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Reports: UK to begin Iraq pullout

British Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce Wednesday a timetable for withdrawing hundreds of British troops from Iraq in the next few weeks, the British Broadcasting Corporation reports. TV and newspaper reports say 3,000 of Britain's contingent of 7,000 troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year.

It can never be said too often; heckuva job Bushie! The Poodle has hopped off your lap and both the Iraqis and the remaining Coalition forces will take the hit.

Was even more depressing about this is that the British actually made more of an effort to use a lighter hand. Some of the regions under their control were the last to go to shit.

Hey Bushbots? Questions; If the Decider is such a kick ass Captain America leader then howcum he has fewer Avengers answering his call to assemble?

If Iraq was such a great idea howcum only 30% of Americans and even less of the world agree? And should such great idea have so many body parts flying about the place? I'd view all that as a symptom of a very bad idea.

John Cole has some thoughts on bushbot futures:

I support this wholly, and hope to assist Hugh in creating his permanent right-wing crazy minority party. They can focus on abortion, patriotism, and immigration. Hell, I even have a Presidential candidate for them- Harriet Meiers.

In all seriousness, Hugh and company- you guys show ‘em. I think anyone who demonstrates anything less than absolute and complete fealty to the Decider’s plans should be excommunictaed and defeated, and replaced with someone crazier.

I wonder, how will the wingnuts react to this? Will Britain be the new Spain? Teabag sucking surrender hedgehogs? How will they square this betrayal with all their talk of unity with the Jack for the last three years? This is bad news for everyone (save the British soldiers and their friends and family) but they'll have to make it fit their narrative that everything is peachy and part of the plan.

Whatever it is I'm sure it's stupid.

I go and see but I just got Crackdown for the Xbox360 and need to leave the real world for awhile as I just found out that I'm not getting the apartment I thought I was because the landlord is a jerkface who probably molests and eats children and not in that order.

The momentum (in Iraq) has shifted. Did you feel it?

No.

But let's see what someone who, y'know, lives there thinks:

Let me clear it up for any moron with lingering doubts: It’s worse. It’s over. You lost. You lost the day your tanks rolled into Baghdad to the cheers of your imported, American-trained monkeys. You lost every single family whose home your soldiers violated. You lost every sane, red-blooded Iraqi when the Abu Ghraib pictures came out and verified your atrocities behind prison walls as well as the ones we see in our streets. You lost when you brought murderers, looters, gangsters and militia heads to power and hailed them as Iraq’s first democratic government. You lost when a gruesome execution was dubbed your biggest accomplishment. You lost the respect and reputation you once had. You lost more than 3000 troops. That is what you lost America. I hope the oil, at least, made it worthwhile.

Prediction time folks, from the same guy who said Kerry was going to be President.

1. Iraq is going to get far worse over the next two years, we're going to look at these days as the good old ones. An attack against Iran will speed it up.
   
   
2. Bush in a year's time will be the most hated politician ever. You can sense the jackals (former allies) both inside and outside his party circling. No one wants to take the first swipe but once they do they'll pile on him like he's a legless BBQ sauce soaked zebra. It would be hellafun to watch if it weren't for prediction number 1.
   
   
3. Various wingnut war floggers (so far I'm thinking Powerline and Instapundit) will announce that they're quitting blogging and will memory hole every stupid thing they've said. The cool thing is the Internet will remember for them.

And I think my judgment is superior to that of people who graduated high school and don't spend all their time playing video games so much so that I'm willing to bet $1000.00 dollars that Jonah Goldberg will always be a big fat piece of shit.

Any takers? And once again the money goes to me not to some stupid charity.

Rat 'em out for the shorties.

A car bomb and a suicide attacker killed at least 11 people across Baghdad on Tuesday as militants show increasing defiance of a major security operation in the capital. More than 100 people have been killed in the Baghdad area since Sunday in a direct challenge to efforts by U.S. and Iraqi forces to restore some authority on the streets and give the embattled government some breathing room.

---

A suicide bomber killed at least five people and wounded eight in an attack on mourners at a funeral tent in northeastern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.

---

Two car bombs in southern Baghdad killed up to 10 people on Tuesday, police said, as insurgents kept up the pressure despite a major U.S.-backed security crackdown aimed at restoring order to the Iraqi capital.

But don't worry...

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told President Bush on Friday that the security crackdown in Baghdad has gone exceedingly well so far, Mr. al-Maliki's office said in a statement.

"The security plan has been a dazzling success during its first days," Mr. al-Maliki said, according to the statement. The two spoke by video link.

Well, that is a relief.

Bush compares war on terror to U.S. revolution

“Today, we’re fighting a new war to defend our liberty and our people and our way of life,” said Bush, standing in front of Washington’s home and above a mostly frozen Potomac River.

“And as we work to advance the cause of freedom around the world, we remember that the father of our country believed that the freedoms we secured in our revolution were not meant for Americans alone.”

---

Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be.

But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.

She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.

