juan cole has a good post on the karbala attack.
Posted by benjoya at February 1, 2007 12:02 PMFrom Kenneth Adleman in 2002: My longtime mentor, Donald Rumsfeld, is fond of saying: When a particular problem is intractable, enlarge it.
Forget common sense, logic and rational discussion. These zombies see one way out of Iraq ... war with Iran.
Posted by Jim Faith at February 1, 2007 12:32 PMYou know Bush is in trouble when FOX News blows up his story. Sharks smell blood.
Posted by Daryl at February 1, 2007 12:44 PMJosh on Fredo:
"Think of it like this. He's a death row prisoner concocting a thousand-to-one plan to break out of prison. For him, those are good odds. The rest of us are doing three months for disorderly conduct. And he's trying to rope us into his harebrained scheme. Like I said, his interests are very different from ours.
Speak up. We're on the edge of the abyss."
Josh Marshall/TPM, 1/31/07-10:56 PM
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/012216.php
The man can write. Can't wait for his take on Total Dick.
Maybe our media will make the distinction between Sunni and Shia ... oh, what the hell was I thinking??
Posted by CitizenBoo at February 1, 2007 01:24 PMI think I got Bush stylin' figured out.
Well, see...its like this. You go to war with the reality you have...or else you just make shit up. THEN, everyone believes you...or (more likely) not. Especially after the twelve millionth bullshit story.
In which case you refuse to show the fake evidence that you worked ALL night to put together (cuz really, you just ain't controlling the message anymore)..but you don't care, cuz you're the DECIDER, by God and no ones gonna stop you from putting the hurt on Iran.
AND then you get caught asking for a lot MORE soldiers than said you asked for in the first place...though, by now, eveyone knows yer a freakin' liar...in which case you just make EVEN more shit up to be dribbled out by you FOX news talking Press Sec. (Cuz, as I said, you don't CARE).
And that is how history's actor leaves us all to just study what he does. Till he gets impeached. Or till the world falls apart. Whichever comes first.
Posted by 1MaNLan at February 1, 2007 01:28 PMbeware the military industrial complex... the war never ends
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CiPOMCxoPYw
Posted by Calvin Sloan at February 1, 2007 01:32 PMHave not been here for a while-still the same stale bunch of Bush and haters-some things never change. Can you folks ever come up with something new?
Posted by jj at February 1, 2007 01:39 PMWALKING AND QUAKING LIKE A DUCK IN KARBALA
Seven white GMC Suburbans filled with more than a dozen guys wearing American uniforms and body armor, flashing American ID cards, speaking Engish, and breezing through checkpoints. How is this not Blackwater mercs? Why is the first question not; "Did somebody pay off a bunch of 'contractors' to do this?" If Blackwater mercs did it, the US Military will never let that information out. I expect it's easier to torture a few guards from the checkpoints into 'remembering' that it was Iranians or Sadr or Sunni infiltrators.
=========================
Have not been here for a while-still the same stale bunch of Bush and military haters-some things never change. Can you folks ever come up with something new?
Posted by jj at February 1, 2007 01:40 PMI keep wondering what Bush will blame Iran for next?
Grey hair? New coke? Rocky 6?
His blathering suggest a genuine madman.
Posted by Christopher at February 1, 2007 01:44 PMHave not been here for a while-still the same stale bunch of Bush and haters-some things never change. Can you folks ever come up with something new?
Posted by jj
When your idiot boy king leaves the white house, you will see many new things. The reason you don't see anything new now is because your president is ruining this country a day at a time. It is a full time job for us keeping up with all the shredding of our liberties and pissed off allies right now to do much else. Maybe you could help by stop drinking the kool-aid. Just a thought.
Posted by Tom at February 1, 2007 02:00 PMHave not been here for a while-still the same stale bunch of Bush and military haters-some things never change. Can you folks ever come up with something new?
As apposed to the Clinton and Military haters you guys were when Clinton was president?
Posted by goose1 at February 1, 2007 02:13 PMjj,
Been kicking around a few things about Mr. Other Priorities.
Stay tuned.
Crap. Do the Bushites really think we would EVER believe them again after the way they got caught lying about the intelligence for Iraq?
But in the end I dont think it will matter. Bush will attack Iran under any pretense. And he will find/invent one.
Posted by druidbros at February 1, 2007 03:56 PMCan you folks ever come up with something new?
"Pyongyang, May 27 (KCNA) -- The greatness of leader **Kim Jong Il has recently been given wide publicity in South Korea, according to a news report. The general student council of Kyonggi University on April 21 pasted a portrait of Kim Jong Il on the notice board and carried an article on his brief history under it together with the letters reading "the respected leader of the north."
In a lecture on the subject of "art and life" held at Jeju University some time ago a lecturer highly praised the greatness of Kim Jong Il, a genius of art.
The South Korean newspaper Kukbang Ilbo on March 28 carried a photo-accompanied article saying that the north has already seethed with preparations to mark his birthday next year.
An internet site concerning his greatness was opened to the public in South Korea.
At least 500 copies of his work "On the Juche Idea" were distributed at the "graand seminar on Kim Il Sung's Juche idea" which was held at Seoul National University on April 23 and 24 on the occasion of Sun's Day."
**Substitute the bolded text above with your Mad King's name and you'll have the kind of shit you want to see.
Posted by phidipides at February 1, 2007 06:27 PM Next Stop Iran!!!
