its previous 'enemy' and biggest competitor for global influence. Here's the really scary part, Condi is supposed to be an expert on Russia. Former NSA head and now Sec State couldn't see this coming - Putin doesn't like the anti-missile missile idea, not at all, and he's hot. (for public consumption)
BushCo has had some idea that Russia could be useful, and it probably could - given that its interests coincided with ours -but unless those interests were very compelling, security and nationalism are going to trump. That the influential neo-cons in the Admin didn't apply their rationales to Russia's agendas is astonishing, it seems they only applied to US interests. I'm beginning to run out of a supply of disgust for these people's ability to project their wishful thinking onto reality. They were going to be "creating reality" while the rest of us were stuck on what's actually there and the word for that kind of thinking is wishful.
I may be slightly blinded by my complete disrespect for these people so I'll ask this, "what exactly have they done that worked out?"
Now they can scarcely be blamed for Russia being Russian, but they certainly might have paid attention to that fact. I won't go into the Iraq, flowers, and oil paying for it thing; beyond, "Really?" "Heck of a job" still looks like an entire mess. I wouldn't go asking anybody below upper middle class how this economy is working out. South America seems to be brimming over with pals of the US. OK, the rich have gotten a lot richer and their corporate cronies are raking it in, but I don't remember that as "public" policy.
These people are making us less secure - economically, militarily, and politically and it is starting to reach the point of dangerous. If Iran is supposed to be such a big threat then why is it that we are poking the outside government with the most influence. Another fourteen months of this may be a stretch.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Radhi al-Radhi, Hero - Versus - Darn Near Everybody
Maybe a hick from Baker City, Oregon is easily impressed...I don't think so. How was it going in Iraq for Judge al-Radhi head of the Commission on Public Integrity? Kinda rough, 31 employees killed and 12 family members killed, serving the interest of the Maliki government, which wasn't very enthusiastic. Unenthusiastic enough to fire Radhi while he and some of his staff were in the US for US sponsored training last month, and cut him off monetarily. It seems this guy made some pretty serious enemies. Just for good measure add in the State Department, yup, US State Department under Condi's direction. Yeah, that historically challenged factually deficient, Condi Rice, promoter of global democratization and BushCo ethics. (cough, cough - I put those two words next to each other??)
This is quite honestly such a mess that I'm torn on which part leads to the next and what's more disturbing. OK, my post in September gave some detail to corruption in Iraq and Radhi's difficulties engaging it, his efforts show the Maliki government to be nearly paralyzed by corruption, something inconvenient for BushCo at this point. Thursday he testified before Henry Waxman's committee, detailing what's been going on. Within minutes Republicans were on the attack:
"Corruption is not a new phenomenon," remarked Representative Tom Davis, the senior GOPer on the panel.
Republican, Representative Darrell Issa, "We're not surprised a country that was run by a corrupt dictator…would have a pattern of corruption."
Republican Representative John Mica noted that corruption plagues many democratic countries, including the United States. Mica cited Watergate and the prosecution of Reagan administration officials, and he claimed that the Clinton administration had "the most number of witnesses to die suddenly."
I'm not going to re-write this AlterNet story, there are a lot more details, not nice details, but we start to get to some of the salient points when Waxman wants to see the State Department report on Iraqi government corruption - it's classified. The 70 page draft was "Sensitive, Not Classified;" the 80 page version is now off limits.
Is your head spinning? Yet? Waxman evidently was, he noted that Condi had recently praised the Maliki efforts against corruption - very publicly - but now the not so positive was classified. The pattern of embarrassing documents finding their way into classification continues. Henry got wound up enough to say, "Secretary Rice is going to have a confrontation with this committee….The executive branch must answer the questions of the legislative branch." Knock yourself out, Henry, Condi luuuuuvs George II much more than she fears you.
Just exactly how ignored has this story been? Bet you knew nothing of it from the MSM. Yep, that leftist elite media the wing nuts are always railing against... Follow those links and see what it really is that's got me going, I'll be damned if I'll sit still for this crap out of those weasels.
Here's a little PostScript for you:
This is quite honestly such a mess that I'm torn on which part leads to the next and what's more disturbing. OK, my post in September gave some detail to corruption in Iraq and Radhi's difficulties engaging it, his efforts show the Maliki government to be nearly paralyzed by corruption, something inconvenient for BushCo at this point. Thursday he testified before Henry Waxman's committee, detailing what's been going on. Within minutes Republicans were on the attack:
"Corruption is not a new phenomenon," remarked Representative Tom Davis, the senior GOPer on the panel.
