Predictable as clockwork. Last summer all we heard about was that Bush was going to withdraw a significant portion of the troops in Iraq (just like the year before and the year before that) as the surge wound down. Now? Well, the times (and the lies) they are a changin’, as they say:
BAGHDAD (AFP) — US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said in Baghdad on Monday he was in favour of a short pause in troop drawdowns from Iraq after about 30,000 soldiers have been sent home by July.
Gates said the security situation in Baghdad remained “fragile,” a comment echoed on the streets of the capital which was rocked by two car bombings that left 19 people dead just as he was winding up his surprise trip to Iraq.
“I think that the notion of a brief period of consolidation and evaluation probably does make sense,” he told reporters after a two-hour meeting with the US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus.
My prediction? In July those 30,000 troops they are still saying will be withdrawn will still be “over there” defending us from having to fight “them” over here. And they’ll probably stay there until someone in the office of the next President has the guts to actually say it’s time for us to go home.
Just keep one thought in your head whenever you hear anyone in the Bush administration make a promise that something, like say relief for Katrina victims is coming, or Osama will be captured dead or alive, or the war will cost no more than $30 billion tops, will happen: they’re lying. And they know they’re lying. And they think you are so stupid that you’ll just keep believing their lies. And even of you don’t, they don’t give a shit.
And of course, they can always count on the media to never question their pronouncements, but instead just happily type them up as if they were public relations foofs working for the RNC. Bet that will happen with President Hillary or Barack in office? Yeah, me neither.
Update [2008-2-11 13:17:3 by Steven D]: Here’s one of the soldiers who they will likely be keeping in Iraq:
FORT CARSON A Fort Carson soldier who says he was in treatment at Cedar Springs Hospital for bipolar disorder and alcohol abuse was released early and ordered to deploy to the Middle East with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
The 28-year-old specialist spent 31 days in Kuwait and was returned to Fort Carson on Dec. 31 after health care professionals in Kuwait concurred that his symptoms met criteria for bipolar disorder and “some paranoia and possible homicidal tendencies,” according to e-mails obtained by a Denver newspaper.
Yes he will
Yeah I saw that at atrios’ place. Pretty good send up of the Obama remix. John McCain, Crusader for a New Century.
I can’t believe that there is anyone in this country that has believed for one single second that the troop reduction was going to take place. Surprised? Stop it. All gates is is a more gentle rummy. Same shit. They all lie and so will the incoming administration- regardless of who wins in Nov.
And ya know what? The removal of Impeachment was the worst decision that anyone has made. Now lets watch the FISA debacle play out. We all know where that one is going.
I gotta tell ya Steven, the streets look better and better. Given the fact that the dems are gtting almost a 2 to 1 vote margin, and given that the kids are so strongly involved, the will show up!
Picture a million on the mall!
The removal of Impeachment was the worst decision that anyone has made
And it was a crass political calculation by the Dem leadership to do so.
lTMF’sA
These guys are out of their effing minds.
Ever wonder where this whole war thing is going?
Pity the brown-skinned person, citizen or not, trying to come into the country with a laptop.
But have no fear, Homeland Security has exhaustively worked with the best constitutional minds to determine your level of protection as a citizen.
Remember, once a liberty is gone it likely will never return.
more on this from wapo: laptop-equals-suitcase. also worthy of note is the fbi’s infragard program.
but there’s nothing to worry about if you’ve got nothing to hide, eh.
what was than franklin said about it… “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety”…yep.
lTMF’sA
http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/76576/
Breaking the Drug Taboo: Group of Traumatized Veterans Get Experimental Ecstasy Treatment
by Scott Thill
An experimental study that treats PTSD veterans with the drug MDMA could make life after war a lot more livable.
They’ll never make mdma a prescription drug. No patent, no drug company who can profit off it.
if we are gonna spend time on drugs steven, heres one for ya. Ya know about that poppy stuff over there in Afg?
Seems there ain’t no nuttin happening re that situation. can you or anyone tell me why is it that the bastards just don’t BUY THE EFFING CROP! Then they can do whatever the hell they want with it. Please tell me what I am missing?
The chemicals used to kill the poppies are purchased from an American company which thereby profits if the poppies are “eradicated” chemically. Simply buying the crop would hurt the business of some company that donated to Bush/Cheney and/or the RNC.
That’s my educated guess.
Likely Monsanto or Dow are the culprits/beneficiaries.
Here’s a link to Monsanto’s herbicides being used in the Drug War in Columbia:
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=669
Here’s a link to Monsanto herbicides being used in Afghanistan:
link
And another:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020208Y.shtml