FT.com : US says Falluja truce remains despite firefights

"A ceasefire remained in place in the besieged town of Falluja on Wednesday, US military spokesmen in Baghdad insisted, even though warplanes were targeting insurgents there for a second day."

The careful wording of this article underlines the specious usage of the term "ceasefire" by the US. In effect, there is no ceasefire at all; quite the contrary, the US forces continue to bombard what is a largely civilian area, and the number of civilian dead is apparently quite high (the number 700 has been in the press for the past two weeks). Considering that the total killed in Iraq during the invasion is largely considered to be around 10 000 civilians, this new number, if it is true, is significant.

HoustonChronicle.com - Kerry pushes military service issue

I've blogged Devenish previously. She's a great source of Bubba-isms and today is no exception.

You've got Bush, Cheney and the horde of Rebubbalican senators making tentative "smear" statements about Kerry. Their statements contain no substance, but as usual in the US media, the form and the sound bites are all that counts.

So what does Kerry do? He points out the obvious: Bush and Chener were draft evaders. They have no moral highground to smear: on the contrary, they would be ashamed of themselves if it weren't for the absolving power of prayer (see yesterday's post). (This article pretty-much sums up the situation and very well.)

Devenish's response to Kerry's response:

"Bush campaign spokeswoman Nicolle Devenish said Kerry is 'doing exactly what he said he would never do, `divide America over who served and how.' '

She was referring to Kerry's defense of Bill Clinton in 1992 when critics said the future president was a draft dodger who avoided service in Vietnam. "

Gee, is Kerry dividing America? I don't think America is divided over Bush and Cheney's military records. Do you?

National Day of Prayer: Prayer Tips -- Prayer Triggers

"This week, practice using 'prayer triggers.' Let even fleeting thoughts of your friends, loved ones, and 'enemies' turn into prayer for them. The prayer can be as simple as breathing the name, 'Jesus.' "

It's amazing. All this time, I thought that I had been "cursing" but come to find out that saying "Jesus" under my breath was really a "prayer". Hallalujah! What would the "saved" part of my family think of that?

And now I have joined the vast ranks of Bubbas and formidable people who pray. I especially appreciate that Oliver North is a prayer-guy. And now he's honorary chariman of the NDP "National Day of Prayer". To quote the Vice Chairman:

"To say we are honored by Col. North's partnership with our ministry would be an understatement," NDP Vice Chairman Jim Weidmann said. "He is a man of integrity and faith who has conducted himself with tremendous personal strength and grace during some very difficult circumstances. With this year's theme and because of the Colonel's recent war coverage for FOX News, we couldn't be more pleased to have him as our Honorary Chairman."

Of course integrity is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of someone who lies to Congress under oath and shreds papers.
As pointed out in the Madison Capital Times:

"North admitted he had lied to Congress and destroyed evidence. He said, "I am ... not at all ashamed of any of the things that I did. I was given a mission and I tried to carry it out."

That's what's so good about prayer: it allows you a great deal of cognitive dissonance. So you can lie, shred, break laws and still write a book proclaiming describing:

Real-life stories about how prayer gives freedom from guilt, anxiety and self-deception.

And just in case that you thought that this was just a fringe movement, take a look at what Rick Perry, the governor of Texas has to say:

I, Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, do hereby May 6, 2004, A Day of Prayer in Texas [...]

Just one more prayer: Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do.

President Ducks the Question in Prime Time Press Conference

"Q Mr. President, I'd like to follow up on a couple of these questions that have been asked. One of the biggest criticisms of you is that whether it's WMD in Iraq, postwar planning in Iraq, or even the question of whether this administration did enough to ward off 9/11, you never admit a mistake. Is that a fair criticism? And do you believe there were any errors in judgment that you made related to any of those topics I brought up?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think, as I mentioned, it's -- the country wasn't on war footing, and yet we're at war. And that's just a reality, Dave. I mean, that's -- that was the situation that existed prior to 9/11, because the truth of the matter is, most in the country never felt that we'd be vulnerable to an attack such as the one that Osama bin Laden unleashed on us. We knew he had designs on us, we knew he hated us. But there was a -- nobody in our government, at least, and I don't think the prior government, could envision flying airplanes into buildings on such a massive scale.
The people know where I stand. I mean, in terms of Iraq, I was very clear about what I believed. And, of course, I want to know why we haven't found a weapon yet. But I still know Saddam Hussein was a threat, and the world is better off without Saddam Hussein. I don't think anybody can -- maybe people can argue that. I know the Iraqi people don't believe that, that they're better off with Saddam Hussein -- would be better off with Saddam Hussein in power. I also know that there's an historic opportunity here to change the world. And it's very important for the loved ones of our troops to understand that the mission is an important, vital mission for the security of America and for the ability to change the world for the better. "

By refusing to respond directly to the question, Bubba Bush has indeed answered it: that he never admits his mistakes. But just in case that isn't enough, the Bubba-in-Chief serves up more hash.

