December 08, 2006


IMPEACH BUSH


IMPEACH CHENEY

BUSH'S FOLLY

Iraq is a daily and continuing tragedy that should never have happened. George W. Bush and his neocons were determined to attack Iraq, mostly for its oil, partly to establish United States hegemony in the region. September 11th provided the cover Bush wanted. He massaged the intelligence to link Saddam Hussein first to nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, which he claimed were a threat to the United States, and later to terrorists like the ones who attacked us on September 11. All of the stated rationales for this war were lies. Bush ignored all the warnings of what would occur if the United States occupied Iraq. Even his own father and former national security adviser Brent Scowcroft warned of the quagmire an occupation would become. Now there has been needless carnage and there is no good end to this fiasco. This column by Paul Krugman is at www.welcome-to-pottersville.blogspot.com:

And so it was with those who warned against invading Iraq. At best, they were ignored. A recent article in The Washington Post ruefully conceded that the paper’s account of the debate in the House of Representatives over the resolution authorizing the Iraq war — a resolution opposed by a majority of the Democrats — gave no coverage at all to those antiwar arguments that now seem prescient.

At worst, those who were skeptical about the case for war had their patriotism and/or their sanity questioned. The New Republic now says that it “deeply regrets its early support for this war.” Does it also deeply regret accusing those who opposed rushing into war of “abject pacifism?”

Now, only a few neocon dead-enders still believe that this war was anything but a vast exercise in folly. And those who braved political pressure and ridicule to oppose what Al Gore has rightly called “the worst strategic mistake in the history of the United States” deserve some credit.

THE LORDS OF LOUD

Among the many bad things that happened during the Reagan years was the end of the Fairness Doctrine. The Fairness Doctrine simply said that opposing political points of view had to be given equal time on the public airwaves. When Reagan abolished the Fairness Doctrine it opened the door for full-time propagandists like Rush Limbaugh to spout their venom and lies without a counter viewpoint. With the major repudiation of the Republican party in the last election let's hope it will mean the demise of right wing radio. This article by Steve Young is at www.smirkingchimp.com:

Twelve years of unmerited influence and half-truths swathed in red, white and blue patriotism met its demise this past Tuesday with a dagger to the heart served up by revelations from the Iraq Study Group substantiating that everything right wing talk radio had said was right about the Iraqi, was wrong.

Born the day Rush Limbaugh mid-wifed Newt Gingrich's Contract For (On) America, RWTRR lived a healthy and wealthy life duping a great portion of the America public into voting against their own best interests.

Right wing talk grew larger and louder over its lifetime, adding names like Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, Neal Boortz, Dennis Prager and many more imitators. They each spent three hours a day catchphrasing words and thoughts - no matter how rickety their evidence (if any) - that the mainstream media would give equal time and space along side the truth.

All of a sudden, the truth was only worth 50% of any issue.