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After John Ashcroft s testimony last week in which he bobbed and weaved his way around answering every question about what he did during his time in the White House, Jon Stewart and John Oliver compare Bush and his merry band of obfuscators to other American Presidential liars in order to make a historical comparison. Needless to say, the Bush team is in a league of its own. Download | Play Download | Play Oliver: I just hope everyone at home appreciates the magnitude of what they re witnessing here. For 7 straight years, this administration has been untouchable in hearings. These guys are the 27 Yankees of dodging questions. The 55 Dodgers of yanking Congress chain. They re the right stuff of wrong stuff. John, this is once in a generation bullsh*t. Steart: You really think this admininstration is that good at this? John: Sure, look, we can quibble at the level of competetition. You can criticize the strength of their opponents lets face it, the Democrats have been pathetic. But you still can t help but be impressed at the level of skills on display. I won t be surprised if in years to come they describe these hearings as the Immaculate Deception. I truly can t wait to see those jerseys hanging from the rafters. Digg It!

It has been a little while since Keith Olbermann has had a Special Comment. Keith Olbermann has 4 major points. George Bush gave an interview yesterday to Politico.com and the users of Yahoo. The Election of a Democratic President could emboldened the enemy - this of course is nonsense. It is fear-mongering. It is so 2004. The country has moved past this. I was told they had Weapons of Mass Destruction said Bush. This is the It wasn t my fault. defense that Bush has used in the past. Keith is not letting him get away with that weak answer. Because the buck stops at the President s desk. He was the one that appointed those knuckleheads. He was the one that didn t ask for objective opinions. Finally, there was that great quote, I don t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal. President Bush has said some painfully uninformed things over the last 7 years. This may be the worst. He gave up Golf not for lent but for the Iraq War? Keith really lets Bush have it on this one and he should because the idea is more than condescending.  Oh, but, is this just another spin job?  The Associated Press has photos of President Bush playing golf after the death of the UN envoy. Keith s Special Comment might of been a little over the top but he was correct.  George Bush isn t sprinting to the finish line like he said.  He is limbing.  If he were a boat he would be listing to one side.  I guess the one thing that is clear is George W. Bush is the worst president in the last 50 years.  He maybe the worst president, ever.

Through newly obtained internal documents, The New York Times has uncovered an elaborate PR campaign run by the Pentagon that coached former military officials or as they re known on television, Serious Independent Military Experts on how best to shill for Donald Rumsfeld during the fallout from the General s Revolt, when numerous high-ranking retired Generals broke long standing tradition and began speaking out harshly against the former Secretary and his prosecution of the War in Iraq. Download | Play Download | Play YouTube (h/t Bill W) The full article is lengthy at 11 pages, but it s a stellar exposé of how politicized, coordinated and deceitful the media campaign is under Bush. With the assistance of Peter Pace, Rumsfeld would literally convene meetings with former military brass who, according to the article, consisted of more than 150 military contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consultants and conspire on how best to manage the press. Worse still, these compromised soldiers would then manipulatively go on television as Serious Independent Experts to parrot administration talking points and secure lucrative defense contracts. The Military-Industrial Complex is not alive and well, but thriving under the auspices of the Bush administration. Kenneth Allard, a former NBC military analyst who has taught information warfare at the National Defense University, said the campaign amounted to a sophisticated information operation. This was a coherent, active policy, he said. [ ] It was, he said, psyops on steroids And it wasn t limited to the mainstream media alone. Bloggers were also hired and paid to shape opinions at home. But don t be surprised Sunday when this story is neglected in favor of endless discussions about bowling scores and various other distractions. Digg It! After all, the media would much rather focus on what makes a candidate an elitist than note that the Bush administration, with their complicity enthusiastically engaged in a psyops campaign against the American people. And this excerpt about Bill O Reilly that really caught my eye: It s official. Bill O Reilly is a tool.

