Glenn takes Frank Gaffney to task for accusing Sen. Levin, among many others, of treason for speaking out against Fredo's Fiasco. Glenn's blog entry about his debate with Gaffney is here and thanx to Crooks & Liars, we have audio clips of a debate between Glenn and Gaffney from Alan Colmes radio show.
Gaffney has the temerity to suggest that there was "a wealth of evidence was available to the CIA that indicated a relationship existed between Iraqi agents and al Qaeda operatives, spanning more than a decade." The Defense Department's own Inspector General found that Feith and his colleagues in the Office of Special Plans went beyond the available intelligence when they asserted that there was a collaborative relationship between Saddam and Al-Qaeda. The DoD's IG report on this issue was also backed up by the Republican-controlled Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on pre-war intelligence.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
HANNITY'S LIE SPREADS
I wrote below about how Hannity lied about John Murtha and as usual, his lie made it to AOL. Here's how it starts:
DEMS NOW KILLING OUR TROOPS (NOTE: This is the thread title)
#1 - 2/17/07 10:45 AM (Msg Id: 523441:2890488)
JGreen3947
dEMS CONGRESS has joined the enemy
#17 - 2/17/07 11:32 AM (Msg Id: 523441:2890822) Re:#16
Hus4154
So if I understand John Murtha correctly (and here in Pittsburgh, we get a chance to understand him a lot), he wants to deny American soldiers the equipment they need and deny American soldiers the training they need. OK, I think I understand. What a great plan. That'll sure cut down on American deaths.
#44 - 2/17/07 11:59 AM (Msg Id: 523441:2891041) Re:#43
JGreen3947
you know the real quote....
where he says his legislation will make it so they
can't do anything.......can no longer conduct operations
why do libs hide from it........
DEMS NOW KILLING OUR TROOPS (NOTE: This is the thread title)
#1 - 2/17/07 10:45 AM (Msg Id: 523441:2890488)
JGreen3947
dEMS CONGRESS has joined the enemy
#17 - 2/17/07 11:32 AM (Msg Id: 523441:2890822) Re:#16
Hus4154
So if I understand John Murtha correctly (and here in Pittsburgh, we get a chance to understand him a lot), he wants to deny American soldiers the equipment they need and deny American soldiers the training they need. OK, I think I understand. What a great plan. That'll sure cut down on American deaths.
#44 - 2/17/07 11:59 AM (Msg Id: 523441:2891041) Re:#43
JGreen3947
you know the real quote....
where he says his legislation will make it so they
can't do anything.......can no longer conduct operations
why do libs hide from it........
MORE ON JENNIFER HARRIS
Lexis-Nexis now has the transcript of the All Things Considered segment ( February 14, 2007 Wednesday) on Harris. Here are some of the statements that got my attention:
CHRIS ARNOLD: Jennifer Harris stood out, both in the Marine Corps in Iraq, where she was one of just a handful of women flying helicopters on combat rescue missions, and back in her hometown of Swampscott, Massachusetts. It's a small town on the coast north of Boston. Peter Sack(ph) was the principal of the high school when Harris went there and knew her well.
Mr. PETER SACK: You know, there are people who walk in my office and you just feel good because they're there, you know? She lit up my room, she lit up the office and she lit up this school.
ARNOLD: Harris grew up in a working-class family. In high school, she was a sailing instructor. She volunteered at the library and a local hospital. She was a class officer all four years, a top student, National Honor Society. The school gives out two good citizenship awards every year, usually to two different people. Harris won them both.
ARNOLD: Sack says unlike most teenagers, Harris always struck him as being confident and very comfortable with herself, and that stood her well when the skinny kid who played the flute in the school band grew up, starting working out, made it into the Naval Academy at Annapolis and joined the Marines.
ARNOLD: Another friend of Harris's is Navy pilot Matt Ventimilia(ph), who knew her at Annapolis. He spoke to us on his way in from the airport to help with the funeral.
Mr. MATT VENTIMILIA (United States Navy): She was so close to coming home, and she was so excited to go do what she was going to go do next and take a little break from getting shot at every day.
ARNOLD: Harris's next assignment was going to be teaching ROTC at George Washington University, though Ventimilia heard her superiors were asking her if she wanted to join the pilots that fly Marine One, the president's helicopter.
Mr. VENTIMILIA: So that just gives you an idea of, you know, the caliber of pilot she was.
ARNOLD: Ventimilia says you couldn't ask for a better friend, either.
CHRIS ARNOLD: Jennifer Harris stood out, both in the Marine Corps in Iraq, where she was one of just a handful of women flying helicopters on combat rescue missions, and back in her hometown of Swampscott, Massachusetts. It's a small town on the coast north of Boston. Peter Sack(ph) was the principal of the high school when Harris went there and knew her well.
Mr. PETER SACK: You know, there are people who walk in my office and you just feel good because they're there, you know? She lit up my room, she lit up the office and she lit up this school.
ARNOLD: Harris grew up in a working-class family. In high school, she was a sailing instructor. She volunteered at the library and a local hospital. She was a class officer all four years, a top student, National Honor Society. The school gives out two good citizenship awards every year, usually to two different people. Harris won them both.
ARNOLD: Sack says unlike most teenagers, Harris always struck him as being confident and very comfortable with herself, and that stood her well when the skinny kid who played the flute in the school band grew up, starting working out, made it into the Naval Academy at Annapolis and joined the Marines.
ARNOLD: Another friend of Harris's is Navy pilot Matt Ventimilia(ph), who knew her at Annapolis. He spoke to us on his way in from the airport to help with the funeral.
Mr. MATT VENTIMILIA (United States Navy): She was so close to coming home, and she was so excited to go do what she was going to go do next and take a little break from getting shot at every day.
