The War Party: Democrats Lie to Prolong Iraq; Reporters Go Along
Americans don’t know how their government works. Democrats, in control of Congress, are taking advantage of our ignorance to continue the Iraq War. Which brings up two questions: Why won’t the “antiwar” Democrats act to stop the carnage? And why aren’t reporters calling them on it?”
Democrats,” writes Charles Babington in an Associated Press item that appeared in hundreds of newspapers, “control both chambers [of Congress] but lack the numbers to override President Bush’s vetoes of bids to mandate troop withdrawals from Iraq.” It’s a half-truth at best: the Democrats’ narrow majority is less than the two-thirds majority they’d need to override a presidential veto. Here’s the full truth: it doesn’t matter.
In June Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting’s Extra! Magazine wrote: “If the Democrat-controlled Congress wanted to force the Bush administration to accept a bill with a withdrawal timeline, it didn’t have to pass the bill over Bush’s veto–it just had to make clear that no Iraq War spending bill without a timeline would be forthcoming.”
Democratic leaders know that. And here’s how I know they know: days after taking control of Congress, on January 30, they invited five constitutional law experts to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee to ask them how they could end the war. Four out of five of the experts swore that the Democrats could stop the Iraq War just…like…that.
“Today we’ve heard convincing testimony and analysis that Congress has the power to stop the war if it wants to,” said Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI). Yet eight months later, there’s still no end in sight.
The Dems won the 2006 elections with promises to end the war. Weeks after taking over Congress, however, Republicans spooked them with one of the most ludicrous talking points of all time. Cutting off the money, they said, would abandon U.S. soldiers at the front, their ammo dwindling as Al Qaeda insurgents swarmed over them. (Actually–the fact that I have to write this speaks to the American right’s intellectual dishonesty–the troops would go to the airport. They would board airplanes. They would fly home.)
Democrats worry that they’ll be portrayed as weak on defense if they act unilaterally to pull out of Iraq. Irony of ironies, they’re wussing out to avoid looking wimpy. Forcing Republicans to vote with them to end the war, they calculate, would give them political cover. Extra! continued: “Democrats may not have wanted to pay the supposed political costs of [cutting off funding], but news coverage should have made clear that this was a choice, not something forced on them by the lack of a veto-proof majority.”
Rather than set the record straight, the media continues to spread the Democrats-can’t-stop-the-Republican-war meme this week:
Michael Duffy, Time magazine: “If Democrats had more votes–particularly in the House–they might be able to force Bush to change course. But Bush will fight any resolution fencing him in with a veto that, as things stand now, the Democrats cannot override. But the President’s critics will continue to try, hoping to attract moderate Republicans who are fearful of losing their seats next year.” Occasionally Time invites me to its Christmas party. If I score an invite this year, my present for their fact-checkers will be a copy of the Constitution.
Marcella Bombardieri, The Boston Globe: “In the Senate, Democrats have only a 51 to 49 majority, far from the 60 votes needed to prevent a filibuster and the 67 needed to override a presidential veto. All efforts to force a troop withdrawal have failed, and the party will have to count on substantial Republican defections to make any further progress this fall.” I’ll be checking the Globe for a retraction.
Brian Knowlton, The New York Times: Knowlton dutifully quoted Democratic Senator Joe Biden’s claim that there were “political limits on his party, even with the Congressional majority it has held since the November midterm elections. ‘This is the president’s war,’ [Biden] said. ‘Unless we get 67 votes to override his veto, there’s nothing we can do to stop this war…’” Not only did the Times fail to call Biden on his brazen lie, it gave him the last word.
You’d think the Democrats would want to end the Iraq War before their likely retaking of the White House, but that’s because you’re a human being, not a politician. Politicians are happy to dispatch hundreds of young American men and women to certain death (along with thousands of Iraqis), if the bloodshed squeezes out an extra half percentage point at the polls. Reid and Pelosi prefer to run against a disastrous ongoing Republican war than point to a fragile Democratic-brokered peace.
Why are so many respected journalists parroting the Democratic party line? I suspect that corporate media culture, rather than Judith Miller-style malfeasance, is largely to blame. Ink-stained newsrooms have been replaced by bullpen offices indistinguishable from those of banks or insurance companies. Reporters used to come from the working classes. They distrusted politicians and businessmen, and politicians and businessmen loathed them. Today’s journalists are products of cookie-cutter journalism schools. Because graduate schools rarely offer scholarships, few come from the lower or middle classes. They look like businessmen. When they meet a politician, they see a possible friend. They wear suits and ties. And when a U.S. senator like Joe Biden feeds them a line of crap, they gobble it up.
Ted Rall is the author of the new book “Silk Road to Ruin: Is Central Asia the New Middle East?,” an in-depth prose and graphic novel analysis of America’s next big foreign policy challenge.
