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Democrats in the House, in an act of political theater, voted to substitute their judgment for that of our military commanders on the ground in Iraq. Now, please join us all after my press conference as these veterans, family members and I present our moving production of Onward Christian Soldiers.

Quote du Jour: Things That Make Conrad Black Happy

Via Naomi Klein's Class War in Conrad's Court:

During the jury selection process at the Conrad Black fraud trial in Chicago, the judge polled potential jurors on their impressions of Black's home, Canada. "Socialist country," one replied. According to press accounts, Black, once the third-most-powerful press baron in the world, turned to his wife, Barbara Amiel, and they shared a smile. At last, a juror after their own hearts--the couple had been redbaiting Canadians for years.

It doesn't look like that attitude is going to help him much though.

Poor Little Lord of Blackness. Justice is so unfair:

Regardless of what else happens in the Black saga, the jury-selection process has already provided an extraordinary window onto the way regular Americans, randomly selected, view their elites--not as heroes but as thieves. As far as Black is concerned, this is all terribly unfair--he is being "thrown to the mobs" because of rage at the system and, unlike American billionaires, he doesn't "dress in corduroy trousers" or donate his fortune to AIDS charities. Black's lawyers even argued (unsuccessfully) that their client could not get a fair trial because the average Chicagoan "does not reside in more than one residence, employ servants or a chauffeur, enjoy lavish furniture, or host expensive parties."

h/t arcturus
 

Pointless

So the House Democrats passed the emergency supplemental war spending bill on Friday which Bush has promised to veto. In response, Bush held a press conference in which he surrounded himself with veterans and called the passage of the bill "an act of political theater". Pot. Kettle Black.

And, in an act of absolute hypocrisy, he added "Our men and women in uniform should not have to worry that politicians in Washington will deny them the funds and the flexibility they need to win."

That, coming from a so-called commander-in-chief who didn't send in enough troops to begin with thus guaranteeing that soldiers would die needlessly. That, coming from a so-called commander-in-chief who sent troops into battle without the body armour and protection they needed to survive. That, coming from a so-called commander-in-chief who is responsible for billions of dollars going missing in Iraq with no accountability whatsover. That, coming from a commander-in-chief who refuses to allow pictures of the dead in their coffins coming home from his failed war. That, coming from a so-called commander-in-chief who kept Rumsfeld on as defence secretary despite the fact that his unwillingness to compromise and change course cost American soldiers their lives. That, coming from the worst commander-in-chief ever.

And he has the audacity to state that a narrow majority in the house "abdicated its responsibilty"? That, coming from a president who takes no responsibilty for anything?

If the majority abdicated any responsibility they had, it was in passing a bill that they knew would be vetoed anyway when they could have supported a bill calling for an end to the war. Period. Instead, so-called "progressives/liberals" in the Democratic party caved on their principles and refused to stand up for what the majority of Americans want - an end to this nightmare. They took the softer, easier way out because they're worried about their political future.

What they should be concerned about is the fact that hundreds of thousands of people have died, millions are displaced, one third of Iraqi children are malnourished, water and electricity are still scarce, the Iraqi government is moving on a law to contract out oil profits to multinational companies, tortured corpses are still showing up every single day, the notion of security is an absolute farce, troops are in the middle of a civil war with no end in sight, their soldiers continue to die with tens of thousands wounded in a war they should never have been in to begin with, chlorine trucks are exploding, government corruption is rampant, yet politics is their main consideration. They're playing politics with peoples' lives. This is no time to be timid, no matter what Boy King Bush threatens.

No one won today but millions of people certainly did lose - a lot - again.

Related: Support The Troops By Sending Them To War!
The Pelosi-crats and the War
The Gutless Mini-Politics of the Congressional Democrats
 

CNN Characterizes Iran's Population as Being Anti-Semitic

Political bias in news reports can often go by quite unnoticed, yet the subtle (and at times, not so subtle) messages contribute to how the audience forms opinions about the subject material.

Take this CNN report by Aneesh Raman on Thursday about the use of political cartoons during Iranian news broadcasts:

CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Tehran -- Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, for the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, it is a new campaign against an old enemy.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RAMAN (voice-over): It's often with anger that Iran's leaders speak about the U.S. But on state-run TV, the state has been trying a different tactic. Mixed into the main news channel are political cartoons, often starting with a slate like this one, which reads: "no explanation needed."

