The Daily Jot

Thursday, December 20, 2012

THIS JUST IN! THERE'S NO DRONE CONTROL!

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

PRINCESS BARRY O WENT TO CONNECTICUT -- WHICH IS ALMOST LIKE GOING TO THE STORM RAVAGED NEW JERSEY OR NEW YORK, RIGHT? -- YESTERDAY TO DECLARE THAT GUN VIOLENCE IN THE U.S. WAS UNACCEPTABLE.

MEANWHILE IN PAKISTAN, THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD RESPOND THAT PRINCESS BARRY O'S DRONE ATTACKS ARE UNACCEPTABLE.

PRINCESS BARRY O IS PROMISING TO HAVE GUN CONTROL BEFORE THE U.S. CONGRESS IN 2 WEEKS.

WHEN WILL THE PRINCESS STOP MURDERING INNOCENT CHILDREN IN PAKISTAN? WHEN WILL PRINCESS BARRY O PRACTICE DRONE CONTROL?

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Today a report was released on the September 11, 2012 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi that resulted in the deaths of Tyrone Woods, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Chris Stevens. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had a classified briefing today on the report. The unlcassified version has been [PDF format warning] posted online at the State Dept's website.

It's a damning and disturbing report that will probably most disturb those State Dept employees stationed overseas and their families -- including the largest State Dept mission overseas, the one in Iraq. As noted on page two of the report, "With State Department civilians at the forefront of U.S. efforts to stabilize and build capacity in Iraq, as the U.S. military draws down in Afghanistan, and with security threats growing in volatile environments where the U.S. military is not present -- from Peshawar to Bamako -- the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) is being stretched to the limit as never before."

It's hard to tell which details are the most disturbing? Take the death of the Ambassador Chris Stevens. His body can't be found -- is he alive or dead, at this point no one knows -- and, page 25 notes, after "many and repeated attempts to retrieve the Ambassador having proven fruitless and militia members warning them the SMC could not be held much longer, the Annex team departed the SMC, carrying with them the body of IMO [Sean] Smith." They left before Stevens was found -- dead or alive. Six people (presumably Libyans, labeled "good Samaritans" in the report) would find him later in the same area that "many and repeated attempts" failed to find him. He would be taken to the Benghazi Medical Center (the report states he was dead when he arrived but doctors attempted to revive him for 45 minutes) and when the US Embassy in Tripoli was notified that Stevens had been taken to the hospital? "There was some concern that the call might be a ruse to lure American personnel into a trap. With the Benghazi Medical Center (BMC) believed to be dangerous for American personnel due to the possibility attackers were being treated there, a Libyan contact of the Special Mission was dispatched to the BMC and later confirmed the

Ambassador's identity and that he was deceased."

It was not safe for American diplomats and those working with the diplomatic coprs to be stationed in Libya. It was not safe and they should not have been there. Magnify that 100 times and you have Iraq where the State Dept has its largest presence.

It was so dangerous in Libya that when the call came in that Ambassador Stevens was at the hospital -- remember, his whereabouts were unknown for hours -- the US was unable to send an American to a hospital to see if it was Stevens and if was alive or dead. That is appalling. That is a sign of how tremendously unsafe it was.

The report notes that Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were killed in "an Annex building," which "came under mortar and RPG attack." Sean Smith and Chris Stevens apparently died from smoke inhalation. The description of the two of them them in a so-called safe house which was under fire and with only one ARSO-I (Assistant Regional Security Officer-Investigator) to attempt to protect them is shocking and chilling.

Among the findings in the investigation led by former Ambassador Thomas Pickering and Retired General Mike Mullen (former Chair of the Joint Chiefs)?

The attacks were security related, involving arson, small arms and machine gun fire, and the use of RPGs, grenades, and mortars against U.S. personnel at two separate facilities -- the SMC [Special Mission Compound] and the Annex -- and en route between them. Responsibility for the tragic loss of life, injuries, and damage to U.S. facilities and property rests solely and completely with the terrorists who perpetrated the attacks. The board concluded that there was no protest prior to the attacks, which were unanticipated in their scale and intensity.

There is so much incompetence on display. Let's note one section.

About 2150 local [time], the DCM was able to reach Ambassador Stevens, who briefly reported that the SMC was under attack before the call cut off. The Embassy notified Benina Airbase in Benghazi of a potential need for logistic support and aircraft for extraction and received full cooperation. The DCM contacted the Libyan Presidnt and Prime Minister's office to urge them to mobilize a rescue effort, and kept Washington apprised of post's efforts. The Embassy also reached out to Libyan Air Froce and Armed Forces contacts, February 17 leadership, and UN and third country embassies, among others. Within hours, Embassy Tripoli charted a private airplane and deployed a seven-person secruity team, which included two U.S. military personnel to Benghazi.

At the direction of the U.S. military's Africa Command (AFRICOM), DoD moved a remotely piloted, unarmed surveillance aircraft relieved the first, and monitored the eventual evacuation of personnel from the Annex to Benghazi airport later on the morning of September 12.

Let's again note this is the unclassified report. Additional details are in the classified report. If there are additional details to the above, they need to be revealed immediately because, as it stands, everything in the two paragraphs above except for Chris Stevens' phone call, is wrong -- not a little wrong, life-threatening wrong.

The scramble being described above is for an extraction. As the public report reads, extraction was the priority. A US Ambassador is on the phone with you telling you that his consulate is under attack and the line goes dead and your first throught is "extraction"?

No, not if you're following protocol. Protocol wasn't followed as the unclassified report presents events. Let's be clear, even with the extraction, protocol wasn't followed. The scramble being described for several hours inside Libya but outside Benghazi? Did no one receive training or did they just ignore training? There are SOPs in writing [Standard Operation Procedure outlines] of what to do in these cases. There should have been no scramble on extraction, the existing SOP should have been followed and if someone was too stupid to know what that was, again, it is written down. But extraction shouldn't have been the Tripoli staff's chief concern. A consulate was under attack and the safety of the people at the consulate (and annex) should have been the primary concern. Doesn't matter if a number of them were CIA (and there were a number of CIA present). Attempting to secure their safety should have been the primary focus for Tripoli with extraction being the secondary focus -- a distant second.