She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.

She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example.

John Quincy Adams on U.S. Foreign Policy July 4, 1821

If somebody could pass the whole thing on to Bush I'd really appreiciate it.

Even in his current state Adams would make a better leader than Coo Coo Bananas.

CRYSTAL CITY, TX -- The image of Jesus on the cross. People in one south Texas town are flocking to see it in a most unlikely place, and they believe.

"You can see those branches that are coming up in front of him look like lashes that Jesus Christ received," said one believer.

In this community of spinach growers Popeye used to be the most recognizable figure in town. Not anymore. Not after someone saw the crucifixion in the "y" of this tree.

"He's there. We know he's there. If you believe in him, he's there," said Rosemary Ruiz, believer

Jesus must have the worst booking agent in the universe, all he needs to do is appear on one "Good Morning America" and all kinds of problems are solved.

So, why the constantly shifting stories by the Salt Lake PD? The only thing we know for sure is that this Police Department--quick to dismiss Islam or terrorism as the cause of this jihadist style terrorist attack by a Muslim; and unable to find a motive right under its nose--can't get its story straight.

And that's very suspicious.

Yes Debbie, the Salt Lake PD all work for bin Laden whose plan to destroy America with random mall shootings is proceeding as planned.

Only you with your big Mensa brain can see it, you're like Rodney Piper in "They Live". If only we'd listen to you, round up all the Muslims, gas them, toss their carcasses into the ovens then America and the world would be a much safer place.

Alas we just can't get behind the whole idea that being Muslim means that you're an evil violent psycho. It might have something to do with us not being paranoid hate filled retards.

But it's as close as we're going to get:

The Dark Side of the Moon -- The Return Engagement

The Dark Side of the Moon -- The Return Engagement will be a two-part concert by Waters and his touring band of Andy Fairweather-Low (guitar and vocals), Snowy White (guitar), Dave Kilminster (guitar and vocals), Jon Carin (keyboards and vocals), Graham Broad (drums), Harry Waters (Hammond organ), Ian Ritchie (saxophone) and Katie Kissoon, PP Arnold and Carol Kenyon on vocals.

The first set will draw from early Floyd material and Waters' solo work, while the second will feature each track from The Dark Side of the Moon, one of the best-selling rock albums in history, performed in order of appearance on the original LP. Yup, from Speak To Me to Eclipse.

Now if only I could get the guys I saw Roger Waters: Radio KAOS with back together but alas a combination of wives, children, death, fussy parole officers and other factors make that impossible.

I was so zooed for that show that it took the arena guy and a giant push-broom to get me out of the building. "Duuuddee..." I pleaded, "I can still hear the music! It can't be over."

The only way a Roger Waters DSotM show could be topped is if this turned out to be true:

With the announced reunions of Van Halen and the Police, it was only a matter of time until the name Led Zeppelin was thrown into the mix. Rock photographer and Jimmy Page friend Ross Halfin wrote on his website, "John Paul Jones has apparently announced on a Toronto radio station that Led Zeppelin will tour next summer. This of course meant I woke up to a load of mail asking if it's true. Look, I'm not a Led Zeppelin website or news board, I'm sure the official announcement will be out soon with all the details on Jimmy Page's website. The tickets are bound to be cheap -- you can re-mortgage your house to see your heroes."

Now here's a point that purists are sure to harp about:

The late John Bonham's son Jason is supposed to take his father's place on drums. Jason has in recent years been a member of Foreigner, which has dates booked into October.

Yeah, yeah, no Zep because it's not the whole band and to that I say (and this may be the most controversial statement ever made on hfn) fuck the drummer.

A drummer is a machine that hits stuff at the right time, yes some machines are better than others but none of them irreplaceable or unique. You can plop any wife-beater wearing tom-tom tapper on the stool and only the people who care about the subtleties of percussion would notice or care.

I saw Robert Plant for Now and Zen (Stevie Ray Vaughn opened up for him what a show, my teeth rattled for weeks after) and he made it quite clear, in my mind at least, that his voice was 65% of Led Zeppelin, Page and Jones 34.5% and the dead guy who hit stuff at the right time the remainder.

I will screw him in the ass!

President GW Bush

Dude.

Gaaaaaay.

A string of bombings killed at least 15 people Monday in the Baghdad area and another U.S. marine died in fighting west of the capital, a day after after a massive car bomb attack in a Shiite area market delivered the first major blow to the U.S.-led security crackdown.

No!

Shut up!

You mean doing the thing that they've been doing for the last three years without success isn't working?!?!

Crazy.

But don't worry because these attack prove that the terrorists are...

You know where we're going don't you?

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemned the bombing as a desperate act by "terrorists" and "criminals" who sense they are being squeezed.

And not just him...

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the bombings underscore the increasing desperation felt by criminals and would only serve to galvanize Iraqi forces and their coalition partners.

Well there you go! The desperate terrorists who have been desperate for the last three years are now even more desperate because they can blow stuff up despite a massive crackdown! And that is just going to inspire the troops to try even harder at stopping the stuff they can't stop.