This one pokes fun at U.S. policy in Iraq -- Uncle Sam running between bombs, looking for an exit. And when he finds three doors, no such luck.

President Bush also often gets a grilling. Here, he's talking to the world about Iran's nuclear program, alleging Iran wants nuclear weapons, all while his nose grows longer like Pinocchio in front of a laughing globe.

The cartoons -- and there are many -- have even made their way onto YouTube, varying from anti-American riffs to others about Israel that outside of Iran would be defined as anti-Semitic.

As for those on the U.S. the intent is clear, at least to moderates like this professor at the University of Tehran.

With those three words, "outside of Iran", Raman implied that no one in Iran would see such cartoons as being anti-semitic.

That's a powerful media message against an entire country's citizenship that the US is now fiercely embroiled in a conflict with over its aspirations to develop, depending on who you choose to believe, either a nuclear energy program or nuclear weapons. It also obviously serves to elevate western concern for the fate of Israel if all Iranians are characterized as being "anti-semitic".

I suspect it might come as a surprise to Jews living in Iran that they are seen by Mr Raman as being "anti-semitic" under this blanket condemnation. "Iran's Jewish community is the largest in the Middle East outside Israel." There is no doubt that Jews face continual persecution in Iran. Hoewever, one can't then conclude that all Muslims are anti-semitic. They're not.

The media's tendency to apply monolothic characteristics to, in this case, the citizens of Iran whose speech is oppressed by its radical leaders to the point where all we in the west are allowed to see on our television screens if what we're being fed by big news organizations which may or may not have a political agenda of their own, is an unfair portrait of a country of over 68 million people who, despite their repression, have many varied opinions about the world and its people.

Furthermore, such generalizations diminish the very serious human rights abuses that many Iranians currently face at the hands of a crushingly oppressive regime. They certainly do not deserve to be made out as some sort of cohesive, groupthinking, hateful bloc so they can be promoted as being the enemy by the American media.

Demonizing an entire country's citizen population is what xenophobes and terrorists do. You'd think a major US cable news network would do everything possible to avoid that trap.
 

Random News & Views Roundup

- Springtime Subpoena Fest! Better than a hot dog-eating contest by a country mile.

- Albertans slacking on environmental actions:

Fifty-seven per cent of Quebecers polled said they are promoting better behaviour toward the environment, while only 36 per cent of Albertans said they are doing the same.

Well, why bother? All of that pollution coming out of the oilsands projects is going to kill us anyway. /snark

- Did you know that today is World Water Day? This year's theme is water scarcity.

- With all of the political sparring in Canada lately over the treatment of detainees in Afghanistan, one thing I haven't heard an opinion about from our prime minister (unlike, say the Netherlands foreign minister and representatives of the US and UK) is what he has to say about Italy cutting a deal with the Afghan government to free 5 jailed Taliban commanders in exchange for one of its citizens.

- By the way, if our prime minister doesn't care about the fate of detainees in Afghanistan (and they are not all confirmed members of the Taliban), then why does he even bother with the Geneva Conventions or agreements to protect their rights? His attitude endangers our troops. Period. Did he even notice the fallout from the Abu Ghraib scandal? Disrespect human rights and you place soldiers' lives in even more peril.

- From the "why did Gates say that?" file:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates cautioned on Thursday the Army would face problems without emergency funds but insisted U.S. forces could fight a third war despite being stretched in Iraq and Afghanistan.

- Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is scheduled to vote on tougher Iran sanctions on Saturday.

- College Republican groups in the US are holding blatantly racist anti-immigrant events:

This week, Boise State University College Republicans have joined the list of College Republicans who have held anti-immigrant "games" by creating a despicable ad to promote a conservative speaker on campus. The ad advertises a food stamp drawing and a free meal at a "Mexican restaurant" for students who "climb through the hole in the fence" and submit illegal identification. This recent derogatory stunt comes on the heels of national news reports that confirm the rise in hate groups who are feeding off of anti-immigrant sentiments. Sadly, while these activities continue on America's campuses and while Republican presidential candidates use harsh words on immigration for political gain, the national Republican Party has remained quietly on the sidelines.

It has been three weeks since Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and DNC Hispanic Caucus Chair Ramona Martinez sent a letter to RNC General Chairman Mel Martinez regarding the despicable conduct of College Republicans. The Republican Chairman has yet to respond.

