Where’s the Outrage?

The Economist magazine recently asked if President George W. Bush might face some type of international war crimes trial after he leaves office. A retired American general is quoted as saying that the Bush administration is likely guilty of war crimes for prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib in Iraq.

You might think that lying his way into a tragic war might have already merited President Bush a charge of treason. Still, there may be an outside chance of justice with evolving standards of international law. If we can’t get justice by Bush being apprehended while abroad and placed in a cell, at least we should see the prospect of formal charges and a measure of circumspection by Bush as to where he travels after his Presidency.

On a similar note, human rights activists in France and Germany have begun to seek human rights charges against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield. The linked article explains this more specifically.

Can a person in power get away with anything at all? One hopes that after such a brutal 20th-century, this new century will bring better standards of global justice.

Please click here for a review of “The Dark Side–The Inside Story Of How The War On Terror Turned Into A War On American Ideals” by Jane Mayer. This book discusses the Bush response of torture and breaches of American civil liberties as part of the so-called “War on Terror.”

Tags: Books, Torture, War on Terror by Texas Liberal
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It has been almost 2 weeks ago when Michael Mukasey was testifying in the Senate and Senator Whitehouse asked him a direct question. Is Waterboarding (simulated drowning) torture? He couldn’t or wouldn’t directly answer the question. I wrote that he should be rejected right then. There was nothing else that needed to be considered. So, we have gotten bogged down in the exact definition of waterboarding. I heard on the Diane Rehm show some legal expert split the finest of hairs. He said something like if water actually gets into the lungs then that’s torture. If it doesn’t then it isn’t. What? How could anyone possibly say that simulated drowning isn’t torture (besides mind-numbing neocons)?

Several blogs discuss waterboarding and this horrors  - here and here.   Malcolm Nance, a 20 year veteran of counter- intelligence, has written this great article on waterboarding.

I’ll link to an earlier video in which waterboarding is demonstrated.

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From WaPo:

Democratic support for attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey dwindled further yesterday over his refusal to comment on the legality of a harsh CIA interrogation technique, setting the stage for an unexpectedly close vote next week by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (Ill.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) announced that they will join Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) in voting against Mukasey on the Judiciary panel, after the nominee said in a four-page letter to Senate Democrats that he does not know whether a type of simulated drowning called waterboarding constitutes illegal torture under U.S. law. (more…)

 

 Mukasey in trouble [1:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Torture, War on Terror by ecthompson
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No duh. The National Intelligence Estimate told us this a while ago. The British have figured out that we need to change direction or lose the War on Terror. I’m wondering if President Bush will read this report.

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From Yahoo.com:

Six years after the September 11 attacks in the United States, the “war on terror” is failing and instead fueling an increase in support for extremist Islamist movements, a British think-tank said on Monday.

A report by the Oxford Research Group (ORG) said a “fundamental re-think is required” if the global terrorist network is to be rendered ineffective.

“If the al Qaeda movement is to be countered, then the roots of its support must be understood and systematically undercut,” said Paul Rogers, the report’s author and professor of global peace studies at Bradford University in northern England. (more…)

 

 Do we torture? [1:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: National Intelligence Estimate, War on Terror by ecthompson
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William Kristol is one of the worst of the worst.  He has never really faced the reality of Iraq.  He is one of the architects.  He was one of the loudest voices.  He sees nothing but sunshine over there.  What else could he see?  If he saws death and destruction then he might have to admit that it was all his fault.

Jon Stewart uses an interesting tactic.  Jon wonders why anyone who disagrees with the war is labeled as un-American or a cut and runner.

 

 TDS - William "The Blood" Kristol [7:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Iraq, The Daily Show, War on Terror by ecthompson
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When you look at the craziness that is Iraq and in spite of the constant pronouncements of neocons, you have to come to the conclusion that Iraq is a mess. Over 300 people were killed or injured in another suicide bomb. Quelling an insurgency will take time. There are no shortcuts. Knowing that the Bush administration is committed to this war and without a 2/3’s vote in the Senate we are stuck. Period. So, how do we manage the Army and Marine Corp without breaking them? We need more people. We need to increase the size of both.

