Conclusive evidence: Things are worse in Iraq, not better!

Taking a fresh look at current realities on the ground, (since so much has been made recently on the changing conditions in Iraq,) according to the Administration and senior Republican Senators, the American people are not being brought up to date on the "good" news that things are really much better than before and that this "new strategy" by President Bush is working, according to these pronouncements.

Since we do not have actual measures of success, the only way one could know if things are truly better in my view is to look at U.S. Casualties. I have been posting on this topic recently but I wanted to take a fresh view today and look at both short term results (one month) and longer term (4 month and 8 month periods). If there truly is improvement it should show in the numbers and trends. Since there is no accurate information on Iraqi deaths, the only real measure worth using is unfortunately U.S. Fatalities. So without bias I first present the data from i-Casualties.org which gets its data from the Department of Defense.

Note: this data below has been updated today, April 2nd, from previous listing as new fatalitiess were added after March 31st for the month of March by D.O.D.

Data from the most recent month, March, compared to March of the previous 2 years.
2007 82
2006 31
2005 35

This is a 165% increase over 2006.

Data looking back on a 4 month average for the periods of Dec. through March, for each of the same years.

2007 357
2006 216
2005 272

This is a 65% increase over 2006.

Data looking back on a 8 month average for the periods of Aug. through March, for each of the same years.

2007 667
2006 530
2005 619

This is an increase of 26% increase over 2006.

In summary the longer the period of time used, the lower the percentage. The more recent the data, the higher the U.S. casualties. This demonstrates conclusively that despite words by Senator's McCain and Lieberman and others, like President Bush and VP Cheney, to confuse the American public, they are all deceiving the American people. Things are not getting better, they are getting worse

UPDATE: 3:30pm PST And now if the data above wasn't enough to convince you, here's the late afternoon addition which states March totals show more U.S fatalities than Iraqi's.

By AP reporter Steven Hurst today late.

U.S. March toll nearly twice Iraq forces

"The U.S. military death toll in March, the first full month of the security crackdown, was nearly twice that of the Iraqi army, which American and Iraqi officials say is taking the leading role in the latest attempt to curb violence in the capital, surrounding cities and Anbar province, according to figures compiled on Saturday."

(For this complete AP story click here.)

Gov. Bill Richardson needed for this world crisis

It's time to consider using the talents of Gov. Bill Richardson to mediate the warring parties. His skill in negotiations is well known. He won the release of prisoners in North Korea, the release of Red Cross workers by the government of Sudan, and also negotiated a 60-day cease-fire in war torn Dafur. He has also won release of prisoners and negotiated successfully with Cuba and Iraq's Saddam Hussein.

So this true American hero should be placed once again in action to the service of his country and must be sent to deal with another difficult leader who walks to his own beat and doesn't listen to anyone. That leader is President Bush! Good luck Gov. Richardson! Our prayers are with you for the safe return of our troops from Iraq.

Senator Lieberman wrong on Iraq!

Add another wrong voice on Iraq and the conditions on the ground. This time it's Senator Joe Lieberman. This morning it is reported that Senator Lieberman said, the President's new strategy has "successfully decreased violence in Iraq". What are these guys smoking?

I wrote the same points about Senator McCain the other day as seen below:

At Noon today on the Senate Floor Senator John McCain has made several pronouncements:
"Iraq already showing signs of improvement."
"Already showing signs it (the new strategy) will succeed."
"It's not making more casualties"

He says all this is being done at the same time the Senate is reconsidering surrendering in Iraq with this upcoming vote today on funding for the war tied into a set timetable for withdrawal. He says not all things are going well and we all know the negatives, as we see them every day. But there are good signs that things are improving.

Senator, have you been keeping track of U.S. fatalities this month compared to past years. Well here is some indisputable data:

March 2005 35
March 2006 31
March 2007 so far 79 soldiers! This is more than both 2005 and 2006 years combined.

Does this mean the struggle is succeeding? Give me a break Senator and stop making up the facts.

UPDATE: 4:45PM P.S.T. CNN Correspondent Michael Ware in a response to Situation Room's Wolf Blitzer's question, "McCain is all wrong on conditions currently in Iraq" and that he, Ware, discussed McCain's remarks to senior Military people and they laughed at McCain's proclamations. McCain also said today that General Petraeus can drive around Baghdad easily and doesn't need armor plated Humvee's and that you can walk around safely in some neighborhoods. Ware disputes all of McCain's claims and is in Baghdad all the time. McCain is losing touch and votes for his Presidential bid with his denial of current conditions in Iraq.

UPDATE: U.S. Fatalities

UPDATE: Here's the latest update of the data for the past 3 years looking at a summary of the 4 month period of December through March:

Dec. through March 2005 had 272 Fatalities
Dec. through March 2006 had 216 Fatalities
Dec. through March 2007 has 354 Fatalities SO FAR!!! That is a 64% increase over last year!

Are we really supporting the troops with these consequences? Does this show things are better in Iraq as Senator McCain suggests? Is the "surge" working? Doubt it!

The Iraqi Green Zone solution

Jamie Mcintyre of CNN reported today that the military is considering turning over parts of the Green Zone to the Iraqi's and he stated that the view by our military is that if the Iraqi Army can't protect the Green Zone, they will never protect the country. I applaud this novel approach.

Maybe U.S. Generals should read my Blog more frequently. Below is what I said on Dec. 10, 2006 right on this Blog titled, "A formula for Guaranteed Iraqi success:"

"Here's another thought about Iraqi's standing up, so we can stand down. We need to turn over the Green Zone to the Iraqi's to protect. If they can't protect even one square mile, they will never protect the country. The Iraqi politicians, Sunni, Shiite and Kurds, all have a vital interest in being protected. It has been shown that in order to solve large problems, any group that has differences, (and the 3 Iraqi groups definitely have a dog in this fight,) needs to work together to solve small problems, then with the experience they have gained and the increased trust can solve larger problems. So by having all 3 groups responsible for security in the Green Zone, there is a chance that once their lives are entrusted to each other they might compromise and rise to the occasion. If not, and they can't secure the Green Zone, the leaders will eventually be killed and a new government will need to be formed but in any event, the current stalemate will be resolved. :)"

Senator McCain wrong on Iraq "successes"

At Noon today on the Senate Floor Senator John McCain has made several pronouncements:
"Iraq already showing signs of improvement."
"Already showing signs it (the new strategy) will succeed."
"It's not making more casualties"

He says all this is being done at the same time the Senate is reconsidering surrendering in Iraq with this upcoming vote today on funding for the war tied into a set timetable for withdrawal. He says not all things are going well and we all know the negatives, as we see them every day. But there are good signs that things are improving.

Senator, have you been keeping track of U.S. fatalities this month compared to past years. Well here is some indisputable data:

March 2005 35
March 2006 31
March 2007 so far 78 soldiers! This is more than both 2005 and 2006 years combined.

Does this mean the struggle is succeeding? Give me a break Senator and stop making up the facts.

UPDATE: 4:45PM P.S.T. CNN Correspondent Michael Ware in a response to Situation Room's Wolf Blitzer's question, "McCain is all wrong on conditions currently in Iraq" and that he, Ware, discussed McCain's remarks to senior Military people and they laughed at McCain's proclamations. McCain also said today that General Petraeus can drive around Baghdad easily and doesn't need armor plated Humvee's and that you can walk around safely in some neighborhoods. Ware disputes all of McCain's claims and is in Baghdad all the time. McCain is losing touch and votes for his Presidential bid with his denial of current conditions in Iraq.

Egypt adopts Democracy 2.0 from President Bush and the neocons' playbook

Democracy, Bush style, has emerged from the Middle East, most notably Egypt, as new anti-terrorist laws were approved by a small group of people, as voter turnout was low.

