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Prescience: "Are we building Democracy or fueling extremism?" SFRC 7/07, Musharraf's Resignation
Originally, this article was posted at BMG, but my friend asked me to post it here.
In July, 2007, John Kerry chaired the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee's hearing on Pakistan's Future. The question was, "Are we building Democracy or fueling extremism?"
In light of almost eight years of escalating violence in Pakistan and the whole region, the murder/assassination of Benazir Bhutto during their elections, and now the resignation of Musharraf, the question Kerry asked seems almost prescient.
Clearly, the last eight years of our timid foreign policy with Pakistan and an overly aggressive-positively ineffective policy with Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran has created a tremendous mess with each error building and creating another error on the tiers above and below it.
Bush's policies tried to prop up Musharraf, despite the evidence that Musharraf wasn't acting in good faith to catch Osama bin Laden; he wasn't cracking down on al-Qaeda and Hezbollah and other terrorists who made use of the tribal areas in the cavernous, mountainous areas of Pakistan; and he wasn't cracking down on the influx of money and terrorist groups using Pakistan as a base.
It's has been a pyramid of errors!
And now, yesterday, Musharraf, the dictator from Pakistan, resigned, literally days before his own impeachment in the Pakistani parliament. Today, his resignation is official and he will be transported out of the country.
There are a number of reasons he was forced to resign or get impeached--a number of reasons he's gone.
*Musharraf's attempts to impose authoritarian rule enraged the citizens of Pakistan.
*Many Pakistanis blamed the escalating violence on Musharraf's alliance with the U.S.
*Musharraf escalated the situation when he ousted dozens of judges and imposed emergency rule.
*The murder of his opponent Benazir Bhutto during their democratic elections which left him with no viable opponent.
Thus, the raging firestorm of criticism and violent flareups followed by the threat of impeachment left Musharraf with no other choice.
He must resign.
In an impassioned, televised speech, Musharraf said, "I hope the nation and the people will forgive my mistakes."
Meanwhile, outside in the streets, people were celebrating.
Thus, with all the unrest generated prior to Musharraf's announcement, the question of if our policies were building democracies or fueling extremism is one of the most important questions to answer so that we can adapt to the situation and create better policies!
We need to look at both the long term historical perspective, the recent history, and of course we need to look at Musharraf's resignation and how it will affect the here and now.
One clear answer remains: Pakistan will have to forge new ties and build new relationships with its people as well as with other governments, including ours.
Senator Kerry, a senior member of the Committee on Foreign Relations who chairs the Subcommittee on this region, is on record saying:
“President Musharraf’s decision to step aside is a welcome development for the people of Pakistan . His resignation is the latest reminder of the perils of this Administration’s personality-driven foreign policy that turned a blind eye to Pakistan ’s people. President Bush and Vice President Cheney backed a discredited dictator, which has undercut our ability to work with the new government to eliminate the terrorist sanctuary that has reemerged in Pakistan ’s tribal areas. Pakistan ’s politicians must shift their focus from each other to preventing al Qaeda and Taliban forces from seeking safe havens from which to launch their next attacks. Over the long-term, the best way to fight extremism is for Pakistan’s politicians to use this opportunity to strengthen their democracy and deliver an economic plan that can improve the lives of their people. This ultimately is their fight and their future, but for their sake and ours, America needs to help them succeed.”
Look... Let me be frank about this.
Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which included Kerry and Biden, and other high advisers have been telling Bush for a long time. Musharraf is a dictator and can not be a trusted ally. They held investigations on Pakistan; they went to Pakistan; and they came to the realization that Musharraf needed less kid gloves and more carrots and sticks to sway his behavior.
But Bush ignored their advice, and the dog and pony show called, "Pretend to have democracy and an election in Pakistan" began.
The Former President of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan to run in their democratic election. Upon Bhutto's return, Musharraf witnessed a huge portion of the population greet her with love and optimism! But, Musharraf, the dictator, wasn't engaged in democracy. That's why he sentenced her to a house arrest, and arrested her supporters--innocent people-- across the country.
Her arrest increased the violence as the members of the opposition party fought for her release.
Showing more prescience than administration officials showed, the democratic caucus of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued Senate Resolution 372:
"SENATE RESOLUTION 372--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE DECLARATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN PAKISTAN -- (Senate - November 08, 2007) Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Obama, Mr. Casey, and Mr. Durbin) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations."Below is the text of the Kerry-Biden Resolution:
Kerry Condemns Bhutto House Arrest in Pakistan
Yesterday Introduced Resolution Linking Some Military Aid to Restoring Rule of Law in Pakistan
WASHINGTON D. C. - Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs, which includes Pakistan, urged President Musharraf to release opposition leader Benazir Bhutto today, in response to Musharraf placing Bhutto under House arrest by force.
