Blogger comments
seem to be fucked.
That is all.
Update: After 2 fuggin hours of trying to fix this and/or find some HELP from blogger, no dice. If this isn't fixed by tomorrow a.m. I will be going to some other blogging service, this is fucked.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Way to go, Obama-man
This is exactly what the entire democratic party needs to get behind.
Barack Obama has introduced a bill mandating the complete withdrawl of US troops from Iraq by March 2008. This goes Hillary Clinton, who suggested troop withdrawl be complete by the end of Bush's term (January 2009, oh god, only 103 more Bush-weeks to go), one better: it means resolving the war before the 2008 election. If Obama's bill passes successfully, it would mean there'd be no possibility of Bush passing the Iraq buck.
Bush of course is desperately trying to foist the Iraq clusterfuck off on the next administration, as indicated by his State of the Union speech reference to the war continuing "long after we've passed our responsibilities on to others". Wrong: "The Pottery Barn Rule" Colin Powell called it. You broke it, you fucking own it. Trying to pass the responsibility on to the next administration, sacrificing more lives just so his legacy won't be that of a lost war, is the height of self-serving, egotistical gutlessness. Own it, Georgie, it's yours.
Here's hoping Obama's bill passes.
Crooks & Liars has the video.
Barack Obama has introduced a bill mandating the complete withdrawl of US troops from Iraq by March 2008. This goes Hillary Clinton, who suggested troop withdrawl be complete by the end of Bush's term (January 2009, oh god, only 103 more Bush-weeks to go), one better: it means resolving the war before the 2008 election. If Obama's bill passes successfully, it would mean there'd be no possibility of Bush passing the Iraq buck.
Bush of course is desperately trying to foist the Iraq clusterfuck off on the next administration, as indicated by his State of the Union speech reference to the war continuing "long after we've passed our responsibilities on to others". Wrong: "The Pottery Barn Rule" Colin Powell called it. You broke it, you fucking own it. Trying to pass the responsibility on to the next administration, sacrificing more lives just so his legacy won't be that of a lost war, is the height of self-serving, egotistical gutlessness. Own it, Georgie, it's yours.
Here's hoping Obama's bill passes.
Crooks & Liars has the video.
Molly Ivins, R.I.P.
Political writer Molly Ivins passed away today after an 8-year struggle with breast cancer. Ms. Ivins was possibly one of the funniest, earthiest political commentators around (it was she who named Bush "shrub"). She'll be badly missed.
Her second-last column, published 3 weeks ago, urges America to stand up to the Bush administration to end the war.
Her second-last column, published 3 weeks ago, urges America to stand up to the Bush administration to end the war.
Reason #1,739 to love Macs
The recent release of the new Windows OS "Vista" and subsequent reviews like this: "Compared with Mac OS X 10.4, Windows Vista feels clunky and not very intuitive, almost as though it's still based on DOS (or at least the internal logic that made up DOS)" has revived the PC vs. Mac debate. (Of course we Mac freaks know there's no contest, but we indulge them.) In the PC vs. Mac spirit, Daily 
Kos has an interesting discussion about the political persuasion of PC users vs Mac users: Do conservatives/liberals tend to use PCs or Macs?
Apart from the dominance of PCs in raw numbers, Macs represent about 5% of the computer market. Comparing visits to a conservative website to similar stats from a liberal website reveals that as a percentage liberals are far more likely to use Macs:
"When it comes to visitors to Instapundit, OS X visitors make up only 2-3%, suggesting that conservatives are less likely to go for the Apple brand than the general public. On the other hand, Daily Kos statistics show that between 15% and 25% of visitors to this site are using Macs -- an astounding 5x times the general population of these computers. If you were at YearlyKos last time around, you could spot more Macs at breakfast than you'd find in an Apple store."
The article goes on to suggest some possible reasons for this phenomenon, as do the ensuing 700+ comments following the post. It's an ideological struggle, I tell ya, it's a struggle between good and it's a struggle between evil.
Kos has an interesting discussion about the political persuasion of PC users vs Mac users: Do conservatives/liberals tend to use PCs or Macs?Apart from the dominance of PCs in raw numbers, Macs represent about 5% of the computer market. Comparing visits to a conservative website to similar stats from a liberal website reveals that as a percentage liberals are far more likely to use Macs:
"When it comes to visitors to Instapundit, OS X visitors make up only 2-3%, suggesting that conservatives are less likely to go for the Apple brand than the general public. On the other hand, Daily Kos statistics show that between 15% and 25% of visitors to this site are using Macs -- an astounding 5x times the general population of these computers. If you were at YearlyKos last time around, you could spot more Macs at breakfast than you'd find in an Apple store."
The article goes on to suggest some possible reasons for this phenomenon, as do the ensuing 700+ comments following the post. It's an ideological struggle, I tell ya, it's a struggle between good and it's a struggle between evil.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Legalize it
The Pickton trial with all of its attendant horrors dominated the news last week. I keep trying to write something about it, but it's so disturbing on so many different levels that whatever bit of creativity I possess is crushed under the weight of my sighs, metaphorically speaking. Although the trial continues, the news has died down somewhat following complaints about the graphic nature of the evidence. I agree, it's horrible, but the fact that people are demanding it be censored is depressing in itself because it's so symptomatic of how the crime happened in the first place. We don't want to hear about ghastly lives any more than we want to hear about ugly deaths.
The women Pickton is charged with murdering basically vanished into thin air; when they were finally reported missing, their disappearances weren't considered a priority to investigate. Supposedly their somewhat transient lifestyles meant it might not be unusual for them to disappear. But there's also an undercurrent of racism, classism and misogyny; they were all desperately poor, many were aboriginal, and most were drug addicts eking out an existence on the shadowy edges of society. Unfortunately it seems that in order to get justice for wrongs committed against you, you must live within the law. Those on the fringe, ironically the ones most likely to be victimized, are shit out of luck.
If anything proves that prostitution should be legalized, it's the Pickton trial. In a regulated, legal environment, sex trade workers would not only be protected from pimps and predators, they could get proper health care, help with their addictions, and job skills training (if they so desired). Most importantly, they wouldn't be so isolated from the rest of society that their disappearances would go unnoticed.
