Follow the Leader

Bush Compared to Obama on War Planning

"Obama's defenders insist that what he did in starting the Libya war is not as bad as what President George W. Bush did in starting the Iraq war.

True: In some ways, what Obama did is worse." (reason.com)

The TL;DR:

"Bush made the case for removing Hussein over months. Bush got approval from Congress. Bush acted against a dictator who aspired to acquire nuclear weapons. He invaded a country of large strategic value. He stated plainly the purpose of the invasion.

Obama did none of those things. He rushed into a war, ignoring Congress, to punish a ruler who had abandoned his nuclear ambitions, in a country of peripheral importance."

And in a kind of similar related news... Only 17% Of Americans See President Obama As A Strong And Decisive Military Leader.

Maybe it's because he names his wars after crappy Asia records, and it's not a war - It's a Kinetic Military Action.

Palin Tell-All Leaked

A former trusted adviser to Sarah Palin is planning a tell-all memoir. An early draft of the manuscript to Frank Bailey’s Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of our Tumultuous Years was leaked to reporters. It was a rough draft. Bailey began his tenure with Palin as a campaign volunteer when she ran for Governor, eventually rising to her Chief of Staff until her resignation in 2009.

“This is a fact-finding, truth-reporting endeavor,” one of Bailey’s co-writers Ken Morris said.

“The source data for this book comes from Frank Bailey’s experience and his own email accounts.” On her blog, Bailey’s other co-writer Jeanne Devon, a progressive Alaskan blogger known as AKMuckraker, declared that “Frank Bailey was one of the few true Palin ‘insiders.’ He and a circle of half a dozen people were there in the Palin campaign from day one, until the end of her administration. He’s the kind of guy you’d pick to write an insider memoir, if you could choose.”

So, it's as if Darth Vader wrote a tell-all after he tossed the Emperor into the air shaft.

Both Morris and Devon insist that neither the authors nor their literary agents at the New York-based Carol Mann Agency played any part in leaking the draft manuscript. “We on this end are shocked and horrified that this has happened,” writes Devon, “but the toothpaste is out of the tube as they say.” Blind Allegiance has yet to secure a publisher and has no scheduled release date. Messages to Sarah Palin’s camp for comment weren’t immediately returned.

The parts I read are no more shocking than the Rod Blagojevich transcripts. Lot of petty feuds and aspirations for a higher office. However, there's enough dirt that "Troopergate" may get reopened, and allegations of actual fraud involving 2006 RNC monies spent inappropriately and not accounted for may actually bring a court case.

More

Meanwhile, the ex-Alaska governor will appear in an episode of American Chopper about a special bike being built to honor Alaska’s 50-year anniversary as a state. "It means so much to the state of Alaska that these guys are building this bike that will honor statehood here," Palin says in the episode.

Gag Order on Wikileaks

Swedish authorities say they have issued an arrest warrant for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, on accusations of rape and molestation.

Did Julian Assange really do this? Is he drunk with fame and testosterone from Pentagon Papers 2010? Is he really dumb enough to discredit himself and his mission by being this stupid? I don't know - that's up to the courts to sort out - no matter how much cash and time that takes.

No matter what, Wikileaks credibility has been damaged. Pundits and critics will now have something to work with. These allegations will be repeated over and over again to drive home the talking point that Wikileaks in particular, and whistleblowers in general, are criminals.

And it will work. Unfortunately.

And if you were into conspiracy theories and evil counter intelligence agents from Hollywood movies - all you need to do is to make the accusation. You don't have to put him on a plane to Gitmo, or have him killed - just discredit the person, and you've done the damage. Simple and neat.

Read More:

The Pentagon Papers 2010

Afghan War Logs: Key Findings -- The Telegraph

Thousands of classified US military documents including details of when coalition troops killed civilians in Afghanistan have been released through the website Wikileaks. Here are some key findings.

– A secret unit of special forces called Task Force 373 is being used to hunt down and kill or capture Taliban leaders without trial, The Guardian reported. More than 2,000 enemy targets were on the list called the "Joint Prioritized Effects List".

– The coalition is increasingly using Reaper drones controlled by joystick from Nevada to target and kill insurgents. Files also showed that 97 missiles had been fired by British reapers since 2008.

Read more ....

