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Rewriting, my ass.
Some conservatives are now accusing liberals of trying to rewrite history.
They say that the left is falsely claiming WMDs were the only reason that we invaded Iraq.
Well, were WMDs the only reason we went to war?
 Let me put it like this: You go to get a haircut. You always read the magazines while waiting. On the way out, you always grab a lollipop from the dish on the counter. Would you say then that there are three reasons that you go to the barbershop? And if the barbers were unable to cut your hair, would you still think it was money well spent to drop $15 on a sucker and an opportunity to leaf through ‘ESPN for Kids?’ Two outta three ain't bad, right?
 So this guy at Instapundit, can argue that WMDs weren’t the only reason we went. But what he cannot do, is argue that WMDs weren’t the principal, indispensable, fundamental reason we went.
Next he says that liberals are lying when they say that Bush&Co. lied about WMDs...
Let’s take this opportunity to look again at just how mammoth the discrepancy was between what the White House promised we would find in Iraq and what we found. Below is the super short version of Colin Powell’s legendary performance in front of the U.N.:"My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence."
 Chemical WMDs
"Saddam Hussein has chemical weapons…Our conservative estimate is that Iraq today has a stockpile of between 100 and 500 tons of chemical weapons agent."
Nuclear WMDs
"There is no doubt in my mind, these elicit procurement efforts show that Saddam Hussein is very much focused on putting in place the key missing piece from his nuclear weapons program."
Biological WMDs
"There can be no doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more, many more."
Misc. scary stuff
"Let me talk now about the systems Iraq is developing to deliver weapons of mass destruction, in particular Iraq's ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs...We know that Iraq has at lest seven of these mobile biological agent factories. The truck-mounted ones have at least two or three trucks each…there may be more--but perhaps 18 that we know of."
Al Qaida links
"What I want to bring to your attention today is the potentially much more sinister nexus between Iraq and the Al Qaida terrorist network, a nexus that combines classic terrorist organizations and modern methods of murder…Iraqi officials deny accusations of ties with Al Qaida. These denials are simply not credible…We are not surprised that Iraq is harboring Zarqawi and his subordinates. This understanding builds on decades long experience with respect to ties between Iraq and Al Qaida…After we swept Al Qaida from Afghanistan, some of its members accepted this safe haven. They remain there today."
Maybe the administration didn’t lie, maybe they were just swearing that they knew something that they didn’t know (that’s lying too, by the way). Either way, we can't let Instapundit get away with its own brand of historical revisionism and claim that WMDs were just one of a slew of reasons that we invaded Iraq and that we weren't intentionally misled.
Samuel "Scalito" Alito Jr.
"Some lawyers call the judge "Scalito." Roughly translated, the nickname means "Little Scalia..." - Read on at Law.com
Tough Times For Mike Coleman
Last Thursday at about 9:00pm in Bexley (Columbus suburb) the Mayor's wife Frankie was charged with DUI. She supposedly blew a .27 bac. That is obviously bad news, but it gets worse. The real public relations problem comes from the video captured by the dash board camera in the squad car of the arresting officer. It is quite a performance and perfect fodder for local news.
The good news for Coleman and his bid to be the next governor of Ohio is that he has plenty of time before the primary race to put this issue behind him. I'm not concerned that this event will have any relevance when voters go to the polls in about a year. As OSU prof Herb Asher said, "I think what happens in subsequent days and weeks will give people a measure of the mayor as a family man... People are very forgiving." I agree. Go Bucks. However, it has got to be quite a distraction for the campaign and a tough thing to go through as a family.
Thoughts Scooting Around My Head
If this thing goes to trial (which is should happen, since Libby said he will be exonerated), Bush will be a total lame duck. The lead headline every day will be about the trial. Cheney will have to testify! Also, the only way Libby wins is if a bunch of jurors believe him over like 5 other people, including choir boy Tim Russert. Good luck with that Scooter.
Patrick Fitzgerald on whether perjury is a technicality: "That talking point won't fly......If it is proven that the chief of staff to the vice president went before a federal grand jury and lied under oath repeatedly and fabricated a story . . . that is a very, very serious matter."
So I was thinking of being Scooter for Halloween, but I decided against it because no one would know who I am until I told them, then I would automatically have to start talking about politics, which is not much of a way to make/keep friends in the land of Barry Goldwater.
The thing that is very frustrating about this case is that Fitzgerald KNOWS who the actual leaker is, but so far he has chose not to indict him. I guess he doesn't think he has the info to convict. Sort of sucks, but I guess it shows he is fully non-partisan - because I would indict anyone for everything.
