The daily cost of the Iraq occupation: $720 million

What is a meaningful way of understanding the immense amount of money the United States spends in Iraq each day? This simple video by American Friends Service Committee compellingly gets this point across. How does one most fairly frame this issue of what the United States is spending in Iraq?…

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Charlie Rose tries to understand Iraq

Charlie Rose is having such a difficult time listening to his guests, because he has so obviously bought into the standard mainstream media view on the Iraq conflict (which is essentially the view developed by the Bush Administration).   He appears simultaneously ignorant yet preachy as two men with genuine familiarity with…

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The quotes that started the so-called Iraq “war”

I refuse to use the term "war" when referring to the U.S. occupation of Iraq for these reasons. Do you remember the many politicians and news media personalities who assured us that we needed to go to "war" with Iraq and that it would be easy, fast and relatively painless for American…

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New York Governor Eliot Spitzer fails the “I’m sorry” test regarding the prostitute.

Perhaps Elliot Spitzer was really sorry for having sex with a prostitute from the Emperor’s Club, but he failed the I’m sorry Test.  Why?  For two reasons.  Because it wasn’t Spitzer’s turn to apologize and his apology was mis-directed. 

It was George W. Bush’s turn to apologize, I’m fairly certain.   Why do I write this?  Because Bush has done each of the following:

  • Plunged the U.S. into armed combat and an extended occupation of Iraq based on numerous lies.
  • Mismanaged the medical treatment of veterans at Walter Reed.
  • Mishandled Plamegate (Chief of Staff to the Vice President was convicted of perjury).
  • Mishandled Iraq (assuming that we should have been there at all), due to lack of preparation for occupation, looting, including the National Museum, too few troops, lack of training, lack of equipment, lack of securing loose Iraqi munitions, disbanding the Iraqi army . . .
  • Invited no bid contracts in Iraq, including to Halliburton and companies that provide mercenaries with little or no accountability.
  • Encouraged torture, indefinite detention, the end of habeas corpus, and kangaroo courts.
  • Mishandled the political firing of US attorneys.
  • “Heck of a job, Brownie,”
  • Authorized warrantless NSA wiretapping in October 2001.
  • Allowed extraordinary rendition to facilitate interrogation by torture
  • Maintained cozy corrupt relationships with K Street Lobbyists.
  • Allowed Cheney’s Energy Policy and refused to divulge the oil industry participation.
  • Encouraged financially irresponsible cuts for the wealthiest, big corporations.
  • Denied of Global warming and its human causes.
  • Attempted to disband the 911 Commission.
  • Damaged to
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Continue ReadingNew York Governor Eliot Spitzer fails the “I’m sorry” test regarding the prostitute.

What did Barack Obama say about invading Iraq in 2002?

Obama's full speech is here.    What follows is a long excerpt from this October 2, 2002 speech: Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and…

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