More News On Wikileaks Release of Tens of Thousands Of Secret Files On The Afghan War

The War Logs -- New York Times
The War Logs -- The Guardian
The Afghanistan Protocol -- Spiegel Online
Afghan War Diary, 2004-2010 -- WikiLeaks

Wikileaks Afghanistan files: download the key incidents as a spreadsheet -- The Guardian
Afghanistan War Logs: Shattering Illusion of a Bloodless Victory -- The Guardian
Afghanistan War Logs: Secret War Along the Pakistan Border -- The Guardian
Afghanistan War Logs: Iran's Covert Operations in Afghanistan -- The Guardian
Afghanistan War Logs: Fear Taliban Could Tap Mobile Phones -- The Guardian
Afghanistan War Logs: Taliban Listening in to Top-secret Phone -- The Guardian
Afghanistan War Logs: CIA Paramilitaries' Role in Civilian Deaths -- The Guardian
Afghanistan War Logs: Civilians Caught in Firing Line -- The Guardian

Inside the Fog of War: Reports From the Ground in Afghanistan -- New York Times
In Disclosing Secret Documents, WikiLeaks Seeks ‘Transparency’ -- New York Times
Strategic Plans Spawned Bitter End for a Lonely Outpost -- New York Times
Pakistan Aids Insurgency in Afghanistan, Reports Assert -- New York Times

The Afghanistan Protocol: Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It -- Spiegel Online
The Afghanistan Protocol: Task Force 373 : The Secret Hunters -- Der Spiegel
The Afghanistan Protocol: German Naivety : Growing Trouble in the North -- Der Spiegel
The Afghanistan Protocol: The Flaws of the Silent Killer: When Drones Fail -- Der Spiegel
The Afghanistan Protocol: Intelligence Agents Drowning in Data -- Der Spiegel

Exclusive: Massive 'War Log' Leak Wasn't Done Alone, Whistleblower Says -- ABC News
US documents leaked online give inside look at war -- Yahoo News/AP
Pakistan secretly helping Taliban: report -- Yahoo News/Reuters
US condemns massive leak of Afghan war files -- Yahoo News/AFP
WikiLeaks Drops 90,000 War Docs; Fingers Pakistan as Insurgent Ally -- The Danger Room
Thousands of 'Secret' Afghan War Files Released on Internet -- Voice of America
US Documents Leaked Online Give Inside Look at War -- ABC News
Leaked files lay bare war in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Tens of thousands of alleged Afghan war documents go online -- CNN
Afghanistan War Logs: 90,000 classified documents revealed by Wikileaks -- The Telegraph
'Hidden US Afghan War Details' Revealed By Wikileaks As Thousands Of Top Secret Files Go Online -- BBC News
Wikileaks releases massive set of Afghan war files -- CNET
Papers: Leaks Show Unreported Afghan Deaths -- NPR/AP
Pakistan Aids Insurgency in Afghanistan, Reports Assert -- New York Times
The big leak -- Politico
Wikileaks takes new approach in latest release of documents -- Washington Post
Afghan war logs: inquiry launched into source of leaks -- The Telegraph

Afghan says it's 'shocked' by leaked U.S. documents -- CNN
W.H. condemns 'irresponsible' leaks, dismisses stories -- Politico
White House Responds to Disclosure -- New York Times
White House Decries WikiLeaks' Release -- Los Angeles Times
Government 'laments' Afghan war documents leak -- BBC
Pakistan denies Wikileaks reports it 'aided Taliban' -- BBC
Pakistani spy agency denounces US intel docs -- Washington Post/AP
Jones lashes out at Wikileaks for putting lives at risk with Afghanistan files -- The Hill
U.S. Denounces Publication of Classified Documents on War in Afghanistan -- Bloomberg
The War Logs: Reaction to Disclosure of Military Documents on Afghan War -- New York Times
Hamid Gul Responds to WikiLeaks Allegations -- Wall Street Journal

Afghan war logs: webchat with Guardian reporter David Leigh -- The Guardian
What the WikiLeaks Documents Really Reveal -- Leslie H. Gelb, Daily Beast
The New Republic: The Significance Of The Wikileaks -- Andrew J. Bacevich, NPR
WikiLeaks' Afghan Documents and Me -- Mother Jones
The Afghan war is too important to be side-tracked by wikileaks that tell us nothing new -- Con Coughlin, The Telegraph

Posted by Bookyards

So, let me paraphrase : In war people get killed. But only under George Bush. War sucks.

Brown Back-Door's Big Deal, Nevermind He's Against That Sort Of Thing

Just in case anyone thinks I'm going light on the Republicans lately, let me share a little story about the new Wonder-Kid, Mr. Super GOP from Massachusetts. In the case of the Republicans, he's just one of the gang now.

You see, Scott Brown owes his election in no small part to the public furor over the so-called Cornhusker Kickback, the backroom deal that Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska struck for his vote to pass the health care bill. Bad, bad, secret backroom deal.

It seems that Scott's following Nelson's example, winning concessions in the financial overhaul bill on behalf of Massachusetts banks.

