Sarah Palin Queen Wingnut

Our right wing adversaries have been working hard to resurrect the Republican brand and have anointed a new "Conservative of the Year.
And who better to bestow such a dubious honor than Ann "kill them all" Coulter, who has a few words to say toward bucking up the troops for the big comeback.

The entire presidential election year was kind of a downer for conservatives. Once the “maverick” John McCain won the nomination, the rest of the year was like watching a slow motion car crash. Except at least a slow-motion car crash is occasionally entertaining. So it was going to be a long yea

If Sarah Palin was the highlight of the this years Presidential election, then democrats can breath a sigh of relief that the GOP will remain a minority for some time to come.

Greed, What Is It Good For?

Yes, I have flippantly used the word greed to describe what the basic problem is, even though it doesn’t accurately describe my thoughts on the matter. It’s a single word and connotates a negative, but I also don’t think greed is bad in the context of what business entities should be about.

My own reflections on the current state of affairs has more to do with a kind intellectual and moral laziness brought about by prolonged periods of prosperity, such as we’ve seen since WW2. It was the trauma of the Great Depression that brought about the reforms of how free enterprise should be carried out and is what brought about a large and productive middle class, pretty much unfettered since. It is the illusion that total freedom is the way to go in economic matters and has been championed by the so called Free Trader mentality mostly of Republican Conservative ideology. But I think it was Nietzsche who said something like Total Freedom is the Ultimate Prison. We are learning today of that truth. Nothing like the prospect of an empty pot to focus the mind, and many more people in American are truly afraid their pot may go empty. This is a good thing, as any country, even one as successful as ours, is put in jeopardy when it’s citizens are complacent and take success for granted as permanent.

It is the people who vote for their leaders, who watch the Chicken Coop to keep away the wolves who are most responsible for our current plight, IMHO. And the old maxim of No Pain No Gain will once again prove to be ,hopefully, our friend in the end.

The Auto Maker Mess

I believe we have a chance right now, if it’s not too late, for providing Ford and Chrysler a bridge loan, with a reform structure where they can save themselves. Just throwing TARP money at them, might get the job done, until they can reform themselves, but that is questionable. As for GM, there are signs that they are far more in dire straits from the amount of money they have requested, at least 15 billion I think at one point, and their draconian plan to stop most production for a period of time. And I agree that they cannot be allowed to just fold up and disappear. The small bridge loan to tide them over seems to me not nearly enough to see them through this, even for a short period of time. They are so large and their tentacles reach so far into about every nook and corner of our economy, to let them go under is not an option, imo.

My prediction is at some point the federal gov is going to have to nationalize at least GM for some period of time to prevent them from vanishing. And Cole is right, you can’t screw the retirees out of pensions without it being a national crime. I know the taxpayers made no promises, like it has with the military thru our elected reps to fulfill the constitutional duty of raising and supporting armies, but putting old folks in the poor house is not an option, unless we truly want to return to the 1890’s. Though wingnuts would be tickled pink with that prospect.

We are currently going thru the motions of reviving a dying lifestyle of unlimited prosperity, until we realize that for national survival, we are going to have to make changes at least temporarily to a large degree in the socialist model. Unfettered capitalism is best imo, but without the unfettered part that has brought us to this point. Maybe we will get back to the rational version at some point, but not for some time.

Ennio Morricone - In Concerto - Ripley's Game

Saturday Night All Girl Music Club

Paula Cole - Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?

Saturday Night All Girl Music Club

Bonnie Raitt..i cant make you love me

Macy Gray - I Try

National Healthcare

Actually, there is the number one proposal that will change the entire political pair-a-dine, and that is National Healthcare. Obama’s plan is more incremental than most dems, but it is still going to be the battle Royale between left and right. Once it becomes the law of the land, the last nail in the Conservative Movement coffin will be driven in. It will redraw the political playing field in favor of dems, and change our economic model forever. With businesses, especially small ones, no longer having to worry about this albatross around their necks, it will cause a boon in small businesses across the board, and also help big corporations. At least in the beginning. Later on, paying for it will mean more taxes likely and other problems of delivery and facilitation. Wingnuts will be reduced to braying about socialism and chipping away around the edges. The edges of the voters life and death access to health care.

Jethro Tull - Aqualung (Live)

The Coming Show

In sixty three days, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. After 8 years of governance by the GOP, if you want to call it that, the reality of having a democratic run government is slowly sinking in. The country is currently teetering on the brink of economic disaster, we have two wars going on and the task ahead for democrats to clean up Bush's giant mess is breathtaking and a little overwhelming.

We here at the Funhouse look forward to the good fight to come. Our wingnut rivals will be bringing on the stoopid in heavy doses, and liberal purists will test our patience. There is nothing remotely funny about the present state of America and the world, but Funny is nevertheless a necessary nutrient for the body politic and great effort will be made to deliver it in appropriate doses, along with the serious. Our correspondents and contributors are as clueless as any MSM counterpart, but the different is that we know it and they don't. So buckle up for the ride through snark land and parody park.

Chief of Operations -- Nightjar

No, I agree. A Constitutional Republic needs two viable parties to
work properly. The trouble is, that the devils bargain with the
Southern Strategy has come full circle. What we call Wingnuttery is
actually not the Republican Party nor loyal conservatism. What we now
have in charge of the GOP, are the remnants
of the conquered secessionist ideology of the Old South. Their beef is
with the Constitution itself, or those parts that are either explicit
or have evolved liberally into things like progressive taxation,
separation of church and state, total equality under the law and a
whole host of public laws that insure fairness and accountability, such
as privacy, and laws of God versus those of Men.

The conflict is currently intractable IMO, and who knows what will emerge out of the ashes of the also conquered Conservative Movement.