Quoting a BBC story, "Opposition groups have voiced fears about the wording of the articles on the new anti-terrorism law because it will be possible to bypass the constitutional guarantees protecting basic freedoms." Also, "Turnout for the vote was 27%, the justice ministry said, although some independent groups put it at 5%." The population of Egypt is about 68 Million people. This means that as few as 2.5 Million people out of the 68 Million people voted to change the Constitution and install "anti-terrorist laws" analogous to our Patriot Act. And the article adds, "The 34 constitutional amendments include a ban on the creation of political parties based on religion, and sweeping security powers."

Welcome Egypt to President Bush's type of Democracy, where we now share in a common theme, "bypassing the constitutional guarantees protecting basic freedoms." President Mubarak you have learned your lesson well from our latest interpretation of the protecting of our basic freedoms from a President and VP who have turned the Constitution upside down with the help of the current Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Of course, we learned from you as well, for example how to "redefine" what is and what isn't torture and skirt the Geneva Convention and U.S. laws.

To read the entire BBC article click here.

Why write a Blog post? Does it matter?

I didn't realize it, as I passed right through the number, but I have posted over 400 Blog posts since I began in May, 2005. I have had over 12,300 Visitors and I enjoy writing to help me cope with the frustrations I have had with this President and an Administration that has taken the Constitution and turned it on its head.

I don't know if my writings have advanced any dialogue or changed any minds out there but it has allowed me to have less stress because once I have written about something which has infuriated me, the anger and stress levels are reduced. If nothing else, that's a good reason to keep writing.

2008 Presidential candidates and where they stand on issues important to you.

I found a great web site this morning to find video clips of each of the 2008 Presidential candidates stating where they stand on each of 9 issues: Iraq, Immigration, Energy/Climate, Nuclear Proliferation, Healthcare, Education, Social Security, Taxes and Campaign Reform. The site is a must for any information on the topics, as their positions are in the candidate's own words and you don't need an interpretation of what they said, as you can hear it for yourself. Do yourself a favor and bookmark this site. The site and link is ExpertVoter.org/

Are we supporting the troops?

This seems the defining question in the latest framing of the conversation from President Bush and his Administration and crafted by the linguistic genius, Karl Rove. The President has said if you set a timetable for the withdrawal of troops in Iraq, you are supporting the enemy and not supporting the troops. He has also said if you cut the funding for the troops, you will be denying the troops the vital equipment they need to protect and defend America and, therefore, you are siding with the terrorists.

Many over the past few weeks have cited claims that the surge is working and we need to give Gen. Petraeus and the military more time to make the "new strategy" work. So as you can see, the argument seems compelling for us not to support the Democratic attempt to link the funding to date for troop withdrawal. This has resulted in President Bush shooting across the bow of the Democrats the threat of a veto of the bill, if approved by the Senate. The battle seems to be framed for an intensive fight. If the Democrats send the President a Bill linking the funding to troop withdrawal, the President will veto it and the necessary funding will not pass. Then the President will blame the Democrats for all the casualties in Iraq, as a result of tying his hands by tightening the purse strings.

So let's see where we stand now where the President has all the funds he has needed so far and let's see what has happened regarding casualties.

March 2005 had 35 Fatalities
March 2006 had 31 Fatalities
March 2007 has 70 Fatalities SO FAR!!!

You say that is only one months data. Ok, here's the latest data for the past 3 years looking at a summary of the 4 month period of December through March:

Dec. through March 2005 had 272 Fatalities
Dec. through March 2006 had 216 Fatalities
Dec. through March 2007 has 345 Fatalities SO FAR!!! That is a 60% increase over last year!

So how are we supporting our troops? I claim that the current Bush/Cheney policy in Iraq is NOT SUPPORTING our troops and is, in fact, at their detriment!

President Bush and VP Cheney own this problem in total. However, what is bordering on treason, is how Karl Rove has shaped the arguments, which pits Americans against Americans.

It is Karl Rove who is the Divider in this Administration. The sooner Karl Rove is forced to kowtow, the better America will be. Karl Rove has done more harm to this country than Benedict Arnold or the terrorists who defiled America on 9/11 and I don't mind saying it either. He is not a true American in the real sense. He is responsible, single handedly, for the demise of real debate and bipartisanship in America.

That is why Senator Leahy must force the issue to get Karl Rove in front of the Senate to testify under oath. However, as has been written about Karl Rove in "The Architect: Karl Rove and the Master Plan for Absolute Power" by James Moore and Wayne Slater, he doesn't tell the truth under oath either. This is one scoundrel we all could do without. He probably is connected to everything that is wrong in Washington with this Administration from leaking Valerie Plame's name along with Scooter Libbey, to having his hands all over this U.S. Attorney firings, to the infamous Jack Abramoff scandal. It's time for Rove to go!

Vote to bring the troops home passes! It may be symbolic but it's a real Bill

How about for those who voted against the Bill to put a date certain for U.S. Troop withdrawal from Iraq, that we send their sons and daughters to Iraq until they vote to end this war (and that includes the Bush daughters).

I also advise that those that truly support us being there either sign up yourself, or send your own sons and daughters and sisters and brothers there instead. Why are people not signing up to join the military to join this war if it was so noble a cause? If this were truly important to our country, the American people would get it and we wouldn't have such a shortage of troops and having to use dubious tactics to get young kids to sign up. Wake up! Either try and implement a Draft or get out. We are breaking our military daily.

Now that I think about it, shouldn’t the Commander in Chief be leading the charge there rather than from Washington. Heck, Cheney knows how to shoot people too. Bring him with you, Mr. President!

Ambramoff in the news today!

Is this prophetic or what? (read the last 2 postings below) In the news today is something on the Jack Abramoff scandal. Former Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles of the Bush Administration has decided to plead guilty to one count of obstruction of justice in the Jack Abramoff corruption investigation. The former No. 2 official at the Interior Department has agreed to a felony plea admitting that he lied five times to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and its investigators about his relationship with Abramoff.

Griles effectively was Interior's chief operating officer and its top representative on Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force. Abramoff persuaded his Indian clients to pay him tens of millions of dollars to influence decisions coming out of Congress and the Interior Department. Part of his pitch to clients was that he had serious pull at the department, especially with Griles.

For the rest the complete story read it here.

U.S Attorney firings and possible connections to stopping Jack Abramoff scandal Congressional investigations of Republicans

UPDATE: I have been investigating news reports from 2006 regarding the Abramoff scandal. I was wondering whether there were any connections to the U.S.Attorney's office in the Southern District in California to investigations spinning off from the Abramoff dealings. Here's one that implicated a connection to Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) in regards to the purchase of an Indian Casino and related issues.

"Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) was listed as a financial reference for Abramoff in the purchase (SunCruz Casinos). He was also quoted as saying, "I don't remember it, but I would certainly have been happy to give him a good recommendation", and "He's a very honest man." by the Washington Post" This seems simple enough and no cause for concern but the entire Abramoff scandal was a major concern for Republicans from Tom Delay, to "Duke" Cinningham of Southern California. Carol Lamb, who was fired as U.S attorney had said there were others in her sights at the time. Could there be more than meets the eye here?

I think there were some possible investigations going on here tied to Abramoff.

Is there a connection? Abramoff and Bush kowtowing U.S. attorneys?

Tom Delay's conflict of interest is apparent during his conversation with Chris Mathews today on Hardball. Delay has much to lose by association, as it was Duke Cunningham's conviction in Southern California by the fired U.S, attorney Carol Lamb that help put him behind bars. This was all connected to the Jack Abramoff scandal of buying privilege and access to President Bush. And this touches Tom Delay. His interest in stopping all investigations is obvious. His motives are self serving and despicable. Delay, Gonzales, Bush, Myers et al represent the Texas good ole boys (and gal) network.

