If the USA attacks IRAN I stop buying American products. I stop visiting the USA forever.
I know people who have been to IRAN and let me tell you the cities look the same as any you would find in the US. With tall office buildings paved streets. You go skiing in the mountains and it looks like Aspen. Women walk freely down the street. Oh the controlled media never shows the real IRAN just the BS. Bush will not need any approval to attack just some BS attack some place and the media tells the rest. Your country is sssssooooooooo fucked up and no one has guts, bbbaaaaaa bbbbaaaaa sheep

What garbage Koehler - the msm are the vantriloquists to our politicians who remain their dummies [ in every sence of the word ]if this wasen't so than how could they get away without asking even the most elementry questions and demanding answers that would make sence ?
McClellan is only comming out with this book to try to prevent as much as possible ,not beeing charged with war crimes when Americans come to their sences.
I would like to ask McClellan if he thought that Joseph Goebles qualified as a war criminal ????????

4thefuture - Thanks for responding.

Yes, integrity is vital, but no politician (at this time) can go against the Lobby and stay in office or run for it.

Cynthia McKinney and Nader would be my choices, had they even a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected.

The problem is, that Israel is used as a means to weed out politicians not favorable enough to that criminal state. Were Obama to put forth an ardently pro-Palestinian statement, or even attempt even-handedness (like Dean), we all know what would happen.

And this sifting process only leaves our government full of unabashed Zionists. That is not a solution.

Nothing makes me angrier than to hear Obama pander to these thugs and traitors. But what is the alternative? McCain? Clinton?

I'll take my chances that Obama will be more even-handed. It's the only realistic option. A vote for Nader or McKinney will only help McCain, and that certainly will NOT help the Palestinians.

Fifty Comments.
So Mr. McClellon will make an excellent witness for the prosecution (with immunity from the same of course) then after the trials or the top layer of leaders; The President, the entire Cabinet, every General to Brigadier, Colonel to 2nd Lt., some of the Staff NCO, and then anyone else who participated. All the while Mr. McClellon would be placed in "protective custody", at "Gitmo", in a cell to himself, and any proceeds from his "book" should go to Iraqi orphan/widow relief. Of course this should be a very large "fund", which will take all of the fortunes of those involved, yes, even that of their heirs not as punishment but as exemplary "damages" so that any future men and women, who think such activity to be "a good idea" will the remember the "Great War Crime Trials of the Twentieth Century where Wars of Aggression were finally abandoned" for all time----because of what happened to these criminals".

Otherwise, expect a repeat, sometime in the future.

To Robert Koehler and every poster here who used the phrase "Iraq War" -- it's an OCCUPATION! (The war ended quickly, in 2003.) Why does the word "occupation" matter?

* you can't "win" an occupation
* you can't "lose" an occupation
* you can't "surrender" an occupation
* you can only END an occupation.

Obama clearly intends to end the occupation of Iraq; McCain clearly does not, and will try to paint Obama as a "surrender monkey" on this issue during the general election. All progressives worth their salt, when writing letters to the editor, or adding comments on Web threads, or emailing their Washington representatives, need to drop the word WAR and start using OCCUPATION. Thank you!!

Now what?

Now let's make some progress. Let's ride this wave of change. Let's get the attention of Congress.

The way to pressure Congress is to make them fear for their jobs (their job reviews are now only 5 months away).

'It's time to sweep out the House'.

It's simple and catchy. It's bipartisan. It's a call for change (following on Obama's message). It's a call for cleansing.

If Congress gets a'feared of us enough they will run to the front of the crowd and start leading the impeachment parade.

Sweep out the House, starting with Nancy Pelosi. Go Cindy Sheehan!

"curmudgeon99 June 6th, 2008 11:05 am
Don't you all just love Obama's rollover to AIPAC yesterday"?

Why would you say he "rolled" over for AIPAC?

Don't you all just love Obama's rollover to AIPAC yesterday?

JJAY: Pat Buchanan has a brain... I may not like or agree with much of his policies, but he's considered a TRUE conservative, i.e. believes in less government and little-to-no foreign "imperialistic adventures." What Buchanan lacks is empathy for others of different backgrounds. A born authoritarian, he figures the rules apply to all equally, and if someone was born into poverty, the matter of applied self-discipline should be enough to better their lot in life. The Ebineezer Scrooge aspect of too many conservatives bothers me greatly; but with all the wounds Bush has leveled on this nation, it would not be surprising to see the most radical left and right group come together... that's the way things work with the great circle.

