CIA report faults top officials for pre-9/11 lapses
A report from the CIA's independent investigator is expected to conclude officials at the highest level of the agency are to blame for pre-September 11 intelligence lapses.
I know that the tsunami coverage is tremendously compelling, and I will not lump the media's obsession with this story, one of the biggest in our lifetime, in with crap like the Michael Jackson case, but it is important not to overlook the fact that important news is still happening here in the United States.
I've said it before...
With the vast majority of the media's attention on the Indian Ocean, I hope someone has their eye on the White House.
If they want to slide a couple of zingers through, this is an opportune time to do it.
The Administration also has a habit of sliding through items that reflect negatively upon them while the media's attention is elsewhere.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Iraq Again...
It is too late to put up a silly title; my wit is fading with the day... But this is a good illustration of the progress being made in Iraq, at least in the sound bite department.
DESPERATE YET? A few quotations:
Essentially, it a list of quotes from September 2003 though January 2005 saying that the recent brutality of the terror attacks in Iraq must show that the insurgents must be getting desperate.
The war may not be a quagmire yet, but the PR is.
Atrios found it, I just stole it from him.
Read the blogs I posted recently if you want an idea of what Iraqis are thinking about this whole ordeal.
Someone in my History of Modern Arabia class asked why western powers thought that they could go into that part of the world and impose nation-state governments on historically tribal cultures?
Mind you, for most of the current state of Iraq's existence, its artificial nation has been held together by brutality. And the above question doesn't even touch on the Sunni, Shii and Kurd divisions...
Now that this brutality is gone, there is nothing holding that piece of geography together as a nation. Except for the U.S. military (and the allies- Sorry, Tony almost over looked your guys).
But the last two years, I hear, show that the insurgents must be getting desperate.
UPDATE: January 7, 2005 - 5:50 AM
School has been keeping my busy so I just noticed this old Atrios post...
The Good News From Iraq
Heroic tales of sacrifice are not "good news." Last I checked it was thought to be fucking horrible when heroes died. Maybe I didn't get the memo.
A different perspective from Lance in Iraq: Sweet justice
Additional Homework: January 7, 2005 - 11:30 PM, and beyond...
I am reviewing the Iraqi blogs I posted recently tonight, so here are some links...
'I did not want to be a collaborator' - Monday July 28, 2003
Success, a year and a half ago, looked like...
Iraq is now in almost total chaos. No one knows what is going on. We're not talking here about trying to achieve an ideal political system. People cannot understand why a superpower that can amass all that military might can't get the electricity back on. Iraqis are now contrasting Saddam's ability to bring back power after the war in 1991 to the apparent inability of the US to do so now. There are all kinds of conspiracy theories.
Written by: Isam al-Khafaji is a professor of political economy at the University of Amsterdam and author of the forthcoming Tormented Births: Passages to Modernity in Europe and the Middle East. He was a member of the Democratic Principles Working Group convened by the US state department to discuss the future of Iraqi governance.
----------
Ishtar talking - English translations by Salam Pax
----------
British examples of not pissing off Iraqis: Basra under the Brits feels like another country. - Wednesday July 2, 2003
In Baghdad that gun would be pointing either at the car right behind the military vehicle or at the sidewalk, scanning the buildings. But the British guy wasn't pointing at anything, he was just looking around with the gun turned in, at an angle that would have shot him in the foot if it had gone off by accident. You appreciate this only after you have been driving behind an American Humvee and praying that your car doesn't backfire or make strange noises, because the US soldier has that gun pointing right at you.
The next thing was getting into Basra and being stopped at the checkpoint. One soldier in a floppy hat waving his hand for you to slow down, and when you lower the window he actually greets you with "al salamu alaikum". That got him some appreciative giggles - imagine that happening in Baghdad. Everybody here in Basra is so much more laid back, even after the incidents in al-Majar al-Kabir. To their credit they didn't decide to punish the whole population and clamp down on them.
--Salam Pax
---------------------
It is coming up on midnight and I am tired and I want to go to bed, so I will leave these glimpses of Iraq with these two quotes...
Monday, July 07, 2003:
..about 5 million people were living under a temperature of 47 degrees and without electricity and water for three days :-/
You know, I reviewed my "dream list" back then; there was no "New passports" in it. It just contained three simple wishes: Electricity, Water, and Security.
Saturday, December 18, 2004:
No electricity for three days in a row (well, unless you count that glorious hour we got 3 days ago...). Generators on gasoline are hardly working at all. Generators on diesel fuel aren't faring much better- most will only work for 3 or 4 straight hours then they have to be turned off to rest.