It is very interesting to me that all the noise about Abramoff willing to expose more Congressmen to U.S. attorneys has gone totally quiet over the past 5 months. Could it be connected to U.S. Attorney's being fired? Was pressure exerted on the U.S. attorney who was in charge of the Abramoff matter? We may never know, but I think it worthy for us to ask what happened there as well. It was only a year ago (March 29, 2006) when this was reported by the Washington Post:

"U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck sentenced Abramoff, 47, and his former partner Adam Kidan, 41, to the shortest possible prison terms under sentencing guidelines after prosecutors affirmed that both men have been aiding the ongoing investigations and had expressed remorse. Abramoff's attorneys said he has reviewed "thousands of documents" in the inquiry, which could reach members of Congress, congressional staff members and employees of federal agencies, including the Interior Department.

They're both trying to atone by cooperating," Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence D. LaVecchio said in court."

Something's wrong in how the elderly are dying

Something’s wrong in life when the elderly are complaining about wanting to die, as they have "lived too long". I'm sure many of you have parents or grandparents that you've heard use the phrase, "I wish I could just go, fall asleep and not wake up". What modern medicine has done to keep people's bodies alive, also needs to be done to help keep that life worth living. Otherwise, we are wasting our efforts saving people that ultimately don't want to be saved. I have two people in my life who feel that way. One wants to be "taken" by God and join her husband who died a few years ago, and the other is just tired and, instead of having a heart attack and dying, is dying a thousand deaths, by parts of her body failing a little at a time.

First she lost control of her swallowing, then she lost touch as to how she was truly feeling, then she started to lose her short term memory, then she started to lose some feeling in her foot and couldn't tell she had a broken blister the size of a baseball, then she started to lose control of her urine followed recently by losing control of her bowels. Her heart is starting to finally give up. It's painful to watch her degrade over time and to be powerless, as she has been a happy person most of her life. Normally people use to just die in their 70's, then the age of death moved to the 80's and now it's in the 90's. The quality of life for the elderly has much to be sad about. I watched a show last night where volunteers were playing a guitar and singing for a group of elderly. The elderly were in a circle and the volunteers asked them to join in the singing. They had staff encouraging them to sing, but you could see on their faces that the elderly weren't doing it for themselves but only to please the volunteers. How sad.

We could do so much with the money that has been wasted over the past 6 plus years on wars and conflicts, if we devoted some resources to understanding this problem, as it is getting worse not better and we will all be there eventually. If nothing else for selfish reasons, let's get some better understanding as a country as to how we as a society are dealing with the elderly. I surely don't have any good answers. If you have any, leave a comment. Thanks.

Senator Biden speaks about Iraq on 4th Anniversary of the War

Monday, Senator Biden talked about Iraq on CBS Early Show. Here's the conversation with Harry Smith. Biden is right here and is the only one thinking and acting to help solve the problem in Iraq. Read this and let me know what you think.

Please note that this is a partial transcript.

HARRY SMITH, HOST: Senator Biden, good morning.

Senator JOSEPH BIDEN (Democrat, Delaware): Good morning, Harry, how are you?

SMITH: I'm well. Let's talk about what Secretary Rice just had to say about sacrifice. Is this sacrifice thus far worth it?

Sen. BIDEN: Well, it's the wrong sacrifice. I mean, look, every single thing we've asked our troops to do, they've done and they've done well, Harry. But there's a fundamental flaw here. The underlying strategy in the administration is mistaken, that is to set up this strong central government that's going to dominate and going to be a democracy from Baghdad...

SMITH: Mm-hmm.

Sen. BIDEN: ...when, in fact, that's not possible.

SMITH: Let me interrupt just a second because one of the other things she said was the Iraqis are getting stronger and the Iraqis are taking more responsibility. Do you see that?

Sen. BIDEN: No, I don't see that. And here's the question you have to ask yourself, Harry: There's a self-sustaining cycle of sectarian violence. Who's getting stronger? Who's she talking about when she says the Iraqis? There's--look, history teaches us, as well as our experience in Bosnia, that the only time--only way you end sectarian violence is you either occupy a country, you bring back a dictator, you let them expire by killing one another or you have a decentralized federal system. These guys are pushing a rope, this administration. The constitution of the Iraqis calls for a decentralized government. You got to give these people breathing room. You got to--like we did in Bosnia. We separated the parties.

SMITH: Mm-hmm.

Sen. BIDEN: We've had 20,000 troops there for the last 10 years, no American has been killed, the genocide has stopped, and now they're uniting as a country. This is a failed strategy backed up by a very bad tactic of surging more troops.

SMITH: Meanwhile, your Democratic colleagues in the House are getting ready to at least push forward legislation which would suggest that US troops, the vast majority of them, be out of the country in a year and a half. The White House has already said this thing is dead on arrival. Your response.

Sen. BIDEN: Well, I hope the White House begins to change. If you notice, the plan that they're putting forward is essentially the same thing that the Baker Commission, the Baker Study Group, put forward, saying we should be out by March of '08. No one's calling for all troops to be out. There'll be some troops left behind for stability.

SMITH: Mm.

Sen. BIDEN: But the truth of the matter is the odd person out here is the president. The vast majority of the expertise around the world and in this country, Republican and Democrat, think the president's approach is a serious, serious mistake.

SMITH: Let's talk about the surge a little bit.

Sen. BIDEN: Sure.

SMITH: We're hearing, at least anecdotally, that on the--on--in the--initially the surge seems to be working. Of course, the Shiites have gone underground temporarily and--but the Sunnis are out, you know, still bombing and still using suicide tactics. What is your feel about the surge thus far?

Sen. BIDEN: Well, Harry--Harry, the facts are there are more car bombings now than there were last month. They're up from, I think, 73 to 77 or 71 to 73, whatever. And in Diyala province, the province just outside of Iraq, we've had to put in 4,000 additional troops.

SMITH: Mm.

Sen. BIDEN: Now there's four--now another 700, 4,000 troops up there. It's like squeezing a water balloon, Harry. They're just moving from one place to the other. Here's the fundamental question for me.

SMITH: Quickly.

Sen. BIDEN: Let's assume the surge worked. Then what?

SMITH: Right.

Sen. BIDEN: What is the political solution? What is the political solution? None has been offered by the administration. That's the flaw. No political solution.

SMITH: All right.

Senator Biden, we thank you for your time this morning.

Sen. BIDEN: Thank you.

SMITH: Take care.

Senator Chuck Hagel makes 2 major mistakes in a week

Today, 3-20-07, Senator Hagel voted against what was one of the single most bipartisan votes held in the Senate in a long time. They voted to restore Senate oversight of the appointment of U.S. Attorneys. However, Senator Hagel was only one of 2 Senators NOT voting for the measure to restore oversight. Add to that the non-event of his non announcement to run for President a week or so ago and Senator Hagel needs to get quiet and review what he is doing as many of us wonder why he didn't vote with the majority to send a message to this President and future ones. Senator Hagel, please explain your vote.

Senate rolls back authority of Attorney General on U.S. Attorney appointments

Today was a day where the Senate reasserted its authority of its oversight role. It has been 6 plus years where no oversight had been done. The vote today was bipartisan with a 94-2 vote. This is an historic day. There will be more investigations into the political pressure on U.S Attorney's by this Administration but today the Senate spoke with a clear and loud voice.

BBC poll of Iraqi's linked here

These are a sample of some of the key questions and responses by Iraqi’s to a poll conducted by BBC.