© 2007 Ted Rall
Thank you for keeping the heat on the Dems and their MSM enablers. Sweet Jesus I’m tired of watching the Dems wring their hands and shed crocodile tears over their ‘lack of power’ to do anything about our colossal misadventure in the Middle East.
Well, if we reduce the Dems to some meaningless third party that can’t win elections, then we won’t have to listen to this crap anymore.
And, if all the people who want the war to end, or who want to impeach Bush, or who want to protect civil liberties were to abandon these worthless, lying fools, the Democrats couldn’t get elected dog-catcher.
Lets send the Democratic party to the recycle bin of history where it belongs! Its easy, just say no. Don’t ever vote Democrat again.
Why not impeach Nancy Pelosi?
There are no congresspersons who will vote to cut off the juicy funds from the lobbyists.
Even the nearly honest ones will lose advantage to the really crooked ones if they try to get reelected with low liquidity.
There are almost no congresspersons with any family on the ground in Iraq: until that changes there will be in no hurry to change anything.
Who is the president matters not to the owners of the congress, the voting results will be money-based until we throw all the useless parasites out of office; and, make lobbying illegal. Corruption starts with the first free cigar.
The only logical conclusion is that the Democratic Party wants the war.
At the same time, they must put on a show to maintain the illusion of kinship with key constituencies.
Boooooring. Same thing over and over again. There should not be a progressive left on the planet who believes the Democratic Party represents his or her interests.
Not only do Reporters give the Dems a free pass, you will find various ‘progressive’ guru types like Thom Hartmann who restrict his attacks to Republican and Bush alone as though the Iraq war was solely created by them and its interminable outcome their sole responsibility. As this article so aptly demonstrates the Democrats are every bit as culpable as the Republicans. This begs the question: Why does this aspect go ignored by people who take refuge under the rubric of a ‘progressive’ while conspiring in this dysfunctional war?
The one thing I realize over the last 15 years is that the you a one party system in the US. There is NO difference between the two parties. There is only enough perceptual difference to make it look like they are, but they are based on the same ideology: Pax Americana. They are also based on the ideology of might is right and money is power. And that will be the beginning of the downfall of the American empire.
One other thing that these two parties have in common is that they answer to a foreign govt. They are NOT for the American people. That is getting more evident now with the push for war with Iran. For the asinine folks that still support this insane, lunatic govt, get ready for the draft.
The economic background of reporters is irrelevant, it’s the policies of the publishers and editors of the media that shape the news, and the publishers and editors know that serving their corporate masters is their ticket for advancement.
If the agenda for the media was pure profits they’d be frantically trying new ideas to stop the decline in readership of newspapers and falling ratings of news programs.
Here on Common Dreams there are dozens of writers that could hold their own on any editorial board of any newspaper in any major market in this country, when Kos, Huffington Post, Democratic Underground, Smirking Chimp and dozens of other sites are included the number goes well into the thousands of skilled writers available to the corporate owned media if they wanted to expand their outlook.
Yesterday I received an e-mail from MoveOn soliciting applications for five, five month fellowships with MoveOn, they want to bring in five people with outstanding organizational and writing skills; anyone want to bet me they’ll receive at least a thousand applications for every position they want to fill?
http://pol.moveon.org/fellowship/?id=11240-7271612-roR2XP&t=4
Every time we hear a media outlet repeat this propaganda unchallenged by truth, we need to bombard their asses with emails and phone calls and letters and faxes…until the truth finally comes out.
If the Democrats REALLY wanted to pressure Bush, next time he comes out with the “support the troops line”, they could respond that Bush was holding the troops hostage to force funding out of Congress. “Fund my war or I’ll keep the troops in Iraq until they run out of food, water and ammo!”
Too bad the voters will have only a choice of two pro-war parties in 2008.
Dennis Kucinich revealed this exact issue on Ed Shultz YESTERDAY (September 12 2007).
The Democrats in Congress are intentionally feeding the war machine. They could end the occupation by not creating a bill.
We need to stop being scared of all the bullshit and start accusing members of both parties of TREASON.
They are willfully, purposely, intentionally marching our nation down a path of destruction, for political reasons.
All Democratic congressmen and senators are doing very well in Bush’s economy, thank you. Although there may be a few who still have a conscience and understand how the middle class has been plundered since the Reagan administration, there’s just not enough to affect any kind of meaningful change in the policies that would give aid to the vast majority of working people. As long as both major parties graze in the same pasture, don’t expect to see a sudden awareness from the Dems that maybe our priorities have been badly misplaced.
“Democrats worry that they’ll be portrayed as weak on defense”. The same bullshit theory to explain away their obvious support for this war.
Many polls suggest that a great majority of Americans favor withdrawing, that Iraq was a mistake, that the Bush presidency is taking our country into multiple wrong directions. Who exactly are the Democrats really afraid of?
Are they a party whose policy decisions arise out of cowardice or fear?