The sex trade has been around forever and isn't going away anytime soon, so it only makes sense to take some steps to protect the people involved in it, and protect society from the spin-off crime related to it. But this would never happen under the Conservative government. The conservative base, with their bizarre fixation on all things sexual, wouldn't allow it. They'd rather point to bodies stacked up like cordwood, hold their hands over their eyes and say "Do we really have to see that?"
The women Pickton is charged with murdering basically vanished into thin air; when they were finally reported missing, their disappearances weren't considered a priority to investigate. Supposedly their somewhat transient lifestyles meant it might not be unusual for them to disappear. But there's also an undercurrent of racism, classism and misogyny; they were all desperately poor, many were aboriginal, and most were drug addicts eking out an existence on the shadowy edges of society. Unfortunately it seems that in order to get justice for wrongs committed against you, you must live within the law. Those on the fringe, ironically the ones most likely to be victimized, are shit out of luck.
If anything proves that prostitution should be legalized, it's the Pickton trial. In a regulated, legal environment, sex trade workers would not only be protected from pimps and predators, they could get proper health care, help with their addictions, and job skills training (if they so desired). Most importantly, they wouldn't be so isolated from the rest of society that their disappearances would go unnoticed.
The sex trade has been around forever and isn't going away anytime soon, so it only makes sense to take some steps to protect the people involved in it, and protect society from the spin-off crime related to it. But this would never happen under the Conservative government. The conservative base, with their bizarre fixation on all things sexual, wouldn't allow it. They'd rather point to bodies stacked up like cordwood, hold their hands over their eyes and say "Do we really have to see that?"
Monday, January 29, 2007
One-track minds
Fundies again! Abortion again! The tenacious fundies in South Dakota are taking another kick at the can with the introduction of yet another bill that they hope will pass and eventually be used to overturn Roe v. Wade. To wit:
"PIERRE, South Dakota: Abortion opponents, hoping to get around voters' objections to a previous measure, announced a bill that would generally ban the procedure in the state. Those who oppose abortion hope the measure will become the vehicle for a legal challenge to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which broadly legalized abortion except in the last months of pregnancy."
"PIERRE, South Dakota: Abortion opponents, hoping to get around voters' objections to a previous measure, announced a bill that would generally ban the procedure in the state. Those who oppose abortion hope the measure will become the vehicle for a legal challenge to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which broadly legalized abortion except in the last months of pregnancy."
Even thought they already tried this last year, and:
"State lawmakers approved a bill last year that would have permitted abortions only when women's lives were in danger, but a petition campaign put the issue on the ballot. Voters rejected the proposal in November by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent."
There are so many other, bigger, non-None-Of-Their-Business issues in the world today it's hard to believe these cretins can justify the continued flogging of this dead horse. If they'd just kindly extricate their snouts from the nation's crotches and look around, they might actually notice wars, disease, starving orphaned children... why won't they think of the children? Bastards.
The Military-Industrial Complex
Every so often we hear about "contractors" in Iraq from a company called Blackwater (ie, last week there was a helicopter crash that killed 5 Blackwater employees). These guys are mercernaries -- we don't hear much about them, so it doesn't seem like there are that many of them over there, but in fact there are tens of thousands. They're used like a private army in trouble zones worldwide, even being used to secure New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. They are an integral part of the upcoming "surge".
Blackwater has deep connections in the Pentagon, CIA, and the highest levels of the white house. Erik Prince, Blackwater's owner, is also part of the Christian right and has ties to both Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council. Jeremy Scahill, who's written a book about Blackwater, says:
"And what’s really frightening is that you have a man in Erik Prince, who is a neo-crusader, a Christian supremacist, who has been given over a half a billion dollars in federal contracts, and that's not to mention his black contracts, his secret contracts, his contracts with foreign friendly governments like Jordan. This is a man who espouses Christian supremacy, and he has been given, essentially, allowed to create a private army to defend Christendom around the world against secularists and Muslims and others, and has really been brought into the fold."
Who are these guys and how did they get so much influence? Check out this interview with Scahill. {{{shudder}}}
Blackwater has deep connections in the Pentagon, CIA, and the highest levels of the white house. Erik Prince, Blackwater's owner, is also part of the Christian right and has ties to both Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council. Jeremy Scahill, who's written a book about Blackwater, says:
"And what’s really frightening is that you have a man in Erik Prince, who is a neo-crusader, a Christian supremacist, who has been given over a half a billion dollars in federal contracts, and that's not to mention his black contracts, his secret contracts, his contracts with foreign friendly governments like Jordan. This is a man who espouses Christian supremacy, and he has been given, essentially, allowed to create a private army to defend Christendom around the world against secularists and Muslims and others, and has really been brought into the fold."
Who are these guys and how did they get so much influence? Check out this interview with Scahill. {{{shudder}}}
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Here they come, Georgie
It's... the voters! And they're not happy!
This was the scene in DC yesterday as tens of thousands of people gathered to protest the War in Iraq. The protest was initiated by the Bush administration's announcement that they'd be sending another 22,000 troops to Iraq, regardless of what is wanted by Congress, their own party, or the voters (who they supposedly work for).
Not that the Decider gives a fiddler's fuck. ASSHOLE. A crowd like that makes me think though... how much effort would it take for 50,000 people to give the whole shitsucking administration the bum's rush right out of there?
(picture from AP)
This was the scene in DC yesterday as tens of thousands of people gathered to protest the War in Iraq. The protest was initiated by the Bush administration's announcement that they'd be sending another 22,000 troops to Iraq, regardless of what is wanted by Congress, their own party, or the voters (who they supposedly work for).
Not that the Decider gives a fiddler's fuck. ASSHOLE. A crowd like that makes me think though... how much effort would it take for 50,000 people to give the whole shitsucking administration the bum's rush right out of there?
(picture from AP)
Thank you, Dr. Morgentaler
I missed last Monday's "blogging for choice" in recognition of the 34th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision in the USA. But coincidentally, the Morgentaler Decision (R. v. Morgentaler) that gave Canadian women access to abortion on demand was decided January 28, 1988. So this post celebrates that landmark decision made 19 years ago today.
Abortion was legalized in Canada in 1969, but until the Morgentaler Decision the procedure had to be approved by a "Therapeutic Abortion Committee". Apart from being an insult to the intelligence of women who are more than capable of conducting their own reproductive business, anti-choicers attempted to infiltrate the TACs to make it more difficult to get abortions. Abortion wasn't truly available "on demand" and women's reproductive autonomy complete, until 1988.