Also, I know there's been evidence shared in this fourm that shows OBAMA thus far towing the same nebulous, lacking-in-courage policies of the go-along democrats. This would make him NOT appear as any threat to the established powers. I have to say that seeing Shakespeare as a master, and recognizing HIS use of an eclispe as portent to the assassination of Julius Caesar, that OBAMA would be wise to wear a bullet proof vest and let others test any drinks handed to him by "the crowd." Two eclipses rock Leo, his sign, and that of royal figures (i.e. heads of state) this August. I PRAY he survives to obtain office...

DICTENFREUND: Excellent posting. I agree. A woman or Black man occupying a position generally alloted to only white males has to be twice as good, that's mostly a fact, except for the mascot-like pagentry of the Republicans who put their token Blacks into high office so long as their loyalties to the boss/master are in no way under suspicion. Therefore OBAMA has to be one kick-ass chess player in the psycho-dynamics of the power-hungry political world.

I believe he retained his soul in that enterprise, which is something 95% do not and cannot seem to do. His SOUL will haunt him if he breaks a covenant with what he knows to be true. Every politician MUST compromise, and there are DARK forces that own much power in the US today, mostly the corporations that like vultures make their profit from imprisoning decent people, killing decent people (war machine and its now auxiliary armies for hire), poisoning decent people (big agra/big pharma), and poisioning minds (propaganda promoters). THAT'S a lot of poison to stand up against and still be HEALTHY.

We all have ideals and they are very important, but I think there's a possibility of a tide turn here and if my fellow CD readers are not bound and determined to see ultimate doom and gloom, then siding with the better alternative seems a sane option to me. I think our system needs reform, certainly our election processes SCREAM for as much. We would be better served by a multiplicity of parties like our European counterparts, but given what IS, at least Obama inspires some, is a fresh choice (in comparison with the 2-family dynastic cycle of the past 2 decades), and MAY (!!!) bring changes. I don't believe he'll kow tow to a small pro-war contingent once in office.

Even "funnier" as to how so few of us [ 10% ??] knew the lies and liars in 2002 BEFORE THIS WAR and were saying it loudly and clearly. Still, some 80% chose to go with the media flow of unquestioned slim pouring from Rove and Cheney and Bush to create a new culture of fear dependent on their fascism for "protection" by killing innocents in an illegally preemptive war and illegally imprisoning others.
Thanks again to Keith Obermann for clinging to truth and bravely sharing it. Also to Stephen Cobert for confronting [ within six feet of and in the face of GWB ] and continuing to clarify the insanity of this administration as well as many of it's advocates.
Check out Cobert's interview of Pat Buchanaan on last night's show for a true convert against the Bush assministration.

I can't say I disagree with opeluboy who said "... I never said it is "okay" to lie and pander to get elected. I said it was a matter of no choice. Especially where Israel is concerned. If a politician does not swear blind devotion to Israel it is career suicide. This is a fact, not an opinion. Instead of being angry at our people who are forced to do this, be furious at those forcing it on them! .... I will not blame Obama for having to play the game. I do and will blame those who have set up and continue to enforce the rules."

But I also have to say, what about personal integrity? It seems as if you are saying that personal integrity is a luxury we'll just have to do without in a president. If so, then why are we bothering to vote for such a candidate? Third party candidates have always been an option, but, for the first time, something that happens from time to time in developing countries, is almost starting to make sense to me. And that's an organized, nationwide boycott. A vote by only 10% or so of the US electorate wouldn't be considered legitimate to me and maybe not to a whole lot of others. And couldn't it even make the rulers feel a bit nervous?

Any comments?

p.s. great article by Robert Koehler, and as was pointed out, simply brilliant opening sentence.

After the invasion of Iraq, it seemed to me that so many people who were just becoming part of - or could have been part of - an anti-war movement, instead put ALL their efforts into voting Democratic the next election. This happened early, by fall 2003. The irony of course is that one doesn't need a whole year to vote, or even to volunteer by registering others to vote. So when Bush won again, all of us who put all eggs into one basket became so deflated that the anti-war movement never recovered. Indeed, its not even a war anymore, its an OCCUPATION. Most of those who are trying to maintain U.S. military presence in Iraq have long recognized this, so they start by saying "well, now that we're already there..." That is the statement we need to attack by pointing to colonial and imperial projects before and correctly labeling our efforts as an anti-colonial movement rather than an anti-war movement.