"Q Two weeks ago, a former counterterrorism official at the NSC, Richard Clarke, offered an unequivocal apology to the American people for failing them prior to 9/11. Do you believe the American people deserve a similar apology from you, and would you be prepared to give them one?

THE PRESIDENT: Look, I can understand why people in my administration anguished over the fact that people lost their life. I feel the same way. I mean, I'm sick when I think about the death that took place on that day. And as I mentioned, I've met with a lot of family members and I do the best I do to console them about the loss of their loved one. As I mentioned, I oftentimes think about what I could have done differently. I can assure the American people that had we had any inkling that this was going to happen, we would have done everything in our power to stop the attack.

Here's what I feel about that. The person responsible for the attacks was Osama bin Laden. That's who's responsible for killing Americans. And that's why we will stay on the offense until we bring people to justice."

The New York Times | A Justice's Sense of Privilege

"If this had been an old-time Hollywood movie, the Supreme Court justice would have turned a kindly face toward the marshal and said, in an avuncular tone: 'No, no. We don't do that sort of thing in this country. Please return the recordings.'
But this is the United States in the 21st century where the power brokers have gone mad. They've deluded themselves into thinking they're royalty, not public servants charged with protecting the rights and interests of the people. Both recordings were erased. Only then was the reporters' property returned.
When agents acting on behalf of a Supreme Court justice can just snatch and destroy information collected by reporters, we haven't just thumbed our nose at the Constitution, we've taken a very dangerous step in a very ugly direction. The depot at the end of that dark road is totalitarianism."

Much like the Bubba Bush administration itself, the current Supreme Court is soiling the very Constitution that is is supposed to stand for.

BTW: Privilege, from its Latin roots, means literally "private law".

The Miami Herald | Fewer firms see audits

"The Internal Revenue Service audited fewer corporations, small businesses and partnerships last year but more individual taxpayers, according to a study of government data."

More evidence of Bush administration cronyism.

More on the Vacation President

"The president called Ms. Rice from his pickup truck on the ranch to tell her she had done a great job before the panel.

It doesn't get more surreal than that.

Mr. President, there's a war on. You might consider hopping a plane to Washington."

Federal funds dry up for river dredging

"'I blame the Bush administration,' [ Treybig ] said. 'They are spending all of that money in Iraq fixing things while we are having to struggle back in this country. The pressure on Bush is only going to get worse as folks like me begin to push this thing. This is really going to hurt him in November.'"

I think that Treybig is very optimistic about the funds going to Iraq. Do anyone really believe that Iraq is getting "fixed"?

On the other hand, the upshot for folks like Treybig is that there are no funds for basic infrastructure services in the US.

Boston.com : Kerry calls for larger role for allies

Whereas Kerry makes a compelling argument for brining allies on board to turn the Iraq debacle around:

"Kerry, who has come under pressure in recent days to specify how his approach to Iraq would differ from President Bush's, advocated turning over control of Iraq to an international body that would make decisions about governing and rebuilding Iraq. He also called for imploring Arab and European allies to realize they are at risk for terrorism emanating from an unstable Iraq.

'If you have a global sense of purpose, the capacity of an insurgency to take hold becomes much harder,' Kerry said".

The Committee for the Reelection of Bubba Bush (CREEBB) spokesperson churns out bubbaisms:

"'Instead of showing the world and the enemies of freedom that America stands firmly behind the effort in Iraq and is committed to victory, John Kerry has made the political calculation to rail against the war on terror at every stop on the campaign trail without offering any credible alternative,' Devenish said.

'John Kerry has no plan for the war on terror, just personal political attacks that he launches against the president and our allies who are standing strong against global terror.'"

This is a stroke of pure Bubba on several accounts:

A. When Kerry presents an alternative plan to address the Iraq situation, the Bubbas call it "railing". But that's not railing, that's a plan.