I'm adamantly pro-choice for one reason: my reproductive life is nobody's goddamn business but mine. I'm totally capable of making the right decisions about it and every other aspect of my life, and believe all women are equally competent. There's no "discussion", there's no "debate", there's only "fuck off and mind your own business".
Reproductive freedom is a hard-won human right. I fought for it the first time around, and if the rabid anti-choicers want to start sniffing our crotches or humping our legs (or even biting us) again, we'll slap them down again. As long as women have a right to control their own lives, abortion on demand is here to stay. Thank you, Dr. Morgentaler!
Abortion was legalized in Canada in 1969, but until the Morgentaler Decision the procedure had to be approved by a "Therapeutic Abortion Committee". Apart from being an insult to the intelligence of women who are more than capable of conducting their own reproductive business, anti-choicers attempted to infiltrate the TACs to make it more difficult to get abortions. Abortion wasn't truly available "on demand" and women's reproductive autonomy complete, until 1988.
I'm adamantly pro-choice for one reason: my reproductive life is nobody's goddamn business but mine. I'm totally capable of making the right decisions about it and every other aspect of my life, and believe all women are equally competent. There's no "discussion", there's no "debate", there's only "fuck off and mind your own business".
Reproductive freedom is a hard-won human right. I fought for it the first time around, and if the rabid anti-choicers want to start sniffing our crotches or humping our legs (or even biting us) again, we'll slap them down again. As long as women have a right to control their own lives, abortion on demand is here to stay. Thank you, Dr. Morgentaler!
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Harper really is an asshole
Right this minute, I'm watching Harper on Newsnet, reading the Official Apology to Maher Arar. Harper, the opportunistic scumbag, just couldn't resist adding a partisan shot: "Although these events occurred under the last government, please rest assured that this government will do everything in its power to ensure... " WTF! One of the reasons it took so long to resolve the Arar situation was that the Conservatives/Alliance didn't believe Arar was innocent and obstructed the government every step of the way. From Hansard, November 18, 2002:
Mrs. Diane Ablonczy (Calgary—Nose Hill, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, it is time the Liberals told the truth: that their system of screening and security checks is pathetic. Arar was given dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship by the government. It did not pick up on his terrorist links and the U.S. had to clue it in. How is it that the U.S. could uncover this man's background so quickly when the government's screening system failed to find his al-Qaeda links?
Harper's "New Government" even continued to impede Arar's settlement as recently as last September. So trying to foist the blame on the last Liberal government is disingenuous at best.
And another thing Harper said, regarding Arar's $10.5million settlement: "I know to some Canadians that would sound like an awful lot of money..." An awful lot of money? For getting tortured for a year? It's sweet fuck all. Apart from the torture, Arar will own this for the rest of his life. He'll never be able to totally clear his name; there are a lot of whackjobs that refuse to believe he's innocent because he's still on a US watchlist. Never mind that it's an obvious legal tactic designed to protect the government. Never mind that the US government has been known to lie "on occasion". But Harper knows his base, he knows how mean-spirited and hateful they are, and will appease them even if it means insulting the man he's apologizing to.
Mrs. Diane Ablonczy (Calgary—Nose Hill, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, it is time the Liberals told the truth: that their system of screening and security checks is pathetic. Arar was given dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship by the government. It did not pick up on his terrorist links and the U.S. had to clue it in. How is it that the U.S. could uncover this man's background so quickly when the government's screening system failed to find his al-Qaeda links?
Harper's "New Government" even continued to impede Arar's settlement as recently as last September. So trying to foist the blame on the last Liberal government is disingenuous at best.
And another thing Harper said, regarding Arar's $10.5million settlement: "I know to some Canadians that would sound like an awful lot of money..." An awful lot of money? For getting tortured for a year? It's sweet fuck all. Apart from the torture, Arar will own this for the rest of his life. He'll never be able to totally clear his name; there are a lot of whackjobs that refuse to believe he's innocent because he's still on a US watchlist. Never mind that it's an obvious legal tactic designed to protect the government. Never mind that the US government has been known to lie "on occasion". But Harper knows his base, he knows how mean-spirited and hateful they are, and will appease them even if it means insulting the man he's apologizing to.
Tagged!
I've been tagged for this meme by yayacanada.
RULES: People who get tagged need to write a blog post of 6 weird things about them. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.
This one should be easy:
6 Weird Things About Me
1. I'm a sock freak. I love wild and weird-looking socks, the more colourful the better. I have 2 drawers full of them... I am the Imelda Marcos of socks.
2. I have a 6" scar on the outside of my left knee, from a car accident about 30 years ago (compound fracture and broken kneecap, yuck). It's one of those thick ugly scars that you can see the stitch marks in if you look close. I think it's cool -- and it's fun to make up different answers whenever someone asks me how I got it ("Shrapnel, Nam. Special Forces, '68" and so on). My left knee has 2 screws in it that sometimes set off metal detectors. Woohoo!
3. I used to do "hydroponic farming" in my barn (like everyone else around here).
4. I'm an accomplished crash test dummy. I once drove my motorcycle into the side of a pickup truck (I was trying to pass him and he suddenly turned left) and got up and walked away (but the next day I was black and blue from head to toe). Oddly, the worst physical damage was caused by my sunglasses after I did a face plant into the pavement.
5. I'm obsessive about keeping "to-do" lists in my daytimer and crossing each thing off as I get it done. Sometimes if I do something that wasn't on the list, I'll write it in just so I can cross it out. Sick.
6. I have a tiny light scar on the inside edge of my left eyebrow from the time I bent down to pet the dog who was asleep in a doorway, and hit my head on a doorknob. It wasn't a round doorknob, it was the kind with an edge, and it really gouged me. The scar isn't noticeable but if I look closely, I can see the exact shape of that fucker engraved in my head.
Who shall I tag? Let's see... Bruce, Q, Earl, Sheena, BC Waterboy, and Simon! Okay guys, 6 Weird Things... tell!
RULES: People who get tagged need to write a blog post of 6 weird things about them. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.
This one should be easy:
1. I'm a sock freak. I love wild and weird-looking socks, the more colourful the better. I have 2 drawers full of them... I am the Imelda Marcos of socks.