Q11. I would like to ask you about today’s conditions in the village/neighbourhood where you live. Would you rate (insert item here) as very good, quite good, quite bad, or very bad?

The supply of electricity
2007 2005 2004
% % %
Very good 2 11 8
Quite good 11 35 27
Quite bad 37 30 28
Very bad 51 24 37
Refused/don’t know - 1 1

(Comment: 88% say it is "bad" in 2007 as compared to only 54% in 2005)

The availability of medical care
2007 2005 2004
% % %
Very good 8 27 17
Quite good 23 35 34
Quite bad 35 23 24
Very bad 34 13 22
Refused/don’t know - 2 3

(Comment: 69% say it is "bad" in 2007 compared to only 36% in 2005. Availablity of Medical Care for the occupied population is required in the Geneva Convention.)


Q16. I am going to name a number of organizations. For each one, please tell me if you have a great deal of confidence, quite a lot of confidence, not very much confidence, or none at all?

US and UK occupation forces
2007 2005 2004 2003
% % % %
Great deal of confidence 6 7 8 7
Quite a lot of confidence 12 11 17 12
Not very much confidence 30 23 23 20
None at all 52 55 43 52
Refused/don’t know - 5 8 9

(Comment: 82% say they are "Not confident" in 2007 compared to only 78% in 2005)

Q17 There can be differences between the way government is set up in a country, called the political system. From the three options I am going to read to you, which ONE do you think would be the best for Iraq now?
2007 2005 2004
% % %
Strong leader: a government headed by one man for life 34 26 28
Islamic state: where politicians rule according to religious principles 22 14 21
Democracy: a government with a chance for the leader to be replaced from time to time 43 57 49
Refused/don’t know - 3 4

(My Comment: Seems like there is a growing number of people wanting a strong leader; one man for life, like Saddam Hussein, I guess)

Q23 Who do you think currently controls things in our country; is it the Iraqi government, the United States, somebody else, or no one?
2007 2005
% %
Iraqi Government 34 44
United States 59 24
Somebody else 4 17
No one controls things 3 6
Refused/don’t know - 9

(My Comment: Let there be no doubt that Iraqi's hold the U.S. responsible for control of their country)

Q24 Since the war, how do you feel about the way in which the United States and other Coalition forces have carried out their responsibilities in Iraq? Have they done a very good job, quite a good job, quite a bad job, or a very bad job?
2007 2005
% %
A Very Good Job 6 10
Quite a Good Job 18 27
Quite a Bad Job 30 19
A Very Bad Job 46 40
Refused/don’t know - 5

(My comment: So the President wants to give him and the Military more time to do their job. According to this last piece of data, 79% of Iraqi's say we are doing a BAD job in 2007 compared to 59% in 2005)

For the entire poll and the results click on this BBC link. read each question and draw your own conclusions. This poll has been taken only 3 times since the war started and this time they had more than 2000 Iraqi's participating in the survey.

This is very valuable data as we enter the week to debate this war in Congress with proposed legislation to set some benchmarks for the Iraqi's and proposed withdrawal dates of U.S. forces. What's your take on the poll? (Please also participate in my Mini poll on the right sidebar.)

The Airbus 380 extravaganza

Airbus 380 lands in NY at 12:12pm. It is huge and the fuel it uses is immoral. Someone should do a check on the amount of CO2 it adds to the environment. Where’s Al Gore when you need him! Oh, and notice what country is flying this one already.

Take the Poll on the Iraq war

I have a new mini poll on the right. I have asked now for your opinions as to which Presidential candidate has the best ideas on solving the Iraq war problem. The last poll was surprising as in summary, it seemed that my voters decided not to embrace former leading candidates and shunned both Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Surprising surges came from Sen. Barack Obama, Al Gore, Sen. Chuck Hagel and Sen. Joe Biden. I had allowed for people to vote more than once and it was obvious from daily voting patterns that those supporting Senator Hagel took the opportunity and voted many times in a single day.

In this new poll, I would like to ask you to only vote once per day, as I am very interested in how you see the candidates on the issue of Iraq only.

U.S. Fatalities comparison Dec. to March 2005-2007

UPDATE from last months data of # U.S. fatalities from war in Iraq.

Comparing the past 3 years of data from Dec. to March we have realized an increase of 52.3% fatalities, as compared to a comparable period in 2006 and we are only 18 days into March. Click on the chart to enlarge it.

This is why we need debate over the President's Iraq policy. It isn't getting better for our troops, as the figures don't lie. Remember unfortunately we are only half way through this month and this is going to affect many more families. And remember the "surge" is nothing more than a replacement of British troops, who luckily are going home and have had enough of this war of choice.

Fighting for Truth, Justice and the American way

No, it's not Superman, nor is it President Bush nor Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General nor the Congress. It took place in a small Court in Ohio and was fought by average Americans exercising one of their Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms to fight for Truth, Justice and the American way, by serving on Jury Duty.

Ohio Election Workers Sentenced

Wednesday March 14, 2007 12:16 AM


By THOMAS J. SHEERAN

Associated Press Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) - Two county election workers were sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison for RIGGING A COUNT OF 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION BALLOTS so they could avoid a longer, detailed review.

Jacqueline Maiden, 60, a Cuyahoga County election coordinator who was the board's third-highest ranking employee, and ballot manager Kathleen Dreamer, 40, each were convicted of a felony count of negligent misconduct of an elections employee.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Peter Corrigan allowed the women to remain free on bail pending appeal, but indicated he thought there was a more widespread conspiracy among election officials.

``I can't help but feel there's more to this story,'' Corrigan said.

Ohio law says that during a recount each county is supposed to randomly count at least 3 percent of its ballots by hand and by machine. If there are no discrepancies, the rest of the votes can be recounted by machine. A full hand count is ordered if two random samples result in differences.

Special prosecutor Kevin Baxter said in the defendants' January trial that they worked behind closed doors three days before the public recount on Dec. 16, 2004, to pick ballots they knew would not cause discrepancies when checked by hand, thereby avoiding a full hand recount.

To read the whole story click here.

Senator Biden on Iraq debate (S.J Res. 9)

This today from Senator Joe Biden's Press release regarding Iraq:

March 14, 2007
Press Release

Sen. Joe Biden: There is a Fundamental Disconnect Between the President and the American People on Iraq

Washington, DC - The U.S. Senate began debate today on legislation to revise U.S. policy in Iraq, drafted by Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden (D-DE) and Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Carl Levin (D-MI) and introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). The binding legislation - S.J. Res. 9 - would do four things: immediately narrow the mission of our troops to training Iraqis and denying terrorists a sanctuary; begin within four months the phased redeployment of our troops; set as a goal withdrawing our combat forces by March 2008 except for a limited number necessary to carry out the narrower mission; and pursue a political settlement in Iraq.

"Iraq dominates our national agenda. Americans want us to debate the war, they want us to vote on it and most of all they want us to figure out how to end it responsibly without leaving chaos behind. There's a fundamental disconnect between where the American people are and where the President is on this war," Sen. Biden said.

"Building pressure on the Administration to change course in Iraq is a process - every step counts. With every day the situation in Iraq does not improve, the pressure grows for Congress to act if the President will not. This legislation is the right next step. I will continue pounding away at this every day to get the President to change his policy in Iraq. Eventually, the President and the minority in Congress who don't want to change course will catch up with the American people," Sen. Biden added.

What do Rumsfeld, former FEMA head "Brownie", and Alberto Gonzales have in common?