There was no knowledge of what was going on, who was alive, who was dead, and you're focused on extraction? Let's remember too that Tripoli wasn't under attack.

Valerie Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson, wouldn't have made the mistakes that appear to have been made (the classified report will have more details and may explain the above). When he was going up against Sadam Hussein, he wouldn't have been channeling all efforts into an extraction while other Americans in the country were under attack. This is appalling.

This is disgusting for the message it currently sends State Dept employees who are overseas. Let's take Iraq. There's an attack on the US in Basra. Baghdad gets the call and instead of addressing the attack and trying to ensure the security and safety of those under attack, Baghdad runs around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to figure out how to order an extraction for Baghdad.

That is insane. Public hearings start tomorrow. This needs to be addressed and US diplomatic staff and those working to protect them in foreign countries need to know that, if an attack takes place, the response will be to rescue them, not for the unattacked to figure how to quickly leave the country.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

THIS JUST IN! BAD NEWS FOR BOBBY!

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

THESE REPORTERS SEMI LEAVE THE SNARK THAT IS THE HALLMARK OF OUR SITES TODAY TO GET A LITTLE SERIOUS -- OR RATHER TO UNLEASH A CAN OF SERIOUS WHOOP-ASS ON BITCH BOI BOB SOMERBY.

FOR MONTHS NOW, THE DUMB ASS HAS INSISTED THE MOST INSANE THINGS ABOUT THE SEPTEMBER 11, 2012 ATTACK ON THE U.S. CONSULATE IN BENGHAZI WHICH RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF GLEN DOHERTY, SEAN SMITH, TYRONE WOODS AND CHRIS STEVENS. THE DUMB ASS HAS SEIZED ON A BAD REPORT IN THE NEW YORK TIMES -- IMAGINE THAT! A BAD REPORT ON INTEL IN THE NEW YORK TIMES! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT! ONLY ANYONE READING THE DAMN PAPER BACK WHEN IT WAS SELLING THE IRAQ WAR!

AND EVERY ONE ELSE WAS WRONG BECAUSE THE STUPID LITTLE BITCH BOI READ AN ARTICLE.

"Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot," "2 disgrace in the Committee hearing," "The White House's Jimmy Carter moment" and "What we learned at today's hearing"

WHAT'S THAT?

THAT IS THIS COMMUNITY'S REPORTING ON A HEARING ON BENGHAZI, THE FIRST HEARING CONGRESS HELD, THAT C.I., AVA, KAT AND ONE OF OF US (WALLY) ATTENDED. THAT HEARING SET THE OUTLINES PROVIDED BY THE STATE DEPT. THAT HEARING ALSO REVEALED A GREAT DEAL AS JASON CHAFFETZ NOTED REPEATEDLY WHEN IT REVEALED MORE THAN HAD BEEN DECLASSIFIED.

THE WITNESSES WERE SUPPLIED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT. THEY WERE STATE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES.

FOR MONTHS NOW, THOSE OF US AT THE HEARING AND THOSE OF US WHO READ THE ACTUAL REPORTING ON THE HEARING HAVE ROLLED OUR EYES AS VARIOUS LITTLE BITCH BOIS LIKE BOB SOMERBY HAVE SEIZED ON CREATIVE DETAILS A REPORTER SUPPLIED HERE OR THERE AND PRETENDED THEY WERE FACTS. THEY WERE NO SUCH THING.

AND AS ELAINE NOTED IN "BOBBY DUMB F**K," HE PAINTED HIMSELF INTO A CORNER ON THE LIE ABOUT A PROTEST TAKING PLACE AND WOULD NEVER ADMIT HE WAS WRONG.

TODAY CNN REPORTS ON THE GOVERNMENT FINDINGS FROM THE INVESTIGATION LED BY RETIRED ADM. MIKE MULLEN (FORMER CHAIR OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF) AND FORMER AMBASSADOR THOMAS PICKERING. NOTE THIS FACT:

The report said "there was no protest prior to the attacks," which it described as "unanticipated in their scale and intensity."

GET IT? FOR MONTHS LITTLE BITCH BOIS LIKE BOB SOMERBY HAVE LIED TO YOU, HAVE TREATED YOU LIKE IDIOTS AND FOOLS AND SAID THERE WAS A PROTEST. THERE WAS NO PROTEST. THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL HEARING BACK IN OCTOBER.

BUT APPARENTLY YOU DON'T NEED TO ACTUALLY DO THE WORK TO STAND AROUND AND LIE WHICH IS WHAT BOB SOMERBY HAS DONE FOR MONTHS NOW.

WILL HE NOW CORRECT HIS LIE?

HELL NO. BUT DAMNED IF HE WON'T CONTINUE WHINING ABOUT THE MEAN PRESS TREATING HIS COLLEGE ROOMMATE AL GORE BADLY.

THERE WAS NO PROTEST.

THIS COMMUNITY GOT THE COVERAGE ON BENGHAZI RIGHT AND WE DID SO BECAUSE WE ATTENDED THE CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS. WE (C.I., AVA, KAT AND WALLY) SAT THROUGH THEM, WE TOOK NOTES AND WE REPORTED ACCURATELY AND IN DEPTH ON WHAT TOOK PLACE.

HAVING NOT ATTENDED A SINGLE HEARING AND APPARENTLY NOT EVEN CATCHING ONE ON C-SPAN, BOB SOMERBY JUST KNEW HE KNEW BEST ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE HIS WET DREAMS OUTWEIGH FACTS.

NO, HIS WET DREAMS ARE JUST EMBARRASSING.

IT'S PAST TIME FOR THE BLOWHARD TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT HIMSELF.

THIS IS WORSE THAN WHEN HE ATTACKED FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR JOE WILSON AND CIA AGENT VALERIE PLAME. THERE HE LIED ABOUT THE TWO BECAUSE HE WAS FRIENDS WITH FAILED REPORTER MATTHEW COOPER (WHOM THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION HAD OUTED VALERIE PLAME TO AND MATTHEW COOPER DIDN'T WANT TO TELL THE TRUTH ON THAT). SO TO DEFEND HIS FELLOW BITCH BOI, BOB SOMERBY ATTACKED WILSON AND PLAME OVER AND OVER.

THAT WAS DISGUSTING.