2. I have a 6" scar on the outside of my left knee, from a car accident about 30 years ago (compound fracture and broken kneecap, yuck). It's one of those thick ugly scars that you can see the stitch marks in if you look close. I think it's cool -- and it's fun to make up different answers whenever someone asks me how I got it ("Shrapnel, Nam. Special Forces, '68" and so on). My left knee has 2 screws in it that sometimes set off metal detectors. Woohoo!
3. I used to do "hydroponic farming" in my barn (like everyone else around here).
4. I'm an accomplished crash test dummy. I once drove my motorcycle into the side of a pickup truck (I was trying to pass him and he suddenly turned left) and got up and walked away (but the next day I was black and blue from head to toe). Oddly, the worst physical damage was caused by my sunglasses after I did a face plant into the pavement.
5. I'm obsessive about keeping "to-do" lists in my daytimer and crossing each thing off as I get it done. Sometimes if I do something that wasn't on the list, I'll write it in just so I can cross it out. Sick.
6. I have a tiny light scar on the inside edge of my left eyebrow from the time I bent down to pet the dog who was asleep in a doorway, and hit my head on a doorknob. It wasn't a round doorknob, it was the kind with an edge, and it really gouged me. The scar isn't noticeable but if I look closely, I can see the exact shape of that fucker engraved in my head.
Who shall I tag? Let's see... Bruce, Q, Earl, Sheena, BC Waterboy, and Simon! Okay guys, 6 Weird Things... tell!
Friday, January 26, 2007
Finally
PM Steve issued a formal apology today and announced that Maher Arar will be awarded $10.5million in compensation for the monumental fuckup that led to him being grabbed off the street by US government thugs, "renditioned" to Syria and tortured for a year. Not nearly enough for a year of torture, but then Canada wasn't alone in throwing a fuck into Arar's life.
In spite of Arar having been completely vindicated by the Canadian government, the US government refuses to take him off their watchlist, citing "other information" they supposedly have on him. However, the Canadian government has seen the "other information" and still says he's innocent and is giving the guy $10million. In so doing, they've answered the question of why the US refuses to take Arar off their watchlist. Arar had a similar lawsuit against the US government dismissed on "national security" grounds: that might come back for a big bite if he was cleared. And hell no, you wouldn't want to set some kind of precedent where detainees at Guantanamo that are found innocent can start suing the US government. That might be giving them, you know, due process.
Yes, it's really that simple, that odious, that ignominious. And the motherfuckers have no shame.
In spite of Arar having been completely vindicated by the Canadian government, the US government refuses to take him off their watchlist, citing "other information" they supposedly have on him. However, the Canadian government has seen the "other information" and still says he's innocent and is giving the guy $10million. In so doing, they've answered the question of why the US refuses to take Arar off their watchlist. Arar had a similar lawsuit against the US government dismissed on "national security" grounds: that might come back for a big bite if he was cleared. And hell no, you wouldn't want to set some kind of precedent where detainees at Guantanamo that are found innocent can start suing the US government. That might be giving them, you know, due process.
Yes, it's really that simple, that odious, that ignominious. And the motherfuckers have no shame.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
It was only a matter of time
PM Steve's been doing a pretty bang-up job at keeping the muzzles on the more radical elements of his caucus. Other than fuckwit extraordinaire Stockwell Day and "Stockiebloggate", most of the reformcon MPs have been pretty quiet. Which is really saying something for a party that includes bugfuck crazy nutjobs like Vic Toews, Jason Kenney and Cheryl "abortion is like Nick Berg's beheading" Gallant. It's been a waiting game to see which one of these idiots will be the first to open their drooling trap and let some ill-conceived words fall out.
It was a good run for Steve, but it looks like it's over. The Liberals are calling for the resignation of Conservative head of the Native Affairs committee Colin Mayes (MP Okanagan-Shuswap) after it was revealed that he'd received a racist joke by e-mail. Mayes claims he's being set up by a guy who was recently fired from the board of the local conservative association for suggesting that the association was being overtaken by religious right nutters such as Mayes. (Well, DUH.) Mayes further claims that his response to the joke, "Good joke", might have been meant in a sarcastic vein. So "Good joke" really meant "I'm offended that you'd send me such garbage denigrating our aboriginal brothers and sisters". Shmuck.
Mayes has thus far refused to step down. Which is fine in a way, because it might embolden his fellow conservative dullards to speak more freely. Anything that lets them show their true colours is worth the aggravation of having to hear their eye-rolling cretinisms.
It was a good run for Steve, but it looks like it's over. The Liberals are calling for the resignation of Conservative head of the Native Affairs committee Colin Mayes (MP Okanagan-Shuswap) after it was revealed that he'd received a racist joke by e-mail. Mayes claims he's being set up by a guy who was recently fired from the board of the local conservative association for suggesting that the association was being overtaken by religious right nutters such as Mayes. (Well, DUH.) Mayes further claims that his response to the joke, "Good joke", might have been meant in a sarcastic vein. So "Good joke" really meant "I'm offended that you'd send me such garbage denigrating our aboriginal brothers and sisters". Shmuck.
Mayes has thus far refused to step down. Which is fine in a way, because it might embolden his fellow conservative dullards to speak more freely. Anything that lets them show their true colours is worth the aggravation of having to hear their eye-rolling cretinisms.
Polar blogging
This little polar bear dood, named "Knut" (aww), was just born on December 5 in the Berlin Zoo.
If anything would offset the absessing toxicity of writing a post about the hunching reptilian evil of Dick Cheney, it's Knut. Think of him as the blogging equivalent of Listerine. Ahhh, I feel so much better now.
(from yahoo)
If anything would offset the absessing toxicity of writing a post about the hunching reptilian evil of Dick Cheney, it's Knut. Think of him as the blogging equivalent of Listerine. Ahhh, I feel so much better now.
(from yahoo)
Wolf's out of line?
If any one person embodies the fetid putrescence of evil, it's Dick Cheney. On those rare occasions when he crawls out from the wormy dankness, I picture him travelling with a briefcase full of still-beating and bloody Iraqi hearts in case his own finally gives up under the load of malignant madness it's forced to pump life into. Secret service flunkies wipe up the trail of blood and slug slime left behind as he hunches and grunts his way along.