Ok- what is the typical Iraqi Christmas wishlist (I won't list 'peace', 'security' and 'freedom' - Christmas miracles are exclusive to Charles Dickens), let's see:
1. 20 liters of gasoline
2. A cylinder of gas for cooking
3. Kerosene for the heaters
4. Those expensive blast-proof windows
5. Landmine detectors
6. Running water
7. Thuraya satellite phones (the mobile phone services are really, really bad of late)
8. Portable diesel generators (for the whole family to enjoy!)
9. Coleman rechargeable flashlight with extra batteries (you can never go wrong with a fancy flashlight)
10. Scented candles (it shows you care- but you're also practical)
When Santa delivers please make sure he is wearing a bullet-proof vest and helmet. He should also politely ring the doorbell or knock, as a more subtle entry might bring him face to face with an AK-47. With the current fuel shortage, reindeer and a sleigh are highly practical- but Rudolph should be left behind as the flashing red nose might create a bomb scare (we're all a little jumpy lately).
-from Baghdad Burning
It's the progress being made in Iraq that really makes me feel that this is worth it, for us and for them.
DESPERATE YET? A few quotations:
Essentially, it a list of quotes from September 2003 though January 2005 saying that the recent brutality of the terror attacks in Iraq must show that the insurgents must be getting desperate.
The war may not be a quagmire yet, but the PR is.
Atrios found it, I just stole it from him.
Read the blogs I posted recently if you want an idea of what Iraqis are thinking about this whole ordeal.
Someone in my History of Modern Arabia class asked why western powers thought that they could go into that part of the world and impose nation-state governments on historically tribal cultures?
Mind you, for most of the current state of Iraq's existence, its artificial nation has been held together by brutality. And the above question doesn't even touch on the Sunni, Shii and Kurd divisions...
Now that this brutality is gone, there is nothing holding that piece of geography together as a nation. Except for the U.S. military (and the allies- Sorry, Tony almost over looked your guys).
But the last two years, I hear, show that the insurgents must be getting desperate.
UPDATE: January 7, 2005 - 5:50 AM
School has been keeping my busy so I just noticed this old Atrios post...
The Good News From Iraq
Heroic tales of sacrifice are not "good news." Last I checked it was thought to be fucking horrible when heroes died. Maybe I didn't get the memo.
A different perspective from Lance in Iraq: Sweet justice
Additional Homework: January 7, 2005 - 11:30 PM, and beyond...
I am reviewing the Iraqi blogs I posted recently tonight, so here are some links...
'I did not want to be a collaborator' - Monday July 28, 2003
Success, a year and a half ago, looked like...
Iraq is now in almost total chaos. No one knows what is going on. We're not talking here about trying to achieve an ideal political system. People cannot understand why a superpower that can amass all that military might can't get the electricity back on. Iraqis are now contrasting Saddam's ability to bring back power after the war in 1991 to the apparent inability of the US to do so now. There are all kinds of conspiracy theories.
Written by: Isam al-Khafaji is a professor of political economy at the University of Amsterdam and author of the forthcoming Tormented Births: Passages to Modernity in Europe and the Middle East. He was a member of the Democratic Principles Working Group convened by the US state department to discuss the future of Iraqi governance.
----------
Ishtar talking - English translations by Salam Pax
----------
British examples of not pissing off Iraqis: Basra under the Brits feels like another country. - Wednesday July 2, 2003
In Baghdad that gun would be pointing either at the car right behind the military vehicle or at the sidewalk, scanning the buildings. But the British guy wasn't pointing at anything, he was just looking around with the gun turned in, at an angle that would have shot him in the foot if it had gone off by accident. You appreciate this only after you have been driving behind an American Humvee and praying that your car doesn't backfire or make strange noises, because the US soldier has that gun pointing right at you.
The next thing was getting into Basra and being stopped at the checkpoint. One soldier in a floppy hat waving his hand for you to slow down, and when you lower the window he actually greets you with "al salamu alaikum". That got him some appreciative giggles - imagine that happening in Baghdad. Everybody here in Basra is so much more laid back, even after the incidents in al-Majar al-Kabir. To their credit they didn't decide to punish the whole population and clamp down on them.
--Salam Pax
---------------------
It is coming up on midnight and I am tired and I want to go to bed, so I will leave these glimpses of Iraq with these two quotes...
Monday, July 07, 2003:
..about 5 million people were living under a temperature of 47 degrees and without electricity and water for three days :-/
You know, I reviewed my "dream list" back then; there was no "New passports" in it. It just contained three simple wishes: Electricity, Water, and Security.