Or are they a party whose decisions arise out of the same m.i.c. the Rethugs answer to?
One look at LBJ’s performance in Vietnam, as well as their candidate of choice at the Chicago ‘68 elections — instead of McCarthy — tells all. The Dems are largely onboard with Iraq.
If the Dems get elected again in 2008, watch for 250,000 + troop levels and the draft.
If the GOP gets elected again in 2008, watch for 250,000 + troop levels and the draft.
Thank you for pointing out the disingenuousness of the Democrats on the war issue. I think it is safe to say that whatever hope those who voted in a Democratic Congress had for the Dems doing the right thing on Iraq, on countless domestic issues, on climate change, is all but gone. The Dems seem almost as supremely disconnected from the American people as the Repugs.
A clear case in point is cherry-picking what the public mandated last November. All you ever here is “the American people said in November they want us out of Iraq”. As I recall, all of us are asking for a universe of things that needed to be addressed based on the ruin that is the United States after 6.5 years under the Bushistas.
Besides actually having the legal power to end this war, the Dems don’t seem to care a whit to use available evidence of clear abuse and misuse of taxpayer dollars for Iraq. In particularl, the financing of 100,000 privately contracted troops in Iraq who are the shadow company that no one in the Defense Department can seem to keep track of, monetarily, contractually or otherwise. Were the American people to be exposed to the fact that the there are actually 260,000 troops in Iraq and that, 100,000 of these are being paid exorbitant paychecks at the taxpayers expense, they might see the “necessity” for the surge of 30,000 additional troops in a different light.
If the Dems screamed for accountability again and again for these shadow troops, if they exposed the waste, fraud & abuse associated with making the Blackwater (and other)CEOs fat with cash, and realized that these rogues to not have the accountability that their legitimate counterparts in our Army must face, maybe the public would finally wake up.
If the Dems would scream Bush is playing you for fools to avoid a draft that would finally bring the war to your doorstep, things would change.
Lastly, if the American people were told by the Dems repeatedly until they understood that we are not only spending billions in Iraq per week, but that it is borrowed money that is adding to a debt of NINE TRILLION dollars, they would realize that we cannot afford to bankroll this illegal war for oil and power any longer.
UNfortunately, the Dems are as morally bankrupt and as lacking in courage as their strident, ugly jackals across the aisle.
The Democrats do not represent progressives.
The Democrats do not represent progressives.
The Democrats do not represent progressives.
The Democrats do not represent progressives.
The Democrats do not represent progressives.
The Democrats do not represent progressives.
Until we have the courage to bust the “myth” of so-called “third” parties, this cycle will repeat itself.
You want a progressive party? Vote Green.
This “filibuster” business is a …. disingenuous evasion. Here’s from the Wikipedia article about filibuster.
“Current practice
Filibusters do not occur in legislative bodies in which time for debate is strictly limited by procedural rules. The House did not adopt rules restricting debate until 1842, and the filibuster was used in that body before that time.
In current practice, Senate Rule 22 permits procedural filibusters, in which actual continuous floor speeches are not required, although the Senate Majority Leader may require an actual traditional filibuster if he or she so chooses. This threat of a filibuster can be just as powerful as an actual filibuster.
Budget bills are governed under special rules called “reconciliation” which do not allow filibusters. Reconciliation once only applied to bills that would reduce the budget deficit, but since 1996 it has been used for all matters related to budget issues.
A filibuster can be defeated by the governing party if they leave the debated issue on the agenda indefinitely, without adding anything else to the agenda. Strom Thurmond’s attempt to filibuster the Civil Rights Act was defeated when Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson refused to refer any further business to the Senate, which required the filibuster to be kept up indefinitely. Instead, the opponents were all given a chance to speak and the matter eventually was forced to a vote.”
There will be no draft.
In the 60s people trusted their government and authority. People dont any more.
It would be chaos. No one would show up. It would take an armed invasion to motivate people. And maybe that wouldnt be enough. Western people are soft.
It is pretty evident down that since Gen Prateus and Ryan Crock o’shit have testified that everything is going well in Iraq, the Iraq War is fast becoming a non-issue. Bush has successfully managed to set up a scenario in which he will be able to pass on the resolution of the war in iraq to his successor.
The spineless Dems don’t give a shit about no stinking war in iraq, all the care about is winning the WH in 2008.
So wake up and face the music folks, nothing is going to change for at least 18 months.
So what will happen in Jan 2009?
Rudy Guiliani will be sworn in as the next POTUS and nothing will change for another 4 years.
The Dems having lost the WH will probably keep control of Congress maybe lose the Senate but they will be severely weakened in losing a fight for the WH, the progresessive/moveon wing of the party will be in revolt for a new third party so the Dems will be little or no threat to a new Repug administration which will carry on the Bush/Cheney legacy ad nauseum for many years to come. Nothing will change.
