So you don't have to - 6/18
posted by TheDon

Meat the Press

Surprise! The Iraq "surge" is failing to slow down the violence, much less stop it.

Bigger Suprise! The politicians in Iraq are making no progress.

Biggest Suprise! Our ambassador, Bug-eye McLiar is willing to lie about it.

Responding to a Pentagon report which points out the facts on the ground, including the fact that violence has merely shifted to different parts of Iraq, Ambassador Bug-eye decides to accentuate the positive - violence in 40% of Baghdad is down, and Anbar province is less violent. While he decries the news that violence elswhere is "bad news", he still goes with "the surge is working" and "violence is down in the two areas where we have the surge". Sigh. Apparently, if we send in 10 million more troops we'll be halfway home.

Timmeh calls it "whack-a-mole", Bug-eye says Baghdad is central to solving Iraq. I truly believe that the only thing these bastards (ours, not theirs) care about is getting the oil rights law signed.

Bug-eye refers to the "surge" allowing us to whack a whole lot of moles at once. Yeah. I guess he never went to the arcade and doesn't realize that the moles pop up one at a time, then pop up again somewhere else. And there's always a fresh supply of moles.

After a small dust-up over Petraeus's level of denial, a Colin Powell clip is shown. He has shown great courage and honesty in talking about this war, and deserves a medal for it. Well, he would have if he had done this THREE YEARS AGO!!! Asshole.

Timmeh asks Bug-eye about Maliki's attitude about the US arming the Sunni insurgents. "The Iraqis are right to focus on it". Jeebuz. Apparently they are forming a committee to decide how smart the strategy is. If they call me, I think I know...

Bug-eye Crocker is still pretending that there will be an assessment of the "surge" in September. I'm not holding my breath. He also gives some of the talking points supporting an attack on Iran. Also claims the Iraqis are closely following the political debate in the US. Says they are working hard to meet the benchmarks. What a load.

Let's play roundtable!

Eugene Robinson calls out the Whitehouse for a bait-and-switch on September benchmarks.
The execrable Kate O'Beirne seems to agree that meeting deadlines is important. Wow. They've lost Kate. Getting lonelier in the loonie bin!

Mitch McConnell must be worried about his re-election. That reliable administration bitch is talking big about changing Eye-rack policies by year's end by congressional action. Boehner too. I guess he was shedding tears for more reasons than one.

Even administration mouthpiece Byron York is skeptical, but doesn't embrace a change in strategy, just notes that it seems inevitable.

Harry Reid is jumped for insulting Peter Pace, and E.J. Dionne sticks up for the 1st Ammendment, and points out the well-noted fact that Straight-out-the-ass-Talk McCain pounded Peter Pace recently.

Kate, of course, thinks it was dumb to "malign" Petraeus. She can't really believe that, unless she's more stupid than I think. She's a shameless shill.

Robinson questions the willingness of congress-critters to defund the war, pointing out that it's the only way to change Bush.

York points out that the really hard-core righties want a larger presence in Iraq. (more torture, too, Byron)

Immigration rears its multiple heads. This is not going to happen for a lot of reasons. It's such a compromise that nobody really likes it. And no Democrat wants to give W the victory. I want them to kill it until we have a Democratic president and Congress, then get the bill we really want, and lock up the Hispanic vote 4evah!

Bob Novak has suggested releasing Gonzo and pardoning Libby, saying it would "hearten his base". Neither one will happen. The "base" is way more worried about amnesty than Libby, and wants Gonzo around, you moron. Kate thinks that's a grand idea, says there is something liberating about being below freezing in the polls. She thinks his base is the chattering class inside the beltway.

EJ points out that pardoning Libby makes the administration more lawless, and the public knows it.

Timmeh points out that the Democratic Congress is unpopular, but neglects to point out that it's because they won't stop the war. Oops, he just pointed it out.

Clinton is way ahead of Obama in the national polls, but trailing in South Carolina. My gut (having lived there) is that it is a reflection of the large African-American population. Ok, just agreed to by the panel.

Giuliani is way up, but Thompson is catching up fast, beating him in SC. This is a reflection of a lack of good candidates, and lead in the water system. Kate says his coverage and name-recognition means he can enter the race at this late date. I don't know what her calendar says, but mine says mid-June, 2007. Late?

Seems to be a consensus that Thompson is seen as relief from a weak field. Once again I will admit that I don't understand the appeal of a life-long lobbyist and wife-leaving party boy in the family-values set. Or Giuliani. Or Romney. Or McCain.

And I've reached my limit on primary wanking today. I'm sure every week will afford another opportunity to talk about them. I still think the only flip-flop Romney can make to get the base votes is to convert to christianity.

Oh Jeebuz! They're talking about Bloomie and Arnie running. That should be good for some laughs. The Jesse Ventura candidate. Yipes.

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Fawkes News

Kewl! General David Petraeus picks the perfect outlet for shredding the vestiges of his reputation as a truth-teller. Good call!

General Odierno says the US only controls 40% of Baghdad. 40% my ass. I guess it depends on what the meaning of the word "control" is.