BUT IT HAS BEEN NOTHING COMPARED TO THE LAST THREE MONTHS AS HE HAS 'CREATED' DETAILS ABOUT BENGHAZI THAT WERE REPEATEDLY IN CONFLICT WITH WHAT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TOLD CONGRESS IN PUBLIC HEARINGS.

TOMORROW WE WILL AGAIN BRING ON THE SNARK. TODAY WE WANT TO POINT OUT THAT BITCH BOI BOB SOMERBY HAS BEEN ABOUT AS FACTUAL AS MSNBC PRIME TIME WHEN IT CAME TO BENGHAZI. HE NEEDS TO TAKE A GOOD HARD LOOK AT HIMSELF.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

APA reports Turkey's "Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey is prepared to bring Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to a hospital in Turkey after he suffered a heart attack". A heart attack? A stroke? A coma? Details shift depending upon the outlet.

What is known is that Jalal Talabani was taken to the hospital last night. All Iraq News noted a statement from his office stated that it was a health emergency and that the President of Iraq was fatigued due to the recent political crisis and from his efforts to mediate the crisis between Baghdad and Erbil. Alsumaria also noted the statement that it states he was exhausted. Aaad Abedine (CNN) was among the first to note it was a stroke and in the most recent update quotes Kurdistan Alliance MP Mahmoud Othman stating, "His health condition is not very good." However, Talabani's office throughout the day did not say "stroke."

By 3:00 pm Baghdad time, Suadad al-Salhy, Isabel Coles, Patrick Markey and Michael Roddy (Reuters) were citing unnamed "government sources" declaring Talabani in "critical but stable condition." They weren't the only one citing government sources at that time. For example, Alsumaria reports Talabani's health is deteriorating and that he is now in a coma according to "government sources." Kitabat went with an unnamed medical source who stated that Talabani was "clinically dead.". All Iraq News was noting that he has not regained conscious and that brain damage is feared. They also noted that Talabani's office has issued a new statement declaring the emergency health condition -- again, Talabani's office avoided specifics -- was a result of the hardening of his arteries and repeat the statement that his condition is stable.

Again, that was what was in the news cycle earlier today (it was morning in the US). It's already Wednesday in Iraq, early morning hours, and details are not any clearer nor any more concrete. In their headline, the Independent of London states "Stroke leaves President in a coma" (the text of the report doesn't mention a coma). Adam Schreck and Qaasim Abdul-Zahara (AP) call it a stroke and note that some reports "say Talabani may be in a coma." BBC News reports, "Well-placed Kurdish sources say he remains in a coma." As American Enterprise Institute's Michael Rubin points out at CNN's Global Public Square, "The president's health has long been shaky; Talabani has made a half dozen trips to Minnesota's Mayo clinic in recent years for various ailments exacerbated by obesity and diabetes, compounded by years of excessive smoking and drinking. Talabani's extended absences have become commonplace. Just this past summer, Talabani was absent from Iraq for almost two months after suffering complications from knee surgery."

With the lack of clarity as to Talabani's condition, focus turns to what happens if he passes away or is unable to continue as president? All Iraq News cites the Constitution and explains that should the office of president become vacant, the vice president would preside for no more than 30 days. There would be an election (elected by the Parliament) within 30 days to determine who would be the next president. We'll come back to that in a minute. Kitabat notes politicians are discussing succession issues and, should Talabani step down, pass away or be unable to continue in office, most are stating that Talabani's deputy in the PUK, Barham Salih, would be the next elected president of Iraq. Conservative Michael Rubin offers his belief that there will also be a push for Hoshyar Zebari. Hoshyar Zebari is a Kurd (like Talabani and Salih) and he is in his second term as Foreign Minister of Iraq. In that role he has traveled regularly to meet with various foreign officials (such as Euopean Union High Commissioner Catherine Ashton, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, etc.). Lack of clarity also prompted Osama al-Nujaifi to return home. All Iraq News reports the Speaker of Parliament was in the midst of his scheduled trip to India when he learned of Talabani's hospitalization and he ended his official visit to return to Iraq. Though al-Nujaifi returned on his own, it is also true that as one the "three presidencies" noted in the Constitution (the others are the prime minister and the president), the Speaker of Parliament does need to be present in Iraq during a time of national uncertainty.

And if "national uncertainty" seems a bit much to some, please note that Alsumaria reports the Islamic Union of Kurdistan (a minor political party in the KRG) used today to launch a verbal attack on both Talabani and KRG President Massoud Barzani.

Jalal is in his second term as president of the constitutional republic of Iraq, his first term began in April of 2006. Per the Iraqi Constitution, he cannot seek a third term. (Jalal was also president in 2005 prior to the writing and ratification of the Constitution.) He is a leader not only of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (one of the KRG's two major political parties) but also of the Talabani tribe. While his official power derives from the Constitution, his prominence on the world stage results from his personal biography as well as that of his wife Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, First Lady of Iraq. Dropping back to the December 5th snapshot:

Like many notable Iraqis, her family has a long history of involvement in Iraqi politics and in being persecuted. Novelist Ibrahim Ahmad was her father. He was also a judge and one of the first chairs of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (the first after it changed its name). Moving up the political chain in Iraq has always meant creating enemies. He would end up in Abu Ghraib prison for two years. He would go on to become an editor of a newspaper and, more importantly to the political situation, the voice of the KDP following it's split into two parties -- the other, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, would be headed by Mustafa Barzani. Today the PUK is headed by Massoud Barzani who is also the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government. He is the son of the late Mustafa Barzani. Mustafa's grandson is KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani.

Jalal and Hero have been married for over thirty years -- by all accounts a happy marriage -- and their own personal histories and experiences go to why Jalal has been an international presence. When Parliament votes in a new president, which may not be until 2014 when Talabani's term expires, it is very doubtful that anyone with the same national or international stature will be the president. (Although Hero Ibrahim Ahmed would obviously have a similar stature and the Talabani tribe has long supported women politicians. It was nieces of Jalal's that were most vocal in decrying Nouri's Cabinet in January 2011 for it's lack of women.) The editorial board of Lebanon's Daily Star observes, "Replacing Talabani with someone as charismatic and experienced, with the same skills of mediation, and with as few blemishes on his nationalism, will be no easy task, especially for a government's whose reputation has thus far been far from clean."