As a daily consumer of the "trash, bought-and-paid-for main steam press" I have noticed the rhetoric in the U.S. media [CNN in PARTICULAR] against Iran has been ratcheted up DRAMATICALLY in recent days.
The ground work has clearly been laid for an attack on Iran.
I HATE DATE SPECIFIC PREDICTIONS, but, I’m going to go out on limb and suggest the window for an Iran attack is Feb. 15 – 18 WHEN THERE IS NO MOON LIGHT AT BUSHEUR, IRAN – site of at least one major / prime nuclear target. Military commanders, historically, have always preferred to launch air-led attacks when there is no moonlight.
The price of crude oil "wobbled" on Monday and then "throttled up" 3 bucks on Tuesday. Then, right after the EIA released crude oil stockpile figures at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday [stocks higher than anticipated] – the price of crude "spiked" down a buck before pulling off a late day "hail-mary" rally to end up about 1.20 on the day.
Now, here again on Thursday – crude smashed down a buck early before rallying like a "bad thing" to end the day UP again [fill in the amount].
A month ago – with market sentiment [the Tech Funds] this negative – the Goldman’s et al of the world would have undoubtedly "piled on" and hammered crude oil down to the 30’s per barrel. But not now.
In the past year or so, how many days do you recall gold and crude actually trading in sync with each other – let alone 3 in a row?
Guess What?
To my nose – this REEKS of someone "front running" a known outcome. To my thinking, I now feel that there are a couple of major players [ones who have been doing the "shorting" that knocked crude off its lofty perch] who have been "given the word" of an impending attack on Iran – so they can "fleece" a few more TECH FUNDS – suckering them to go short - and attempting to square their books prior to the attack.
It’s like "fishing in a barrel" – and a big part of the reason why firms like Goldman Sachs make such absurd amounts of money TRADING their own book. I prefer to call it what it really is - CORPORATE FASCISM.
The pieces fit together SO WELL a blind man could see. Maybe Stevie Wonder will write a song about it – Signed, Sealed & Delivered.
I PRAY I’m wrong, but have an ugly gut feeling I’m right.
Posted by Andrew at February 1, 2007 06:40 PMI sent a letter to the NYT reporters who carried the Iranians behind the abduction story and asked them if they had taken over Judith Miller's desk. I also complemented them on their stenography skills and gave them a tip: my crack investigators indicated the the masterminds behind the abduction in Iraq were Bolivians and Canadians. They haven't run that story yet, but it could break any day.
Mainscream media.
Posted by angel at February 2, 2007 07:20 AMWell, there may be more explanations out there:
The Latest Hoax : The real origin of `Iranian' produced IED
Quote
Nov.14, 2006
Back-Breaking News
w/ Tom Heneghan
Cloak News - Washington, D.C. - Zapata Engineering, an offshoot of Zapata Oil with offices in North Carolina, Hawaii and Tel Aviv, have now been linked to the hiring of private Mossad contractors aka alleged Israeli Engineers in Iraq. Of course that is not the real story.
It can now be reported that Zapata Engineering has hired these Israeli Mossad-types into Iraq for the purposes of alleged counter-insurgency.
However, the alleged Israeli engineers have now been fingered for sniping at U.S. Soldiers and the murder of two female American Marines who had their throats slit and then placed in garbage dumps.
These female Marines had been investigating the origins of the I.E.D. (Improvised Explosives Devices). And of course it gets worse. It can now be reported that the origin of the I.E.D.’s, come not from Iran, but come from Zapata Engineering of North Carolina, Hawaii and Tel Aviv.
And now of course, it really gets worse. The projectile’s discovered by American Special Forces have depleted uranium tips which connects directly to the Israeli company Rafael, which of course is owned by Zapata Engineering of North Carolina, Hawaii and Tel Aviv.
The first subpoena issued by Senator Levin, Democrat of Michigan, should be for a General Richard Natonski who is the liaison for the alleged Israeli engineers brought into Iraq.
It is clear now that the deaths of various American soldiers and the murder of the female Marines was done by the Israeli Mossad in order to cover up their involvement in I.E.D. sales to alleged Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Reference: Rafael Company, Tel Aviv.
P.S. Zapata Engineering, of course, is an offshoot of Zapata Oil. The same Zapata linked to Daddy Bush, British Permindex and the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22. 1963.
As hard as it is to believe that the administration would go for a military strike on Iran in the present anti-war political climate, there just aren't enough constraining factors to stop them. Israel is in favor, and frankly, the major sunni and baathist arab states (Saudi Arabia and Syria et al) are ambivalent because they fear Iranian ascendancy.
So buckle up...
Posted by Powder_Monkey at February 2, 2007 10:16 AM...So if Professor Cole can figure this out so cleanly, what explains the stupidity and illogical reasoning of Nicholas Burns, the whole State Department, and the Bush Administration except a ideological blindness to common sense and the facts on the ground?
One hypothesis: They're lying.
Hard to believe, I know.
Posted by Yissil at February 2, 2007 10:55 AMThe "blame Iran campaign" did not stumble. The idea is to put as many falsehoods into the publics mind as possible. Any retractions are done much more quietly. The original falsehoods are more likely to stick, particularly among the majority that don't look beyond the headline/soundbite. The retraction earns kudos by those thinking that the "intelligence" is being carefully evaluated.
Nothing new here.
Posted by vinceman at February 3, 2007 12:24 PM