Words of advice for the next President: When you are filling the many positions in your Cabinet and Administration, use more than one criterion for deciding which candidate you will select. President Bush only used one criterion and look at the trouble we're in because of it. Oh, the single criterion Bush used was "WILLINGNESS" (to do what was asked by him of them). Any good CEO will tell you that at least one other criterion should be used; "ABILITY/COMPETENTCY" to do the job. It is obvious now from the examples of selecting Rumsfeld, former FEMA director "Brownie" and now today from the front page of all newspapers, Attorney General Robert Gonzales that only "Willingness" was the criterion chosen. I would say the same criterion was used to select Cheney but Cheney selected himself as he was the head of the committee charged with the responsibility to find a Vice President. Oh, and the criterion Cheney used was also "WILLINGNESS" (to do as I damn well please!)

UPDATE: Halliburton and effect of their move to Dubai on the U.S. Dollar and the economy

UPDATE on Halliburton post. First the post and then the story.

March 12, 2007
Halliburton is moving its Corporate headquarters to Dubai according to news reports yesterday. Maybe they read what I posted on March 9th on a piece about Alberto Gonzales and wanted to have an escape route from prosecution!

"When more oversight is done by this Congress, more revelations will be made from how Halliburton cheated us by not providing the services contracted, not by Millions of dollars, but by Billions. I will predict that when all the investigations are complete, many senior Halliburton officials will be charged with crimes and do jail time."

Update 3/13/07
So this is the update: Marketwatch says Halliburton Dubai move is a negative for the dollar. So not only have they cheated the American people by defrauding us, they will affect the economy negatively. Here's a brief quote, "With many of the company's subsidiaries located outside of the U.S., Halliburton is notorious for using tax havens and in Dubai, they will be paying next to zero in corporate taxes for the most part.". Now the Full Story.

General Pace and the Don't ask, Don't tell policy

General Pace had told newspaper that homosexual acts are immoral but that he supported the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. Yes the General got him self in trouble, as you can imagine with those remarks, as many Gay and Lesbian advocacy groups said the comments were disrespectful to the 65,000 gay troops serving today. Hmmm, those must be only those that are OK coming out to their constituency. Read the story of General Pace's comments here.

I guess I can solve several problems at once here. Every soldier in Iraq needs to say they are gay and want to return to see their wives and children. I have a hunch if they all took that advice I refer to a famous quote made by Ross Perot on a different topic: "You would hear a giant sucking sound" not from Mexico but this time from Iraq.

Another "but" and this time it's Bush

Today in Mexico, President Bush speaking at the news conference with the President of Mexico, invoked the use of the "but" word again, and you know what this means. Here's the beginning of the phrase, you finish it: "My country respects the rule of law (with respect to those illegally crossing our borders) but....." The use of the word "but" erases everything in the sentence before its use.

Read the next post on Attorney General and his "but" moment today. I will be listening more carefully going forward and this may be a regular feature on this Blog.

Attorney General Gonzales:"I accept full responsibility but..."

With this quote, I accept full responsibility for the actions of the Dept. of Justice but there are over 100,000 employees and I don't know all the conversations, memos etc. within the Dept." Attorney General Alberto Gonzales started his news conference with reporters over the firing of 8 U.S. Attorneys.

I learned back when I became a coach that when you use the word "but" in a sentence, it erases everything before the word. For example, "you look great in that dress but..." or "yes I love that gift but..." In this case, although Gonzales says he accepts responsibility, that word "but" was included and therefore he does not accept responsibility. Sounds like his excuse is there are a lot of people here and I can't be held responsible for everything in my Dept. What do you think?

Foreclosures are rising and that is causing stock market concern

Oh sure the economy for the rich is wonderful and growing every day with folks like Halliburton stuffing their pockets with cash from over $2 Billion in overcharged fees and the work not done. The stock market is taking a hit today due in part because of sub prime loans and an increase in foreclosures. It was reported today that foreclosures are now running at 5% of all Home loans. (See news below and link to story). That's a great economy isn't it. We have illegal immigrants working at below the poverty level, taking jobs away from lower income class American citizens just trying to make ends meet. Can't anybody else see what is happening to America. We now have the largest debt we have ever had as a nation and have become a debtor nation under the Bush/Cheney leadership by fear and malfeasance. Remember it was this President who learned everything there was to learn about business by driving his own business into bankruptcy, as he has driven our country. The family was to be saved by the infusion of cash and liquidity by the Saudi Royal family. The Bush's are still beholden to the House of Saud for that. Today we have changed masters and are now beholden to the Chinese instead of the Saudi's, for they are covering our debt.

Here's an excerpt of the story:
"The Mortgage Bankers Association, in its quarterly snapshot of the mortgage market released Tuesday, reported that the percentage of payments that were 30 or more days past due for all loans tracked jumped to 4.95% in the October-to-December quarter.
That marked a sharp rise from the third-quarter's delinquency rate of 4.67% and was the worst showing since the spring of 2003, when the late-payment rate climbed to 4.97%. The association's survey covers 43.5 million loans." Click on this for full story.

Why Senator Chuck Hagel's news conference was a non-event

It seems obvious to me that when Senator Hagel had planned this conference for the media, both Newt Gingrich and Fred Thompson hadn't announced their possible bid for the Republican nomination for President in 2008. Yesterday Senator Hagel's brother was on TV implying the Senator will have an announcement and will run for President. But I think Senator Hagel is having second thoughts. He could see that his battle to end the war in Iraq and bring home the troops might be more important than his running for the Presidency. There is no way to read Senator Hagel's mind on this, but because he is a straight shooter, one day he will tell us why he did not announce he was running at the news conference yesterday. He is a real patriot in the finest meaning of the word.

First casualty in bungled firing of U.S. Attorneys, to step down

According to sources quoted by the L.A Times, Kyle Sampson, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, is leaving the Justice Department. My question is when will Gonzales have the moral fiber and backbone to step down?

Democrats back off again, this time over Iran.

Israel's lobby in the halls of Congress scares Democrats into capitulating on their attempt to limit President Bush's authority for taking military action against Iran. Conservative Democrats led the way away from the measure, as they were concerned about the possible impact on Israel. What's all the fuss! We lived in a world where a strategy called M.A.D. (Mutual Assured Destruction) helped keep things peaceful with the former Soviet Union. The same strategy should and can be applied to Iran. If Iran wants to use its oil revenues to build bombs instead of it solving its social and economic problems for its people, they have the right. I'm no friend of the mullahs in Iran, nor their government, but I do empathize with the average Iranian. Cool down the rhetoric please and take some meaningful actions to limit this President's authority.

There's too much blustering and posturing about war, when we should be discussing peace. Come on Democrats, get on one page here, as you look spineless and comical in all the about-faces you have taken since November. You were more together as a party before you won the majority. Get your act together.

To read the story click here.

Halliburton's Corporate Executives escape route to Dubai

Halliburton is moving its Corporate headquarters to Dubai according to news reports yesterday. Maybe they read waht I posted on March 9th on a piece about Alberto Gonzales and wanted to have an escape route from prosecution!

"When more oversight is done by this Congress, more revelations will be made from how Halliburton cheated us by not providing the services contracted, not by Millions of dollars, but by Billions. I will predict that when all the investigations are complete, many senior Halliburton officials will be charged with crimes and do jail time."

Saving Iraqi translators from certain death

Iraqi translators who have helped the U.S. soldiers in Iraq and who have sacrificed much, deserve our support now and according to CBS's 60 Minutes show last night we have turned our back on them. The excuse is that we can only process about 7,000 of their applications according to Bush Administration officials during the interview. However, the woman, who was in charge during the Vietnam war, was able to process 109,000 in about 9 months because President Ford was behind the action.

What a lame Administration. We are allowing illegal immigrants to cross our borders daily but we can't allow people who have and continually sacrifice their lives and those of their family members come here to escape death threats back in Iraq. Shame on us and shame on this President and his Administration!