B. Devenish says that Kerry is "against the war on terror" (WOT); on the contrary, Kerry is proposing a much more credible, mutlilateral, legimate, cost efficient stance to WOT. It's not Bush's WOT, that's all. And, as the entire world has noticed, Bush's WOT is failing miserable in all respects and bringing the American economy down with it, so it's about time for a change.

C. Devenish says that Kerry is not "offering any credible alternative". On the contrary, Kerry's multilateral proposition seems much more credible.

D. When Devenish says that Kerry is just making "personal political attacks" we know what this means that the Bubbas don't want to discuss the facts.

So this is the state of affairs: the Bush campaign will simple denigrate Kerry and not argue the merits of any proposition. My intuition is that Americans no longer give Bush any benefit of the doubt and that they won't be fooled again.

Perhaps the following can be considered "railing" by the Bubbas. For my part, it's one of the most inspiring statements that I've heard since de Villepin addressed the Security Council:

"... I think the president needs to answer a simple question to Americans, which is: Why is the United States of America, why is the American taxpayer, why is the American soldier, almost single-handedly bearing the cost and risk of what we're doing there, when the whole word has a legitimate stake in the outcome? It represents, in my judgment, an extraordinary failure of strategy, diplomacy, implementation, and we have every right in the world to hold them accountable."

CS Monitor : Little Rice Lies

"One of the most heated exchanges at the hearing centered on a classified briefing memo prepared for the president on August 6, 2001. It may yet prove to be more than a bump in the road for both the Bush administration and the commission.

The title of the memo: 'Bin Laden Determined To Attack Inside the United States.' Rice repeatedly maintained that President Bush 'understood the threat, and he understood its importance.' Bush received the memo while on a month-long vacation on his ranch in Crawford Texas. Questions linger: Could he have? Why didn't he, do more? "

Bubba Bush considers himself a "War President", but I'd say he's really the "Vacation President".

BBC NEWS | Europe | CIA warns France of bomb threat

"Several Paris rail stations were evacuated on Thursday after the CIA warned of a possible bomb attack.
Police said the CIA had told the French authorities of an anonymous message they had received warning of a possible attack between 1830 and 1930 GMT. "

It figures: I have to read the BBC to find out why there were so many policemen guarding the train stations on my way home from work.

Kautilyan: The August 6th Memo

After reading the NYTimes, I just picked this up from cursor and it just goes to show that my earlier post suspecting Bubba Condi of trying to have it both ways was right on the mark!

"later....

KEAN: This is the last question, Senator.

KERREY: Actually it won't be a question.

In the spirit of further declassification, this is what the August 6th memo said to the president: that the FBI indicates patterns of suspicious activity in the United States consistent with preparations for hijacking.
That's the language of the memo that was briefed to the president on the 6th of August.

RICE: And that was checked out and steps were taken through FAA circulars to warn of hijackings. ..."

NYTimes: Condi Wants To Have It Both Ways

"In some of the toughest questioning, Richard Ben-Veniste, a Democratic commission member and former Watergate prosecutor, asked her about a memo dated Aug. 6, 2001, that contained information about the cells. Under his questioning, she said that document, which is classified, was titled 'Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States.' '
...
Ms. Rice, however, insisted that the memo did not warn of attacks inside America. 'It was historical information based on old reporting,' she said. 'There was no new threat information, and it did not, in fact, warn of any coming attacks inside the United States.'"

Hmmm, let's see. "It was an old report with no new threat information, but ..., sorry, it's classified." Does that make any sense? Why would an old report with no new information be classified, so classified in fact that 3 years later you can't show it in front of the 9/11 commission.

So if it didn't have any info, show it to the 9/11 panel. Let them see for themselves. Otherwise, don't plan on anyone believing you, Bubba Condi!

Compare and Contrast: Rush Limbaugh and Tommy Chong

In September 2003, Actor Tommy Chong gets nine months for selling pot pipes.

"U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, who appeared in court for the hearing yesterday, said the sentence was significant because it tells the public that 'there are consequences for violating the law, even if the violator is a well-known entertainer like Thomas Chong.'"

In 2003-2004, hatemeister Rush Limbaugh gets kid glove treatement:

"Limbaugh, 53, has not been charged with a crime and the investigation is at a standstill pending a decision on the medical records.
...
Prosecutors went after Limbaugh's medical records after learning that he received about 2,000 painkillers, prescribed by four doctors in six months, at a pharmacy near his Palm Beach mansion."