more than 70% want troops home by mid-Spring. But Bush's speech in Cleveland today showed he has no intent on doing that. It's the Old Way Forward, folks. His speech today could have easily been a re-run from a speech in 2004, 2005 or 2006. Same talking points..Al Qaeda, 9/11, democracy over totalitarianism (as if totalitarianism has anything at all to do with the situation), and bla bla bla. The look on the faces of the crowd behind Bush told the real story: stoney stares focused on someone they know is feeding them bullsh*t and killing their kids.
Posted by T2 at July 10, 2007 01:31 PMgotta share: seems a GOP robot Congresswoman named Bachmann just went to Iraq with McOld, couldn't get out of the Green Zone, had to wear flak vests and helmet the entire time, wasn't allowed to spend one flippin night in Baghdad for her own safety and then came back here and said "the surge needs more time". How do they brainwash these people? Is that the secret Cheney is really keeping? A brainwashing formula?
Posted by T2 at July 10, 2007 01:57 PM70% want NEARLY all of the troops out by APRIL? Why NEARLY? How many do they want to leave there, and for what possible purpose? Don't Americans get yet that they are simply not wanted there, at all? It is past time to remove all troops, all mercenaries, all those "advisors" who are dictating to the Iraqis how to run what you laughably call a "government", abandon your Regional Imperial Command and Control Center (you know, that monstrosity you expect people to believe is an embassy), and get out. Here's your hat, what's your hurry? Oh - and don't let the door hit you in the backside on the way out.
And who says it would take a year to get "nearly" all the troops out? Believe me, the longer you stay, the more rapidly, and frantically you will end up exiting (and unfortunately, the more you will take with you in body bags. Remember Viet Nam? Remember when the Israelis left Lebanon after THEIR unsuccessful 18 year occupation? They took about 48 hours to get out from the time the order came down.
Get out and leave Iraq - what's left of it - for Iraqis.
Posted by Shirin at July 10, 2007 01:58 PMT2, I heard that David Schuster handed poor old Bachman her vapour-filled head today. I did not see it for myself, unfortunately, as I do not get MSNBC, but no doubt it will become available on You Tube eventually.
Posted by Shirin at July 10, 2007 02:05 PMShirin thanks for the tip...I'll check Crooks and Liars. There is really nothing so pure as watching our elected representatives scurry around Iraq all decked out in flak vests and helmets with a couple of squads of marines around them and helos overhead to guard them, telling us how successful Bush's Surge is.
Posted by T2 at July 10, 2007 02:15 PMBush's approval rating has reached a new low: 29%.
I simply don't believe 29% of the American public still supports this clown.
Even if you polled Texas, Utah and Wyoming, Bush's approval numbers have got to be in the low 20's or upper teens by now.
Christopher, no one ever went broke understimating the stupidity (and willfull blindness) of the American people.
Posted by Shirin at July 10, 2007 02:33 PMT2, did you see David Schuster's take down of Fu'ad `Ajami the other day? It was the sweetest sight for Arabs because that guy is the ultimate "Uncle Ahmad". He is the "house Arab" that even all the other "house Arabs" are ashamed of. The politicians and right wing pundits love him because he is one Arab who will say about Arabs exactly what they want to hear. He understands Arabs so well that he was absolutely convinced that the Iraqis would greet the marauding American hordes with sweets, flowers, and kisses - Arabs DO SOOOO love being bombed and killed and having their countries taken over, you know, and they are always grateful to those who do this sort of thing - history proves that. `Ajami's latest book about the Iraq debacle - excuse me, liberation - is sickeningly called The Foreigner's Gift - GIFT! How sweet. Let us all have more gifts like that, shall we?
But last week he was being reamed out for his defense of Scooter Libby in which he likened him to a fallen soldier. He really is not used to media types taking him down like that. He went so deer in the headlights it was almost sad.
Posted by Shirin at July 10, 2007 02:49 PMI just saw a relative of mine, a major Bush supporter from the start. One of the "he's a really nice guy, I met him at a Republican fundraiser and he was great" type idolizers. I had not seen her in a few years. She said "what do people around here think of Bush" making a face like she'd just smelled something really bad. I said "not much" and she just nodded.
Posted by T2 at July 10, 2007 02:49 PMT2, I have heard otherwise intelligent and discerning people describe Bush as "engaging", and "charming", and such like. I have never been able to see it. The kindest descriptive I have been able to come up with is "embarrassing". And that's on a good day.
