William Greider, The Nation: "The nation has arrived at an extraordinary political moment."

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/49923

Message to the Man in the White House Bunker

By William Greider, The Nation. Posted March 30, 2007.

By voting to set a deadline for exiting Iraq, the House and Senate have heeded the American people's call to end the war. But will the man in the White House bunker get the message?

Take a deep breath. The nation has arrived at an extraordinary political moment. The Congress is about to instruct the President he should withdraw from the ongoing war. Yes, I know the fine print in the House and Senate versions has lots of wiggle room. But the congressional action is still breathtaking when you think about it, possibly without historic precedent.

- snip-

The guy in the bunker, unfortunately, may never get the message. That deepens the tragedy, both for America and Iraq. Each new needless death will deepen the hurt and anger. But it looks like George W. Bush will stick with denial, even as Congress keeps toughening its attempts to force withdrawal. I hope I am wrong about that, but a wise friend explained the logic of Bush’s desperation politics.

Bush and Cheney, he said, are trying to run out the clock–keep this war going until they leave office and can dump the mess on the next president, very likely a Democrat. In retirement, the Bush crowd will then begin to sow the “if only” revisionism that blames Democrats or the media or the American people for a “loss of will.” Sounds absurd now, but that is roughly what happened after the lost war in Vietnam. We could have won, “if only.” Sad to say, many Americans came to believe it, especially resentful veterans seeking explanation for why they fought and lost.

Given all he has done to this country, Bush could do something truly valuable for history by accepting the blame in a stand-up way. Admit his great errors. Acknowledge the failure. This might ensure him a tragic but noble legacy. I am afraid there is nothing noble in the man.

MORE

[izzie]

1. I think right on.

I often hear how the war in Vietnam was lost by some silly reason like Jane Fonda sat on a gun and made a speech. So silly if you get into that war. We really should have read what the Fr. wrote about it and stayed out in the first place. The Fr. lost and guessed why and seemed to have proof on why.

[necso]

2. Yeah,

w's plan is to stupid-it-out, dump the mess in someone-else's lap, then point the finger of blame elsewhere (Democrats, certainly).

And in this plan he'll be supported by countless flunkies, toadies, "pundits", media-hirelings and "think"-tanks; the overlords of these creatures; and oceans of dollars.

Manage appearances (even if only the true-believers buy-in); use every weapon; pound the propaganda... it's all familiar stuff.

It's the nature of neocons to act this way. And it's the character of those who prosper in the neocon movement. This isn't chance, it's the result of deliberate selection.

[Hissyspit]

3. I meant to kick this earlier, since it was posted so early this morning, but forgot. n/t

[bryant69]

4. "I am afraid there is nothing noble in the man"

Oy, that's pretty much true isn't it?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Morgana LaFey]

18. And it could be the grandest understatement of all time. nt

[MN ChimpH8R]

5. Big Kick

:kick:

[EVDebs]

6. Where Iraq war, Attorney-gate, and the demise of the GOP converge

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=546198&mesg_id=546239

The missing $2.3 trillion could fund a vetoed Iraq appropriation bill, Dems could say 'take it from that missing money stash !' and all the while the real location of that kind of loot will slowly be revealed in the Attorney-gate hearings for all the country (and world) to see

"It's all part of a growing ongoing investigation into corruption in defense and intelligence contracts, which already has sent former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to prison and, legal sources say, may threaten others in Congress and the CIA. "

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12634250/

CIA/GOP false front companies that stash loot skimmed from drug money off the Afgan heroin trade and distributed around DC like chocolate mints on hotel room pillows is the real scandal that will hit the fan; The Octopus that Casolaro and Webb were investigating should get them nominated, at the very least, for posthumous Pulitzer Prizes. What say you, DUers ?

BTW, please read Alfred McCoy's classic (now updated)
The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity In The Global Drug Trade

[Gabi Hayes]

8. great stuff...have you read the SPY magazine articles about Casolaro/Wackenhut/Indian tribes, etc?

they're both online

[EVDebs]

11. No, I followed a series of articles in SF Chron re CIA/Nichols and Cabazons

which created Indian gaming in the US back in Reagan's era. Seems Foggo and Wilkes et al cut their teeth at CIA during that time too, along with John Dowd, Goodling's attny w/S&L scandal era (he's a moneylaundering expert per his lawfirm bio at

http://www.akingump.com/attorney.cfm?attorney_id=58

"" Written Works
"U.S. Laundering, Forfeiture Laws Now Reach All Points on Globe," September 2002

"When Agents Serve Search Warrant, Businesses Must Know Rules of Game (Part 2 of 2),," Money Laundering Alert, June 2001

"When Laundering Charges Surface, Battles Commence on Many Fronts (Part 1 of 2)," Money Laundering Alert, May 2001"" ).

So Goodling hires a moneylaundering expert and Sampson hires Brad Berenson, a WH expert on NSA Spying and Patriot Act,

Legal loophole emerges in NSA spy program
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6073600.html

Maybe Bradford should be testifying himself before Congress, eh ?

[OneBlueSky]

7. when backed into a corner, rats attack Iran . . .

my hunch is that all this talk about withdrawing from Iraq is going to end up on the back burner if/when BushCo attacks Iran . . . particularly if it's in response to a "new 9/11" on American soil -- something I pray won't happen, but fear will . . .

I wouldn't be at all surprised if their thinking is along the lines of "Hey, we got away with it once" . . .