Republican, Representative Darrell Issa, "We're not surprised a country that was run by a corrupt dictator…would have a pattern of corruption."
Republican Representative John Mica noted that corruption plagues many democratic countries, including the United States. Mica cited Watergate and the prosecution of Reagan administration officials, and he claimed that the Clinton administration had "the most number of witnesses to die suddenly."
I'm not going to re-write this AlterNet story, there are a lot more details, not nice details, but we start to get to some of the salient points when Waxman wants to see the State Department report on Iraqi government corruption - it's classified. The 70 page draft was "Sensitive, Not Classified;" the 80 page version is now off limits.
Writing to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Waxman contended that this was absurd and outrageous. He argued it was ridiculous for the State Department to claim it could not answer even general questions about Iraqi corruption within a public setting. At the hearing, Waxman hurled a series of queries at Butler. What effect does corruption have on the Iraqi government's ability to achieve political reconciliation? Has Maliki obstructed any corruption investigations? Does the Maliki government have the political will and capability to root out corruption? Is corruption funding the insurgency? Again and again, Butler replied that he would be delighted to answer these questions in the proper setting: a classified hearing behind closed doors. This information, he explained, was secret because its disclosure would "endanger" U.S.-Iraqi relations.
Is your head spinning? Yet? Waxman evidently was, he noted that Condi had recently praised the Maliki efforts against corruption - very publicly - but now the not so positive was classified. The pattern of embarrassing documents finding their way into classification continues. Henry got wound up enough to say, "Secretary Rice is going to have a confrontation with this committee….The executive branch must answer the questions of the legislative branch." Knock yourself out, Henry, Condi luuuuuvs George II much more than she fears you.
According to a Radhi associate, Radhi left the committee room believing he had done the right thing. Even as he was depending on the U.S. government to process his asylum request, he had delivered Congress a straight message that happened to be rather inconvenient for the Bush administration. Then hours later, he received disturbing news: his son, who had been trying to obtain political asylum in England, was ordered by the British government to return to Baghdad. That's where people connected to Radhi have been kidnapped, tortured and killed. "For Judge Radhi," the Radhi associate said, "this put his day on Capitol Hill in a very different light."That's right Rep Mica, there's corruption in DC, rather inconvenient of your Republican self to bring it up. Radhi battles it in Bhagdad, loses friends and family, and finally his position and economic well-being and you thugs belittle him in your smug little BushCo world of cronyism and corruption. The man is a hero and you and your's are scum sucking bottom feeders and you will exact your revenge for him making George II's surge look pointless.
Just exactly how ignored has this story been? Bet you knew nothing of it from the MSM. Yep, that leftist elite media the wing nuts are always railing against... Follow those links and see what it really is that's got me going, I'll be damned if I'll sit still for this crap out of those weasels.
Here's a little PostScript for you:
"No U.S. government agency has provided him any help to date," says a Radhi associate. On Monday morning, I asked Nicole Thompson, a State Department spokesperson, if this is true. She promised a quick answer. No reply came quickly. When I called again, she told me she had to check with Bureau of Near East Affairs and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. On Wednesday afternoon, Thompson called with an official response:The Nation
State Department officials have met with Judge Radhi and are aware of his situation. As a standard practice, we do not comment on private conversations.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Condi and the NYT
Sometimes important people give interviews to newspapers, sometimes newspapers ask the hard questions, sometimes you get this. I will admit to having a very negative view of Condi, based primarily on her public statements and actions both as National Security Advisor and as Secretary of State. Stanford, where she served as provost, seems to have plenty of people with the same kind of view regarding her return. The Stanford Daily, Stanford's student paper, ran this headline, "Condi Eyes Return, but in What Role?” and a representative letter to the editor from Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Don Ornstein followed, "Condoleezz Rice serves an administration that has trashed the basic values of academia: reason, science, expertise, and honesty. Stanford should not welcome her back.”
The thrust of the article is that Condi sucked as NSA and is now trying to repair that as SoS. From the NYT, "Beyond trying to influence the historical record, Ms. Rice is trying hard to rewrite her legacy to include something more than Iraq. Her colleagues and friends say that she has accepted that Iraq is a stain that she probably cannot remove before she leaves office. So she has thrown herself into shoring up the rest of her legacy, zeroing in in recent months on Arab-Israeli peace, as a possible source of redemption."
