Random News & Views Roundup

- Drudge reports a lie about CNN reporter Michael Ware. Powerline repeats it. Ware fights back with video. Power Line has to add a corrective update. Other right-wing blogs try to cover their sorry asses. It doesn't work. Just another day in the right-wing blogosphere. (Update: McCain is still living in Neverland.)

- The Supreme Court rules against the Bush administration in a global warming case. Senator Inhofe's head explodes and the Weather Channel's ratings go through the roof.

- What CNN didn't tell you earlier today: the missing American man in Kish, Iran is a former FBI agent. No one knows what happened to him. Was it smart for the State Department to reveal that information? I don't think so.

- US authorities snooping in your Canadian bank accounts? No problem. We all trust the Bush administration, don't we?

- More horror:

Baghdad - A truck bomber carrying food supplies killed eight Iraqi schoolgirls and a baby in the northern oil city of Kirkuk on Monday as suspected Sunni militants executed 21 Shiite workers north of Baghdad.

- Truth:

Terry Jones
Saturday March 31, 2007
The Guardian

I share the outrage expressed in the British press over the treatment of our naval personnel accused by Iran of illegally entering their waters. It is a disgrace. We would never dream of treating captives like this - allowing them to smoke cigarettes, for example, even though it has been proven that smoking kills. And as for compelling poor servicewoman Faye Turney to wear a black headscarf, and then allowing the picture to be posted around the world - have the Iranians no concept of civilised behaviour? For God's sake, what's wrong with putting a bag over her head? That's what we do with the Muslims we capture: we put bags over their heads, so it's hard to breathe. Then it's perfectly acceptable to take photographs of them and circulate them to the press because the captives can't be recognised and humiliated in the way these unfortunate British service people are.


It is also unacceptable that these British captives should be made to talk on television and say things that they may regret later. If the Iranians put duct tape over their mouths, like we do to our captives, they wouldn't be able to talk at all. Of course they'd probably find it even harder to breathe - especially with a bag over their head - but at least they wouldn't be humiliated.

And what's all this about allowing the captives to write letters home saying they are all right? It's time the Iranians fell into line with the rest of the civilised world: they should allow their captives the privacy of solitary confinement. That's one of the many privileges the US grants to its captives in Guantánamo Bay.

The true mark of a civilised country is that it doesn't rush into charging people whom it has arbitrarily arrested in places it's just invaded. The inmates of Guantánamo, for example, have been enjoying all the privacy they want for almost five years, and the first inmate has only just been charged. What a contrast to the disgraceful Iranian rush to parade their captives before the cameras!

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Alleged Blackfive Blog Spokesman Threatens Me

What am I supposed to make of this threat?:

john Writes:
March 27th, 2007 at 11:01 pm

We over at Blackfive do not appreciate the lies of some commie like yourself that wants the U.S to loose and all our boys brought home in a body bag. You think you can mess with those of us that have served our country? The least you will get from the boys at Blackfive is a video smack down by our own resident ex-special forces, Uncle Jimbo! Uncle Jimbo as killed more people than girls you have kissed during you dorm spin the bottle games at vassar college. Come over and vist the boys at Blackfive and let yourself be known. We love guests. If you want trouble you got it by talking smack about our young men in the services. We are a tight knit bunch and we could care a less if there was one less ass clown moon bat ruining our beautiful country. You and your friends will pay. They have put the word out at Blackfive and we will find you.

That was a comment left at Alas, a blog which I allowed to repost my March 19, 2007 diary that appeared here titled, Into The Fifth: Stories From Iraq.

Lies? I posted media clippings and photos from various news stories. My only commentary in that post was this:

It’s all about “good days and bad days” to Bush.

Identify one “good day” in Iraq since this war began, Bush. I dare you.

And now I have been personally threatened by someone allegedly speaking on behalf of Blackfive. And even if I had expressed an opinion beyond that, that certainly does not excuse that kind of threat. If you think your threats are going to stop me from posting my opinions, you're just plain wrong.

As we were recently again reminded, threats in the blogosphere are nothing new. Neither are death threats.

Rest assured, I will investigate this and whoever is responsible for that threat will be dealt with through legal means.

I'm calling for an immediate response from Blackfive. I want to know if that is the opinion of their site or anyone who runs it. I want to know if the person who wrote that threat is affiliated in any way with Blackfive. And I demand that they answer for it.

I will not go quietly. You can count on that. You've chosen the wrong person to threaten.

Update: I want to thank one of the bloggers at Alas, a blog for helping me to track down the person involved. I need to add that one of Blackfive's owners took time out of his vacation to help me today as well. The person who wrote this threat has also tried to cause trouble for Blackfive's owners as well. He will be dealt with as soon as possible and legal action will be taken now that I have this person's city of residence and possible name. Thanks to all who've popped in to support me too. This has been a trying day and that's meant a lot to me.
 

The Warbloggers are Excited

Oh my. According to Jules Crittenden who linked to an AP (the media organization the warbloggers call the "Associated With Terrorists Press") article, the US is winning in Iraq.

