Censure This, Bitches
Sigh. Remember when the ad above was considered heretical enough and sooooo disrespectful that Congress took it upon itself to censure MoveOn? And what was it that MoveOn was saying that was so damn controversial? That the Surge was nothing more than a PR junket masquerading as a military strategy, and that General David Petraeus was (in spite of his supposed military and “nonpartisan” bonafides) nothing more than a White House shill making happy talk about Iraq to buy the administration more time to sell inferior goods and services to the military and line its pockets with sweet, fat greenbacks from the national treasury.
And guess what? MoveOn was fucking right. Nothing has been accomplished in Iraq.
But don’t tell John McCain’s human buttplug Joe Lieberman that, or thrifty rug-shopper Aunt Lindsay Graham. They’ve got it all figured out, and frankly, things are just ducky in Iraq, right? Who, as my brother would say, are you going to believe? Lieberman and Graham or your own lying eyes?
In anticipation of Gen. David Petraeus’ congressional testimony, which begins today, Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) boasted in a Wall Street Journal op-ed today about how right they think they are. Indeed, Lieberman and Graham, two of the less restrained cheerleaders of the Bush policy in Iraq, appear comfortable taking a victory lap, convinced of their own rectitude.
No one can deny the dramatic improvements in security in Iraq achieved by Gen. Petraeus, the brave troops under his command, and the Iraqi Security Forces. From June 2007 through February 2008, deaths from ethno-sectarian violence in Baghdad have fallen approximately 90%. American casualties have also fallen sharply, down by 70%.
Those are, to be sure, encouraging numbers, but as Think Progress noted, Lieberman and Graham conveniently skipped over numbers from March 2008 — which they had access to, but chose to ignore. That’s because Iraqi deaths and civilian casualties saw a significant increase in March, a point the pro-war senators no doubt found inconvenient.
Al Qaeda in Iraq has been swept from its former strongholds in Anbar province and Baghdad. The liberation of these areas was made possible by the surge, which empowered Iraqi Muslims to reject the Islamist extremists who had previously terrorized them into submission.
I assume Lieberman and Graham realize the Awakening began months before the surge, but they found this fact inconvenient, too.
More happy talk. Come on, you stupid old toe-tappers, even your steamy wank-fantasy General P says that security gains in Iraq are “fragile, reversible” and tinier than Rush Limbaugh’s stubby little peen is without chemical assistance from the good folks at Pfizer, Inc.
What else did General Oopsie-Iraq-is-Still-a-Goddamn-Quagmire have to say for himself?
“[W]e haven’t turned any corners, we haven’t seen any lights at the end of the tunnel,” he says, referencing President Bush and former Vietnam-era General William Westmoreland’s famous phrases.
But wait. I could swear we turned at least one corner, didn’t we? Who was saying that we had turned a corner in Iraq, wasn’t it…? Oh, riiiiiiight:
Lieberman: Bush turned corner on Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP) — Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, whose vocal pro-war support for President Bush has rankled fellow Democrats, emerged from a White House meeting Friday saying the president has turned the corner on Iraq in recent weeks.
Lieberman cited the substantial turnout in the Iraq elections this week and Bush’s four major speeches on the war as key reasons for the turnaround.
“The last two weeks have been critically important and I believe may be seen as a turning point in the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism,” Lieberman told reporters after he and a bipartisan group of senators met with Bush and top administration officials on the war.
So, we did turn a corner or didn’t we? Did we turn another corner after that and then another and wind up right back where we started? That seems to be the only explanation that makes spatial and physical sense, here.
Oh, and John McCain still hasn’t bothered to learn the basic facts on the ground in Iraq. My god, what a cock.
Still praying for that aneurysm. Who’s with me?
53 Responses to “Censure This, Bitches”
By Gnome de Plume on Apr 8, 2008 10:56 pm |
I’m with ya TRex. It’s a good thing you are no longer at that other site. I think wishing an aneurysm on someone is akin to advocating violence.
By LoudounLib on Apr 8, 2008 10:58 pm |
Funny, I was thinking of that MoveOn ad today while P & C were tap-dancing in front of the Armed Services committee.
My right-wing Dad (ghod love him) was here visiting today and we watched some of it. Dad is just as disgusted as the DFHs are about the whole situation, and he even mentioned considering voting for Obama.
By TRex on Apr 8, 2008 10:59 pm |
Gnome de Plume said
Nah. Totally nonviolent. It would be peaceful, swift, and really, the best thing for him. Not to mention thousands and thousands of people in the middle east. Anyone who doesn’t think a brain aneurysm would be better for the world than a McCain presidency is stupid, lying, or both, i.e., a Republican.