Posted by Shirin at July 10, 2007 02:52 PM.....I guess Joe-Mentum doesn't do polls...he thinks the terrists are on the run....I'm with Christopher...no way 29% still think anything but contempt for this moron...oh, sorry, the whole thing is Maliki's fault..that useless puppet government can't get out of its own way!!
Posted by Goyo at July 10, 2007 03:18 PMChristopher, forgot where I read it, but a couple of weeks ago, Bush approval numbers were down to 22%. Is someone playing with the number?
Posted by Judith at July 10, 2007 03:18 PMThe supremely insane El Busho has just proclaimed, that "We're at the starting point now" (referring to his 4.5-year-old imperial occupation of Iraq). What planet is he living on? He must be living in Never-never land with his co-ruler, the Dick of Cheney...
Posted by james k. sayre at July 10, 2007 03:20 PM"no one ever went broke understimating the stupidity (and willfull blindness) of the American people."
Shirin, that's my favorite saying. I think the statements sums it up nicely.
Posted by Judith at July 10, 2007 03:21 PM"We're at the starting point now"
James, starting point of what? Bush is at the starting point, while everyone else is at the finish line. Jeez
Posted by Judith at July 10, 2007 03:28 PMThe lowest poll numbers I have seen for Bush was a week or two ago, and it was 26% - just 3% above the lowest poll numbers for any president ever in history, and within the margin of error, which for most polls is 3-5% depending on the poll.
There are a lot of reasons for variability in poll numbers, and 3% one way or another is not significant.
Yes, it IS difficult to believe that there are still 29% out there who think Bush is just doin' a fiiiiiine job. I have actually met a couple of them, and now I understand.
Posted by Shirin at July 10, 2007 03:57 PMJudith, you dreamed 22%. Its a dream that will come true, lucky you.
Posted by T2 at July 10, 2007 04:43 PM"Bush's approval rating has reached a new low: 29%."
-(Steve Soto)
Not a very meaningful statistic.
But the key statistic of all is that just after Bush started the "War on Terror,"his high was closer to 75-80% of Americans.
That they know now is too little too late.
Why didn't they know to begin with? I did.
Those who now find it in their hearts to disapprove of Bush are never to be trusted. Their fickleness is hardly a comforting statistic.
Perhaps if Bush would have done what Clinton and the NATO Airforce did in Serbia it could be said unequivocally that America had won. That is really all Americans care about is to say they 'won.'
And besides even 29% is quite high. Disgracefully so.
Now if 80% of Americans wanted America to lose, to really lose in Afghanistan and Iraq, that would be encouraging. Then they would be closer to the feelings of the rest of humanity.
Then there would be hope.
Posted by Jill Bains at July 10, 2007 05:43 PMsteve
mimikatz at "the next hurrah" has a complementary posting.
her focus is on "levin-reed", a democratic initiative that will require troops to begin withdrawing by the april date you mention.
i don't know much about levin-reed,
but it seems to me that this effort
should be more widely announced and more widely discussed
among those who want to redress some of the wrongs of the bush/cheney invasion of iraq.
Posted by orionATL at July 10, 2007 06:38 PMBEGIN withdrawing by April? And what mischief will they be able to complete in the meantime. No. Out. Now. Completely.
Posted by Shirin at July 10, 2007 06:48 PMBEGIN withdrawing by April? And what mischief will they be able to complete in the meantime. No. Out. Now. Completely.
With the Democrat Congress appoval at 14% you can expect much more funding for the war. Their mischief is being enabled by the Dems.
Posted by phidipides at July 10, 2007 07:58 PM20-30 mortars and rockets killed 3 and wounded 18 people on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 in the most intense indirect fire strike on the Green Zone in recent months targeting the US embassy, Ibn Sina hospital and Iraqi officials homes.
"U.N. and U.S. military leaders acknowledged last month that militants were increasingly targeting the area. There were about 39 attacks in May, compared with 17 in March, according to a U.N. report. In addition to mortar and rocket attacks, the Green Zone was shaken April 12 by a suicide bombing in the Iraqi parliament building that killed a Sunni Arab legislator."
Shelling in Green Zone kills 3
Molly Hennessy-Fiske, LA Times, July 10, 2007
Coupled with the bridge campaign to hinder logistics and mobility, a sapper attack and registering fire on a high profile asset suggests preparation for a major, complex strike to be conducted when the resistance choses.
Maybe not. Might just be a maturing resistance doing their own escalation.