It looks like Harry Reid will keep the Senate in session over the weekend to force a vote on the Iraq withdrawal plan.
Good for him. To paraphrase Rob Reiner’s mom, “I’ll have what he’s having.”
Category: Iraq
State Dept Backs Backtracks on Forced Assignments
They are now claiming that they have found enough volunteers.
Yeah, right.
[img]http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/3149/604nilees6.jpg[/img]
House Passes Iraq Pullout Funding Bill
Hopefully, this will pass the senate too. It funds to the tune of $50 billion, and requires that troops start being withdrawn within 30 days with a complete withdrawal by Dec. 15, 2008.
As I’ve mentioned earlier Reid is promising a real filibuster, where the ‘Phants will have to talk, on this, so it should get interesting.
The voting is interesting, Republicans Phil English (PA), Walter Jones (NC), Christopher Shays (CT) and James Walsh (NY) supported the bill. This was the first time that either English (who once bumped me off a plane flight, not because he was a congressman, but because of the luck of the draw), and Walsh voted for such a bill, so we do have some evidence of a gradual peeling off of Republican support.
On the Democratic side, we had the following Bush Dogs: John Tanner (TN), Brian Baird (WA), Dan Boren (OK), Jim Cooper (TN), Gene Taylor (MS), John Barrow (GA), Jim Marshall (GA), Jim Matheson (UT), Nick Lampson (TX) and Vic Snyder (AR).
Will no one rid me of these turbulent Bush Dogs?
Perjury
Howard “Cookie” Krongard is the inspector general for the State Department. This guy is a political hack, with a record of stonwalling DoJ investigations and threatening whistleblowers.
Needless to say, since Democrats are running things, it has meant a trip before the House Oversight Committee. It did not go well, as “Cookie” had to recuse himself from investigations of Blackwater because his brother, A.B. “Buzzy” Krongard,* is on one of its advisory panels at an annual pay of $10-15K. He said that he had only become aware of it that day.
The problem is that his Brother just gave an interview where he says that he told his brother in October that he was joining the board.
Oops. It appears that handcuffs may be the Republican fashion statement in 2009.
*Yeah, it’s the stupid nickname crime family. You have Cookie, Buzzy, Turdblossom, Shrub, and the Human Stain (Cheney).
Senate Democrats Plan Real Filibuster
You know, the whole Mr. Smith Goes to Washington thing, where people will actually have to hold the floor and talk, and talk, and talk, and talk, AND TALK.
It would be on the Iraq withdrawal bill.
Some background: for about the past 30 years, when someone has declared the intent to filibuster, they take a cloture vote, and if it fails, the measure is pulled from the floor. No one is actually forced to do the Jimmy Stewart thing.
It was thought that this was a more efficient use of the Senate’s time, since while a filibuster is going on, nothing else can pass the floor.
The side effect of the change allowing filibusters without talking is that they have become far easier, and they are done on the small business too. Here is an illustrative graphic showing the trend:
Note that while I applaud the strategy, I feel that it does not go far enough.
The “non-filibuster filibuster” is a matter of courtesy, and it clear that part of the deal is that it not be abused. The courtesy should be completely eliminated. Require speeches for all filibusters.
FBI Investigation Says Most of Blackwater Killings Unjustifies
14 of the 17 deaths are deemed completely unjustified.
No big surprise there. But it appears that they will walk:
Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek indictments, and some officials have expressed pessimism that adequate criminal laws exist to enable them to charge any Blackwater employee with criminal wrongdoing. Spokesmen for the Justice Department and the F.B.I. declined to discuss the matter.
Impeach Dick Cheney today, impeach George W. Bush tomorrow,
State Department Blinks
Well, the State department deadline for volunteers to go to Iraq has been extended.
My guess is that they discovered how many folks would just quit if they were forced to go there.
Turkey Escalating in Kurdish Regions of Iraq
They are now dispatching helicopter strikes inside Iraq.