ARNOLD: Harris's next assignment was going to be teaching ROTC at George Washington University, though Ventimilia heard her superiors were asking her if she wanted to join the pilots that fly Marine One, the president's helicopter.
Mr. VENTIMILIA: So that just gives you an idea of, you know, the caliber of pilot she was.
ARNOLD: Ventimilia says you couldn't ask for a better friend, either.
Friday, February 16, 2007
MORE ON MURTHA
These snippets from a February 9th hearing show that Murtha is concerned about the troops having enough equipment to train on before they are sent to Iraq. Gen. Schoomaker notes that both men and equipment are being worn down by the pace of deployment, something I've mentioned before (here, here and here)
REP. MURTHA: Let me say that we hope that we'll be able to combine the base bill with the supplemental so you won't have to come back again. So this may take a little longer than the normal hearing just because we want to talk about short-term readiness and long-term readiness. We're going to do the same thing with each of the secretaries, trying to work it out that way. A great American said, "We should never confuse enthusiasm with capability." And I've repeated that over and over again. There's no question about the enthusiasm of the troops. There's no question about -- I'm inspired by them when I meet them in the field or in hospitals, wherever I might go, as you are. But we can't confuse that with our ability to respond. For instance, Mr. Secretary, you mentioned you've got modernization at $56 billion when you started out four years ago. Now we've got a $100 billion backlog. At least, that's the figure we have. So it's gotten worse. I talk to troops all the time that have inadequate equipment to train with -- National Guard, Reserve and regular forces. We don't think the reports you have given us show that we have very few units in the United States that are prepared to be deployed under the regulations and requirements you folks make because of lack of equipment. And young people that I talk to tell me they have gone to Iraq when they don't have SINCGARS to train on. And we've got a 20,000 shortage of SINCGARS in this country. They don't have the same trucks to train on back in the United States, in many cases. I know you try to take care of that with shifting equipment around. But with this increased numbers of people, I don't see how you're going to have the equipment available to them that when you deploy them you can assure us that they will have the appropriate equipment before they're deployed. For instance, before, we were replacing people, and now we're adding to people.Now, as I understand it, the 82nd Airborne, did they have the equipment, General, that they needed when they went in? They had all the equipment when they left the United States, when they got into Iraq that they needed -- the most modern equipment, the equipment they'll be using?
GEN. SCHOOMAKER: Sir, the 82nd, just like the other brigades that we've sent, have had exactly the challenges that you describe, and that is that we have not had adequate numbers of equipment for them to fully train on it. However, we have married them with subsequent equipment as they go in, and I can assure you that once they've crossed into the fight that they have had all that they've needed and required.
REP. MURTHA: Yeah, well, are you able to say that all the brigades that go from the United States will have the equipment and training they need before they're sent into combat?
GEN. SCHOOMAKER: Sir, I am prepared to tell you that those units as they arrive in either Iraq or Afghanistan are fully trained and equipped. But, as you know, we've had to front load -- we've had to push the very best equipment forward into the fight, and the risk has been taken in CONUS, where we've been training. And I will -- I agree that it's less than satisfactory, but we've had to pool our resources to prepare those that are going.
[snip]
GEN. SCHOOMAKER:Well, we're working the readiness rates up, but what causes the decline is the amount of equipment we've committed to theater and the fact that the industrial base cannot keep up with the growth at the speed that we would like to accelerate it. So it is -- let me go back over the dimensions. You mentioned, the secretary mentioned, and I think he would agree with me, that two years of supplemental funding to reconstitute and reset the force past this thing is a very conservative estimate. My view is two years is a minimum. It's going to be at least three, and maybe more.
And the more we commit, and the more that we have involved, we are accelerating the demise of the equipment we've committed. It's being worn out faster. Obviously, combat action is destroying equipment. So we're working against -- while we're filling the bucket, we're also having a diminishment of what's in the bucket. So we're working against that.
Secondly, the dwell time of these units going back on multiple tours is shortening. This is not a good situation. This makes it difficult to train. It also has huge impact on families, because now, instead of getting rest and recuperation and getting things sorted out, we're now putting them right back into preparation to go back to the fight. That is a big issue.
SOURCE:
Copyright 2007 Federal News Service, Inc.
All Rights Reserved Federal News Service
February 9, 2007 Friday
HEADLINE: HEARING OF THE DEFENSE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE; SUBJECT: FISCAL YEAR 2007 WAR SUPPLEMENTAL; CHAIRED BY: REPRESENTATIVE JOHN P. MURTHA (D-PA); WITNESSES: FRANCIS J. HARVEY, SECRETARY, UNITED STATES ARMY; GENERAL PETER J. SCHOOMAKER, CHIEF OF STAFF, UNITED STATES ARMY; LOCATION: 2359 RAYBURN, HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D.C.
REP. MURTHA: Let me say that we hope that we'll be able to combine the base bill with the supplemental so you won't have to come back again. So this may take a little longer than the normal hearing just because we want to talk about short-term readiness and long-term readiness. We're going to do the same thing with each of the secretaries, trying to work it out that way. A great American said, "We should never confuse enthusiasm with capability." And I've repeated that over and over again. There's no question about the enthusiasm of the troops. There's no question about -- I'm inspired by them when I meet them in the field or in hospitals, wherever I might go, as you are. But we can't confuse that with our ability to respond. For instance, Mr. Secretary, you mentioned you've got modernization at $56 billion when you started out four years ago. Now we've got a $100 billion backlog. At least, that's the figure we have. So it's gotten worse. I talk to troops all the time that have inadequate equipment to train with -- National Guard, Reserve and regular forces. We don't think the reports you have given us show that we have very few units in the United States that are prepared to be deployed under the regulations and requirements you folks make because of lack of equipment. And young people that I talk to tell me they have gone to Iraq when they don't have SINCGARS to train on. And we've got a 20,000 shortage of SINCGARS in this country. They don't have the same trucks to train on back in the United States, in many cases. I know you try to take care of that with shifting equipment around. But with this increased numbers of people, I don't see how you're going to have the equipment available to them that when you deploy them you can assure us that they will have the appropriate equipment before they're deployed. For instance, before, we were replacing people, and now we're adding to people.Now, as I understand it, the 82nd Airborne, did they have the equipment, General, that they needed when they went in? They had all the equipment when they left the United States, when they got into Iraq that they needed -- the most modern equipment, the equipment they'll be using?