Sick, sick people.

- LA's Vicious War on the Homeless:

On the morning of February 8, a white hospital van stopped a few feet from a curb in Los Angeles' skid row area. According to witnesses, a man wearing a soiled hospital gown fell through the doors, and the van, later connected with Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, drove away.

The man, a paraplegic, began crawling down the street, a bag of his belongings clutched in his teeth and a colostomy bag dragging behind him. Other homeless people helped the disoriented man into a nearby park, just before police called an ambulance.

This horrible scene came just three months after the city attorney's office filed an indictment against Kaiser Permanente for dumping a 63-year-old patient on the streets of skid row in her socks and a hospital gown last year, an incident that was captured on videotape.

Patient dumping has become so widespread there's a bill in the California State Senate to criminalize the practice.

But these practices go deeper than a few isolated incidents. They are part of a system of abuse against LA's poor and homeless population.

- John Bolton: neocon warmongering monster:

Former US United Nations Ambassador John Bolton told the BBC today that he was “damned proud” of how the U.S. intentionally blocked efforts to achieve a ceasefire last summer when Israel was bombing Beirut and many other locales in Lebanon.

Video: Just another day in paradise...

Ban Ki-moon, shaken, stirred, but not actually hurt by a mortar attack near the scene of his press conference with al-Maliki.

Moments after telling journalists he might boost the United Nations' presence in Iraq because of improved security, a thunderous blast sent shockwaves through the conference venue, startling Ban and sending him ducking for cover behind a podium.
[...]
Interior Minister Jawad Bolani played down the incident afterwards, telling Reuters: "This was not a security breach. Things like this happen in Baghdad once or twice a week."

A Reuters reporter at the scene said the rocket landed on a small building about 50 meters from the news conference venue, a guesthouse in the prime minister's compound. The Interior Ministry said it landed in a field outside the compound.

Earlier, Ban praised Maliki's "strong leadership" and said: "As we see the improved situation on the ground, I am considering to increase the presence of the United Nations."

Once or twice a week? Does he actually live in Baghdad or read his ministry's statistics?

Statistics compiled from official daily reports of the Interior Ministry and other Iraqi government sources, as well as interviews in 20 Baghdad neighborhoods about the plan's initial measures, however, show that some early judgments are possible about the plan's effectiveness. With most members of Congress expressing skepticism about the plan's prospects for success, such information could prove useful in the debate over Bush's plan to commit a total of 17,500 additional troops to the plan in the coming months.

From Dec. 1, 2006, through Feb. 14, the number of people killed in public places from violent attacks averaged 14.8 a day. From Feb. 15 through Monday, the number declined, but just barely, to 13.8. Car bombs were up slightly, from an average of 1.2 a day to 1.6, while roadside bombs were identical at 1 per day.

Injuries, on average, rose from 40.4 a day to 52.8 since the start of the plan, while bodies dumped by death squads declined from 22.8 a day to 14.6.

I thought they got rid of Baghdad Bob.
 

Politico.com's Reputation

This morning, before John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth held their press conference in which they sadly announced that Elizabeth's cancer was back but that John would continue on with his presidential bid regardless, Ben Smith of politico.com reported:

John Edwards is suspending his campaign for President, and may drop out completely, because his wife has suffered a recurrence of the cancer that sickened her in 2004, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, an Edwards friend told The Politico.

"At a minimum he's going to suspend" the campaign, the source said. "Nobody knows precisely how serious her recurrence is. It’ll be another couple of days before there’s complete clarity."

Once the Edwards actually held their press conference in which they announced his bid would go on without interruption, Smith issued a correction in which he said he had relied on a single source for his story. Bad move, obviously.

And that might be the end of it if Politico.com hadn't been involved in misreporting before, but it has. If you've followed the Democrats fight with the administration and Republicans over the Iraq war, you'll remember how the phrase "slow bleed" was attributed to John Murtha and just how much of a firestorm that caused. The problem is that John Murtha never used that phrase. Politico.com's editor was the source of it. To add insult to injury, when John Harris announced his culpability weeks later the damage had already been done. To top that off, he wrote that he was proud of what he'd done:

With a mixture of pride and remorse, I have a confession: I am the author of the Democratic Party's "slow-bleed strategy" for ending the war in Iraq.