Condi herself, “I don’t know; if that’s the assessment, you know, I’ll accept people’s assessment,” she said, her demeanor resigned. “The national security adviser is a great job, because you’re very close to the president; you’re working with him, but it’s also a very difficult job because everything is by remote control. You do not own any of the assets.”
It may seem a small minded quibble, but I'd point out to her that there is one asset you can always own, -yourself.
If you're real curious what she tells the NYT she thinks she's up to, follow the links. I'm afraid I didn't find this thing to be much more than a re-branded press release.
The thrust of the article is that Condi sucked as NSA and is now trying to repair that as SoS. From the NYT, "Beyond trying to influence the historical record, Ms. Rice is trying hard to rewrite her legacy to include something more than Iraq. Her colleagues and friends say that she has accepted that Iraq is a stain that she probably cannot remove before she leaves office. So she has thrown herself into shoring up the rest of her legacy, zeroing in in recent months on Arab-Israeli peace, as a possible source of redemption."
Condi herself, “I don’t know; if that’s the assessment, you know, I’ll accept people’s assessment,” she said, her demeanor resigned. “The national security adviser is a great job, because you’re very close to the president; you’re working with him, but it’s also a very difficult job because everything is by remote control. You do not own any of the assets.”
It may seem a small minded quibble, but I'd point out to her that there is one asset you can always own, -yourself.
If you're real curious what she tells the NYT she thinks she's up to, follow the links. I'm afraid I didn't find this thing to be much more than a re-branded press release.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Condi, Stick to Piano
She liked playing piano and was supposed to be pretty good at it, that's something - anyhow. At one time she was the Republican's darling, George II's heir or some hotshot R's running mate. Yep, after everybody quit saying nice things about Colin, she was not only going to be the first black president, but a woman to boot. The word combinations "black," "woman," and "President" have all become Democratic. As little use as I have for Hillary, the word competent isn't an antonym to her name and Obamma is evidently honest and engaging and sadly Condi doesn't even look good next to the riff-raff the R's are running. How far we fall...well a bit more.
The Foreign Affairs Council, composed of former Ambassadors and senior diplomats, released a report today that says the State Department has poor morale and too few people to fill places being drained by Afghanistan and Iraq. They seem to think Condi should have done something about it. If you'd like to see the Department spokesman's excuses, AP has them, along with a few more details.
I really long for a time when the Executive Branch isn't rotting off the tree of democracy, when competence is the minimum requirement, and somebody will tell the truth - or even something close to it. I bet Condi's biggest problem is that Regency U doesn't have enough little godlings that'll go do the dirty work overseas. If you think I'm just being snarky, consider - that place has only been a university for a few years, ranks right up there with Podunk U, and has 150 grads employed in the Executive Branch. yep, god hates us...
The Foreign Affairs Council, composed of former Ambassadors and senior diplomats, released a report today that says the State Department has poor morale and too few people to fill places being drained by Afghanistan and Iraq. They seem to think Condi should have done something about it. If you'd like to see the Department spokesman's excuses, AP has them, along with a few more details.
I really long for a time when the Executive Branch isn't rotting off the tree of democracy, when competence is the minimum requirement, and somebody will tell the truth - or even something close to it. I bet Condi's biggest problem is that Regency U doesn't have enough little godlings that'll go do the dirty work overseas. If you think I'm just being snarky, consider - that place has only been a university for a few years, ranks right up there with Podunk U, and has 150 grads employed in the Executive Branch. yep, god hates us...
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Rice Said WHAT??
"I'm very glad that there was, in fact, a consequence. I think that this kind of coarse language doesn't belong anywhere in reasonable dialogue between reasonable people," said Rice regarding Imus' firing.
Oh for god's sake. I just got done complaining about Al Sharpton and then I saw this. A lot of people have died because of or been slandered by this mongering BushCo sleaze and she's got the nerve to pick on Don Imus? I think my head just exploded.
Her mangling of historical fact and outright lies...I can't say anything reasonable or polite - I'm going to bed. BushCo has no shame.
Oh for god's sake. I just got done complaining about Al Sharpton and then I saw this. A lot of people have died because of or been slandered by this mongering BushCo sleaze and she's got the nerve to pick on Don Imus? I think my head just exploded.
Her mangling of historical fact and outright lies...I can't say anything reasonable or polite - I'm going to bed. BushCo has no shame.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Dr Rice - Quack PoliSci
Finally someone has had the nerve to call-out Condi. Now there are things that require either stupidity or lying if you have a PhD in PoliSci. You see, recent history is a part of the curriculum because you cannot understand politics if you do not understand the events of the time. (I typed this last very slowly in case she's reading it) Strangely enough it was Keith Olberman who called BS.