By Gnome de Plume on Apr 8, 2008 11:01 pm |
On the other hand, a crushing 49 state defeat would be very satisfying to watch.
By Betsy on Apr 8, 2008 11:02 pm |
I don’t suppose it occurred to Lieberman and Hegel to ask actual soldiers or actual Iraqis how it’s all going over there.
By Betsy on Apr 8, 2008 11:03 pm |
Great post T
By msmolly on Apr 8, 2008 11:05 pm |
“and tinier than Rush Limbaugh’s stubby little peen is without chemical assistance from the good folks at Pfizer, Inc.”
Oh, gawd, TRex, I can’t stop laughing!!! You totally have it nailed!
By LoudounLib on Apr 8, 2008 11:12 pm |
Did anyone catch Sen. Boxer this afternoon during her questioning of P & C? Wish I could remember the exact point she was trying to nail down, but she finally said “I give up!” when the two of them kept evading…
By TRex on Apr 8, 2008 11:14 pm |
LoudounLib said
That is apparently her approach to just about anything involving Iraq, impeachment, and reigning in BushCo, too. Funny, that…
By madmommy on Apr 8, 2008 11:15 pm |
So, General Pretraeus, how does it feel to know that you are complicit in the death of hundreds of American soliders, not to mention untold numbers of Iraqi civilians? Was it worth it to sacrifice your integrity and honor as a career soldier to shill for a failed policy? How do you sleep at night?
Inquiring minds want to know.
By Laura on Apr 8, 2008 11:17 pm |
I can’t get it out of my head that while these jerks are lying to Congress, we are committing war crimes in Iraq. Wait, I mean, across the GLOBE.
I don’t know how they look themselves in the mirror.
By Gnome de Plume on Apr 8, 2008 11:20 pm |
Laura said
Denial and self-delusion are essential ingredients. Monstrous egos depend on them.
By Betsy on Apr 8, 2008 11:21 pm |
OT: My blogwhoring of Cassie’s new post got epu’d.
By Laura on Apr 8, 2008 11:22 pm |
Gnome de Plume said
Barbarians (warning: photos of injured children)
By LoudounLib on Apr 8, 2008 11:33 pm |
Good night all, and thanks to T for once again putting it all out there.
By Laura on Apr 8, 2008 11:36 pm |
Goodnight LL. Glad you had a good day with the popster.
By Betsy on Apr 8, 2008 11:43 pm |
sleep well LL.
By Betsy on Apr 8, 2008 11:56 pm |
in other news ….
Elizabeth Edwards Backs Clinton Health Plan
from ABC News: Top Stories
Edwards would not back either Dem candidate, but likes idea of a “dream ticket.”
By madmommy on Apr 9, 2008 12:00 am |
Betsy said
Who’s at the top of this “dream ticket”?
By TRex on Apr 9, 2008 12:03 am |
Right, gang, I’m outta here. And possibly going to watch a movie with a friend. Will catch up with you all soon.
Kisses,
T
By Betsy on Apr 9, 2008 12:04 am |
Enjoy the movie T.
By Rayne on Apr 9, 2008 12:04 am |
Dream ticket? John Edwards and Howard Dean - in either order.
Nice cutting of a bodily orifice with this post, T. But a “human buttplug”? Jeebus, I’m really going to have to work to scratch that image of Lieberman off the back of my virtual retinas…
By Betsy on Apr 9, 2008 12:09 am |
howdy rayne!
By peanutbutter on Apr 9, 2008 12:11 am |
Evening, all.
I for one am starting to think that McCain is misstating the Shiite/Sunni thing very deliberately.
What better reason to invade Iran if we all think they’re helping al Qaeda in Iraq?
The man cannot possibly be worth millions, be where he is, if he can’t freaking read teleprompters to get it right. He doesn’t even appear to be trying.
It *has* to be deliberate. I can barely keep the whole thing straight (I have it written down for reference
) and I’m no dummy. People are just going to get the general notion that Iran is interfering with Iraq and thus need to be stopped.
And that fucking scares me.
By Betsy on Apr 9, 2008 12:12 am |
i disagree PB. i think he has early stage alzheimers.
By madmommy on Apr 9, 2008 12:16 am |
peanutbutter said
If you repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth. It’s the Republican mantra, and has been for a while. He’s not forgetful, it’s deliberate, and it is scary.
By pellora hussein on Apr 9, 2008 12:45 am |
Evening everybody. Oh, wait! It is Morning everybody in the east! Whatzup? Same old shit in the news I read. T definitely got it right in this one!