Senator Schumer calls for Gonzales to step down!

UPDATE to this story on Alberto Gonzales: Senator Charles Schumer has suggested that the Attorney General, Roberto Gonzales, step down. To read the full story click here. Senator Schumer must have read my blog post from March 9th, below:


Roberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorney General who is at the center of controversy again has proven to be a very central figure in the bad decisions at the heart of this Administration. He has been the person at the center of the changed interpretations of the use of torture on prisoners and hence, the Abu Ghraib atrocities. He now is at the center of the firing of U.S. attorneys because they were willing to decide cases on merit rather than based upon with this Administration was pushing for.

From the Washington Post comes a story on Gonzales and the reversal in policy of the President and the Administration under pressure from Congress now that Democrats are providing the necessary oversight that was lacking under Republican stewardship when thye were the majority for the past 6 years.

So now excerpts from the Washington Post story:
Gonzales Yields On Hiring Interim U.S. Attorneys
By Paul Kane and Dan Eggen
Friday, March 9, 2007;

"Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales agreed yesterday to change the way U.S. attorneys can be replaced, a reversal in administration policy that came after he was browbeaten by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee still angry over the controversial firings of eight federal prosecutors.

"Gonzales told Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and other senior members of the committee that the administration will no longer oppose legislation limiting the attorney general's power to appoint interim prosecutors. Gonzales also agreed to allow the committee to interview five top-level Justice Department officials as part of an ongoing Democratic-led probe into the firings, senators said after a tense, hour-long meeting in Leahy's office suite."

"...the administration has been battered by mounting allegations that several of the fired prosecutors -- six of whom testified before Congress on Tuesday -- had been the subject of intimidation, including improper telephone calls from GOP lawmakers or their aides, and alleged threats of retaliation by Justice Department officials. One prosecutor told lawmakers this week that he felt "leaned on" by a senior Republican senator, and Senate Democrats have readied subpoenas for five key members of Gonzales' inner circle of advisers."

"Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, seemed to suggest that Gonzales's tenure may not last through the remainder of President Bush's term."

"One day there will be a new attorney general, maybe sooner rather than later," Specter said sharply."

"Democrats and some Republicans said they were concerned the Justice Department was attempting to use the new provision to appoint political cronies without Senate oversight and that the firings were a means to that end. Gonzales and other Justice officials have argued that the old replacement system was inefficient and unconstitutional."

"Emerging from what participants called a "frank" discussion, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the attorney general agreed to allow five senior Justice Department aides to be interviewed by the committee in an inquiry that will probably begin in a private setting."

"Specter emerged from the meeting saying he still had no clear understanding why the prosecutors were dismissed. He said he instructed Gonzales to take back remarks he made in an op-ed in Wednesday's USA Today, in which he called the issue an "overblown personnel matter." Specter also asked Gonzales to do something to help remove the "significant blemish" now on the records of the fired prosecutors."

(For the complete Washington Post story click here.

When more oversight is done by this Congress, more revelations will be made from how Halliburton cheated us by not providing the services contracted, not by Millions of dollars, but by Billions. I will predict that when all the investigations are complete, many senior Halliburton officials will be charged with crimes and do jail time.

Fatalities by State from Iraq War and why Vermonters called for impeachment

A few days ago I wrote a piece titled, "Calls for impeachment from small towns across Vermont". At that time I had no idea as to why 29 towns have called for the impeachment of President Bush. I had first attributed it to the fact that Vermont had the only Progressive candidate in the Senate, Bernie Sanders and therefore it was understandable that many might vote for impeachment given the history of the blunders and failed policy of this President and his Administration.

But upon closer examination I had my eyes opened wide to the real reason that Vermont was leading the way in calls for Bush's impeachment, to end this Iraq war and to bring the troops home. Vermonters on a per person basis, have sacrificed more of its blood treasure, its soldiers, than any other State in the country, a fact not known nor cited by the main stream media. These families know first hand what this war is costing. By contrast the District of Columbia, the seat of politics and of all branches of government, had the least % casualties by a margin of 1 DC fatality for every 5 Vermonters. I am not trying to minimalize even one death here, but rather to give one good reason why Vermonters may have called for the impeachment of President Bush. They are living the consequences of going into this war of choice first hand.

Click on the image above to enlarge it and see where your State stands on the list. They are sorted by Fatalities from greatest to least percentage based upon the State population. Fatalities included in the data are those listed as of 3-11-07 on icasualties.org.

Everything has become political and that's not good for America!

I was catching up on a few news items this morning and I noticed that the International Association of Fire Fighters has accused Rudy Giuliani of "committing egregious acts" against firefighters who died in the September 11 attacks. According to the story, "the union accused him of carelessly expediting the cleanup process with a "scoop-and-dump" operation after the recovery of millions of dollars in gold, silver and other assets from the Bank of Nova Scotia that had been buried." I might add that the International Association of Firefighters is the largest firefighters union in the country. We have both Giuliani and Hillary Clinton running for President and both are from NY. The International Association of Firefighters say they are bipartisan, however it endorsed John Kerry in 2004. I'm sorry to say I believe this news is also based in politics and while there were things that could have been done better after 9/11, and there's plenty of blame that could go around, but blaming Giuliani isn't appropriate. He did the best he could given the circumstances, period. It was handled much better than Katrina and there is no doubt about that. To read the complete article click here.

I am sad to say that everything seems to have turned political of late. The President during his Presidential bid in 2000 said he would unite us, not divide us, but that's nothing farther from the truth. If We The People are smart going forward, we must consider that every comment from both sides, Democrats, Republicans and their supporters, are acting and going to act in very partisan ways. We need to look towards actions that truly bring us together and not divide us. So far no candidates have tried this approach but it is still early in the process. America needs to come together and we have many issues that divide us that can be explored by others not putting the country first.

Pentagon says they need more troops but where to find them?

It is a difficult problem to solve indeed but there are some ways to get more fresh troops to Iraq where needed. For one thing, I believe the Commander of all troops should be willing to serve with his troops. I'm not talking about General Petraeus. I'm talking about President Bush. I think if he were with his troops more on a permanent basis, he could determine first hand whether the Democrats call for withdrawal was supporting the troops or not. It is difficult for him to accurately assess views like this without a closer eye on the problem. Heck, I would even be willing to pay for his body armor personally. But if he uses a Humvee to get around Iraq, I can't afford to provide the necessary protection and add more armor to the vehicle. I just had my car fixed and it cost me $2,700. That's the problem isn't it? When the bank account gets depleted, you can't afford even the basics. It's probably too late to reverse all those tax cuts even if you are the Commander in Chief, and besides your buddies and Dick's at Halliburton wouldn't appreciate that reversal even if you did need money to pay for more troops, body armor and training etc. But that's OK, as I'm sure the troops will protect you, especially non-coms.

To read more about the need for fresh troops and Pentagon comments click here.

What if the surge works? Contemplating the spin

So what are Democrats going to say if the surge works? Are they going to take credit for any part of this? Is President Bush going to get a reprieve from the critics? Is Cheney going to emerge a stronger figure, if that's possible, in this Administration and can say, "I told you so!"? This situation that has us focusing on the next few months and reports daily from Baghdad from such distinguished media anchors as Brian Williams, of NBC, has presented a situation where neither Republicans or Democrats know for sure the outcome. Hence, the politics of this is worth noting. I can see 2008 Presidential candidates more cautious in their pronouncements before the media and in their speeches. And my guess is that this period will be marked by all candidates and elected officials focusing on such things as Healthcare, Immigration reform, Medicare, Social Security and other domestic issues. Why, because they are safer to discuss in a period where the outcome is uncertain. But this is all good news because it means for the first time after the successful invasion of Iraq the American people can see the possibility of a glimmer of hope. No one wants to say that yet because somehow stating it might give cause to it disappearing. Dare we dream of a breather in Iraq. God I hope so.