Sarah to the Rescue

McCain Campaign Autopsy

When we clear away the wreckage of the McPalin pileup, I think the whole socialism crapola, combined with the shrieking hordes of Palin Bloodworms, will get top billing for the differential diagnoses of fail. When they went down the red bait boulevard, it was a turn that not even the fawning Mccain press bootlickers could follow. He probably would have lost anyway, but that charge was the final nail in the coffin for the Mccain campaign. Just about every interview I’ve watched recently with wingnut Mccain surrogates, the first question the bobbleheads ask is "Do you really believe that Obama is a Socialist" and none, or very few, will say yes. It is true that most of the press are democrats, but they also know who butters their bread and careers. And it ain’t the GOS or the DNC. But letting wingnuts get by with the S word tag would hit too close to home, and that label, if left to stand about Obama, would paint them with the same red brush. IMHO

My Take on Peggy Noonan

Noonan on Palin in Debate with Biden

Noonan has by and large has been one of, and at times the chief Turd
Polisher in the conservative movement. She has been their in-house
intellectual and ideological filter during that time, and part of her
schtick is to mildly criticize wingnut candidates and leaders in a way
that seems humanizing and honest. Populism is something wingnuts fear
most coming from the left because it is the political arrow aimed
straight at the heart of what their really up to—and that is to snatch
up the lions share of wealth in this country from the middle class.
They believe it’s theirs to begin with, but for Marxist/liberal wealth
re-distributors picking their pockets to give it to the rabble workers.
I could well be wrong, but when Noonan goes after Palin as a populist
(but less evil wingnut model) she’s obtusely attacking dems who are the
real class warriors in her/their opinion. She’s making a bipartisan
case trying to negate Obama’s "Change message" in a a too clever by
half way. It’s how she operates.

Today is conspiracy theory Sunday at the Funhouse.

The Maverick and the Message Grifter

Funhouse assignment -- read Howard Kurtz of the WAPO

Just goes to show, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Mccain has
been a pot stirrer his whole life. Sometimes with actual principles
behind the stirring, and sometimes just for the hell of it. Air drop in
a pack of PavRovian message drivers and you have political combustion,
on an almost daily basis. Mccain’s persona and political strength has
been the opposite of the way these message grifters operate, so one day
we have Mccain doing his Bush like subservient repetition of the daily
talking points, the next you have “I’ll go it alone just like I did on
Iraq". A sad comedy is what you end up with. And a guy like Schmidt who
is venting his rage on the press for not going along so much this time
with the equivalence shit, largely due to the Palin disaster that even
the most dutiful Mccain news lackeys can’t abide being a heartbeat away
from the Presidency.

What Will Become of Today's Republican Party

Funhouse Query; What will become of today's Republican party?


Beginning with signing of the 60’s civil rights laws, and then
jumpstarted by Nixon’s Southern Strategy (would have happened without
the SS) it was inevitable that the Republican Party would eventually
become the Southern or Southeastern party. Meaning, that the
wingnuttery we see today which is dominating the GOP
and driving out moderate repubs, is nothing more than a slow osmosis of
Deep South ideology, as it has evolved over time. The religion in
government, harsh penal codes, war war war, and a kind of modern soft
white supremacy come from the politicians thru the people of that part
of the country and they have the numbers to get their way. This is why
wingnuts seem to be getting crazier by the day IMHO. the ones with half a brain see the writing on the wall of the GOP
becoming a permanent regional minority party, and knowing they have to
do something, but what . Instead, they get more wingnutty by the day,
pining for the second Reagan coming, which isn’t. The GOP
is dead as it exists today, and probably for some time to come with
southern wingnuts ruling the roost. Unless of course, democrats fuck up
so badly, it will give them a second chance. Which isn’t out of the
realm of possibility.

About That New Yorker Cover

Most of the lefty blogs I checked on the NY’er cover were pretty much split like here. Some were genuinely outraged, but most were just rolling the ball around on a slow newsday. And after all, those of us who thought the NYer bungled the satire were in effect defending Obama.

Though, I get the point about those who went ballistic over FISA AND the cover have misdirected energies and certainly lack “message discipline” of wingnuts. But that’s like condemning the Leopard cause it has spots – it’s just the dem way to speak out individually. Not really that smart in the midst of a POTUS election IMO, but I won’t say it’s a bad thing in the long run. Rather have that than the wingnuts marching in a straight line, usually right over a cliff.

It’s hard to tell what the excessive carping on Obama is all about. I personally believe it’s mostly die hard HC people venting their anger because she lost.

Did Obama Win The Week?

Obama getting hammered by the left wing blogs was/is painful to watch but was it hurtful to the Obama candidacy? The pols don’t show it, even though the purists claim it has. But Obama isn’t running for president of the progressive caucus. He’s running for president of the United States with a whole bunch of white working class labor democrats and moderate republicans who are watching closely if he’s going to be a special interest president.

So I’m guessing in the long run the week was a winner for him even though the FISA passage was a loser for the country. And Obama, despite his vote, is not responsible for that (oblg. troll protection please). Add the Jackson remark and it’s a double win.

And for McCain to have won the week he would have to be compared to the week of Pat Paulson . And I think Paulson got the better of it.

Karl Rove With the Vapors

Looks like panic has struck GooPerville. Karl Rove in a speech tries
to maintain the party meme of Obama as a Abotion loving Latte Liberal.
Pleads not to believe the dem candidate on his so called moderating to
the middle.

Mr. Rove also took aim Mr. Obama’s recent efforts to court “pro-life and values leaders” and try to “convince them that he’s a reasonable person.”

“I understand what he’s trying to do,” Mr. Rove said. “But there
is a difference between talk and action. And in this instance, his
actions over the years are far more important than any reassuring words that he can offer in a private conversation.”

I bet he does understand Obama using Rovian tactics against republicans. And for all the progressives currently prostrate on their fainting couches, Obama is playing to win, no not just win, but to destroy his opponent.Yes, it’s triangulation, but against wingnuts, nothis own party. And if you read closely his supposed flip-flop statements on the Supremes decision on guns and the death penalty for non-murders you will find he couches them in a Federalist framework, or states rights, and not necessarily his own beliefs. I say brilliant, and though others will disagree, they will get over it when he wins.

What in the World is Wrong With Democrats

I’ve come to believe the wingnuts were onto something with the Bush Derangement Syndrome” I mostly got over mine with the democratic landslide in 2006. And not because democrats

recaptured congress, as I knew the slim margins and lingering insecurities of keeping the majority would prevent them from changing much the status quo.

But more because my fears that the American public had permanently bought into the wingnut narrative, were essentially unfounded. But for many (or some) their seems to be dissociative element that prevents them from looking ahead to where democrats control most of the power levers. And how that will totally upend the current political realty in America. That doesn’t mean democrats will always toe the line on all issues for progressive governance, because they won’t, and neither will Obama. It does mean

we’ll begin to look back and see how GWB made us all quite nuts, to one degree or another, and that now it is something for history to sort out. Unless of course, dems sabotage their candidate and let Mccain win.