Did anyone find it strange that Bush and Cheney both acted like Libby was still a good guy? I would like to say it surprised me, but then I recall that Bush gave the guys that managed Iraq Medals of Freedom.
This is the first sitting White House official indicted in 130 years.
According to Federal Sentencing Guidelines, Libby may get up to 30 years in prison. Consider: if you hijack a plane you only get 25 years. So much for this case not being very serious.
An Indictment!
 No, not Scooter Libby or Karl Rove - that announcement comes tomorrow.
Not Dick Cheney - that is going to take a while, after the Libby/Rove fallout.
Not Tom Delay - his indictment total remains at two.
Not Bill Frist - he is still being investigated for stock fraud.
Not Ralph Reed - he is still being investigated for a bunch of crap.
Not Jack Abramoff - he is eventually going down for something.
Not Duke Cunningham, Robert Ney, or other Republican congressmen - yet.
Today's criminal indictment goes to Tom Noe. The huge Republican fundraiser/thief illegally donated $105,000 President Bush's re-election campaign (which Bush used) and to Ohio Governor Bob Taft. More interesting is how Noe is a coin dealer - the very coin dealer at the head of Ohio's botched $50 million coin investment for the state workers' compensation fund (Coingate, if you will).
Okay, so the Noe indictment is not a surprise, nor is it nearly as exciting as tomorrow's supposed big announcement. Yet, still, another example of the ongoing Republican corruption.
Goodbye Moderate, Hello Radical
President Bush accepted Harriet Miers "request to withdraw" her nomination. If indictments are coming, this is clearly a move to make a concession to the conservative base who the Bush administration will need desperately. I'm sure the next pick will be a radical judge who is the darling of the far right of the Republican party. If there were no indictments, then they could fight for Miers.
Some polling while we wait for Fitzgerald.
CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Oct. 21-23, 2005 - Polling Report.com
The Washington Note of the liberal blogosphere is reporting:
1. 1-5 indictments are being issued. The source feels that it will be towards the higher end.
2. The targets of indictment have already received their letters.
3. The indictments will be sealed indictments and "filed" tomorrow.
4. A press conference is being scheduled for Thursday.
Kay Bitchy Hutchinson
 Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) made some shameful statements this weekend, in regards to the current CIA Outing investigation. Unfortunately, people with memories (or google) exist, so we can now just point and laugh at this totally uncredible Republican.
Hutchinson this weekend, speaking of the apparent perjury of Karl Rove and other Bush officials.....
"I certainly hope that if there is going to be an indictment that says something happened, that it is an indictment on a crime and not some perjury technicality where they couldn't indict on the crime and so they go to something just to show that their two years of investigation was not a waste of time and taxpayer dollars."
Hutchinson in 1999, when voting to convict President Clinton on perjury.....
“The edifice of American jurisprudence rests on the foundation of the due process of law. The mortar in that foundation is the oath. Those who seek to obstruct justice weaken that foundation, and those who violate the oath would tear the whole structure down.”
Sorry Kay.....you're a bum.
Mother of Civil Rights Movement Dies
 Rosa Parks, famous for being arrested when she refused to relinguish her seat to a white man, died yesterday, at 92 years-old. The incident was followed by blacks in Montgomery boycotting the buses for nearly 13 months while mounting a successful Supreme Court challenge to the Jim Crow law.. It's remarkable when you think about the endurance of those people to boycott patiently, despite the rampant hatred and violence in the South, for so long.
Martin Luther King said this of Parks, "Actually no one can understand the action of Mrs. Parks unless he realizes that eventually the cup of endurance runs over, and the human personality cries out, 'I can take it no longer.' "
Somewhat Related: When Republican Bill Bennett said crime would fall if we aborted all black babies, there was an uproar over the comment. However, I noticed that most everyone (left and right) seemed to accept the notion that blacks commit more crimes then whites. Liberals got very defensive, explaining relevant socio-economic issues. Well, take a look at the many signs and stats that show blacks and whites commit the same amount of crimes.
Another Scandal Brewing....
A Time Magazine investigation shows that lobbyist Ralph Reed is now at the center of a serious federal probe for illegal dealings. Among many allegations against Reed, he is being investigated for basically stealing the money of Indian tribes by making some promises he never planned on keeping about Casinos. The whole deal involves the ultra-evil Jack Abramoff (good friend of Tom Delay).
This is another key Bush figure. I don't know how Republicans can continue to look at themselves in the mirror.