Betsy said
Possible. Maybe just senility. I don’t wish ALZ on anyone, it is an awful disease.
madmommy said
He doesn’t seem to be very eloquent and able to speak freely while thinking. (Obama is a good example of freely thinking and saying what he’s thinking). Seems to read his spiels because when he misspeaks, he stumbles like someone who is reading the words and messes up, not like someone who has written the speech and memorized it.
And this part is really REALLY REALLY SCARY!!
What better reason to invade Iran if we all think they’re helping al Qaeda in Iraq?
I have no doubt that they are trying to set up the Attack Iran scenerio. I am fervently hoping we continue to thwart that move. Won’t be easy though, since 1/3 of the country is still in “sheeple mode”. We need to continue the full court press against!
Butt plug… ugh. What an ugly picture that gave me. I need to go wash that out of my brain pronto.
By pellora hussein on Apr 9, 2008 12:47 am |
Wow! At least Crocker gave at least a partial answer today.
“US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker conceded during Senate hearings today that Afghanistan, and not Iraq, is the main front in the fight against al-Qaeda…
Evading a direct answer to a question from Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) as to whether the focus of the war against the terror network is in Iraq or Afghanistan, Crocker finally said, “I would … pick al-Qaeda in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.”
…Biden had begun his time with a statement to Crocker tantamount to a scolding: “I would not presume that if the security agreement with Iraq goes beyond a status-of-forces agreement, that you need only inform the Congress. You need to do much more than inform the Congress, you need the permission of the Congress if you’re going to bind the next president of the United States in anything you agree to.”
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Biden_forces_Crocker_into_corner_0408.html
I have always liked Biden - but if he can continue on like this in the Senate, it would be awesome. He obviously kept at Crocker long enough to force even this partial answer. Impressive understanding of the situation, so neither Crocker nor Petraeus could BS him.
By peanutbutter on Apr 9, 2008 12:51 am |
It could even be that he does have alzheimers…and those around him are happy to let him keep misspeaking, because that lie becomes the truth becomes the reason we invade Iran.
God, I hope I’m wrong. Pass the single malt, plzkthx.
By Betsy on Apr 9, 2008 12:57 am |
night all. see you tomorrow.
By pellora hussein on Apr 9, 2008 1:01 am |
Good night Betsy.
Sweet dreams.
By Betsy on Apr 9, 2008 1:03 am |
pellora hussein said
thank you.
By TexasEllen on Apr 9, 2008 1:05 am |
McCain is something like my mom who recently discovered that somewhere along the line she was suddenly old. (87yrs)
He seems to be flailing along in a state of denial. This reliving of his youth is an attempt to retrieve the person he likes to think he is. We do not need the drama of an old guy trying to fake it.
By TexasEllen on Apr 9, 2008 1:13 am |
If McCain’s legendary temper is repressed for months and months on the campaign trail, he may just self induce that aneurysm. The pleasant thought of those smug Republicans having to choose a candidate at their convention is just a little too delicious to actually happen.
By peanutbutter on Apr 9, 2008 1:13 am |
The thing is, McCain does not do this alone. So there’s a shedload of people propping him up. Gah.
By peanutbutter on Apr 9, 2008 1:15 am |
TexasEllen said
*snort*
I don’t deliberately wish an aneurysm on anyone, but this would be a delicious scene.
By Nyoka, junglegirl on Apr 9, 2008 1:21 am |
Why, if I had a nickle for each aneurysm I’d hoped for in the last few years——-
swinging in on my rope swing and back out — whee, I love the tree house.
By pellora hussein on Apr 9, 2008 1:32 am |
peanutbutter said
Yeah. How did he win the nomination anyway? I still am so confused by the Repugs… They are propping him up ’cause he won and they can’t do nothing abouts it and they are not so happy. Makes the choice of VP very critical I would assume. McSame even said that, so he’s not totally in denial.
For me, I would feel the same if Clinton becomes our nominee. I had this picture the other day - McCain with tepid Repug like v. Clinton with tepid Dem like (very little “love” involved for either of them). What a ripsnorter that would turn out to be. Yawn.
By yellowdog jim on Apr 9, 2008 1:57 am |
sweet dreams betsy
By peanutbutter on Apr 9, 2008 2:07 am |
I read a theory recently that the timing of California’s primary is potentially the reason McCain won…where was that?
Anyway, it sure surprised me, he seemed to be absolutely dead in the water six months ago.
I still want to see how his FEC woes shake out in the long run *ahem*
By larue on Apr 9, 2008 2:14 am |
T, love yer passion, but yer fighting the wrong fight and asking all the wrong phrellin questions in my not so humble opinion.
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/13934
My comment follows.