GEN. SCHOOMAKER: Sir, the 82nd, just like the other brigades that we've sent, have had exactly the challenges that you describe, and that is that we have not had adequate numbers of equipment for them to fully train on it. However, we have married them with subsequent equipment as they go in, and I can assure you that once they've crossed into the fight that they have had all that they've needed and required.
REP. MURTHA: Yeah, well, are you able to say that all the brigades that go from the United States will have the equipment and training they need before they're sent into combat?
GEN. SCHOOMAKER: Sir, I am prepared to tell you that those units as they arrive in either Iraq or Afghanistan are fully trained and equipped. But, as you know, we've had to front load -- we've had to push the very best equipment forward into the fight, and the risk has been taken in CONUS, where we've been training. And I will -- I agree that it's less than satisfactory, but we've had to pool our resources to prepare those that are going.
[snip]
GEN. SCHOOMAKER:Well, we're working the readiness rates up, but what causes the decline is the amount of equipment we've committed to theater and the fact that the industrial base cannot keep up with the growth at the speed that we would like to accelerate it. So it is -- let me go back over the dimensions. You mentioned, the secretary mentioned, and I think he would agree with me, that two years of supplemental funding to reconstitute and reset the force past this thing is a very conservative estimate. My view is two years is a minimum. It's going to be at least three, and maybe more.
And the more we commit, and the more that we have involved, we are accelerating the demise of the equipment we've committed. It's being worn out faster. Obviously, combat action is destroying equipment. So we're working against -- while we're filling the bucket, we're also having a diminishment of what's in the bucket. So we're working against that.
Secondly, the dwell time of these units going back on multiple tours is shortening. This is not a good situation. This makes it difficult to train. It also has huge impact on families, because now, instead of getting rest and recuperation and getting things sorted out, we're now putting them right back into preparation to go back to the fight. That is a big issue.
SOURCE:
Copyright 2007 Federal News Service, Inc.
All Rights Reserved Federal News Service
February 9, 2007 Friday
HEADLINE: HEARING OF THE DEFENSE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE; SUBJECT: FISCAL YEAR 2007 WAR SUPPLEMENTAL; CHAIRED BY: REPRESENTATIVE JOHN P. MURTHA (D-PA); WITNESSES: FRANCIS J. HARVEY, SECRETARY, UNITED STATES ARMY; GENERAL PETER J. SCHOOMAKER, CHIEF OF STAFF, UNITED STATES ARMY; LOCATION: 2359 RAYBURN, HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D.C.
SO FAR, NOT MANY IRAQIS ARE "SURGING"
I'm going to try to keep track of Fredo's escalation plan and see if we can tell before August whether it is working or not. The initial reports aren't encouraging:
BAGHDAD, Feb. 14 — Thousands of American troops in armored Stryker vehicles swarmed three mostly Shiite neighborhoods of northeastern Baghdad on Wednesday, encountering little resistance during what commanders described as the first major sweep of the new security plan for the capital.
But even though an Iraqi announced the new phase of the security plan, it was clearly an American-led operation: only 200 Iraqi police officers and soldiers were involved, commanders said, working alongside about 2,500 Americans.
BAGHDAD, Feb. 14 — Thousands of American troops in armored Stryker vehicles swarmed three mostly Shiite neighborhoods of northeastern Baghdad on Wednesday, encountering little resistance during what commanders described as the first major sweep of the new security plan for the capital.
But even though an Iraqi announced the new phase of the security plan, it was clearly an American-led operation: only 200 Iraqi police officers and soldiers were involved, commanders said, working alongside about 2,500 Americans.
A FEW HONORABLE MEN
It takes some courage to go against Fredo, Rove and the Noise Machine and 17 Republican members of the House did just that today when they voted for the bill expressing disapproval of the escalation in Iraq.
Here are their names:
Castle
Coble
Davis, Tom
Duncan
English (PA)
Gilchrest
Inglis (SC)
Johnson (IL)
Jones (NC)
Keller
Kirk
LaTourette
Paul
Petri
Ramstad
Upton
Walsh (NY)
Naturally, the wingnuts despise these congressmen and will try to smear them. Here's just one example:
FRED BARNES, WEEKLY STANDARD: Yeah, but this is a test, this vote and it seems to be going well for the Democrats. There are at least 10 Republican defectors, the Move-On Republicans who, they've been called that at least by Matt Continetti of the Weekly Standard who's been covering and writing about this debate for the last few days.
SOURCE:
SHOW: FOX SPECIAL REPORT WITH BRIT HUME 6:40 PM EST
February 14, 2007 Wednesday FOX NEWS ALL STARS
Here are their names:
Castle
Coble
Davis, Tom
Duncan
English (PA)
Gilchrest
Inglis (SC)
Johnson (IL)
Jones (NC)
Keller
Kirk
LaTourette
Paul
Petri
Ramstad
Upton
Walsh (NY)
Naturally, the wingnuts despise these congressmen and will try to smear them. Here's just one example:
FRED BARNES, WEEKLY STANDARD: Yeah, but this is a test, this vote and it seems to be going well for the Democrats. There are at least 10 Republican defectors, the Move-On Republicans who, they've been called that at least by Matt Continetti of the Weekly Standard who's been covering and writing about this debate for the last few days.