Jalal Talabani's name came up today at the US State Dept's press briefing when NPR's Jonathan Blakley asked State Dept spokesperson Victoria Nuland for a comment:

Jonathan Blakley: Can we move to Iraq?

Victoria Nuland: We can move to Iraq.

Jonathan Blakley: Okay. President Talabani, he's sidelined. I'm wondering what you know about his health because there's been a lot of kind of wild speculation on how badly he is right now. Apparently, it's a stroke. And also, do you -- are you fearful that with him sidelined, could there be some instability up there in northern Iraq and Kurdistan?

Victoria Nuland: Well let me start by saying that our thoughts are with President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, his family, and the people of Iraq. We wish him a full recovery. I frankly don't have any information beyond what his office has put out with regard to his health. I think you know that we have been urging calm, we've been urging dialogue. We were pleased with the initial agreement between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces. We want that kind of calm to continue. We want stability to be observed, obviously, up there. But we'll just have to see how he is going forward.

Some will see -- I know I will -- more genuince concern in the US Embassy in Baghdad's Tweet than in all of Nuland's blathering.

10h

‏@USEmbBaghdad

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad wishes President Talabani a quick and full recovery.

Expand

As Jalal's fate remains uncertain, Nouri al-Maliki, chief thug and prime minister of Iraq, continues targeting journalists. We noted twice last week that Fakhri Karim is being targeted by Nouri -- Nouri's office issued a statement this week attacking the Al Mada editor -- because Karim believes Iraq can be and should be everything outlined in the country's Constitution. For that, for faith in Iraq's future, Karim is being publicly attacked by Nouri al-Maliki. Al Mada reports today that Fakhri Karim has received orders to evacuate his home immediately -- military orders. And to try to enforce them, Nouri sent a convoy of troops to Fakhri's home. Kitabat points out that Fakhri was calling on Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to intervene and get the order rescinded. That's not happening now because Jalal's in the hospital from an apparent stroke. This should scare many. In fact, people should be shuddering over the not-so-distant memory it recalls.

Let's drop back to December 17, 2011 because clearly some need their memories jogged of when Nouri last turned the military on enemies in Baghdad:

Ines Tariq (Al Mada) reports on the controversy over whether or not the country's Supreme Court has issued an arrest warrant for Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi. Reportedly, Nouri al-Maliki wants al-Hashemi arrested. Nouri's political slate is State of Law. They came in second in the parliamentary elections. Iraqiya came in first. al-Hashemi is a member of Iraqiya. Iraqiya made clear Friday that things were changing and today they walked out of the Parliament.
Meanwhile Al Rafidayn reports Nouri al-Malikis asking Parliament for a vote to withdraw confidence in Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq. Nouri states he al-Mutlaq is no longer able to hold office as a result of an interview he gave to CNN. Tuesday, Arwa Damon and Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) reported:

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is amassing dictatorial power as U.S. troops leave the country, risking a new civil war and the breakup of the nation, his deputy warned

Tuesday.
Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq told CNN that he was "shocked" to hear U.S. President Barack Obama greet al-Maliki at the White House on Monday as "the elected leader of a sovereign, self-reliant and democratic Iraq." He said Washington is leaving Iraq "with a dictator" who has ignored a power-sharing agreement, kept control of the

country's security forces and rounded up hundreds of people in recent weeks.
[. . .]
"America left Iraq with almost no infrastructure. The political process is going in a very wrong direction, going toward a dictatorship," he said. "People are not going to accept that, and most likely they are going to ask for the division of the country. And this is going to be a disaster. Dividing the country isn't going to be smooth, because dividing the country is going to be a war before that and a war after that."
Like Tareq al-Hashemi, Saleh al-Mutlaq is a member of the Iraqiya political slate. Dar Addustour is reporting that the homes of al-Hashemi and al-Mutlaq as well as the home of Rafi Hiyad al-Issawi have been surrounded by "tanks and special forces." Dr. Rafi Hiyad al-Issawi was the previous Deputy prime minister (2007 through 2010). He was the head of Falluja General Hospital prior to that and he is currently the Minister of Finance. Like the other two, al-Issawi is a member of Iraqiya.

[. . .]

[. . .] Liz Sly (Washington Post) notes that the 'government' is "unraveling faster than had been anticipated Saturday." She also notes, "In recent days, the homes of top Sunni politicians in the fortified Green Zone have been ringed by tanks and armored personnel carriers, and rumors are flying that arrest warrants will be issued for other Sunni leaders." For days? Plural. "In recent days."

He's again using the military to surround and intimidate someone he has labeled an enemy, the editor of Al Mada newspaper. That should alarm and bother everyone. That should bother Iraqis because why the hell is the Iraqi military -- especially considering the last days of violence -- being stationed at Fakhri Karim's home? How is the editor of a newspaper a military target? This is an attack on the press and it's appalling and it's disgusting. This morning I called out the Committee to Protect Journalists for refusing to stand up for Fakhri. In doing so, I noted that they didn't have their Iraq count correct (they list only 3 murdered journalists for 2012) and their new report was wrong because it claims that there were no murdered journalists in 2012 and I went over a Saturday phone call I had with a CPJ friend over their silence on Nouri using the military Friday to shut down satellite channel Al-Baghdadi in Iraq. The friend called later in the morning to angrily inform me that late yesterday afternoon CPJ did issue a statement calling that out. So let me include the link and now let me note that we argued on the phone (loudly) about this Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning. I'm glad they finally decided to issue a statement and let me say I was wrong this morning when I said they hadn't issued one. Let me further note that they did a much better job than I did (not very hard to do) by noting that the radio station was Radio Al-Mahaba (the press accounts I read and linked to had the radio station being part of Al-Baghdadia, it's not, it's an independent women's radio station). So praise to you for that but, please CPJ, explain to me exactly how many phone calls need to take place and how loudly I need to scream into the phone for you to note Iraq because you still haven't noted Fakhri?

Yeah, you finally noted al-Baghdadi. But it's closed. Fakhri is alive and Al Mada is publishing. At what point are you going to defend them? And when are you going to call out turning the military loose on the media? In what non-failed state is that suddenly acceptable?