“Today, President Musharraf took a very troubling and contradictory step away from putting Pakistan back on the path to civilian democracy. One day President Musharraf says he intends to hold elections and restore normalcy, the next day he places Benazir Bhutto under house arrest. The United States needs to send a strong message to the government of Pakistan by using our leverage to push to restore the rule of law and move forward with crucial democratic reforms. That means making it clear we will suspend military aid not related to the fight against Al Qaeda if President Musharraf does not follow through on his pledges to take steps towards restoring civilian democracy.”
Yesterday, Senator Kerry was joined by Senator Biden in calling on President Musharraf to end Pakistan’s state of emergency and reinstate the Constitution. The Kerry-Biden Resolution urges that U.S. military assistance to Pakistan should be carefully reviewed. It further asserts that aid for certain weapons systems not directly related to fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban should be suspended if President Musharraf does not revoke the state of emergency, restore the Constitution, follow through on the pledge to relinquish his position as Chief of the Army and allow for free and fair elections to be held in accordance with the time-frame announced yesterday by the Government of Pakistan.
Do you see the combination of carrots and sticks in the resolution? Good sound policy always includes both!
But what was this administration's response to the events?
Read it from pppusa.org, entitled, "Pakistan's Failure -- and America's":
With the declaration of emergency rule, Pakistan authorities are rounding up not terrorists but judges, human-rights lawyers, journalists, opposition politicians -- in short, the unarmed. And what is the the U.S. response to this outrage?Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she is "disappointed" in Pakistan President Pervez Musharaff's declaration of emergency rule and that the U.S. will "have to review the situation." But she vows to continue American aid so that Pakistan can continue "to fight against terrorists." Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that the U.S. should be "mindful not to do anything that would undermine ongoing counter-terrorism efforts."
America seems so powerless because Musharraf is a "key ally" in the war on terrorism and because, with as many as 30 nuclear weapons, there is little it can do. The larger issue is the failure of the the generals: those in Pakistan who have poorly executed the "war" against terrorism, and those in the U.S. who have been unable to get above the day-to-day fighting to come up with a winning strategy for what they themselves call the long war.
In short, they did nothing, and by doing nothing, they fueled the extremism within Musharraf's Pakistan!
The article continues to describe how Musharraf got even more powerful because Bush, Cheney, and Rice refused to follow the Kerry-Biden Resolution; Musharraf got more powerful, Pakistan got bloodier and bloodier.
Please continue to read the next quote in it's entirety. (Bolded sections are mine.)
The irony is that, by declaring emergency rule, Musharraf demonstrates what he can do with the massive military machine and system of secret police at his disposal. Why hasn't the same decisive tactic been used against al Qaeda, Taliban and other terrorists residing in the country?
Snip
But on the larger issue, the war on terrorism, the Bush administration has proved less forceful. The general was supposed to have been a godsend. Yet we are witnessing wholesale violence and the imposed spread of Sharia (Islamic law), perpetrated by a coalition of Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, working with al Qaeda and local clans who have no interest in democracy or the 21st century.
snip
In October 2001, when the United States invaded Afghanistan to depose the Taliban and defeat al Qaeda, no one was keen on focusing on the thousands of Pakistan "volunteers" sent to fight Americans across the border. Musharraf was a crucial ally, and there was a hierarchy of priorities. Today, however, many of those same volunteers, some of whom have taken American lives, are the new Pakistani terror class, protected and given sanctuary by Musharraf's bad generalship and by the American focus elsewhere.
Large swaths of the northwest Pakistani border lands have come to resemble Taliban Afghanistan. Pakistani Taliban, as they are now called, have even persuaded (or forced) people to destroy their televisions, a move that now must look quite pleasing to the military dictator and enabler who does the same from far away.
Emergency rule in Pakistan demonstrates not only Musharraf's failure, but that the joint U.S.-Pakistani approach to fighting terrorism is badly conceived and poorly implemented.
This is downright ineptness! For eight years we've had dumb and dumber running the country and creating the worst possible policies around the globe!
Unless, their main objective had been to fuel extremism and imprison innocent people and hold fake elections in "newly emerging democracies."
Eventually, Bhutto was released and she resumed campaigning for the Presidency in earnest. Amongst the riots and violence, she campaigned as if she wasn't in a war zone, but Musharraf made sure she didn't have additional protection.
Disappointingly, the Bush administration didn't hold the carrot or the stick out to Musharraf to force his hand in this regard.
Kerry and Biden had called for her protection in their resolution (see above). December 27, 2007, the worst outcome happened. She was assassinated while campaigning for the Presidency of Pakistan.