Yesterday in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Cheney showed once again that it doesn't matter how many mangled hearts lie waiting in his briefcase, he is quintessentially heartless. Blitzer's questions about the war were answered with the dismissive grunts that anyone would expect from Cheney, a man who pisses on the constitution and gives not a flying fuck what the voters want. But then Blitzer asked Cheney what he thought of a statement about his pregnant lesbian daughter Mary, made by Focus on the Family's head whacko James Dobson:
Yesterday in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Cheney showed once again that it doesn't matter how many mangled hearts lie waiting in his briefcase, he is quintessentially heartless. Blitzer's questions about the war were answered with the dismissive grunts that anyone would expect from Cheney, a man who pisses on the constitution and gives not a flying fuck what the voters want. But then Blitzer asked Cheney what he thought of a statement about his pregnant lesbian daughter Mary, made by Focus on the Family's head whacko James Dobson:
“Mary Cheney’s pregnancy raises the question of what’s best for children. Just because it’s possible to conceive a child outside of the relationship of a married mother and father doesn’t mean it’s best for the child.”
Cheney should have said that Dobson should mind his own fucking business and get his nose out of Mary Cheney's crotch. Dobson's remark insulted not just Cheney's daughter, but his soon-to-be-born grandchild, and it doesn't get any lower or more personal than that. And yet, Cheney chose to drop-kick the messenger, telling Blitzer he was "out of line" with the question, and refusing to respond to Dobson's comment.
Of all the despicable things Cheney's done, and as a guy with considerable blood and guts on his hands, that's a lot, this is the lowest. He refuses to defend even his own daughter against attacks from the religious right nitwits who keep his party in power; in the dark recesses of Cheney's reptilian brain, there's no contest. That's evil.
YouTube seems to be down, but Crooks & Liars has the video.
Compare & Contrast
Click on the pic and scroll down for a comparison of the approval ratings of 3 different presidents at the start of their 7th year in office.
It's official: Worst. President. Ever.
(Poll: CBS)
It's official: Worst. President. Ever.
(Poll: CBS)
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Obama strikes back
Today Senator Barack Obama gave a good swift backhander to the idiots responsible for perpetuating last week's "madrassa-muslim-yada yada" smear campaign against him, specifically some of the reporters at Fox "News". A few days ago, the rumour that Obama might be hiding a supposed "radical muslim" past was reported by right wing litterbox liner "Insightmag". Insight also suggested it came from Hillary Clinton's campaign, they being eager to discredit Obama as competition in the presidential race. Clinton denied it and the Obama story was subsequently debunked by CNN, and now the senator himself has responded by writing to faux news. In part, the memo to Fox said:
"If Doocy or the staff at Fox and Friends had taken [time] to check their facts, or simply made a call to his office, they would have learned that Senator Obama was not educated in a Madrassa, was not raised as a Muslim, and was not raised by his father – an atheist Obama met once in his life before he died."
It was obvious from the start that this little play, a "two-fer" pre-emptive strike against both Obama and Clinton, was right out of the shit-encrusted, guts-and-semen-stained pages of the Karl Rove Manual of Slimy Political Manoeuvers. Whether Rove himself was personally involved is a non-issue; it was a roll in the same political pig-pen he inhabits. Nice to see the toilet get backed up and splatter all over their faces -- it won't be long before anyone with a shred of decency will be reluctant to call themselves a republican.
More at TPM.
"If Doocy or the staff at Fox and Friends had taken [time] to check their facts, or simply made a call to his office, they would have learned that Senator Obama was not educated in a Madrassa, was not raised as a Muslim, and was not raised by his father – an atheist Obama met once in his life before he died."
It was obvious from the start that this little play, a "two-fer" pre-emptive strike against both Obama and Clinton, was right out of the shit-encrusted, guts-and-semen-stained pages of the Karl Rove Manual of Slimy Political Manoeuvers. Whether Rove himself was personally involved is a non-issue; it was a roll in the same political pig-pen he inhabits. Nice to see the toilet get backed up and splatter all over their faces -- it won't be long before anyone with a shred of decency will be reluctant to call themselves a republican.
More at TPM.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
State of the Eunuch
I just looooved seeing Nancy Pelosi up there with Dick and Georgie -- Cheney looked even more pissed off than usual, and why not? Pelosi's approval rating is more than both of theirs put together, that's gotta chap their asses. And the way she didn't stand up and clap when Georgie was talking about his idiotic health care plan... heehee, I love her.
Anyway, no bombshells from Georgie tonight, (partly because of the helpful leaks); it was an exquisitely uninspired performance of mock humility and muted arrogance. Unlike most SOTU speeches, this one was given before an almost hostile congress.
Georgie got rolling with domestic issues, an idiotic health care plan that only benefits private providers and his annual admonishment to use less gas. When he got to the war in Iraq, the administration's plan to pass the bloody, gut-splattered buck became clear. "The War on Terra is a generational struggle that will continue long after you and I have turned our responsibilities over to others." So he's passing this pig right along to the next one in line in 2008.
He went on to describe the clusterfuck in iWaq as "sectarian rage and reprisal", still refusing to admit what it really is, a civil war. No Georgie speech would be complete without a description of the "Nightmare Scenario" (a/k/a "Mushroom Cloud") that would ensue if the US lost or left Iraq, and the terrorists' Evil Totalitarian Ideology Of Hate. We must not forget the Lessons of September the 11th! For all his jibbering about the Lessons of 9/11, he said practically zip-all about the country where the Lessons of 9/11 originated, Afghanistan. (But he did mention Iran 5 times.)
Finally, Bush had the unmitigated gall to say that the American people had voted for a "new direction" (true, the door's that way, Georgie), so Congress should support his plan, sending another 21,000 troops to Iraq, because it's a new direction. Mindblowing: So what if it's the opposite direction than the one people voted for. It's a direction. And it's new.
Senator Jim Webb delivered the Democratic response after the SOTU speech in a way I can only describe as polite fury. (Senator Webb's son is a marine serving in Iraq, so the war is very personal for him.) He made it clear: democrats will not be fucked with. He ended his speech on what almost sounded like a threatening note (yes!), pointing out that Bush should explore other options to resolve the war. "If he does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way." I almost peed myself, I thought he was going say "We'll show him the door"!