But please do let me know exactly how long and how loud I need to yell over the phone to get concern expressed for Fakhri. I don't know him, I've never met him. I know the paper he's the editor of, Al Mada. I know it does strong work and has consistently had strong reporting. If it makes a mistake, it corrects it. It's a responsible paper and one that does investigative reporting. It should be considered a national treasure and a point of pride for the international journalism community.

Like most papers covering Iraq, it has been repeatedly targeted. Back in July, we were noting how both it and Kitabat were hacked and "May 25th, Al Mada reported on how their website was experiencing daily attacks causing the site to crash. They were down for the entire month of June. When they came back up last week (they came up on Thursday, June 28th, they were able to add new content Friday, June 29th), they really hoped CloudFlare was going to help. But it hasn't. They've been down since Wednesday."

So Al Mada's on it's own? Fakhri is on his own? So much for some sort of 'family of journalists' around the world. Apparently there's family and then there's step-family and the step-children will be ignored and left on their own as though this weren't the 21st century but instead some Grimm's fairy tale.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

THIS JUST IN! DON KUSLER LIES FOR LOVE!

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

DON KUSLER IS CLEARLY BRAIN DEAD AND SHOULD BE EUTHANIZED.

WE MAKE THAT SWEEPING STATEMENT BASED ON ONE COLUMN HE WROTE.

THESE REPORTERS BELIEVE HE WOULD AGREE WITH THE CONCLUSION BECAUSE, AFTER ALL, HE TOOK A VICTORY OF LESS THAN 4% AND HAILED IT AS A "MANDATE" AND INSISTED THAT REPUBLICANS HAVE TO GO ALONG WITH CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O TO DO RIGHT BY THE VOTERS.

THE REALITY IS THAT 47.28% OF THOSE VOTING SIDED WITH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY'S PRESIDENTIAL TICKET. THOSE 47.28% AMERICANS MUST BE REPRESENTED.

MORE REALITY IS THAT 48.84% OF AMERICANS VOTING, VOTED FOR SOMEONE OTHER THAN THE CELEBRITY IN CHIEF.

THAT'S RIGHT, WHEN YOU INCLUDE THIRD PARTIES AND "OTHER," YOU ARE LEFT WITH THE FACT THAT 1.16% IS THE LAUGHABLE FIGURE BARRY O 'WINS' BY.

BARRY O HAS NO MANDATE -- UNLESS DON KUSLTER'S PLANNING ON TAKING HIM TO THE INAUGURATION. IF SO, NO RUFIES, DON, NO RUFIES.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Iraq was slammed with violence today. Al-Shorfa notes that "Iraqi security forces raised their alert to the maximum level on Monday." AFP observes today's "violence comes after a string of attacks killed 19 people and wounded 77 yesterday." Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) also notes today is the "second day of deadly attacks." Kitabat sees today as one when terror spreads across Iraq. AFP counts 48 dead and UPI counts over one hundred injured. Emily Alpert (Los Angeles Times) offers, "The explosions are a sign of the tensions simmering in Iraq nearly one year after the exit of U.S. troops. No armed group immediately said it was responsible for the attacks, according to news service reports, but outside analysts say mounting violence has been fueled by spiraling tensions in the Kurdish north and as Sunni Arab militants try to reassert control across the country."

Today's violence included car bombings, roadside bombings, sticky bombings, mortars and shootings. Alsumaria reports a Ramadi car bombing claimed 4 lives and left seven injured and the photo shows blood flowing in the street while a double bombing in Tuz Khurmato left 5 dead and twenty injured. All Iraq News adds that, en route to Samarra, a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims was targeted with a car bombing resulting in eleven of them being injured (it was a suicide car bombing -- the driver of the car is dead). Reuters notes four bombs went off in Baquba resulting in 1 death and five people being injured. Al Bawaba reports an armed attack to the west of Tikrit that left 1 police officer dead and three more injured and that a car bomb then went off killing 4 more people and injuring two more police officers. Al Bawaba also reports, "Three Iraqi soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Al-Buslaibi village near Baghdad while on patrol, according to the military." BBC News emphasizes a truck bombing outside Mosul which resulted in 7 deaths in a Shabak village, "The Shabak, who number about 50,000 and live between the Mosul plane and Baashiqa, have their own distinct language and belief system." Al-Shorfa notes that the Ministry of Defence is boasting that they stopped a bombing targeting power transmission towers in Diyala.

Today the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq issued the following:

Baghdad, 17 December 2012 – The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler, strongly condemned the attacks that have claimed dozens of lives across Iraq since yesterday, in many cases targeting civilians.

"The attacks in the disputed internal areas further aggravate the tensions there," Mr. Kobler said. "I call on all parties to engage in inclusive dialogue and to urgently work on defusing the situation to prevent an escalation. The United Nations stands ready to facilitate if requested to do so."

Mr. Kobler extends his condolences to the families of those who were killed and his wishes for the speedy recovery of those who were injured.

As Mohammed Tawfeeq noted, Sunday was a day of violence as well. Iraq Body Count counts 17 dead on Sunday. Reuters noted that a Jalawla car bombing claimed the lives of 2 Peshmerga recruits and left twelve more injured including Cerwan Mohammed Ameen who states, "I woke up later to find myself in the hospital and I saw my friends near me." That was only one of many attacks in Iraq today. Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) reported that and also an armed attack on a Tarmiya military checkpoint which claimed 3 lives and left four people injured." Alsumaria reported a Kirkuk bombing and mortar attack left 8 dead and that the number injured is fifty-two, that a Kirkuk sticky bombing claimed the life of 1 police officer, a group of school children were kidnapped in Alrfieat, a Riyadh armed attack left one Sahwa injured, assailants stole 400 million Iraqi dinars from a Kirkuk bank, a Baji car bombing injured four police officers, a Qasim al-Khayyat roadside bombing injured a police officer and the brother of the Governor of Diwaniyah was shot dead. Of Kirkuk, Xinhua observes, "The oil-rich city has been the center of contention for recent weeks. The central government established a new operation command to cover the disputed area, which angered the Kurdish regional government who later sent reinforcement troops to the area, causing a military confrontation. The tension was then defused by President Jalal Talabani under whose mediation the two sides agreed to withdraw troops."