Just to back up in time, shortly after Bhagdad fell and insurgents started killing people and the bodies were piling up pretty fast, the good Doctor likened them to the Wolfenstein in post-war Germany. These dead enders are officially credited with 32 killings, maybe more, maybe less since gangland killings were also going on - black market gangs. At that time there were several hundred dead in Iraq and no sign of a slow down. I don't have a PhD and I knew about it, but she said it. I bring this up because these folk like to bring up Hitler and WWII and say stuff that putting its best face on it is wrong. There's been talk of appeasers, of Churchillian Bush, of just about any appeal to that war imaginable in the face of the Iraq debacle. And they're back at it again in the most ignorant fashion possible.
Olberman:
'If Congress were now to revise the Iraq authorization, she said, out loud, with an adult present, "…It would be like saying that after Adolf Hitler was overthrown, we needed to change then, the resolution that allowed the United States to do that, so that we could deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after he was overthrown." '
***
'Invoking the German dictator who subjugated Europe; who tried to exterminate the Jews; who sought to overtake the world — is not just in the poorest of taste but in its hyperbole, it insults not merely the victims of the Third Reich, but those in this country who fought it. And defeated it.
Saddam Hussein was not Adolf Hitler.
And George W. Bush is not Franklin D. Roosevelt — nor Dwight D. Eisenhower.
He isn't even George H.W. Bush, who fought in that war.'
***
' "The resolution that allowed the United States to" overthrow Hitler?
On the 11th of December, 1941, at 8 o'clock in the morning, two of Hitler's diplomats walked up to the State Department — your office, Secretary Rice — and ninety minutes later they were handing a declaration of war to the Chief of the Department's European Division. The Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor four days earlier and the Germans simply piled on.'
***
'If you want to compare what we did to Hitler and in Germany, to what we did to Saddam and in Iraq, I'm afraid you're going to have to buy the whole analogy.
We were an occupying force in Germany, Dr. Rice, and by your logic, we're now an occupying force in Iraq.'
***
'But then there's this part about changing "the resolution" about Iraq, that it would be as ridiculous in the Secretary's eyes, as saying that after Hitler was defeated, we needed to go back to Congress to "deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after he was overthrown."
Oh, good grief, Secretary Rice, that's exactly what we did do!
We went back to Congress to deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after Hitler was overthrown!
It was called the Marshall Plan.'
***
'Twelve billion, 400 thousand dollars to stabilize all of Europe economically — to keep the next enemies of freedom, the Russians, out, and democracy, in!
And how do you suppose that happened? The President of the United States went back to Congress, and asked it for a new authorization, and for the money.
And do you have any idea, Madame Secretary, who opposed him when he did that?
The Republicans!'
I've cut Keith's admirable prose to pieces for this little exercise, the logic is still there but the elegance is gone. If you'd like the whole thing go over to MSNBC and get it.
The level of intellectual dishonesty needed to say this crap is astonishing. If it were coming from one of the right wing nutblogs it would just be pathetic, but this is the Secretary of State of the USA and supposedly one with a doctorate in political science. It must have specialized in Orwellian politics. So far in this country, history is not in the hands of the government, knowledge will take them down, knowledge and nerve.
According to KOS, the history they do have in their hands is disappearing, Cheney's interviews from 2004 forward are going away - you know "last throws," that kind of stuff is g o n e... These people have been given so much leash with their framing, spinning, lying, defaming, ... that they have lost all sense of proportion, all recognition that they can be caught and kicked in the teeth for it. They only get away with what we tolerate, don't.
Just to back up in time, shortly after Bhagdad fell and insurgents started killing people and the bodies were piling up pretty fast, the good Doctor likened them to the Wolfenstein in post-war Germany. These dead enders are officially credited with 32 killings, maybe more, maybe less since gangland killings were also going on - black market gangs. At that time there were several hundred dead in Iraq and no sign of a slow down. I don't have a PhD and I knew about it, but she said it. I bring this up because these folk like to bring up Hitler and WWII and say stuff that putting its best face on it is wrong. There's been talk of appeasers, of Churchillian Bush, of just about any appeal to that war imaginable in the face of the Iraq debacle. And they're back at it again in the most ignorant fashion possible.
