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Politics : GOPwinger Lies/Distortions/Omissions/Perversions of Truth -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: longnshort who wrote (10686)	4/18/2004 5:47:33 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 173976

Can you cite evidence of this? Let me guess.....no, you can't.

To: longnshort who wrote (10686)	4/18/2004 6:22:15 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 173976

Today - bushie flip-flop: Bremer questions June 30 deadline Iraqis won't be prepared against insurgents by then, U.S. administrator says BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's police and armed forces will not have the capability to secure the country from the threat of insurgents by the time the United States hands power to an Iraqi government on June 30, the top U.S. administrator said. The comments by L. Paul Bremer aimed to defend the continued heavy presence of U.S. troops in Iraq after the occupation officially ends, but also delivered a rare, blunt assessment to the Iraqi people. "It is clear that Iraqi forces will not be able, on their own, to deal with these threats by June 30 when an Iraqi government assumes sovereignty," Bremer said in a statement issued by the U.S. coalition. "Events of the past two weeks show that Iraq still faces security threats and needs outside help to deal with them. Early this month the foes of democracy overran Iraqi police stations and seized public buildings in several parts of the country," he said. "Iraqi forces were unable to stop them. In the worst violence in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, U.S. troops have been battling Sunni insurgents in the central city of Falluja and an uprising by Shiite militiamen in the south thestar.com

To: longnshort who wrote (10686)	4/18/2004 6:28:27 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 173976

Bushies flip-flopped on going into Najaf: Sunday, April 18, 2004 An Attack on Najaf "Will be Zero Hour of a Massive Popular Uprising": al-Khaz'ali ash-Sharq al-Awsat: Hundreds of members of Muqtada al-Sadr's Army of the Mahdi rallied in the streets of Najaf on Saturday, carrying arms and chanting slogans of support for him. They thronged to his office so as to kiss his hand and receive blessings before returning to their chanting. On Friday, his followers had pledged to launch a general war if the US invaded Najaf. Gen. Mark Kimmit announced that a US soldier who had received wounds in a clash with Mahdi Army militiamen on Friday died. Two militiamen also died in that fight. The negotiations between Muqtada al-Sadr and the Coalition ceased on Saturday, and it looked to some observers on the ground as though a US attack on Najaf might begin any moment. Qais al-Khaz'ali, a spokesman for Muqtada, said that the negotiators alleged that the US had made demands that formed insuperable obstacles to the talks, and that as a result tensions were escalating. He added, "We expect the American forces to assault the city of Najaf at any moment." Gunfire was heard in the northeast of the city, in the area known as Bahr al-Najaf, where it appears that American troops have gathered in strength. Al-Khaz'ali said, "We are prepared for a confrontation, and we believe that this attack will represent the zero hour for the launching of a massive popular revolution." For their part, American officials stressed their intention to disarm the Army of the Mahdi, which they blame for the bloody clashes in the south of the country and in Baghdad in the first week of April. al-Hayat in a breaking story says that Coalition spokesman Dan Senor denied al-Khaz'ali's pessimistic account, and said that numerous parties had stepped forward to try to negotiate a peaceful settlement, and that that was what the Coalition Provisional Authority also wanted. Back to ash-Sharq al-Awsat In contrast, Abdul Karim al-Anzi, the negotiator for the grand ayatollahs in this matter, said he expected a response from the American side momentarily, and continued negotiations. Another negotiator, Khudair al-Khuza'i, from an offshoots of the al-Da`wa Party, said "No new meeting has taken place with the Americans for three days, and we expect them to set a new date for talks . . . I hope that the logic of truth prevails over the logic of the rifle. I am by nature an optimist, and I believe that the last thing the politicians are considering is a war, especially since such a war would spread widely and would be in no one's interest." (Al-Anzi hasn't read enough about the outbreak of World War I, which could have been similarly described. The US civil administration in any case seems to underestimate the dangers of an attack on Najaf, and the military has to do what Rumsfeld says. Rummy now says he was surprised at the loss of US life in the recent April uprising. It is the problem with wearing rose tinted glasses that reality comes as a shock when someone knocks them off.) The negotiators had met the Americans for 5 hours on Wednesday, and then met on Thursday with the grand ayatollahs and with al-Sadr. One of the US demands seemed to the Shiites "crippling" to negotiations, and they have now lapsed. The Board of Muslim Clergymen (a Sunni group) announced its support for Muqtada and asked all Iraqis "to the expel the Occupation," on a day of relative calm in Fallujah. (The Board of Clergymen, led by Abdul Salam al-Kubaisi, has played an important role in negotiations between the city leaders of Fallujah and the US, but it has been consistently opposed to the US presence in the country). Muhammad Ayyash al-Kubaisi, the Board's representative outside Iraq, told al-Arabiya satellite television that all Iraqis who oppose the forces of Occupation, including Muqtada al-Sadr, are working for the same goal. He said that the Board had issued fatwas requiring an end to US occupation. He said Iraqis would not allow themselves to be divided along religious lines and ruled, and that the Shiite resistance has stiffened the resolve of the Board. The Scotsman also reported on the breakdown of negotiations with some pessimism, and noted that ' The pressures appeared to be taking their toll on US Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, who appeared to briefly lose consciousness during a press conference yesterday. Kimmitt left the podium, apparently feeling unwell, but returned a short time later. ' juancole.com

To: longnshort who wrote (10686)	4/18/2004 7:10:54 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 173976

Bush flip-flopped on the axis of evil - he's trying to enlist Iran's aid. As a matter of fact, read his Jan 29, 2002 SOTU... flip-flop flip-flop flip-flop... He's not trying to stabilize social security - he's trying to steal it. He hasn't increased veterans' benefits, he's reduced them. Veterans hospitals are closing. He hasn't helped the unemployed by giving corporations tax breaks that send potential jobs offshore. He hasn't hunted down Osama as he had promised. He hasn't Here's what else he said that day: We will win this war; we'll protect our homeland; and we will revive our economy. Complete hogwash, he has done none of this...the war on terror hasn't been won - he's increased terrorist activity in the world. Do you feel protected here at home. I've seen wingers freaking out over the possibility of attack. Has the economy been revived? Nope. Our men and women in uniform deserve the best weapons, the best equipment, the best training -- and they also deserve another pay raise. (Applause.) Of course, he didn't actually say the military would GET the best, so the fact that they eat filthy garbage dished out by Halliburton affiliate and have to buy their own protection gear isn't really a broken promise. whitehouse.gov