Citing the questionable Iraqi Ministries of Defense, Health and Interior, Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) notes 166 people died in Iraq last month. Iraq Body Count counts 116 killed in violence this month through yesterday. if you add that to today's figure of at least 48 dead, you get 164. So at the half-way point of the month, the reputable death toll (that would be Iraqi Body Count) is two short of the government total for last month.

The prolonged days of violence come as Al Mada notes Iranian media is reporting that Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani (the highest religious authority in Iraq) has warned Nouri that he is dangerously close to setting off a war inside Iraq and has called on him to stop making statements that could further inflame tensions between Erbil (capital of the Kurdish Regional Government) and Baghdad.

Along with violence, the weekend brought additional bad news. Saturday, The Iraq Times reported that cable channel Baghdadi was surrounded by the Iraqi military on Friday and they forced everyone out and then shut the station down. They also noted that Nouri ordered the closure. The Iraq Times reported that Iraqiya spokesperson Maysoon al-Damalouji declared that Nouri is attempting to rebuild the Republic of Fear (a reference to the days of Saddam Hussein) and decried the closing of Baghdadiya TV.

Today Wael Grace (Al Mada) reports Nouri took to Facebook to insist that he closed Al Baghdadi as a result of "financial irregularities." He maintains that there are fees for transimission that were not paid. Nouri is said to have taken offense at their coverage of his Russian arms deal and his handling of the Central Bank. Earlier the Ministry of the Interior had attempted to fall on the sword. Al Rafidayn reports they issued a statement Saturday saying it was their decision and that of the court's to close the station. Of course, Nouri is in charge of the Ministry of the Interior. They have no minister because Nouri never nominated anyone for Parliament to vote on.

Today the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory issues a statement noting their deep concern over press freedom in Iraq and they call on Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi to open an investigation immediately into the closure of satellite channel and radio station Al Baghdadi. The press organization states that the Parliament is the body responsible for ensuring the future of democracy in Iraq and the future for freedom of expression. They see the closure of the satellite TV channel and radio station as another means to reduce the role of media in Iraq and to prevent the exposure of corrutpion. They decry the use of armed forces on the station and the forced departures of the employees from the building.

Al Mada reports the National Union of Iraqi Journalists is also protesting the closure and saying it represents a reduction of freedom of the press and liberty. Moqtada al-Sadr is a cleric and movement leader with a significant bloc in Parliament. Hiwa Osman (Rudaw) weighs in noting:

Whoever advised the premier to order the closure should be sacked. But then, Maliki may have to sack himself, because in all likelihood he probably listened to his own advice, adding yet another blunder to his long list of blunders.

The decision lacks common sense, and gained nothing but more disgrace for a leader who has shown that he possesses only a single trait of leadership: Authoritarian rule – of a type that no longer has any place in Iraq.

Since the closure, social media pages have been chattering with praise for Baghdadiya and vitriol for Maliki, who is being likened to the ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. In order to silence the criticism about him on Facebook, maybe Maliki should consider clamping down on Iraq's 2.5 million Facebook users, or perhaps on the Internet itself.

The number of Baghdadiya viewers spiked after Maliki's order, with many viewers watching to learn about the premier's move. Even though Baghdadiya can no longer report from Iraq, it continues to report on the country from its Cairo headquarters and other venues. Maliki, in contrast, has no powerful medium to explain his side of the story.

MP Hussein al-Mansouri is with the Sadr bloc and he tells Wael Grace (Al Mada) that the closure was the result of the reporting the channel did on the corruption in the Russian arms deal.

Nouri's a tyrant. And among the scandals he faces is the reports of abuse in Iraqi prisons. Al Mada is reporting that Martin Kobler, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special envoy in Iraq, is stating that UNAMI receives daily reports about abuses taking place in Iraqi prisons and that, in the next few days, they plan to issue a statment on the matter. It's just one scandal after another for Nouri and his attacks on the press will not stop the truth from coming out.

People leaving comments at the Iraq Times article about the closure note Sabah al-Saadi had revelations about Nouri to make and they see the closure as a way to silence him. As the week drew to a close, MP Sabah al-Saadi found himself suspended by Nouri's State of Law. That has not silenced him. Ayad al-Tamimi (Al Mada) reports that today he accused Nouri and his staff of stealing public money and abusing power. Citing documents noted in an Office of Financial Supervision report, al-Saadi says that, in the last six years, Nouri has managed to steal $42 million. Kitabat notes that the accusations were made at a press conference held in front of Parliament.

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Saturday, December 15, 2012

THIS JUST IN! FREDDY-BOO-BOO!

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

FREDDY KAPLAN IS THE HONEY-BOO-BOO OF THE GAS BAG SET, FOREVER LIFTING UP HIS SHIRT, STICKING OUT HIS BELLY AND SNAPPING, "I'M SASSY!"

SOMETIMES ADDING, "I'M SASSY BECAUSE I'M STUPID!" AND SOMETIMES SAYING, "ME FREDDY-BOO-BOO, CHILD!'

AND HE IS. TAKE THIS MEANDERING PIECE WHERE HE TRIES TO REWORK CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O'S RECENT DEFEAT INTO A WIN.

REACHED FOR COMMENT, FREDDY-BOO-BOO TOLD THESE REPORTERS, "I WISH I COULD BE GLITZY, GIRLFRIEND! I'D LOVE TO BE A PAGEANT GAY PIG!"

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

US House Rep Lynn Woolsey was one of the creators of the Out of Iraq Caucus in the House of Representatives. Alongside other brave voices in the House like Maxine Waters, Woolsey stood firmly against the Iraq War. She did not seek re-election this year and this week spoke on the House floor about war and peace (video here).