I had nothing to do with the details of the plan that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) floated two weeks ago. His plan was crafted to use the appropriations process to limit President Bush's options for mobilizing more forces in Iraq, while trying to protect Democrats from the accusation that they were abandoning troops in the field. As it happens, Murtha's idea is itself bleeding support, hit by a barrage of denunciations from people who say it does indeed amount to abandoning the troops.

In retrospect, it probably has already occurred to Murtha and his supporters that from a public relations perspective, "slow-bleed" was not the most winning description. How could they have been so stupid?

That's where I come in. "Slow bleed" is my phrase. Murtha had nothing to do with it. Neither did John Bresnahan, the reporter whose name was on the Politico story in which the "slow-bleed strategy" made its debut.

You can understand my pride of authorship. Editors labor in obscurity. Our job is to keep reporters from looking bad, and to let them take the credit when they look good. Rarely is there tangible evidence that we are having any impact. But in 20-plus years in the business, I can scarcely recall an instance when words typed on my keyboard have had such a loud and immediate echo.

Who takes pride in misrepresenting what a politican says just because it pulls him out of obscurity and then causes major political wars about the most serious issue facing the American people and government today? That's Rovian and it's selfish immaturity taken to its highest level.

The bottom line? Politico.com should not be considered a trusted source since its employees are obviously incapable of acting with any sort of journalistic professionalism. We already have enough problems dealing with what comes out of the mainstream media. If a new media organization wants to be considered legitimate and above that fray, it obviously needs to act with caution and integrity - something Politico.com has been lacking.
 

Boxer Tunes in Inhofe

"Elections have consequences."



Yes, Senator James Inhofe (R-Climate Change Denier), who thinks global warming is just a Weather Channel™ conspiracy used to boost its ratings:


 

Good News! Out of US Detention and Now in Canada

What a relief!

A nine-year-old Canadian boy and his Iranian parents arrived safely in Toronto on Wednesday night after being held for six weeks in a Texas detention centre.

"Thank you for everybody who helped us," Kevin Yourdkhani said, clutching his bags at Toronto's Pearson International Airport.

Kevin and his parents, Majid Yourdkhani and Masomeh Alibegi, flew into the airport from Houston, landing in Toronto at about 5:45 p.m. ET. The couple had tears in their eyes after leaving the plane.

Photo credit: CP

A picture really is worth a thousand words. Thanks to everyone who responded to the action alert here and throughout the blogosphere and an extra-special thank you to Annamarie who has put her heart and energy into reaching this outcome since day one.
 

Tories Behaving Badly - Again

I should actually turn this into a weekly column since new content is virtually guaranteed.

First of all, we have Prime Minister Pompous Ass pissing off the Liberals. (Let's hope he eventually leaves Canada so he can become a lord in Britain too.)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper went into attack mode in the House of Commons on Wednesday, accusing the Liberals of caring more about Taliban prisoners than Canadian troops.

The attack came during Question Period, as the Liberals called for the resignation of Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor over the erroneous information he provided to the government two weeks ago.
[...]
"I can understand the passion that the leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for the Taliban prisoners," Harper said. "I just wish occasionally they would show the same passion for Canadian soldiers."

His comments were quickly followed by boos and jeers from Liberals in the House. Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said he was shocked by Harper's suggestion and demanded an apology.

Harper continued with his barrage.

"I would like to see more support in the House of Commons from all sides for Canadian men and women in uniform," he said. "I think Canadians expect that from parliamentarians in every party. They have not been getting it, and they deserve it.

That attack made Dave swear (a rare event).

And because that wasn't enough of a display of Conservative self-righteousness for one day, a tory MP decided to call Saskatchewan premier Lorne Calvert a "liar":

OTTAWA – A Tory MP called Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert a liar today as the Harper government defended its budget against howls of outrage in some provinces.

"The premier's lying through his teeth," outspoken Saskatoon MP Maurice Vellacott said in an interview.

Moreover, Vellacott said the NDP premier is a "socialist" who can't handle economic prosperity and would be more comfortable keeping Saskatchewan "on the federal dole."

Calvert retorted that Vellacott's broadside is indicative of a government that has betrayed the provinces and has no other defence but name-calling.

"They're caught and they know it," the premier said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

You remember Maurice, right?

Yes, once again, that's the very predicatble new government of accountability in action.