John Kerry's statement is below:
"This is both a horrific and heartbreaking tragedy, and a lightning bolt wakeup call for anyone who had taken their eye off of the turmoil in Pakistan. Teresa and I send our deepest condolences to Ms. Bhutto's family. Benazir Bhutto returned home after years in exile knowing fully that she was taking a great personal risk to fight for change and democracy. When I met with her this fall just days before her return to Pakistan, she raised the issue of her own personal security. Subsequent to the bombing and assassination attempt that greeted her return home, I spoke to Secretary Rice about ways the United States might work with President Musharraf to ensure her safety.“Her loss underscores the fragility of the situation in Pakistan and the perils of a volatile mix of unrest, tension, radicalism, and nuclear weapons. Her killing embodies everyone’s worst possible fears and reinforces how tenuous the circumstances in Pakistan really are. The loss of Ms. Bhutto demands of the United States and our allies an urgent focus on developing a Pakistan strategy that will crush extremists and provide freedom, peace, and security for the country that mourns her loss today."
Barack Obama's statement:
"I want to obviously state how shocked and saddened we all are with the death of former Prime Minister Bhutto," he said. "We have to make sure we are clear as Americans that we stand for democracy and that we will be steadfast in our desire to end the kinds of terrorist act blighted not just Pakistan but other parts of the world."
Senator McCain's statement:
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., also issued a paper statement, saying Bhutto "was a remarkable woman" who "paid the ultimate price for her embrace of moderation and rejection of extremism.""The death of Benazir Bhutto underscores yet again the grave dangers we face in the world today and particularly in countries like Pakistan, where the forces of moderation are arrayed in a fierce battle against those who embrace violent Islamic extremism," he said in the statement. "There are, in Pakistan, brave individuals who seek to lead their country away from extremism and instability and into the light of a better day. America, I believe, must do all we can to support them."
Bush's statement and More statements
After her brutal murder, we didn't hear much from Pakistan. The emerging democracy didn't emerge--just as Musharraf had intended.
Musharraf managed to cling to office. The people of Pakistan managed to vote enough representatives of the opposition party into office, and they finally came out with the big stick: impeachment.
It's hard to believe that Musharraf has only been the Pakistani leader for approximately nine years--eight of those under the helping hand of the Bush administration. Pakistan's Failure -- and America's were tied together.
The following lists the monetary ties that have bound us thus far, but they also show the numerous carrots and stickes that could have been used to force Musharraf to stop his aggressive polices and to crack down on terrorism in the Tribal areas:
U.S. assistance and other payments to Pakistan have totaled $9.6 billion in the six budget years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, according to the State Department.
The largest payout each year is for what the Bush administration calls "reimbursements" for Pakistan's help in the global war on terrorism. Under that program, Pakistan submits claims — such as its costs for providing observations posts along the Afghan border or its costs for taking part in joint operations with the U.S. against al-Qaida.
The reimbursements amount to some $80 million a month, said Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman — or nearly $1 billion a year.
On top of those payments, the U.S. also gives Pakistan direct aid for humanitarian programs, economic development, military needs and so on — well over $700 million in each of the last two years.
Pakistan receives military equipment under the assistance programs, as well as by buying some, such as the 36 F-16 aircraft it is purchasing for up to $3 billion.
"This request will maintain Pakistan's support in the global war on terrorism and efforts to build peaceful and positive relations with its neighbors, India and Afghanistan," the administration said in documents justifying the budget requests.
Following is a sampling of how the State Department proposes to spend $785 million on Pakistan in fiscal year 2008:
$342 million for efforts to counter extremists, narcotics trafficking, weapons proliferation and other security issues.
Money from this group will be used to help modernize Pakistan's military, provide training, buy military equipment and help maintain previously purchased U.S. military equipment.
$249 million for economic growth. That includes developing infrastructure for transport, power, irrigation and vocational training.
$50 in humanitarian assistance, including to rebuild hospitals and schools damaged or destroyed in the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan's northwest.
$103 million for health, education and water and sanitation. That includes scholarship programs to help the disadvantaged get advanced educational degrees in agriculture and business as well as programs against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, for mother and child care and to promote family planning.
Nearly $42 million for governance and democracy programs. The money is to support democratic practices in political parties and in civil society, promote free and fair elections, develop the media and support the legislative process. The Bush administration budget request noted that elections were planned in 2008, a prospect now in doubt because of the imposition of emergency law over the weekend.
You can see we are tied together. An emerging democracy, for real this time, and a strong realization that we must be partners in eliminating terror and extremism.
Will a new President--in our country as well as Pakistan--be able to thwart the extremism and religious wars or will those extremist be allowed to continue to flourish?
There is a saying, "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know..."
We might be facing that situation. A new President in Pakistan does not mean that the rebels will be wiling to stop the violence. A new President doesn't mean that he's willing to stop al-Qaeda and Mideast terror groups from utilizing their caves and mountains.
And our new President will have to learn the subtle technique of using the carrot and the big stick as Kerry-Biden advised the Bush administration to do.
We aren't prescient enough to know if a democracy can thrive in that region where religious extremism abounds. But we do know that better policies have to happen in order to come close to achieving a successful democracy with reduced religious extremism and better co-operation in preventing regions of Pakistan from being used as training grounds for terrorists.
