Tristero

Friedman Says War Is Football By Other Means  

If this were not about my own country, my own kids and my own planet, I'd pop some popcorn, pull up a chair and pay good money just to see how this drama unfolds. Because what you are about to see is the greatest shake of the dice any president has voluntarily engaged in since Harry Truman dropped the bomb on Japan.

On the Capture of The Mastermind  

Spin Alert: "More a Critical Issue for Turkey Than US"  

In Turkey, Majority Rules. The US Should Try It.  

Turkish Parliament Refuses to Accept G.I.'s in Blow to Bush The defeat of the resolution was a stunning political blow as well. Turkey, one of the America's closest allies and a member of NATO, is a secular Muslim democracy whose support in the region the Bush administration has craved. Indeed, American officials have called Turkey a model for the type of system they are hoping that an invasion of Iraq would help bring about elsewhere in the Middle East.

We're Screwed

Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, said today that the President Bush was hopeful that war could be averted, but that to escape military action, Iraq must "completely and totally" disarm or Mr. Hussein and his top leaders must agree to "go into exile."

That combination of events, he said, looked highly unlikely.

Pressed on the point, Mr. Fleischer said both would be necessary conditions because disarmament was the United Nations' goal and changing Iraq's government was the president's.

Character  

President Bush has failed the true test of character. Handed the American presidency, Bush has abused the power bestowed upon him. A man with character uses power discreetly. A moral man chooses patience over war. A man with ethical strength favors the needs of the many over the wants of the rich. A man of character is competent and dependable. Bush fails every one of these tests.

Wolfowitz: "Dang. I Didn't Think That Could Happen."  

What Do We Care? He's Not American, Y'know  

Tony Blair may be America's closest ally over Iraq, but his political problems did not rate very highly in the American news media despite the big revolt by Labour MPs in Parliament.

Mr Blair's troubles with his party over Iraq may be front-page news in Britain, the debate was buried deep in coverage in the United States - if it was included at all.

The vote did not merit a mention on any of the main network news programmes on Wednesday...

No, Not 2 Out Of 5 Dentists, George  

The bottom line is that roughly four in five Americans would favor war if the United Nations approved it, but only two in five, roughly, would favor war no matter what.

'We will disarm him now,' Bush says  

The Real Reason the US Is Going To War In Iraq  

Tapped Tries On the Tin Foiled Hat  

too few have actually said yes to any policies that might bring about real democracy in the Arab world. Thomas Friedman got to the heart of the matter earlier this week when he observed that while thousands of left-wingers have carried signs at demonstrations advocating democracy for Palestinians, how many protesters do you see chanting for democracy in Iraq?

How can liberals -- whatever their feelings on Bush's war -- care about one and not the other?

No. Don't Worry. Not Al-Qaeda. Of course not.  

At least two policemen have been killed in a gun attack outside the US consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi.

A number of policemen were also injured.

Police have arrested the suspected attacker. [SNIP]

"The suspect is not linked to al-Qaeda, but connected to some local Pakistani extremist group," a senior police official told Reuters news agency.

An intelligence official told the AFP news agency: "The policemen were hate-targets because they were protecting Americans."

Just As Long As She Doesn't Become a VP Candidate in '04  

Saletan Hits A Homer  

Bush Admin Distorted WMD Claims of Iraq Defector

The above quotes from President Bush, Prime Minister Blair and Secretary Powell refer to material produced by Iraq before the 1991 Gulf War. The administration has cited various quantities of chemical and biological weapons on many other occasions -- weapons that Iraq produced but which remain unaccounted for. All of these claims refer to weapons produced before 1991. According to Kamel's transcript, Iraq destroyed all of these weapons in 1991.

Kamel's statement casts into new light the claims made by the Iraqi government that it destroyed its non-conventional weapons in the period immediately after the end of the Gulf War. This topic remains highly potent, with Hans Blix declaring that "[o]ne of three important questions before us today is how much might remain undeclared and intact from before 1991" ( statement of 27 January 2003 to the Security Council). If Kamel is to be taken as seriously as the UK and US administrations have previously held him to be, then his claim that "[a]ll weapons - biological, chemical, missile, nuclear were destroyed" should be taken seriously.