SOURCE:
SHOW: FOX SPECIAL REPORT WITH BRIT HUME 6:40 PM EST
February 14, 2007 Wednesday FOX NEWS ALL STARS
8 MONTHS AGO...
Pres. Fredo gave 3 benchmarks we can use to measure progress in Iraq:
Today, Michael Hanlon from the Brookings Institution was on NPR's Morning Edition and stated that there has been NO PROGRESS in these 3 areas. The AP reports that as many as 1 million Iraqis may flee the country in the coming year because of the lack of security:
You can measure progress in capacity of Iraqi units. You can measure progress in megawatts of electricity delivered. You can measure progress in terms of oil sold on the market on behalf of the Iraqi people. (Press Conference,6/14/2006)
Today, Michael Hanlon from the Brookings Institution was on NPR's Morning Edition and stated that there has been NO PROGRESS in these 3 areas. The AP reports that as many as 1 million Iraqis may flee the country in the coming year because of the lack of security:
"The numbers of people that are being displaced are increasing every day," said Jemini Pandaya, spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration. "The security situation is not improving. It's not changing."
Thursday, February 15, 2007
HANNITY IS A LIAR
This afternoon, Shammity claimed that Murtha wanted to cut off funding for the troops and played a clip from Murtha's appearance on NPR's Morning Edition. In fact, Murtha wants to insure that the troops have enough time to train and be re-equipped before they are sent back to Iraq. He also wants to limit extended deployments. Taken together, these actions would limit the Bush "surge."
It's not news that Hannity lies, the problem is that many (most?) of his listeners believe him and will never go to NPR to find out what Murtha really said. Gasbags like Hannity & Limbaugh can get away with this dishonesty because they can count on their listeners never checking up on them.
NPR did put up a transcript of the interview which you can find at the link above and can also read it here:
Interviews
Murtha Vows to Fight Bush Iraq Strategy
Morning Edition, February 14, 2007 · Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), chairman of a key House subcommittee, opposes plans to increase troop strength in Iraq and intends to work toward closing the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He speaks with Renee Montagne.
If a non-binding resolution on U.S. involvement in Iraq is the first step in ending the war, what is the next step?
I think the next step is a supplemental appropriation. And what we're looking at is making sure that the troops have the equipment they need, make sure they have the training they need, make sure they're home at least a year before they're redeployed.
The Army guidelines are two years at home before they're deployed for the second time; Marine Corps guidelines are seven months and 14 months at home. So, we want to limit sending troops back before they've had the appropriate training and equipment.
The second thing we want to do is stop these extensions of troops. They're overseas for an extended period of time, they're ready to come home, and all at once they get orders they're going to be extended.
The reason I say this, in talking to the mental health people, there's tremendous pressure on these troops with the IEDs (improvised explosive devices, bombs used against U.S. troops) and going out into the intense combat they're involved in. So, we're going to limit both those things, or at least I'm going to recommend that to the committee.
The other thing we're looking at is closing down Guantanamo, which I think has become a stain on the American credibility, and also, no permanent bases in Iraq. Those are the kind of things that we think are important to change the dynamics, to increase our credibility, to return ourselves to the great country that we've been.
Would your proposals on troop training and equipment rules effectively draw down the troops, or check the president's powers as commander-in-chief?
It depends on how you look at it. For instance, why didn't they deploy 20,000 troops all at once? Any principal of war tells you we should deploy 20,000 at one time at the area where we have the most problem. Why didn't we do that? Because they didn't have the equipment, because they didn't have the training.
So they're sending them in piecemeal. That's the least effective way to send troops into a combat area. So they didn't have the time at home, they didn't have the equipment.
We have no strategic reserve in this country. And this is part of the problem that we have. We have taken all the equipment we have in the United States and sent it back. And some of the troops are training on old equipment, which puts them in jeopardy when they go overseas.
What I'm saying is, if you're going to sustain this deployment, if you're going to continue this deployment, which I disagree with, you have to make sure the troops are protected, you have to make sure that the troops have what they need. And I think the majority of members will agree with me.
Would this effectively stop the deployment?
From what we see in the hearings we've had, we've had 10 hearings this year, which is more than the defense subcommittee had all of last year, we find that the readiness is in bad shape.
They won't be able to deploy troops unless they extend troops overseas. And if we limit the extension, then it'll be very difficult for them to continue this surge, which the American people are against, and the Iraqis don't want. The Iraqis have said, originally, "we'll do this ourselves."
I don't think we can solve this militarily. I think it has to be solved diplomatically, with other countries, internationally. And it has to be solved, also, with the Iraqis.
Do you have the authority or the means to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay?
Well sure, we'll just limit the money. We pay for it. The Congress can do almost anything with legislation.
I sent Congressman [James P.] Moran (D-VA) down there about a month ago to look at the prison, to get an idea of what we need to do. He says there's a certain number of prisoners, a very small number, that we should keep incarcerated. But the rest of them, he felt, in talking to the people who are working at Guantanamo, they could be sent back to their countries.
Now we're looking at the schedule, a reasonable schedule to close it down in stages. And certainly we can limit the funds for it, and that would shut it down.
It's not news that Hannity lies, the problem is that many (most?) of his listeners believe him and will never go to NPR to find out what Murtha really said. Gasbags like Hannity & Limbaugh can get away with this dishonesty because they can count on their listeners never checking up on them.
NPR did put up a transcript of the interview which you can find at the link above and can also read it here:
Interviews
Murtha Vows to Fight Bush Iraq Strategy
Morning Edition, February 14, 2007 · Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), chairman of a key House subcommittee, opposes plans to increase troop strength in Iraq and intends to work toward closing the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He speaks with Renee Montagne.
If a non-binding resolution on U.S. involvement in Iraq is the first step in ending the war, what is the next step?
