noble cause

is the "noble cause"
that our boys are dying for
unvarnished power?

bush cannot answer
apologists try, but can't
so smear is their game

a mother's protest
for her son and dead marine
more power than the millions

unaccountable
repeated illogically
that moment will come

Bush Vacation: Day 11

1847 confirmed dead.

Bush: President Tries to Resolve Mixed Signals After Pentagon Remarks

He was not certain Iraqis could handle their own security well enough for the United States to begin leaving anytime soon. Mr. Bush dismissed such talk as "speculation based upon progress that some are seeing in Iraq as to whether or not the Iraqis will be able to take the fight to the enemy."

(Bush thought bubble: why oh why did Karl have to get in so much trouble, how can we be focused without the ringmaster extraordinaire?)

Cindy: Day 7 of the peaceful occupation of Crawford.

The Right Wing, still trying to slime her, has a new confrontation plan: send a bunch of brave young men, who if they were brave would be backing up our sniper teams in Iraq, to instead get on a bus and go yell at her on the side of the road.

Truth be told, I really am glad they are doing this. I hope it will get tons of press. Cindy's plight is already on the front page of the NY Times, the Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, and even the Fox websites. The more press, the more Americans will see her honest emotion, and the platitude of the supposedly "noble cause" will be seen for what it is: an emotional shield for Bush.

What these counter-protest attackers don't understand is this: Cindy Sheehan lost the only thing she cared about in life. She hit bottom, and Bush rubbed it in. Her grief is so profound that nothing they say or do can make her feel worse; it only makes here stronger and more determined.

She's going to stay this fight. And if all these tough guys really supported our troops, they'd go down to the enlistment office and give our Commander in Chief the raw numbers so he can this Bush Family job right the first, er, second time.

Instead, they attack the mother of a dead Marine. They are the cowards, not Cindy.

Recruiting Failures

Wow, imagine if the press were doing their jobs, we'd hear more about this stuff:

From: Jocelyn
Date: Mon, 23 May 2005 15:32:49
To: soldiers@[redacted].com *
Subject: Army Recruiting

I am at a loss when it comes to finding help. I just stumbled upon this website and thought hey--it cant hurt. I am the spouse of a military recruiter. Army to be exact. I have been writing members of congress and even the President himself and I am not finding help or support. My husband who served in Iraq was selected for recruiting. This life is not his choice. We have been relocated to a city where we have been stripped of all our military customs, commissary and PX and housing, and there is minimal compensation. I do not see my husband until Sundays. He is so exhausted from day to day that I fear something is going to happen to him. The hours are horrid, the pressure on him is outrageous and the mental change that he is going through is unacceptable!!! Iraq changed him to begin with and now the recruiting assignment is changing him even more. We are completely broke living paycheck to paycheck, which we have never done.

Read the rest here.........

Are you supporting the troops?


* - Bush can classify everything, why can't I?

A Voice in the Wilderness

Gary Hart, highlighting the lame state of our current Senators from this great state, was a lone voice in the wilderness prior to and since 9/11 - fighting to get our government to protect us from terrorist attacks. And trying to force the government to perform its highest duties with competence and urgency. It's hard to turn the Titanic on a dime, oh well.

Cheney didn't listen, his terror task force never met.

Bush is not listening to Cindy Sheehan, maybe because he can't explain what a "moral cause" is.

Hart discusses Cindy.

Now if we could get some of this same leadership from Salazar or Allard, Gary might be able to rest a bit.

Bush Vacation: Day 9

44 Dead

Hoo boy, gonna hafta find hella brush to clear, gotta get that Cindy Sheehan beeotch outta my nice clear mind.

The Peaceful Occupation of Crawford Day 5

I was going to title this "President Afraid to meet Mother of Dead Soldier" - but that's too obvious.

Cindy Sheehan's son Casey died in Iraq. She met with the president way back when, and was struck by his callousness and scripted rhetoric, but was too shocked to respond at the time. Now she has.

When President Bush announced his majesterial 5-week vacation, Cindy got an idea: camp out at Crawford's "Prairie Chapel Ranch" and wait for the President to talk to her again.

That's when the wingers figured out what was going on, and like Joseph Wilson, John Diulio, Paul O'Neill, General Eric Shinseki, Larry Lindsey, Christine Whitman, John Kerry, John McCain, Paul Hackett, and many others - known and unknown - they decided she had to be taken out, or in Karl Rove's world - "fucked".

Drudge started the rumor, O'Reilly attempted to complete the takedown, but was sabotaged by his producer, Media Matters tracks the lie through the right-wing sewers. They will attack anyone who disagrees with the president.

Of course, Rush got in on the action too, but Paul Hackett cleared up his status.

The president is afraid to meet that grieving mother, but I'll urge him again: Mr. President, meet with Cindy.

Of course, their political instincts are off, what with the President's senior staff under investigation for treason, and the President determined to take his 5 weeks of vacation. So, in a way, I'm glad the President has taken the low road. Now, it looks like Cindy will be on the cover of People Magazine, Time Magazine, Vanity Fair and possibly Oprah's magazine.

That's what you get for being a chickenhawk.

Bush Vacation: Day 7

4 killed, 6 wounded - 38 have been killed in the first 10 days of August.

Update: 9 dead confirmed - I can't tell which story this came from. (They're killing our guys so fast it's impossible to keep track.)

12 Iraqi police killed.

7 killed, 1 American - yesterday.

12 20 Iraqis killed, 90 wounded in various car attacks.

One 2nd Division Marine killed by small arms fire.

Bush signs energy bill into law - no provisions for raising gas mileage for cars or transforming our energy reliance from oil.

Is the Iraq insurgency in its "last throes", "losing steam", or making "one last stand"? No, none of these apply.

"Ignorance is bliss."

Cindy Sheehan: Bravery Beyond Words

Cindy Sheehan, in her own words.

No wonder the president is too afraid to meet with her. There is no lie he can repeat, no spin to his actions, no valid justification why he sent her son to Iraq to be killed for his petty vengeance.

And I'm sure Osama and Zawahri will eat good today.

Update: more from Cindy talking to BUZZFLASH.

Eyes closed, Into the Darkness

Wow, a perfect description of our Dear Leader, channeled by Kung Fu Monkey through James Wolcott.

bin Laden Escaped at Tora Bora

Despite all the Bush Administration denials, it has now been confirmed once again that Bush let bin Laden go at Tora Bora - through impatience to get Saddam, poor planning (warning: black helicopter link), and outsourced strategies.

What else would you expect from someone who blew off his commitment to TANG?

Bush Vacation: Day 5

2 killed, three wounded.

And the Best Secretary of Defense Ever is still on the job.