Arabs Listen To America...Not!

"If you start telling me that to avoid war you have to start changing leaders, that certainly would be an innovation in international law that I am not aware of," Egyptian Minister Ahmed Maher said.

Buy Vodka! Buy Blinis! Buy Tolstoy!  

It's Dawning in America  

The Businessmen Are In Charge? Right...  

Estimating how much a war with Iraq would cost is impossible, Rumsfeld said...

Is Nicky a Total Fool or Just An Idiot?  

There's nothing wrong with planning, or with brandishing a stick to get Kim Jong Il's attention.

The Diplomat's Letter of Resignation to Powell  

It is inevitable that during twenty years with the State Department I would become more sophisticated and cynical about the narrow and selfish bureaucratic motives that sometimes shaped our policies. Human nature is what it is, and I was rewarded and promoted for understanding human nature. But until this Administration it had been possible to believe that by upholding the policies of my president I was also upholding the interests of the American people and the world. I believe it no longer.

The policies we are now asked to advance are incompatible not only with American values but also with American interests. Our fervent pursuit of war with Iraq is driving us to squander the international legitimacy that has been America’s most potent weapon of both offense and defense since the days of Woodrow Wilson. We have begun to dismantle the largest and most effective web of international relationships the world has ever known. Our current course will bring instability and danger, not security.

More Good  

Bushies Keep On Making Friends  

Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao ignited a furor today among labor leaders, including the administration's strongest friend in labor, the teamster president James P. Hoffa, when she cited repeated examples of union corruption while addressing the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s winter meeting.

Mr. Hoffa criticized Secretary Chao and said labor should back a presidential candidate who understands working people, causing many union leaders to say Mr. Hoffa was distancing himself from the president.

Lookin' Good!!!!  

One of Only Two Saudi FBI Agents Has Been Placed On Leave  

From the Very Un-Liberal Charley Reese  

I do know that the only leader threatening the world with nuclear weapons and pre-emptive attack is George W. Bush. It gives me no pleasure to point that out. But it is not the role of an American citizen to be a sheep. It has become apparent that those of us who supported Bush made a mistake. I'm beginning to believe that a philanderer and a liar is less dangerous than an upright but ignorant man who thinks God has appointed him to rule the world.

The best way to support our troops is to try to prevent the Bush administration from sacrificing their lives for the hidden agenda of the crazy neoconservatives in his administration. Young Americans should not die because a bunch of chicken hawks have a cockamamie idea that they can bring liberal democracy to the Middle East by making war. That's like trying to sell pork barbecue in Mecca. What the president is intent on doing is committing a crime against humanity.

Magnificent Szymborska Poem  

The End and the Beginning

Afghan Watch  

The Americans say they still feel welcome here. After all they were the 'liberators'.

But they have not been speaking to the folk who live nearby in the province of Konar.

Bush: A Man of Character. As In Shady.  

'Really Weird'  

The idea that the coming war will accidentally liberate Iraqis betrays a breathtaking naivety about the consequences of Western intervention. Outside interference in Iraq has already exacerbated local tensions, and military intervention can only further unravel the fragile Iraqi state. The internationalisation of Iraq's local conflicts threatens to divide Iraqis further and store up conflict for the future, rather than herald anything like a new era of freedom.

By turning Iraq into an international issue, America and Britain have paved the way for a carve-up. Local players like Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia all want a piece of postwar Iraq, while the big powers - including the supposedly anti-war French and Germans - have their own plans for postwar occupation. And if you think such intervention will bring democracy to Iraq, then you're really weird.