I think the next step is a supplemental appropriation. And what we're looking at is making sure that the troops have the equipment they need, make sure they have the training they need, make sure they're home at least a year before they're redeployed.
The Army guidelines are two years at home before they're deployed for the second time; Marine Corps guidelines are seven months and 14 months at home. So, we want to limit sending troops back before they've had the appropriate training and equipment.
The second thing we want to do is stop these extensions of troops. They're overseas for an extended period of time, they're ready to come home, and all at once they get orders they're going to be extended.
The reason I say this, in talking to the mental health people, there's tremendous pressure on these troops with the IEDs (improvised explosive devices, bombs used against U.S. troops) and going out into the intense combat they're involved in. So, we're going to limit both those things, or at least I'm going to recommend that to the committee.
The other thing we're looking at is closing down Guantanamo, which I think has become a stain on the American credibility, and also, no permanent bases in Iraq. Those are the kind of things that we think are important to change the dynamics, to increase our credibility, to return ourselves to the great country that we've been.
Would your proposals on troop training and equipment rules effectively draw down the troops, or check the president's powers as commander-in-chief?
It depends on how you look at it. For instance, why didn't they deploy 20,000 troops all at once? Any principal of war tells you we should deploy 20,000 at one time at the area where we have the most problem. Why didn't we do that? Because they didn't have the equipment, because they didn't have the training.
So they're sending them in piecemeal. That's the least effective way to send troops into a combat area. So they didn't have the time at home, they didn't have the equipment.
We have no strategic reserve in this country. And this is part of the problem that we have. We have taken all the equipment we have in the United States and sent it back. And some of the troops are training on old equipment, which puts them in jeopardy when they go overseas.
What I'm saying is, if you're going to sustain this deployment, if you're going to continue this deployment, which I disagree with, you have to make sure the troops are protected, you have to make sure that the troops have what they need. And I think the majority of members will agree with me.
Would this effectively stop the deployment?
From what we see in the hearings we've had, we've had 10 hearings this year, which is more than the defense subcommittee had all of last year, we find that the readiness is in bad shape.
They won't be able to deploy troops unless they extend troops overseas. And if we limit the extension, then it'll be very difficult for them to continue this surge, which the American people are against, and the Iraqis don't want. The Iraqis have said, originally, "we'll do this ourselves."
I don't think we can solve this militarily. I think it has to be solved diplomatically, with other countries, internationally. And it has to be solved, also, with the Iraqis.
Do you have the authority or the means to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay?
Well sure, we'll just limit the money. We pay for it. The Congress can do almost anything with legislation.
I sent Congressman [James P.] Moran (D-VA) down there about a month ago to look at the prison, to get an idea of what we need to do. He says there's a certain number of prisoners, a very small number, that we should keep incarcerated. But the rest of them, he felt, in talking to the people who are working at Guantanamo, they could be sent back to their countries.
Now we're looking at the schedule, a reasonable schedule to close it down in stages. And certainly we can limit the funds for it, and that would shut it down.
RADIO TIDBITS
"Annie" Levin wants the U.S. to overthrow the Iranian government because some explosive devices are coming from Iran. We know the Iraq/Iran border is porous, so anyone can bring these weapons to Iraq and there's no clear evidence that the Iranian leaders are behind this. Of course, out of over 3,000 dead, perhaps 170 are due to these devices from Iran. The Boston Globe has this to say about this newest bleat from the warmongers:
Doubts raised on linking of Iran to US deaths in Iraq
By Farah Stockman and Thanassis Cambanis, Globe Staff February 14, 2007
According to data compiled by the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count (icasualties.org), a nonprofit group that tracks US deaths, a staggering 60 percent or more of US deaths have occurred in areas where Sunni insurgents are active. Those insurgents are believed to receive much of their funding and weapons from private donors in Sunni Arab countries, including Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, not Iran. Only 4 percent of US casualties have taken place in Shi'ite controlled areas in the provinces, while about a quarter of total US fatalities have taken place in Baghdad, where both Shi'ites and Sunnis fighters operate.
That data goes against the assertion on Sunday by a US official that "Iran is a significant contributor to attacks on coalition forces."
"It seems to be a relatively small segment of anti-US activity," said Kenneth Katzman , a Middle East analyst with the Congressional Research Service, the research arm of Congress. "Even if this activity were to completely stop, that would not materially affect the threat to US troops."
Let's recall that Al Qaeda and Iran are NOT on friendly terms:
Analysis: Al Qaeda is organising an offensive on a worldwide scale
BY JESUS TORQUEMADA
02/15/2007
Although it may look strange, Iranian Ayatollahs' regime and Bin Laden's followers are not friends. In the Iranian area of Baluchestan, at the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, an Al Qaeda-linked group killed 11 members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard two days ago.
Al-Qaida suspects color debate over Iran
White House offensive could prompt Tehran to free terror suspects
By Dafna Linzer, Washington Post
Updated: 12:44 a.m. PT Feb 10, 2007
Since al-Qaeda fighters began streaming into Iran from Afghanistan in the winter of 2001, Tehran had turned over hundreds of people to U.S. allies and provided U.S. intelligence with the names, photographs and fingerprints of those it held in custody, according to senior U.S. intelligence and administration officials.
Doubts raised on linking of Iran to US deaths in Iraq
By Farah Stockman and Thanassis Cambanis, Globe Staff February 14, 2007
According to data compiled by the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count (icasualties.org), a nonprofit group that tracks US deaths, a staggering 60 percent or more of US deaths have occurred in areas where Sunni insurgents are active. Those insurgents are believed to receive much of their funding and weapons from private donors in Sunni Arab countries, including Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, not Iran. Only 4 percent of US casualties have taken place in Shi'ite controlled areas in the provinces, while about a quarter of total US fatalities have taken place in Baghdad, where both Shi'ites and Sunnis fighters operate.
