Retired General Odom says all the right things

Another ex-Reagan administration official lets loose on Bush:

President Bush should sign legislation starting the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq on Oct. 1, retired Army Lt. Gen. William Odom said Saturday.

...

The general accused Bush of squandering U.S. lives and helping Iran and al-Qaida when he invaded Iraq. (emphasis added)

"The challenge we face today is not how to win in Iraq; it is how to recover from a strategic mistake: invading Iraq in the first place," he said. "The president has let (the Iraq war) proceed on automatic pilot, making no corrections in the face of accumulating evidence that his strategy is failing and cannot be rescued. He lets the United States fly further and further into trouble, squandering its influence, money and blood, facilitating the gains of our enemies." (emphasis added)

Odom said he desn't favor congressional involvement in the execution of foreign and military policy, but argued that Bush had been derelict in his responsibilities. This week Congress passed an Iraq war spending bill that would require Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq on Oct. 1.

Keith Olbermann at it again - this time he slams Giuliani

First there was this, and now there's this:



The whole thing is great, but the last minute is particularly dead-on. 'Wow' doesn't begin to describe it.

GOP hypocrisy on display yet AGAIN

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met with President Bush last week and had this to say about the situation in Iraq:

"I believe myself that the secretary of state, secretary of defense and -- you have to make your own decisions as to what the president knows -- [know] this war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday," said Reid, D-Nevada.

Obviously, leading Republicans didn't exactly like what Reid said. Here's how Reid's Republican counterpart responded:

"I can't begin to imagine how our troops in the field, who are risking their lives every day, are going to react when they get back to base and hear that the Democrat leader of the United States Senate has declared the war is lost," said Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky.

Surely no conservative would say that the war is lost, now would they? Would they?

Well, if by 'they' you mean former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, then they would.

ANDREW MARR: Do you think there is any hope left of a clear military victory in Iraq?

HENRY KISSINGER: If you mean by clear military victory an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that the political processes of the democracies will support, I don't believe that is possible.

Oh my Mr. Secretary... How dare you say that! Surely your fellow Republicans will make you pay for that statement!

Or will they?

I have yet to hear one example of a Republican criticizing Kissinger for saying that the war is lost. And yet when Reid says it, what do we hear? Whining.

Not that they don't know a thing or two about hypocrisy, of course.

John Edwards: I'd Invest Billions in Michigan

My stock in Edwards is climbing.

The U.S. government should invest billions to help Michigan become the hub for transforming the nation's energy economy, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said Saturday.

Speaking to more than 1,800 Democrats at the annual Jefferson Jackson dinner at Cobo Center in Detroit, Edwards said he'd like to see Michigan evolve.

"We should put billions of dollars into creation of the new technology and $1 billion should go right to the car companies," he said. "I don't want to see the cars of the future built anywhere else."

With the first primary elections nine months away, Edwards consistently trails U.S. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama in public opinion polls about the Democratic contenders for the White House. But he struck a popular theme with the labor-heavy audience.

Virginia Tech

Sorry it took a few days for me to post about this.

Obviously the events at Virginia Tech have shocked so many people at CMU and across the country. At least 33 lives have been lost in the deadliest shooting ever in US history.

Our hearts go out to all of the victims's families, and to the entire Virginia Tech community.

Feel free to reply to this post with your thoughts on this gruesome tragedy.

Editorial cartoons

Family values
Foul language
The troops
Global warming
Imus
Loose lips
Crock hunter
Real hunter
Eight dwarfs
Counting down
Brave soldiers
Straight Talk Express
Interest group

Actual excerpts from the 2000 Republican platform (I kid you not)

For those of you who don't know what a political party's platform is (I imagine most people who read this know - but if you don't), it's basically a statement the party issues just before every presidential election, showing where it stands on key issues. (Here's the Democratic Party platform from 2004.)

Here's an interesting piece I found on Democratic Underground.

Honest Government

“Trust, pride, and respect: we pledge to restore these qualities to the way Americans view their government.”

Keeping Intelligence Free of Politics

"Nor should the intelligence community be made the scapegoat for political misjudgments. A Republican administration working with the Congress will respect the needs and quiet sacrifices of these public servants as it strengthens America's intelligence and counter-intelligence capabilities…”

Diplomacy and Maintaining Allies

“The arrogance, inconsistency, and unreliability of the administration's diplomacy have undermined American alliances, alienated friends, and emboldened our adversaries."

Endless Military Missions, Exit Strategies and Troop Readiness

"The current administration has casually sent American armed forces on dozens of missions without clear goals, realizable objectives, favorable rules of engagement, or defined exit strategies.” (Emphasis added.)

"Sending our military on vague, aimless, and endless missions rapidly saps morale. Even the highest morale is eventually undermined by back-to-back deployments, poor pay, shortages of spare parts and equipment, inadequate training, and rapidly declining readiness. When it comes to military health, the administration is not providing an adequate military health care system…"

Restoring the Rule of Law and the Justice Department

The rule of law, the very foundation for a free society, has been under assault, not only by criminals from the ground up, but also from the top down. An administration that lives by evasion, coverup, stonewalling, and duplicity has given us a totally discredited Department of Justice. The credibility of those who now manage the nation’s top law enforcement agency is tragically eroded. We are fortunate to have its dedicated career workforce, especially its criminal prosecutors, who have faced the unprecedented politicization of decisions regarding both personnel and investigations.”

Gas Prices (then $1.55 per gallon)

“Today, gas prices have skyrocketed, and oil imports are at all-time highs....By any reasonable standard, the Department of Energy has utterly failed in its mission to safeguard America’s energy security."

Other than a sole appearance by the word Republican, It looks like a compilation of excerpts from the Democratic platform... but no, these excerpts are indeed from the 2000 Republican Party platform.

Fast-forward seven years. Few people trust the government; our intelligence systems have been compromised by what appears to be politics; our stature in the world is dwindling; Iraq is obviously a mess; the rule of law has been neglected; and don't get me started on gas prices.

As Republican President Dwight Eisenhower once said, "How I wish the Republican Party was still the GOP, the "Grand Ol' Party."

Hillary: Respect for Rutgers

You have probably heard of Don Imus's insult of the Rutgers women's basketball team. (If not, here's part of the story.) Hillary Clinton has spoken out on the situation, and asks us to send a message of support to the team.

When our children are young, we teach them to dream big and reach for the stars, and that if they work hard enough they can accomplish anything.

This year the Rutgers women's basketball team defied the odds and lived up to their dreams, providing inspiration to every little boy and girl beginning to pick up a ball or open a book. These remarkable young women reached the pinnacle of success and won the hearts of basketball fans everywhere with their grace, skill, and poise. They are role models deserving our praise -- and our support.

Don Imus's comments about them were nothing more than small-minded bigotry and coarse sexism. They showed a disregard for basic decency and were disrespectful and degrading to African Americans and women everywhere.

Please join me in sending the young women of Rutgers a message of respect and support. Show them that we are proud to stand with them and for them.

I don't exactly consider Hillary my #1 pick for president, but kudos to her for standing up for the right thing. I hope other candidates follow her lead.

Take Action: A few things you can do

Have a few minutes?

• Take part in Step It Up 2007 to urge Congress to save our environment. Events will be taking place throughout the state.


• Call on the presidential canndidates to tell us how they plan to protect the environment.
  
• Become a citizen co-sponsor of the Feingold-Reid bill to set a withdrawal deadline for Iraq. (BTW: More on timetables for withdrawal later this week.)


• This week is your last chance to support Relay for Life.