From the Wadda I Gotta Do 2 Get Yr Attention Department  

U.S. Diplomat Resigns, Protesting 'Our Fervent Pursuit of War'  

Any Comparisons to Orwell Are Pure Coincidence  

ABCNEWS.com : Bush: Iraq War Can Bring Mideast Peace

Bush Expresses Hope for Postwar Peace, Democracy (washingtonpost.com)

Bush Says War Will Pave the Way for Peace

Bush says war is key to Middle East peace

Bush: War To Stabilize Region

[UPDATE]

Bush: Iraq War Will Build Mideast Peace

Bush Looks Past War to Peace in Middle East

War will bring peace, Bush vows

Bush sees postwar gain in peace, security

Bush sees war as a key to peace

Charlotte Observer | 02/27/2003 | Bush: War could aid peace in Mideast

Bush says Iraq war will aid Mideast peace search

Column: Civilian and military sacrifice unavoidable for world peace

[UPDATE] Liberal Oasis has an excellent summary of the importance of this speech.
[UPDATE] Alternet with another analysis, focusing a bit on the importance of the venue.

It Really Does Have Many Uses  

Is the War Moral  

[The war to come] is wildly, almost insanely unwise and likely counter-productive, but liberating the Iraqi people from a murderous dictator is not, any way you slice it, immoral.

There is a letter going round signed by many of my favorite intellectuals and friends against the war that I considered signing but did not. I declined for two reasons. In the first place, it refers to this war as “immoral.” I beg to differ. It is wildly, almost insanely unwise and likely counter-productive, but liberating the Iraqi people from a murderous dictator is not, any way you slice it, immoral

March 25 Likely Start for War Now?  

First, there is time for anti-war movements to develop further across Europe and possibly even in the United States. They have been remarkable in their recent speed of development and have come together before a war has even started. At the very least they will put further pressure on governments, with Britain and Spain being particularly significant. In both countries a palpable unease about the march to war is now being reflected in opinion polls showing a loss of support for the governing parties.

Virtual March  

Clinton Heads UN? Oh, Please!  

The Incredible Shrinking Protests  

On Feb. 15, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets in cities across the United States, Europe and Asia, protesting the Bush administration's threatened invasion of Iraq.

Hamid What? Who? Oh Yeah, the Guy With the Cool Clothes  

We have a great deal of work left to do in Afghanistan," Biden said, adding that security outside of Kabul, the capital, was a problem. He said warlords were again in control of certain regions and that "murder, rape and torture" were "instruments of policy" in some places.

Karzai acknowledged that problems remain in Afghanistan, but he gave a generally positive assessment of progress in the country.

"It's a much brighter picture than what you read in the newspapers," he said.

But several senators cautioned Karzai to give a blunt and realistic assessment in his private discussions with President Bush and administration figures, saying it would be a mistake not to fully acknowledge all of the problems and challenges the country faces.
"If you leave an impression that everything is going well...the next time you come back, your credibility will be in question," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska.

The Exterminator Squeaks Up  

Rebuttal to Pollack's Case for War  

Bulgaria?  

The diplomatic motorcade pulled up to the White House yesterday with great fanfare. The two Marine guards at the door of the colonnaded West Wing saluted smartly. TV cameras pressed close to get pictures of the vital American ally alighting from the black sedan for his one-on-one with President Bush.

It was a summit of the two great strategic partners, America and Bulgaria.

Bulgaria?

Pooty-Poot  

It would be the best thing that could happen for everyone. He would retire and avert total destruction. From the US standpoint, the main advantage is that Bush would be further isolated if Blair abandoned him. And if he doesn't go to war, which he probably wouldn't if Blair accepted it, he would be humiliated.

Most importantly, people won't die with bullets I paid for and Iraq has the potential to transition into something less odious than Saddamism (although democracy won't happen for a long,long, time).

I am hoping against hope that these rumors are true.

There's another one going on that war is now being pushed back a little bit from Ides of March due to delays from Turkey (thanks, guys!) and other factors (apparently the Pentagon has decided to invoke the McClennan Doctrine: ask for more and more troops and never attack). This is all to the good as it will probably work to create impatience and tension in the COWed (those who were forced and bribed into the Coalition Of the Willing) and the economy will continue to tank, putting pressure on Bush from his biz backers to stand back.

Again, all this is closer to wisps in the wind, but I'll cling to hope 'til the last possible moment.

[UPDATE] Here's the source for Saddam's comment "I will die in Iraq."