We have to have sound policies, sound strategies with clearly defined goals and end posts, and we have to have a better understanding of the region so that our policies more effectively stop fueling extremism.
We are tied to Pakistan. We are tied to the MidEast.
We're ready for newer, smarter policies.
Here's a timeline:
September 11, 2001
October 7, 2001--Afghanistan War began.
December 12---Tora Bora, Osama escaped to Pakistan.
March 19, 2003---Iraq War began.
July 2007--"Are we building democracy or fueling extremism?"U.S. S.F.R.C.(Chair, Sen. John Kerry)
November 2007--Musharraf imposes emergency rule after eight months of raging violence.
Dec. 27, 2007-- Bhutto's Murder.
May 2008--Musharraf ousted judges
August 2008--Impeachment filed in Pakistan Parliament against Musharraf.
August 18, 2008-- Musharraf resigns.
____Afghanistan War NOT ended.____Iraq Occupation NOT ended.
____Osama Bin Ladin NOT captured.
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We are assuming that the Bush Admin sought tangible results with reducing terrorism, actually finding Bin Laden, ending the occupation of Iraq, accomplishing something in Afghanistan, or any of the points commonly accepted and or promoted by MSM.
This Admin never intended to cure the illness, but to amplify and intensify the symptoms.
Why catch bin Laden..? there is no gain to the bush white house to catch him. The gain is to let him run amok, posting videos to youtube, and increasing uneasiness of general public and making expenses in the "war on terror" politically acceptable.
Once Laden is caught, the funding gravy train runs out of steam. why risk this.
The "surge" in Iraq reduced deaths temporarily because the USA was handing out hundreds of millions+ in cash each and every month. A good chunk of this money will go right back into Al Queda, which uses it to create more powerfull and sophisticated weaponry.
The US Military will then build more sophisticated equipment and defensive vehicles to counter the new weapons al queda developed with the money they recieved from the "surge" funds. This should start to happen towards the end of this year, as the funds earmarked for cash distribution start to dry up.
Afghanistan...where to start...Opium production is at all time highs, creating massive slush funds for Al queda, Afghan farmers, the CIA, US military, DEA, and everyone that the Opium trade supports, directly or indirectly.
These groups give lip service to eradication and anti drug programs, but as long as they continue to recieve increasing legal and illegal funding, they will allow and protect the trade. They will continue to do until its politically unacceptable.
It is interesting how this admin wraps itself in such grand verbage..."the war on terror"....is a "war on hate" next..? or the "War on Ignorance" ...? how does one fight a war against an ideal, belief or philosophy...it is a doomed expedition, and can never be won.
It is an advertising excercise and shrewdly executed campaign capitalizing on the ignorance and faith of the general public.
Think of what was accomplished during WW2, from 1941 to 1945. Compare to what was accomplished from 2002 to 2008. We have accomplished almost nothing, and spent trillions doing it.
It is a terrible legacy we leave our children, who will inherit a mortgage that can never be relieved...the sub prime mortgage mess is tiny compared to debts this Admin has left to the taxpayers.
Ruh-roh...
McCain takes 5-point lead over Obama
Poll: Republican seen as a stronger manager of the economy
WASHINGTON - In a sharp turnaround, Republican John McCain has opened a 5-point lead on Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential race and is seen as a stronger manager of the economy, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.
McCain leads Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent, wiping out Obama's solid 7-point advantage in July and taking his first lead in the monthly Reuters/Zogby poll.
The reversal follows a month of attacks by McCain, who has questioned Obama's experience, criticized his opposition to most new offshore oil drilling and mocked his overseas trip.
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26308429/
Karen, start building that addition, stat!
(AP) Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate in 2000 and now an independent who is one of John McCain's strongest supporters, will speak at the Republican National Convention, an official said.
Lieberman will deliver a speech when Republicans gather in St. Paul, Minn., to nominate McCain for president, a party official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The official requested anonymity because a formal announcement had yet to be made.
more on...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/20/politics/main4366038.shtml
Bad news, real bad.
EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, one of Hillary Clinton's biggest supporters during the primaries, remained unconscious Wednesday in a Cleveland area hospital after being transported there Tuesday night.
MyFOXCleveland reports that Tubbs Jones' car veered off the side of the road Tuesday night. Police found her unconscious behind the wheel.
A hospital spokeswoman said family members requested that no other information on the Cleveland Democrat be released. Tubbs Jones' spokeswoman Nicole Williams said she has "no information" about the incident "at this time."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,406742,00.html
I don't like the way that sounds...AT ALL.
Monkey-and Pelosi said the Dems won't need LIEberman after the election.
Um...gee....maybe they didn't need him before the election either.
~~~~
Maybe, Ms. Pelosi had YOU AND YOUR ILK shown the courage to impeach Bush a year ago, he would have resigned too.
