Iraq

I'm curious. If this is true:

Defying the White House, Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday the House will change its rules to avoid a required vote this year on a hotly disputed free-trade agreement with Colombia.

Why then is it so hard to say, change some rules and make war funding votes not happen? I'm sure there's a "reason." Read below the fold...

Obama's top Iraq advisor has written a paper in which he advises that through negotiations with the Iraqi government “the U.S. should aim to transition to a sustainable over-watch posture (of perhaps 60,000–80,000 forces) by the end of 2010 (although the specific timelines should be the byproduct of negotiations and conditions on the ground).” (Emphasis mine.)

Now, of course, Obama's campaign denies that this position is his position, but Colin Kahl heads his Iraq working group and Obama has never said how many troops he'd leave on the ground in Iraq. Obama's advisors have also said that he wouldn't rule out using Blackwater and other mercenaries in Iraq. Read below the fold...

I don't mean to be understated but ... Houston we have a major fucking problem. Read below the fold...

It means nothing to the dead and little to their families, but it's still an important step in moving this nation back towards sanity. Conservative blogger Cole bitchslaps the stupidest of Villagers thusly:

see that Andrew Sullivan was asked to list what he got wrong about Iraq for the five year anniversary of the invasion, and since I was as big a war booster as anyone, I thought I would list what I got wrong:

Everything.

Read below the fold...

Speech-acts don't impress me so much anymore. Nor do websites. Or rallies. Cucking Stool reminds us of the real cost of the continuation of the clusterfuck that is Iraq, and it's hefty:
Read below the fold...

Whiskeyfire notes that Klein is now admitting he was "stupid" to support the invasion and occupation, and gets mean enough to say that "willful blindness" probably played a greater role. To me, this hardly goes far enough. Read below the fold...

Very good, almost enough to make me want to care about rock and roll again. Seriously, let me highlight some of the scarier parts. Myth isn't strong enough to describe what the bobbleheads in the Village are obsessing over, the truth of what is happening in Iraq is stark, and damning:
Read below the fold...

Via eriposte at The Leftcoaster, compare and contrast: Read below the fold...

Last September 10, as David Petraeus was giving Congress a rosy evaluation of the situation in Iraq, a poll of Iraqi public opinion was released that belied Petraeus’ reporting. The poll received little attention amid the media’s love-fest for David Petraeus. But the findings of the poll should send shivers down the spine of anyone concerned with the lives of Iraqis and American in Iraq. Read below the fold...

From the Dept. of "Lambert Can't be Cynical Enough," comes this blood boiling reminder that Republicans are Scum of the very first order. There just isn't invective strong enough for this:
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It's all lies. Or distortion. Or confabulation. Or misdirection. But I found this example rather egregious. I bet you DFHs remember this sort of thing from back in the day:

Radio Sawa broadcast on December 11 the good news from the American forces that the regions of Arab Jabour and Al-Buaitha had been definitively cleared of the last vestiges of AlQaeda. Here's what their website reported that day

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On a thread at our Grey Lord's Estate, one commenter reminded me of one of my favorite antiwar songs. It's been a long time, Tralfaz. Thanks.

I didn't put hero in quotes, but I hope you know that I never rejoice when people kill each other. And I'm 1000% sure more of this has already happened, and more will continue to happen. The solution is for US troops to come home. It's really just that simple.

Inter Press Service
By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail

BAGHDAD, Jan 7 (IPS) - The recent killing of two U.S. soldiers by their Iraqi colleague has raised disturbing questions about U.S. military relations with the Iraqis they work with.

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They're asking questions over at MoA. Questions I like to think upon:

Suicide Bombing in Iraq continues unabated:

A suicide bombing Wednesday in the city of Baqouba killed seven people and wounded 22, police said, while authorities increased the death toll from a Baghdad suicide attack at a funeral the previous day to 36.

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But never fear, 90% of the agenda was "accomplished."

Heroes in the Beltway:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, despite their pledges to continue pushing to end the war in Iraq, face growing pressure from their rank-and-file Democrats to focus more attention on domestic, "pocketbook" issues in the upcoming election year.

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