US House Rep Lynn Woolsey: Mr. Speaker, throughout my career in public life and even before, nothing has motivated me more than a desire to end wars and violent conflict. When I was a small girl saying bedtime prayers or making a birthday wish blowing out the candles, I always asked for world peace. So no surprise that, over a decade ago, I opposed the Iraq War before it even started. It was appalling that we would invade a nation that hadn't provoked us, that had nothing to do with 9-11 and did not have weapons of mass destruction. It was a lonely fight at that time. But I didn't do it to be loved. It was a matter of principle. Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters and I formed the triad, Woolsey, Waters and Lee, to organize our opposition. We held forums, we developed an Out Of Iraq Caucus, we traveled around the country. And in January 2005, I offered the first amendment here on the House floor calling for our troops to be brought home. Some of my own party thought that it was a mistake, that we wouldn't get any votes or enough votes and that we would be embarrassed. Well I told them that even if I were the only one voting to bring our troops home, I would not be embarrassed. Well as it happened, we got 128 bi-partisan votes that very first time. So you see, Mr. Speaker, when you lead, people follow. Because a handful of progressive leaders and progressives in our country that were vocal and fearless, eventually public opinion turned. It turned against the Iraq War. It turned towards peace. If we and other outspoken political advocates hadn't ignored conventional wisdom and hadn't pressed for peace, the war in Iraq could still be going on today. In April, Mr. Speaker, of 2004, I began speaking on this very spot of the House floor about my very strong anti-Iraq War convictions. Eventually, these speeches focused on Afghanistan where we've now been waging war for more than 11 years despite more than 2,000 Americans dead and nearly $600 billion wasted. Even though, we are undermining our own interests and failing to bring security and stability to Afghanistan. Over the last eight-plus-years, I've spoken here nearly every day that I could to drive home what a moral disaster and strategic failure these wars have been. When constituents and others call or come up to me and thank me, I say, "But we're still there." I don't deserve thanks until all of our troops are home. You know, Mr. Speaker, because you've been here for many of them, my speeches haven't been just about bringing our troops home. They've offered a new vision for global engagement. From here, I've outlined my Smart Security Platform which calls for development in diplomacy instead of invasions and occupations, civilian surges instead of military surges. Smart Security means helping other nations educate their children, care for their sick and strengthen their democratic institutions. Smart Security says we can make America safe by building international goodwill, by empowering people with humanitarian assistance instead of sending troops or launching drone attacks. It's the right thing to do. It's the smart thing to do. And it costs pennies on the dollar compared to military force. So, Mr. Speaker, today I'm delivering that message for the 444th time and my final time on the House floor to speak on five minute special order. This is the last of my special order speeches on war and peace and Smart Security. I'm retiring from Congress at the end of this year and I believe part of my legacy will be that I worked diligently for peace and a safer world. So in closing, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to acknowledge that sometimes I've been accused of wanting a perfect world but I consider that a compliment. Our founders strove for a more perfect union. Why shouldn't we aim for a perfect world? You see, I'm perfectly and absolutely certain that if we don't work towards a perfect world we won't ever come close to providing a safe, healthy and secure world for our grandchildren and their grandchildren. So I thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank my wonderful staff who have helped me over the last twenty years to work for a perfect world which means peace, health and security for all. I yield back. Thank you all.

Lynn Woolsey is a Democrat who was first elected in the Novembe 1992 elections (a "Year of the Woman" in real time and the first time the genderquake was undeniable in the elections). She has served California's sixth district. Lynn Woolsey succeeded Barbara Boxer in the seat, Boxer, in the "Year of the Woman" 1992, was elected to the US Senate. Greg Cahill (Pacific Sun) interviewed Lynn on her time in the US Congress. Excerpt:

Now the wars are winding down, and the economy is in recovery. Why leave the job now?

[Lynn Woolsey:] I'm a person whose timing has worked for her. Actually, I thought I'd be in Congress for 10 years. And then all of a sudden, zip, it's 20. I'm 75 years old. And I've gotten on an airplane every week that we're in session on a Monday or Tuesday morning and fly back on a Thursday or Friday afternoon. Week after week after week. And I'm tired of doing that. It doesn't work for my body and it doesn't work for my soul. During the last Congress, the 111th Congress, I toyed with the notion that that should be my last term. But Jared Huffman hadn't termed out in the state Legislature yet. And I wasn't 100 percent sure about that decision. So I ran and got re-elected knowing that would be my last term. [House minority leader Rep.] Nancy Pelosi asked me, "When did you know?" And I said I knew when I walked backed into Congress and said to myself, "I really wish I hadn't done it this time." I felt like, I don't know why I'm here--I don't want to be here. I didn't stop working--we worked our hearts out these last two years. But I just knew it was time. I was sick and tired of money and politics. I mean, it's going to ruin our democracy if we don't do something [about campaign finance reform]. And I gave lots of notice.

You're retiring from politics but it sounds as though you plan to stay quite active.

[Lynn Woolsey:] Oh, I am going to retire. If Lynn Woolsey doesn't learn to sit down and be calm in what I consider to be the last quarter of her life, she'll be in trouble. I want to enjoy my life without all the spin. I mean, I've raised four kids and was a working mom and active in my community. I get to sit down.

As a member of Congress, Lynn didn't just mouth words. Nor did she cave when she made a stand. Her word counted for something and she took it very seriously. She will be missed.

And sad to say that as one of the strong left leaders leaves Congree, I find myself wondering if maybe on the left we just need to throw in the towel? I wondered that not because of the loss of Lynn Woolsey in the Congress but because of the garbage by Gareth Porter at Truthout. I'd seen him in his too long Real News Network interview and thought, "Maybe he just doesn't speak well on the subject." But now his promised 'big piece' on counter-insurgency is out and the natural response to it is to string together numerous curse words. Let's get two of his paragraphs in here.

The COIN manual ducked some central issues in the US wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan - most notably whether US troops should have been carrying out violent "cordon and search" operations, especially when they had little or no real intelligence to go on. Intent on staying within the political consensus of the military establishment, Petraeus opted not to criticize the tactic of violently invading private homes and seizing military-age males in the middle of the night in front of their families, which had become routine in Iraq.

But in one area, the manual staked out a bold new position. It called for the commander in a counterinsurgency war to influence the coverage of the war by the news media. "The media directly influence the attitude of key audiences toward counterinsurgents, their operations and the opposing insurgency," the section on "information operations" said. "This situation creates a war of perceptions between insurgents and counterinsurgents conducted continuously using the news media."

Did it duck "some central issues"? Well Gareth did too. Gareth's apparently opposed to searches that cart away males but that's about all he can really call out. The very notion of counter-insurgency -- long called out on the left in past wars -- is just accepted by Porter. As for "a bold new position," your ignorance exceeds your ethical decay. I don't care what your damn manual told you. I don't give a damn. Counter-insurgency has always included the media and 'messaging.' That you're too stupid to know that is appalling.