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(substitution for the rest of the rant...)
toolmaker, I think you've made excellent points. And you're probably right on most of them!
Thanks for adding to the discussion.
I am with Toolmaker. They are DELIBERATELY trying to start WW3.
The chaos of it is the only way for them to get away with what they have ALREADY done.
War is not a failure to these people. It is not a mistake, an accident, or a coincidence. They are war profiteers and peace costs them a profit.
Every single 'mistake' enriches their family and friend by literally BILLIONS of dollars.
So they simply make 'mistakes' 100% of the time. They don't care if you think they are 'failures' or 'stupid' or 'evil'. They are laughing at us all the way to the bank they are about to rob.
Then they will blow it all up right in front of us as they escape out the back door into history, because they know we will be too busy wiping away the blood and tears to give chase.
They are DELIBERATELY trying to tip off World War Three! WITH RUSSIA!
I will stop now before I get too pissed off to think.
It's the stupid, stupid.
We need to stop the global right-wing machine, run by the likes of Rupert Murdoch and Reverend Moon.
Otherwise you can't account for the huge flip in favor of McCain. And once McCain wins, the right-wing machine worldwide, including in Europe and Asia, will be unstoppable.
sparrow
Pelosi's failure to impeach W, as well as McCain's gains, are the proof that American liberals are completely clueless on both intellectual and logical levels.
The gay marriage ban fight in California is also being fought on the same feel-good white liberal clueless slogans. They have ignored my pleas to target the communal nonwhite cultures, who will really decide the measure.
I'll surely be reporting in often from South Korea, where the clueless liberals completely conceded the national government back to the fascists, with devastating consequences. But by the time I report the Korean lessons back to the States, it'll be too little, too late.
FYI, I will be packin' it in should this country F up and choose another pro-death president... it'll all be about me from then on out... personal survival and the pursuit of living how I want to, period, cuz the self-induced rapture will not be far behind.
Oh, and thanks in advance to my fellow citizens for killing my kids... and yours.
monkey
I'll be checking various foreign embassies when I am in Seoul.
Neither returning to the US nor settling in South Korea will be viable options for me, as South Korea's right-wingers and Christians are largely responsible for f'ing up the US.
And South Korean right-wingers WILL hear a mouthful from me.
I'll tell them that the US has EVERY RIGHT to nuke the hell out of their backyards, NOT because they failed to keep the "anti-American" leftists in check as they believe, but because they sent Reverend Moon to corrupt US politics.
I will say it STRAIGHT to their faces, with no apologies.
If Lee Myung-Bak decides to jail or deport me over this, SO BE IT.
Iraqi official: U.S., Iraq reach security deal
Final approval is needed; under pact, all U.S. troops out of cities by June
BAGHDAD (AP) - An Iraqi official said U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have finished a draft agreement that would see all American troops removed from Iraqi cities by June 30. He says the deal is awaiting final government approval.
The official has been involved in the protracted negotiations and spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because he is not supposed to release the information.
He said under the agreement, all U.S. troops would leave Iraqi cities by June 30 and be out of the country by the end of 2011. The final draft was finished last week but the Iraqi Cabinet has not signed off and many of its members have signaled doubts.
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26313050/
Gee, that sounds like a timeline to me...
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones on life support.
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) reportedly suffered an aneurysm last night “and is not expected to recover, according to CBS affiliate WOIO in Cleveland.” Jones is on life support in a Cleveland hospital, though her office did not confirm this fact. Jones was elected in 1998, becoming the first black woman to represent Ohio.
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/20/rep-stephanie-tubbs-jones-on-life-support/
I came here to get cheered up during my lunch hour and aren't you all just little rays of sunshine?! (I know it's world circumstances!)
Anyway, back to the grindstone for me - work is almost a welcome distractor from world events.
The "poll" by Reuters/Zogby is still an outlier. Time to just register more voters which someone will try to disenfranchise.
(sigh)
Norway: Russia to freeze NATO military ties
NATO had suspended formal contacts with Russia Tuesday
BREAKING NEWS
OSLO, Norway - Norway's Defense Ministry said Russia has informed it that it plans to cut all military ties with NATO.
Ministry spokeswoman Heidi Langvik-Hansen said the country's embassy received a telephone call from Russia's Defense Ministry on Wednesday, saying Moscow plans "to freeze all military cooperation with NATO and allied countries."
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315674/
Russia's foreign ministry today threatened to go beyond diplomatic protests in response to the signing of a U.S.-Polish deal to base part of an American missile defense system in Poland near the Russian border.
The agreement includes 10 new interceptor missiles for Poland.The latest threat came after a top Russian general said Poland would risk a military strike if it allowed the base -- and as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed Russia's saber rattling, saying the threats "border on the bizarre."