One way, I know is that many Republicans dismiss all these scandals as too much to be believable. They accuse their accusers of being 'conspiracy theorists'. To these folks, I say: EXACTLY! My theory is that a large portion of powerful Republicans conspiring with other powerful people to steal from Indian tribes (Reed), steal from shareholders (Frist), and steal from the American (our tax dollars, via incentives or money spent in Iraq) and Iraqi people (their oil) - via a war based on lies (Cheney, Bush and all their connected friends).
So is this a conspiracy theory....YES! It is a vast series of conspiracies, but they it finally starting to unravel....and soon all these criminals are going down for their crimes, one by one. When it is all said and done, I think everyone will see this is the most corrupt Adminstration in the history of our country (consider: Nixon is the benchmark and his crap had nothing to do with matters of life and death, I dont' think).
The Colbert Report
This show is the funniest show I have seen in a long time. The writing and production are amazing. Republicans may have A.M. radio, but we have The Daily Show and now the Colbert Report. Check out Colbert's websites at Comedy Central and Colbert Nation. It is on at 11:30pm and I highly recommend it.
Pondering the 2s
PICTURE OF THE DAY: In the year 2140, the crippling, 2-party system in U.S. politics finally comes to a close...giving the public five evils from which to chose the lesser.QUESTION(s) OF THE DAY: Does it seem strange that we have imposed a 2-term limit on Presidents and yet appoint Supreme Court Justices for life?!? What about members of the House and Senate who serve 101 consecutive terms? Should term limits be applied evenly across the board or not at all?
2000 Too Many
 As of Saturday, October 22, 2005, the US has lost 1996 troops in the Iraq war. We will reach the sad milestone of 2000 deaths in Iraq within the next few days. And for what? No WMD. No ties to 9/11. No Saddam ties to al queda. But we had to liberate the Iraqis. Well, considering the ever-increasing level of violence and sham Government in place, are the Iraqi's happy? Not really. Actually, according to a new poll of Iraqis, what really makes them happy is when US forces are attacked. Specifically the poll says: 45% percent of Iraqis believe attacks on US troops are justified; less then 1% of Iraqis credit US forces for any improvements in security; and worst of all, 82% of Iraqis strongly oppose US presence in Iraq. Yet, the war moves on, with no plans for leaving. So next year, as the Iraq quagmire continues and we approach 3000 deaths, we will miss these days of 1999 deaths.
Special Counsel Website
This will be important by the end of the week.
 Websites are a great way to get information to a large number of people. I wonder why this website would be launched a week before the grand jury expires? Hmmm...
Free Money: from Iraq and from The Chief Source
This report should make everyone sick. It is the first-hand account of a former CIA agent that was in Iraq, and it thoroughly describes the corruption of Iraq. $500 million for a power plant that was never built. $1.5 billion paid for helicopters, that disappeared. $600 million in cash sitting in Paul Bremer's office, which he would hand out to contractors in duffel bags of over $2 million in cash. The stories keep going and going.....it will make your head spin until you pass out, or you upset to the point of vomit.
As every story continues to unfold, it becomes more and more clear that hese people invaded a nation on lies.....then once there, they looted the Iraqi and American people of their money. These are our tax dollars and the Iraqi's oil money......and a few powerful people have just been allowed to run wild. If you don't agree with me, then READ THE FREAKING STORY! And then, in the first ever Chief Source free money giveaway, if you still have the nerve to claim the way Iraq has been handled has been acceptable and non-corrupt, I WILL PAY YOU $20!
 Unrelated: Republican Glen Beck is a popular right-wing radio personality. Here is what this SOB had to say about the Katrina victims: "It took me about a year to start hating the 9-11 victims' families.....But the second thought I had when I saw these people (Katrina victims) and they had to shut down the Astrodome and lock it down, I thought: I didn't think I could hate victims faster than the 9-11 victims.....those ones we're seeing on television are the scumbags."
Not really sure what this guys problem is, but I am sure that he is a mainstream right-wing radio guy. This man feeds the right-wing....no wonder they are so insane, corrupt, and disgusting.
Proud To Be An American
  Yesterday, the United States Senate passed a bill nicknamed "The Cheeseburger Bill" which would prevent class action lawsuits blaming restaurants and food companies for weight gain or obesity. Now our country can be served the crappy food we have been missing because there is no more liability. I agree with the bill, but it is scary what people will continue to do to themselves. I do think that food companies including restaurants need more transparency on what is in the food so that people know what they are putting in their bodies.
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Kyle, 
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