I think all those posters above who are optimistic of change within the white house are right, given Obama's unique background; but all those who are skeptical are equally right. If he wins, maybe the reality is somewhere in-between the two? Either way, we shouldn't repeat our mistake of 2004 and abandon an anti-colonial movement and focus too much attention on the election (something I fear a lot of us, I included, have already been doing). If Obama wins, then a popular movement against imperialism may actually help him justify a new set of policies to congress and the media, if he genuinely wants to make a change. Lets make some good arguments against U.S. imperialism; lets shift the terms of the debate.

Peace

I hope you're getting paid -Dichterfreund- (dig the german thing BTW, makes Fascism seem more "like the movies").

To -Arvy-, ever read Jerry Mander's "Four Arguments for the ELIMINATION of Television"? I know there are other writings on the subject now, but I still think this one is the most direct and comprehensive.

I think that it is True to say that a very large number of people have now wholly lost their minds to an imagined reality.

I also think it would be a Good Idea for those of us who are still in the World to stay there.

Its actually a little scary to think what will happen when people get shocked back into the World, and wake up from the Dream they've being dreaming on behalf of their Masters.

And don't be fooled, this IS going to happen, and it may well just happen quite soon.

Yikes.

-matti.

McLellan's book is a sign of just how greatly the political landscape has changed in the last three and a half years.

It seems that people have forgotten just how dark a day November 3, 2004 was. The media, at that point, were still bowing in awe before the 'genius' of Karl Rove, simply because a second election had been stolen.

We were swimming against a cascade of lies that we had been pummelled with.

Despite holding all three branches of government and holding all the cards in a compliant media, the movement towards fascism has been stopped, and yes, even reversed.

The Terry McAuliffe faction has just been beaten by a rag-tag army, not by a corporate machine, with the help of liberal radio hosts, online spread of information, innumerable books on the lies of the Bush junta, and a single cable journalist who decided not to take it anymore. (Thank you, Keith Olbermann, for giving voice for the past three years, to the vast number of the voiceless!)

The outcome of the Democratic primary is an equivocal victory; but it's time to take off the blood & mud-colored glasses and recognize victory. No, Dennis Kucinich wasn't regarded as a serious candidate, and John Edwards was largely considered a non-counter; and no, Obama doesn't sound like Henry Wallace or Eugene Debs on the campaign trail.

The rest of the world recognizes the magnitude of Obama's victory; this is a sign that the politics of decency can trump the politics of fear. Even if Obama wishes to cling to the obtuseness of the political establishment, he would be incapable of doing so.

One of his Harvard Law professors -- I didn't hear which -- said that not only was Obama the smartest student he had in three decades of teaching, he was also the most independent thinker he ever had.

Prez O'Bama's job isn't to fix what's wrong with the US. Prez O'Bama's job is to make the US feel good despite what's wrong with it.

Like Albert King said, "Man you gotta' hole in your soul!"

THAT'S IT ?? The media should START telling the truth ???

George Bush is a far cry from being appreciated for what realities he has brought to most in this nation and world.
He has however, actually made it clear that he is as much the problem as the result of the problem
and that 'problem' as he has intimated all along his crisis presidency, is Congress.

Although the opposing party to this so-called Chief Executive, has a majority in Congress, the so called representatives of the people still are unwilling
to address the fact that this administration has COMMITTED FRAUD many times upon the American people and intentionally
BROKEN INTERNATIONAL LAW. Bush has done this flagrantly, admitted his actions and even gone further
by actually signing laws passed by Congress. THEN after the fact, outside his constitutionally bestowed veto powers, HE HAS
CHANGED [REWRITTEN ] OVER ONE THOUSAND of those LAWS. He did this by his use of what is called "Signing Statements"
utilized by all other presidents as "clarifying statements" and NOT for limiting or changing the purpose of a law.

In fraudulently declaring the need for our military to go to war in Iraq based on what he knew to be false information
our own Central Intelligence Agency and other agencies were telling him, this man has become a mass murderer.
By preemptively ordering our military to attack another sovereign nation against the will and advice of the United Nations,
he broke International Law.
By changing over 1000 pieces of legislation agreed upon by the representatives of the people themselves,
he reached beyond his powers of veto established in the U.S. Constitution.

AND YET, CONGRESS WEAKLY REFUSES TO HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE, PROVING THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION IS
NOT THE ONLY PROBLEM. CONGRESS IS UNWILLING TO PERFORM THE DUTIES MANDATED THEM IN
OUR U.S. CONSTITUTION TO HOLD THEMSELVES AND THE EXECUTIVE RESPONSIBLE AND
ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS WHILE IN OFFICE.