Former General Antonio Taguba says the senior leadership was involved in the Abu Gharib torture and that he was forced to retire for persuing the investigation. Duh and duh. Another good man forced out for having honor. They have truly broken our Army.

On a side rant, the dismissal of Peter Pace does seem like prima facie evidence that he was a good, honorable man. In this "backwards day" administration, which uses Presidential Medals to reward the worst of the worst, being forced out is a mark of honor. I'm not ready to embrace Peter Pace, but he at least deserves a fair hearing based on his forced retirement.

Chris Wallace lobs softballs to Petraeus, as expected. Petraeus happily swings for the fences. Petraeus claims we are ahead of where he expected, but behind in some places. Claims success in Anbar - guess he hasn't heard that the coalition with the tribal leaders is falling apart.

Claims concern in 30% of the neighborhoods in Baghdad. He's really stressing the fight against Al Queda. I guess I don't blame him.

And it's a high hard fastball - Weekly attacks are up, and violence is unchanged during surge. Petraeus acknowledges the figures, says initially sectarian violence was down, then up, and is "trending back down". ummmmm.... as opposed to the cycles before the surge? Whatevs.

Lobs the Harry Reid softball - Petraeus claims plenty of signs of normalcy. Soccer in the streets! Well that's different! Pop the corks and send our kids home!

Wallace re-lobs the softball - Petraeus didn't swing nearly hard enough at it the first time.

Chimpy blames violence on AQ, Wallace shows the Pentagon report blaming sectarian violence. OH! Petraeus goes for broke - Sunni violence IS AQ violence! That would be a GREAT argument if we weren't funding Sunni insurgents! Really great argument...

Wallace actually questions that strategy, but in a softball way. Petraeus has a great plan for tracking people and building trust in them It might work in a video game, but sounds pretty dicey IRL. Is dumb-assy a word? Lotsa straw-grasping going on.

Wallace starts into the failure of Iraqi politicians to do any real work. Petraeus of course talks about the oil revenues. It's the only thing the "base" cares about anyway. Then they both talk about how hard it is to build a country. Really? Just figuring that out now?

DP backs off of September report while claiming that he's not backing off of the September report. Here's a guess. In September they will claim the "surge" is starting to work. Just a guess.

About the third time Wallace lobs "you certainly don't think the work of the 'surge' will be complete by September, do you" Petraeus picks up on it and agrees.

NEWS! General Petraeus still thinks we can "win" in Iraq, and "leave behind" a "democracy". Whoda thunkit?

Panel time.

Chimpy promises a signed amnesty immigration reform bill this year. Won't happen. Won't even get close. Yawn - next topic.

Hamas takes over Gaza. What does it mean? If I thought any of these people had a clue I would listen. But Charles Krauthammer? Please. Besides, didn't we force the election that put Hamas in charge? Oops.

Power player of the week - Thomas Friedman?!?!? yikes. Can't even listen to this version of the blind leading the blind.

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This Weak

OH GOD! Joe Biden and Huckleberry Graham. My thumb is about to go nuts on the fast-forward button.

first up - Biden

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"surge"

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break Iraq into three countries

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civil war

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can't stop the funding

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we're depending on republicans to change

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some thing worth losing elections over

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did Senator Reid slander the generals

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the truth is the truth - this policy is a failure

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credible report in September? Yes

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one last chance

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gaza

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iran arming our enemies (GS)

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iran is the new USSR

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tighten the diplomatic noose

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EEEEEEEEEEEK! It's Lieberman wanting to strike Iran

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Hillary disagrees GWOT is a bumper-sticker

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this administration doesn't distinguish between threats

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created more terrorists than existed before

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(GS) who's better qualified to be commander-in-chief, you or Senator Clinton

(JB) me, by a longshot.

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(GS) are you going to raise enough money to stay in the race?(JB) yes

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Now Graham. I don't have the words to describe how little I care about his dishonest views.clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick....hey! Subway has pizzas! clickclickclickclick...

Roundtable

W - "Peace requires a new and different Palestinian leadership, so that a Palestinian state can be born. I call on the Palestinian people to elect new leaders, leaders not compromised by terror. I call upon them to build a practicing democracy, based on tolerance and liberty"

Um....... didn't we dance this same dance right before they elected Hamas? And who the hell is chimpy to complain about leaders compromised by terror? Or does torture and unprovoked war not count?

Oh shit! That was 2002. My bad. He might not have publicly authorized torture at that point.
Amusingly, George Will comes out against Democracy, and declares Condi's statement "Nobody saw it coming" the eptiaph of this administration.

General agreement that visible progress in Iraq by September is unlikely at best. George Will says that Republicans are "scheduled to panic in September". I think that may be the first Iraq deadline which will be met.

The subpeonas are coming, the subpeonas are coming! Scooter's going to jail! This could be a fun summer.

Daaaaaaaaaamn! George Will thinks it would be unethical to pardon Libby. There must be a story behind that.

In Memoriam

Ruth Bell Graham.

Mr Wizard.

Kurt Waldheim.

And 17 service members.
18 big losses, a nazi and a who cares.

Martin Sheen supports drug courts - drug therapy instead of prison. Sounds right to me. I wish he was still president.