"Americans are antagonizing their friends"  

"Believe me and write this," he added. "Nobody hates America. America used to be a great example, it was not a colonial power in the region. Our sons and brothers work with American businesses. I am very sorry that American policy is threatening the human relations between the nations. The Americans are antagonizing their friends."

Ho Ho Ho, That George! Wadda Sense of Humor!  

The Entire World Is Opposed To War: A Stunning Map

Copycats

The United States has "serious concerns" about Egypt's extension of emergency laws which allow it to detain suspects without charge and try civilians in military courts.

Big Bombs

The MOAB's massive explosive punch, sources say, is similar to a small nuclear weapon.

It is intended to obliterate a command center hidden in tunnels and bunkers or a concentration of Iraqi tanks.

Whatever the target, it must be far from cities where civilians might be hurt.

Class Warfare

No one disputes the size of the average tax reduction, and the jobs figure is based on the estimate of a prominent private economic forecasting firm.

But this is what the president did not say: Half of all income-tax payers would have their taxes cut by less than $100; 78 percent would get reductions of less than $1,000. And the firm that the White House relied on to predict the initial job growth also forecast that the plan could hurt the economy over the long run.

WMD's Are Dangerous, But Danger Overhyped

Bongs Today, Politics Tomorrow

Mr. Ashcroft says customers who want to visit some of their favorite drug paraphernalia websites are in for a big surprise in the days ahead. They will be automatically redirected to the website for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

To Save His Butt, Saddam Should Act like Kim Jong-Il

...any ruler who wants to be treated politely and deferentially by the United States should build nuclear weapons and test ballistic missiles immediately, without restraint. Apparently it is also better to expel inspectors rather than to admit them, and to fire missiles rather than to declare them.

And best of all, be sure to fire one off whenever the Secretary of State drops by.

Bongs Today, Politics Tomorrow

Mr. Ashcroft says customers who want to visit some of their favorite drug paraphernalia websites are in for a big surprise in the days ahead. They will be automatically redirected to the website for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

North Korea Is Not a Naughty Child

Press Secretary Ari Fleischer characterized the missile firing as an attempt by North Korea to get attention as South Korea inaugurated its new president.

Fleischer said some nations "send flowers or a bouquet or visiting dignitaries" to mark such an event, but North Korea "sent a short-range cruise missile. This is why North Korea finds itself so isolated among the nations of the world."

He went on to call it "North Korea's way of saying 'please pay me'" and said Bush would not reward what he considers bad behavior by offering the Pyongyang regime money.

Afghanistan, Iraq, Phillipines, Colombia...France?? But Not North Korea???

The United States fired a warning shot Tuesday across the bows of France, the leading critic of its Iraq policy, saying it would view any French veto of a new U.N. resolution authorizing force as "very unfriendly."

Primakov To the Rescue?

Saddam told Primakov he would cooperate completely with U.N. inspectors tasked with verifying that Iraq has rid itself of weapons of mass destruction, Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Hey, George, Look At Me! Over Here!

SEOUL North Korea, in a provocative reminder of the tense security situation on the Korean Peninsula, on Monday conducted its first missile launching test in three years, South Korea's Yonyap news agency said today.

The move by North Korea appeared to be an attention-getting measure as a new South Korean president, who has vowed to be aggressive in reshaping his country's relationship with the United States, prepares to take office today.

Good Golly Miss Molly!

Look, the rest of the world is deeply worried about the possibility that this war could set off a holocaust. That is not a concern that should be treated with contemptuous dismissal.

Coalition of the Coerced

Senior Turkish officials have made no secret of their distaste for the American plans for Iraq. Public opinion polls show that most Turks oppose their country's involvement.

Italian Civil Disobedience

The [Italian] labour union that represents almost 90 percent of dock workers said it would boycott the loading and unloading of all shipments of U.S. arms coming in and out of Italian ports.

The Busheviks: I Like That

...daily life has taken on the quality of nightmare. We look on at horror after horror; protest en masse, and watch the world protest, to no avail; see utter mediocrity exalted, moral idiocy flaunted, fraud and thievery rewarded; hear black called white and white called black. No one in power says anything that makes a lick of sense. And then you flip on CNN, where everybody's acting like it's normal. Well, it isn't normal. And I think the majority of people in this country know it. They're the majority that voted against Bush -- some 53%. So it's very strange, and painful, to be made to think that you're alone in your perceptions.