It does not matter when the offenses occur or how long before the elected president's term is over. To begin the impeachment proceedings
for Dick Cheney and G.W.B. are criminally overdue. If the U.S. Congress does not at the very least complete an impeachment trial in
the House of Representatives, not matter what the political make up of the Senate OR time left in this presidential term and thus
the chances of a conviction, then Bush has proven unfortunately, that CONGRESS IS THE PROBLEM to correct first.

This of course, is most unfortunate, because it means both Congress and the President are guilty of DERELICTION OF DUTY.
It also means that the President will continue his abuse of our Constitution and will in all likelihood leave office unaccountable,
knowing he can do anything he pleases, smirking and ignoring the "representatives" of the people as long as he chooses,
even promote another war in the Middle East, which this writer has no doubt he will try to use to stay in office "until the threat to the U.S. is over".

Fortunately, we do have perhaps a last chance this November to begin a correction course. A reconstituted Congress could mean resolve to hold them and this
administration accountable, and if not remove Bush and Cheney from office, to at least publicly disgrace their defying of our Constitution and make our
now disrespected nation once again a light of hope across the faces and critical minds of our world.

As a blogger I am lazy and cowardice because its easy to hunch over a computer screen and type in a little square room shut off from the world. this glowing screen gives me an allure of what is happening, meanwhile the world around is happening outside every second of every minute of every day.

my point is all the media consumers need to stay away from the mainstream news, it is owned and operated by the CIA - these boxes are much like the seeing stones of Lord of the Rings, as gandalf knocked whats his face in the first episode and says "we don't know who might be watching from the other side"

There is one place though, and I believe its very powerful and for every complaint there is for every short comming of every politician who should be X much more holier or smarter to vote yay or nay Etc... on X whatever bill. There is a God. And he does rule the entire universe and even aliens and any planets we've never even seen before. And he's/she's very real and if you believe and ask and pray - its not like Santa Claus, but it is real.

WSWS.ORG: Nothing like Truth to ruin the party.

QUESTION: "Now what?"

ANSWER: Now the overwhelming majority of voting Americans are going to vote for one of two candidates, either John McCain or Barack Obama, NEITHER OF WHOM HAVE UTTERED A WORD -- NOT A GODFORSAKEN SYLLABLE! -- ABOUT THE FOLLOWING:

a.) The criminality of the Iraqi War; with now well over 1,000,000 Iraqis dead, many of them children -- http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/02/9363/

b.) The *Democrats* criminal complicty in the War.

c.) The obscenity of spending 15 billion dollars *per month* on the War.

d.) The obscenity of the Pentagon's bloated budget; now being the largest in US history: over 500 billion dollars per year.

e.) Torture.

f.) Extraordinary rendition.

g.) The US government's foreign policy; a *murderous* foreign policy that's existed for decades, under both Democratic and Republican administrations -- with the bombing of Afghanistan standing as the *20th* country the United States has bombed since the end of WWII.

Anyone heard Obama or McCain talk about these issues?

But let's continue, there's still a lot of alphabet left. ...

h.) The stenographic spinelessness of mainstream media.

i.) The concentration of media power into fewer and fewer hands; aided and abetted by the shepherding of the 1996 Telecommunications Act through Congress by then-Vice-President Al ("Recount-What-Recount-We-Don't-Need-No-Stinkin'-Recount") Gore.

j.) The media-supplicant points made by co-conspirator McClellan in his book.

Any word from either Obama or McCain on these subject?

k.) The rape of the American political system (not to mention the entire planet) by "The Big Boys" -- multinational drug, oil, bank, and insurance companies.

l.) The ever-increasing gap between the rich and the poor and the rich and the middle class in the United States; the largest gap of any advanced industrial country -- by far
-- and the largest gap in the United States since 1929.

m.) The fact that in the United States 40% of the nation's wealth is concentrated in the hands of 1% of the population; with the next 19% of the population controlling the next 45% of the nation's wealth -- leaving the remaining 15% in the hands of 80% of the US population.

Obama? McCain? A peep? A titter?

n.) The fact that 50% of the world's population lives on $2 a day or less; with 20% of the world's population living on $1 a day or less.

o.) The fact that 35,000 people die every day from *preventable* causes; most of them because of polluted drinking water.

p.) The fact that scientists estimate that the cost of making virtually all the world's drinking water safe to drink would be around 10 billion dollars. Less than what the US spend in Iraq in a month.

q.) The fact that the United States has the highest homicide rate of any advanced industrialized country. By far.

r.) The fact that the United States has the dirtiest air of any advanced industrial country. By far.