No one is asking the right questions and Cenk is the FIRST to do so.
Hell, ALL of the MSM can’t even identify the participants in the Middle East, and the most of the blogs don’t have a clue as to who is what, sponsored by who for why, or for what.
I’ve read Juan Cole to Tom Englehardt to every blog I can find, and NO ONE has a rundown on who’s who, why, and for what.
Smirk and Cenk’s post are a good start. Not blog whorin, got no investment in it . . . other than to make my point.
Who will post the answers? Who KNOWS who owns who, in this game of ours? The game of life, war, and horror.
I really hate this game, but until we know who is what and why, all the conjecture and analysis is futile.
Pin it down, formulate a plan, execute it to everyone’s benefit.
N then, I woke up.
By larue on Apr 9, 2008 2:20 am |
BTW, T, I like your space here and your voice MUCH more than where it was before. At least you are free range TRex. *G*
Here’s an interesting (to me) article of things I NEVER knew about blogging:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/200
4330567_bloggers06.html
By punaise on Apr 9, 2008 3:29 am |
ever suffer an “inure” ism?
you’ll get used to it.
By MR Bill on Apr 9, 2008 6:44 am |
Good morning, 40, clear and springlike in Blue Ridge GA. DSL was down yesterday am.
And the hearings were more of that Washington Kabuki, where the war supporters make unsupported assertions and grand statement, and the opponents tear them and their arguments apart, if only the supporters were honest.
Which is the whole deal here: A dishonest war sold and supported by dishonest men.
By anangryoldbroad on Apr 9, 2008 7:35 am |
Has anyone delved into just how many of our wonderful elected officials are invested,in say,oh,defense contractors? Like GE,Boeing,Lockheed and the list of other usual suspects?
Seems to me that there’s a VERY good chance that this war hasn’t ended because more than a couple congresscritters own shares of the very companies that produce the mechanisms waging war requires.
McCain scares the fuck outta me,I don’t know what his problem is,but something isn’t right about the guy. Big time not right. Hopefully someone can push his buttons when it comes to the debates. Just so he’ll lose his shit live on teevee to help destroy this idiotic reputation the press has given him.
By madmommy on Apr 9, 2008 8:11 am |
Morning all! Sunny and warm already at barely 7 am, gonna be a long, hot summer.
angryoldbroad-it would be delicious to have McCain lose it on live TV, and given his well-known temper probably not that far-fetched. Unfortunately, given the love affair the media has with him, they’ll spin it as him being a strong, forceful figure we need so desperately in these troubled times.
*headdesk*
By chicago dyke on Apr 9, 2008 9:22 am |
the problem is that for military folks, “betray” is a deeply loaded word, and the right likes to pretend it cares about the values and culture of the military. there are still some left in, and plenty who’ve retired, who take/took their oaths and vows seriously, and who believe in notions of service and sacrifice. so the ad touched a nerve in the minds of some righteous people, some who are thinking mostly from the perspective of the troops. that gave the right the cover they needed and stupid, weak democrats in congress went along with the outrage train.
meanwhile, our soldiers keep dying for nothing. our country is very fucked up, that so many are upset about “stunts” like the former, and forgetful of the latter.
By chicago dyke on Apr 9, 2008 9:27 am |
NO ONE has a rundown on who’s who, why, and for what….I really hate this game, but until we know who is what and why, all the conjecture and analysis is futile.
i am gently snorting. there are these things, people call them “books” and “academic journals” and “professional guides” and “public registers” and “court records.” sometimes you can’t easily read them on the intertubes. just so you know.
By preznit giv me turkee on Apr 9, 2008 9:51 am |
anangryoldbroad said
don’t forget Carlyle Group
By anangryoldbroad on Apr 9, 2008 12:13 pm |
IMO,the Carlyle Group is a drop in the bucket. I’m including Dems in this too,btw. All of our Senators are millionaires,a fair share of our Reps are too. That money comes from somewhere,and I’d bet there’s more than a little that came from stock and investments in defense contractors and/or their parent corporations.
That shit needs to stop. Yesterday.
By peanutbutter on Apr 9, 2008 12:19 pm |
anangryoldbroad said
Yup, like CA’s own Dianne Feinstein, “Democrat,” with a husband invested up to the moon in war related stuff. Riiiiiiiiiight.
By punaise on Apr 9, 2008 12:53 pm |
peanutbutter said
That’s “DiFink” - DiFi, Inc. - bought and sold over-the-count-(on)-her under the symbol DFNK.
By TRex on Apr 9, 2008 1:03 pm |
Fresh thread!
http://www.iamtrex.com/?p=631