"When you threaten Poland, you perhaps forget that it is not 1988," Rice said, according to The Associated Press. "It's 2008 and the United States has a ... firm treaty guarantee to defend Poland's territory as if it was the territory of the United States. So it's probably not wise to throw these threats around."
more...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=5617271&page=1
Poland - the South Korea of Europe. Nuff said.
slugbug
A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll says Obama and McCain are tied.
In any case, it's NOT good news for Obama.
All the more reason for me to fight the Moonies and their backers on their home turf. Remember - we fight them over there, so we don't have to fight them over here.
Not good news about Tubbs-Jones.
She will be gone soon. She will live in history a courageous woman who actually stood up against election thefts.
And while Bush will have the honor of an 8 year term, he will go down in history as the biggest failure, the worst for America, and one not even rightfully elected.
Tubbs-Jones name will be seen as a Joan of Arc. (Or a modern day equivalent heroine.)
~~~~
Now...read this and laugh...or cry
CNN reporting on Lou Dobbs Tonight that Stephanie has passed. Sad day - Gold Bless her family
CNN is reporting that Stephanie Tubbs-Jones has passed on.
7:11pm
OHIO CONGRESSWOMAN STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES HAS DIED IN THE HOSPITAL AFTER SUFFERING AN ANEURYSM WHILE DRIVING, THE AP REPORTS
Some one, please write an obit for us so that we can post it on the Home page.
(I can't do it but I will post it.)
Most of you have my email address.
Thanks.
Ally
The polls don't change things for me except to make me fight harder for Obama. Need contingency plan for if conservatives continue to stay in power. France has to live with Sarko, Italy with Berlusconi, Russia with Putin etc etc etc.
We are just the little people. That said, one poll does not an election make. Electoral votes are what count and Obama can expect a some change after announcing VP, having his convention & the negative ads he is starting to win should have an effect.
BUT .. the Republican smears will continue, the Swiftboating they pretend to be innocent of but know all about, & there will still be alot of racism in this country & alot of feat to play on .. alot of people not ready to pass on the torch, & difficulty herding Dem cats compared to Republican sheep.
People should not stop fighting, before during or after the election.
Russia to suspend ties with NATO
OSLO, Norway (AP) — Russia has informed Norway that it plans to suspend all military ties with NATO, Norway's Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Norway_Russia_to_suspend_ties_with_0820.html
slugbug...can you post an obit to the home page?
Terrible about the Congresswoman. I always thought she was so brave.
Man this is a horrible news day. What a crappy day all around.
Another poll says Obama is still leading, but his lead is halved from before.
Sorry to hear about Congresswoman Jones...
Christy - I am feeling really cranky too. I really wish I was taking my retreat sooner, and in a less hostile country. But my schedule is set in stone and I can't change it now.
Sparrow
I started a short obit at work and I didn't see your note til this AM and am headed off to work but happened to be sent something that struck me hard so posted it. You'll see on front page - I hope it speaks louder to us than an ordinary obit - it's close to our hearts and in her own words. As you'll see at the bottom, I got it from someone in an Obama group who is from STJ's home state of Ohio, which was robbed as we all were. I wanted to document the valiant fight. She also voted against the Iraq War, of course.
Florida county must cut off 16,000 of the 19,000 on their indigent health care rolls.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/2532
(Via Christy from next thread.)
That is so horrible I can't believe it is real.
Chisty, Do you want to write a thread about it?
Yeah, I was thinking about how to incorporate it with the other headlines coming out, but there are so many and it is ALLL BAD.
I really don't even know where to begin anymore without winding up in a total rant.
Fires took down the building next to the World Trade Center (AP)
I don't know if I can believe anything related to 9-11 anymore.
You all know McCain has 7-10 houses, right? He can't remember. & kudos to Obama campaign and surrogates for jumping right on this SOB during a housing/foreclosure crisis. Talk about elitist & out of touch - it's kind of like when Bush II went to a grocery store & was shocked to see grocery scanners - or when Bush II and McCain both had no idea of the cost of gas.
DNC Slams McCain as 'Sen. Hothead'
By Ari Melber 08/21/2008
Who said Democratic campaigns don't launch personal attacks? The Democratic National Committee just hit a huge personal weakness of Sen. John McCain -- his anger-management problem.
In a research document blasted to campaign reporters, the Democrats are teeing off McCain's recent complaint that Obama is "testy." After asking whether McCain "Really Want[s] to go Down This Road," the DNC runs through reports of McCain's infamous temper -- from his own Republican colleagues:
GOP Sen. Thad Cochran: “The Thought Of His Being President Sends A Cold Chill Down My Spine.”
“Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, who has known Sen. John McCain for more than three decades, on Wednesday endorsed Mitt Romney for president. Cochran said his choice was prompted partly by his fear of how McCain might behave in the Oval Office. ‘The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine,’ Cochran said about McCain by phone. ‘He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.’” [Boston Globe, 1/27/08]
Former GOP Sen. Bob Smith: “His Temper Would Place This Country At Risk In International Affairs, And The World Perhaps In Danger. In My Mind, It Should Disqualify Him.”