Scott is wheeling and dealing with both parties and hinting that he just might vote with Democrats if they agree to goodies for financial institutions in his state. How quickly a candidate who campaigned against "closed-door meetings" and "backroom deals" learns to eat at the trough once in office? It's a magical moment. One to celebrate and point to whenever your next 'outsider' campaigns for 'reform' or 'change.'

The Deal:
Brown scored an exemption for home-state interests like Fidelity Investments and the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. from some new restrictions on trading. He also persuaded congressional negotiators to let banks invest up to 3 percent of their capital in private equity funds and hedge funds, a change that would help such banks as Boston-based State Street Corp. Not bad for a freshman.

Then this week, Democrats bowed to a more philosophical demand that knowledgeable officials say was choreographed by Republican leader Mitch McConnell. On Tuesday, Democratic negotiators agreed to remove a $19 billion tax on large banks and hedge funds after Brown threatened to vote "no" because of it.

Brown wouldn't say whether the concession was enough to win his vote. And he made clear that he wouldn't make that decision in time to pass the bill and deliver it to President Barack Obama by Independence Day.

"Over the July recess, I will continue to review this important bill," Brown said in a statement.

Advocates of the bill to rein in Wall Street were casting Brown's dealmaking as a shift from underdog candidate in a pickup truck to something more amorphous. The Massachusetts branch of Americans for Financial Reform planned a news conference to try to present him Thursday with a new BMW.

"Since Sen. Brown is willing to gamble with American consumers, he's sending the signal that he wants to trade in his iconic truck for something a little more luxurious, something more in line with the kinds of cars that his Wall Street cronies are driving," the group said in a press release.

Gail Gitcho, Brown's spokeswoman, defended the senator's actions, describing them as fighting for improvements in the bill for the entire country, not just Massachusetts, and for firms everywhere that didn't contribute to the financial crisis. Right.

Well, it looks like the GOP is back to Bobby Jindal for their next candidate? The guy can't give a speech -- but he's doing a great job on the Gulf Spill. You know, by leading? He's the only guy I see trying to cut the red tape to get to the oil.

---
Associated Press writers Jim Kuhnhenn and Andrew Miga contributed to this report.

Differences

Democrats: The people in power can’t be trusted. You need to remove them and put our guys in charge

Republicans: The people in power can’t be trusted. You need to remove them and put our guys in charge

libertarians: People in power can’t be trusted. You need to remove their power and be in charge of your own damn self

Everyone else: Hey - didja hear Ellen is going to be on American Idol this year?

The Washington Post: Legalize It

The Washington Post ran an article today which read: Time to Legalize Drugs .

On the face, it almost seems like they're going out on a limb there, eh? The article opens by re-creating a drug deal straight out of Hill Street Blues or The Wire - and then say that drug dealers are disproportionately arrested on the South Side street corners, but not in college dormitories.

The article goes on to offer that States should decide their drug policy.

But hold on, it's not the actual opinion of the Washington Post, it's in fact an Op-Ed which means it's opposite of the editorial page. Bigger and better than a letter to the editor, but not a whole hellofalot more.

Anyway, we've all known for a long - long time that Prohibition does not work. Chris Rock said it best, "even if you got rid of all the drugs in the world - someone would still be trying to find a way to get high... check this out..."

But this is Blasphemes, so I feel that I should offer a new or unusual perspective to the debate. Let me offer a simple question. Do you own your own body and what goes into it? Or is the government in charge of your body and what goes into it?

Why do we allow our governments to regulate what substances can and cannot go into your body? Fluoride is great, but cocaine isn't. Twinkes are okay too, but not dope, according to our government. Our government subsidizes High Fructose Corn Syrup and nicotine production, but throws a teenager in jail for carrying too much weed. Seems kind of silly how it's all over the board like that.

But seeing as there are public health and public safety holes all over that Ad Hoc argument I just tossed up there -- let's look to history.

The temperance and abolition movement cultivated in the adding of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. The movements realized that in order to curtail your freedoms, a change in the Constitution would be necessary. The government had to limit the freedom of the citizens. Note, up until then, the Constitution was meant to limit the reach and power of the government. Kind of a switch up there.

When it failed, and failed in such spectacular crimson blood spilled streets, the Constitution had to be fixed. Here comes the 21st amendment which repealed the 18th. Experiment failed.

What did we learn? Nothing. Not one thing. Nixon declared war on drugs, and for four decades his prohibition also been a complete failure. If the goal was to reduce overall illicit drug use, that's a fail. But if the goal of the war on drugs was to erode key civil liberties, well, that's a win for the government. Oh, and raising the prices. The government does a good job with that too.