[smoogatz]

9. Greider's not the first to come to this conclusion--

it's been apparent since the "surge" was first embraced by Bushco that this was their strategy--run out the clock and dump it in the next President's lap. But if he's not the first, it's good to see that more and more pundits are waking up to the obvious: Bush knows he can't win, and he's too cowardly to pull out. The implications are staggering: he's willing to sacrifice thousands of American lives, and tens of thousands of Iraqis, for the sake of his political "legacy." It's an inexcusible (and criminal) failure of both conscience and responsibility. Bush, Cheney and the rest of them should all spend the rest of their worthless lives breaking rocks in Leavenworth.

On edit: regarding wingnut revisionism and the big Vietnam "if only": we killed 3-5 million people during our failed attempt to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people. Roughly 15% of the population at the time. In a population the size of ours, the equivalent number would be 45 million dead; a staggering toll. "If only we hadn't bailed out," the wingnuts say. "If only we'd toughed it out a few more years." What they're really saying is, "if only we'd killed the rest of them." They're not just stupid--they're psychotic.

[blondeatlast]

10. W still thinks he can preserve his legacy--that's the scariest thing I can think of.

Even his most vociferous supporters have given up or rejected him entirely, and he holds his ground.

Too late for an r, so I can at least do this :kick:

[EVDebs]

12. The body count of former staffers who won't talk, yet, is staggering

Ralston, Taylor yesterday, Sampson, Jackson, Goodling...who else is ready to jump ship and get outta Dodge ?

[blondeatlast]

13. I used to work in the book biz. Any tell-all about this hated admin

would get the author a record advance--and yet, none has been forthcoming.

I'm no conspiracy theorist, but it's just utterly bizarre. It's a sure bet--pre-pub No. 1 status is a certainty--but so far nothing.

Money is NOT the impetus for these wackjobs--they are true believers drunk with dreams of power--nothing more. :scared:

[EVDebs]

14. It's like that Godfather III mention of P2 (when Andy Garcia reports back to Al Pacino)

"It's all part of a growing ongoing investigation into corruption in defense and intelligence contracts, which already has sent former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to prison and, legal sources say, may threaten others in Congress and the CIA. "

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12634250 /

This scandal goes very high up...even the book publishers would be intimidated; the small fry are too afraid to open their mouths. Why just look at who wrote about The Octopus already: Danny Casolaro and Gary Webb. No, you can't do this as an individual. It has to be word of mouth, via the internet, building to a creschendo like that mass gathering at the end of V.

BTW, the P2 'masonic' lodge was a creation of the CIA...the irony of all of this is just too much ! Love yer handle too, blondeatlast.

[MN ChimpH8R]

17. This is the key

Someone, perhaps you or kpete, had an incredible post tying together these threads. The essence of is was that Carol Lam was getting dangerously close to a massive phony defense contractor money laundering scheme that sent hundreds of millions of tax dollar to on-paper contractors who then kicked the money back to the Repig party. This must lead straight to KKKarl or Darth. If this ever really came out the Repig party would disappear overnight.

[EVDebs]

19. I've been peppering DU with the Lisa Myers of NBC article that spelled it out, but

DOD's missing $2.3 TRILLION has got to factor into this,

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=271896&mesg_id=271924

Another great read is Tim Weiner's Blank Check: The Pentagon's Black Budget:

""This book is based on Tim Weiner's Pulitzer Prize-winning series in the Philadelphia Inquirer. By following the money, Weiner finds appropriations of public dollars for highly-compartmentalized, secret research projects with no accountability to either Congress or the Secretary of Defense. The secret budget has never been published, a violation of Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution.

Reagan doubled the Pentagon budget between 1981 and 1985, and by 1991 Bush had increased the "black" portion to 25 percent. Born from the Manhattan Project, described by Weiner as a "mutant chromosome in the American body politic," this secret operation is now a full-blown parallel government.

Weiner shows the secret government at work in diverting funds illegally, creating military units outside the chain of command, conducting covert wars, and transforming Star Wars into a system for the control of space. This book is a solidly-documented description of how the U.S. responded to atomic weapons and the Cold War by giving birth to, nurturing, and ultimately succumbing to a national security state. ""

http://www.namebase.org/sources/PR.html

If Reagan started this covert funding mechanism you can bet that the GOP would exploit it for all it's worth, which is why we're finding out about it now, the greed has gotten so out of hand.

[EVDebs]

15. Quotes from the media

May 2, 2003
—"The war winds down, politics heats up.... Picture perfect. Part Spider-Man, part Tom Cruise, part Ronald Reagan. The president seizes the moment on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific."
(PBS's Gwen Ifill on Bush's speech)

—On Fox News Channel, Washington Post reporter Jeff Birnbaum declares: "It is amazing how thorough the victory in Iraq really was in the broadest context..... And the silence, I think, is that it's clear that nobody can do anything about it. There isn't anybody who can stop him. The Democrats can't oppose—cannot oppose him politically."


May 4, 2003
—"Now that the combat phase of the war in Iraq is officially over, what begins is a debate throughout the entire U.S. government over America's unrivaled power and how best to use it."
(CBS reporter Joie Chen)

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3062

FAIR shows much more, but if Operation Mockingbird keeps chirping, someone's gonna have to do something about the Ostrich Media.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. I am about over all of these politicians

When they send me emails wanting money, I reply

END THE DAMN WAR

Then I will send you some money.

The DCCC sent me a questionnaire. Here is how I responded: