“Today, with all other problems in the world solved, and peace reigning over all the earth, MSNBC decided to run an article on their front page on the dreaded Spanish language version of the national anthem. Let’s take a look, shall we?” -Skippy
“The national anthem that once endured the radical transformation administered by Jimi Hendrix's fuzzed and frantic Stratocaster now faces an artistic dare at least as extreme: translation into Spanish. The new take is scheduled to hit the airwaves today. It's called ‘Nuestro Himno’ – ‘Our Anthem’ -- and it was recorded over the past week by Latin pop stars including Ivy Queen, Gloria Trevi, Carlos Ponce, Tito ‘El Bambino,’ Olga Tañon and the group Aventura. Joining and singing in Spanish is Haitian American artist Wyclef Jean.” -Washington Post, April 28, 2006 “Cool… Now the Hispanic community is contributing to the American experience by adding their own interpretation of a truly American song. Who could possibly complain about that?” -Skippy
“Can ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ and the republic for which it stands, survive? Outrage over what's being called ‘The Illegal Alien Anthem’ is already building in the blogosphere and among conservative commentators. […] But critics including columnist Michelle Malkin, who coined it ‘The Illegal Alien Anthem’ nickname say the rendition crosses a line that Hendrix never stepped over with his instrumental version. Transforming the musical idiom of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is one thing, argue the skeptics, but translating the words sends the opposite message: We are not Americans.” -Washington Post, April 28, 2006 “Um… Correct me if I’m wrong, but there are one heck of a lot of native born ‘real’ Americans who speak Spanish as their first language, not just illegal immigrants. As a matter of fact, bilingual education is mandatory in places such a Puerto Rico (and Puerto Ricans are American, make no mistake). The United States has no ‘official language’. You can look it up. And Michelle Malkin is an idiot who enjoys race-baiting (and who is best known for her book written in defense of the internment camps for Japanese-Americans in WWII). You can look that up too.” -Skippy
‘I'm really appalled. . . . We are not a bilingual nation,’ said George Taplin, director of the Virginia Chapter of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, part of a national countermovement that emphasizes border control and tougher enforcement, and objects to public funding for day-laborer sites. ‘When people are talking about becoming a part of this country, they should assimilate to the norm that's already here,’ Taplin said. ‘What we're talking about here is a sovereign nation with our ideals and our national identity, and that [anthem] is one of the icons of our nation's identity. I believe it should be in English as it was penned.’ While critics sketch a nightmare scenario of a Canada-like land with an anthem sung in two languages, immigrant rights advocates say they agree learning English is essential. Studies of immigrant families suggest the process is inevitable: Eighty-two percent to 90 percent of the children of immigrants prefer English.” -Washington Post, April 28, 2006
“He is correct. We are not a bi-lingual nation. We are a nation filled with dozens upon dozens of languages. If all of them want to have a version of the national anthem they are welcome to make one. I’m rather fond of Jimi Hendrix version of it. I’m really starting to get the feeling that this is more about racism than about music. Kind of a ‘fear of a brown nation’ thing. These are probably the same people that think that the Bible should only be read in its original version: the King James edition.” -Skippy
“‘The first step to understanding something is to understand it in the language you understand, and then you can understand it in another language,’ said Leo Chavez, director of Chicano/Latino Studies at the University of California at Irvine. ‘What this song represents at this moment is a communal shout, that the dream of America, which is represented by the song, is their dream, too.’” -Washington Post, April 28, 2006 “Amen brother.” -Skippy
“Since its origins as the melody to an English drinking song called ‘To Anacreon in Heaven,’ circa 1780, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ has had a long, strange trip. Key wrote the poem after watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814. It became the national anthem in 1931.” -Washington Post, April 28, 2006
“And we should keep the music of the national anthem as it was written… as a drinking song.” -Skippy
“At least 389 versions have been recorded, according to Allmusic.com, a quick reference used by musicologists to get a sense of what's on the market. Now that Hendrix's ‘Banner’ has mellowed into classic rock, it's hard to imagine that once some considered it disrespectful. The other recordings embrace a vast musical universe: from Duke Ellington to Dolly Parton to Tiny Tim. But musicologists cannot name another foreign-language version.” -Washington Post, April 28, 2006 “So what they are saying is that to remove the words (as Hendrix did) wasn’t so bad, but Goddess help us if a single word is changed into another language. Apparently civilization will fall if that happens. Isn’t it lovely when little distractions like this can take our attention away from our government’s lies and deceptions and focus it where it belongs: abusing minorities? Ah, America. God shed his grace on thee.” -Skippy
"Extending the war into Iraq would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Exceeding the U.N.'s mandate would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land." -George Bush [Sr.] and Brent Scowcroft, "Why We Didn't Remove Saddam", Time Magazine, 1998
“Dad forgot one more cost… The price tag. The cost was already getting a little high a few years ago.” -Skippy
“I will soon submit to Congress a request for 87 billion dollars. The request will cover ongoing military and intelligence operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, which we expect will cost 66 billion dollars over the next year. This budget request will support our commitment to helping the Iraqi and Afghan people rebuild their own nations, after decades of oppression and mismanagement. We will provide funds to help them improve security. And we will help them to restore basic services, such as electricity and water, and to build new schools, roads, and medical clinics. This effort is essential to the stability of those nations, and therefore to our own security. Now and in the future, we will support our troops and we will keep our word to the more than 50 million people of Afghanistan and Iraq.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, September 7, 2003
“In just the last few months, Congress, at Bush's request, has doled out $87 billion to rebuild and secure Iraq and Afghanistan; approved a $401 billion defense appropriation bill, the largest ever; completed a $1 trillion tax cut on top of the $1.35 trillion reduction the president won in 2001; and approved a Medicare prescription drug benefit that will cost at least $400 billion over the next decade. If the energy bill is revived next year, add to the list at least another $26 billion in tax cuts for energy companies. All of this, it's worth remembering, comes when the federal government already faces its largest deficit ever - some $374 billion last year, $84 billion more than the previous record held by Bush's father, George H.W. Bush. Several reliable analysts project the federal deficit will soar past $500 billion this year -- and then remain near that unprecedented level for the indefinite future, even if the economy recovers. It's an understatement to conclude, as the Goldman Sachs investment bank did in a recent report, that the budget process in Washington is ‘out of control.’” -Ronald Brownstein, December 2, 2003
“Well that is obviously the problem… We were spending money on the infrastructure. Dubya just this week said that that was an ‘err’. I still miss the days when they were still concerned about a measly $87 billion dollars though.” -Skippy
“The cost of the war in Iraq will reach $320 billion after the expected passage next month of an emergency spending bill currently before the Senate, and that total is likely to more than double before the war ends, the Congressional Research Service estimated this week. […] Even if a gradual troop withdrawal begins this year, war costs in Iraq and Afghanistan are likely to rise by an additional $371 billion during the phaseout, the report said, citing a Congressional Budget Office study. When factoring in costs of the war in Afghanistan, the $811 billion total for both wars would have far exceeded the inflation-adjusted $549 billion cost of the Vietnam War. […] ‘The costs are exceeding even the worst-case scenarios,’ said Rep. John M. Spratt Jr. (S.C.), the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee. Such cost estimates may be producing sticker shock on Capitol Hill. This year, the wars will consume nearly as much money as the departments of Education, Justice and Homeland Security combined, a total that is more than a quarter of this year's projected budget deficit.” -Washington Post, April 27, 2006
“That seems like a lot of money… I don’t remember them telling us that it would cost that much. Hmmm. Let’s go to our go-to-guy in Washington, the Don himself, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. Rummy, how much is the Iraq war going to cost?” -Skippy
“Well, the Office of Management and Budget, has come up come up with a number that's something under $50 billion for the cost. How much of that would be the U.S. burden, and how much would be other countries, is an open question.” -Donald Rumsfeld, April 11, 2003
“So… So far we’re only off by a factor of six from the initial estimated cost and our two wars will end up costing about one and a half times as much as Vietnam (assuming we begin the pull out soon), despite the fact that Vietnam waged for 14 years and our current wars have only been going on for five. Charming.” -Skippy
“I'm worried about over committing our military around the world. I want to be judicious in its use. You mentioned Haiti. I wouldn't have sent troops to Haiti. I didn't think it was a mission worthwhile. It was a nation building mission. And it was not very successful. It cost us a couple billions of dollars and I'm not sure democracy is any better off in Haiti than it was before.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, October 12, 2000
“A free and peaceful Iraq will save this country money in the long term. It's important to get it done now.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, September 10, 2003
“[The United States] in a shift in policy, has informed friendly Persian Gulf nations that the defeat of Iraq in the 3-year-old war with Iran would be ‘contrary to U.S. interests’ and has made several moves to prevent that result.” -Washington Post, January 1, 1984
“Mustard gas laced with a nerve agent has been used on Iranian soldiers in the 43-month Persian Gulf War between Iran and Iraq, a team of U.N. experts has concluded... Meanwhile, in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, U.S. presidential envoy Donald Rumsfeld held talks with Foreign Minister Tarek Aziz (sic) on the Gulf war before leaving for an unspecified destination.” -UPI, March 24, 1984
“American diplomats pronounce themselves satisfied with relations between Iraq and the United States and suggest that normal diplomatic ties have been restored in all but name.” -New York Times, March 29, 1984
“The United States helped Iraq develop its chemical and biological weapons programs in the 1980s while Britain sold Baghdad the antidote to nerve gas as late as March 1992, Britain's Channel Four television news said Thursday. The program said it had found U.S. intelligence documents which showed 14 consignments of biological materials were exported from the United States to Iraq between 1985 and 1989. These included 19 batches of anthrax bacteria and 15 batches of botulinum, the organism that causes botulism. The exports, backed by the State Department, were licensed by the Department of Commerce, it said. The program said Iraq had bought other toxins from the United States while the atomic energy commission in Baghdad acquired human genetic material and E. coli bacteria for use as a culture medium.” -Reuters, Feb 12, 1998 “You see, when Saddam was becoming a threat, when he was gaining biological weapons from the United States, we supported him. Heck, we established normal diplomatic ties with Iraq after they used chemical weapons against Iran. And who was the presidential envoy at the time? Why, that was Donald Rumsfeld. There is even a great picture of Rummy from that time shaking hands with Saddam. Heck of a guy.” -Skippy
“I don’t know of anyone I’ve talked to in the region who would walk across the street to shake Saddam Hussein’s hand. If you sat down with the leadership of any country over there, you’d find they have a very low regard for that fellow. You’d also find they’re much smaller countries, and much weaker. ... The little guy in the neighborhood is fairly careful about what he says.” -Donald Rumsfeld, August 5, 2002
“Yep, none of the neighbors would shake his hand (like Rumsfeld did), so we had no choice but to invade. Things have become a little… tense… since then.” -Skippy
“Alluding to recent calls by several retired generals for Rumsfeld to resign, a reporter asked the 73-year-old defense secretary whether this visit — his 12th — would be his last trip to Iraq as Pentagon chief. He replied with one word, and no smile: ‘No.’” -Associated Press, April 26, 2006
“In a break from past practice, Rumsfeld did not speak to reporters traveling with him on the 13-hour flight to Baghdad. Before he left Washington he met behind closed doors with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and about 15 other Republican members of the Senate to discuss the administration’s $72 billion supplementary budget request, Ruff said. […] Rumsfeld’s visit to Iraq coincides not only with important progress on the political front in Baghdad but also with a recent surge in American casualties, which are on pace this month to hit the highest total since last November, when 84 U.S. troops died in Iraq. The rise in U.S. deaths comes even as the Iraqi security forces are given more of a lead role in battling the insurgency, with the Americans in support. It has been hoped that this shift of responsibilities would lead to fewer U.S. casualties.” -Associated Press, April 26, 2006
"I base a lot of my foreign policy decisions on some things that I think are true. One, I believe there's an Almighty. And, secondly, I believe one of the great gifts of the Almighty is the desire in everybody's soul, regardless of what you look like or where you live, to be free." -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, April 24, 2006
“Anyone else feel a cold chill up their spine when Dubya talks like he is the tool of the Almighty? Personally I agree (except for that ‘of the Almighty’ part), but when the guy with his finger on the button starts talking about basing foreign policy on his belief in God, I get… well… I get jumpy. And he tends to do it a lot.” -Skippy
“I believe there's an Almighty, and I believe the Almighty's great gift to each man and woman in this world is the desire to be free. This isn't America's gift to the world, it is a universal gift to the world, and people want to be free.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, January 23, 2006
“I'm also mindful that man should never try to put words in God's mouth. I mean, we should never ascribe natural disasters or anything else to God. We are in no way, shape, or form should a human being, play God.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, January 14, 2005 “That one would be better if it, you know, made sense.” -Skippy
“We have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom, and America will always be faithful to that cause.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, January 19, 2005 “Apparently God is calling us from somewhere behind Alpha Centauri and is trying to tell us something. He is saying that our foreign policy has made mistakes, and that one of the mistakes was helping people after we attacked. I really get the feeling that Dubya is talking about the Old Testament God. You know, the fire and brimstone version? The one who rained down fire on Fallujah, um, I mean Sodom and Gomorrah. The one who wasn’t all that hip into the ‘mercy’ thing.” -Skippy
“Bush said the United States erred in attempting large reconstruction projects soon after the invasion was completed. ‘It didn't make any sense’ undertaking these projects because ‘they became convenient targets for the enemy,’ he said. ‘ . . . I'm getting down in minutiae. But there are some tactics that, when I look back, that would have done differently.’" -Washington Post, April 24, 2006 “You see the biggest problem we had in invading Iraq, killing at least tens of thousands of civilians and destroying their infrastructure was trying to fix the infrastructure. Apparently things would have gone better in the war if we had left the people of Iraq without power and water (not that we have truly restored it now). If only we hadn’t tried to fix all of those schools life would have been better.” -Skippy
“Newspaper headlines have borne much bad and frightening news lately: car bombs in Baghdad, missile fusillades launched at hotels, deadly attacks on U.S. soldiers, Iraqi police and governmental officials, and representatives of the international community. But there is plenty of good news, too, even though it doesn't as often make the papers. And that good news stems from a single irreversible and critical truth: the Iraqi people are free. . . . Real progress is being made on the ground that gives Iraqis hope that life will get steadily better. . . . We have renovated more than 1,500 schools.” -Colin Powell, October 31, 2003
“Stupid, stupid Colin Powell.. Didn’t you just hear? The construction projects were the problem. Giving the Iraqi people hope was an ‘err’ on the part of America. Fearless Leader said so, and he’s talked to God, so he should know.” -Skippy
"What I was saying is there's more than just terrorist attacks that are taking place in Iraq. There's schools opening, there are hospitals opening. The electricity -- the capacity to deliver electricity to the Iraqi people is back up to pre-war levels. ... I know it's a dangerous place." -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, January 20, 2004
“Listen idiot.. I just said that the reconstruction projects were the problem. How dare you contradict Fearless Leader! ..oh, sorry sir. I didn’t see that it was you..” -Skippy
“When UPI's Pam Hess asked about torture by Iraqi authorities, Rumsfeld replied that ‘obviously, the United States does not have a responsibility’ other than to voice disapproval. But Pace had a different view. ‘It is the absolute responsibility of every U.S. service member, if they see inhumane treatment being conducted, to intervene, to stop it,’ the general said. Rumsfeld interjected: ‘I don't think you mean they have an obligation to physically stop it; it's to report it.’ But Pace meant what he said. ‘If they are physically present when inhumane treatment is taking place, sir, they have an obligation to try to stop it,’ he said, firmly. -Washington Post, November 30, 2005 “Heck yes.. Well stated General Pace. I mean, stopping torture when we find it is exactly the kind of thing that we need to be doing in order to shore up our international reputation and to help protect our own troops in harm’s way.” -Skippy
“Last Nov. 13, U.S. soldiers found 173 incarcerated men, some of them emaciated and showing signs of torture, in a secret bunker in an Interior Ministry compound in central Baghdad. The soldiers immediately transferred the men to a separate detention facility to protect them from further abuse, the U.S. military reported.” -Washington Post, April 23, 2006 “Yes! I’m proud when I see things like this.. This is the way it should be run.” -Skippy
“Since then, there have been at least six joint U.S.-Iraqi inspections of detention centers, most of them run by Iraq's Shiite Muslim-dominated Interior Ministry. Two sources involved with the inspections, one Iraqi official and one U.S. official, said abuse of prisoners was found at all the sites visited through February. U.S. military authorities confirmed that signs of severe abuse were observed at two of the detention centers. But U.S. troops have not responded by removing all the detainees, as they did in November. Instead, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials, only a handful of the most severely abused detainees at a single site were removed for medical treatment. Prisoners at two other sites were removed to alleviate overcrowding. U.S. and Iraqi authorities left the rest where they were.” -Washington Post, April 23, 2006 “Somehow you just knew that it wasn’t going to last, didn’t you? Rummy wins again.. The saddest thing is that, for once, at least it isn’t American troops doing it. And that is considered progress. Probably not much of a relief to the people being tortured though.” -Skippy “[Lt. Col. Kevin] Curry added in a statement, ‘At one of the sites, thirteen detainees showed signs of abuse that required immediate medical care. The signs of abuse included broken bones, indications that they had been beaten with hoses and wires, signs that they had been hung from the ceiling, and cigarette burns. These individuals were transferred to a nearby Iraqi detention facility and provided medical care. Most of the abuse appeared to have occurred prior to arriving at that site. ‘There were several cases of physical abuse at one other inspection site. These included evidence of scars, missing toenails, dislocated shoulders, severe bruising, and cigarette burns. At the time of the inspection, most of the apparent injuries were months old; however, there were indications that three cases of abuse occurred within a week of the inspection. No detainee required immediate hospitalization for injuries at that site,’ Curry said.” -Washington Post, April 23, 2006 “I’m just happy that we’ve been able to take a despot like Saddam out of power and put in these people in his place. The world is so much better for it, and it makes the deaths of all of those soldiers (and Iraqi civilians) seem so worthwhile..” -Skippy
“Terrorist violence in Iraq is up in every category in 2005, including armed attacks and kidnappings. The official said Iraq will represent more than 50 percent of the total increase in terrorist incidents. The year before, the center said there were 866 terror attacks against civilians and other noncombatants there.” -Associated Press, April 22, 2006
“When UPI's Pam Hess asked about torture by Iraqi authorities, Rumsfeld replied that ‘obviously, the United States does not have a responsibility’ other than to voice disapproval. But Pace had a different view. ‘It is the absolute responsibility of every U.S. service member, if they see inhumane treatment being conducted, to intervene, to stop it,’ the general said. Rumsfeld interjected: ‘I don't think you mean they have an obligation to physically stop it; it's to report it.’ But Pace meant what he said. ‘If they are physically present when inhumane treatment is taking place, sir, they have an obligation to try to stop it,’ he said, firmly. -Washington Post, November 30, 2005 “Heck yes.. Well stated General Pace. I mean, stopping torture when we find it is exactly the kind of thing that we need to be doing in order to shore up our international reputation and to help protect our own troops in harm’s way.” -Skippy
“Last Nov. 13, U.S. soldiers found 173 incarcerated men, some of them emaciated and showing signs of torture, in a secret bunker in an Interior Ministry compound in central Baghdad. The soldiers immediately transferred the men to a separate detention facility to protect them from further abuse, the U.S. military reported.” -Washington Post, April 23, 2006 “Yes! I’m proud when I see things like this.. This is the way it should be run.” -Skippy
“Since then, there have been at least six joint U.S.-Iraqi inspections of detention centers, most of them run by Iraq's Shiite Muslim-dominated Interior Ministry. Two sources involved with the inspections, one Iraqi official and one U.S. official, said abuse of prisoners was found at all the sites visited through February. U.S. military authorities confirmed that signs of severe abuse were observed at two of the detention centers. But U.S. troops have not responded by removing all the detainees, as they did in November. Instead, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials, only a handful of the most severely abused detainees at a single site were removed for medical treatment. Prisoners at two other sites were removed to alleviate overcrowding. U.S. and Iraqi authorities left the rest where they were.” -Washington Post, April 23, 2006 “Somehow you just knew that it wasn’t going to last, didn’t you? Rummy wins again.. The saddest thing is that, for once, at least it isn’t American troops doing it. And that is considered progress. Probably not much of a relief to the people being tortured though.” -Skippy “[Lt. Col. Kevin] Curry added in a statement, ‘At one of the sites, thirteen detainees showed signs of abuse that required immediate medical care. The signs of abuse included broken bones, indications that they had been beaten with hoses and wires, signs that they had been hung from the ceiling, and cigarette burns. These individuals were transferred to a nearby Iraqi detention facility and provided medical care. Most of the abuse appeared to have occurred prior to arriving at that site. ‘There were several cases of physical abuse at one other inspection site. These included evidence of scars, missing toenails, dislocated shoulders, severe bruising, and cigarette burns. At the time of the inspection, most of the apparent injuries were months old; however, there were indications that three cases of abuse occurred within a week of the inspection. No detainee required immediate hospitalization for injuries at that site,’ Curry said.” -Washington Post, April 23, 2006 “I’m just happy that we’ve been able to take a despot like Saddam out of power and put in these people in his place. The world is so much better for it, and it makes the deaths of all of those soldiers (and Iraqi civilians) seem so worthwhile..” -Skippy
“Terrorist violence in Iraq is up in every category in 2005, including armed attacks and kidnappings. The official said Iraq will represent more than 50 percent of the total increase in terrorist incidents. The year before, the center said there were 866 terror attacks against civilians and other noncombatants there.” -Associated Press, April 22, 2006
“When UPI's Pam Hess asked about torture by Iraqi authorities, Rumsfeld replied that ‘obviously, the United States does not have a responsibility’ other than to voice disapproval. But Pace had a different view. ‘It is the absolute responsibility of every U.S. service member, if they see inhumane treatment being conducted, to intervene, to stop it,’ the general said. Rumsfeld interjected: ‘I don't think you mean they have an obligation to physically stop it; it's to report it.’ But Pace meant what he said. ‘If they are physically present when inhumane treatment is taking place, sir, they have an obligation to try to stop it,’ he said, firmly. -Washington Post, November 30, 2005 “Heck yes.. Well stated General Pace. I mean, stopping torture when we find it is exactly the kind of thing that we need to be doing in order to shore up our international reputation and to help protect our own troops in harm’s way.” -Skippy
“Last Nov. 13, U.S. soldiers found 173 incarcerated men, some of them emaciated and showing signs of torture, in a secret bunker in an Interior Ministry compound in central Baghdad. The soldiers immediately transferred the men to a separate detention facility to protect them from further abuse, the U.S. military reported.” -Washington Post, April 23, 2006 “Yes! I’m proud when I see things like this.. This is the way it should be run.” -Skippy
“Since then, there have been at least six joint U.S.-Iraqi inspections of detention centers, most of them run by Iraq's Shiite Muslim-dominated Interior Ministry. Two sources involved with the inspections, one Iraqi official and one U.S. official, said abuse of prisoners was found at all the sites visited through February. U.S. military authorities confirmed that signs of severe abuse were observed at two of the detention centers. But U.S. troops have not responded by removing all the detainees, as they did in November. Instead, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials, only a handful of the most severely abused detainees at a single site were removed for medical treatment. Prisoners at two other sites were removed to alleviate overcrowding. U.S. and Iraqi authorities left the rest where they were.” -Washington Post, April 23, 2006 “Somehow you just knew that it wasn’t going to last, didn’t you? Rummy wins again.. The saddest thing is that, for once, at least it isn’t American troops doing it. And that is considered progress. Probably not much of a relief to the people being tortured though.” -Skippy “[Lt. Col. Kevin] Curry added in a statement, ‘At one of the sites, thirteen detainees showed signs of abuse that required immediate medical care. The signs of abuse included broken bones, indications that they had been beaten with hoses and wires, signs that they had been hung from the ceiling, and cigarette burns. These individuals were transferred to a nearby Iraqi detention facility and provided medical care. Most of the abuse appeared to have occurred prior to arriving at that site. ‘There were several cases of physical abuse at one other inspection site. These included evidence of scars, missing toenails, dislocated shoulders, severe bruising, and cigarette burns. At the time of the inspection, most of the apparent injuries were months old; however, there were indications that three cases of abuse occurred within a week of the inspection. No detainee required immediate hospitalization for injuries at that site,’ Curry said.” -Washington Post, April 23, 2006 “I’m just happy that we’ve been able to take a despot like Saddam out of power and put in these people in his place. The world is so much better for it, and it makes the deaths of all of those soldiers (and Iraqi civilians) seem so worthwhile..” -Skippy
“Terrorist violence in Iraq is up in every category in 2005, including armed attacks and kidnappings. The official said Iraq will represent more than 50 percent of the total increase in terrorist incidents. The year before, the center said there were 866 terror attacks against civilians and other noncombatants there.” -Associated Press, April 22, 2006
"The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program […] Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons." -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, October 7, 2002
“The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, January 28, 2003
"We believe [Saddam] has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons." -Dick Cheney, March 16, 2003
"[The CIA has] solid reporting of senior-level contacts between Iraq and al-Qaeda going back a decade." -George Tenet, October 7, 2002
“We've learned that Iraq has trained al-Qaeda members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gases ... Alliance with terrorists could allow the Iraqi regime to attack America without leaving any fingerprints." -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, October 7, 2002
“We have also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We are concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVs for missions targeting the United States.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, October 7, 2002
"We have seen intelligence over many months that they have chemical and biological weapons, and that they have dispersed them and that they're weaponized and that, in one case at least, the command and control arrangements have been established." -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, February 8, 2003
"Our conservative estimate is that Iraq today has a stockpile of between 100 and 500 tons of chemical weapons agent. That is enough to fill 16,000 battlefield rockets." -Colin Powell, February 5, 2003
"We know where [the WMD] are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south, and north somewhat." -Donald Rumsfeld, March 30, 2003 “I don’t have the time or space to go over all of these, so let’s just look at one of them.. Hmmm… How about this one?” -Skippy
"Yes, we found a biological laboratory in Iraq which the UN prohibited." -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, June 1, 2003. “Yep.. No doubt. No question. Only one little problem.. The Washington Post discovered that the ‘biological laboratories’ weren’t, and that the White House had been aware of that when Dubya made his earlier statement. Only one thing to do.” -Skippy
“You know, I saw some reporting talking about how this latest revelation — which is not something that is new; this is all old information that’s being rehashed — was an embarrassment for the White House. No, it’s an embarrassment for the media that is out there reporting this. I brought up with some of you earlier today some of the reporting that was based of this Washington Post report. And I talked to one of network about it…they expressed their apologies to the White House. I hope they will go and publicly apologize on the air about the statements that were made, because I think it is important given that they had made those statements in front of all their viewers. So we look forward to that happening as well.” -White House Spokesman Scott McClellan, April 12, 2006
“Y'all start putting up with all kinds of crazy shit. I guess it's hard to find somebody that knows how to do it to you right, because when y'all find one, y'all stick through that man through all kinds of bullsh*t. I know a man got busted coming out of another woman's house. Show you how far a woman will stoop. He got busted coming out of another woman's house. His woman saw him come out, knew that the woman lived there and didn't say sh*t. Wait till they got home and said: ‘What the hell was you doing in that b*tch's house?’ You know what the man said? ‘Wasn't me.’ ‘I looked right in your face.’ ‘Wasn't me.’ ‘Well, I'm supposed to be a fool, right?’ ‘Hey. Wasn't me.’ You know what the woman said? ‘Maybe it wasn't you.’ I got a friend got busted in his house, in his bed, where him and his wife sleep, with another woman, f**king! His wife walked inside the house, opened up the bedroom door, saw her man in her bed with another woman, f**king. She walks in: The man jumped up, saw his woman standing there. She ran down the hallway. Chased his woman down the hallway butt naked with a rock-hard d*ck, talking about, ‘I'm sorry.’ This sound like a tragedy, right? No, it was like this: ‘Baby, wait, wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Baby, look. Whoa, hold on. Wait, we got to talk. Baby, I am sorry.’ ‘No, you're not sorry. I can't believe you did this. You have no respect for me. Get the f**k... Don't you f**king touch me.’ ‘Wait, baby, I am sorry. Wait a second.’ ‘No, if you're sorry, you wouldn't have f**ked her!’ And then you change the sh*t around. Right, guys? ‘OK, wait a minute! Wait one second, goddamn it! Yes, I f**ked her, yes. Is that what you want me to say? I f**ked her? I f**ked her. We f**ked, all right? You happy now? We f**ked! Now, let's talk about the word 'f**k' for a minute. Because that's a very important word here. F**k, yes, we did. F**k. I f**ked her. I make love to you, and if you gonna let a f**k come between our love, there's something really wrong happening here, baby.’" -Eddie Murphy, Raw “And thus we can encapsulate the Bush Administration’s relationship with the Press...” -Skippy
“Oh, enough of Rummy for the moment. Let’s talk about a different topic that polite conversation usually avoids: sex. Good news! The Administration for Children and Families, a branch of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, has announced new guidelines for those groups applying for grants for abstinence-only education programs. Finally the federal government has given us clear and concise information about what should be taught..” -Skippy
“Abstinence curricula must have a clear definition of sexual abstinence which must be consistent with the following: ‘Abstinence means voluntarily choosing not to engage in sexual activity until marriage. Sexual activity refers to any type of genital contact or sexual stimulation between two persons including, but not limited to, sexual intercourse.’” -Administration for Children and Families
“You see, abstinence means having no sexual activity at all until marriage. That makes sense. I mean, we all can agree that not having any sex at all is the surest way to avoid pregnancy or STDs, so if everyone saves themselves for marriage we’ll all be fine. Who could complain about that?” -Skippy
“Throughout the entire curriculum, the term ‘marriage’ must be defined as ‘only a legal union between one man and one woman as a husband and wife, and the word ’spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.’ (Consistent with Federal law)” -Administration for Children and Families
“Hmm.. Apparently federally funded abstinence-only education means telling gays and lesbians that they aren’t allowed to have sex.. ever. That makes sense.. I mean, just think of how many of those promiscuous gay and lesbian kids end up with ruined lives from accidentally getting pregnant. Teaching them to just suck it up (so to speak) and ignore their sexual urges for the rest of their lives seems reasonable. We just need to make sure that the kids get pure, valid, helpful advice on sexuality. Stuff that won’t get them into problems, like information about condoms or other forms of birth control would. I think that teaching them that sex is evil and wrong until they have a piece of jewelry on their finger (at which point it suddenly becomes beautiful and wholesome) is the way to go. What could go wrong?” -Skippy
“Several million children ages 9 to 18 have participated in the more than 100 federal abstinence programs since the efforts began in 1999. [Rep. Henry] Waxman's staff reviewed the 13 most commonly used curricula -- those used by at least five programs apiece. The report concluded that two of the curricula were accurate but the 11 others, used by 69 organizations in 25 states, contain unproved claims, subjective conclusions or outright falsehoods regarding reproductive health, gender traits and when life begins. In some cases, Waxman said in an interview, the factual issues were limited to occasional misinterpretations of publicly available data; in others, the materials pervasively presented subjective opinions as scientific fact. Among the misconceptions cited by Waxman's investigators: • A 43-day-old fetus is a ‘thinking person.’ • HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be spread via sweat and tears. • Condoms fail to prevent HIV transmission as often as 31 percent of the time in heterosexual intercourse. One curriculum, called ‘Me, My World, My Future,’ teaches that women who have an abortion ‘are more prone to suicide’ and that as many as 10 percent of them become sterile. This contradicts the 2001 edition of a standard obstetrics textbook that says fertility is not affected by elective abortion, the Waxman report said.” […] Some course materials cited in Waxman's report present as scientific fact notions about a man's need for ‘admiration’ and ‘sexual fulfillment’ compared with a woman's need for ‘financial support.’ One book in the ‘Choosing Best’ series tells the story of a knight who married a village maiden instead of the princess because the princess offered so many tips on slaying the local dragon. ‘Moral of the story,’ notes the popular text: ‘Occasional suggestions and assistance may be alright, but too much of it will lessen a man's confidence or even turn him away from his princess.’" -Washington Post, December 2, 2004 “And we wouldn’t want the Man to feel, well, unmanly.. l’m sure there may be some little problems with a few of the programs, but isn’t it worth it to get those Hallmark moments of innocence and purity? I mean look at Purity Balls.. No, get your mind out of the gutter. Purity Balls are lovely dances where daddies and their young daughters get together to dance and have fun. The girls say this.." -Skippy
“..[I promise] to remain sexually pure...until the day I give myself as a wedding gift to my husband. ... I know that God requires this of me.. that he loves me. and that he will reward me for my faithfulness.” -Purity Ball, Sioux Springs, South Dakota, as reported by NOW, April 14, 2006
“Aw.. Doesn’t it just tug at the heartstrings when little girls pledge to their fathers to make themselves an object to be given to their future husbands? Sniff.. I’m tearing up. God bless abstinence-only education.” -Skippy
“Mr. Rumsfeld did not mention any of the domestic critics by name. But he suggested that those who have been critical of the administration’s handling of the war in Iraq and its aftermath might be encouraging American foes to believe that the United States might one day walk away from the effort, as it has in past conflicts.” -New York Times, September 8, 2003 “That was back in 2003, when the forces of evil were trying to make Fearless Leader walk away from Iraq. Even then we knew that critics of the war were siding with the evil-doers.” -Skippy
"’The American politicians couldn't understand the deepness and complications of the region,’ said Falah al-Nakib, the interior minister from June 2004 to April 2005, who said he raised the militia problem and the growing Iranian influence in Iraq with U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. ‘They didn't take us seriously.’ U.S. officials long have known that the Shiite militias could become a problem. Officials in Washington said alarms about the growing power of the militias began in late 2003 and were raised throughout 2004 and 2005 by a variety of agencies, including the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Senior officials dismissed the reports as ‘nay-saying’ and ‘hand-wringing,’ said two former senior officials in Washington who were responsible for Iraq policy through most or all of that period and one top official who remains in government. The officials agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity because they discussed intelligence reports that remain classified.” -Knight-Ridder Newspapers, April 18, 2006
“Hey.. Who are you going to listen to about this kind of thing? Some foreign guy with an Arab name, or our very own Secretary of Defense? Things are going well there. Very, very well there.” -Skippy
“Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld asserted today that ‘progress has been good’ in the war in Iraq and said he is unruffled by calls for his resignation by six retired U.S. generals. ‘Well, you know, this, too, will pass,’ Rumsfeld said on Rush Limbaugh's nationally syndicated radio show.” -Washington Post, April 18, 2006
“Yes, the war is progressing well.. There has been the occasional hiccup in the process..” -Skippy
“Four Marines were reported killed in fighting west of Baghdad, bringing the U.S. death toll for this month to 47 compared with 31 for all of March.” -Associated Press, April 17, 2006
“..but overall things are good. We shouldn’t listen to these foreigners who say things are going badly. After all, they don’t have access to the same sources of information that the Secretary of Defense does.” -Skippy
"I think that it's important to put all of what is going on in context and recognize that people who are often talking about what's taking place inside here do not know what is taking place inside here," -Donald Rumsfeld, April 18, 2006
“U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld allowed an ‘abusive and degrading’ interrogation of an al Qaeda detainee in 2002, the online magazine Salon reported on Friday, citing an Army document. In a report a Pentagon spokesman denounced as ‘fiction,’ Salon quoted a December 2005 Army inspector general's report in which officers told of Rumsfeld's direct contact with the general overseeing the interrogation at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The report at www.salon.com, titled ‘What Rumsfeld Knew,’ comes amid a spate of calls by retired U.S. generals for the Pentagon chief to resign to take responsibility for U.S. military setbacks in Iraq. Rumsfeld spoke regularly to U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, a key player in the treatment of detainees in Iraq and Guantanamo, during the interrogation of Mohammed al-Kahtani, suspected to have been an intended September 11 hijacker, Salon quoted the inspector general's report as saying. Kahtani, a Saudi national, received ‘degrading and abusive’ treatment by soldiers who were following the interrogation plan Rumsfeld had approved, Salon said, quoting the 391-page report, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. Over 54 days in late 2002, soldiers forced Kahtani to stand naked in front of a female interrogator, accused him of being a homosexual, and forced him to wear women's underwear and to perform ‘dog tricks’ on a leash, Salon reported. Salon cites Lt. Gen. Randall M. Schmidt, an Army investigator, as saying in a sworn statement to the inspector general that ‘The secretary of defense is personally involved in the interrogation of one person.’" -Reuters, April 14, 2006
“You see, Mr. Rumsfeld knows how to get results, and that is why he is so valued by Fearless Leader.” -Skippy
"I hear the voices. And I read the front page. And I know the speculation. But I'm the decider. And I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense." -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, April 18, 2006 “You see, the Decider hears voices. And when the Decider says it, you know that it is decided once and for all.” -Skippy
“Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, boosted by another strong endorsement from President George W. Bush, said on Tuesday no one is indispensable but he is not considering quitting in the face of criticism from a handful of retired generals. Rumsfeld, an architect of the 3-year-old Iraq war who long has been a lightning rod for criticism, has faced in recent weeks an unusual spate of calls for his resignation from six retired generals. They accused him of disregarding sound military advice and ruling by intimidation. ‘The president knows, as I know, that there are no indispensable men,’ Rumsfeld said. ‘Graveyards of the world are filled with 'indispensable' people.’" -Reuters, April 18, 2006 “Indispensable people and the soldiers who have died in that screwed up war in Iraq.” -Skippy
“I’m out of town today (Tuesday), so I’m just going to be lazy an recycle these from their first appearance April 8, 2003. Many thanks to Slate for these quotes and/or poems..” -Skippy
The Unknown “As we know, There are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know There are known unknowns. That is to say We know there are some things We do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, The ones we don’t know We don’t know.” -Donald Rumsfled, Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing
Glass Box “You know, it’s the old glass box at the — At the gas station, Where you’re using those little things Trying to pick up the prize, And you can’t find it. It’s — And it’s all these arms are going down in there, And so you keep dropping it And picking it up again and moving it, But — Some of you are probably too young to remember those — Those glass boxes, But — But they used to have them At all the gas stations When I was a kid.” -Donald Rumsfeld, Dec. 6, 2001, Department of Defense news briefing
A Confession “Once in a while, I’m standing here, doing something. And I think, ‘What in the world am I doing here?’ It’s a big surprise.” -Donald Rumsfeld, May 16, 2001, interview with the New York Times Happenings “You’re going to be told lots of things. You get told things every day that don’t happen. It doesn’t seem to bother people, they don’t — It’s printed in the press. The world thinks all these things happen. They never happened. Everyone’s so eager to get the story Before in fact the story’s there That the world is constantly being fed Things that haven’t happened. All I can tell you is, It hasn’t happened. It’s going to happen.” -Donald Rumsfeld, Feb. 28, 2003, Department of Defense briefing The Digital Revolution “Oh my goodness gracious, What you can buy off the Internet In terms of overhead photography! A trained ape can know an awful lot Of what is going on in this world, Just by punching on his mouse For a relatively modest cost!” -Donald Rumsfeld, June 9, 2001, following European trip The Situation “Things will not be necessarily continuous. The fact that they are something other than perfectly continuous Ought not to be characterized as a pause. There will be some things that people will see. There will be some things that people won’t see. And life goes on.” -Donald Rumsfeld, Oct. 12, 2001, Department of Defense news briefing Clarity “I think what you’ll find, I think what you’ll find is, Whatever it is we do substantively, There will be near-perfect clarity As to what it is. And it will be known, And it will be known to the Congress, And it will be known to you, Probably before we decide it, But it will be known.” -Donald Rumsfeld, Feb. 28, 2003, Department of Defense briefing
“The other day, as you may remember, a sixth retired general came out against Donald Rumsfeld. The Bush administration took the criticism in the same manner that they take all criticism..” -Skippy
“President George W. Bush on Friday said Donald Rumsfeld has ‘my full support,’ after a number of retired generals criticized the defense secretary's handling of the Iraq war. ‘Secretary Rumsfeld's energetic and steady leadership is exactly what is needed at this critical period. He has my full support and deepest appreciation,’ Bush said in a statement.” -Reuters, April 14, 2006
“That though was not enough.. If just Bush was supporting Rummy, then Bush might be seen as out of touch.. Hmmm… We need some other people to support Rummy. People who hold the same weight as the retired generals who are against him.. Who can we get to do that?” -Skippy
“The Defense Department has issued a memorandum to a group of former military commanders and civilian analysts that offers a direct challenge to the criticisms made by retired generals about Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. The one-page memorandum was sent by e-mail on Friday to the group, which includes several retired generals who appear regularly on television, and came as the Bush administration stepped up its own defense of Mr. Rumsfeld. On the political front, Republican strategists voiced rising anxiety on Saturday that without a major change in the course of the Iraq war, Republican candidates would suffer dearly in the November elections. The memorandum begins by stating, ‘U.S. senior military leaders are involved to an unprecedented degree in every decision-making process in the Department of Defense.’ It says Mr. Rumsfeld has had 139 meetings with the Joint Chiefs of Staff since the start of 2005 and 208 meetings with the senior field commanders. Seeking to put the criticism of the relatively small number of retired generals into context, the e-mail message also notes that there are more than 8,000 active-duty and retired general officers alive today. The message was released Friday by the Pentagon's office of the Directorate for Programs and Community Relations and Public Liaison, but it was unclear who wrote it. It is not uncommon for the Pentagon to send such memorandums to this group of officers, whom they consider to be influential in shaping public opinion. But it is unusual for the Pentagon to issue guidance that can be used by retired generals to rebut the arguments of other retired generals. The memorandum quickly followed President Bush's statement on Friday in which he gave a strong endorsement of Mr. Rumsfeld.” -New York Times, April 16, 2006
“Oh yeah! We’ll issue talking points to a different group of retired generals! That will work, and if it doesn’t, we can always just try to shame the generals who have been speaking out..” -Skippy
“General Myers, who has emerged as one of Mr. Rumsfeld's chief defenders, repeated his comments from late last week that generals speaking out against the defense secretary are inappropriately breaching military etiquette that dictates officers only air complaints with the civilian leadership privately.” -New York Times, April 16, 2006 “I love the White House. When there is a problem (Iraq, Plame, the environment etc.), you can always could on them to claim that the problem doesn’t exist and try to cover it up with talking points rather than actually address the issue. So very, very predictable.” -Skippy
“I remember going down to the basement of the White House the day we committed our troops as last resort, looking at Tommy Franks and the generals on the ground, asking them, ‘Do we have the right plan with the right troop level?’ And they looked me in the eye and said, ‘Yes, sir, Mr. President.’ Of course, I listen to our generals. That's what a president does. A president sets the strategy and relies upon good military people to execute that strategy.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, Second Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate, October 8, 2004 “Maybe it is time to start listening to the generals..” -Skippy
“I really believe that we need a new secretary of defense because Secretary Rumsfeld carries way too much baggage with him. … Specifically, I feel he has micromanaged the generals who are leading our forces there,” -Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack (retired), former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, April 13, 2006
“Another retired officer, Army Maj. Gen. John Riggs, said he believes that his peer group is ‘a pretty closemouthed bunch’, but that, even so, his sense is ‘everyone pretty much thinks Rumsfeld and the bunch around him should be cleared out.’" -Washington Post, April 13, 2006
“So what is to be done? We need fresh ideas and fresh faces. That means, as a first step, replacing Rumsfeld and many others unwilling to fundamentally change their approach. The troops in the Middle East have performed their duty. Now we need people in Washington who can construct a unified strategy worthy of them. It is time to send a signal to our nation, our forces and the world that we are uncompromising on our security but are prepared to rethink how we achieve it. It is time for senior military leaders to discard caution in expressing their views and ensure that the President hears them clearly.” -Lt. General Gregory Newbold (retired), Time Magazine, April 9, 2006
“The retired commander of key forces in Iraq called yesterday for Donald H. Rumsfeld to step down, joining several other former top military commanders who have harshly criticized the defense secretary's authoritarian style for making the military's job more difficult. ‘I think we need a fresh start’ at the top of the Pentagon, retired Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who commanded the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq in 2004-2005, said in an interview. ‘We need leadership up there that respects the military as they expect the military to respect them. And that leadership needs to understand teamwork.’ Batiste noted that many of his peers feel the same way. ‘It speaks volumes that guys like me are speaking out from retirement about the leadership climate in the Department of Defense,’ he said earlier yesterday on CNN.” -Washington Post, April 13, 2006
“During World War II, American soldiers on route to Britain before D-Day were given a pamphlet on how to behave while awaiting the invasion. The most important quote was: ‘It is impolite to criticize your host; it is militarily stupid to criticize your allies.’ By that rule, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is not competent to lead America’s armed forces.” -General Paul D. Eaton (retired), New York Times, March 20, 2006
“ZINNI: There’s a series of disastrous mistakes. We just heard the Secretary of State say these were tactical mistakes. These were not tactical mistakes. These were strategic mistakes, mistakes of policies made back here. Don’t blame the troops. They’ve been magnificent. If anything saves us, it will be them. RUSSERT: Should someone resign? ZINNI: Absolutely. RUSSERT: Who? ZINNI: Secretary of Defense to begin with.” -General Anthony Zinni (retired), former commander of U.S. Middle Eastern Forces, Meet the Press, April 2, 2006
“The White House, of course, takes these six generals’ comments with typical amounts of serious reflection..” -Skippy
“The President believes Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a very fine job during a challenging period in our nation’s history.” -White House Spokesman Scott McClellan, April 13, 2006
“Maybe Mr. Rumsfeld should just listen to his own advice..” -Skippy
“Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.” -Rumsfeld’s Rules
Quotes of the Morning: Thank You Sir, May I Have Another
“Denouncing Iran's successful enrichment of uranium as unacceptable to the international community, Secretary of State Conodoleezza Rice said Wednesday the U.N. Security Council must consider ‘strong steps’ to induce Tehran to change course.” -Associated Press, April 12, 2006 “So it should be obvious by now that the Administration is gearing up to attack Iran. We will need to follow through with our ‘doctrine of preemption’ because of Iran’s seeking nuclear weapons. Silly Iran, nuclear weapons can’t solve anything..” -Skippy “One of the military’s initial option plans, as presented to the White House by the Pentagon this winter, calls for the use of a bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapon, such as the B61-11, against underground nuclear sites. One target is Iran’s main centrifuge plant, at Natanz, nearly two hundred miles south of Tehran.” -New Yorker, April 17 Issue “… except when we use them. It would seem though that the immediate threat of Iran may be slightly overstated..” -Skippy “A major U.S. intelligence review has projected that Iran is about a decade away from manufacturing the key ingredient for a nuclear weapon, roughly doubling the previous estimate of five years, according to government sources with firsthand knowledge of the new analysis. The carefully hedged assessments, which represent consensus among U.S. intelligence agencies, contrast with forceful public statements by the White House. Administration officials have asserted, but have not offered proof, that Tehran is moving determinedly toward a nuclear arsenal. The new estimate could provide more time for diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear ambitions. President Bush has said that he wants the crisis resolved diplomatically but that ‘all options are on the table.’" -Washington Post, August 2, 2005 “As we recall from the last disastrous war we caused, ‘all options are on the table’ is code for ‘we will attack as soon as we can’. You can understand the concern though. We were forced into the war with Iraq. We had to invade. Remember all of that stuff that Saddam had that Colin Powell warned us about?” -Skippy “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. In fact, they [the Iraqi regime] can produce enough dry biological agent in a single month to kill thousands upon thousands of people. ..Saddam Hussein has never accounted for vast amounts of chemical weaponry: 550 artillery shells with mustard, 30,000 empty munitions, and enough precursors to increase his stockpile to as much as 500 tons of chemical agents. If we consider just one category of missing weaponry, 6,500 bombs from the Iran-Iraq war. . . Our conservative estimate is that Iraq today has a stockpile of between 100 and 500 tonnes of chemical-weapons agent. Even the low end of 100 tonnes of agent would enable Saddam Hussein to cause mass casualties across more than 100 square miles of territory, an area nearly five times the size of Manhattan” -Colin Powell, address to the UN Security Council, February 5, 2003 “Well he stands by that to this day.. What? He doesn’t?” -Skippy “On Monday, former Secretary of State Colin Powell told me that he and his department's top experts never believed that Iraq posed an imminent nuclear threat, but that the President followed the misleading advice of Vice President Dick Cheney and the CIA in making the claim.” -Robert Scheer, The Nation, April 12, 2006 “Well Powell may have had the facts wrong, but we can still trust Fearless Leader to set us right.” -Skippy ''Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.'' -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, March 17, 2003 ''The Iraqi regime ... possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, October 7, 2003 ''We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas ... And surveillance photos reveal that the regime is rebuilding facilities that it had used to produce chemical and biological weapons.'' -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, October 7, 2003 “[Iraq has enough material] to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax -- enough doses to kill several million people ... more than 38,000 liters of botulism toxin -- enough to subject millions of people to death by respiratory failure ... as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent.'' -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, January, 2003 “Except of course that we never, ever, found even one biological weapon plant. And the ‘mobile’ versions that Dubya kept pushing?..” -Skippy “The Washington Post reported that a Pentagon-sponsored team of experts determined in May 2003 that two small trailers were not used to make biological weapons. Yet two days after the team sent its findings to Washington in a classified report, Bush declared just the opposite. ‘We have found the weapons of mass destruction,’ Bush said in an interview with a Polish TV station. ‘We found biological laboratories.’" -Associated Press, April 12, 2006 “This time though… This time we’ll get it right. Good lord, we keep going back to this guy like a battered wife. ‘Oh, he’s changed. He wouldn’t do that to me again.’ Sigh..” -Skippy “Asked whether they would support military action if Iran continued to produce material that could be used to develop nuclear weapons, 48 percent of the poll's respondents said yes; 40 percent said no.” -LA Times, April 13, 2006
“Don't know much about geography Don't know much trigonometry Don't know much about algebra Don't know what a slide rule is for But I know that one and one is two And if this one could be with you What a wonderful world this would be” -“What a Wonderful World”, Sam Cooke
“Ah, the sweet bliss of ignorance.. What joy it must be to live a happy, carefree life unencumbered by all that book-learning.” -Skippy “GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: And I'm going to start with Dr. Mark McClellan, fellow Texan. McClellan is an unusual fellow; he's got a lot of degrees. What are your degrees, McClellan? DR. McCLELLAN: Mr. President, I have a medical degree, also a Ph.D. GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: Yeah. One of the things I like to remind people of is this fact: He's a Ph.D. -- and I was an okay student -- Look who the advisor is and look who the President is. I've used it before with him. He's a good sport. His job is -- what? “ -Press Conference with George ‘Dubya’ Bush, April 11, 2006 “’Used it before with him’? Makes it sound like Fearless Leader makes a habit of this kind of thing.” -Skippy
“By the way, starting October 1st -- we have a timetable, we got a calendar. And I've got my man, McClellan, with us. He's a doctor, and a -- PhD. See, every government has got to have a PhD, but you notice who -- the PhD is not the President.” - George ‘Dubya’ Bush, August 29, 2005
“GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: I put a good man in charge of this program, and that's Dr. Mark McClellan. He's from Texas -- which means he knows how to get something done. He's got him a PhD -- AUDIENCE: Oooh! GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: Now, wait a minute. If I had said, California, he'd have got things done, too. I'm just telling you he can get it done. That's why he's sitting where he's sitting. He's a PhD. Here you got on stage a C-student and a PhD, and look who's President.” -Press Conference with George ‘Dubya’ Bush, August 29, 2005 “Well I guess he did mention it before to Dr. McClellan a couple of times one day last August. Huh. That kind of thing kind of makes him sound like he’s, you know, overcompensating for something.” -Skippy
“Now, I've asked Jeff Brown to join us today, PhD. Yes. I'm a C-student. He's the PhD. He's the advisor. I'm the President. What does that tell you? It tells you there's hope for all you C-students out there.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, March 10, 2005