Saturday, December 18, 2004:
No electricity for three days in a row (well, unless you count that glorious hour we got 3 days ago...). Generators on gasoline are hardly working at all. Generators on diesel fuel aren't faring much better- most will only work for 3 or 4 straight hours then they have to be turned off to rest.
Ok- what is the typical Iraqi Christmas wishlist (I won't list 'peace', 'security' and 'freedom' - Christmas miracles are exclusive to Charles Dickens), let's see:
1. 20 liters of gasoline
2. A cylinder of gas for cooking
3. Kerosene for the heaters
4. Those expensive blast-proof windows
5. Landmine detectors
6. Running water
7. Thuraya satellite phones (the mobile phone services are really, really bad of late)
8. Portable diesel generators (for the whole family to enjoy!)
9. Coleman rechargeable flashlight with extra batteries (you can never go wrong with a fancy flashlight)
10. Scented candles (it shows you care- but you're also practical)
When Santa delivers please make sure he is wearing a bullet-proof vest and helmet. He should also politely ring the doorbell or knock, as a more subtle entry might bring him face to face with an AK-47. With the current fuel shortage, reindeer and a sleigh are highly practical- but Rudolph should be left behind as the flashing red nose might create a bomb scare (we're all a little jumpy lately).
-from Baghdad Burning
It's the progress being made in Iraq that really makes me feel that this is worth it, for us and for them.
Friday, January 07, 2005
Uh, John... Isn't this a couple months too late?
John Kerry in Iraq. Hell, I still like the guy. But, man, no one ever said that he had any sense of timing at all, did they?
Kerry goes to Iraq
UPDATE: January 8, 2005
Interesting post on Mercury Rising...
Come to think of it, I did notice the Kerry visit because of a blog, not the traditional media.
So of course, what was the one Kerry-related story on the local news of my "liberal" National Public Radio station this morning? It was about a bus company in Rochester, Minnesota who was suing Kerry over an unpaid bus-rental bill.
File This Under "WHAT 'Liberal Media'?!"
Kerry goes to Iraq
UPDATE: January 8, 2005
Interesting post on Mercury Rising...
Come to think of it, I did notice the Kerry visit because of a blog, not the traditional media.
So of course, what was the one Kerry-related story on the local news of my "liberal" National Public Radio station this morning? It was about a bus company in Rochester, Minnesota who was suing Kerry over an unpaid bus-rental bill.
File This Under "WHAT 'Liberal Media'?!"
Is Boxer the only Senator with a sense of decency?
It is not about being bitter. It is not about being a sore loser. It is not about trying to stop the inauguration. It is not about trying to over turn the election.
It is about making damn sure that we still have democracy in America.
I do believe that Bush probably did win this election.
I find it highly unlikely that the voting irregularities in Ohio are responsible for well over 100,000 more votes for Bush than Kerry in that state.
However, investigating irregularities in Ohio and Florida is not about overturning the election. It is about finding out what went wrong so we can fix those problems so they will not happen again.
And it is about making sure that anyone who did try to illegally influence this election is held accountable.
Thank you, Sen. Boxer for having the courage to help keep this issue alive.
Senator defies party to make election protest
Congress Certifies Bush's Win After Protest
Senator Barbara Boxer, a hero for our time
House Committee on the Judiciary-Democratic Members - Preserving Democracy: What Went Wrong in Ohio A Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff
It is about making damn sure that we still have democracy in America.
I do believe that Bush probably did win this election.
I find it highly unlikely that the voting irregularities in Ohio are responsible for well over 100,000 more votes for Bush than Kerry in that state.
However, investigating irregularities in Ohio and Florida is not about overturning the election. It is about finding out what went wrong so we can fix those problems so they will not happen again.
And it is about making sure that anyone who did try to illegally influence this election is held accountable.
Thank you, Sen. Boxer for having the courage to help keep this issue alive.
Senator defies party to make election protest
Congress Certifies Bush's Win After Protest
Senator Barbara Boxer, a hero for our time
House Committee on the Judiciary-Democratic Members - Preserving Democracy: What Went Wrong in Ohio A Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Crossfire will stop hurting us...
One down, but how much more work still needs to be done. And, though this may be out there, I don't know what they are going to replace it with. What if they put on a Court TV style show and take an hour away from bad coverage of actual news and just replace it with tabloid style gossip masquerading itself as news?
Tucker temporarily unemployed? Never bad... Actual result of this change?
Time will tell.