Olberman:
'If Congress were now to revise the Iraq authorization, she said, out loud, with an adult present, "…It would be like saying that after Adolf Hitler was overthrown, we needed to change then, the resolution that allowed the United States to do that, so that we could deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after he was overthrown." '
***
'Invoking the German dictator who subjugated Europe; who tried to exterminate the Jews; who sought to overtake the world — is not just in the poorest of taste but in its hyperbole, it insults not merely the victims of the Third Reich, but those in this country who fought it. And defeated it.
Saddam Hussein was not Adolf Hitler.
And George W. Bush is not Franklin D. Roosevelt — nor Dwight D. Eisenhower.
He isn't even George H.W. Bush, who fought in that war.'
***
' "The resolution that allowed the United States to" overthrow Hitler?
On the 11th of December, 1941, at 8 o'clock in the morning, two of Hitler's diplomats walked up to the State Department — your office, Secretary Rice — and ninety minutes later they were handing a declaration of war to the Chief of the Department's European Division. The Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor four days earlier and the Germans simply piled on.'
***
'If you want to compare what we did to Hitler and in Germany, to what we did to Saddam and in Iraq, I'm afraid you're going to have to buy the whole analogy.
We were an occupying force in Germany, Dr. Rice, and by your logic, we're now an occupying force in Iraq.'
***
'But then there's this part about changing "the resolution" about Iraq, that it would be as ridiculous in the Secretary's eyes, as saying that after Hitler was defeated, we needed to go back to Congress to "deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after he was overthrown."
Oh, good grief, Secretary Rice, that's exactly what we did do!
We went back to Congress to deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after Hitler was overthrown!
It was called the Marshall Plan.'
***
'Twelve billion, 400 thousand dollars to stabilize all of Europe economically — to keep the next enemies of freedom, the Russians, out, and democracy, in!
And how do you suppose that happened? The President of the United States went back to Congress, and asked it for a new authorization, and for the money.
And do you have any idea, Madame Secretary, who opposed him when he did that?
The Republicans!'
I've cut Keith's admirable prose to pieces for this little exercise, the logic is still there but the elegance is gone. If you'd like the whole thing go over to MSNBC and get it.
The level of intellectual dishonesty needed to say this crap is astonishing. If it were coming from one of the right wing nutblogs it would just be pathetic, but this is the Secretary of State of the USA and supposedly one with a doctorate in political science. It must have specialized in Orwellian politics. So far in this country, history is not in the hands of the government, knowledge will take them down, knowledge and nerve.
According to KOS, the history they do have in their hands is disappearing, Cheney's interviews from 2004 forward are going away - you know "last throws," that kind of stuff is g o n e... These people have been given so much leash with their framing, spinning, lying, defaming, ... that they have lost all sense of proportion, all recognition that they can be caught and kicked in the teeth for it. They only get away with what we tolerate, don't.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Scapegoat ...Aaaaaaggghhhh!
The President of the USA told 60 Minutes in an interview that if Americans wanted a "scapegoat" he was it. There have been "things that could've been done better" and if we need a scapegoat he'll take it on for us. My head exploded.
I like Webster's 9th New Collegiate, it's not the best but they do get to the point fairly quickly and are accepted:
scapegoat - 1. *biblical, never mind* 2. a: one who bears the blame for others b: one that is the object of irrational hostility
If Merriam Webster take these people in the White House seriously they're going to be publishing an entirely new type of dictionary, one with meanings optional. They'll just spray words at a page and you get to pick what you like.
Now if you can explain to me how exactly it is that the Commander-in-Chief, you know, The Decider, is bearing the blame for someone else regarding the conduct of his war I'll try to put my head back together and apologize. Failing that, explain to me how this person who has mislead us into a war, mismanaged a war, inaccurately described the progress of a war, and divided this country into Patriots who back him and Traitors who do not is the object of irrational hostility on this basis and I'll just stop writing anything at all, ever again, because I must be psychologically imbalanced and just plain retarded.
There is such a complete and total disregard for the meaning of the English language demonstrated by these people that there probably are no words to adequately describe it to them. This misuse of the language goes beyond spin into the realm of propaganda. For Condi Rice to argue that escalation isn't the proper term, that augmentation is a correct description to a US Senator - Republican - is just plain ... stupid. Augment means: to make greater, more numerous, larger, or more intense and escalate means : to increase in extent, volume, number, amount, intensity, or scope. This is the best we can do for a Sec. State? This isn't about the diplomacy of correct language, this is about using the language to deny that what you're doing is exactly what you say you're doing. Does this make your head spin? 'We don't want you to think we're doing exactly what we're telling you we are doing because you might not like us doing exactly what we just told you we are doing.' If you don't like being treated like a complete idiot, it would pay to remember that these people were elected by us TWICE.
