Greenspan Faults Bush Over Spending (click here)
...And he weighed in briefly but pointedly on the Iraq war: ''I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil.''...
No military person, including Gates, or any of those that support them without separating the man from the uniform would ever believe a word of any 'anti-war' statement. Although Alan Greenspan probably never expected to be viewed as 'anti-war' he most definately gave a shot in the arm to the 'idea' of Impeach Bush and Cheney. I'd also like to know what human rights watch organizations are thinking long about now.
By the way:
I
told
you
so !
And told you so and told you so and told you so...additionally, oppose the draft, bring the troops home now, we don't belong in Iraq, we never did...I told you so !
The Bush/Cheney administration has raped this country of it's treasury for the pure unadulterated reason of corporate profits because Dick Cheney has himself all in a wade financially with Halliburton as it's CEO when he recommended no one but himself as Vice Presidential candidate for the 2000 campaign.
I
told
you
so.
That said, the Republicans are 'still' playing politics with the lives and treasure of the USA. Outside the 2008 Republican campaign that demands the American people to continue this insane genocide in Iraq, Gates is campaigning against a Democratic Senator. Perhaps you heard of Jim Webb? He has a proposal before the Senate that would define the length of a 'rotation' when soldiers are sent into battle. Secretary Gates is using the Petraeus report to make the argument that soldiers are slaves to the USA and the Webb Senate admendment should be killed along with every battle fatigued soldier in Iraq.
Gates warns against Webb Iraq plan (click here)
...The proposal, by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), is expected to have widespread support this week in the Senate, although it is unclear if it will reach the 60 vote threshold necessary to overcome a potential filibuster....If one takes a look through the Senate website of Jim Webb (click here), it is obvious he intends to straighten out every aspect of what has gone "W"rong that caused victimization of the soldiers. This isn't a man interested in an 'anti-war' message, this is a man interested in Pro-Soldier Laws that strengthen the USA military and protects it from exploitation.
SUMMARY: COMMISSION ON WAR CONTRACTING BILL (click here)
(WEBB/McCASKILL ON BEHALF OF FRESHMAN SENATORS)
Introduced July 18, 2007
Title: A bill to provide for the study and investigation of wartime contracts and contracting processes in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Summary: The bill would establish an independent and bipartisan eight-member Commission on Wartime Contracting to study and investigate: (1) federal agency contracting for the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan; (2) federal agency contracting for the logistical support of coalition forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; and (3) federal agency contracting for the performance of security and intelligence functions in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The bill also will expand the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction’s (SIGIR’s) area of responsibility beyond Iraq Reconstruction and Relief Funds. In consultation with the Commission, SIGIR will conduct audits of agency contracts to identify potential waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. ...
I don't want to hear how Senator Webb is anti-war or seeking to undermine anyone's military authority, I do want this commission, I do want further investigation into the impetus into the Iraq War and I want a complete investigation to the way this administration turned the USA miltiary and it's Generals into pandering fools to the exploitive path of this president and vice. I want every General that served in this war to understand the brevity of their actions and to make sincere and profound recommendations to Senators and House members that seek to stop such exploitation of their commands to carry on with false agendas for the USA. If they care for their soldiers then they owe it to them !
There is a lot "W"rong with the reasons for this war and it needs to come to an end. Vietnam was one instance of American policy gone "W"rong and Iraq is certainly the same. I don't want to hear how America needs to win this war in some kind of dreamscape to exonerate the Vietnam War and it's end. I want to hear how the USA is ONLY to serve the people of this country in a way that sincerely protects it's national security !
REPEAL THE LAW OF PRE-EMPTION !!!
On Fox News Sunday, Wallace failed to challenge Gates' claim that troop withdrawals will be based on "successes" (click here)
Summary: Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace did not challenge Defense Secretary Robert Gates' assertion that troop drawdowns "between December [2007]and July [2008]" will be due to "successes" in Iraq. In fact, due to strain on the military, the troop reduction would have been necessary regardless of conditions on the ground....
I find the comments of Martha Raddatz (in the video with the soldier as the initial image) far more healthy than anything Charles Gibson had to say. I find Gibson's commentary 'mind speak' to the real issues of the day. Ms. Raddatz made it completely clear there were politics at play from the beginning by the Bush/Cheney administration regarding the testimony by General Petraeus to the Senate. While the Senate demanded testimony some time ago, they did not expect the Republicans to turn it into a 'dog and pony show' to enhance the 'idea' of prolonged occupation of Iraq.
Ms. Raddatz also makes an excellant distinction between the fact Petraeus might be testifying to changes in his battlefield but it is not the complete picture and the Benchmarks for Iraq have been missed by a wide margin. I appreciate her expertise and candor.
Gates Raises Prospect of More Troop Cuts (click here)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates Says He Hopes U.S. Can Cut Troops to 100,000 by End of 2008
Defense Secretary Robert Gates raised the possibility Friday of cutting U.S. troop levels in Iraq to 100,000 by the end of next year, well beyond the cuts President Bush has approved.
Stressing that he was expressing a hope, not an administration plan, Gates said it was possible that conditions in Iraq would improve enough to merit much deeper troop cuts than are currently scheduled for 2008.
Asked at a news conference whether he was referring to lowering today's level of about 169,000 U.S. troops to about 100,000 by the end of next year, Gates replied, "That would be the math." He quickly added, however, that because "there is no script" in war, his hoped-for cuts could vanish....
I wish I could say this about all the reporting around the nation and all the reporting at CNN, but, in honesty until this country's media is willing to be the source of truth and not center of 'popular politics' I can only say, today I actually felt relief at the airing of "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer. (click here)" He did a remarkably good job today and for two full hours CNN actually started to sound like CNN again. With that said I remain completely skeptical to the focus of the newsiness and truthiness of CNN, but, Blitzer set the stage for 'truth' to become fashionable again and I appreciated that.
It's time to take back America. I hope some of the 'refreshing words' I heard today is the cultural survival of us all. Thank you, Alan Greenspan.