However there is a wild card…the economy. Though many well informed people have been saying for months that we are headed for a severe recession that could make the 1930’s look like a church picnic, no one seems to be alarmed. If you wanted a quick read on this here are some articles…
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18350.htm by Paul Craig Roberts
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18335.htm by Mike Whitney
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18368.htm
So when this happens don’t be surprised at the resulting chaos and riots in the streets.
Maybe then and only then enough people will finally realize what has been going on and take to the streets in a General Strike which maybe backed by a Coup of the military will bring the evil Empire of Darth Cheney down.
Yes, there will be no draft. What we have today is a kinder, gentler fascism, with better PR.
Who wants to be in a political party that is literally controlled by Rethuglicans? Democrats are their b*tch*s. Dems are afraid to make a move if it will upset Rethugs. How pathetic.
The Dems sem to think that the American people are very stupid.
The Republicans did not start the war alone…a majority of Democrats also voted to give President Chimpy McFuckup the authority.
The Dems do not want the war to end. They mistakenly think that the Republicans will soley be saddled with the responsibility of this disaster, and also mistakenly think they will not also be held accountable.
Also, they do not want to be stuck with the blame if a pullout results in an escalation of the current Civil War.
The dems are more than happy to allow more US Troops to be slaughtered to further their cheap political aspirations.
THINK AGAIN DEMS
THE ONLY WAY TO END THE WAR NOW IS IMPEACHMENT OF BOTH CHENEY AND BUSH, AND A DEMOCRAT REFUSAL TO PUT FORWARD A BILL FOR FUNDING…
not gonna happen
time to start a 3rd party, and kick ALL THE BUMS OUT
follow the money! the economy right now is a house of cards, a support of which is the ME invasion. if they pulled out the troops the home economy would go into chaos and create powerful threats to the political status quo. that is essentially why the dem’s won’t pull the troops.
I don’t agree with the following reasoning, but it’s what I hear from several people who sit in congress and call themselves progressives:
The Dems strategy is to let Bush deepen the disaster in Iraq between now and the 2008 elections. By 2008, too, (the thinking goes) the US will also be in an economic recession. With disasters at home and abroad, the Dems will probably win the presidency - but definitely win congress, by numbers that’re big enough to have veto-proof margins in both chambers.
Then the Dems will begin to roll back all that Bush & Co. have done, etc, etc, and the GOP will return to its pre-1980 minority party status for the next half century, etc. etc.
I don’t doubt that this is in fact the rationalization of current Dem leaders. The problem with this game plan is, it means sacrificing US troops and Iraqi people for another 12-18 months; risking the possibility of Bush attacking Iran before he leaves office (and all the dangers that will entail); letting neocon economists drive the economy into what may become a full scale depression, — and a host of other risks that are idiotic and unacceptable.
All for a 2008 election outcome that not only isn’t guaranteed - but obviously can’t be guaranteed.
My reaction to this game plan is: It’s immoral and cowardly. If the Dems won’t fight now, why should anybody trust them to do what’s right in 2008?
Progressives need a national party now, and I think one is going to form — very soon.
The Democrats utter fecklessness and uselessness is no longer a question.
The only real question left is: are they feckless and useless because of Democrat’s Disease (absence of spine) or are they really on board with imperialism, militarism and MSM bullshit? I think it’s the latter and what a liberating realization it is. NO more anguish over the Thom Hartmann, Tom Hayden-like excuses for the Dems! No more lesser of 2 evils (more like evil of 2 lessers)! No more voting against what we want in order to vote against what we want!
I know, I know…Ralph Nader! Ralph Nader! Ralph Nader!
If Gore hadn’t spoiled Ralph’s chances in 2000 we wouldn’t be in this mess today…
Stan Goff had an interesting piece in Counterpunch recently. He had urged a vote for the Dems in 2006 and raised many eyebrows. His rationale? Let them stand exposed for what they are! He was right. Fools and/or Knaves.
Cindy Sheehan for Congress!
There’s only 2 ways about it:
1) Flock to the precinct caucuses and make sure that someone like Kucinich (or more radical) gets the Democratic endorsement. For this, we’d probably need to muster a million+ progressives. Not for a march on D.C. But a MARCH TO THEIR PRECINCTS.
2) When this fails, as it has to-date, vote Green or something. But it may not fail forever. The theocrats made massive inroads into the Rethugs — why can’t progressives do the same with the Dims?
The Thom Hartmans probably don’t want to encourage a massive get-to-your-precinct-caucus movement for the progressives, and they certainly won’t advocate third party.
But that’s the score, folks. No protest, and no excuses. A fully legitimate/procedural ideological takeover of one of the corporate parties, or else total abandonment and instead filling the ranks of a third party.
The only way to stop this war is by protesting like the anti-war movement did in in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. This Saturday there’s a major anti-war rally in Washington D.C. Be there!