I don’t have an answer. I think that a draft will make more of the neocons (Romney) reconsider their position. Even if we start a draft tomorrow there won’t be any relief for our men and women in the field for some time. In my book, we need to start a pull out. We won’t be able to do that with a Republican president in the White House. So, the soonest that we could start a pull out will be January of 2009. That’s the reality as I see it.

 

 Countdown - Draft [5:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bush Administration, Countdown, War on Terror by ecthompson
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Max Blumenthal visits the College Republicans. It is amazing that none of the ones that were filmed said anything original. All of these “healthy” pro-war Republicans, found all kinds of excuses of why they couldn’t or wouldn’t enlist. Their basic motto - I’m a Patriot. I support the war. I’m too important to risk my life on some war.

 

 Chickenhawks: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Iraq, Party Politics, War on Terror by ecthompson
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Well, I hate this format. Like there are 2 sides to this conflict. Newt Gingrich is a smart but awful man. He is a master of deception. New said -

“But notice, there are two things there. First of all, even if you accept that this is a civil war, people have won civil wars. I devoted three novels about winning the American Civil War. And the fact is, civil wars are hard. But we also—I just did a novel on Pearl Harbor and the Second World War. The Second World War was hard. Guadalcanal was hard. If we’d had today’s Congress during Guadalcanal, the number of people who had said beating the Japanese is too hard, let’s find a negotiated peace, would have been amazing.”

Horse manure. We were attacked by the Japanese. We weren’t attacked by Iraq. So, there is no basis for the comparison but Newt persists. He sets up his illogical comparison by clearly stating that he is has written 3 historical novels. So, the viewer will assume that he is an expert. Therefore, his comparison must be right because he is an expert. That’s classic Newt Gingrich.

The bottom-line is that it doesn’t matter whether Iraq is easy or hard. From a moral standpoint we shouldn’t be there. The other thing is that everyone talks about an all or nothing strategy. In fact we have neither. We aren’t all in now. If we were all in there would be a draft. Americans would be asked to make sacrifices. Our number 1 priority would be renewing equipment and getting the best equipment to the troops. We aren’t doing that. The other side is talking about a complete withdrawal. That’s not realistic either. We will have to keep some forces in the area that can respond to crisis situations.

I’ll have video of what can be loosely called a debate.

 

 MTP - Dodd and Gingrich [8:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Iraq, Sunday Morning Shows, War on Terror by ecthompson
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You can take this for what it is worth but NBC reported yesterday that 11 GOP congressmen meet with Bush and told him that there needs to be change in Iraq.  Well, look at the video and you make your own decision.

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From WaPo:

House Republican moderates, in a remarkably blunt White House meeting, warned President Bush this week that his pursuit of the war in Iraq is risking the future of the Republican Party and that he cannot count on GOP support for many more months.

The meeting, which ran for an hour and a half Tuesday afternoon, was disclosed by participants yesterday as the House prepared to vote this evening on a spending bill that could cut funding for the Iraq war as early as July. GOP moderates told Bush they would stay united against the latest effort by House Democrats to end U.S. involvement in the war. Even Senate Democrats called the House measure unrealistic.  (more…)

 

 Nightly News - Bush losing GOP support [2:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bush Administration, Iraq, War on Terror by ecthompson
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Six foreign-born Muslims were arrested and accused Tuesday of plotting to attack the Army’s Fort Dix and massacre scores of U.S. soldiers — a plot the FBI says was foiled when the men took a video of themselves firing assault weapons to a store to have the footage put onto a DVD.

The defendants, all men in their 20s from the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East, include a pizza deliveryman suspected of using his job to scout out the military base.

“Today we dodged a bullet. In fact, when you look at the type of weapons that this group was trying to purchase, we may have dodged a lot of bullets,” said FBI agent J.P. Weiss. (more…)

 

 Terrorists in NJ? [4:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Domestic Issues, War on Terror by ecthompson
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As we all know Al Qaeda was not in Iraq in any significant numbers before we arrived. Now, well, let’s say, “mission not accomplished.” Al Qaeda is fighting with our militias in Iraq for control.

