Year: 2005

And who could blame ’em?

Some 1,100 Iraqi lawyers have withdrawn from Saddam Hussein’s defense team, citing insufficient protection following the slayings of two peers representing co-defendants of the ousted Iraqi leader.

In a statement obtained Sunday, the lawyers did not say whether Saddam’s chief Iraqi attorney, Khalil al-Dulaimi, was among those who withdrew. But the statement said other members of the team in Baghdad were continuing their duties “under complex and dangerous circumstances.”

How the tables have turned. The Baath Party spread so much fear over the Iraqi people that no one was willing to do or say anything that didn’t align with the wishes of Saddam. Now there are those who will do anything to prevent the chance that Saddam might return to power. So, you have defense lawyers who quit to avoid an untimely death and defense witnesses who won’t come forward because they fear reprisals.

This trial is going to make Nuremberg look like Romper Room.

I’m heading out of town to see family. So, this will be a slow place today.

If the CIA can’t do it, John McClane will.

Actor Bruce Willis tells MSNBC’s Rita Cosby that he’ll offer $1,000,000 to any civilian who turns in Osama Bin Laden, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, or Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi.

h/t The Corner

9:29 AM PST – George W. Bush is on fire. He’s giving a Veterans Day speech right now in Tobyhanna, PA., and he’s blasting the Democrats with both barrels.

Defending the march to war, Bush said that foreign intelligence services and Democrats and Republicans alike were convinced at the time that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

“Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and mislead the American people about why we went to war,” Bush said.

He said those critics have made those allegations although they know that a Senate investigation “found no evidence” of political pressure to change the intelligence community’s assessments related to Saddam’s weapons program.

He said they also know that the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing Saddam’s development and possession of weapons of mass destruction.

“More than 100 Democrats in the House and the Senate who had access to the same intelligence voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power,” Bush said.

The Most Important Three Paragraphs

“Our debate at home must also be fair-minded. One of the hallmarks of a free society and what makes our country strong is that our political leaders can discuss their differences openly, even in times of war. When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support. I also recognize that some of our fellow citizens and elected officials didn’t support the liberation of Iraq. And that is their right, and I respect it. As President and Commander in Chief, I accept the responsibilities, and the criticisms, and the consequences that come with such a solemn decision.”

“While it is perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war. These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community’s judgments related to Iraq’s weapons programs. They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein. They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his development and possession of weapons of mass destruction. Many of these critics supported my opponent during the last election, who explained his position to support the resolution in the Congress this way: ‘When I vote to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein, it is because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat, and a grave threat, to our security.’ That’s why more than 100 Democrats in the House and the Senate, who had access to the same intelligence voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power.”

“The stakes in the global War on Terror are too high, and the national interest is too important, for politicians to throw out false charges. These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America’s will. As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them to war continue to stand behind them. Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. And our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in Washington, our will is strong, our Nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory.” – George Bush

Video

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First, there was news of the “Republican Main Street Partnership”, a group of Republicans who successfully pushed for a cave-in on ANWR. Later we find out that moderates who claim membership in this congressional consortium have taken money from none other than George Soros and friends.

Just now we hear about House GOP leaders scuttling a vote on a $51 billion dollar budget-cut package. Why? Because they’re worried about the backlash coming from…whom else…MODERATE REPUBLICANS who have chosen to toe the line of their Democratic friends.

What in the world is happening here? Did we somehow enter a cohones free zone? Is everyone wearing skirts with embroidered pink elephants on them?

JEEZ.

Where is my conservative party? Where ‘o where can they be?

The Left can depend on Babs to post an “Impeach Bush Now!” message on her website.

Shrill and unhinged.

This is your Democratic Party in 2005.

The U.S. economy has now grown for 4 years. The growth has been the most steady, non-volatile expansion in 60 years.

With unemployment at 5 percent following the creation of four million jobs during the past 24 months; with the economy having grown by more than 7.5 percent over the past two years; and with annual increases in productivity averaging 3.6 percent during the last four years, the U.S. economy shows little sign of running out of steam as its expansion enters its fifth year.