Matyrdom? Didn’t work for Joan of Arc and won’t work out of a free-speech protest cage either.
Hilary Clinton said we need to remember:
1- Iraq is in the “oil region”
2- Iraq will become a “petri dish” for al-Queda insurgents
3- Israeli and American interests in the region
This was in the NYT 3/15/07. If these are the things that we need to remember and be motivated by, we’ll be there a long time.
The Dems have gotten a lot of mileage out of demonizing Bush.Bush bashing almost seems a way to distract the left while Dems keep Bush’s war and other policies afloat.
I recently attended a Biden rally in Iowa and had the opportunity to ask him why the democrats hadn’t put the brakes on the war by refusing to approve funding bills. Joe Biden went on to say that it would be stabbing our troops in the back and that we can’t play politics with our troops lives. I told him to his face that that was a bunch of crap. I got alot of applause from the audience. Once Bush knows that there will not be an appropriations bill forthcoming without a time frame set up for withdrawal, Bush will have no choice, but to do so or HE will be the one playing politics with the troops lives.
The answer is at election time, if your Senator, Congressperson or Presidential candidate has not ACTIVELY tried to stop the war, you must vote for the other candididate. It’s time to clean house & kick all the bums out!
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/II13Ak03.html
this is a link to an article that is the best i’ve ever seen on US citizen’s love for war and how the democrats must be abandoned if they don’t impeach (in order to stop an attack on Iran) and do something to end the Iraq war. Wholesale abandonment by the progressives is the only solution to bring about change. The democrats have so vividly betrayed us, there can be no forgiveness. An attack on Iran will be Pelosi’s War.
Newsflash: All the electronic voting machines can be easily hacked and since the public has no part in “the count” then we will never really know who won.
Our democracy was dealt a death blow when the 2000 election was stolen then conceded by Gore. Since the new “voting” act went through and all the Diebold and other computerized voting machines were brought into play we have witnessed yet ANOTHER stolen election thanks to Ohio where again, Kerry conceded before a full re-count of Ohio could have been done.
I encourage everyone to take a moment to watch “Hacking Democracy” on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GzPXer7946E
There are 9 parts there to watch.
I came to the conclusion after watching this documentary and then reading, “Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election and Why They’ll Steal the Next One Too (Unless We Stop Them) by Mark Crispin Miller.
The solution? Simple. A campaign to circumvent the F’ing Congress and promote Absentee Voting in every precinct. Voters can then walk their ballots into each precinct at the closing of polls and DEMAND they be involved in an on the spot count.
Too bad if the rotten media don’t get their results instantaneously. If we don’t deep-six the voting computer machines and rely on paper and ink votes that MUST be counted in the open by US!, then we will NEVER be able to collectively have faith in the results again. Watch the above documentary and you’ll see what I mean.
And from now on, every time you think about “voting” or see someone yacking about which party or who to “vote” for, I hope you’ll remember this post.
Thanks for any input or other suggestions.
You guys seriously don’t see the political suicide for the dems if they refused to send any appropriations bill without a timeline? The ads would be on TV the next day, with soldiers asking why they are having to fight a war without bullets because the dems won’t pass a spending bill.
NewsCenter’s Ted Rall, begins this story, with the usual attack on democratic leaders, and ends up telling the truth, that media remain the true culprits. But Rall’s insistence on pretending throughout his piece, that “democrats” are to blame for the continuation of the war, and other serious problems we face with the republican right, helps to perpetuate this nonsense. Whenever media have a substantial role to play in anything, they are either the best defense against corruption and treachery, or they play a critical role in maintaining, or furthering this corruption and treachery.
There is this tiresome continuation of complete bullshit. Vote Green is one example. How can we be this stupid? This is simplay a way to help the republicans. Of course it also helps to establish the Greens, but if this is a vote in the “presidential” election, it only serves to put the country further into right-wing hands. Another pathetic piece of nonsense is that democratic leaders have, in some mysterious and miraculous way, a monopoly on “spinelessness,” or “cowardice,” or “hypocrisy,” etc. Democratic leaders either express a “democratic” spirt, or they don’t. It certainly doesn’t have anything to do with the democratic party, for god’s sake. As a democrat, I don’t sit around expecting the personalities that get into my party Leadership to automatically reveal courage or honesty, these are human qualities, and like their opposities, don’t originate in the democratic party. NewsCenter is particularly annoying to me in this regard. They believe that simply becoming or running for the democrat leadership, automatically means that you’re supposed to act with courage, and if you don’t, they blame the democratic “party” for this. Incredible!
jp
Pardon my ignorance, but what is meant by “MSM”?
as in “the Dems and their MSM enablers” as posted on top?
nwfisher,
Congress writes bills.
They can write a bill that provides PLENTY of cash to fund a pull-out in a safe and timely manner. Like next month. Where’s the political suicide there?