Fair Balanced - Not

One of the more dangerous aspects of the current countdown to war with Iraq is the role of the US media.

With rare exceptions, American television has taken upon itself the task of selling president George W Bush’s war against Saddam Hussein.

In this propaganda effort for the White House, it does not offer readers any adequate choice of views or news. It openly dismisses those who speak up against the coming conflict even on the few occasions when they are called to appear on television screens. It long ago gave up the pretence that as a free media, it was offering viewers enough balance and variety so that they could independently make up their minds on the question of overthrowing Saddam Hussein through an invasion.

Iraq Wont Be Ruled By Infidels

Iraqis will violently resist any bid by the United States to govern a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq with its "infidel" military administration, a powerful Islamic cleric has warned.

Bush Is The Biggest Enemy of Peace, Sez World

The messages from U.S. embassies around the globe have become urgent and disturbing: Many people in the world increasingly think President Bush is a greater threat to world peace than Iraqi President Saddam Hussein...
"It is rather astonishing," said a senior U.S. official who has access to the reports. "There is an absence of any recognition that Hussein is the problem."

"It is rather astonishing," said a senior U.S. official who has access to the reports. "There is an absence of any recognition that Hussein is the problem."

Please understand, "senior administration official." It's not Saddam or Bush. It's both Saddam AND Bush that frightens the world and right now, Bush is far scarier.

Article here

Of Course It Exists. They're Just Hiding It.

There was only one problem with President George W. Bush's claim Thursday that the nation's top economists forecast substantial economic growth if Congress passed the president's tax cut: The forecast with that conclusion doesn't exist.

So What? At Least He Wasn't a Liberal

The Florida professor indicted last week on terrorism charges was granted entry to the White House complex and briefed by a senior administration official as part of a 160-person group in June 2001, according to a White House official.

Officials would not release the name of the senior administration official who briefed the group. A member of the president's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives also briefed them, according to the White House.

Gov't For The People

59 percent think a war will lead to more terrorism in the U.S., and just 12 percent think it will lower that threat -- quite the opposite of the war's supposed payoff.

Get It In Writing, Folks

"If the president decides it is necessary to use force, let me assure you once again that the United States will be committed to liberating the people of Iraq, not becoming an occupation force," he said.

Mr Wolfowitz also promised humanitarian and economic aid and he asked his audience of Iraqi Americans for help.

Put That Duct Tape To Good Use

A schoolteacher in the US state of Missouri is facing a lawsuit that alleges she taped a kindergarten child to a chair as a punishment.

Afghanistan: Template for Iraq

THE END DAYS

``It is a possibility that on this occasion [Saddam] may use all his arsenal and he has many targets that he could use them on,'' Major told the British Broadcasting Corp. ``I think it is quite likely that he will try to create Armageddon.''

"We may be the generation that sees Armageddon."

CYA ALERT!

Finding Saddam Hussein may become a very difficult mission for the United States if it invades Iraq.

And a Tip Of The Iceberg to You

What Else Can You Do When You're Brother Isn't Governor?

Bev Harris has e-mailed to news organizations a series of reports that detail alarming problems in the high-tech voting machinery currently sweeping its way through American democracy. But almost no one is paying attention.

The Incredible Shrinking Protests

...more than 800,000 people turned out in 150 rallies in the United States last weekend, from 100 in Davenport, Iowa, to an estimated 350,000 in New York City. In Europe, more than 1.5 million protested.

You Saw It Here First

Many people now think an American invasion is inevitable; many more are desperate just to get whatever happens over.

SADDAM'S WMD DETAILED

During the interviews, the former Iraqi air force technician described several different methods for distributing chemical agents that he said the Iraqi military still possessed. In a notebook, he drew diagrams, maps of bases and test sites and at one point used an empty mineral water bottle as a stand-in for a particular type of distribution system.