Any peep from either McCain or Obama on any of these issues? A word? A syllable?

But who knows, maybe we'll get lucky.

Anything about --

s.) The fact that the United States has the highest rate of corporate welfare of any advanced industrial country. By far. About 125 billion dollars per year.

t.) The fact that the United States is one of the few advanced industrialized countries that doesn't have proportional representation in their legislatures.

u.) The fact that the US electoral system is *awash* in corporate money.

v.) The fact that the US welfare program for the poor and the needy is the most mean-spirited welfare system of any advanced industrial country. It's always been mean-spirited -- President Bill Clinton's so-called Welfare Reform Act made it much worse.

w.) The fact that the United States has the highest rate of poverty of any advanced industrialized country. By far.

x.) The fact that the United States has the highest rate of childhood poverty of any advanced industrialized country. By far.

y.) The fact that in other advanced industrial countries:

... the street are safer;

... the air is cleaner;

... the sick and the elderly are taken care of;

... students don't have to go broke to go to college;

... workers are paid better;

... unions are stronger;

... voter turnout is greater;

... the penal system is more humane;

... public schools are not jokes.

z.) The fact that the United States has the highest rate of incarceration of ANY country in the world, By far. NOTE WELL: Not just advanced industrial countries, *all* countries of the world -- with one out of every 135 US residents currently incarcerated.

Well, ok, I've run out of alphabet. But so far not a peep about any of these issues by the two candidates *millions* of Americans will dutifully vote for.

Perhaps I'll add just a few more:

a1.) The fact that the United States is the only advanced industrialized country without universal health coverage -- with over 50 million Americans not covered by any health insurance whatsoever.

b1.) The fact that Canada spends *less* money on health care per capita but yet covers *more* people and covers them *better* than does the US system.

c1.) The fact that the State of Israel has violated more UN resolutions than any other country in the world. By far. And that their occupation of the West Bank and, in turn, their ghettoization of the Palestinians is morally reprehensible.

d1.) The fact, today, the Palestinians occupy 10% of the land they did in 1949.

e1.) Illegal domestic wiretapping.

f1.) The fact that the US has the highest rate of homelessness of any advanced industrialized country. By far.

g1.) And finally, this grotesque obscenity --http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home

Is Obama fixin' to "change" any of these realities?

Don't hold your breath.

I remember when I had a shred of hope left...

Seriously, those who think this gang of murdering, thieving loons won't "do" Iran continue to live in bubble world where the expression "they'd never do that" still resides.

Afghanistan ring a bell? See any signs of "us" pulling out of there anytime soon? These nuts overthrew the gov of Haiti - forget that one? Cheney's never gonna have the chance to f**k us and the world ever again - think he's just gonna split quietly? Israel doing aggressive war upon Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinians with "our" support and "permission?"

Iran - done deal. Elections - done deal, revealed by how the Big Corp Media Propagandists are already "reporting" that "polls" have McCrazy and BO "tied," which will make a "McCain" e-vote theft plausibly believable. (Not to mention zero "reporting" on the unresolved Diebold and friends previous thefts.)

Halliburton "special program" detention centers, massive illegal spying on ALL Americans for no apparent reason (key word: apparent,) "secret" laws allowing for unrestrained spying by all military branches, the arming of local police with military gear and hardware, economic "war" on all but the rich and super rich...

Now what? Read the wall writing, peeps...

Is it really such a leap from the lies now "revealed" to an understanding that 19 guys with box cutters could not have accomplished what happened on 9/11 and that, for some reason, the Bush Administration has not investigated thoroughly the events of that day?

But they sure used them to subvert our democracy and launch a war of aggression that has been very profitable for them and their friends.

I too understood that Iraq couldn't possibly have been a threat to the United States all along. Really, anybody who was paying attention could see that the sickening cheerleading for war was part of a criminal conspiracy for war profiteering.

rebelnow June 5th, 2008 7:42 pm -- 'Once the precedent of lies and pandering is established within anyone, no matter how articulate and stirring the rhetoric, trust and credibility is out the door, despite all the hope you can muster.'

Why is it so hard to convey such a simple and obvious message to the average USan voter? The obverse (that voting for someone based on some hoped-for deception of his paid sponsors is ludicrous) would seem so self-evident as to be hardly worthy of mention. And yet, time after time, those fundamental truths seem to elude electors who insist on 'democratically' validating whatever pre-selected 'electable' candidates those sponsors set before them.