Here's the way this will go. I'll get e-mails about how "Gareth is really trying hard and, gosh, it's not easy and if you want someone to call out David Petraeus . . ." Gareth has a job to do. Does he do his job or not? No, he's not doing his job -- or he's doing it very poorly. As for calling out Petraeus, it may be a media fad at present but here we've always called out Petraeus.

If you're going to write about counter-insurgency, you need to know about it. It's war on a native people. The occupier tries to make a group of natives undesirable so that the rest of the population will turn on the undesirables. To make people undesirable, you demonize them, you make it difficult for people to befriend or help them. You do other things as well. To do these other things, you tell yourself lies. For example, labeling the native (non-South) Vietnamese media "propaganda" allowed counter-insurgency to target the media and to justify the lying. Counter-insurgency includes outright murder. People are targeted for murder to frighten the population at large. You saw that in Iraq and you've seen it throughout the US usage of counter-insurgency. Take the Phoenix Program during Vietnam. As the RAND Corporation noted, while its supporters cheer the program, its "detractors condemn it as a merciless assassination campaign." Let's go to the CIA for some whining:

The Phoenix program is arguably the most misunderstood and controversial program undertaken by the governments of the United States and South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was, quite simply, a set of programs that sought to attack and destroy the political infrastructure of the Lao Dong Party (hereafter referred to as the Viet Cong infrastructure or VCI) in South Vietnam. 1

Phoenix was misunderstood because it was classified, and the information obtained by the press and others was often anecdotal, unsubstantiated, or false. The program was controversial because the antiwar movement and critical scholars in the United States and elsewhere portrayed it as an unlawful and immoral assassination program targeting civilians.

We called it out because it was unethical and it was illegal and, yes, we called it out. Today Gareth Porter can't even do that. A ho-hum piece where this may be objectionable . . . The ignorance and the cowardice is appalling. At this late date, if we on the left can't call out counter-insurgency, that's on us, we're just pathetic and ineffective. Via Z-Net, here's an excerpt of a January 10, 2005 broadcast, Katie Couric (then host of NBC's Today) discussing with retired Gen Wayne Downing the article Newsweek published on the Salvador option possibly being brought to Iraq (Michael Hirsh and John Barry were the authors of the Newsweek article).

"Gen. DOWNING: Well, Katie, I -- I think this term is very unfortunate because this El Salvador thing brings up the connotation of death squads, of illegal activity that took place in -- in -- by some of the El Salvadorian military 20 years ago. But I think what they're considering is to use a special -- or more special Iraqi units trained and equipped and perhaps even led by US Special Forces to conduct strike operations against this -- this insurgency, against the leaders of it, which of course is a very valid strategy, a very valid tactic. And it's actually something we've been doing since we started the war back in March of 2003.

"COURIC: But is this going to be used more, or in greater numbers? According to Newsweek, they're going to -- the -- the US Special Forces will train specially chosen Kurdish forces and Shiite militiamen.

"Gen. DOWNING: Right.

"COURIC: So does this signal a -- a -- I guess an escalation of this technique at least?

"Gen. DOWNING: I wouldn't say an escalation, Katie. I -- I think what we're looking at is -- there are already some special units formed. We have special police commandos now of the Iraqi forces which conduct these kind of strike operations. I think what we're looking at is another type of unit. In other words, they -- they've got 10 tools right now in their tool box, this is probably adding a -- an 11th or perhaps even a 12th tool. But -- but, Katie, I -- I really want to emphasize what they are going after here. These -- these insurgents leaders, these are terrorists. These are people who have been decapitating hostages. These are the people who have been planning and -- and perpetrating these suicide bombers...that has killed thousands of -- of friendly Iraqis. These are very, very legitimate targets, and actually part of the overall strategy for countering this insurgency...

"COURIC: But in El Salvador many innocent civilians were killed when these kind of tactics were employed. Are you concerned about that, or the possibility this will increase anti-American sentiment in the general Iraqi population?

"Gen. DOWNING: Katie, this has nothing to do with El Salvador. Those operations that were conducted down there were conducted by -- by renegade military leaders. This is under the control of the US forces, of the current interim Iraqi government. There -- there's no need to think that we're going to have any kind of a -- a killing campaign that's going to maim innocent civilians.

The government pretends that counter-insurgency has been proved to be effective. That actually hasn't happened and I don't understand why a Gareth Porter or anyone else would accept the premise that counter-insurgency is 'good' but has a few aspects that may be troubling? I don't get that at all. Tom Hayden called out counter-insurgency during Vietnam. He's one of the few voices who've called it out during the Iraq War. In a column on Petraeus a few weeks ago, he included this paragraph:

As this test of wills unfolded, Petraeus, with the help of an inbred, fawning mass media, had become knwon as "the greatest soldier of his generation," the counterinsurgency strategist who staved off a dishonorable American retreat in Iraq, the guiding hand behind The U.S. Army-Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual, the man who would revive the South Vietnam "Phoenix Program" from the ashes of disgrace. The Petraeus field manual rallied a cult of true believers who have been convinced for thirty years that America's war in Vietnam would have been won if only the politicians back in the States had not pulled the plug on Phoenix because of claims of torture plus photos of emaciated Vietcong prisoners held in tiny cages. (This is all true, not a screenplay. Please see the Field Manual for more on the pacification program, pp. 73-75; see also, "Countering Global Insurgency," by Petraeus top counterinsurgency advisor, David Kllkullen, in the Small Wars Journal, November 30, 2004)

In that paragraph, Tom Hayden makes it clear how disgusting counter-insurgency is. In one paragraph. In his very long article, Gareth Porter never manages to do the same. Click here for audio of Douglas Valentine on Between The Lines discussing the various assassination programs in the early days of the Iraq War.

The Daily Jot

Thursday, December 20, 2012

THIS JUST IN! THERE'S NO DRONE CONTROL!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

THIS JUST IN! BAD NEWS FOR BOBBY!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

THIS JUST IN! DON KUSLER LIES FOR LOVE!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

THIS JUST IN! FREDDY-BOO-BOO!

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