The most interesting thing about this address was all the republicans that were reading their notes or looking at their watches or sitting on their hands while the rest of their party was clapping, particularly during the Iraq part of the speech. If I hadn't known, there were times I'd have thought I was looking at the democratic side of the house. A portent of things to come.
Anyway, no bombshells from Georgie tonight, (partly because of the helpful leaks); it was an exquisitely uninspired performance of mock humility and muted arrogance. Unlike most SOTU speeches, this one was given before an almost hostile congress.
Georgie got rolling with domestic issues, an idiotic health care plan that only benefits private providers and his annual admonishment to use less gas. When he got to the war in Iraq, the administration's plan to pass the bloody, gut-splattered buck became clear. "The War on Terra is a generational struggle that will continue long after you and I have turned our responsibilities over to others." So he's passing this pig right along to the next one in line in 2008.
He went on to describe the clusterfuck in iWaq as "sectarian rage and reprisal", still refusing to admit what it really is, a civil war. No Georgie speech would be complete without a description of the "Nightmare Scenario" (a/k/a "Mushroom Cloud") that would ensue if the US lost or left Iraq, and the terrorists' Evil Totalitarian Ideology Of Hate. We must not forget the Lessons of September the 11th! For all his jibbering about the Lessons of 9/11, he said practically zip-all about the country where the Lessons of 9/11 originated, Afghanistan. (But he did mention Iran 5 times.)
Finally, Bush had the unmitigated gall to say that the American people had voted for a "new direction" (true, the door's that way, Georgie), so Congress should support his plan, sending another 21,000 troops to Iraq, because it's a new direction. Mindblowing: So what if it's the opposite direction than the one people voted for. It's a direction. And it's new.
Senator Jim Webb delivered the Democratic response after the SOTU speech in a way I can only describe as polite fury. (Senator Webb's son is a marine serving in Iraq, so the war is very personal for him.) He made it clear: democrats will not be fucked with. He ended his speech on what almost sounded like a threatening note (yes!), pointing out that Bush should explore other options to resolve the war. "If he does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way." I almost peed myself, I thought he was going say "We'll show him the door"!
The most interesting thing about this address was all the republicans that were reading their notes or looking at their watches or sitting on their hands while the rest of their party was clapping, particularly during the Iraq part of the speech. If I hadn't known, there were times I'd have thought I was looking at the democratic side of the house. A portent of things to come.
Libby implicates Cheney & Rove
Dick Cheney dishonest? I'm shocked, I tell you, SHOCKED.
The trial of former white house staffer Scooter Libby started today and it's looking like a smackdown. Libby is charged with lying to FBI agents and obstructing the investigation of the leak that outed CIA agent Valerie Plame (outing a CIA agent is an act of treason, by the way). While Libby and Rove were being investigated, the white house went all-out to clear Rove, but not Libby. That's when Scooter realized he was being set up, and went to Cheney to complain.
Cheney's notes from the meeting said: "Not going to protect one staffer and sacrifice the guy that was asked to stick his neck in the meat grinder." The "staffer" was Rove and the "guy with his neck in the meat grinder" was Libby. Rove had to be protected at all costs since he's the chief strategist of the bush administration, responsible for keeping them in power... just a little more important than Scooter. Libby's lawyer said:
"The person to be protected was Karl Rove…Karl Rove was President Bush's right-hand person. His fate was important to the Republican party if they were going to stay in office. He had to be protected…the person to be sacrificed was Scooter Libby."
Libby's defense is that he didn't lie, but was the victim of a faulty memory. Whatever. Nobody was ever charged for the actual leak (which is treason, or did I already mention that?). In order to make the lesser charge of obstruction go away, it looks like Libby's ready to start naming the names of those responsible for the much more serious charge of outing a CIA agent (which, in case I didn't mention it, is treason). Those names would likely be Rove and Cheney.
Yeah, baby. This could be where the dominoes start falling and the impeachments get rolling.
The trial of former white house staffer Scooter Libby started today and it's looking like a smackdown. Libby is charged with lying to FBI agents and obstructing the investigation of the leak that outed CIA agent Valerie Plame (outing a CIA agent is an act of treason, by the way). While Libby and Rove were being investigated, the white house went all-out to clear Rove, but not Libby. That's when Scooter realized he was being set up, and went to Cheney to complain.
Cheney's notes from the meeting said: "Not going to protect one staffer and sacrifice the guy that was asked to stick his neck in the meat grinder." The "staffer" was Rove and the "guy with his neck in the meat grinder" was Libby. Rove had to be protected at all costs since he's the chief strategist of the bush administration, responsible for keeping them in power... just a little more important than Scooter. Libby's lawyer said:
"The person to be protected was Karl Rove…Karl Rove was President Bush's right-hand person. His fate was important to the Republican party if they were going to stay in office. He had to be protected…the person to be sacrificed was Scooter Libby."
Libby's defense is that he didn't lie, but was the victim of a faulty memory. Whatever. Nobody was ever charged for the actual leak (which is treason, or did I already mention that?). In order to make the lesser charge of obstruction go away, it looks like Libby's ready to start naming the names of those responsible for the much more serious charge of outing a CIA agent (which, in case I didn't mention it, is treason). Those names would likely be Rove and Cheney.
Yeah, baby. This could be where the dominoes start falling and the impeachments get rolling.
Ouch (heh-heh)
Georgie's approval rating is on a freefall.
On the day of the State of the Union address, arguably the most important presidential speech of the year, only 28% of americans approve of Georgie's job performance:
"Mr. Bush’s overall approval rating has fallen to just 28 percent, a new low, while more than twice as many (64 percent) disapprove of the way he's handling his job."
At any job I've ever had, if my overall approval rating with my boss was only 28 friggin %, I wouldn't have that job very long. What's the holdup? Fire chimpy's ass.
On the day of the State of the Union address, arguably the most important presidential speech of the year, only 28% of americans approve of Georgie's job performance:
"Mr. Bush’s overall approval rating has fallen to just 28 percent, a new low, while more than twice as many (64 percent) disapprove of the way he's handling his job."
At any job I've ever had, if my overall approval rating with my boss was only 28 friggin %, I wouldn't have that job very long. What's the holdup? Fire chimpy's ass.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Like clockwork
When it comes to publicizing supposed "terrorist attacks" to further their agenda, you can almost set your watch by the Bush administration.