I can understand a certain amount of wishful thinking, but it often seems to completely overwhelm all rationality in the self-proclamed 'greatest democracy on earth'.

rebelnow - If you are referring to my post, I never said it is "okay" to lie and pander to get elected. I said it was a matter of no choice. Especially where Israel is concerned. If a politician does not swear blind devotion to Israel it is career suicide. This is a fact, not an opinion. Instead of being angry at our people who are forced to do this, be furious at those forcing it on them!

Of course Obama could have stood his ground on this. He would have been out of the race months ago. Can you really blame him? Do you remember the names of all those who stood up to the Israeli lobby and are now private citizens? If you do, good for you! Most of us don't.

And of course all this would mean is that totally pro-Zionist candidates would be running. Is that what we need?

I am a Kucinich supporter. His bad habit of being perfectly candid is why he is never seen as a viable candidate. But even he, while being extremely forthright on his criticisms of Israeli policy, is still forced to temper his remarks with the traditional bullshit.

I will not blame Obama for having to play the game. I do and will blame those who have set up and continue to enforce the rules.

marcy kaptur is the REAL franklin roosevelt democrat.. she is just as strong on fighting corporate greed as nader.. just as strong as dennis K.. and with the added plus of also fighting the other GREED harm.. abortion..

with her on the ticket she will become the most popular person in america.. even more so than obama... she will bring back the yellow dog democrats that left the party because of the GREED of abortion.. she is what sn bob casey of pa's father was... they are exactly the same... she will deliver pa.. ohio.. mich very easily.. BUT she will also bring back the yellow dog democrats and ga.. nc and sc may flip to democrats..

she will become the most popular person in govt and politics... she is BETTER than nader or dennis k since she is totally consistant on going after greed harm....

corporate greed harm of stealing the weaks money is one greed harm.. she is equal to nader and dennis k on this.. BUT she is consistant whereas nader and dennis k is NOT they over look the OTHER greed harm of the innocent and weak abortion makes one wonder if dennis k or nader is really REAL!!!

with marcy kaptor and bob casey of pa.. those 2 are REAL against all GREED harms..

marcy voted no to this greed war for oil for the robber barons and is strongly against the robber barons nafta and gatt greed harm whch lowers americans wages..

marcy kaptur is the REAL DEAL!!!! she is CONSISTANT!!! her judgement has been near perfect more so than anyone other than bob casey sr..

I'm an unproud citizen of fakedemocracy, the international instigator of WWIII. Coming soon to a ICBM target near you.

Some seem to think it's OK to lie or to pander to special interests in order to get elected. I guess that's politics, eh? A little lie here and there in order to gather some funds, get some votes, no problem. Now you're elected, you stop lying? At what point do you believe what is being said? "oh now he/she is in office, they won't lie now".

Once the precedent of lies and pandering is established within anyone, no matter how articulate and stirring the rhetoric, trust and credibility is out the door, despite all the hope you can muster.

Not accepting money from Washington lobbyists is a solid first step.

Lorax, I agree — up to a point.

I believe Obama will have a much greater impact on foreign relations than his required kow towing to AIPAC would lead us to believe.

Obama had several very pro-Palestinian advisors on his staff (Hillary had none, but many hardcore Likudniks), which of course produced the expected howls and whines of "anti-Semitism" from the Israel First crowd. Realizing that his campaign would be torpedoed due to this (and of course statements on the topic from Rev Wright), he was forced to recite the same catechism every American politician (that desires to maintain a career in politics) must recite.

This should infuriate the American people. And not with their candidates, but with those requiring this blind, amoral devotion. Which of course leads us to the real problem: the media.

As long as almost all major media (Warning! Anti-Semitism alert!) is owned and controlled by hardline Zionists who put the Israeli right's desires ahead of our own country's needs, who work tirelessly to paint a biased view of the Middle East, Arabs and Muslims, while portraying Israel as a beacon of light and freedom, nothing will change. All politicians will have to crawl to these people, because they know full well that the media can make them or break them (nod to Howard Dean) in a heartbeat.

Hopefully, once he is elected, Obama will return to the courage of his convictions regarding Israel and Palestine. And maybe if enough of us prove to him that this is just fine with us, AIPAC and its media will be unable to stop him from dealing fairly with decades long war crime acknowledged universally as a shame and blot on America.