I like Webster's 9th New Collegiate, it's not the best but they do get to the point fairly quickly and are accepted:
scapegoat - 1. *biblical, never mind* 2. a: one who bears the blame for others b: one that is the object of irrational hostility
If Merriam Webster take these people in the White House seriously they're going to be publishing an entirely new type of dictionary, one with meanings optional. They'll just spray words at a page and you get to pick what you like.
Now if you can explain to me how exactly it is that the Commander-in-Chief, you know, The Decider, is bearing the blame for someone else regarding the conduct of his war I'll try to put my head back together and apologize. Failing that, explain to me how this person who has mislead us into a war, mismanaged a war, inaccurately described the progress of a war, and divided this country into Patriots who back him and Traitors who do not is the object of irrational hostility on this basis and I'll just stop writing anything at all, ever again, because I must be psychologically imbalanced and just plain retarded.
There is such a complete and total disregard for the meaning of the English language demonstrated by these people that there probably are no words to adequately describe it to them. This misuse of the language goes beyond spin into the realm of propaganda. For Condi Rice to argue that escalation isn't the proper term, that augmentation is a correct description to a US Senator - Republican - is just plain ... stupid. Augment means: to make greater, more numerous, larger, or more intense and escalate means : to increase in extent, volume, number, amount, intensity, or scope. This is the best we can do for a Sec. State? This isn't about the diplomacy of correct language, this is about using the language to deny that what you're doing is exactly what you say you're doing. Does this make your head spin? 'We don't want you to think we're doing exactly what we're telling you we are doing because you might not like us doing exactly what we just told you we are doing.' If you don't like being treated like a complete idiot, it would pay to remember that these people were elected by us TWICE.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Personal Price
I'm tool old to go to war, at least by today's enlistment standards, so I won't be going. But yes, Sen Boxer, I do have a possible personal price, my son enters OR Nat Guard boot camp this week, a nephew by marriage will be going back to Iraq. Condi was asked if the Bush Admin had prepared a casualty estimate for the troop escalation, "no." Well now that's entire Hogwash, the military doesn't do things quite that haphazardly. So maybe the Administration itself hasn't but it certainly has figures available to it. Now Sen Boxer pointed out that she has no personal stake in the war and that Condi doesn't either and since they're not paying the price it is the price that the military families pay. Seems accurate to me.
Somehow it's an insult to womanhood, or feminism, or blacks, or some such. Noting that a black woman doesn't have a child to get killed in a war that the black woman is advocating is insulting? I find a lot of things about Condi insult-able, but race, gender, and child bearing has nothing to do with it. Her ability to suck up to her Prez. and make the stupidest most historically ignorant statements in defense of his policies opens her to all sorts of rude comments. She's supposed to be pretty good on the piano, the country would've been better served if she'd stuck to tinkling the keys. By the way, poker players, she has egregious "tells," and I don't mind watching her get all ticked off about being called on the carpet - she's had her way too long. The incompetence of this Administration extending to them not being able to find good liars is a fine outcome, versus most of the rest.
As for the nonexistent casualty estimates, I'm way past hoping, wishing, or praying about the personal prices to be paid, all I can do is feel horrible helplessness, like sitting in the back seat in a car crash and seeing that this is going to be bad.
Somehow it's an insult to womanhood, or feminism, or blacks, or some such. Noting that a black woman doesn't have a child to get killed in a war that the black woman is advocating is insulting? I find a lot of things about Condi insult-able, but race, gender, and child bearing has nothing to do with it. Her ability to suck up to her Prez. and make the stupidest most historically ignorant statements in defense of his policies opens her to all sorts of rude comments. She's supposed to be pretty good on the piano, the country would've been better served if she'd stuck to tinkling the keys. By the way, poker players, she has egregious "tells," and I don't mind watching her get all ticked off about being called on the carpet - she's had her way too long. The incompetence of this Administration extending to them not being able to find good liars is a fine outcome, versus most of the rest.
As for the nonexistent casualty estimates, I'm way past hoping, wishing, or praying about the personal prices to be paid, all I can do is feel horrible helplessness, like sitting in the back seat in a car crash and seeing that this is going to be bad.
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