That data goes against the assertion on Sunday by a US official that "Iran is a significant contributor to attacks on coalition forces."
"It seems to be a relatively small segment of anti-US activity," said Kenneth Katzman , a Middle East analyst with the Congressional Research Service, the research arm of Congress. "Even if this activity were to completely stop, that would not materially affect the threat to US troops."
Let's recall that Al Qaeda and Iran are NOT on friendly terms:
Analysis: Al Qaeda is organising an offensive on a worldwide scale
BY JESUS TORQUEMADA
02/15/2007
Although it may look strange, Iranian Ayatollahs' regime and Bin Laden's followers are not friends. In the Iranian area of Baluchestan, at the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, an Al Qaeda-linked group killed 11 members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard two days ago.
Al-Qaida suspects color debate over Iran
White House offensive could prompt Tehran to free terror suspects
By Dafna Linzer, Washington Post
Updated: 12:44 a.m. PT Feb 10, 2007
Since al-Qaeda fighters began streaming into Iran from Afghanistan in the winter of 2001, Tehran had turned over hundreds of people to U.S. allies and provided U.S. intelligence with the names, photographs and fingerprints of those it held in custody, according to senior U.S. intelligence and administration officials.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
I DON'T KNOW WHY...
but when I was listening to this NPR segment about the death of Capt. Jennifer Harris, I became very sad. For some reason, her death brought some of the reality of the terrible waste this war is home to me.
I found this report on Harris from the Boston Herald:
Swampscott pilot’s family clings to memories
By Peter Gelzinis/Boston Herald
Monday, February 12, 2007 - Updated: 09:37 AM EST
Flying her fellow Marines in and out of hell did not prevent Capt. Jennifer Jean Harris from making the time to send presents back to each member of her large and loving family.
They fill the Swampscott bedroom where Ray and Rosalie Harris’ only child once dreamed of attending Annapolis and becoming a Marine aviator.
Each gift is still wrapped and waiting to be opened.
“The family planned on having a delayed Christmas this week,” Harris’ uncle, Anthony Macone, explained yesterday. “We said we’ll wait ’till Jen gets home and then have ourselves a kind of all-in-one celebration - Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries . . . that way, Jen wouldn’t miss anything.”
Today, Jen Harris, 28, was supposed to touch down in California after completing her third combat tour as the lone female pilot of the Marines’ legendary Purple Foxes helicopter squadron.
Last Wednesday, while transporting blood between Baghdad and Fallujah, Harris, her co-pilot and a crew of five perished. An insurgent group with links to al-Qaeda has claimed credit for downing the CH-46 Sea Knight chopper, though there’s been no official U.S. confirmation.
For the family huddled in the sanctuary of a small living room yesterday, confirmation hardly seemed relevant. The pain has already burned its way beyond their eyes and deep into their hearts.
“I want to die today, right now,” said Gina Macone, 82, “if it will bring my granddaughter back.”
And yet, tears have been tempered by the greatest gift Jen Harris left her family - memories.
“In her squadron, Jen was known as ‘The Dove,’ ” her aunt, Linda Macone said with a radiant smile. “Despite all that was going on, Jen was quiet, peaceful and serene. In her e-mails and letters, she took great care to protect us from what she was seeing over there. She didn’t want Rosalie or her grandmother to worry. ”
Two months ago, Jen Harris sent home a new squadron patch that her family now sees as both poignant and hauntingly prophetic.
“It’s a casualty evacuation insignia that shows an angel holding up a helicopter,” Linda said. “The angel has blond hair, just like Jen. We don’t know for sure if Jen was the inspiration. But obviously we think she was.”
Not long after Jen Harris was born, her mother, Rosalie, a teacher, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Anthony and Linda Macone embraced the role of “extra parents.” Indeed, it was Anthony who drove his gifted niece first to West Point, where she was accepted, and then to Annapolis.
When the honor student they described as “our Barbie doll girl, angelic but strong” told the family that she would become a Marine because the Marines were “the best of the best,” her grandmother cringed. “I said to her, ‘Jen, the Marines are always the first to fight.’ She tells me, ‘That’s why I want to be a Marine.’ ”
And yet, she managed to tailor her compassion to her mission. Jen Harris chose to fly a support craft rather than an attack chopper. “She didn’t want to be alone up there,” her uncle said. “She wanted to assist, to take care of the wounded. And it didn’t matter if they were fellow Marines or wounded Iraqis. Jen was always looking to help people.”
When her time in hell was done, Harris was looking forward to teaching Marine NROTC officers at George Washington University. She was also one of three officers chosen for an elite U.S. Senate mentoring program.
Last week, when Harris’ aunt, Maureen Corton, heard reports of the latest helicopter crash, she instinctively whispered, “Oh, Jen, please, please get home.” An hour later Ray Harris was on the phone: “Maureen,” he cried, “Jen’s gone.”
Ray Harris remembered that last Wednesday had been a “good day.”
“Everyone was excited because Jen was coming home. Then, as I was about to fix supper for Rose, I caught sight of the three uniforms walking to the door. I just screamed, ‘Oh, no...no...no!”’
Soon, he will repeat the tender ritual he shared with his daughter. “I loved picking her up at the airport when she’d come home,” Ray said. “I had this special pillow so she could rest her head. Picking her up was always so much better than taking her back.”
In a few days, Ray Harris will proudly drive to Logan Airport to meet “my lovely girl” when she arrives for the last time. “I told the funeral director that I want the hearse to come straight here. This is Jen’s home. This is where her mother and I and all her family and friends will be waiting to welcome her home.”
