New Iraq Funding Bill Promised Veto Before Being Finalized

In their second war-funding bill, democrats are looking to incrementally finance the action in Iraq. Their new bill, which might not be ready for a vote until next week, funds the war for 2 months. This means that mid-summer Bush will have to go back to congress and look for the reminder of the funds. This move is meant to give Congress time to look for veto-proof margins to end the war, while supporting the troops that are in harm’s way. Bush wants at least until September, which has become the Republican timeline fore their support. They have indicated that if things are still looking grim, they’ll be looking for a ‘plan b’.

President Bush said this morning that the bill, that isn’t done, hasn’t been passed, and nearly no-one knows about, isn’t good enough and would be vetoed. Clearly he is looking for the congress to capitulate to his demands and fund another war-torn summer in Iraq. His early dismissal of this bill is designed to assert his agenda while hoping to kill the bill before the public becomes aware of it. Increasingly, the democrats need to make the case for this bill to the American public. Ultimately, they are the ones who will motivate Republicans to cross sides and support he bill. Congress as a whole is polling just as low and George W. and it is uncertain which party will get the blame for delaying funding if Bush and Congress can’t cooperate. Republicans, at least so far, aren’t certain they will pay a political price for not ending the war. When the American people change the party’s mind about that, this war will end.

Another Piece in the Obvious, Tragic Puzzle

George Tenet, CIA director during the buildup to and subsequent invasion of Iraq, released a book criticizing the Bush administration. The claim that is getting the most coverage has to do with the assumption of WMD in Iraq. In his book Tenet claims,

"There was never a debate about whether the threat was imminent from Iraq. There wasn't a debate about other options besides invasion."

Oh my!

I can’t believe it!

Listen people, I hate to break it to you, but this isn’t news. It is a FACT that this administration lied us into war. Of course they didn’t debate it; they planned it from the start. 9-11 was a justification to exert U.S. power, and ensure American oil interests. But they had to build the case for the war, and that case was not based on reality. George Tenet's claim is just another piece of evidence pointing toward the tragic truth, we were willfully lied into war.

A short list of evidence:

-Niger Claims (and ensuing outing of CIA agent to discredit detractor)

Use of known false intelligence to scare public into Iraq War. Bush claimed in his 2003 state of the union, that Saddam had sought uranium “yellowcake” from Niger. Which never happened.

-Bush-Blair Memo

Memo of a meeting 2 months before invasion, indicating that US was set to invade and UK was firmly behind them. In it Bush replies to a concern poised by Tony Blair. Blair is worried Saddam may cement ethnic conflict on his way out of power. Bush “thought it unlikely that there would be internecine warfare between the different religious and ethnic groups”. WHOOPS!

-Downing Street Memo

Leaked minutes of a meeting with Tony Blair.

“C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.”

-Office of Special Plans

This was Donald Rumsfeld’s intelligence factory at the CIA. The OSP created the “fixed” pre-war intelligence that lead America to war with Iraq.

The Gaurdian Says

“The ideologically driven network functioned like a shadow government, much of it off the official payroll and beyond congressional oversight. But it proved powerful enough to prevail in a struggle with the State Department and the CIA by establishing a justification for war.”

-Al-Qaeda and Saddam Link

None Found

-Weapons of Mass Destruction

None Found

At this point, discounting a purposeful plan of deception to sell the war is utterly ludicrous. It is on par with discounting evolution, or global warming. Get used to it, we can’t trust our politicians.

War Coverage Documentary

Here is a great BBC documentary about the coverage of the Iraq war. The documentary points out the absence of bloodshed and carnage when the war is reported on in the UK and America. Parts are violent and very disturbing, but it makes a fundamentally sound point. When media censors pictures of violence and gore from their reporting they work to further their governments cause of supporting the war. By not allowing scenes of unjustifiable destruction to be shown, the media pushes the bloody realty of war out of the public's view. While this documentary focuses on Britain’s news coverage, the root of the problem from the American side is likely our for-profit media that puts a premium on profitability as opposed to actual news. When news editors have the choice to shock and horrify people with the truth of Iraq, they realize that people don't want to see it. In TV land want translates directly into ratings, which translate directly into money. By creating the advantage for watchable news over informative news, commercial media blinds us to the suffering war causes and is complicate to its continuation.