And what do the Democrats have to say about that?

***crickets***

Exactly.

Cable news television loves to put on the ‘former’ U.S. government official who is now an expert in opposition of the war in Iraq and has just happened to have written a new book exposing the Bush administration as evil incarnate. Chris Matthews had one of these bozo’s on last night.

Michael Scheuer served as chief of the CIA‘s bin Laden unit.  His book is, ‘Imperial Hubris, why the West is losing the war on terror.’

 

 

MATTHEWS:  Michael, just to think outside the box, would we be better off with Saddam Hussein still running tyrannically that country of Iraq, right next door to Jordan?  Would Jordan be more secure in that environment?

SCHEUER:  No doubt about it, sir.

MATTHEWS:  No doubt?

SCHEUER:  There‘d be many more dead—many fewer dead Americans, and we would have many more resources available to annihilate al Qaeda, which is what we have to do.  Without a doubt, in the war against al Qaeda, Saddam Hussein was one of our best allies.

MATTHEWS:  How so?

SCHEUER:  He was not going to permit Iraq to become a base, as it is today, for Sunni fundamentalists.

MATTHEWS:  Why did he let them come in for that training, that chemical training, whatever the hell they did up north?

SCHEUER:  They didn‘t control the area, so that was in the no-fly zone.  They were in an area that was in Kurdistan.

MATTHEWS:  OK.

This is complete nonsense, yet there is Chris Matthews, acknowledging Scheuer’s twisted notion with a simple “O.K.” He lets outright lies like this flow unfiltered. Yet when a Republican (and not McCain, Chris’ favorite flavor) comes on armed with the truth, he either muffles the discussion with his blasted crosstalk technique or he shuts the conversation down altogether.  

And what about this idea that Saddam Hussein was one of the best allies the U.S. had in the war against al Qaeda? This is leftist propaganda dished up to be adopted and amplified by others who believe that Bush went after the wrong guy. Poor Saddam was after all, a bad guy, but a bad guy who could have been made good with a few simple diplomatic meet-ups and pressure from the United Nations. HEH!

I’m sick and tired of the attempts by the left to rewrite history so they can dress it up in a way that fits their political agenda. 

The war on terror continues.

AP – Suicide bombers attacked three hotels frequented by Westerners in the Jordanian capital Wednesday night, and at least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in the near-simultaneous explosions, police said.

Maj. Bashir al-Da’aja said officials believe all three blasts were carried out by suicide bombers. The explosions indicated the involvement of al-Qaida, which has launched coordinated attacks on high-profile, Western targets in the past, a police official said.

One explosion occurred in a wedding hall where 300 guests were celebrating.

UPDATE: At least 57 dead.

MORE: CNN | MSNBC | The Daily Telegraph (Australia) |

Judith Miller is no longer a reporter for the New York Times.

The New York Times and Judith Miller, a veteran reporter for the paper, reached an agreement today that ends her 28-year career at the newspaper and caps more than two weeks of negotiations.

Ms. Miller went to jail this summer rather than reveal a confidential source in the C.I.A. leak case. But her release from jail 85 days later and persistent questions about her actions roiled long-simmering concerns about her in the newsroom.

“We are grateful to Judy for her significant personal sacrifice to defend an important journalistic principle,” said Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of The New York Times. “I respect her decision to retire from The Times and wish her well.”

In a memo sent the Times staff at 3:30 p.m. today, Bill Keller, the executive editor, wrote, “In her 28 years at The Times, Judy participated in some great prize winning journalism.”

So, now she’s free to write her tell all book including behind-the-scenes tidbits of her time in the big house. Good for Judy. But why is this such big news? Yeah, she was embroiled in a controversy that the Left tried to dress up into a full-blown White House cover-up, but that pig hasn’t yet flown, so…

We complain about the elitism which permeates the MSM. The very fact that this news is getting so much play today sustains the fantasy. And in a weird way, I’m contributing by merely blogging the story. It’s that dilemma that conflicts me even now as I write this.

Oh well. It is what it is.

MORE: Bill Keller’s memo to NYT staff members.