The Truth About Leaving Iraq

Even though Obama claims he going to pull out ALL
combat brigades in a safe 16 month time span, that’s just not going to
happen. What will it be like for Americans staying on there? Like say
the Embassy and it’s diplomatic corp, and NGO’s. contractors etc … Do people think we’re going to have a normal mission where the US Embassy
is guarded by a few Marines and protected by the indigenous forces of
Iraq, which are nothing more than a militia gumbo with loyalties that
rarely include the national government which BTW remains cowering in the Green Zone?

It's kind of laughable in a dark comedy sort of way. It’s going to takeyears to bring out all combat forces and even then, I suspect we’ll have an Operation Frequent Wind Redoux of sorts.The best I hope for Obama is to reduce combat forces and change their mission to force protection (also NGO and maybe some contractor) or IOW’s keep the pale skin population from losing their heads, literally.

The only other viable alternative is some out, then everybody out now and that will be violent adventure, especially if your the last one out the door.

It's Pearl Clutching Time for the Faithful

So Obama is moving to the center. What else is new in presidential campaigns.

It’s amazing how many democrats don’t see a difference between Campaigning for POTUS and being the POTUS. I think I have a pretty good idea where Obama comes down on most
progressive issues, and that is, well, progressive. Though I also believe he is a center—left liberal, not a leftist or socialist, or whatever.

A presidential campaign is first and foremost an exercise in getting the most votes a candidate can. That doesn’t mean jumping all over the political spectrum, like say a McCain is doing,
because like most things spectral there is a law of diminishing returns
at play. For a democratic candidate – Go to far right for votes and risk losing
equal or greater numbers of liberal votes, and republicans vice-versa.

It is a delicate Kabooky dance that causes angst amongst the faithful whenthe candidate speaks heresy, but it is not governing. But why does it have
to be this way some ask? The answer is it doesn’t, but it is what it is
and I think so far Obama is purposefully moving toward the center in a
way that won’t cause great harm in governing. But he can go to far
,and it seems to me, he’s up to the line on some issues.

Limbaugh and His Media Puppet Howie Doodie

More Than One Way to Skin an Obstructor

This is just hilarious, for all those who despair over Harry Reid's stewardship over the Senate, please take notice. For the first time in the history of the Senate, Reid has devised a way to turn the tables on ultra-wingnut obstructor Senator Coburn R-OK. Seems Coburn has been personally shutting down the Senate by objecting to a boatload of otherwise bi-partisan bills in an effort to make Reid deal with cloture votes on each one, thus tying up the Senate in countless procedural votes.

Well Reid is going to bring to the floor what he calls the Coburn Omnibus bill which will include all of the Coburn stalled bills into one vote. This is a regular practice for spending bills, but unique on those with holds by individual Senator's. Touche, Harry Reid, quite creative.

Lamest of Lame Ducks. (Thank God)!

It seems the Bush Administration is running into all sorts of STOP signs in it's effort to make permanent war in Iraq the codified policy of The U.S. Most of the pushback is coming from the Iraqi's themselves, at the wingnut drive to control Iraq's foreign policy and military decision making on use of Iraq forces.

From the AP

Faced with stiff Iraqi opposition, it is "very possible" the U.S. may have to extend an existing U.N. mandate, said a senior administration official close to the talks. That would mean major decisions about how U.S. forces operate in Iraq could be left to the next president, including how much authority the U.S. must give Iraqis over military operations and how quickly the handover takes place.

This is not to mention the opposition back here in states, especially concerning the proposed 58 permanent military bases to be built by the US. Of course the Bushies are attempting to bypass the treaty provisions in the constitution by claiming the bases will be owned by the Iraqi's with the US military paying rent to use them.

The GWB crime syndicate hasn't gotten the memo yet, that not only the American public but pretty much the rest of the world has grown sick and tired of their shell games and militarism.
Hurry up, January 2009!

The McCain Smile

Hearts and Minds

How not to win a war against extremist Islam. After 7 years, Sami al Hajj was released from the Gitmo Gulag without the US government ever publishing any charges against him. His supporters claim his incarceration was a way to punish his employer Al Jazeera for their negative coverage of the Iraq war. Given the circumstances that he was held so long without charge or trial, it's hard to counter that argument. Of course, the wingnut populace of America would declare my statement anti-American and pro terrorist. My response to them would be "kiss my ass you traitors to the Constitution".

Via The Raw Story

An
Al Jazeera cameraman who returned yesterday to his home of Sudan from
Guantánamo Bay and delivered a speech broadcast live on Sudanese
television described the US facility as "heinous."

His speech was broadcast live on Sudanese television. He was held at Guantanamo for seven years, and was never charged.

"After 2,340 days spent in the most heinous prison mankind has ever
known, we are honored to be here. Thank you, and thank all those
defended us and of our right in freedom," said Sami al Hajj, who spoke
at an event organized by his.

Read the rest of the story here

Surge this Mr. 100 years in Iraq McCain

Saturday: 5 GIs, 1 US Contractor, 2 Georgian Soldiers, 44 Iraqis Killed; 122 Iraqis Wounded

SATURDAY NIGHT ALL-GIRL MUSIC CLUB

Terrific new singer songwriter Rachel Yamagata and very easy on the eyes.

WORN ME DOWN

More Shocking KBR News From Iraq

I had to do a doubletake on this story, as it seemed so fantastical it had to be false. But no it's real, and adds one more black star for KBR, the Halliburton subsidiary doing billions in contract work for the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Failing to ground electical wiring is so basic that failure to do it has to be borderline criminal, no it is criminal, especially when it is occurring multiple times. Damn these money whoring war profiteers to hell!

From the New York Times

WASHINGTON — In October 2004, the United States Army issued an urgent bulletin to commanders across Iraq,
warning them of a deadly new threat to American soldiers. Because of
flawed electrical work by contractors, the bulletin stated, soldiers at
American bases in Iraq had received severe electrical shocks, and some
had even been electrocuted.

Hillary Channels George Bush

Just incredible is what this is. Not only is the Clinton campaign sounding more and more like the GOP, now Hillary herself is using Bush jingoism's to win votes in Indiana. What a nauseating display. What next, Maybe "Bring 'em On".

Clinton to Congress: You’re either with us or against us

Posted: 06:30 PM ET

JEFFERSONVILLE, Indiana (CNN) –
After several days of back and forth between Hillary Clinton and Barack
Obama over whether a summer-long elimination of the gas tax would help
or hurt, Clinton took a hard line, asking her colleagues in Congress to
take sides.

“I believe it would be important to get every member of Congress on
record,” Clinton told supporters at a rally in southern Indiana. “Do
they stand with the hard-pressed Americans who are trying to pay their
gas bills at the gas station or do they once again stand with the oil
companies?