I found this report on Harris from the Boston Herald:
Swampscott pilot’s family clings to memories
By Peter Gelzinis/Boston Herald
Monday, February 12, 2007 - Updated: 09:37 AM EST
Flying her fellow Marines in and out of hell did not prevent Capt. Jennifer Jean Harris from making the time to send presents back to each member of her large and loving family.
They fill the Swampscott bedroom where Ray and Rosalie Harris’ only child once dreamed of attending Annapolis and becoming a Marine aviator.
Each gift is still wrapped and waiting to be opened.
“The family planned on having a delayed Christmas this week,” Harris’ uncle, Anthony Macone, explained yesterday. “We said we’ll wait ’till Jen gets home and then have ourselves a kind of all-in-one celebration - Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries . . . that way, Jen wouldn’t miss anything.”
Today, Jen Harris, 28, was supposed to touch down in California after completing her third combat tour as the lone female pilot of the Marines’ legendary Purple Foxes helicopter squadron.
Last Wednesday, while transporting blood between Baghdad and Fallujah, Harris, her co-pilot and a crew of five perished. An insurgent group with links to al-Qaeda has claimed credit for downing the CH-46 Sea Knight chopper, though there’s been no official U.S. confirmation.
For the family huddled in the sanctuary of a small living room yesterday, confirmation hardly seemed relevant. The pain has already burned its way beyond their eyes and deep into their hearts.
“I want to die today, right now,” said Gina Macone, 82, “if it will bring my granddaughter back.”
And yet, tears have been tempered by the greatest gift Jen Harris left her family - memories.
“In her squadron, Jen was known as ‘The Dove,’ ” her aunt, Linda Macone said with a radiant smile. “Despite all that was going on, Jen was quiet, peaceful and serene. In her e-mails and letters, she took great care to protect us from what she was seeing over there. She didn’t want Rosalie or her grandmother to worry. ”
Two months ago, Jen Harris sent home a new squadron patch that her family now sees as both poignant and hauntingly prophetic.
“It’s a casualty evacuation insignia that shows an angel holding up a helicopter,” Linda said. “The angel has blond hair, just like Jen. We don’t know for sure if Jen was the inspiration. But obviously we think she was.”
Not long after Jen Harris was born, her mother, Rosalie, a teacher, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Anthony and Linda Macone embraced the role of “extra parents.” Indeed, it was Anthony who drove his gifted niece first to West Point, where she was accepted, and then to Annapolis.
When the honor student they described as “our Barbie doll girl, angelic but strong” told the family that she would become a Marine because the Marines were “the best of the best,” her grandmother cringed. “I said to her, ‘Jen, the Marines are always the first to fight.’ She tells me, ‘That’s why I want to be a Marine.’ ”
And yet, she managed to tailor her compassion to her mission. Jen Harris chose to fly a support craft rather than an attack chopper. “She didn’t want to be alone up there,” her uncle said. “She wanted to assist, to take care of the wounded. And it didn’t matter if they were fellow Marines or wounded Iraqis. Jen was always looking to help people.”
When her time in hell was done, Harris was looking forward to teaching Marine NROTC officers at George Washington University. She was also one of three officers chosen for an elite U.S. Senate mentoring program.
Last week, when Harris’ aunt, Maureen Corton, heard reports of the latest helicopter crash, she instinctively whispered, “Oh, Jen, please, please get home.” An hour later Ray Harris was on the phone: “Maureen,” he cried, “Jen’s gone.”
Ray Harris remembered that last Wednesday had been a “good day.”
“Everyone was excited because Jen was coming home. Then, as I was about to fix supper for Rose, I caught sight of the three uniforms walking to the door. I just screamed, ‘Oh, no...no...no!”’
Soon, he will repeat the tender ritual he shared with his daughter. “I loved picking her up at the airport when she’d come home,” Ray said. “I had this special pillow so she could rest her head. Picking her up was always so much better than taking her back.”
In a few days, Ray Harris will proudly drive to Logan Airport to meet “my lovely girl” when she arrives for the last time. “I told the funeral director that I want the hearse to come straight here. This is Jen’s home. This is where her mother and I and all her family and friends will be waiting to welcome her home.”
NO SHAME WHATSOEVER
PRES. FREDO: "My job is to protect our troops."
Source: Press Conference, 2/14/2007
REALITY:
Thousands of Army Humvees Lack Armor Upgrade
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 12, 2007; Page A01
U.S. Army units in Iraq and Afghanistan lack more than 4,000 of the latest Humvee armor kit, known as FRAG Kit 5, according to U.S. officials. ... the upgrade is not scheduled to be completed until this summer, Army officials said.
... the unexpected deployment of five additional Army brigades into Baghdad has created an urgent need for 2,000 Humvees with the new armor.
Source: Press Conference, 2/14/2007
REALITY:
Thousands of Army Humvees Lack Armor Upgrade
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 12, 2007; Page A01
U.S. Army units in Iraq and Afghanistan lack more than 4,000 of the latest Humvee armor kit, known as FRAG Kit 5, according to U.S. officials. ... the upgrade is not scheduled to be completed until this summer, Army officials said.
... the unexpected deployment of five additional Army brigades into Baghdad has created an urgent need for 2,000 Humvees with the new armor.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
THEY'RE EVEN IN KENYA
It's the barbaric, anti-science religious conservatives I'm talking about. Today on NPR's Morning Edition, there was a segment on how upset the Kenyan Fundies are about an old hominid fossil. From Lexis-Nexis:
One problem is that God's own words contradict God's own words. For example, there are two creation stories in Genesis and in one, Man is created after the other life forms (Revised Standard Version):
But in the second version, Man is created before the other life forms:
Bishop Boniface Adoyo heads Christ is the Answer Ministries here. He also heads the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, a national association of churches. Sitting in his book-lined office in Nairobi recently, the bishop, a former marketer for Xerox, said he even wants evolutionary studies out of Kenya's schools.