Jon Stewart takes the administration to task for, well, there s no delicate way to put this, deciding the intimate details of how we would torture people. It pains me to type those words. Download | Play Download | Play Digg It! You gotta wonder, how could these administration officials be so confident that we don’t torture? Well, there’s only two options, really. One, the administration reminded all military and intelligence agencies of the moral commitment that civilized nations have to remain humane, even in times of peril. Or…. They sat in a room and meticulously crafted an interrogation regimen in the lawyer-created space between cruelty and torture. Hmmm….I wonder which way they went.

Download | Play Download | Play (ht Heather) Every week on The Chris Matthews Show, Matthews has a segment where he asks his panel of pundits to Tell Me Something I Don t Know. This week, Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic spoke as bluntly as any talking head has done since Bush/Cheney took office: The latest revelations on the torture front show—the memo from John Yoo—as well as revelations from Phillippe Sands’ book, mean that Donald Rumsfeld, David Addington and John Yoo should not leave the United States any time soon. They will be at some point indicted for war crimes. They deserve to be. Damn straight. Phillippe Sands has an article in this month s Vanity Fair highlighting aspects of his book, which comes out next month.

Jon takes an intimate look back at the first five years of the Iraq War, and pays respect to all the brave and wise leaders whose rosy predictions have entirely come true. Download | Play Download | Play Stewart: Hard to believe folks five years. And they said it wouldn t last. No, seriously, they said it wouldn t last. MR. RUSSERT: [D]o you think the American people are prepared for a long, costly, and bloody battle with significant American casualties? VICE PRES. CHENEY: Well, I don’t think it’s likely to unfold that way, Tim. RUMSFELD: It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months. The reverse historical breakdown is classic.

I think that whoever is the Democratic nominee for President will need to have the smartest team of political advisers ever assembled.  The Republican political machine will not go into the sweet night quietly.  They have far too much to lose.  Let s think about this - in the next 4 - 8 years, there are going to be at least 3 and maybe 5 Supreme Court judges who will retire.  With a Democratic lead House and Senate and a Democratic White House, could Donald Rumsfeld and Alberto Gonzales be hauled before a court and found guilty of crimes against humanity?  Could a former President and Vice President have to sit trial for outing a CIA agent?  Would companies that have raped the American people, by pocketing millions and millions of dollars by being contractors in Iraq, have to re-pay moneys that were stolen or poorly accounted for?  Did you see that a defense contractor has placed a $3 billion bid for Diebold. I m just asking because we have been holding Khalid Shaikh Mohammed for at least 5 years.  Now, just before the 2008 election, there is going to be a trial.  I wouldn t be surprised if other things pop up to galvanize the base and distract from the Presidential race. The Nation has a great article on this trail.  Former chief prosecutor Col. Morris Davis says that the trials are rigged.  Who s surprised?  After Lieutenant Commander Charles Swift (I thought that I posted his story but I haven t.  I ll do that tomorrow.) resigned after he was passed over for promotion, he told his story of a rigged process. From The Nation: Secret evidence. Denial of habeas corpus. Evidence obtained by waterboarding. Indefinite detention. The litany of complaints about the treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay is long, disturbing and by now familiar. Nonetheless, a new wave of shock and criticism greeted the Pentagon s announcement on February 11 that it was charging six Guantánamo detainees, including alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, with war crimes and seeking the death penalty for all of them. Now, as the murky, quasi-legal staging of the Bush Administration s military commissions unfolds, a key official has told The Nation that the trials have been rigged from the start. According to Col. Morris Davis, former chief prosecutor for Guantánamo s military commissions, the process has been manipulated by Administration appointees to foreclose the possibility of acquittal.  (more ) alberto gonzales, chief prosecutor, Civil Liberty, crimes against humanity, Election 2008, Legal, presidential race, shaikh mohammed, supreme court judges

Remember this memorable Rumsfeld quote: You go to war with the Army you have. They re not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time. Download | Play Download | Play Well as the USA TODAY found out. That was a fib. Pentagon balked at pleas from officers in field for safer vehicles. Oh wait, they did decide to buy them for the troops. The Iraqi troops that is. Even as the Pentagon balked at buying MRAPs for U.S. troops, USA TODAY found that the military pushed to buy them for a different fighting force: the Iraqi army. On Dec. 22, 2004 two weeks after President Bush told families of servicemembers that we re doing everything we possibly can to protect your loved ones read on Their decision cost a lot of people pain. Except Rummy that is .