Poet: "The total mess we are in is no more the fault of GW Bush and his "inner circle" than Nazi Germany was the fault of Hitler, Goebbels, Goering, Heydrich, and Himmler. My point is that they had a whole lot of help from a whole lot of other "good Germans" and their reign was indicative of a sickness of the entire German society and not just its leadership."

I Obama is elected, even IF he desired to 'change' the direction of the US, he couldn't. The policy of shock doctrine, as practiced on many other would-be democracies, would ensure continuation of business as usual. Far too many people in the US, the hyper-capitalists and their loyal following of 'good Germans', have too much invested, both materially and psychologically. Change, when it comes, and it is happening now, won't result from an insurrection or a military coup. That's already been tried elsewhere and failed. Think big... like severe climatic shift and catastrophe from global warming.

Now what is indeed the question. Getting the madman's finger off the button that could blow the world into smithereens might be the first step toward some sanity. When a sociopath is as far gone as President Shit-for-Brains gets the idea that HE is going to be held accountable for anything, we are really going to have a really nasty temper tantrum to deal with.

It was perfectly obvious all along that there were no WMD in Iraq. I never believed it for a moment, and I believe everyone. It wasn't necessary to have followed the events unfolding in Iraq post Bush the Elder, or even be able to pick out Iraq on the map. If Hussein had had WMD that were even a minor threat to anyone, the US would not have invaded; it is that simple. I am quite sure Hussein knew this too, and which is why he was playing games with weapons inspectors, because when it was confirmed he was harmless, he was gone.

Which has parallels with Iran. As a senior right wing Israeli politician remarked, he did not know whether then had nuclear weapons or not, but if they were NOT developing them, they were mad.

"We elect Obama, who will be more honest and effective in unwinding the past mistakes than the alternative, John McCain."

"More honest and more effective?" Don't bet on it! Other than words, Obama's honesty, credibility, and political courage remains a very large question.

From the day we invaded Iraq, every possibility of a constructive American initiative in the Middle East was lost. From that day and forever, America can only "react" to what is happening on the ground. And it will not end until American soldiers start shooting American military leaders, as happened in Vietnam

I believe nothing. I think nothing can help us now.
The truth is dead.

I think TheLorax has it correctly.

Re:Mordechai Shiblikov - I couldn't agree with you more. To point out that someone like McClellan is a terrible liar, misses the whole point. The sophisticated misinformation fed to us by the MSM 24/7 is the greatest pack of lies ever delivered. The so-called 'liberal left media' is nowhere to be found. Yet millions of Americans who read TIME, NEWSWEEK, The New York Times and watch FOX, CNN or any other corporate mouth piece, consider themselves politically well informed.
The proof is in the pudding as far too many citizens still believe that terrorism kills more Americans than lightning does. Or that Iraq was invaded to 'protect us'. Or that Saddam Hussein actually had something to do with 9-11.
Regardless of how many Iraqis die today, the 6 O'clock news will lead off with its usual fluff like a story about another missing white girl, Britney's latest haircut or some political coverage that conveniently is "issue free".
Until the MSM can be curbed by the citizenry, Americans will continue to be woefully ignorant of the issues that affect them.

Rockerbabe1 observes:

What is really sad, is that we know the truth,it has been confirmed, yet the Congress of the United States, even under Democratic "leadership" continues to refuse to do anything about the lies, the killing and the theft of financial resources by the Bush administration.

*******************

Both Scotty Mac in his book and Robert Koehler in his article are swallowing the bait that all of this is somehow the fault of GW Bush and his cabal of AEI and New Federalist Society clones. Bull shit!

The total mess we are in is no more the fault of GW Bush and his "inner circle" than Nazi Germany was the fault of Hitler, Goebbels, Goering, Heydrich, and Himmler. My point is that they had a whole lot of help from a whole lot of other "good Germans" and their reign was indicative of a sickness of the entire German society and not just its leadership.

Should Barack Obama or John McCain win the presidency in the upcoming election they will continue in the imperialist lifestyle to which the US government has grown accustomed. They may do it with a little more artful flair than their predecessors Cheney and Bush but do it they will.

Just like in Nazi Germany they will be discreetly cheered on by multinational corporatania (Wall Street), academia (the think tanks), and Pentagonia (otherwise known as the MIC).

If it were not such an appalling outcome, the anticipation of the looks on the faces of all those who hoped in a President Obama (or McCain or Hillary Clinton) after they does an LBJ and order the military to attack Iran would be deliciously funny. Alas Common Dreamers neither we nor our elected leaders have been the masters of our own house for a long, long time.

At this point nothing short of either an armed insurrection on the part of the population of the US or a military occupation (shock doctrine visited on the practitioners of the same) will change the picture.

What is really sad, is that we know the truth,it has been confirmed, yet the Congress of the United States, even under Democratic "leadership" continues to refuse to do anything about the lies, the killing and the theft of financial resources by the Bush administration. If this were Bill Clinton and he had been even thought to have done 1/10th as much - impeachment would be a real reality. I am beginning to think having Democratic leadership isn't all we hoped it would be; in fact, the current "leaders" appear impotent in face of a discredited President. So we might get Obama, with the kind of "help" we now have on the hill, he won't get much done either and grievances with the Bushies still won't be addressed. So Big Deal!

The Cheney regime no longer needs to "sell" his plans to bomb Iran, remember his "SO?" reply? He cares not one iota about what the people think or about what an impotent congress thinks. The only thing that could possibly stop his madness is a decision by military personnel to refuse an executive order, and that is unlikely.

Welcome to the New American Century. Your country is no longer yours.

The real "professional liars" are the myriad outlets of the MSM. They are now a completely lost cause and almost the very definition of it. This wouldn't mean anything except that the vast majority of ignorant Americans get their so-called "news" from these wretched liars. This will probably not change in the least. The Courics, Williams, Gibsons, Russerts ad nauseum are not journalists but television personalities pitching a useless product. That product is American swagger, aggressiveness and death disguised as a smile.

We may as well admit that the whole power structure of our country has been taken over by criminal capitalists and warmongers and it is doubtful that any president can change that unless we have a serious collapse in our country, which may well be possible.

The greed that has been exhibited in the last couple decades is the ruination of us all and will not stop because of a few flowery speeches. Also, throw in blind patriotism coupled with evangelic "end of times" religion mixed up in government, and things are not likely to change short of complete disaster.

It is fine to be optimistic, however it is wise to also be realistic, and we have so many problems to face thanks to a total lack of leadership for many years that people should think seriously about their future existence here and take steps to provide for themselves as well as possible.

Could having their FREE broadcast radio/tv spectrum taken away have something to do with the cover-up? (Some) people may not realize it, but broadcasters get the very channels they spew these lies on, for absolutely NOTHING. They pay NOTHING. Not one cent.

Daniel David -
1) McClellan's book has probably rendered any 2008 U.S. military strike against Iran (IF one was planned) unsalable to either Americans or to other allies in the wider world.

Since nobody cares about right and wrong, the plan to attack Iran will go ahead regardless. If there's not enough public support, a building will mysteriously 'collapse' from fire and Iran will be blamed. So we'll go to war there to 'defend freedom' or some nonsense like that. Resistance and protests to an Iranian attack will actually be minimal.

2) We elect Obama, who will be more honest and effective in unwinding the past mistakes than the alternative, John McCain.

Obama panders to AIPAC and has announced an intention to deal with Iran's "nuclear weapons program". Since Iran has no such program, he intends to follow the same deadly road that bush paved. Obama will not make things better. Obama will make things worse, just not as rapidly as McCain and Obama will make flowery speeches to help the medicine go down. Don't be fooled into thinking that Obama will being any positive change. A clear sign of this is who he chooses to be VP. If he picks Edwards, it's likely that he actually intends to make things better (a very positive sign). If he picks Clinton, he will wreck this country far worse than bush ever dreamed and plunge us into WW3 from which we will never recover.

This happens in Germany and its Nazi propaganda.

This happens in America and its a sad time in Journalism.

We Americans are a silly sect of people.

This is soooo American. First you commit or aid and abet in a crime, then you clean up again with a dog and pony show. A real two-fer.

Daniel David: point 2

the fact that there is only one alternative makes me think of the phrase "divide and conquer" - i.e. the "voters"

Now what?

1) McClellan's book has probably rendered any 2008 U.S. military strike against Iran (IF one was planned) unsalable to either Americans or to other allies in the wider world.

2) We elect Obama, who will be more honest and effective in unwinding the past mistakes than the alternative, John McCain.

Brilliant lead sentence. Worthy of Mark Twain. Nothing to argue with of course in any of this.

"Let the media begin redeeming themselves by telling the truth ... "

How would we know? The media has lost all credibility. They have morphed from the fourth estate to a fifth column undermining the country at the behest of the treasonous military industrial congressional media complex.

Simple answer: IMPEACHMENT

Another simple answer: WAR CRIME TRIALS

And lets include everyone responsible, including Scott himself. Publishing a book doesn't absolve him of his guilt. My new name for him: "Weasely"