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From CNN.com:

Pulling U.S. forces from Iraq could trigger catastrophe, CNN analysts and other observers warn, affecting not just Iraq but its neighbors in the Middle East, with far-reaching global implications.

Sectarian violence could erupt on a scale never seen before in Iraq if coalition troops leave before Iraq’s security forces are ready. Supporters of al Qaeda could develop an international hub of terror from which to threaten the West. And the likely civil war could draw countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran into a broader conflict. (more…)

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And then there is this story which was floating around yesterday.

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From WaPo:

Iraqi government officials said Tuesday they believed the leader of the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq was killed north of Baghdad, but U.S. military officials said they could not confirm the reported death.

The Iraqi ministers of defense and interior told reporters there was reliable information that Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the nom de guerre of a man believed to have taken over the group’s leadership after the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in fighting near Taji. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh confirmed those reports but said DNA testing would be done to verify Masri’s death. (more…)

 

 Al Qaeda in Iraq [2:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Al Qaeda, Iraq, War on Terror by ecthompson
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Let me say this, these poll numbers are interesting. Unfortunately, interesting is not going to get us out of Iraq. The Republicans, the folks that voted for Bush and his gang twice, will have to pressure the House and Senate Republicans to split with the President. Only when the R’s in Congress are feeling the heat of re-election or not being re-elected will the Dem’s have enough votes to override a veto.

Full text of poll.

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From MSNBC.com:

As the Democrat-controlled Congress and the White House clash over an Iraq spending bill, with President Bush vowing to veto it because it contains withdrawal deadlines, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that a solid majority of Americans side with the Democrats.

In addition, a nearly equal number believe that victory in Iraq isn’t possible, and about only one in eight think the war has improved in the three months since Bush called for a troop increase there. (more…)

 

 NBC-WSJ poll [3:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Iraq, Media, War on Terror by ecthompson
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President has staked his whole Presidency on Iraq. He can’t back down. The democrats can back down but not without looking like a bunch of wimps. The only way that the Dems win this fight is to get the American people to pressure Congress. The Congress will have to pass legislation that would be veto proof. The Dems need to keep everyone that they have an get 8 - 10 R’s to cross over.

Can they do that? For the sake of the country and our troops, I hope that do.

 

 Jack Murtha continues to push to end Iraq War [5:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Iraq, Military, War on Terror by ecthompson
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Remember the dirty bomber, Jose Padilla (I discuss this case with Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com)? He was one of the first persons that the US picked up in the War on Terror. He was labeled an Enemy Combatant. He was held with out charges or trial for more than 3 years. Now, it looks like the government is finally going to put him on trial.

Mr. Padilla is the best example of our government losing the constitution. This is is different than John Walker Lindh (an American catch in Afghanistan) or 9/11 master mind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (who recently confessed). Padilla was/is an American. He was picked up in the US. He was tortured. He was kept without any legal representation. He was not even charged with a crime for years. It is not a stretch to say that almost any American could be treated like this.

 

 Who is Jose Padilla? [1:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Al Qaeda, War on Terror by ecthompson
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More than a year ago, I saw General Anthony Zinni on The Daily Show.  I also heard him on the Al Franken Show.  OMG, he was great.  He understands the problem. He is what I think of when I think of a modern General.  Intelligent, thoughtful, decisive.  He is credible.  He is the exact person that makes it nearly impossible for the administration to Swift Boat him.

Part of his transcript later.

 

 HB - General anthony Zinni [7:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bush Administration, Iraq, War on Terror by ecthompson
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So, President Bush is blaming the Dems for the problems in Iraq.  Faster troop rotations are the Dems fault.  Longer tours of duty the Dems fault. 

The Dems also don’t understand that if America leaves before the “job” is done, the terrorists will follow us home according to the President.  My only problem with this statement is that it doesn’t make any sense.  Our borders are currently porous.  Don’t the terrorists know where we live?  Why can’t they come over now?  Why would they wait until we come home from Iraq to attack us at home?  As a matter of fact, with the Army tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan wouldn’t it be easier for them to slip in the country now instead of waiting until our Army comes home?  I’m just askin’ because I’m so tired of statements that don’t make any sense. 