“DR. BROWN: I have a PhD in economics, and I teach at a business school. GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: Yes. It's an interesting lesson here, by the way. He's an advisor. Now, he is the PhD, and I am a C-student -- or was a C-student. Now, what's that tell you? All you C-students at Auburn, don't give up.” -Press Conference with George ‘Dubya’ Bush, March 10, 2005
“DR. BROWN: I'm a PhD in economics and I'm a professor at one of the other great Midwestern universities. GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: PhD in economics. It's an interesting lesson, isn't it? He's the advisor and the PhD. I'm the President and a fair student.” -Press Conference with George ‘Dubya’ Bush, March 14, 2005
“DR. BROWN: And I've been studying Social Security now for about ten years. GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: I like to remind people, by the way, he's one of my -- he's an advisor. So for the students here, take heart in this concept. He gets a PhD. I get Cs. I'm the President and he's the advisor.” -Press Conference with George ‘Dubya’ Bush, March 30, 2005 “He practically makes a hobby of bragging about his lack of education with Dr. Brown. Four times he pointed out who the President was in a single month. Can’t he just get a big car like the rest of the guys with feelings of inadequacy do?” -Skippy
“GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: Andrew Biggs is with us. He is the Associate Commissioner for Retirement Policy of the Social Security Administration, Washington, D.C. In other words, he is an expert on the subject. Andrew, step forth. Let the people of Arkansas -- no, sit forth -- let the people of Arkansas -- DR. BIGGS: Thanks very much. GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: Tell them whether or not we got a problem or not, from your perspective. DR. BIGGS: Put simply, we do, in fact, have a problem. GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: By the way, this guy -- PhD. See, I was a C student. He's a PhD, so he's probably got a little more credibility. I do think it's interesting and should be heartening for all C students out there, notice who's the President and who's the advisor. All right, Andrew, get going. Andrew's got a good sense of humor.” -Press Conference with George ‘Dubya’ Bush, February 4, 2005
“Now this is just getting silly..” -Skippy
“One of the things I try to do is surround myself with experts. We've got a PhD with us today -- Syl, it's good to have you. He is a fellow who's studied the Social Security issue. For those of you who are students, there's an interesting lesson to be learned here. Syl obviously is a really smart guy, PhD. I'm a C-student. A couple of B's scattered in there. I want you to notice who's the advisor and who's the President.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, April 26, 2005 “Can someone explain to me again why this man is President?” -Skippy
“Thanks, Jeff. Thanks for coming. I like to remind people, he's a PhD and I was a C student. I want you to take note of who's the President and who's the advisor.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, May 19, 2005
“GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: I appreciate the Secretary of Energy joining me today. He's a good man, he knows a lot about the subject, you'll be pleased to hear. I was teasing him -- he taught at MIT, and -- do you have a PhD? SECRETARY OF ENERGY BODMAN: Yes. GEORGE ‘DUBYA’ BUSH: Yes, a PhD. Now I want you to pay careful attention to this -- he's the PhD, and I'm the C student, but notice who is the advisor and who is the President.” -Press Conference with George ‘Dubya’ Bush, June 22, 2005 “Dear sweet God.. Just whip it out to compare sizes and have it over with. This is insane.” -Skippy
“Condi said, come on by, we've got a bunch of university presidents here. And I said, great, just so long as we don't have to compare transcripts. She's the Ph.D., I'm the President. She's a heck of a Secretary of State, though.” -Press Conference with George ‘Dubya’ Bush, January 5, 2005 “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the man with his finger on the button. A man who glories in his own ignorance. A man who drank (and, if stories are to believed, snorted) his way through Cs in college and then vanished from the National Guard when Vietnam called. America must be proud.” -Skippy
“We don't need no education We dont need no thought control No dark sarcasm in the classroom Teachers leave them kids alone Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone! All in all it's just another brick in the wall. All in all you're just another brick in the wall.” -“Another Brick in the Wall, Part II”, Pink Floyd
“I didn’t have to go on a business trip after all, so I get to rant here some more.. Sweet.” -Skippy
“March marked the 10th month in a row that the active-duty Army has met its recruitment goals, aided by an aggressive campaign that includes financial bonuses and a significant increase in the number of recruiters. It has recruited 31,369 soldiers since Oct. 1, compared with more than 32,100 as of this time last year. The goal for each year: 80,000.” -Associated Press, April 11, 2006
“Fantastic! The Army is back on track. Nothing to worry about. Thank goodness. With us threatening Iran at the moment I was getting a little concerned about our preparedness to take on a third country.” -Skippy
“Last Sept. 30, the Army closed out one of its most difficult recruiting periods in decades, falling more than 6,600 recruits short of its goal. It was the first shortfall since 1999, and the largest in 26 years. In the coming summer months, the Army will try to recruit between 8,600 and 10,400 soldiers a month--well above the numbers achieved last year.” -Associated Press, April 11, 2006
“The Army expects to be short 2,500 captains and majors this year, with the number rising to 3,300 in 2007. These officers are the Army's seed corn, the people who 10 years from now should be leading battalions and brigades. ‘We're ruining an Army that took us 30 years to build,’ Republican maverick Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., told a group of reporters at a recent conference. […] The Army denies the shortage is a crisis, but its top civilian, Francis J. Harvey, acknowledged concerns, telling the Washington Post: ‘We are worried.’" -Express-News (San Antonio), April 8, 2006
“Hey, if the military gets a little ‘thin on top’ we can continue to do what we’ve been doing.. We’ll just continue to outsource the tasks that civilian contractors could do for the military, enabling those troops to get back to the task of defending our American Freedom ™. What could go wrong?” -Skippy
“The U.S. Army and private contractors employed convicted criminals as security guards across the country despite repeated warnings in the past three years of the ‘risky situations’ that could present, according to a new federal report. […] Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Army began using outside security guards to man the front gates at 57 U.S. installations because of the number of forces sent overseas.” -Virginian-Pilot, April 5, 2006
“Well we obviously don’t want to employ criminals to do security. We just want good, reliable, all-American companies with a long record of working with our Administration. Like Halliburton. You can’t get much more all-American than Halliburton. Heck, the vice-president used to run the company.” -Skippy
“Halliburton Co. exposed troops in Iraq to contaminated water even after a former company worker publicly accused the Houston-based contractor of failing to chlorinate water supplies, Senate Democrats alleged Thurs- day. Back in January, a one-time water purification specialist for Halliburton subsidiary KBR told a Democratic panel he tested water used for showers, shaving and washing clothes at Camp Junction City in Ramadi last March and found it had not been treated with chlorine. […] Halliburton allowed troops to bathe in water pumped from the Tigris River that tested positive for E. coli and coliform bacteria, Dorgan said.” -Houston Chronicle, April 6, 2006
“A little dirty water and these people complain? Shameful! Our troops aren’t worried about a little dirty water. They’re tougher than that. This is the military.” -Skippy
“A U.S. Army doctor serving in Iraq has linked a small outbreak of bacterial infections among U.S. troops to allegedly contaminated water supplied by Houston-based Halliburton Co. In the latest broadside against Halliburton and its performance in Iraq, Senate Democrats produced an e-mail Friday from Capt. Michelle Callahan, a family physician serving at Qayyarah Airfield West, recounting how she treated six infections over a two-week period in January, at the same time she was noticing the water in base showers was cloudy and foul-smelling. Follow-up testing of the water soldiers were using to bathe, shave and even brush their teeth revealed evidence of coliform and E. coli bacteria, Callahan wrote in an e-mail to a staffer for the Democratic Policy Committee, led by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.” -Houston Chronicle, April 9, 2006
“What? It actually made them sick.. Oh… Nevermind..” -Skippy