In order to justify their planned "surge" of 21,500 more troops into Iraq, Bushco has been trying desperately to link failure in Iraq with potential terrorist attacks in the US: "If we leave Iraq, they'll follow us back here". But nobody's buying it; the surge remains widely unpopular with 70% of the american public and most of congress (even republicans) opposed to it. Nobody believes "the terrorists would follow us", and with good reason. The Iraqi insurgency, of which al qaeda is but a tiny part, is fully involved in a civil war at the moment. The likelihood of them making a hard u-turn to cross the ocean and pop off a quick terrorist attack is minute. Even within Iraq itself, some sunni insurgents are saying "the jihad is no longer against the americans, it's against the shia".
But what's this?! Today there's news that plans were afoot to use student visas to enter and launch an attack in america, according to documents found in an insurgent safe house ... 6 months ago. If this was such a big deal, why wasn't it made public before now? And why now, just when Bush is having a difficult time with a democratic-controlled congress who won't bend to his every whim? And think about it -- student visas? Are they kidding? The 9/11 highjackers entered the US on student visas -- the chance of anyone being able to replicate that strategy is, or should be, nil.
I call bullshit. It's the same old excrement the bush administration's been crapping out for the last 5 years, and for the same reason, to get everyone scared stupid. I'd say "nice try", but it wasn't.
UPDATE: Via Canadian Cynic, I find that I am not the only one calling bullshit.
In order to justify their planned "surge" of 21,500 more troops into Iraq, Bushco has been trying desperately to link failure in Iraq with potential terrorist attacks in the US: "If we leave Iraq, they'll follow us back here". But nobody's buying it; the surge remains widely unpopular with 70% of the american public and most of congress (even republicans) opposed to it. Nobody believes "the terrorists would follow us", and with good reason. The Iraqi insurgency, of which al qaeda is but a tiny part, is fully involved in a civil war at the moment. The likelihood of them making a hard u-turn to cross the ocean and pop off a quick terrorist attack is minute. Even within Iraq itself, some sunni insurgents are saying "the jihad is no longer against the americans, it's against the shia".
But what's this?! Today there's news that plans were afoot to use student visas to enter and launch an attack in america, according to documents found in an insurgent safe house ... 6 months ago. If this was such a big deal, why wasn't it made public before now? And why now, just when Bush is having a difficult time with a democratic-controlled congress who won't bend to his every whim? And think about it -- student visas? Are they kidding? The 9/11 highjackers entered the US on student visas -- the chance of anyone being able to replicate that strategy is, or should be, nil.
I call bullshit. It's the same old excrement the bush administration's been crapping out for the last 5 years, and for the same reason, to get everyone scared stupid. I'd say "nice try", but it wasn't.
UPDATE: Via Canadian Cynic, I find that I am not the only one calling bullshit.
Anti-choicers march on DC
On the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, in Washington DC anti-abortionists are marching to demonstrate their determination to keep their noses firmly stuffed in the crotches of the nation. ABC News reported that Georgie, who usually makes a personal appearance at these fetus-festish fests, instead "phoned it in" from Camp David today:
"We've all got to remember that a true culture of life cannot be built by changing laws alone. We've all got to work hard to change hearts," he said. "The sanctity of life is written in the life of all men and women. And so I think, go forth with confidence that a cause rooted in human dignity and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens cannot fail." ... blah blah, yada yada, burp fart.
But seriously, does anyone really give a flying fuck what Georgie says anymore? With the lowest approval rating since Nixon? The fetus fetishists who believe life begins at conception (and ends at birth) may be the last people on earth that Georgie still has any currency with.
Speaking of which, in other "Sanctity of Life" news, this just in from Baghdad.
"We've all got to remember that a true culture of life cannot be built by changing laws alone. We've all got to work hard to change hearts," he said. "The sanctity of life is written in the life of all men and women. And so I think, go forth with confidence that a cause rooted in human dignity and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens cannot fail." ... blah blah, yada yada, burp fart.
But seriously, does anyone really give a flying fuck what Georgie says anymore? With the lowest approval rating since Nixon? The fetus fetishists who believe life begins at conception (and ends at birth) may be the last people on earth that Georgie still has any currency with.
Speaking of which, in other "Sanctity of Life" news, this just in from Baghdad.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
State of the Union
Tuesday night: Georgie speaks. Will he say those 3 little words that mean so much? 
(Cartoon via Crooks & Liars)
How can you tell
It's "Sanctity of Life Day"? Oh wait, they don't count, do they? Having already been born and all that. My bad.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Hillary and the "smear campaign"
No big surprise, but it's finally official: Hillary Clinton is running for president. Her announcement came today, just a few days after Senator Barak Obama announced that he's also taking a run at the top spot.
And no sooner does Hillary announce she's in than the dirt starts flying... from the right, of course. Supposedly, someone in the Clinton camp has started what's being called a "smear campaign" against Obama. The "smears" include things like his dad was a muslim (so?) and as a kid Barak spent a few years in a madrassa school (and?) This has about as much significance as "Obama" sounding like "Osama", or the fact that his middle name is "Hussein". The source of the innuendo is right wing garburetor Insightmag.com, which says:
And no sooner does Hillary announce she's in than the dirt starts flying... from the right, of course. Supposedly, someone in the Clinton camp has started what's being called a "smear campaign" against Obama. The "smears" include things like his dad was a muslim (so?) and as a kid Barak spent a few years in a madrassa school (and?) This has about as much significance as "Obama" sounding like "Osama", or the fact that his middle name is "Hussein". The source of the innuendo is right wing garburetor Insightmag.com, which says:
An investigation of Mr. Obama by political opponents within the Democratic Party has discovered that Mr. Obama was raised as a Muslim by his stepfather in Indonesia. Sources close to the background check, which has not yet been released, said Mr. Obama, 45, spent at least four years in a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia. "He was a Muslim, but he concealed it," the source said. "His opponents within the Democrats hope this will become a major issue in the campaign."