If Bush was able to bring us to war on a lie, and get away with it — can’t the Dims bring us home on a truth?
Hey, all you beautiful Cats, the PROGRESSIVE voice is still alive despite the one Party System and despite a handful of voices still chanting the Mantra: change the Dems from within ad nausea! Keep the FIRES burning, in the end truth will prevail and the elected scum in the single party system will find themselves out on the street where they belong.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!
To: gkslab
MSM is Main Stream Media
“They can write a bill that provides PLENTY of cash to fund a pull-out in a safe and timely manner. Like next month. Where’s the political suicide there?”
Yeah, they sure could, but they can’t order a pullout. They can’t make a pullout the policy. So if the policy continues, or a pull out on a much slower timeline, They then are in effect cutting off funds from troops in the field. A second year marketing student could crucify them in 15 minutes.
You just think you have money.
ONLY the politicians have money,
and of course their keepers.
a 3rd party requires enough Pissed Off Voters.
and Organization…….
Not us, not now, not ever…. we gotta drive our SUV’s and get our money from our corporate bosses….. we don’t wanna upset our little applecarts. Our kids might not be able to go to their elitist schools and oh oh we need a new I-Phone, etc. etc. etc. Sure glad you don’t have a sub prime loan, poor suckers that do…. oh me oh my….
Cindy Sheehan says in an article here on Common Dreams:
“In one of my meetings with Congressman Conyers, he told me that it was more important to put a Democrat back in the White House in ‘08 than it was to “end the war.”
I think that is the Dems reason for not ending the mess
in Iraq. The Republicans don’t want to be stuck with
losing the “war” in Iraq, so they insist on staying.
The Democrats think if they let it play out until 2008
it will get them enough votes to elect a Dem President
and a larger majority in the Senate and House. Meanwhile
young men and women are being killed or maimed while the
bastards in Washington play politics and the American
people watch “American Idol”.
“MSM is Main Stream Media”
I prefer “corporate media”.
Thank you for this hard-hitting analysis that says plain where the power still really is—WITH US, if we can get our so-called representatives off their asses. Before the next big money vote in Congress (NEXT WEEK) I’m doing all my state reps the same letter: if you vote for war money again I will be actively working for your removal next election, period….Can it be that we just have to directly help the poor Dems over the threshold into adulthood? If that’s what it takes….
nwfisher,
If it’s true, then, that the Democrats are worried about being accused of playing politics with the lives of the troops, then what are we to make of Bush? That he, himself, has not???!!!
If that’s true, then I must salute Bush. He may be an idiot, but he’s not a coward. Idiocy can, at least theoretically, be cured with education. Cowardice runs straight to the marrow.
Due to technical difficulties I’ve had to move my petition to http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/unsanam2
A Petition for United Nations Sanctions Against America
Anyone who seriously believes that ANY candidate elected in this country will actually do anything, assuming there are any elections coming, which I doubt, is completely delusional.
It’s time to ask for help.
…. and our countrymen “go along” supporting our troops while they enable war crimes and mass killing of Iraqis….
No wonder our country is in such a mess…..
Historical lessons, current events, and rational interpretation of intellegence have normally precluded egotism &; theocracy for major decisions in our republic. Unfortunately, this is not the case now.
The current administration is manipulated by ego, the energy cartel,& the radical religious right wing to extents never before experienced in our history. The ill conceived invasion of Iraq, the plans to provide arms to some Middle East Countries, current suggestion to invade Iran, & the dreadful war on our environment are only some examples.
Those who object or oppose his policies can expect retalation( ie the dreadful character assassination of a trip;e amputee Viet Vet because he promoted an investigation into the9/11 disasster which Bush opposed).
Unless Americans begin reacting to logic rather than rhetoric, and take back our country from this illegally placed administration now, the rights that we have enjoyed for two centuries may evaporate–and Americans we can blame themselves for this
As long as people believe that there is any real differece between the 2 parties nothing will ever change. Neither represents me - I’m not interested in supporting either party.
Nelson Terry September 13th, 2007 3:30 pm
“I don’t agree with the following reasoning, but it’s what I hear from several people who sit in congress and call themselves progressives:
The Dems strategy is to let Bush deepen the disaster in Iraq between now and the 2008 elections. By 2008, too, (the thinking goes) the US will also be in an economic recession. With disasters at home and abroad, the Dems will probably win the presidency - but definitely win congress, by numbers that’re big enough to have veto-proof margins in both chambers.”
Before the Dems end up injuring each other by slapping each other on the back over their brilliant strategy, they should take a look at their Congressional approval ratings which are lower than even Bush’s at 26%
Lobo Gris
The Pied Piper of BUSHING-DUMB!
The War Machine Grinds ON!
We got no money for:
College
Schools
Education
Health Care
Environment
Renewable energy
Infrastructure
Pollution
Bridges
Highways
&
our
Poor
Homeless
Vets.