By The Way, It’s Official …

… we can win in Iraq, we are winning in Iraq, and George Bush’s surge strategy is responsible for it. Not even the AP can ignore it* anymore:

"The US military has captured the leaders of a car-bombing ring blamed for killing hundreds of Iraqis.

The news came as the departing US ambassador said Americans are in ongoing talks with insurgent representatives to try to persuade them to turn against al-Qaeda."

Oh how exciting!

Well, except for this little detail:

Insurgents have blown up two trucks in the Iraqi town of Talafar, killing 50 people and injuring 125, police say.

...which Crittenden ignored. You remember Talafar. That safe place Bush was so proud of last year where they used the same strategery they're now using in Baghdad?

Bush: The ability of al Qaeda and its associates to retake Tal Afar was an example of something we saw elsewhere in Iraq. We recognized the problem, and we changed our strategy. Instead of coming in and removing the terrorists, and then moving on, the Iraqi government and the coalition adopted a new approach called clear, hold, and build.

Mission failed. But why not try it again anyway - just for old time's sake?

But getting back to Crittenden, let's see how he dealt with this:

At least 138 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and another 209 were wounded in violent incidents. Although attacks continued in Baghdad and Iskandariya, today’s violence focused on areas where al-Qaeda operatives are believed to be active.
[...]
Four people were killled in Iskandariya when gunmen opened fire on a funeral procession. Shi'ites planted bombs in a Sunni mosque; about an hour after the bombs exploded clashes between militant groups left four Sunnis dead and one Shi'ite wounded.

Crittenden: Just a fleeting mention of "...sectarian clashes that left two people dead in Iskandariyah and a bomb in Mahaweel that killed no one."

And then there was this:

BAGHDAD - Two Americans, a contractor and a soldier, were killed in a rocket attack on the heavy guarded Green Zone on Tuesday, according to statements from the U.S. Embassy and the military.

Five other people were wounded, one contractor who was seriously hurt and three with slight wounds. A second soldier also was wounded in the attack, but the military did not give a condition.

...hmmm...no mention of that in Crittenden's post. No problem. They're winning!

Apparently, Crittenden lives in the same Neverland as John McCain. (video)

CNN correspondent Michael Ware: "Honestly, Wolf, you'll barely last twenty minutes out there. I dont know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about when he says we can go strolling in Baghdad."

And General Petreus is so sure it's safe, he rides around in an unarmed humvee. He and/or his family may come to regret that some day. But I guess when you live in Neverland, all of those flying bullets and exploding bombs are just annoying figments of your imagination - especially when you're winning!

Crittenden: One of my past wankers of the day. That time, he tried to cover his country's losing ass by blaming Canada for not sending troops to Iraq. And that's about all you need to know about him.
 

Iraq: Flailing in the Abyss

So, it looks like the House Democrats have finally agreed on a plan to get out of Iraq. Via their press release:

The Reid Joint Resolution builds on the longstanding Democratic position on Iraq and the Levin-Reed Amendment: the current conflict in Iraq requires a political solution, Iraq must take responsibility for its own future, and our troops should not be policing a civil war. It contains binding language to direct the President to transition the mission for U.S. forces in Iraq and begin their phased redeployment within one-hundred twenty days with a goal of redeploying all combat forces by March 31, 2008. A limited number of troops would remain for the purposes of force protection, training and equipping Iraqi troops, and targeted counter-terror options. A full description of the Reid Joint Resolution is attached to this release.

The Washington Post has more.

No doubt, Bush is yawning somewhere while the predictable response form the warbloggers is that this plan is the 'Democrats' Road Map For Terrorists'. That talking point just never gets old for them, does it? They have no idea how to get out of this clusterfuck but they're happy to attack anyone who even hints at a way to do that. Pathetic.

Meanwhile:

The day-to-day commander of American forces in Iraq has recommended that the heightened American troop levels there be maintained through February 2008, military officials said Wednesday.
[...]
President Bush has often said that he will listen closely to advice from commanders in the field in making decisions about strategy and manpower in Iraq, but Pentagon officials emphasized Wednesday that no decision to extend the “surge” had been made. Military officials said General Odierno had provided his assessment to his superior, Gen. David H. Petraeus, who took over as the top American commander in Iraq this year. General Petraeus has yet to make a formal recommendation to the Pentagon.
[...]
“We’re looking, as we should, at each of the three possibilities: hold what you have, come down, or plus up if you need to,” Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon.

"Plus Up". That's the new brand of Republican kool-aid.

When the Bush administration announced its troop buildup in January, it said it was sending 21,500 troops to Baghdad and Anbar Province. Since then, the Pentagon has said that as many as 7,000 additional support troops would also be deployed, including some 2,200 additional military police that General Petraeus had asked for to handle an anticipated increase in detainees. These increases would bring the total number of American troops in Iraq to around 160,000.

In other words, Bush seriously misunderestimated the number of troops needed for his little surge project. Is there anyone out there, besides the Plus Up drinking warbloggers, who actually believes he knows what he's doing anymore?

Update: In response to the Democrats' proposal, the White House was quick to issue a veto threat. Looks like that one is dead in the water.

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