Building prisons instead of schools, a militarization of the police and the streets, killing innocents... destroying neighborhoods, families, incarceration of generations of young men because of insane zero tolerance laws... the perpetual drug war that inevitably fuels the violent, underground market? Why would anyone embrace a philosophy of cruelty and insanity? There's just too much money to be made.

And, pound for pound, nicotine and alcohol are by far more hazardous to human tissue than most underground pharmaceuticals.

Lee Elia: The Rant Heard 'Round the World.

Long before Dennis Miller's signature rants on his HBO show, former Cubs manager Lee Elia let forth the greatest rant of all time. After an early season loss in 1983 to the LA Dodgers, the Cubs record was 5-14. Another season of futility was inevitable...38 years since their last trip to the playoffs where they lost to Detroit in the World Series.

April 29th marks the 25th anniversary of Lee Elia's infamous/famous rant. Chicago radio reporter Les Grobstein unloaded this doozy of a question, "Tough way to lose a game, huh?" I would have snapped too. David Schuster, now a WSCR(The Score) reporter put his microphone near Elia, but had to turn away....it was the only way he could contain his laughter. Mark Giangreco, working at channel 5 at the time, had the rant on videotape. When he left channel 5 to go to channel 7 in 1994...the tape was nowhere to be found. Missing...lost...stolen? No one knows. But luckily the audio of the rant still exists...please to enjoy!



BTW - there's no way this is safe for work. One - because you're going to laugh your ass off, Two - because even a seasoned Teamster would blush at the language Elia uses.

Lee Iacocca - I'm Mad As Hell

These words were Cutn'DaPasted from Lee Iacocca excerpts from his new book. They have been circulating the net lately. I couldn't help but spread the word as his opinions are my feelings as well.

I am not taking any responsibility for their accuracy, I'm just passing on the information received. I've added a little emphasis on points that really spoke to me.

Lee Iacocca Says:

'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage?

We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car.

But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course'. Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!'

You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the 'America' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.

The Biggest 'C' is Crisis ! (see the ten C's in his book )

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A Hell of a Mess, so here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence and common sense?

I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?

We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.

Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough?

Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope. I believe in America. In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: the 'Great Depression', 'World War II', the 'Korean War', the 'Kennedy Assassination', the 'Vietnam War', the 1970s oil crisis and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this:

'You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to 'Action' for people who, like me, believe in America. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had 'enough.'

Cap's parting thoughts - Jebus. Couldn't we have THIS for a president? Sure he's 82 now - but where have you been Lee? I've always thought Lee would have been a fantastic president.
(at least now I have my write-in candidate!)

Nancy Surrenders

Without getting any concessions from Bush on the Iraq funding bill, it appears that the opposition has folded and completely given up.

Pelosi, Hoyer, Obey, Emanuel- all caved to the statue of Bush. I have a feeling the discussion after the meeting went something like this, "Oh well, time to go on break for Memorial Day! Hey that's okay, Iraq will just end when Bush is out of office. But we'll LOOK strong by kind of pretending to stand up to him for a few minutes. Okay, you're right, a couple seconds."

And the part that no one seems to have figured out - This war isn't going to end when Bush leaves office. (Shock!) What's this you say? Hey, check the banner.

Believe it or not, the D or the R's are not going to end the war.
If you think they are - you. are. wrong.

The big question I wonder - was this an engineered failure, or are these people really that stupid?

They keep thinking that Bush is a dunce.

I think of this battle much like that of Luke Skywalker just before he left to 'talk' to the Emperor. "Do not underestimate the power of the Emperor." were Yoda's final words.
Did Luke listen? Hell no - and what happened? Electric hell fire flew out of the Emperor's hands, and that pretty much almost killed him.

Now, granted, Yoda didn't exactly tell him, "Hey, this wrinkled up prune is a Dark Lord of the Sith and threw the friggin' Senate at me once." Luckily for Luke, all of his Daddy issues were resolved at the right moment. But that's not my point. The point is that the Democrats continue to underestimate Bush on every opportunity that is handed to them.

They just keep failing.

These are our leaders? These people expect to win by a landslide next election? They had better start showing more brains than, "well, we're for whatever Bush is against." That hasn't worked in 2 presidential elections.

It should be mentioned, that the Dems won the last Congressional election. Or, the other side of that black/white coin is that the Repubs lost because of two words: Mukaka and Abramoff. And even with that, it was a close horse race. Then there's our Vice President who almost was kicked out without so much a kiss goodbye in the Senate.

Bottom line. Stand up. Be leaders. Or shut your mouth and don't be surprised when you are replaced by even more incompetent people from the oposing party in 'o8.