But
Plenty of money for,
Prisons
Doctors
Lawyers
The Drug Conglomerates
and
Our
Beautiful
WAR MACHINE!
It’s a
Shrub/Dick
Halliburton/Carlyle
WAR.
Talking about conflict of interest?
Is anyone listening?
Is anyone paying attention?
When GREED runs wild,
Innocent civilians pay with their lives, homes and Country.
Civilian Blood
Lubricates
The Wheels
of
The WAR MACHINE!
As another phony
Ten Star General
Proclaims!
Success is just around the corner.
A lot of
Metals and Stars
But where’s the Scars?
There is no possibility of Victory.
We are policing a Civil War.
We are running another
Mini-Military-Police-State.
Draw attention.
Look over there.
While no one is watching the store?
No body is protecting us here?
Coincidently!
NOW
or
on
911
Nobody was home.
NORAD
The Air Force
The National Guard
They were no where to be found?
The only people not watching
Where the ones who where
Supposed to protect us and
Stop it
While the whole world was glued to their T.V. sets
They were out to Lunch.
Busy
Planning the next Calamity
To
Perpetrate
On
The
American People
Who are all fast asleep?
Sick
Brainwashed
Over worked
Under paid
Conditioned
Ignorant
Fools!
Who hold on to their T.V. sets
For dear life.
To get their fix
Of
The
DAILY
DELUSION
Brought to you by?
By
The Cor‘pirate’
FAUX NEWS
The Hav-Ben-Traitors of Doom.
Herd everyone over
The Cliff.
Follow
The Pied Piper
Of
Bushing-Dumb!
914
Stand Down
L.A.
The IRAN WAR must go on!
It’s said?
History repeats itself.
Just watch.
It’s a
CORPIRATE
One Trick Pony Show!
And guess who is going to get
Boned?
Oil, Oil, Oil!!!! When the “oil” laws currently being stalled by the various Iraqi factions who oppose a complete U.S. corporate control of how the oil revenuse will be disbursed…, shared…???, then, and ONLY then, will the Iraqi military be trained and equipped sufficiently to maintain their own society…, which will give the politicians and the administration cause to have our kid soldiers home.
Politicians of both parties avoid the “ECONOMIC” REASON WHY THE U.S. IS IN IRAQ…., because it will bare the real reasons and further expose capitalism as a system that had led us to war…Instead, the major politicians blame one another…and keep “talk” of capitalism out of the discussion.
In an Economic Democracy, where We, the People, would have a direct vote in all matters that affect our lives, would we vote to send our kids to a foreign land to be killed for oil rather than spend our resources to build new energy sources?
Here’s a prescription for ending not only the corporate inspired Iraq War…, but all potential wars that are required for the corporate autocracy to tyake the resources of another land without their permission…
RX…Take with serious considerations…
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NewSystem/
Refills…Contact Dr. Wally P.
How is it that the stumblebum in the White House orchestrated 911? He didn’t. But the puppeteer controlling him did.
The White House is beholding to and under the control of The House Of Saud Emirates (THOSE) who have paid handsomely for the Bush regime’s complicity. THOSE call the shots for the current administration, telling it what to do and when to do it.
THOSE also control a large part of Congress, financing a majority of House and Senate campaigns with funds filtered through various “donors.”
And, of course, THOSE orchestrated 911, instructing the White House to keep the military and various intelligence agencies from interfering.
The purpose of 911 was to “legitimize” an invasion of Iraq and eventually Iran to create chaos in the Middle East, all to the benefit of THOSE. THOSE, in fact, are the terrorists.
So, who finances THOSE?
There is a middle aged woman living in a suburban area of a burg in Oregon who drives her Lincoln Town Car 70 feet from her garage to her mailbox each day to get the mail. She is perfectly capable of walking. She is an example of the oil-addicted culture called “the United States of America.” She is funding THOSE. She is funding the terrorists.
This whole business about Democrats and Republicans is irrelevant. Big Oil controls this country and they intend to stay in Iraq permanently. Well, at least until the oil runs out.
Our enemies are not on the battle field. We created enemies by invading Iraq with out cause, period. Everything beyond that point is simply wrong!Americas enemies are right here at home, and we elected them. This emoral and unjust war is eroding the very fadric and constitutional foundation of America. Bottom-line, cut war spending and the troops will come home! Democrates are keeping the Bush train wreck going because they believe it will help them in 08. Sadly, they are probable right.
Republicans are cockroaches, Democrats are cockroaches, Greens are dead, independents, libertarians who knows.
Looks like we’re on our own folks, time for another revolution, I see no other choice.
2 Billion a week on a war that benefits nobody except war profiteers, meanwhile my kids public school can’t even afford to keep the lights on for their Friday night football game.
WHAT A FUCKING CRYING SHAME.