“I want to know where people stand and I want them to tell us, are
they with us or against us when it comes to taking on the oil
companies?” she added.

The “with us or against us” line wasn’t the only George W. Bush
reference Thursday evening. Telling a story about Republicans crossing
party lines and whispering their support to her, Clinton said, “It’s
kind of like a little bit of a confessional when somebody comes and
says, ‘You know I voted for George Bush, and I’m really sorry.’”

Michelle Malkin in Her Stride

So what else is new. While most of the blogosphere is giving kudos to
Obama for his presser yesterday and subsequent divorce from the good
Reverend Wright, Malkin is inconsolable.

"For the past 24 hours, Obama’s campaign too slowly grappled with how to
handle the aftermath of Wright’s whirlwind tour of hatred this weekend
— from Dallas, where he decried his “public crucifixion,” to Detroit,
where he entertained NAACP bigwigs with impersonations of white people,
mockeries of classical music and “white” marching bands, and lectures
on racial brain theories, to the National Press Club, where he preened,
strutted and head-wagged his way through an hour of bitter black
liberation theologizing"


Wow, it took him a full 24 hours to respond Wright's ravings this week. The queen of mean his high on her pitard casting judgment about with her in the bug eyed, spittle flecked way she's perfected over the years.


"What a load of pure unadulterated horse manure. Anyone with eyes can see that Wright’s performances are finely honed, time-tested acts. His anti-white, anti-American, “imperialist”-bashing shtick was not developed overnight or over the past few years"

Isn't it priceless seeing this flaming xenophobe accusing someone of racism? And then there's her take on slavery.

"He’s been grievance-mongering about slavery for decades."

and finally concluding with a

" He’s been grievance-mongering about slavery for decades."

And if your wondering how her commenter's are responding --

"On April 30th, 2008 at 8:07 am, Craig said:

You can take the man out of the ghetto…"

Santana. Samba Pa Ti

One of the best guitar instrumentals ever.

Weekly Toll in Iraq

SUNDAY APRIL 20, 2008

Updated at 6:30 p.m. EDT, April 20, 2008

Early reports from Sadr
City and Baghdad suggest
that fighting between the Mahdi army and security forces has increased. Meanwhile,
a mass grave has been found near Muqdadiyah. At least 75 Iraqis were killed
and another 58 were wounded in violence across Iraq. No Coalition deaths were
reported.

Updated at 12:30 a.m. EDT, April 21, 2008

Early reports from Sadr
City and Baghdad suggest
that fighting between the Mahdi army and security forces has increased. Meanwhile,
two mass graves were found in Diyala province. At least 108 Iraqis were killed
and another 60 were wounded in violence across Iraq. No Coalition deaths were
reported.

*******************8

MONDAY APRIL 21, 2008 Updated at 7:30 p.m. EDT Apr. 21, 2008

At least 41 Iraqis were
killed and 112 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Much of the violence
involved continued fighting in Sadr City. Two
American soldiers were killed.

An IED in Salah ad Din province
killed two American soldiers today. Two
other American soldiers were wounded along with two Sons of Iraq members and a
civilian interpreter. Meanwhile, a U.S. patrol was blasted
by an IED, but casualties are as yet unreported.

In Baghdad, four
dumped bodies were found. An IED targeting a U.S. patrol in Kadhimiya
left one Iraqi killed and three
more wounded instead. U.S. forces killed
three suspects who launched an RPG attack at them in New Baghdad. In
a separate incident, a roadside bomb killed
three policemen and wounded four others, while another bomb injured
two civilians, also in New Baghdad. Three
council-members, one a female, were injured in separate incidents when bombs
were attached to their cars. Two roadside bombs in Mansour left no
casualties.

TUESDAY APRIL 22, 2008

At least 23 Iraqis were killed and 123 more were wounded in attacks
across Iraq. Many of the wounded died either in Sadr City or during one of several
significant bombings. Also, three
Marines were killed in separate incidents, and two top aides to Grand
Ayatollah al-Sistani died as well.

A suicide
car bomber at a checkpoint near Ramadi killed
two Marines and wounded three more this morning. Two
policemen and 24 civilians were also wounded. A second car bombing, this one
at a police station in the city, wounded
20 people, including women and policemen.

Yesterday, a roadside bomb
killed
one Marine and wounded a second in Basra.

Tuesday update

Updated at 7:30 p.m. EDT, April 22, 2008

At least 56 Iraqis
were killed and 183 more were wounded in attacks across Iraq. Many of the
wounded died either in Sadr City or during one of several significant bombings.
Also, five U.S. servicemembers were killed in separate incidents, and two
top aides to Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani died as well.

THURSDAY IRAQ REPORT

Thursday: 3 US Soldiers, 16 Iraqis Killed; 24 Iraqis Wounded


At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 24 more were wounded during light

violence. Three American soldiers were killed as well, but in separate
accidents. Also, Britain is canceling
its drawdown of troops for the time being.

Two
American soldiers were killed and one was wounded during a vehicular accident
in Salah ad Din. One
Iraqi interpreter was also wounded. Another American
soldier was killed in a separate accident in Kuwait. Meanwhile, the MNF
denied
capturing former Vice President Izzat al-Douri.

Updated at 6:51 p.m. EDT, April, 24, 2008

At least 42 Iraqis
were killed and 38 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Three American
soldiers were killed as well, but in separate accidents. Also, Britain is
canceling its drawdown of
troops for the time being.

FRIDAY IRAQ REPORT

Updated at 8:50 p.m. EDT, April 25, 2008

Shi'ite cleric Moqtada
al-Sadr clarified recent comments about "open war" and urged his followers to
observe the ceasefire. At least 44 Iraqis were killed and another 120 were
wounded across Iraq. An IED killed
an American soldier south of Baghdad. Also, a delegation of lawmakers
wanting to assess the security situation in Basra were denied
access.

In a statement read to followers during Friday prayers, al-Sadr
again urged his followers
to observe a unilateral cease-fire he imposed on them last summer. He also clarified
recent statements about "open war" should the Iraqi government not hold up their
end of a truce worked out after recent clashes in Basra. He does not want Iraqis
of any sect to attack each other. Instead, he hopes they will unite to fight the
occupation, if he should declare the cease fire over. A senior aide said that
the Sadrists hope the statement will further curb the violence in Sadr City and
Basra. Attacks between the Mahdi army and Iraqi security forces followed a "security
crackdown" that many analysts believe was attempt to sideline al-Sadr ahead of
elections.

