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One Million Dead Iraqis
There are plenty of ways to measure the Iraq War. You could measure it in days, months, and years. You could measure it in dollars spent, or dollars taken away from domestic programs, like education and healthcare. You could measure it in the number of American soldiers whose lives have been lost.
You could also measure it in the number of Iraqis who have been killed. And if you measured the Iraq War in this way, you would arrive at the figure of one million dead Iraqis.
A fifth of Iraqi households lost at least one family member between March 2003 and August 2007 due to the conflict, said data compiled by London-based Opinion Research Business (ORB) and its research partner in Iraq, the Independent Institute for Administration and Civil Society Studies (IIACSS).
The study based its findings on survey work involving the face-to-face questioning of 2,414 Iraqi adults aged 18 or above, and the last complete census in Iraq in 1997, which indicated a total of 4.05 million households.
…
“We now estimate that the death toll between March 2003 and August 2007 is likely to have been in the order of 1,033,000,” ORB said in a statement.The margin of error for the survey was 1.7 percent, making the estimated range between 946,000 and 1.12 million fatalities.
One million Iraqis killed in a “liberation” that they never asked for. One million Iraqis sacrificed for oil, for a Bush-family vendetta, or simply for American egotism. One million Iraqis whose blood is not only on the hands of the people who authorized this war, but on all of our hands for allowing this war to continue unchecked.
One million dead Iraqis. How many more will we allow to be killed?
Mukasey: Waterboarding Me Would be Torture
It’s finally here! All throughout Michael Mukasey’s confirmation hearings, the Attorney General-to-be refused to tell Senators whether or not he thought waterboarding was torture. But today, finally, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Kennedy was able to evoke an answer from Mukasey.
[KENNEDY:] So I won’t even bother to ask you whether waterboarding counts as torture under out laws because I know from your letter that we won’t get a straight answer, so let me ask you this: Would waterboarding be torture if it was done to you?
MUKASEY: I would feel that it was.
So there you have it. If the United States government tied up Michael Mukasey, blindfolded him, and poured water over his face to convince him that he was drowning, that would be torture. But to do the same thing to anyone else:
Well, it might be torture, it might not be. He can’t say. You know, national security and all that business.
Of course, Mukasey’s answer is hardly original. You might recall Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell’s comments a few weeks ago:
“If I had water draining into my nose, oh God, I just can’t imagine how painful!” McConnell said in the article. “Whether it’s torture by anybody else’s definition, for me it would be torture.”
But he rejected a suggestion that he personally condemned the practice.
Of course, a few days later, McConnell would clarify his comments by reminding us that The United States Does Not Torture™ so there really isn’t anything for us to worry about and we should stop wasting our time with these silly things.
Mukasey continues to regurgitate administration talking points, and the United States will continue to torture.
ThinkProgress Fact-Checks the State of the Union
Those of you who watched the State of the Union address on Monday night may be wondering, “Wow, are all of those things that the president said really true?” By now, of course, you should have already realized that the answer to that question is a resounding No.
If you’re having trouble discerning fact from fiction, the fine folks over at ThinkProgress have been fact-checking the State of the Union sentence-by-sentence. Some examples:
Bush said: “Over the past 7 years, we have increased funding for veterans by more than 95 percent. As we increase funding, we must also reform our veterans system to meet the needs of a new war and a new generation.”
FACT — 1.8 MILLION VETERANS LACK HEALTH INSURANCE: “The new study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, estimated that in 2004 nearly 1.8 million veterans were uninsured and unable to get care in veterans’ facilities.” [New York Times, 11/9/07]
…
Bush said: ” The Congress must pass liability protection for companies believed to have assisted in the efforts to defend America. We have had ample time for debate. The time to act is now.”FACT — IMMUNITY ABSOLVES TELECOM COMPANIES OF VIOLATING THE LAW: Immunity “would wipe out a series of pending lawsuits alleging violations of privacy rights by telecommunications companies that provided telephone records, summaries of e-mail traffic and other information to the government after Sept. 11, 2001, without receiving court warrants.” [Washington Post 10/18/07]
…
Bush said: “American troops are shifting from leading operations, to partnering with Iraqi forces, and, eventually, to a protective overwatch mission.”FACT — IRAQIS ANTICIPATE TAKING CONTROL OF SECURITY BY 2018:
Iraqi defense minister Abdul Qadir “that his nation would not be able to take full responsibility for its internal security until 2012, nor be able on its own to defend Iraq’s borders from external threat until at least 2018.” [New York Times, 1/15/08]FACT — CORRUPTION AND SECTARIANISM PLAGUE SECURITY FORCES: “Rampant corruption and lingering sectarianism” within Iraqi security forces are “major hurdles that Iraqi defense and police leaders must overcome in order to take responsibility for Iraq’s security,” according to Gen. James Dubik, head of the Multi-National Security Transition Command in Iraq. “[S]hortages of key personnel, equipment, weaponry and logistical capabilities mean that Iraq’s security forces will probably require U.S. military support for as long as a decade.” [Washington Post, 1/18/08]
Now, healthcare, FISA, and Iraq are some of Bush’s big-ticket political issues, so he’s obviously not going to stray very far from Republican talking points on any of those, so let’s take a look at what ThinkProgress has found on some less divisive issues:
Bush said: “Tonight the armies of compassion continue the march to a new day in the Gulf Coast. America honors the strength and resilience of the people of this region. We reaffirm our pledge to help them build stronger and better than before. And tonight I am pleased to announce that in April we will host this year’s North American Summit of Canada, Mexico, and the United States in the great city of New Orleans.”