Keith Olbermann dropped in on Bill Moyers a couple of weeks ago.  This is a very good conversation.  Yep, I know it aired over a month ago but I m been busy.  Bill Moyers asks about journalism and possibly going too far with commentaries.  Definitely worth a look see. bill moyers, bill moyers journal, bush administration, commentary, countdown, Donald Rumsfeld, journalism, Keith Olbermann

There are times that I really don t like this format. It seems petty or tit for tat. The president gives his weekly radio address and there is a democratic response. This week General Richardo Sanchez who has recently been outspoken about his opposition to the war. I have a problem with those who were on the inside who helped carry out Bush s policies who now decide that everything isn t as rosy as they pictured it several months before. I know of no independent source that states that General Sanchez tried to stand up to the Donald Rumsfeld or any of the others in the pentagon. As a matter of fact, Thomas Rick s book, Fiasco paints Sanchez as a yes man which is why Rumsfeld choose him. General Sanchez really just reinforces what we already know about Iraq. Our troops are performing well. They are doing everything that we ask and more. There is no political solution in sight. Without a political solution we are wasting time and money and valuable men/women. Yes, there is less violence in Iraq. This is a great thing but without a oil revenue sharing deal our soldiers are just out there in breeze. Sanchez says that it is time for our troops to come home. We need to start the orderly redeployment of our troops. Tens of thousands need to go to Afghanistan. We need to quell the violence and crush the remnants of the Taliban. Our military needs to be refit. We need new equipment. We have tons of needs including getting out of Iraq. bush administration, democratic response, Donald Rumsfeld, donald rumsfeld, iraq, pentagon, president

Sunshine gets a facial, keep your minds out of the gutter. Skin care is very important. Staying young is easier than you think. Who are you voting for? Did you vote? Sunshine and Pumpkin speak their minds about the current midterm election. Sip a Bangkok Banger while listening. Drink of the Week Bangkok Banger 2oz lemon lime soda 4oz cherry juice 1oz lemon vodka 1oz concord wine Pour soda into champagne flute. In shaker combine cherry juice, vodka and wine. Shake with ice, and slowly pour into glass.

On what turned out to be an historic Election Day 2006, Chief Counsel Michael Stailey sat down with investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker Alex Jones, to discuss his latest film TERRORSTORM, the war of terrorism, and the rapidly changing political climate. Contribute to The Court of Public Opinion Email us or call the hotline at (310) 878-4968 Remember to vote for us at Podcast Alley. Your feedback and support are greatly appreciated.

What is Neoconservatism? Who is behind it? Tank Riot talks about the movement, its major neocon players and their goals. The Tank Team pushes neoconservatives Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, George W. Bush, Karl Rove, and Dick Cheney through the analysis grinder. Listen to the show to hear what comes out!

News: McClellan to step down, Rove to change job, Rumsfeld and Guantanamo, AT&T spying. Music: Joy Askew, Anti-flag, Michael Sky, Ryan Harvey. INTRO John Philip Sousa: American Patrol + Electric Frankenstein: Burn Bright, Burn Fast + Skitzo: Prom Night PLAYLIST Joy Askew: Change is Gonna Come Anti-Flag: Watch the Right Michael Sky: Move On Ryan Harvey: COINTELPRO CONSPIRACY THEORY AT&T helping the NSA to spy on Americans?