“Former Sen. Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican, expresses worries about McCain: ‘His temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger. In my mind, it should disqualify him.’… ‘I've witnessed a lot of his temper and outbursts,’ Smith said. ‘For me, some of this stuff is relevant. It raises questions about stability. . . . It's more than just temper. It's this need of his to show you that he's above you -- a sneering, condescending attitude. It's hurt his relationships in Congress. . . . I've seen it up-close.’” [Washington Post, 4/20/08]
GOP Sen. Pete Domenici: “I Decided I Didn't Want This Guy Anywhere Near A Trigger.”
McCain’s “ire is all too real. This has prompted questions about whether his temperament is suited to the office of commander-in-chief... [AP, 2/16/08]
Some Democrats worry that this kind of argument leaves the party vulnerable to accusations of negative campaigning, which could potentially undermine Obama's promise of a new, honest and more civil politics. That gets it backward. It is McCain's temper and actions -- widely and openly discussed by members of his own party -- that demand public scrutiny as he seeks the most powerful position in the world. Voters may choose him despite his temper, but honest campaigns are supposed to ensure all legitimate issues are vetted and debated in public. These issues cannot be preempted because insiders think voters can't handle vexing issues, or that the public will resent the political party that bring them up.
http://www.washingtonindependent.com/view/dnc-slams-mccain-as
It's about time! He is a hot head and shouldn't be in charge of anything!
Monkey
That's cool you posted Ari Melber! He's a friend of mine, formerly from here & writes for The Nation and Huffington Post and he just cited my Hempfest story in Washington Independent and I just got an email from him and we will probably meet up in the Big Tent!
Big Tent Small World!
The other reason McCain shouldn't be in charge - look at his home state of Arizona, a Third World banana republic in pretty much all aspects.
McCain made Arizona what it is today, and he tried to do the same to neighboring California.
Ok. This is another thing--sort of like Katrina--that happened after the 04 election. (Remember how Rove (illegally in my view) obtained the church directories for the Republcian base?
Well...now 50 percent of American's think church and state should be separate. In o4, it was 30%.
Oh my,
I miss a day and a half of the news (we had children's reading and art day at work day before yesterday, and worked late last night, plus alot of company coming and going.)
I mean, I miss ONE DAY AND A HALF off the internet and away from news, and ALL HELL breaks loose.
I am in such a state of shock and horror that a rant won't suffice.
Here it is anyway, since I don't have a dog to kick.
$*/$$&**@!!&%@!@$%^&***!!!!!
sigh
What if?
The gas prices this summer and fall are hiked to hamper or prevent canvassing in the rural areas of America before the Presidential election in November?
After all, Rover already has his national church list.
The Obama campaign is working their butts off, but I personally think we should have alot more ads and flyers and sound bites telling the truth about McCain and four more years of the same. Why is it so difficult for Dems at this stage of the game to get in there and tell it like it is?
It's the same old games. The A word and the smear-mails, and McCain acting like St. John at the Saddleback Forum.
Hello???
This isn't 2004, it's 2008. Why aren't we fighting back hard with the truth? If it has to get dirty, so be it. It's another one of those Rovian damned if you do, damned if you don't. They have got Obama on the ropes defending and so far it appears he is remaining positive, while they cream him and his reputation by sending sleazy emails while we sit in an economy about to implode.
This feels just like '04 all over again. Maybe Obama is waiting till he accepts the nomination before bringing out the big guns. Keeping quiet and remaining positive is, in my opinion, what cost us in '04. I would hate to see a rerun of that.
I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT MC CAIN DITCHED HIS INJURED WIFE WHO STUCK BY HIM AND RAISED HIS KIDS WHILE HE WAS IN CAPTIVITY for twenty- something blonde heiress Cindy, then lied about the timeline of the affair and his subsequent divorce.
I want them to know if he had a liason with a lobbiest in 2000 that his campaign had to pour water on.
I want them to know that if he gets to be President there will be no hope for the ex-middle class - no health care, more corporate schemes and robberies, more part time jobs, more sweatshops, higher fuel and food prices.
WHY!! Because we sit by while they beat the crap out of us with slick saintly smiles?
I say it's time to get in their faces and tell The Simple in a way they can understand that St. McCain voted Bush policies 95%. Then he gets on tv at the Saddleback Forum and smiles and gushes, and uses buzz words like "my captivity", "I decided to not accept my release from captivity because my friend had been there longer than I had and it was against the code", to "A Vietnamese guard went easy on me and drew a cross in the dirt with his foot."
Pouring it on real syrupy in front of the same group he called "intolerant people" not too long ago.
Why aren't people being told that he has Wall Street in his pocket, and that if he gets elected he will make sure to do away with Social Security?