Wait a sec... does that make any sense?

As much as anything that has to do with Iraq and America.

Now, President Bush has finally agreed to allow 7,000 Iraqi refugees into the U.S. But will those refugees be the desirable Christians--the Chaldeans--who can't stay alive if they remain in Iraq; or the few, rare, loyal Muslim translators (unlike the majority who are like this) who've risked their lives to help our soldiers and who are now maimed?

Christians good, Muslims bad, rrraaaaarrhh!!! from her own barking drool hole Debbie confirms without a doubt that she judges people by the sky god they beg favor from.

And since all Muslims are bad well then there's nothing to do for it but round 'em up for a good old fashioned final solution right Deb? You can get the plans from that Museum in Washington. The Germans were efficient but with computers and today's technology you could beat 6 million easy. Adam Yoshida already sketched out some ideas with a modern twist:

Being blunt: we can’t trust these people to our court system. Most of these people will be back out on the streets within a few years. The young offenders could get out even sooner – and have their identities protected. This is insane. All of these people need to be put to death. Even if that it’s feasible (which, admittedly it isn’t, as gratifying as it would be to see all of them shoved into a Macrowave* and their supporters forced to clean up the mess) they can’t possibly be let out anytime soon. And, in all probability, these are just the beginning of many.

* Meaning a human-sized Microwave.

Wouldn't Adam and Debbie make the cutest couple?

Debbie seem picky about men so perhaps Adam will be an equitable compromise.

What's funny is Deb's love of Christians in that Christian doctrine makes it quite clear that Deb's rejection of Jesus' savior deal means that she will be spending her eternity in Hell.

In the Muslim section if Satan has a sense of humor about his work and I like to think he does.

No, no, spare me the pussy Christian interpretations, it's pretty clear if you want paradise you have to take the JesusXpress. Everyone else better like their infinity hot hot hot!

CNN has Deb on to talk about religious stuff, I think that's hysterical. Bit like having Jeffrey Dahmer and Idi Amin on for a cooking segment.

Of course this is the last time CNN wa worth watching so I find myself deeply apathetic about the whole deal. CNN is always shit, why should I care about it being shittier?

Even as our troops have begun to take Baghdad back step-by-step,

Joe Liberman

One step forward and two step back nobody gets too far like that
One step forward and two steps back this kind of dance can never last

The Desert Rose Band

Take back? Neat how no one is to blame for losing it.

And I think this bit of douchbaggery from the Perfesser sums up the rights pony wishes nicely:

AL SADR FLEES TO TEHRAN. Captain Ed is happy: "This couldn't have come at a better time. Congress has tied itself in knots trying to opine on what a disaster the surge will be, and before they can vote on a resolution scolding George Bush for wasting resources, he's already chased one of the worst actors out of Baghdad. Nancy Pelosi will be holding a debate to disapprove of a strategy that has already demonstrated success."

Captain Ed is happy? Well if Some Guy With a Website thinks it's good then who's to argue?

And even the America hating terrorist snuggling media is spotting ponies.

Yesterday:

BAGHDAD, Feb 18 (Reuters) - On any given day in Baghdad, Iraqi police will report finding up to 50 bodies shot, tortured and dumped in the streets of the capital, but on Saturday just five were found, police said on Sunday.

Only five dead tortured bodies instead of 50?!?! Wow.

Despite a double car-bombing in eastern Baghdad that killed at least five people, it was a dramatic sign that a stepped-up military offensive by more than 110,000 Iraqi and U.S security forces is, at least for now, curbing the violence that has turned the city's streets into killing fields.

So. There was a terrorist attack but... it's uh a sign that the strategy to stop the terrorists is working... um... call me Picky McFussy but would 't a better sign of curbed violence be no violence?

Today:

Two car bombs exploded in quick succession Sunday in southeastern Baghdad, killing 56 people and wounding at least 128 others, police said.

Yeah but despite that they only found five bodies on Friday! Quick someone bring back that "mission accomplished" banner, this time for sure!

And remember how all those billions poured into Iraq's infrastructure was the real good news?

BAGHDAD, 18 February (IRIN) - Umm Muhammad Jalal, 39, starts every day walking to a river 7km away from her temporary home in a displacement camp on the outskirts of Fallujah, 70km west of the capital, Baghdad. Because of severe water shortages, she and many others make the daily trip to the river to collect water for all their needs.

"For the past four months we have been forced to drink, wash and clean with the river water. There is a dire shortage of potable water in Fallujah and nearby cities," Umm Muhammad said.

"My children are sick with diarrhoea but I have no option. They cannot live without water," she added. "Aid agencies that were helping us with their trucks of potable water are less and less frequent these days for security reasons. For the same reason, the military doesn't want the [aid] convoys to get too close to some areas."

From something called the Victory Caucus: (Via Xoverboard)

And just in case you think we're humorless tools: we do like to have a little fun. Today's example: our photoshop contest to visually demonstrate our opinion of White Flag Republican Ric Keller of Florida .

I suspected they we're humorless (the toolness went without question) and if you click the link you will see that they confirm it. There is no humor to be found just a howling wind cause by the vacuum of so much concentrated suck.

Sorry wingnuts but when it comes to comedy you will rise no higher than Larry the Cable guy.

They never get tired of that gag do they?

Well retards do like things predicable.

I can’t believe how much trouble I’m having getting a decent place, it’s the applications that are killing me. Before it was sign the lease and your done, now landlords want to know about how I make my money. It seems that the word freelance means “tenant who will not have any money to pay rent”.

But I think I’ve finally found a landlord who isn’t a moron but his application has a clause that says I’m responsible for shoveling out the driveway.

I don’t own a car and one of the reasons why I don’t ever want to own a place is I hate that sort of thing so I struck it out of the application. I will live on a street before I remove snow from it.

And I have no doubt that is going to queer the deal.

Oh hi square one, me again.

Argh.

UPDATE:

Well I was wrong about that, the landlord was totally cool with me shoveling nothing. No one had ever complained about the clause before (but no one hates snow shoveling more than I) and he understood and agreed with my point that it would be silly for me to be responsible for something that I didn't own in any way.

Thanks to all of the advice in the comments, good points about calling myself a freelancer, successful or at least adequate I may be as one I can see the stigma of instability it can carry.

humor.

I think I know what the problem is, to be an effective satirist you have to know the reality to spot the comedic angle.

For instance the link above takes you to a wingnut attempt to do what the General does and it's really not pretty.

Example:

So not only are we not getting our sweet, salty meat from the waters that Al Gore has fought so diligently to protect and clean, we're getting some damned disease riddled slant-eyed-gook-fish that they're trying to pass off as sweet succulent red snapper, "the other pink meat".

Which supports what Atrios was saying earlier:

Aside from racism, violence, and general "kicking the puppy" humor, conservative political humor these days involves referencing an alternative reality that they've created. They don't need jokes, they just need to point to the fantasy world they've created ("Nancy Pelosi's big plane! ahahahahaah!") so they can have a shared chuckle about it. There's no wit needed, just an invocation of pre-existing laugh lines based on their manufactured reality.

Deb says the Utah mall maniac is the fault of Muslims in general and Bill Clinton in specific and others say it must have been video games.

How did people go insane before video games and 9-11?

"When is that meteorite going to get here?"

Via MyDD.

for bad reasons my emotions get mixed:

A German Holocaust denier who regularly lavished praise on Adolf Hitler has been sentenced to five years in jail by a German court.

Ernst Zuendel was convicted of 14 counts of inciting racial hatred and for denying that the Nazis killed six million Jews during World War II.

He received the maximum sentence under German law which bans Holocaust denial.

Zuendel moved to Canada in 1958 but was judged a national security threat and deported back to Germany in 2005.

If we were to boil this case down to it's pure abstract he is being sent to jail for having and expressing an opinion that is wrong.

I'm really not sure if I can get behind such a thing no matter how retarded and vile the opinion. Yes there is the "yelling fire in a theatre" angle but I'm not sure if it applies here.

The Canadian angle is a bit more clear-cut, deporting him as a "security threat" was complete bullshit. He was no such thing and that law was abused and twisted to get rid of him. If it can be used on one asshole with an stupid opinion it could theoretically be used on anyone with any opinion.

And that's the stuff of slippery slopes and abyss gazing that should not be dismissed lightly just because in this one instance the bastard on the receiving end deserved it.

I can respect:

(CBS4) MIAMI Former Miami Heat superstar Tim Hardaway told a local sports radio show that he "hates gay people."

Hardaway made the comments while he was being interviewed by Dan Le Batard on 790 the Ticket Wednesday afternoon.

The five time All Star was asked how he would deal with a gay teammate.

"First of all I wouldn't want him on my team," said Hardaway. "Second of all, if he was on my team I would really distance myself from him because I don't think that's right and I don't think he should be in the locker room when we're in the locker room."

Le Batard took Hardaway to task, pointing out that his comments were 'flatly homophobic' and bigoted, but that only seemed to stir up the former point guard.

"Well, you know, I hate gay people," Hardaway said in response to Le Batard. "I let it be known I don't like gay people. I don't like to be around gay people. I'm homophobic. It shouldn't be in the world, in the United States, I don't like it."

Thank you Tim for telling it like it is, you're an ignorant piece of shit who hates people for the way they have sex (gosh it sounds so stupid when you put it like that doesn't it?) but an honest one and for that I have a sliver of respect. None of this "Well it's just that my god told me to hate fags so I gotta!" or "Children! Children! OHMYGAWD This children!" just straight up homo hating for its own sake.

And I'm sure the same people who got all bunged up over the Snicker storm are going to go after you with much vim and venom and to them I say:

You know what? It's a free country and we're all free to hate whatever whenever for any reason. As long as Tim never expresses his hatred in a violent way or encourages others to be dangerous or breaks any laws he should be left to his own opinion. Somehow I doubt screaming at him is going to change his mind anytime soon. It'd be nice if the reactionary groups just let this one pass.

(Via POE News)

was a guy who was killed in a motorcycle accident. He hit the highway wall at what I imagine to be a very high speed and he sort of semi-liquefied against the concrete, kind of a cheese-grater effect.

Meet number one.

UPDATE: Oh your god, it's even worse than you can imagine.

Democrats Give Sex Slaves the Finger in Quest to Attack America

I have no idea what the story is about and I don't want to know, there is no way it could possibly be as awesome as that headline.

If I wasn't so busy playing God of War (I have to finish it before I can get the upcoming sequel and it's a long ass game) I'd actually try and illustrate it.

BREAKING: Surprise! Terrorist in Utah Mall Shootings is a MUSLIM; UPDATE: Had Dead Relatives in War

Yes, this is what we get for helping the Bosnian Muslims against the Serbs--terror, murder, and mayhem in U.S. malls. The Muslims blame us anyway.

Thanks, Bill Clinton.

Yes, the minute I heard that there was a shooting rampage the first thing I thought was "Well, that can't be an American raised Christian who did that. They never do that sort of thing!"

And of course it's Clinton's fault! As is everything, fucker said there was WMD in Iraq.

A thought; it's not her blatant racism that irks me so, free country and internet, you can be as stupid as you please (hfn proof positive!). It's these pathetic attempts to justify it that grates my cheese. Why can't Deb and her ilk simply say "We hate Muslims and want to round them up, put them in camps and kill them."? They go out of their way looking for the worst and insist with only a slight veneer of cryptography that they represent the whole.

By Deb's own words she proves that she truly believe that every Muslim is a homicidal maniac in waiting and as such mass extermination is really the only eventual and logical conclusion. So it's not that she's against Holocausts she just wants to be on the giving rather than receiving end.

She is truly the banality of evil.

And CNN and Fox put her on the air, all you need to know about them.

The Pain, if you're not reading it every week then you are a very bad person.

al Sadr has gotten away just like bin Laden and that's a win according to some:

Sadr Flees Iraq

Stunning news, I think: Moqtada al Sadr has bolted to Iran, apparently because he fears for his safety as more American troops pour into Baghdad. Sadr reportedly took the top command of his "Mahdi army" with him to Tehran.

I would think this will make it more difficult to sell the footsoldiers who stayed behind on the desirability of martyrdom.

Damn! Maybe this surge thing will work after all.

It's neat how the MSM goes from being enemies of the state one day to reliable news the next.

And what does ABC say that's fired up the Hindrocket?

Sources believe al Sadr is worried about an increase of 20,000 U.S. troops in the Iraqi capital. One official told ABC News' Martha Raddatz, "He is scared he will get a JDAM [bomb] dropped on his house."

Sources! You can't argue with unnamed sources, you just go and try. it's quite impossible, I guess that why unnamed sources are always right.

Now here's my crazy critical thinking question; what exactly stopped the U.S. from dropping a JDAM [bomb*] before on his house? I think it's because there would be a massive freak out in Iraq that would result in riots and a bloodbath but hey maybe the Iraqis like their local folk heroes killed by foreign occupiers. They're a different breed of cat over there.

Please read the whole thing, it's fascinating what these sources know, such as:

Sources say two scenarios are possible: Either al Sadr will be driven further into extremist mode or he will continue going forward with the political process.

That's the power of the surge, it will make Sadr do what he's been doing or make him do something else!

Does Rocket Retard even bother to read his links?

* as opposed to the JDAM bouquets of chocolates and stuffed bears that the Americans sometimes drop on targets just to fuck with their minds

That's just one of the many freedoms granted by Operation Iraqi Freedom Under Commander Koo-koo That Wasn't About The WMD (OIFUCKTWAT for short):

The United Nations refugee agency says there has been a dramatic increase in the number of Iraqis trying to register with them for assistance.

On Sunday and Monday alone, the agency's office in Syria registered more than 5,000 Iraqi refugees.

But don't worry, America is on the case, after all this whole crisis is the fault of GW Bush, his helper monkeys and anyone so fucking stupid as to have voted for them two years ago. And these are people who take responsibility seriously!

No, really, look:

Moving to address the flood of refugees fleeing war-torn Iraq, the Bush administration and the United Nations have developed a plan that would bring several thousand of them to the United States over the next 10 months, officials familiar with discussions of the plan say.

Several thousand! Wow! How many is that?

The United Nations expects 13,000 to 20,000 Iraqis to be deemed eligible for resettlement abroad. The United States hopes to resettle at least 5,000 of that group this year, with the first arriving in late spring or summer. United Nations and Bush administration officials emphasize that those figures may change if conditions change in Iraq and neighboring countries.

5,000 over the next 9 months... say that's a familiar number...

Under current legislation, the United States admits 70,000 officially-designated refugees each year.

Most of them are admitted through a system of regional allocations under which 5,500 a year currently come from the Middle East.

So they're going to do exactly what they have been doing all along, that's the compassionate conservatism that's been the hallmark of the Bush Presidency in action!

And how many Iraqis are trying the get the fuck out of Dodge?

Each month, about 100,000 Iraqis are escaping the chaos and sectarian violence of their homeland. Thus far, about 2 million Iraqis have fled, most heading to Jordan, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East.

And nothing makes for a stable and democratic Middle East than a mass influxes of refugee fleeing sectarian strife!

And all that for thousands dead and billions spent, what a bargin!

Heckuva job Bushie!

For the Poorman.

Oh the usual gene-deficient ramblings of the living brain-dead...

That's one logical reaction to the briefing, but I think the administration has something more "nuanced" in mind. And lots of liberals are defending the mullahs against any suspicion of fomenting violence in Iraq. At one time, we would have called this an instance of politics making strange bedfellows; by now, however, it no longer seems so strange.

Yeah big bleeding heart terrorist snuggling like...

A top U.S. general said Tuesday there was no evidence the Iranian government was supplying Iraqi insurgents with highly lethal roadside bombs, apparently contradicting claims by other U.S. military and administration officials.

Go back to Hippystan General Peacenlove!

And I meant to comment on this two weeks ago:

We hear a lot of hysteria in the press about the American people deserting President Bush. Every time a new poll is released, it is trumpeted as documenting a new low in the President's approval rating. But these polls follow a variety of methodologies, most of which appear to be flawed, and make it hard to track responses consistently over time.

Yeah. Tricky tracking.

So I think it's useful to look at Rasmussen Reports, a data set that has been generated using consistent methods by a polling organization with a good track record in recent years.

snip

Admittedly, Bush is up a little from earlier this month, but still, his approval percentage has fluctuated within a fairly narrow range over the last year, never higher than 45% and never lower than 38%. This belies, I think, the common perception of a downward spiral.

Uh no. No really. It actually confirms it.

Is he really a lawyer?

"Your honor the fact that my client was found holding a bloody knife still inside the victim while screaming "Die you bastard! Die" belies the common perception of guilt."

Reality: Bush sucks and everyone knows it.

Hindeality: The leader is good, the leader is great!

We had an openly gay cabinet minister:

Ontario's first openly gay cabinet minister, George Smitherman, Monday joked he would walk down the aisle in "a thong" when he and his partner wed this summer.

In the works for a long time, Smitherman formally popped the question to Christopher Peloso by offering him a white tuxedo at Christmas, he said. The tux contained a note in one of its pockets mimicking an invitation.

Meh, these stories have lost all their novelty, now that the fundies have lost despite having the wingnuttiest federal government ever it's no longer fun.

Still it must be driving the American Taliban crazy, each year that goes by with Canada being all equal and no one trying to marry the contents of their terrarium proves just how full of shit they were and are.

Gays are getting married and no one cares except the ones getting married.

As anyone with a lick of sense predicted.

And to our gay health minister, I went to get my OHIP card renewed yesterday and I had to wait in line for two whole minutes. As such I didn't have time to finish the level on Super Mario World for the Nintendo DS and had to start over. And the renewal fee of $0.00 was outrageous. This is what I'm paying my taxes for?

Now America has to bomb China, Malta, Italy and Libya:

Italian authorities yesterday announced they had interrupted an international arms trafficking deal that was to have operated between China, Malta, Italy and Libya, and which planned to supply hundreds of thousands of weapons to Iraqi insurgents, international media reported yesterday. The operation was to have seen an unnamed Maltese company acting as a middleman between Chinese weapons producers and Libyan buyers, who would, in turn, move the weapons on to Iraqi insurgents, according to coded emails recovered by Italian agents.

This whole Iran set up us the bomb so all their bases will be bombed by U.S. thing is painfully stupid. Every country that makes weapons probably has hardware in Iraq. After all once the munitions are sold the manufacturer and distributor have zero control / knowledge as to where it might end up.

If Iranian parts in IEDs are the best rational Chimpy can come up with can we just skip all the intelligence insulting intelligence and get right to the bombing? Then once the occupation of Tehran goes bad they can hit Syria because all the Iranian insurgents are really Syrians just like all Iraqi insurgents are Iranian.

And then once all four Middle Eastern countries are under American occupation, stand back and watch the democracy and peace fly!

Two activists attacked a Japanese whaling ship with a bottle of acid and a smoke bomb Friday, slightly injuring two crew members after the vessel helped rescue the protesters from the icy Ross Sea off Antarctica, officials said.

The activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society protest ship Farley Mowat disappeared during a confrontation with the Nisshin Maru but were found after about seven hours, with members of the Japanese whaling expedition assisting.

snip

They suffered facial injuries when the bottle of acid smashed on deck, sending shards of glass flying, he said. One crewman was hit by an empty container of acid and the other had acid squirted in his eye, he said.

Japanese broadcaster NHK said the protesters also threw a smoke bomb.

The injuries were not life-threatening, said Hideki Moronuki, the assistant director of the agency's whaling department.

"They're terrorists," Moronuki said of the activists who had been searching for the Japanese fleet for weeks. "They must stop these dangerous acts immediately.

"We rescued them from a humanitarian point of view, but they attacked the Japanese as soon as they were safe," Moronuki said.

New Zealand Conservation Minister Chris Carter, a staunch whaling opponent, said the two activists were "very lucky to be alive."

"What they are doing is putting their lives at risk and ... I feel, compromising a very strong conservation message, because I think most fair-minded people would see it as extreme overreacting to put your life at risk," he told National Radio.

The Sea Shepherd's Web site described the 1 1/2 gallons of butyric acid that was dumped on the Nisshin Maru's deck as nontoxic, but foul-smelling enough so that it "stopped all work of cutting up whales."

Activists in Zodiacs also used nail guns to fasten plates over the Nisshin Maru's drain outlets, which spill whale blood into the sea.

Hmm I'm torn here... on one hand Japan's continuing whale hunt is contemptible. They're shitting on international law by calling it "scientific research"* and they're hunting a species that if Star Trek is correct will eventually be extinct. On the other hand I'm never comfortable with any sort of fanaticism that risks human lives (both of the smelly hippy and smelly fisherman kind) for animals. That's never a sign of sanity.

But I have to admit that riding a Zodiac over a rough sea to nail gun shut a blood shaft is pretty fucking cool. I like that far more than the acid tossing business.

Well two different kinds of assholes keeping each other busy, could be worse I suppose.

*Expirement #4,501: The effects of ripping the blubber off a whale... it kills them. On to #4,502!

Seconds later Debbie unhinged her jaw and demonstrated how she eats for the stunned Gretchen Carlson who then decided her next question, 'Deb how do you breed?' would be best left unanswered.

That's why Deb needs to wear pleather outfits, her clothes need to be extremely flexible as well as stain resistant.

Aren't y'all supposed to be atheists?

Chinese state television will censor advertisements featuring pigs in order not to offend Muslims in the Year of the Pig, a media company said on Friday.

"Originally they didn't want pig images in ads on TV, because they worry about conflicting issues with Muslims in China," said Lisa Wei, managing director of media investment firm GroupM China Trading.

snip

"I feel that when CCTV decided to do this, it is for the purpose of ethnic harmony and unity. This is a good thing," Bai Runsheng, the chairman of the Shanghai Islamic Association, told Reuters.

Hysterical, China will run protestors over with tanks, invade and destroy Tibet, oppress every religion but get all PC when it comes to Muslims.

Weird... wonder why...

Look I'm all for tolerance, diversity and all that crap but kerist in a sidecar come fucking on. Why not go whole hog and change it from year of the pig to year of the walrus or platypus? Or is there something I'm missing? Does year of the whatever critter mean everyone in China has to eat that particular animal?

Year of the rat would be a good time to vegan I imagine.

U.S. military officials presented evidence Sunday that Iran is supplying Shiite insurgents with weaponry to attack U.S. forces, including an advanced and particularly deadly form of explosive device that has claimed the lives of 170 coalition personnel since 2004.

In a briefing room in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, the officials laid out for inspection a selection of newly seized mortars, a rocket-propelled grenade, several dozen used mortar fins and an example of an "explosively formed penetrator," a roadside bomb that U.S. officials say is made in Iran.

Could be or you could be full of shit like last time y'all presented "evidence", as your Dear Leader once said "Fool me once... uhhhh.... won't get fooled again!".

Just bomb or invade or whatever batshit crazy cowboy crusade you've got planned but don't pretend for a second that anyone is going to believe that you're right in doing so or even that it's a good idea.

Heck maybe throwing yourself off yet another cliff will finally teach you about flying cans and can'ts.

It's obvious that Bush has decided to attack and I guess the only speed bump slowing him down is some flunkies insisting that they get together a smattering of justification.

Anyway it's not like America has more pressing responsibilities.

As an aside how many American munitions have been used to kill American soldiers? Iran used to buy quite a bit of it in the 80s I imagine they've still got some kicking around.

Pretty much a done deal:

U.S. sending third carrier strike group to Gulf.

Newsweek on “The Hidden War With Iran.”

At least one former White House official contends that some Bush advisers secretly want an excuse to attack Iran. “They intend to be as provocative as possible and make the Iranians do something [America] would be forced to retaliate for,” says Hillary Mann, the administration’s former National Security Council director for Iran and Persian Gulf Affairs. …

A second Navy carrier group is steaming toward the Persian Gulf, and NEWSWEEK has learned that a third carrier will likely follow. Iran shot off a few missiles in those same tense waters last week, in a highly publicized test. With Americans and Iranians jousting on the chaotic battleground of Iraq, the chances of a small incident’s spiraling into a crisis are higher than they’ve been in years.

