Napolitano Cuts Loose on Bush

I know this guy is a Fox News acolyte, but his views on the Bush administrations shredding of the constitution is spot on. I watched most of this speech on c-span a while back and it is spellbinding from a conservative former judge no less. He pulls no punches and takes no prisoners.

William "teh gay" Kristol

Able to leap small buildings with a single snear!

Iraq Insanity 2.0

12/21/07 NPR: U.S. Troop Surge Quells Violence in Iraq
There's a lull in the fighting in Baghdad as the surge in American troops helps to stabilize the capital. The U.S. military struck deals for peace with Iraqi militias on all sides and in the process gave up on religious reconciliation...

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Here we go again. Building on my previous post on the US occupation in Iraq and how it is both causing the "violent differences" between warring factions while providing the solution to those "violent differences" due to the warring factions giving common cause in hating the American occupation more than each other.

The article here reveals more pretzel logic by the US military by making peace themselves with each of Iraq militias and giving up on Iraqi's reconciling with each other. This of course , defeats the most important goal for ending the Iraq quagmire, allowing American troops to leave and come home.

I will say, I think the military is aware of the silliness inherent in this approach but have few options to do otherwise.

Some day this crazy situation has to end with Iraqi's being left alone to settle their differences, like they've been doing for 1400 years give or take.

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More Unforgivable Negligence

The Last Days of Private Scheuerman
The following contain excerpts of an AP story
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Wednesday December 19, 2007 7:16 PM

By KIMBERLY HEFLING

Associated Press Writer

SANFORD, N.C. (AP) - Private First Class Jason Scheuerman nailed a suicide note to his barracks closet in Iraq, stepped inside and shot himself.

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What the soldier's father, Chris, would learn about his son's final days would lead the retired Special Forces commando, who teaches at Fort Bragg, to take on the very institution he's spent his life serving - and ultimately prompt an investigation by the Army Inspector General's office.

The documents, obtained by Freedom of Information Act requests filed by Chris Scheuerman, reveal a troubled soldier kept in Iraq despite repeated signs he was going to kill himself, including placing the muzzle of his weapon in his mouth multiple times.

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He is not alone. At least 152 U.S. troops have taken their own lives in Iraq and Afghanistan since the two wars started, contributing to the Army's highest suicide rate in 26 years of keeping track. For the grieving parents, the answers don't come easily or quickly.

For Jason Scheuerman, death came on July 30, 2005, around 5:30 p.m., about 45 minutes after his first sergeant told the teary-eyed private that if he was intentionally misbehaving so he could leave the Army, he would go to jail where he would be abused.

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The rest of the story.

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Just Priceless Wingnut Logic

All Iraqi Groups Blame U.S. Invasion for Discord, Study Shows

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 19, 2007; A14

Iraqis of all sectarian and ethnic groups believe that the U.S. military invasion is the primary root of the violent differences among them, and see the departure of "occupying forces" as the key to national reconciliation, according to focus groups conducted for the U.S. military last month.

That is good news, according to a military analysis of the results. At the very least, analysts optimistically concluded, the findings indicate that Iraqis hold some "shared beliefs" that may eventually allow them to surmount the divisions that have led to a civil war.

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So you see, because of the "Shared Belief " by all Iraqi's that getting rid of the American occupiers causing their "violent differences", it is a good thing necessary for national reconciliation. And of course it would follow that the ancient Arab axion of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" would dictate that America must stay in Iraq to continue promoting the "violent differences" between Iraqi's so they can unite in their hatred of the US in order to reconcile their "violent differences'.

Wingnuttery in it's purest form.

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Life Cheap In Iraq

Unexplainable killings; yet another virtue of the US-led invasion

Bereaved Iraqi father thirsts for revenge

Death squads working in Iraqi police force continue committing murderers for no known reason.

By Ammar Karim – BAGHDAD

Since a death squad meted out a terrifying end to his football-crazy son in Baghdad two years ago, Abu Fuad has had only one thought in his mind -- revenge.

Surge This

Suicide bombing kills 14 in Iraq cafe - Xinhua
Xinhua, China - 29 minutes ago
... when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a popular cafe near the volatile city of Baquba in central Iraq on Tuesday, a local police source said.