You know, that is just what we Baby Boomers worked so hard for.....a job that paid a liveable wage, a retirement plan, health insurance, social security, 401K's. They sure didn't mind taking our money and our taxes THEN did they? And now that they are boiling the frog slowly in the pot people are going to believe once again in a "saint" who plays the best patriotic martyr yet?
Someone should tell those folks that when McCain was cheating on the mother of his kids when we was chasing around with Cindy who just happens to be a blonde heiress that he wasn't very concerned about the health and welfare of his own family. What kind of man does that and then promises to be a man of wisdom and integrity when it is CONVENIENT? (Before the '08 election, at the Saddleback Church, while the Neocons still hold the knives in our backs). McCain is a slick (and IMO very oily) politician.
And, once again, it appears we are sitting on our haunches while they murder our candidate's creditibility, ability, potential, promise, honest attributes.
They had better speak up REAL SOON.
You know what alot of people in this country are? Narcissists. All they think and care about is "Me, Me, and Me."
Someone should at least tell them to put their head between their legs and kiss their behinds goodbye.
Lucky No. 7
Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee pounced with remarkable speed. By mid-morning, reporters had received a video log featuring Cindy McCain's childhood estate in Phoenix, an Architectural Digest spread on another property the McCains had owned previously, and tax records and photos detailing seven houses and condominiums -- in Coronado and La Jolla, Calif.; Phoenix and Sedona, Ariz.; and Arlington. By 11 a.m., the Obama campaign had produced a television advertisement titled "Seven" and was answering the question McCain could not.
"It's seven, seven houses, and here's one house Americans can't afford John McCain to move into," the ad concludes over an image of the White House. (If a California beachfront condo that Cindy McCain purchased for their children this year is included, the number of homes owned by the McCains rises to eight.)
That provoked a furious response by McCain campaign and Republican National Committee aides, who charged hypocrisy and argued that the senator from Illinois had received help purchasing his South Side Chicago mansion from businessman Tony Rezko, a convicted felon.
"Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses?" asked McCain spokesman Brian Rogers.
Punch, counterpunch
The senator from Arizona also quickly assembled a response ad, in which a narrator intones, "Barack Obama knows a lot about housing problems." The spot raises Obama's relationship with Rezko, saying that "one of Obama's biggest fundraisers helped him buy his million-dollar mansion," and charges that in return "Rezko got political favors."
By the day's end, the Democratic National Committee was threatening to escalate the fight further by highlighting McCain's connections to the "Keating Five" savings and loan scandal, in which the senator ended up before the Senate ethics committee.
"They go Rezko, we go Keating," said a Democratic strategist, speaking on the condition of anonymity to divulge potential campaign strategy. "If they want to escalate, bring it on."
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26339981/
Hey TSP...
I wish I could go back and find the post, and not to toot my own horn (cuz if I could I'd never leave the house, but that's another story....)
Anywho, I said that there will be "pillaging" by this administration in it's final year, that oil prices would skyrocket and then somehow, as if by a magic wand, they will come down in the months before the election to show "results" of "action" taken by the encumbent party presidon't....
I further soothsayethed that Iraq will somehow, as if by a magic wand, be neatly packaged and major announcements would take place, just before the election, that our troops would be coming home and victory is ours, to show "results" of "action" taken by the encumbent party presidon't to those who don't remember what they had for breakfast....
It seems to be unfolding that way to me, and if I've learned anything this 8 most miserable years, it's that these things don't happen by accident.
Rant over.
For my next trick, I'll answer all of Rick Warrens questions before he even introduces me.
http://edwards.house.gov/html/bio.cfm
May 28, 2008
A Promise Fulfilled
Rep. Chet Edwards is living up to the legacy of the man known in Washington as "Mr. Veteran."
Texas Democrat Chet Edwards may never have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, but his 18 years in Congress have been shaped by those who did.
Until his district map was redrawn in 2003, U.S. Rep. Edwards counted among his constituents the massive Fort Hood Army community and a strong population of military retirees and veterans who make central Texas their home. He no longer has Fort Hood, but he does represent in Congress Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush's hometown of Crawford, and has fought diligently to keep the Waco VA Medical Center from closing.
On the national level, however, is where Edwards has made his biggest impact on the lives of veterans. He received The American Legion's 2008 Distinguished Public Service Award after shepherding the largest one-year funding increase in the history of VA – $11.8 billion – while serving on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. "Chet went above and beyond in keeping us informed and telling the truth," American Legion National Commander Marty Conatser said when presenting the award in early April.
"To be a politician accused of telling the truth – what a special thing," Edwards quipped in response .
The award, he said, "was an honor I will always cherish. I know the real heroes are our nation's veterans. I am simply fighting to provide the funding and services that our veterans have already earned through their service and sacrifice to our country."
more...
http://www.chetedwards.com/node/316
New thread for political comments here
Otter's thread is in between the two.