In Baghdad, three
bodies were found overnight. A roadside bomb wounded
three in Adhamiya. Gunmen attacked a checkpoint, injuring three
Iraqi soldiers; the soldiers then killed
five gunmen. U.S. forces killed
10 suspects in northeastern Baghdad and arrested
five in a southern neighborhood.

El Presidente McCain

msnabc

The Low Road to Victory - New York Times

The Low Road to Victory - New York Times

"The Pennsylvania campaign, which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner, more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean, vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it."
**************************8888

But, but, but Clinton supporters say, Hillary believes she's the best candidate to beat the republicans in the general election. Maybe, maybe not, but it isn't her decision, it's the decision of voters in the totality of the primary process. Not just the big states or of just women voters or white voters.

By most accounts, the great preponderance of evidence suggests we can throw out, or at least modify, the electoral models of the recent past in presidential elections. No one really knows the direction of many previously red or blue states this cycle. But one thing is for sure, we live in country that still recognizes the principle of one person, one vote. And by this standard, Hillary Clinton has lost the democratic primary.

The Stuff of Nightmare

Pentagon agency that created spy bugs declines to allow

scientist to talk


Vice President Dick Cheney is so favored by the Defense Advanced
Research Project Agency -- DARPA -- that they invited him to blow out
the candles at their 50th anniversary bash.

"This agency brought forth the Saturn 5 rocket, surveillance
satellites, the Internet, stealth technology, guided munitions,
unmanned aerial vehicles, night vision and the body armor that's in use
today," Cheney claimed. "Thank heaven for DARPA.

Al Sadr Threatens All Out War

By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer 48 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - Anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
gave a "final warning" to the government Saturday to halt a U.S.-Iraqi
crackdown against his followers or he would declare "open war until
liberation.

Iv'e said it before and I'll say it again-- Iraq will not settle their differences with one another as long as we are occupying their country and calling the shots. They are a proud people and will not except their fates being dictated by a western superpower. Just won't happen, no matter how long we stay and how much blood and treasure we expend,

Saturday Iraq Report

Updated at 1:45 p.m. EDT, April 19, 2008

At least 46 Iraqis
were killed and 135 were wounded in the latest attacks. Many were killed or
injured in Sadr City where fighting between the Mahdi army and security forces
continues. Two American soldiers were killed in separate incidents. Meahwhile,
the Australians are delaying
their withdrawal, while civil war is breaking
out between Sunni factions.

One
American soldier was killed when an IED exploded yesterday in Salah
ad Din province. The DOD reported the death
of an American soldier the day before in Sama village during a small arms
attack.

Police in Sadr City reported receiving 12
bodies and treating 71 people for injuries during overnight clashes between
the Mahdi army and security forces. Hospital officials said
they treated of 130 people for injuries.

No Light in This Tunnel

America's allies in Iraq under pressure as civil war breaks out among Sunni - Americas, World - The Independent: "A vicious civil war is now being fought within Iraq's Sunni Arab community between al-Qa'ida in Iraq and al-Sahwa while other groups continue to attack American forces. In Baghdad on a single day the head of al-Sahwa in the southern district of Dora was killed in his car by gunmen and seven others died by bombs and bullets in al-Adhamiya district"

This is just dandy. A Sunni civil war to bookend the Shia civil war with a sectarian one between Shia and Sunni. Not to mention the countless internecine squabbles by various ethnic groups and criminal gangs. What's your plan for this Saint McCain. Have you found the pony yet?

More Dreams of Richard Cheney

A Piece of Priceless Americana

The Raw Story | Unusual earthquakes measured off Oregon

The Raw Story | Unusual earthquakes measured off Oregon: "Unusual earthquakes measured off Oregon

Scientists Baffled by Unusual Swarm of Hundreds of Earthquakes Off Oregon Coast

JEFF BARNARD
AP News

Apr 12, 2008 16:06 EST

Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption — except there are no volcanoes in the area.

Scientists don't know exactly what the earthquakes mean, but they could be the result of molten rock rumbling away from the recognized earthquake faults off Oregon, said Robert Dziak, a geophysicist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Oregon State University.

There have been more than 600 quakes over the past 10 days in a basin 150 miles southwest of Newport. The biggest was magnitude 5.4, and two others were more than magnitude 5.0, OSU reported."

Well this just has to be the end times starting or maybe Godzilla is coming to eat the west coast.

Crazy Time Campaign Fun

What a circus dancing past America today. Obama states a truism (albeit poorly) and the hounds are howling for blood. The question is, will this election be any different than the recent ones where sound bite spinology wins the day, or are Americans willing to turn on their brains and ponder reality for a change. Desperation can be the mother of awakening minds, but is the American electorate desperate enough. Maybe, or maybe not, we shall see.

Obama's ramblings at the San Fran fundraiser are nothing new, at least the substance of what he was trying to say. Howard Dean made a similar remark in 2004, referencing the south's patronage to God, Gays (anti) and Guns before voting for their own economic self-interest. Thomas Frank wrote a book of precision on the subject a few years ago on the subject in "What's the Matter With Kansas".

So what's going to be America? Are you ready for the truth or more culture tribalism whilst your kids go hungry from the right wing pickpockets?

And for Obama. What are you prepared to do, now that you've uttered a taboo. I hope you take the argument to it's conclusion and force a decision by the electorate. If not, and you capitulate to the spin doctor hordes, you will surely lose this election.

.. the KKK is a christian group,

Friday Iraq Report

February 15, 2008
Friday: 33 Iraqis Killed, 21 Wounded

Updated at 11:15 p.m. EST, Feb. 15, 2008

At least 33 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 21 more were wounded during the latest violence. It is the weekly prayer day, and two suicide bombers took advantage of mosque worshippers to stage an attack in Tal Afar. No Coalition deaths were reported.

Two suicide bombers killed as many as four people and wounded 17 more during an attack on a mosque in Tal Afar. The first bomber threw a grenade on exiting worshippers then blew himself up. The second bomber was shot dead before he could reach his targets.

A U.S. air strike killed eight members of the same family in Hawija. Women and children were among the dead.

Thursday Iraq Report

February 14, 2008
Thursday: 31 Iraqis Killed, 40 Wounded

At least 31 people were killed or found dead and 40 more were wounded during the latest attacks, which included a serious bombing in Sadr City. No Coalition deaths were reported. Also, a British journalist held in Basra is said to be in good heath and awaiting release.