Over 2300 soldiers dead.* Over 30 000 civilians dead.* Over $250 000 000 000 tax dollars spent. (yes thats 250 billion)* All because of a lie WMDs Was it worth it? Donald Rumsfeld Washington Post Op-ed: history is not made up of daily headlines, blogs on Web sites or the latest sensational attack. History is a bigger picture, and it takes some time and perspective to measure accurately. What Rumseld is really saying is that its much harder to rewrite history these days. In the good old days you just fire off some press releases and the Secretary of Defense could create some perspective and rewrite history with ease. Rumsfeld would love to have you believe his ever evolving rationale for the war on Iraq but its a hard sell in a Google world. Facts and lies (wmds) are now only one Google away. Bloggers don t write history, they just make it harder to rewrite history. In an effort to document rationale #392 for going to war here is Rummy s op-ed: What We ve Gained In 3 Years in Iraq By Donald H. Rumsfeld Sunday, March 19, 2006; Page B07 Some have described the situation in Iraq as a tightening noose, noting that time is not on our side and that morale is down. Others have described a very dangerous turn of events and are extremely concerned. Who are they that have expressed these concerns? In fact, these are the exact words of terrorists discussing Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his associates who are describing their own situation and must be watching with fear the progress that Iraq has made over the past three years. The terrorists seem to recognize that they are losing in Iraq. I believe that history will show that to be the case. Fortunately, history is not made up of daily headlines, blogs on Web sites or the latest sensational attack. History is a bigger picture, and it takes some time and perspective to measure accurately. Consider that in three years Iraq has gone from enduring a brutal dictatorship to electing a provisional government to ratifying a new constitution written by Iraqis to electing a permanent government last December. In each of these elections, the number of voters participating has increased significantly from 8.5 million in the January 2005 election to nearly 12 million in the December election in defiance of terrorists threats and attacks. One of the most important developments over the past year has been the increasing participation of Iraq s Sunni community in the political process. In the volatile Anbar province, where Sunnis are an overwhelming majority, voter turnout grew from 2 percent in January to 86 percent in December. Sunni sheiks and religious leaders who previously had been sympathetic to the insurgency are today meeting with coalition representatives, encouraging Iraqis to join the security forces and waging what violent extremists such as Abu al-Zarqawi and his al-Qaeda followers recognize as a large-scale war against them. The terrorists are determined to stoke sectarian tension and are attempting to spark a civil war. But despite the many acts of violence and provocation, the vast majority of Iraqis have shown that they want their country to remain whole and free of ethnic conflict. We saw this last month after the attack on the Shiite shrine in Samarra, when leaders of Iraq s various political parties and religious groups condemned the violence and called for calm. Another significant transformation has been in the size, capability and responsibility of Iraqi security forces. And this is vitally important, because it is Iraqis, after all, who must build and secure their own nation. Today, some 100 Iraqi army battalions of several hundred troops each are in the fight, and 49 control their own battle space. About 75 percent of all military operations in the country include Iraqi security forces, and nearly half of those are independently Iraqi-planned, Iraqi-conducted and Iraqi-led. Iraqi security forces have a greater ability than coalition troops to detect a foreign terrorist s accent, identify local suspects and use force without increasing a feeling of occupation. It was these Iraqi forces not U.S. or coalition troops that enforced curfews and contained the violence after the attack on the Golden Dome Shrine in Samarra. To be sure, violence of various stripes continues to slow Iraq s progress. But the coalition is doing everything possible to see this effort succeed and is making adjustments as appropriate. The rationale for a free and democratic Iraq is as compelling today as it was three years ago. A free and stable Iraq will not attack its neighbors, will not conspire with terrorists, will not pay rewards to the families of suicide bombers and will not seek to kill Americans. Though there are those who will never be convinced that the cause in Iraq is worth the costs, anyone looking realistically at the world today at the terrorist threat we face can come to only one conclusion: Now is the time for resolve, not retreat. Consider that if we retreat now, there is every reason to believe Saddamists and terrorists will fill the vacuum and the free world might not have the will to face them again. Turning our backs on postwar Iraq today would be the modern equivalent of handing postwar Germany back to the Nazis. It would be as great a disgrace as if we had asked the liberated nations of Eastern Europe to return to Soviet domination because it was too hard or too tough or we didn t have the patience to work with them as they built free countries. What we need to understand is that the vast majority of the Iraqi people want the coalition to succeed. They want better futures for themselves and their families. They do not want the extremists to win. And they are risking their lives every day to secure their country. That is well worth remembering on this anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The writer is secretary of defense. I d love to send Rummy a note on his crackberry that reads: RumDog, stop tryin to be the playa hatin revisionist. You gotta keep it real Peace. One. Technorati Tags: Donald Rumsfeld, iraq, Iraq war, m18, Rumsfeld