I have found myself being pessimistic for far too long and anyone reading my Blog can site chapter and verse as to where to support their evidence. But anyone that truly knows me knows I hold out always a 1% possibility that maybe there is some hope of a change.

Then again maybe I’m feeling particularly in a good mood today and this too will pass.

Roberto Gonzales, U. S. Attorney General, proves to be the center of gravity of most controversy in this Administration

Roberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorney General who is at the center of controversy again has proven to be a very central figure in the bad decisions at the heart of this Administration. He has been the person at the center of the changed interpretations of the use of torture on prisoners and hence, the Abu Ghraib atrocities. He now is at the center of the firing of U.S. attorneys because they were willing to decide cases on merit rather than based upon with this Administration was pushing for.

From the Washington Post comes a story on Gonzales and the reversal in policy of the President and the Administration under pressure from Congress now that Democrats are providing the necessary oversight that was lacking under Republican stewardship when thye were the majority for the past 6 years.

So now excerpts from the Washington Post story:
Gonzales Yields On Hiring Interim U.S. Attorneys
By Paul Kane and Dan Eggen
Friday, March 9, 2007;

"Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales agreed yesterday to change the way U.S. attorneys can be replaced, a reversal in administration policy that came after he was browbeaten by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee still angry over the controversial firings of eight federal prosecutors.

"Gonzales told Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and other senior members of the committee that the administration will no longer oppose legislation limiting the attorney general's power to appoint interim prosecutors. Gonzales also agreed to allow the committee to interview five top-level Justice Department officials as part of an ongoing Democratic-led probe into the firings, senators said after a tense, hour-long meeting in Leahy's office suite."

"...the administration has been battered by mounting allegations that several of the fired prosecutors -- six of whom testified before Congress on Tuesday -- had been the subject of intimidation, including improper telephone calls from GOP lawmakers or their aides, and alleged threats of retaliation by Justice Department officials. One prosecutor told lawmakers this week that he felt "leaned on" by a senior Republican senator, and Senate Democrats have readied subpoenas for five key members of Gonzales' inner circle of advisers."

"Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, seemed to suggest that Gonzales's tenure may not last through the remainder of President Bush's term."

"One day there will be a new attorney general, maybe sooner rather than later," Specter said sharply."

"Democrats and some Republicans said they were concerned the Justice Department was attempting to use the new provision to appoint political cronies without Senate oversight and that the firings were a means to that end. Gonzales and other Justice officials have argued that the old replacement system was inefficient and unconstitutional."

"Emerging from what participants called a "frank" discussion, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the attorney general agreed to allow five senior Justice Department aides to be interviewed by the committee in an inquiry that will probably begin in a private setting."

"Specter emerged from the meeting saying he still had no clear understanding why the prosecutors were dismissed. He said he instructed Gonzales to take back remarks he made in an op-ed in Wednesday's USA Today, in which he called the issue an "overblown personnel matter." Specter also asked Gonzales to do something to help remove the "significant blemish" now on the records of the fired prosecutors."

(For the complete Washington Post story click here.

When more oversight is done by this Congress, more revelations will be made from how Halliburton cheated us by not providing the services contracted, not by Millions of dollars, but by Billions. I will predict that when all the investigations are complete, many senior Halliburton officials will be charged with crimes and do jail time.

General Petraeus comments about Sunni insurgents

In his first news briefing, General Petraeus reveals some interesting tidbits about the Sunni insurgent groups. To quote AP writer Lauren Frayer from Baghdad, and General Petraeus's news conference "Last year, 11 Sunni insurgent groups working through mediators offered to immediately stop attacks on American-led forces in Iraq if the Shiite-led government and Washington set a two-year timetable for withdrawing all coalition forces from the country, according to insurgent and government officials."

She quotes the following from an Arab newspaper, "The Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported last year that U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad met seven times with insurgent representatives in late 2005 and early 2006. But the extremists broke off the contacts in April 2006 after the U.S. side failed to respond to a series of demands."

She also says, "One of Iraq's most expansive militias — the Mahdi Army of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr — appears to have set aside its weapons under intense government pressure to lend support to the Baghdad security plan.

Mahdi militiamen also have allowed Iraqi authorities to try to protect at least 1 million pilgrims heading to Karbala, about 50 miles south of Baghdad."

Folks, that was last year and now fits the timetable the Democrats are pushing for. Seems like everyone, including Sunni insurgents, are on the same timetable page except President Bush and VP Cheney and whatever Republican Senators they can arm twist to keep in line. Senator Chuck Hagel, again braving the White House scorn, has positioned the possibility for Republicans of the unthinkable- Impeaching President Bush, as he has lost his faith in this Commander in Chief, as many have. I never had any faith in the first place, so it is difficult to lose something you never had.

The good General has put before us the fact that we are going to have to deal and resolve issues with folks like Al-Sadr, as I said Nov. 26th in this post titled, "Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and the Shiites in Iraq. Petraeus's comments tell me Al-Sadr is entering the political process more in a big way than before and he will be at the table as a force to reckon with. I have read somewhere that while he has gone to Iran as we are building up forces, he does not want Iranian control over the Iraqi's Shia population. We shall see.

U.S. Fatalities for the 1st week in March 2007

March 2007 fatalities are running well ahead of previous years and continue to depict an increase in the escalation of the war in Iraq and its unimaginable consequences on the families of our soldiers. Here's the most recent data as of this morning and comparison to previous years:


U.S. Fatalities
For the entire month of March 2005 a total of 35

For the entire month of March 2006 a total of 31

Through only March 7th, 2007 a total of 24

Three more painful weeks to go yet in this month and additional troops added to the effort. News reports today announced that the Pentagon wants to add an additional 7,000 troops above the "surge" in support of forces on the ground, according to an article by Robin Stringer of Bloomberg today.

Calls for impeachment from small towns across Vermont

It was Town Hall meeting day in Vermont on a cold day in the Northeast, but true Vermonters and others, who like to think they are Vermonters (first and second generation people who either moved there or were born there), packed small Town Hall meetings all over the State. Democracy was at work in one of the country's oldest States. When all was said and done, 29 towns approved calls for impeachment investigations of President Bush.

I lived and worked in Vermont for 18 years coming from Boston. What I learned over the course of those 18 years was how proud Vermonters were of their Town Hall meetings and their right to exercise their democratic freedom to weigh in on issues both local and national in scope. Famed Russian dissident and author, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, Nobel Prize recipient in 1970, lived in a small town in Vermont when he was forced to leave Russia. He too enjoyed seeing democracy in action in Vermont and had made public comments to that effect, as he had been kicked out of Russia and moved to Vermont in 1976 for his attacks on the Soviet system. Democracy is still alive in small towns all over Vermont. I am proud to just have lived there.

To read more on Vermont's town meetings from March 6th, click here.