Bishop ADOYO: What we are telling our congregations, which number about 10 million, there's no need to visit the museum. If your children are going to be taught evolution, evolution is anti-God. It's a faith that contradicts God's word. So, if you want to remain in the truth of God, don't buy evolution's theories.
One problem is that God's own words contradict God's own words. For example, there are two creation stories in Genesis and in one, Man is created after the other life forms (Revised Standard Version):
GENESIS I
11 And God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth." And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens." 21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28
But in the second version, Man is created before the other life forms:
GENESIS II
4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up--for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground-- 7 then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
18 Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." 19 So out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper fit for him.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007
VETS GETTING SCREWED AGAIN
Sadly, this is a recurring story.
VA system ill-equipped to treat mental anguish of war
By Chris Adams
McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Fri, Feb. 09, 2007
(EXCERPTS)
The Department of Veterans Affairs is facing a wave of returning veterans like Bowman who are struggling with memories of a war where it's hard to distinguish innocent civilians from enemy fighters and where the threat of suicide attacks and roadside bombs haunts the most routine mission. Since 2001, about 1.4 million Americans have served in Iraq, Afghanistan or other locations in the global war on terror.
The VA counts post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, as the most prevalent mental health malady - and one of the top illnesses overall - to emerge from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Despite a decade-long effort to treat veterans at all VA locations, nearly 100 local VA clinics provided virtually no mental health care in 2005.
- The lack of adequate psychiatric care strikes hard in the western and rural states that have supplied a disproportionate share of the soldiers in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - often because of their large contingents of National Guard and Army Reserve troops.
Congress ordered the VA to maintain the "capacity" of its mental health care programs. Over the next several years, however, VA management and a committee of its mental health experts bickered over what "capacity" meant. The expert committee said that "capacity" meant the number of people served in special mental health programs and the amount of money spent, adjusted for inflation. The VA administration didn't adjust for inflation.
...the VA began treating many more people for mental health ailments, so the amount spent has plummeted from $3,560 per veteran in 1995 to $2,581 per veteran in 2004 - even before correcting for inflation. (Overall, mental health spending during that period went from $2.01 billion to $2.19 billion.)
Between 1995 and the first half of fiscal 2006, for example, general psychiatry visits for those in the mental health system dropped from an average of 11.7 a year to 8.1 a year per veteran, according to VA data.
In all, only 27 percent of veterans receiving PTSD care received it in one of the VA's specialized programs, VA data show. And that varies widely: In the region that includes Wisconsin, 13 percent of veterans with PTSD got care from specialized teams. In Ohio, 45 percent did.
VA system ill-equipped to treat mental anguish of war
By Chris Adams
McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Fri, Feb. 09, 2007
(EXCERPTS)
The Department of Veterans Affairs is facing a wave of returning veterans like Bowman who are struggling with memories of a war where it's hard to distinguish innocent civilians from enemy fighters and where the threat of suicide attacks and roadside bombs haunts the most routine mission. Since 2001, about 1.4 million Americans have served in Iraq, Afghanistan or other locations in the global war on terror.
The VA counts post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, as the most prevalent mental health malady - and one of the top illnesses overall - to emerge from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Despite a decade-long effort to treat veterans at all VA locations, nearly 100 local VA clinics provided virtually no mental health care in 2005.
- The lack of adequate psychiatric care strikes hard in the western and rural states that have supplied a disproportionate share of the soldiers in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - often because of their large contingents of National Guard and Army Reserve troops.
Congress ordered the VA to maintain the "capacity" of its mental health care programs. Over the next several years, however, VA management and a committee of its mental health experts bickered over what "capacity" meant. The expert committee said that "capacity" meant the number of people served in special mental health programs and the amount of money spent, adjusted for inflation. The VA administration didn't adjust for inflation.
...the VA began treating many more people for mental health ailments, so the amount spent has plummeted from $3,560 per veteran in 1995 to $2,581 per veteran in 2004 - even before correcting for inflation. (Overall, mental health spending during that period went from $2.01 billion to $2.19 billion.)
Between 1995 and the first half of fiscal 2006, for example, general psychiatry visits for those in the mental health system dropped from an average of 11.7 a year to 8.1 a year per veteran, according to VA data.
In all, only 27 percent of veterans receiving PTSD care received it in one of the VA's specialized programs, VA data show. And that varies widely: In the region that includes Wisconsin, 13 percent of veterans with PTSD got care from specialized teams. In Ohio, 45 percent did.
A CONSPIRACY AGAINST AIR AMERICA
MediaMatters discovered an ABC radio memo that lists the advertisers who requested that none of their ads air during Air America segments. Here's a JPG of the memo:
SUNDAY ODDS 'N ENDS
Last Thursday and Friday, Tammy "The Shrill" Bruce subbed for Laura Ingraham because Laura was on her way to Jerusalem to do her show for this coming week. I thought this must have been a last minute decision because Bruce is pretty bad even by wingnut standards but like Laura's trip, it appears to have been planned well in advance. Tammy used to have Charles Johnson (LGF) on as a regular guest and at least once had Roger L. Simon (Pajamas Media) on. Both are fierce supporters of the Iraq Fiasco and rabidly anti-liberal.
Ian Punnett, who hosts the early Saturday portion of Coast to Coast AM, seems to have a fondness for wingnuits. His most recent guest was Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, an affiliate of the Manhattan Institute and a member of Political Mavens. Mavens has such conservative luminaries as Kathleen Parker and Richard Miniter as members.
Ian Punnett, who hosts the early Saturday portion of Coast to Coast AM, seems to have a fondness for wingnuits. His most recent guest was Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, an affiliate of the Manhattan Institute and a member of Political Mavens. Mavens has such conservative luminaries as Kathleen Parker and Richard Miniter as members.
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