Honestly, I think that it will be gradual, but I see a Turkish invasion of Kurdistan in the next 6-12 months, through a process of gradual escalation.
Iraqi Government Drafts New Law Stripping Contractors of Immunity
According to reports he draft stateall immunities … shall be canceled.
I would not be at all surprised if this is the first law that the Iraqi parliament passes. I would be surprised if there are 5 Iraqis in the world who would oppose this law.
Brkk: Bush Misses His Poodle
The Bush Administration is unhappy because Gordon Brown does not ask, “How High”, when told to jump. The comments among people who don’t get it are amusing:
The concerns were revealed as Mr Sarkozy made his high-profile trip to Washington, sparking anxiety that France is usurping influence once enjoyed by Britain. This weekend President George W Bush is host to Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, at his ranch in Texas, during which Iran will be a key talking point.
Nile Gardner, a former adviser to Margaret Thatcher and an expert on transatlantic relations at the Heritage Foundation think tank, said: “Britain is clearly losing influence in Washington after Tony Blair. Brown is the invisible man in terms of his profile here.
“It should be of concern in London that France is muscling in on traditional British territory.”
Britain has not had any influence on the US since Bush has started squatting at 1600. They have simply gotten photo-ops for its leaders saying what they were told.
More on the Weird Bum’s Rush on the Mukasey Vote
You remember that the vote on Mukasey was rushed, about 1/2 hour’s notice before the start of debate.
Well, now we have a reason. It appears that Reid cut a deal with teh Republicans to allow for a military funding bill to proceed without money for Iraq and Afghanistan.
I guess that they think that this will provide cover while trying to get the troops out of Iraq. It’s won’t. With George W. Bush at 26%, worse than Nixon, the Bush dogs are still going to fold like wet broccoli when he makes vague noises about “not supporting the troops”.
They still don’t get it. Any opposition to Bush on any issue is both the right thing to do and a political win.
Iraqi State Security Plans to Audit/Arrest US Mercenaries Private Security
Iraq Plans to Confront Security Firms on Guns – New York Times
The Iraqi interior minister said Wednesday that he would authorize raids by his security forces on Western security firms to ensure that they were complying with tightened licensing requirements on guns and other weaponry, setting up the possibility of violent confrontations between the Iraqis and heavily armed Western guards.
…..
If anyone here does not think that this will result in all out warfare between the Iraqi security forces and the mercs, I want what you are smoking.
Iraqi Inspector General will Audit Iraqi Security Forces
When the IG turns over these rocks, it will not be pretty.
IG to audit Iraqi security forces
By Megan Scully CongressDaily November 5, 2007
At the urging of Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction plans to review how many trained Iraqi personnel are actually serving in the nation’s security forces. The audit was sparked by an Oct. 31 letter to Stuart Bowen, the U.S. inspector in charge of investigating Iraq reconstruction, in which Dorgan expressed frustrations at the Bush administration’s inability to provide reliable statistics on the size of the nascent security forces.
…
Why is Juan Cole So Dismissive the Kurds?
Let me be clear, the issue of the Kurds is a thorny one. As what is arguably the largest ethnic group in the world without a nation, there is clearly a moral case to be made for statehood for some of the areas in which they live.
However, there is also a compelling counter argument to be made that any such arrangement, or process toward such an arrangement would be severely destabilizing to the region*.
Let me make this clear, this post is NOT about a solution to the “Kurdish Problem”†, though I do favor a homeland for the Kurds.
Rather it is a commentary on on the Bush administration’s foreign policy failures, and while I agree with its basic thesis, that the Bush Administration has ruined everything that it touched, I am concerned about the disdain that is shown regarding the Kurd and Kurdish nationalism.