FACT — KATRINA HAS SLIPPED FROM BUSH’S RADAR: In the 2007 State of the Union, there wasn’t a single mention of Hurricane Katrina or the ongoing Gulf Coast reconstruction effort. [SOTU, 1/23/07]
…
Bush said: “I have submitted judicial nominees who will rule by the letter of the law, not the whim of the gavel. Many of these nominees are being unfairly delayed. They are worthy of confirmation, and the Senate should give each of them a prompt up-or-down vote.”FACT — DEMOCRATIC-LED CONGRESS HAS CONFIRMED MORE OF BUSH’S JUDGES THAN DURING GOP CONGRESS: Despite the Republicans’ loss of control of the Senate, 40 of Bush’s judges won confirmation this year, more than in the previous three years when Republicans held the majority. [LA Times, 1/2/08]
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Much more can be found at ThinkProgress.
Chris Matthews Should Just Make Out with John McCain Already
I’m serious. We all know it’s coming. The media–and Matthews in particular–have been salivating at the mention of John McCain for the past year, but this is just getting ridiculous.
There he is! Senator McCain! You know you’re in my heart. I have to tell you, the President gave your speech tonight. He talked about we got to cut the number of earmarks in half or I’m going to veto the bill, he talked about..about the war against terrorism, he talked about reform. It was…he didn’t talk about much about the global economic challenge right now. In fact, he said basically we’ll get through this like you do. It was your speech, Senator.
Never mind that McCain didn’t even bother to show up to the State of the Union, Bush was just giving McCain’s stump speech. What a load of bull.
Thanks to the fine folks at Crooks & Liars, you can watch Matthews get all hot and sweaty for McCain below:
Only John McCain Knows How to Get Osama
We know that the capture of Osama bin Laden is no longer a concern of the Bush Administration, but that doesn’t mean that the presidential candidates can’t use bin Laden for political gain. In particular, John McCain likes to mention in almost every single speech he gives that he’s going to “get” bin Laden if it’s the last thing he does.
Apparently, this isn’t just talk. John McCain actually knows exactly what needs to be done to capture Osama bin Laden. What does McCain know? Well, he’s not telling.
“One thing I will not do is telegraph my punches. Osama bin Laden will be the last to know,” he said today while riding on the back of his bus between Florida events. In other words: he’s not telling. Why not share his strategy with the current occupant of the White House? “Because I have my own ideas and it would require implementation of certain policies and procedures that only as the president of the United States can be taken.”
So he knows what needs to be done, he knows that the president can do it… but he’s not going to call his buddy George Bush and share what he knows? For John McCain, I guess it is more important to let Osama bin Laden run free for another year so that McCain can use him for political leverage. Maybe in return he’ll get a job in the McCain administration?
Bush Speaks. Will Anyone Listen?
President Bush will give his final State of the Union address on Monday night, but we already know what he’s going to say.
He’s going to talk about his War in Iraq. He’s going to tell us how much the security situation in Iraq has improved, but he probably won’t mention that the chief of police in Iraq’s Nineveh province was killed last week by a suicide bomber wearing an Iraqi police uniform. And, of course, he’ll remind us that The Surge Is Working.™
He’ll also say a few things about the economy. He’ll try to tell us that we’re not in a recession. He’ll tell us that we have nothing to worry about as long as Congress passes his economic stimulus package–a package that some say is too little, too late.
So we know what he’s going to say. The real question is, will anyone be listening?