What is really gross? The New York Times reports:
"Tucker is a great journalist and we are exploring options with him for a 9 p.m. job," said Jeremy Gaines, a spokesman for MSNBC.
Yuck.
And the Wonkette is right, Carlson was bad, but the show itself was even worse.
And I will post this again, too: Jon Stewart 'Crossfire' Transcript: Stewart Slams Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala
Debate Shows
CNN Will Cancel 'Crossfire' and Cut Ties to Commentator
Jon Klein, Hero to Most
UPDATE: January 7, 2005 - 6:15 AM
Mark at The Moderate Liberal has compiled quite the link library on the Stewart/Crossfire Chronicles...
Jon Stewart Wins
I love Jon Stewart and greatly appreciated his Crossfire smackdown in all its honest awkwardness, but I never thought in a million years Jon would actually win that fight. Amazing.
Also, Mark uses footnotes in his blog. Genius. Makes us all look like slackers.
UPDATE: January 8, 2005
Steve Gilliard touches upon something that is often overlooked when looking at media issues these days...
The reason people like Howard Stern and Jon Stewart are heroes is simple: they have honest opinions, not manufactured ones. Not ones to get ratings alone. They actually have thoughts which go beyond the happy smile.
We want debate, not spin. We need debate. Informed debate on real issues. And talking chimps like Tucker Carlson can su... Sorry, I want to say it, but I think we need to elevate the debate.
Thank you Steve for saying what you said. It is such an obvious truth that is so easily over looked.
Tucker temporarily unemployed? Never bad... Actual result of this change?
Time will tell.
What is really gross? The New York Times reports:
"Tucker is a great journalist and we are exploring options with him for a 9 p.m. job," said Jeremy Gaines, a spokesman for MSNBC.
Yuck.
And the Wonkette is right, Carlson was bad, but the show itself was even worse.
And I will post this again, too: Jon Stewart 'Crossfire' Transcript: Stewart Slams Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala
Debate Shows
CNN Will Cancel 'Crossfire' and Cut Ties to Commentator
Jon Klein, Hero to Most
UPDATE: January 7, 2005 - 6:15 AM
Mark at The Moderate Liberal has compiled quite the link library on the Stewart/Crossfire Chronicles...
Jon Stewart Wins
I love Jon Stewart and greatly appreciated his Crossfire smackdown in all its honest awkwardness, but I never thought in a million years Jon would actually win that fight. Amazing.
Also, Mark uses footnotes in his blog. Genius. Makes us all look like slackers.
UPDATE: January 8, 2005
Steve Gilliard touches upon something that is often overlooked when looking at media issues these days...
The reason people like Howard Stern and Jon Stewart are heroes is simple: they have honest opinions, not manufactured ones. Not ones to get ratings alone. They actually have thoughts which go beyond the happy smile.
We want debate, not spin. We need debate. Informed debate on real issues. And talking chimps like Tucker Carlson can su... Sorry, I want to say it, but I think we need to elevate the debate.
Thank you Steve for saying what you said. It is such an obvious truth that is so easily over looked.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Life moves... School...
I am attempting to get some education, or at least a piece of paper increasing my hiring potential, so...
Anyway, I started Winter Quarter this week.
Updates may be few and far between...
Homework:
Baghdad Burning
dear_raed.blogspot.com
Anyway, I started Winter Quarter this week.
Updates may be few and far between...
Homework:
Baghdad Burning
dear_raed.blogspot.com
Monday, January 03, 2005
Occupation Fun...
I only have a moment, but River has a new post on Baghdad Burning and I wanted to link it up here... I'll comment later
A quote:
The elections are set for the 29th. It's an interesting situation. The different sects and factions just can't seem to agree. Sunni Arabs are going to boycott elections. It's not about religion or fatwas or any of that so much as the principle of holding elections while you are under occupation. People don't really sense that this is the first stepping stone to democracy as western media is implying. Many people sense that this is just the final act of a really bad play. It's the tying of the ribbon on the "democracy parcel" we've been handed. It's being stuck with an occupation government that has been labeled 'legitimate' through elections.
A quote:
The elections are set for the 29th. It's an interesting situation. The different sects and factions just can't seem to agree. Sunni Arabs are going to boycott elections. It's not about religion or fatwas or any of that so much as the principle of holding elections while you are under occupation. People don't really sense that this is the first stepping stone to democracy as western media is implying. Many people sense that this is just the final act of a really bad play. It's the tying of the ribbon on the "democracy parcel" we've been handed. It's being stuck with an occupation government that has been labeled 'legitimate' through elections.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)