I think I've rumbled to the GOP's plan for 08; they're going to fuck everything up as much as possible that no one sane would want to be in charge of it much less responsible for having to clean it up, if possible.

I'm not too familiar with the full law but from what I understand trying to provoke a military conflict in a war crime.

But what does my current fave wingnut think of war with Iran:

He doesn't think it's going to happen because... get this.... Gates, Robert Gates, the new US defense secretary appointed by Bush said so*!

Gates says we have no intention of attacking Iran. What part of NO INTENTION, did you looneys not understand?

If you can't take the US De fence Secretary at his word...

...who can you believe?

Then Kipper Yum says:

Don’t get me wrong, I think we should make tactical strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure (it’s economic base), and on all of it’s nuclear facilities. I believe we should bring the current regime to it’s knees. The current Iranian Regime has made it clear that it intends to destroy the US, the UK, and Israel. I would prefer to strike first, instead of waiting for the enemy to decide that the timing is in their best interest.

Frankly, I don’t believe that Bush has the balls to strike Iran.

Because when one is planning delicate foreign policy where the lives of millions hang in the balance one should be thinking like Tony Montana. That's really what the world needs; more balls. More armies that just go around fucking shit up because goddamnit they have a pair and the world needs to hear the awesome clank they make!

Of course the nuance that's escapes Wiper Bum's eagle eye is that blowing up oil infrastructure would be bad for not just the Iranians' but bad to anyone's economy that depends on stable oil prices.

Furthermore I can't even begin to do the calculus as to how this would impact the situation in Iraq but I'm thinking the words "bad" "bloodbath" and "massacre" would work their way into the final sum. I imagine that the Iraqi government and people would have to pick between GW Bush and the Iranian leadership.

I wonder what side they'd pick?

I wonder what would happen to the Coalition Forces if all of Iran and Iraq decided they were the enemy?

I don't know for sure, doubt anyone does, but again I doubt it could be anything good or advantageous to anyone.

Edited because me write no so good.

* Snoppy Fun doesn't like me linking to his site so I have to do it through Pagebang.

As I mention earlier a local radio station has asked to hear some MP3 samples of the crap I do here for some late night rant thingy.I said that I might post it here if it wasn't too bad.

I won't be posting it here.

The guy who helped me put it together started to play it but it was just too weird hearing my inner thoughts out loud. I think the shrillness will blow the antenna off the station roof if they actually try and broadcast it. Ears will most certainly bleed like a Stephen King elevator.

Still it could be a foot in the door of my lifelong dream; to be in the same room as Lowell Green*.

For my America readers Lowell is a sort of Rush Limbaugh but older, thicker but without the charm. At least Rush gets laid, I think Lowell's lack of orgasms is what makes him such a ill-shaped and bitter man.

See I've always wanted to meet Lowell, face to face, to explain to him in carefully chosen words why he's such a complete bastard.

Many have tried of course but on the radio he has a producer who will cut off anyone who gets the better of the grumpiest old man. I love to chat with him in a telephone free environment. I have no idea which loud mouth jerk would win but I've never been accused of being the lesser jerk.

It's sad that all my dreams involve screaming at old people for one reason or another but in my defense I did once work in a Bingo Hall. That shit would warp St. Francis of Assisi to the point of an all live veal diet served on a bed of orphans.

The new U.S. military commander in Iraq said on Saturday that American and Iraqi security forces had to stabilise the country in what he called a high-stakes battle, or it would be doomed to more violence.

Thank you Commander State the Very Very Obvious.

But that begs the question; what have y'all been trying to do so far?

And if it doesn't work, which is very likely because unshitting a bed is a tricky business and there's more violence then what?

Will America, whose fault this civil war is (and I'm sure the gibbering Bush baboons will jump up and down insisting that Iraq was always at civil war, the invasion just made them admit it) allow in the massive influx of refugees?

Hmmm I think I can hazard a guesstimate for that one;

Of course not, they'll send Americans to die in Iraq but they'll be damned if they'll let Iraqis live in America.

And the retarded 'hyuk!' at the end? I'll be doing that too.

Fucking rocks.

Anna Nicole Smith dead and Hot Air is getting all huffy because Cafferty isn't giving the death of the silicone based no-life form her props. Oh noes! Such wasted potential, I'm sure her continuing contribution to humanity will be sorely missed. Think of all the reality shows and infomercials that will have to go with a slightly smaller set of tits that can read a cue card.

The only mention that asshole should have gotten is a blurb on the news tickers, this is as obscene and grotesque as she was.

Loser.

(Thanks to Rueful for head's up)

Oh and not for nothing but Jonah has a new column up at Clown Hall which also has an email and a comments thing that requires minimal effort to register for.

No particular reason, just want to knock myself out of any chance of ever working for a political party as a blogger.

But seriously? Fuck the Pope.