In Baghdad, five people were killed and 33 were wounded during a car bombing in the Sadr City suburb.

Nine people were shot dead in Ouja, the hometown of Saddam Hussein. Gunmen entered the home of a construction worker and killed his family, including his wife and children.

Flip-flopping Maverick Saint McCain

I use to have a modicum of respect for John McCain. There was an element of independence from him in a party that doesn't suffer well dissent in it's ranks. But that "Maverick" is no more. His transformation from so called maverick, to flip-flopping panderer to the amoral right, is sad to see. In the National Journal article I am linking to, McCain's pathetic effort to justify his vote against making waterboarding illegal for all government agencies is both enraging and so weak as to be laughable.
************************************************

McCain's vote against the bill seemed to contradict his public statements opposing torture generally and the practice of waterboarding in particular. McCain, who is trying to appeal to his party's conservative base, told reporters he believes his position is consistent.

"We always supported allowing the CIA to use extra measures. I believe that waterboarding is illegal and should be banned," he said.

"My position was very clear," he added. "We have said... that we would allow the CIA to use additional techniques that were not in violation of the anti-torture convention, that were not in violation of the Geneva Conventions and were not in violation of the Detainee Treatment Act."

Tueday Iraq Report

Tuesday: 46 Iraqis Killed, 18 Wounded

Updated at 7:35 p.m. EST, Feb. 12, 2008

As Coalition and Iraqi forces secure more areas in Iraq, the number of mass graves found has increased. The latest was found in Muqdadiyah, while several more bodies were discovered scattered around Baquba. Overall, at least 46 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 18 more were wounded in attacks. No Coalition deaths were reported.

A grave containing 13 bodies was found in Muqdadiyah.

Seven bodies were found in villages around Baquba.

In Baghdad, the body of a local journalist was found; three unidentified bodies were also recovered. In Doura, mortar fire killed two people and wounded eight others. A roadside bomb wounded a policeman in Karrada. No casualties were reported during a bombing on Canal Street and another in Baladiyat.

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Sadr Wants To Extend "Activities Halt"

I like that, "activities halt". Or in plain English or any other language -- killing Americans--. I read something like this and I feel like going outside and howling at the friekin' moon. All the bullshit about the success of the surge is mostly just that, bullshit. I say for the hundredth time-- the reasons for the lull in violence is because the Iraqi's wanted a lull in violence. Does anyone with a brain think that the Sunnis are going to accept the status quo as it currently is. With Baghdad largely controlled by Shia and a central government the same. In any civil war there are always periods like this when loyalties shift along with tactics and strategies. Exactly nothing is settled and won't be as long as we're trying to run the circus. No matter how good our military is or honorable our intentions may be.
These are proud people who been fighting for 1400 years. As much as we would like them to stop and become peaceful democrats, it ain't gonna happen till Iraqi's want it to.
********************************************

Iraq News
Sadr to extend activities halt decision
Monday, February 11, 2008 11:14 GMT
Sayyed Moktada Al Sadr had earlier issued a statement during which he announced that all those who breach the decision of activities halt will be dismissed. Yet, it seems that this decision will be extended for 6 additional months. Sadrist Movement sources revealed that the Leader of the movement insists on extending this period. Sources told Al Hayat Newspaper that Al Sadr will announce this issue in the few upcoming days. To that, an official in the bloc who refused to reveal his name said that the next step would be to head towards participating in institutions and to resort to law as a referee.
Based on these principles, Sheikh Hazem Al Talkani, another official in the movement expected that extending the decision of activitiesn halt will not be the last and it would carry on until restructuring Al Mahdi army and transforming the same into a humanitarian organization akin to Badr forces.
Yet, the aforementioned decision warns that Sadrist movement could undergo further splits especially that this decision contradicts the reports submitted by the committees established by the movement especially the parliamentary committee. Actually, the reports utter that the decision of activities halt facilitated targeting the movement’s leaderships, arresting its members and carrying out organized assassinations against them. The director of Al Sadr media office in Al Najaf Sheikh Salah Al Ubaidi said that some of Al Sadr leaderships asked him to cancel halt decision and added that these calls increased following the visit from Mahdi Army members who were detained in Diwaniya after the armed battles that took place there. Especially that it has been revealed that the local authority in the province mistreated Al Sadr followers.
Nevertheless, others, such as a commander of an Al Mahdi army battalion in Al Kufa, went even farther by uttering skepticism as to Al Sadr decision. The commander told Al Hayat Newspaper that there is a conspiracy against Al Mahdi army that aims to liquidate it. He also wondered whether those who staged this conspiracy are members of the movement or outsiders. In addition, he considered that the decision to dismiss is an implicit announcement of abandoning Al Mahdi army members and it legitimizes the presence of foreign troops.

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Very Interesting

A group of British Judges will decide if the Blair government breached it's duty to ensure the invasion of Iraq was legal. I'm not an expert or even a novice at understanding the British system of justice, but this sounds pretty serious. Well here is the article that explains it. Needless to say the Brits go about things different than we do.
**************************8

* Published Date: 12 February 2008
* Source: Press Association
* Location: The Press Association Newsdesk

Government 'breached duty' on Iraq

The Blair Government breached its duty to the men and women of the armed forces by failing to ensure in advance that the invasion of Iraq was lawful and justified, a powerful committee of nine Law Lords has been told.
"That duty is owed to soldiers who are under the unique compulsory control of the State and have to obey orders," said Rabinder Singh QC, for the mothers of two 19-year-old men killed in Iraq.

"They have to put their lives in harm's way if necessary because their country demands it. There is what some people call a military covenant between the State and those who are literally prepared to put their lives at risk for the sake of their country."

The Lords are hearing a renewed bid by Beverley Clarke and Rose Gentle to force the government to order a public inquiry into Britain's involvement in the Iraq conflict.

******************************
Why can't we have something like this in America. It sound highly democratic to be able to directly petition a high court to accuse the government of bad faith or even criminality. That could be why we have a President wittingly or unwittingly presiding over an administration that appears more like a crime syndicate than anything else. The following paragraph does offer suspicious goings on about how Blair got the legal go ahead to join up with Bush for the disaster of Iraq. I think maybe the Brits were taking lessons from Asscroft and Gonzo et al...on how to shine up a lawless turd.
****************************88

At the centre of the argument over whether the decision to invade was lawful is the families' demand for an explanation as to how 13 pages of "equivocal" advice from the then Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, of March 7 2003, was reduced within 10 days to one page of completely unequivocal advice that an invasion would be legal.