Having shoveled through the depths of our social and political stupidity, we’ve struck rock bottom.
Not to worry. Drilling shall commence forthwith.
Though I will be in DC tomorrow and on the 29th, I go with Paul Bramscher that a “MARCH TO THEIR PRECINCTS” are the most important steps to take right now.
It’s fun and empowering to do the mass marches and it is somewhat eye opening to the general public even without MSM coverage. But the most effective task would be a “MARCH TO THEIR PRECINCTS”, but not in the next election cycle, but now! And not in the name of a candidate, but for The Call To Impeach!
It will take face to face meetings and hand to hand contact in order to inform the general public that colonial privitization has been going on in Iraq and not freedom. And it will take face to face meetings and hand to hand contact in order to break the general public out of compulsive consumer habits and the predominant electronic frequency vibrations and thus establish, on an organic basis, the courage needed for the democratic part of the democratic republic to force the impeachment of not only Bush/Cheneny but the behavior of colonial privitisation - another American Revolution.
Something I ask myself too - do you have the courage to extend your hand and look your nieghbors in the eye and speak your convictions?
Of course, Ted Rall is absolutely correct. Dennis Kucinich pointed this out at the time of the debate on the last bill for funding the Iraq war. Dennis unlike the other Denocratic candudates for president has voted against all the appropriations bills for the Iraq War. Don’t waste your vote on a pro-war Denocrat.
Peace is Possible - Support Dennis Kucinich
puck,
I should clarify. That by marching to their precincts, I mean not to protest there. But to go inside, get engaged at the grassroots, send resolutions up to their state party, vote one another to be state delegates, etc.
There’s a point at which protest, however noble the cause, actually risks becoming non-democratic, or at the very least non-procedural. It’s hung up on the false hope that Pharaoh’s heart is not hardened. That he’ll take pity, suddenly learn something that he doesn’t already know, change course despite the influence of big monied interests that put him there, etc. Arguably protest is largely a powerless gesture borne out of a martyrdom complex.
The protests, historically, which resulted in change had scaled up to full-fledge insurgencies (Bastile), or (civil rights era) were accompanied with large-scale civic unrest, racial riots, etc. But in the Green ten key values, writings of Ghandi, and others, there is a strong commitment to non-violence. And I believe that a procedural/orderly/democratic stamp of legitimacy on any movement of change is THE de facto prerequisite for it being effective in the long-term. Progressives ultimately need cops and the military on their side, not on the other side. The only way to achieve that is within the bounds of respect for protocol of civil service.
Only when a progressive leader can demonstrate a higher standard of conduct, ethics, and leadership than the current batch of scoundrels, only then will s/he be ready to be elected president, command an army, the DoJ, FBI, etc. It’ll take a rare character combination, but these times might produce such a person. Tillman could have been the one, but there will be more.
Ahem; Just what do think the warrentless wiretaps were really all about? Finding terrorists, evil doers, smoking Bin Laden out of his cave? It was and is being used for blackmail pure and simple. The Democrats that blather on and whine about not being able to overide a veto are covering their asses from exsposure.
As always Ted:
You rock! Keep it up and preside over the gradual transformation of all news coming from sites like commondreams. Their ratings and subsrcriptions are doomed to drop further if they keep pumping out crap. I have canceled my dish and direct tv since they only offered one alternative channel: free speech tv. I’ll get my news selectively from sights that provide substance.
Keep up the Bush the dictator comics! Too funny!
pacplyer
“You’d think the Democrats would want to end the Iraq War before their likely retaking of the White House, but that’s because you’re a human being, not a politician. Politicians are happy to dispatch hundreds of young American men and women to certain death (along with thousands of Iraqis), if the bloodshed squeezes out an extra half percentage point at the polls. Reid and Pelosi prefer to run against a disastrous ongoing Republican war than point to a fragile Democratic-brokered peace.”
I think he’s missing the mark here.
Just as most conservative critics of BushCo will dismiss the Republicans as “incompetent”–when they are really evil—most liberal critics of Pelosi’s Democratic Congress dismiss them as “cowardly”–when they are really just a bunch of crooks.
The Democrats are not letting the war continue because they are afraid of anything. They are letting the war continue because some pro-war special interest group is bribing them.
As soon as I heard Pelosi say “Impeachment is off the table”, I knew what sort of politician she was.
Democrats are lying? No, it can’t be, there must be a mistake! I wrote in the Sheeran thread that Democrats voted for this war to begin with, why are we so shocked now that they continue to fund it?
Every time I hear corrupt clown Joe Biden say ‘we need 67 votes’ I want to scream at my radio or TV. Dems could have stopped this war with 40 votes back when they were in the minority if they wanted to. But Democrats are war criminals in sheep’s clothing, worse than Republicans. At least with Repugs, we know who our enemies are.
Maybe they all are heavily INVESTED in DEFENSE STOCKS?
Ya think?