Way to shovel the shit, Insightmag. The article makes it appear that Hillary's team is suggesting Obama has something to hide. Never mind that it's all right in his autobiography for anyone who cares to look. Anything that puts Hillary Clinton in a bad light causes the right wingnuts to cream themselves in ecstasy and rage, and they've been jabbering like gerbils in heat about this story. Unfortunately a few things don't add up. What Clinton insiders would have contacts at a right wing rag like Insight? And why would Hillary choose to break out a smear campaign on the same day as she announces her candidacy? This load of flyspecked crap didn't originate with the democrats, it comes from the same bags of pigshit that started smearing Obama months ago.
Everyone remembers the famous push poll that knocked John McCain out of the running for President to make way for Bush in 2000. Delegates were asked: "Would you be more or less likely to vote for John McCain if you knew he'd fathered an illegitimate black child?" Of course the purpose of the poll wasn't to find out if this would affect the delegates' vote, it was to suggest that McCain had an illegitimate black child (he actually has an adopted child from Bangladesh). Karl Rove and the rest of the slimy Bush strategists appealed to their delegates' basic racism, and it worked (and the rest, as they say, is history).
Like the McCain push poll, the Obama smear campaign is right out of the dog-eared, shit-stained pages of Rove's book of scummy political tricks. The objective is obvious: appeal to the electorates' Islamophobia to smear Obama and at the same time smear Hillary by blaming her for it. It's what the republicans have been doing for years, good old-fashioned "swift-boating", and un-fucking-believably, some people are still falling for it.
UPDATE: It's not just me! Lib/Prog blogger Scott Tribe also has doubts about the source of the smear, and links to an equally skeptical article in the Huffington Post. Nice try, repugs.
Friday, January 19, 2007
The hypocrisy never ends
Sometimes the irony is so painful it makes me want to gouge out my own eyeballs. Today the white house issued a news release proclaiming that Sunday January 21st will be "Sanctity of Life Day":
"Among the most basic duties of Government is to defend the
unalienable right to life, and my Administration is committed to protecting our society's most vulnerable members. We are vigorously promoting parental notification laws, adoption, abstinence education, crisis pregnancy programs, and the vital work of faith-based groups. Through the "Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002," the "Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003," and the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004," we are helping to make our country a more hopeful place."
"Among the most basic duties of Government is to defend the
unalienable right to life, and my Administration is committed to protecting our society's most vulnerable members. We are vigorously promoting parental notification laws, adoption, abstinence education, crisis pregnancy programs, and the vital work of faith-based groups. Through the "Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002," the "Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003," and the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004," we are helping to make our country a more hopeful place." Isn't that just fucking special? One question, if I may. How does forced childbearing help to make the country a more hopeful place? Hopeful for what? That women will forget all that wimmins lib stuff and go back to being baby-making machines? And one other point of interest, if you please. How can an administration that perpetuates the mass-killing of innocents on a daily basis feel it has any right to make self-righteous, pharisaical pronouncements about "the sanctity of life"? Are they on crack??
Christian Values (Part 2,317)
Whoops! It's another shining example of those good old traditional christian values! Earlier this week, Sonia and Estevam Hernandes, founders of a Brazilian evangelical mega-church, were praying they'd get out of the detention center in Miami:
"The couple was arrested at Miami International Airport last week on charges of currency smuggling and lying to customs officers after U.S. Immigration and Customs agents found they were carrying thousands of dollars more than the $10,000 they declared, investigators allege."
The 10 grand was just the beginning; the investigators found more money hidden in a CD cover, a folded and packed jacket, their son's knapsack, and ... are you ready ... Sonia's bible. Grand total: $56,000. This from a couple of bible-whomping flim-flam artists who are already under investigation by Brazil's organized crime unit. But of course you had to know what the evangelical community's response would be:
"One of the pastors at the Deerfield Reborn in Christ Church said the arrests of the husband and wife -- known as the Apostle Estevam and the Bishop Sonia to their faithful -- were part of a `religious persecution.''
"The couple was arrested at Miami International Airport last week on charges of currency smuggling and lying to customs officers after U.S. Immigration and Customs agents found they were carrying thousands of dollars more than the $10,000 they declared, investigators allege."
The 10 grand was just the beginning; the investigators found more money hidden in a CD cover, a folded and packed jacket, their son's knapsack, and ... are you ready ... Sonia's bible. Grand total: $56,000. This from a couple of bible-whomping flim-flam artists who are already under investigation by Brazil's organized crime unit. But of course you had to know what the evangelical community's response would be:
"One of the pastors at the Deerfield Reborn in Christ Church said the arrests of the husband and wife -- known as the Apostle Estevam and the Bishop Sonia to their faithful -- were part of a `religious persecution.''
Iran talks to Saudis
It looks like there may be at least preliminary communications going on between Iran and Saudi Arabia with regard to stabilizing Iraq:
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that he sent a message to Saudi King Abdullah proposing that they cooperate in helping stabilize Iraq.
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that he sent a message to Saudi King Abdullah proposing that they cooperate in helping stabilize Iraq.
"We, Saudis and other neighboring countries can help the Iraqi people to take the lead to consolidate their government's capability to stabilize and maintain security in their country," Ahmadinejad told the Saudi-owned satellite television channel.
Iran's overture to Saudi Arabia appeared to be an attempt to counter American efforts to rally its allies in the region and isolate Tehran.
Iran's attempt to reach out to Saudi Arabia is significant. They've been on opposing sides in the Iraq conflict. Iran supports the Shia-dominated Iraqi government and Shia militias that are perpetuating so much of the sectarian violence. Saudi Arabia has indicated that they'll back the Sunni insurgents in Iraq (if they're not already) if coalition forces leave, which might mean a wider war and even more instability in the region. But if Iran and Saudi Arabia can work together, they may be able to stabilize Iraq at least a little, if only by staying out of it.
It'll be interesting to see how the US reacts to the talks between their favourite mideast ally and the country they're building up to attack.
Iran's attempt to reach out to Saudi Arabia is significant. They've been on opposing sides in the Iraq conflict. Iran supports the Shia-dominated Iraqi government and Shia militias that are perpetuating so much of the sectarian violence. Saudi Arabia has indicated that they'll back the Sunni insurgents in Iraq (if they're not already) if coalition forces leave, which might mean a wider war and even more instability in the region. But if Iran and Saudi Arabia can work together, they may be able to stabilize Iraq at least a little, if only by staying out of it.
It'll be interesting to see how the US reacts to the talks between their favourite mideast ally and the country they're building up to attack.
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