********************************8
Sound like they got additional lessons from Herr Cheney on "we can do any fucking thing we want, if we say it's Ok!"

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Monday Iraq Report

February 11, 2008
Monday: 1 US Soldier, 25 Iraqis Killed; 53 Iraqis Wounded

Although Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek said that U.S. presence on Iraq is a destabilizing force in the region, U.S. Defense Secretary Gates hinted that a pause in the drawdown of American troops in Iraq is likely. Meanwhile, one American soldier was killed and two more were wounded during an IED explosion yesterday in Diyala province. Also, at least 25 Iraqis were killed or found dead and another 53 wounded in separate events.

In Baghdad, twin car bombs were detonated at a petrol station adjacent to a Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) office in Jadiriyah. At least 17 people were killed and 45 others were wounded. The SIIC is the largest Shi'ite party and has been targeted in the past.

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Updated at 1:20 a.m. EST, Feb.11, 2008

Although Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek said that U.S. presence on Iraq is a destabilizing force in the region, U.S. Defense Secretary Gates hinted that a pause in the drawdown of American troops in Iraq is likely. Meanwhile, one American soldier was killed and two more were wounded during an IED explosion yesterday in Diyala province. At least 40 Iraqis were killed or found dead and another 67 wounded in separate events. Also, CBS news journalist and his translator were kidnapped in Basra.

Sunday Iraq Report

Sunday: 86 Iraqis Killed, 84 Wounded

Updated at 5:05 p.m. EST, Feb. 10, 2008

As U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a surprise visit to Iraq to meet with political leaders and military commanders, at least 86 Iraqis were killed and 84 more were wounded in new attacks. No Coalition deaths were reported, but a U.S. soldier was found guilty in of murdering an Iraqi.

A suicide car bomber near Balad blasted a Yathrib area checkpoint manned by Iraqi police and Awakening Council members. At least 33 were killed and 35 more were injured.

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A Sad Iraq Tale

As a liberal and a vet who has opposed the Iraq war from the very beginning, the case of Sgt. Evan Vela is one of the sadder events in a long litany of unnecessary death and destruction from Mr. Bush's bloody decision to invade Iraq. His conviction today, of unpremeditated murder, causes me more than a little mixed emotion. As noted in the following AP article, the events leading up to Sgt. Vela's killing of an unarmed Iraqi does not, in my opinion , present "a simple case of murder", as described by military prosecutors. I know my fellow liberals will not agree with my assessment {and that's putting it mildly} . It seems to me however, that this case should not have been brought to trial and has more to do with Vela cast as a scapegoat to show the public {Iraqi and American} the US military is serious about holding troops accountable for war crimes.

This case is not like Haditha or the gang rape and murder of a 14 year old Iraqi girl by several soldiers who set out to do just that. This is a case of exausted, overworked GI's put in an impossible life and death situation that caused Vela to use poor judgment. But to convict him of murder reminds me of the line in Apocalypse Now where Martin Sheen's character, Captain Willard questions the military's label of murderer to Colonel Kurtz.

Willard: How many people had I already killed? There was those six that I know about for sure. Close enough to blow their last breath in my face. But this time it was an American and an officer. That wasn't supposed to make any difference to me, but it did. Shit... charging a man with murder in this place was like handing out speeding tickets in the Indy 500. I took the mission. What the hell else was I gonna do?

Anyways, here is the AP article and you can decide for yourself if this young man is really guilty of murder in a ultra confused war zone. I say the people who put them there and overworked them to the point of utter exhaustion are to blame and it is they who should be brought to account.

By BRADLEY BROOKS, Associated Press Writer Sun Feb 10, 9:05 AM ET

BAGHDAD - A U.S. Army sniper accused of killing an unarmed Iraqi civilian and planting evidence on his body was found guilty on all charges Sunday.
ADVERTISEMENT

Jurors deliberated for three hours before finding Sgt. Evan Vela guilty of murder without premeditation. He had previously been charged with premeditated murder, but that charge was changed during his court-martial in Baghdad

Here is the link for the rest of the article

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Saturday Iraq Report

February 8, 2008
Friday: 5 US Soldiers, 31 Iraqis Killed; 17 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 2:45 p.m. EST, Feb. 8, 2008

At least 31 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 17 more were wounded in the latest violence. Clashes took place in a pair of Diyala province cities and a mass grave was found just outside Baquba. Five American soldiers were killed in two separate incidents. Also, an imam in Kufa accused U.S. forces of abusing a ceasefire in order to harass followers of Moqtada al-Sadr.

Four American soldiers were killed today during an IED explosion northwest of Baghdad. Another American soldier was killed and three more were wounded during a bombing in At Ta'Mim province.
********************
So the surge is working GOP nominee McCain. As you see, we lost 5 more American soldiers today in two separate bomb attacks. Those of us who follow the Iraq war a little more closely would disagree with your assessment sir. The violence has been in a lull because Iraqi's have chosen to make it so. Please read the following article and face realty. It is from the International Crisis Group and they have a little different take on what is going on in Iraq.
***********************

Iraq’s Civil War, the Sadrists and the Surge

Middle East Report N°72
7 February 2008

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The dramatic decline in bloodshed in Iraq – at least until last week’s terrible market bombings in Baghdad – is largely due to Muqtada al-Sadr’s August 2007 unilateral ceasefire. Made under heavy U.S. and Iraqi pressure and as a result of growing discontent from his own Shiite base, Muqtada’s decision to curb his unruly movement was a positive step. But the situation remains highly fragile and potentially reversible. If the U.S. and others seek to press their advantage and deal the Sadrists a mortal blow, these gains are likely to be squandered, with Iraq experiencing yet another explosion of violence. The need is instead to work at converting Muqtada’s unilateral measure into a more comprehensive multilateral ceasefire that can create conditions for the movement to evolve into a fully legitimate political actor.

The Sadrists appeared on a steady rise in 2006 and early 2007. They controlled new territory, particularly in and around Baghdad, attracted new recruits, accumulated vast resources and infiltrated the police. But as the civil war engulfed much of the country, Iraqis witnessed the Sadrists’ most brutal and thuggish side. Their increasingly violent and undisciplined militia, the Mahdi Army, engaged in abhorrent sectarian killings and resorted to plunder and theft. Militants claiming to be Mahdi Army members executed untold numbers of Sunnis, allegedly in response to al-Qaeda’s ruthless attacks, but more often than not merely because they were Sunnis.