I would note this paragraph comes to mind:
The Iraqi leadership, already presiding over a failed state, agonized at being caught in the crossfire. The Iraqi president, the avuncular Kurd Jalal Talabani, hypocritically condemned al-Assad for urging a foreign military invasion of an Arab country, even though he himself had supported the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Massoud Barzani, the pudgy turbaned leader of the Kurdistan Regional Authority, warned that his government would defend its citizens and not sit idly by if Turkish troops rolled through Kurdish cities in Iraq. On Sunday, the Iraqi Parliament, having been unable to agree on virtually any internal issue or enact any benchmark legislation, promptly passed a resolution condemning the Turkish Parliament.
(Emphasis mine)
Let me be clear, the basic facts of the situation are accurate. What struck me was that fact that these were the only people who had their motivations described (hypocritically condemned) or were described physically at all (the “avuncular Kurd Jalal Talabani” and “Massoud Barzani, the pudgy turbaned leader).”
This appears to be a conscious decision to diminish these figures. And I would note that whenever I read Juan Cole‡, it is the rule, rather than the exception to feel the same sense of disdain dripping from his keys as regards the Kurds.
*Truth be told, before Bush and His Evil Minions™ got their hands on US Middle East policy, I would have thought that it was impossible to make the region less stable, but they have exceeded my wildest expectations.
†Yes, I am aware of the historical reference being made.
‡Truth be told, I do not do so as often as I should, he knows his stuff.
Rice Facing a Revolt in State Department Over Postings to Iraq
First, they build an embassy compound that is larger than eny possible need. So they have to fill up all the offices with someone, but who the hell wants to be involved in this massive clusterf&%$?
So now, they what amounts to a draft forcing people to go to Baghdad.
This sounds just like what Rumsfeld did to the military.
Heck of a job there, Condi.
Petraeus and Chalabi Two Lying Frauds That Go Great Together
Hmmmm….Petraeus personally introduced Disgraced Ahmed Chalabi too U.S. troops in Iraq.
At least, there is symmetry.
Whiskey Foxtrot Tango: Blackwater Smuggled Silencers Into Iraq
What in the name of Sam Ervin’s backward law degree is going on here??
The only thing that I can think of is that some of them are freelancing as hitmen.
Revealed: how Blair rejected Bush’s offer to stay – Independent Online Edition > World Politics
It turns out that the Smiler* had an offer from his master George W. Bush to stay out of the war, but he rejected it. Apparently, he thought that it would look “pathetic”, as if being bush’s poodle was not already the height of pathos.
At least Blair isn’t covered by American laws regarding the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
*Tony Blair
Iraqi Government Rushing Through Bill to Strip Contractor Immunity
I have mixed feelings about this happening.
It is a good thing, but when the agencies of our Iraqi puppet regime are responding more competently, pro-actively, and responsibly than our government, I wonder how long it is until Washington, DC begins to look like Baghdad.
What the Blackwater Immunity Deal Means
ABC News has the text of the Blackwater immunity deal:
I understand this statement is being given in furtherance of an official administrative inquiry,” and that, “I further understand that neither my statements nor any information or evidence gained by reason of my statements can be used against me in a criminal proceeding, except that if I knowingly and willfully provide false statements or information, I may be criminally prosecuted for that action under 18 United States Code, Section 1001.
While the State Department claims that this still allows for prosecution, the case clearly indicates otherwise, particularly in the DC Circuit Court, where this would almost certainly be heard.
Josh Marshall called on “a highly knowledgeable source“, and their assessment was that “Use Immunity”, pretty much eliminates the possibility of presecution:
- Prosecutors, “would then have to prove that every piece of evidence used in the prosecution was obtained completely independent of the employees’ statements.” (emphasis mine)
- The DC circuit has an even more extreme view, where the prosecution, “would also have to show that none of their witnesses had heard what the employees said in their immunized statements.”prosecution was obtained completely independent of the employees’ statements.” (emphasis mine)
Additionally, even if there was no authorization and the immunity was granted in error, the courts, particularly the DC Circuit, generally still treat it as if it were.
I call coverup.