Hypocrisy and the Catholic Church's position on amnesty for illegal immigrants

Never thought I would agree with Lou Dobbs but I do regarding today's piece titled, " Democratic hacks embrace the lunacy of amnesty". I saw Ted Kennedy and the Catholic Cardinal Mahoney on the podium and couldn't believe what I heard. The Cardinal embraces the breaking of U.S. laws, as a matter of Catholic conscience. Well, as a matter of Catholic conscience, where was the Cardinal when our government chose to go into the war in Iraq and the Bush Administration lied to the American people? Where was the good Cardinal when many have been speaking out about the atrocities committed in our name in Iraq? Where was the Cardinal when there were peace demonstrations to bring the troops home and end the war in Iraq? Or what about the scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church in recent years in the pedophilia cases within the Church? The Catholic Church enjoys tax benefits given to it but needs to not meddle in matters of breaking laws. Otherwise maybe they should lose their tax benefits to help pay for all the costs of Illegal immigrants in this country. How about walking the talk for a change instead of preaching about matters that continue to weaken us socially and economically. And to quote Lou Dobbs, "This is the same Cardinal who fought all the way to the Supreme Court to keep secret all documents related to pedophilia among priests. But the Cardinal and other Catholic leaders are quick to embrace the laws of bankruptcy protection in order to not compensate victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy and keep them out of the U.S. judicial system. So far, five such dioceses have done just that."

Senator Ted Kennedy is a politician and has always embraced causes for the underdogs in our society. I don't blame him for taking this position that I totally disagree with. But the Cardinal and the Catholic Church are another matter.

UPDATE: March 8, 2007
Can you believe this news item:

From the L.A. Times today titled, "California law violates gays' rights, ex-priest says" comes the following. "A former Roman Catholic priest said in court Wednesday that the rights of homosexuals have been violated by a state law that makes it easier to prosecute gay pedophiles than heterosexual child molesters.

It apparently was the first time that gay rights had been introduced into the ongoing prosecution of current and former Catholic priests alleged to have molested children."

Unbelievable! That's the only word for it.

To read the entire L.A. Times piece click here.

Bring back tar and feathering

Many Americans are frustrated with this Administration and want us to leave Iraq within one year. maybe it is time to bring back an ancient method of punishment, tar and feathering. If we do it fast enough it could be used at the next phase of the Libby trial, the sentencing phase. According to Answers.com, “this expression alludes to a former brutal punishment in which a person was smeared with tar and covered with feathers, which then stuck. It was first used as a punishment for theft in the English navy, recorded in the Ordinance of Richard I in 1189, and by the mid-1700s had become mob practice. The figurative usage dates from the mid-1800s.”

I get more and more frustrated over the multitude of manipulations and outright lies from both President Bush and VP Cheney. Cheney's obsession with silencing those who disagreed with his pronouncements and those who challenged his assertions have come to roost on a loyal soldier, Scooter Libby. Neither this VP nor this President have even a tiny speck of the courage of the people they have led on the battlefield nor in their Administration. They are a disgrace and others in the world have known what we know. It is high time this Congress starts showing some spine too. Follow-up on the conviction of Libby with a subpoena of VP Cheney. Congress and the Democrats now own the problem.

Bush claims fresh progress in Iraq - Ha!

AP writer, BEN FELLER, reports Bush saying his decision to send more troops to Baghdad is yielding "gradual but important" progress in Iraq. I say that if the killing of 100 plus Shia's and 9 American Soldiers in one day, the highest number of U.S. deaths in 2007, is "gradual but important" progress, and you believe that's progress, then I have swamp land in Florida to sell you real cheap. For the complete article click here.

Patrick Fitzgerald, Federal Prosecuter, a real class act

Scooter Libby was found guilty on 4 out of 5 counts by a jury today. We owe a lot to the Federal Prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald. He was a class act in doing his job and speaking outside the Court today. I nominate him to replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. It could make this Administration more palatable to have such a man of principle and honor serving the public interest. Watch for Fitzgerald being drafted to serve in a more public capacity in the coming years. Again, you did a great job. Your country is lucky to have you.

Robert Gates

I have been remiss in stating the obvious but wanted to add my voice in support of Robert Gates, new Secretary of Defense, who replaced Donald Rumsfeld. Mr. Gates has shown us all what it means to take accountability. This is refreshing for this Administration and especially for the Defense Dept., as Mr. Rumsfeld doesn't know what the word means and in all his public service never ever really took accountability for anything.

Robert Gates will go down in history as the Secretary of Defense who, during a low point in the Bush Administration, as exemplified by the mismanagement of Walter Reed Hospital, gave the American people hope in one of our darkest moments. The hypocrisy, regarding support for the troops touted and led by the voices of VP Cheney and President Bush, showed both of them what accountability looks like. Maybe they will both learn from Robert Gates. The Washington Post states today that President Bush is willing to change the course. Well, we have, by having Robert Gates join the Administration and replacing Donald Rumsfeld. Thanks you Robert Gates for taking a job that looked impossible!

Vietnam vs. Iraq: Wounded vs. Fatalities and our unsung heroes

Some statistics worthy of comment and analysis; the Vietnam War had a total of 47,378 deaths and 304,704 wounded. This was a ratio of 15.5% deaths to wounded. The Iraq War has had 3,172 deaths and 23,417 wounded. This is a ratio of 13.5%. While some may think that isn't much of a difference, here's how it translates into real lives. If the numbers were the same we would have had 3,630 total deaths than the 3,172 deaths reported. That accounts for a difference of 458 soldiers who are alive today than might have been. We owe a lot to these doctors, medics, nurses and staff who have truly served their nation in the best way possible; saving lives. Now that the attention has changed from complacency to oversight in Washington, and a press and media willing to follow what happens to our troops upon returning from this war of choice, our returning troops are going to get better treatment than they would have otherwise. And that is a very good thing we can feel better about. I just wanted to take my hat off to those unsung heroes on the battlefield saving lives every day. God Bless you all.

Kurds caught in the middle -question deployment to Baghdad

Baghdad deployment of Kurds seems a bad thing to many Kurds. They wonder why they are being put in the middle of sectarian violence between Sunni's and Shia's. They wonder aloud that if American forces can't stop the violence, then how can they. They believe this deployment will do nothing but draw them into the conflict.

What they say makes sense to me. Read more about one reporters account from BBC News by clicking here.

Bush's latest approval rating- unanswered questions

The latest of President Bush's job approval rating or lack thereof, raises many unanswered questions. First the latest polls:

Source, President Bush's job approval rating,

CBS/New York Times, 29%

Fox, 34%

These are marked on the Chart with an X.

(For more on Poll data click here.

We all understand why the President has such low approval ratings i.e. how the Iraq war has been executed poorly, that the Taliban are resurging in Afghanistan, still no relief for those who suffered from hurricane Katrina, etc., etc., etc.

But we have come to know just what poor quality leaders this President and VP are after almost 7 years with their shenanigans and spinning every word into deceptions. It has moved beyond the real to the comical as we now laugh at both of them. They have given Comedy Cenrtral's Jon Stewart much material. But the question that lingers in my mind and has for the past 6-7 years, as the President's approval rating has dropped, is this: Who still approves of his performance on the job? It has to make any intelligent person wonder; have we become a nation of non-thinking morons? How can 30-35% or one third of our population be so stupid? Does this represent those among us that have never gone past the 6th grade? Or does it represent a failed education system? Or is the Kool-Aid from the pulpit so intoxicating, that many really believe the lies. Just look at the deplorable conditions of Walter Reed Hospital, which were recently exposed by the Washington Post, as to the lies about how the Administration cares about the troops. It took an outsider like the new Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, to make those accountable pay the price. Do you think that the 30-35% still believe the President is doing a good job? But heck, they probably can’t read this blog anyway, so why worry. I guess even if President Bush screwed up even more, this group of mindless sheep would still support him. I hate to tell those still thinking President Bush is doing a good job, God can't help America folks, so stop praying. Only you can. Wake up!

Democracy at work in London: Princess Diana inquest

It appears that the British have a sense of justice as their legal system has overturned a decision by the deputy royal corner in the death of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed. Mohamed al Fayed won a court battle Friday to have a jury preside over the inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and his son Dodi Fayed. For the full story from CNN click here or by BBC click here.