The Sadrists were victims of their own success. Their movement’s vastly increased wealth, membership and range of action led to greater corruption, weaker internal cohesion and a popular backlash. Divisions within the movement deepened; splinter groups – often little more than criminal offshoots – proliferated. As a result, anti-Sadrist sentiment grew, including among Muqtada’s Shiite constituency. The U.S. surge, which saw the injection of thousands of additional troops, particularly in Baghdad, worsened the Sadrists’ situation, checking and, in some instances, reversing the Mahdi Army’s territorial expansion. Finally, in August 2007, major clashes erupted in the holy city of Karbala between members of Muqtada’s movement and the rival Shiite Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), which further eroded the Sadrists’ standing.

In reaction, Muqtada announced a six-month freeze on all Mahdi Army activities. It applies to all groups affiliated (loosely or otherwise) with the Mahdi Army, and Muqtada reportedly dispatched his most loyal fighters to tame holdouts. Most importantly, his order removed the veil of legitimacy and lifted the impunity that many groups – criminal gangs operating in the Mahdi Army’s name and Sadrist units gone astray – had enjoyed.

The ceasefire largely has held and, together with bolstered U.S. and Iraqi military presence in Baghdad, helps account for a dramatic drop in violence. But the respite, although welcome, is both slightly misleading and exceedingly frail. Muqtada’s decision likely reflected a pragmatic calculation: that a halt in hostilities would help restore his credibility and allow him to reorganise his forces and wait out the U.S. presence. Their retreat notwithstanding, the Sadrists remain deeply entrenched and extremely powerful in a number of regions. Fleeing military pressure in Baghdad, Mahdi Army fighters redeployed to the south, thereby setting up the potential for an escalation of the class-based confrontation with the U.S.-backed ISCI.

Among Sadrist rank and file, impatience with the ceasefire is high and growing. They equate it with a loss of power and resources, believe the U.S. and ISCI are conspiring to weaken the movement and eagerly await Muqtada’s permission to resume the fight. The Sadrist leadership has resisted the pressure, but this may not last. Critics accuse Muqtada of passivity or worse, and he soon may conclude that the costs of his current strategy outweigh its benefits. In early February 2008, senior Sadrist officials called upon their leader not to prolong the ceasefire, due to expire later in the month.

**********************
So it appears only the good intentions of Al Sadr's Mehdi Army will keep the lull in effect-- Not the small increase in American troops you call "the surge"

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Tuesday Iraq Report

Yup, no civil war in Iraq. The following is just more MSM biased reporting on bad stuff in Iraq and not on the good stuff. It all makes me want to barf!

February 5, 2008

Tuesday: 83 Iraqis Killed, 7 Wounded; Mass Grave Found

Updated at 6:15 p.m. EST, Feb. 5, 2008 A mass grave containing dozens of bodies was discovered west of Samarra. Elsewhere, a small but deadly U.S. raid on a civilian residence was reported for the second day in a row. Overall, 83 Iraqis were reported killed or found dead, and seven were wounded across Iraq. No Coalition casualties were reported. Updated at 12:45 a.m. EST, Feb. 6, 2008 A mass grave containing dozens of bodies was discovered west of Samarra. Elsewhere, a small but deadly U.S. raid on a civilian residence was reported for the second day in a row. Overall, 90 Iraqis were reported killed or found dead, and seven were wounded across Iraq. Three American servicemembers were reported killed in two separate incidents. Two Navy SEALS were killed yesterday during a small arms attack in an unspecified location. Another soldier died due from injuries received the day before, when an IED blasted his patrol in Muqdadiyah.

Monday Iraq Report

Monday: 39 Iraqis Killed, 24 Wounded

Updated at 6:45 p.m. EST, Feb. 4, 2008

Turkish warplanes resumed bombing Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq. The number of casualties, if any, is unknown. Elsewhere, at least 39 Iraqis were killed and 24 more were wounded in various attacks. No Coalition deaths were reported. Also, influential Mahdi Army leaders are pressuring Moqtada al-Sadr not to extend a ceasefire believed to have seriously reduced violence across Iraq.

Sunday Iraq Report

Sunday: 2 US Soldiers, 21 Iraqis Killed; 10 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 6:50 p.m. Feb. 3, 2008

In an attempt to quell bad feelings between Sunnis and Shi’ites, the Iraq parliament passed a law allowing former Ba’ath Party members to return to the posts they held during the Saddam regime; however, there is a possibility that the law could be overturned during an automatic review process. Separately, a spokesman for the Baghdad security plan held a news conference where he described the deteriorating infrastructure Baghdad residents suffer through. Otherwise, it was a light news day with only 21 Iraqis killed and 10 more wounded in recent attacks. Also, two American soldiers were reported killed.

Saturday Iraq Report

February 2, 2008

Saturday: 31 Iraqis Killed, 24 Wounded

Updated at 9:00 p.m. EST, Feb. 2, 2008 At least 31 Iraqis were killed and another 24 were wounded across Iraq as relative quiet returned to Baghdad a day after massive explosions killed nearly a hundred people. Four Saudi gunmen were also killed. On the other hand, no Coalition deaths were reported so far this month.

Wingnuts Say the Strangest Things

The following quote comes from the right wing blog Blue Crab Boulevard . It is a post commenting on Captain Ed's sort of chastising of Ann Coulter, uber wingnut flamethrower, and conservative psycho-bitch from hell.

"Maybe that's a harsh way to put it, but maybe it is time for some harsh words. I regularly castigate the same behavior coming from the left. I do not wish to see the right go down that same road."

Dear Mr. Blue Crab,

The road you speak of was built by the conservative movement for the sole purpose of smearing liberals and democrats without limit or remorse. The "I regularly castigate the same behavior coming from the left" is just priceless. No doubt some democrats have attempted to respond in kind to the Coulter's of your GOP, and yes, there are plenty more smear merchants besides her. However, their attempts fall well short of the abject depravity standards we've become accustomed to from republican "hard ball politics".

Given the foul opinion most Americans currently hold on republicans, I think it wise your apparent willingness to make some much needed changes in the GOP style of gutter politicking.
However, lancing the festering boil of Coulter, is only a small step where broad leaps are required to clean up your act. I firmly believe you will eventually re-invent the Republican Party and conservative movement. but it most likely will take a few more electoral thrashings like 2006.

In the meantime, may I offer a bit of advice. Projecting your inadequacies onto democrats will never work, though I suspect you will learn this like everything else--slow and painful.