The economy has supplanted Iraq as the top public concern, and with voters shifting their focus toward the presidential primaries, Bush faces a steep challenge in persuading Americans to heed his words on the war, economic policy or any other issue, according to administration officials, lawmakers and outside observers.
“Very large segments of the American people have written him off already and have moved on to the next chapter,” said Jeremy Rosner, a Clinton White House aide and Democratic pollster.
Even if they do listen to President Bush, most Americans won’t like what they hear. Most Americans don’t approve of the job Bush is doing. Over half of Americans want to bring our soldiers home from Iraq within a year; they don’t want to hear his plan for keeping them there for the next year–if not longer. As for the economy, Americans trust Democrats to fix the failing economy, not Bush.
Americans don’t trust George W. Bush on the issues. Americans won’t listen to George W. Bush on the issues. And it’s not just Democrats who won’t be listening. Even John McCain won’t be listening, and we know how he feels about George Bush.
So tonight, George W. Bush will address the American people. But will the American people care about what he has to say?
After SC Win, Obama Donations Hit $500,000 per Hour
By now you’ve certainly already heard about Barack Obama’s big win in South Carolina. This was huge. Check out the numbers. Obama beat Hillary Clinton two-to-one, 295,091 votes to 141,128. More importantly, if you do the math on the Republican side of the page, you’ll find that Barack Obama got more votes than John McCain and Mike Huckabee combined!
But votes aren’t the only numbers in this presidential race. There’s also online contributions–donations from people like you and me–and last night’s win made a big difference in the money race.
A source inside the Obama campaign says the candidate’s web site has seen one of its best hours tonight, raising $525,000 in one hour. A senior aide inside the Obama campaign said the candidate’s site saw its “highest peak” tonight in both online donations and traffic, “bigger than after Iowa, bigger than after New Hampshire.”
The Obama campaign measures online donations every 15 minutes, and the source said that online money was pouring in at the rate of more than $500,000 per hour.
Wow. That’s a ton of money. Every two hours, another $1 million! I don’t know how long the donations were rolling in at that amount, but even if it was just for a couple hours, that’s a huge amount of cash for the campaign.
Take a listen to Obama’s victory speech below, and, if you’re as inspired as I was, maybe you’ll consider making a small donation of your own.
New Breath Mints Look Like Cocaine
The newest Hershey breath mint, “Ice Breakers Pacs,” just hit stores, but you better buy yours soon. Production on the Pacs, which are small dissolvable pouches filled with artificial sweeteners, has been stopped because the mints look like little bags of drugs:
Members of Philadelphia’s police narcotics squad said the mints closely resemble tiny heat-sealed bags used to sell powdered street drugs. They charged that the consequences could be serious if, for example, a child familiar with the mints found a package of cocaine.
If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking that there’s no way that a major corporation like Hershey could have screwed up this badly. Well, see for yourself.
For scale, each little packet is about the size of a nickel. See the resemblance?
Hershey has said the mints were not intended to resemble anything, and [Hershey CEO David J.] West said consumers who tested and purchased the product liked it.
Maybe they liked it because they thought it made them feel euphoric, or gave them energy, or made them more aware of their surroundings?
Hershey’s Ice Breakers Pacs: innocent mistake or disturbing marketing tactic?
New Study: White House Lied During March to War
A new study by two nonpartisan organizations, the Center for Public Integrity and the Fund for Independence in Journalism, confirms what most of us have already accepted: the Bush Administration lied to the American people in order to justify the Iraq War. So what makes this study so special? Well, it turns out that they didn’t like to us once or twice or twenty times. No, in the two-year period between September 2001 and September 2003, according to this study, they lied to us 935 times.
The study concluded that the statements “were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses.”
…
The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.
…Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.
Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq’s links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell’s 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.
For those of you who can’t quite wrap your head around the magnitude of lies we’ve been told, here’s a timeline of the 935 lies that lead up to the Iraq War.
Yes, America, we’ve been had at the cost of 4000 American soldiers and who knows how many Iraqi soldiers and civilians. To see the specific lies, you can read the study online and search their database of lies.
Giuliani’s Latest Endorsement
The latest New York notable to endorse Rudy Giuliani’s soon-to-be failed run for the presidency is… wait for it… Johnny Damon. Yeah, that Johnny Damon. I guess Johnny must have forgotten about this:
Traitors stick together, I suppose. Now Rudy can lose the New York vote and the Boston vote. Great double play!
The latest goes pretty well with Rudy’s previous endorsement from Pat Robertson. Pat loves Jesus, and Johnny sorta used to look like Jesus…