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The President spoke today at the American Legion:

They recognized what I recognized, and it’s important for the American citizen to recognize this, that if we were to have stepped back from Baghdad before the Iraqis were capable of securing their capital, before they had the troops trained well enough to secure the capital, there would have been a vacuum that could have easily been filled by Sunni and Shia extremists, radicals that would be bolstered by outside forces. In other words, the lack of security would have created an opportunity for extremists to move in. Most people want to live in peace in Iraq. There are extremists who can’t stand the thought of a free society that would have taken advantage of the vacuum. A contagion of violence could spill out across the country, and in time the violence could affect the entire region.

What happens in the Middle East matters here in America. The terrorists would have emerged under this scenario more emboldened. They would have said, our enemy, the United States, the enemy that we attacked, turns out to be what they thought: weak in the face of violence, weak in the face of challenge. They would have been able to more likely recruit. They would have had new safe haven from which to launch attacks. Imagine a scenario in which the extremists are able to control oil revenues to achieve economic blackmail, to achieve their objectives. This is all what they have stated. This is their ambition.

If we retreat — were to retreat from Iraq, what’s interesting and different about this war is that the enemy would follow us here. And that’s why it’s important we succeed in Iraq. If this scenario were to take place, 50 years from now people would look back and say, “What happened to those folks in the year 2007? How come they couldn’t see the danger of a Middle East spiraling out of control where extremists competed for power, but they shared an objective which was to harm the United States of America? How come they couldn’t remember the lesson of September the 11th, that we were no longer protected by oceans and chaos and violence, and extremism could end up being a serious danger to the homeland?”

 

 Countdown - Bush blames Dems [9:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bush Administration, Iraq, War on Terror by ecthompson
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From WaPo:

Captured Iraqi documents and intelligence interrogations of Saddam Hussein and two former aides “all confirmed” that Hussein’s regime was not directly cooperating with al-Qaeda before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, according to a declassified Defense Department report released yesterday. (more..)

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In spite of this report, the president just yesterday tried to tie Al Qaeda with Iraq. At Fort Irwin (4/4/07) President Bush stated:

After the attacks of September the 11th I vowed to our country that we wouldn’t tire, that we would use whatever it took to protect us. And so we changed our strategy. The strategy is to defeat the enemy overseas so we don’t have to face them here at home. The strategy is to find those who would kill Americans and bring them to justice. So for those of you in — who have been in Afghanistan, you’re helping this young democracy recover from a period of time in which brutal extremists provided safe haven to an enemy which attacked the United States. Part of our doctrine is if you harbor a terrorist, you’re equally as guilty as the terrorists.

Another part of the doctrine is when you see a threat, we must take threats seriously, before they come here to hurt us. See, what changed on September the 11th is oceans can no longer protect the people in the United States from harm. I saw a threat in Saddam Hussein. The world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power. And so are the citizens of Iraq.

Cheney has continued to talk as if he has some secret knowledge that with his decoder ring he understands and the rest of us, without the ring will never understand.

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I guess there’s that old saying that if you say things often enough people will begin to believe you. Or many if you keep saying the same stuff over and over, people stop listening.

Tags: Al Qaeda, Iraq, War on Terror by ecthompson
2 Comments »

As usual, Keith does his homework.  He gets an excellent guest, Larry Johnson.  He makes a simple point, if it is safe in that Baghdad market why did McCain and company need to wear Kevlar vests.  Mr. Johnson goes further stating that US soldiers had to sweep that market before McCain and his boys thereby putting our troops at risk for a photo-op.

 

 Countdown - Who gaurded McCain and da' boys [5:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Iraq, War on Terror by ecthompson
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Some of our soldiers are set to re-deploy for their 5th tour!!

 

 Redeploying [2:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Iraq, Military, War on Terror by ecthompson
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My sister pointed this video out to me.  A sailor who had been gone for months walked into his 7 year old son’s classroom.  The boys reaction was, to quote a commercial, priceless.

 

 Sweet Homecoming [1:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Iraq, War on Terror by ecthompson
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I’m still not sure that we have heard all that there is to hear about Pat Tillman’s death and the disgraceful cover up of death.

 

 Countdown - Tillman 2 [6:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Countdown, Military, War on Terror by ecthompson
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