David Brooks writes a characteristically insightful op-ed piece entitled, Rumsfeld's Blinkers (Select subscription req'd) in this morning's New York Times. In it he cites events of the week of March 24, 2003 as an example of Secretary Rumsfeld's intractable approach to the war in Iraq. Brooks begins by detailing reports of Fedayeen guerilla attacks in Najaf by New Republic editor Michael Kelly. Kelly predicted this development meant the war would long and difficult. Kelly would become the first American reporter killed in Iraq on April 3, 2003. While pundits fretted over the impliations of the rising insurgency, General Tommy Franks and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld assured us these activities were merely a speedbump on the road to Baghdad and victory. Thanks to the recently published book, Cobra II by Michael Gordon and Lt. Gen. Bernard Trainor (Ret.), we now know that field officers shared the pundits' concerns. There's where the leadership lessons begin. Quoting Brooks:But Rumsfeld and Franks stifled the free exchange of ideas, and shut out the National Security Council. They dismissed concerns about the insurgents and threatened to fire the one general, William Wallace, who dared to state the obvious in public. The military brass followed the war in real time on computer screens. As long as the blue icons representing U.S. troops were heading north to Baghdad, the U.S. was deemed to be winning. The technology seemed to provide real-time information, but it was completely misleading.Wishful thinking. Selective perception. Suppressing dissent. Truthiness. Hubris. How many times have we seen this fateful combination bring down institutions of all kinds? But premiere among the characteristics that have led Rumsfeld (and our nation) to our current circumstances is rigidity. This is deeply ironic in that the Secretary's approach to combat in Iraq was rooted in a refutation of the Powell Doctrine. I say this is ironic because the Powell Doctrine is rooted in the use of overwhelming force. I'm certainly no military strategist or tactitian, but, in reading Boyd, I learned that overwhelming force is often slow and predictable. As I understand it, Rumsfeld subscribed to the small/speedy/flexible theory of field operations. Therein lies the irony: the nation's strongest advocate for flexibility in military operations being unable to use field information and change tactics as conventional battle operations became an insurgency. And, this is where Brooks makes the key point:Debate inside any administration is less sophisticated and realistic than the debate among experts outside. The people inside have access to a bit more information. But they are more likely to self-censor for fear of endangering their careers. Debate inside is much more likely to be warped by the egotism, insecurity, power lust and distracting busyness of people at the top.Substitute company for administration and you have an excellent description of what many of us see on a daily basis. Think about the conversations going on inside GM today. Think they're vigorous enough? Maybe, but probably not. All too often, leaders self-censor and only allow themselves to consider information that confirms existing worldviews. Debate then becomes stilted (how many meeting have you been in which ended with someone walking out muttering something about re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic ?), options narrowed, and disaster invited. Fortunately, and I sincerely mean fortunately, when someone is stubborn and rigid in the meetings most of us are in, it does not lead to the kinds of awful consequences which Secretary Rumsfeld's have. Tags: David Brooks Donald Rumsfeld Cobra II

Rummy - Pentagon profits and deceit