Telegraph UK- How the Chinese helped Iraq fight the US
Filed: December 14, 2003
Beijing know-how was handed over to Saddam as air strikes began

Note of Warning: A source in this article is well-known to be unreliable because of his vested political interests.
In another recent WMD-related controversy surrounding a Colonel al-Dabbagh, it is said:

"....In al-Dabbagh’s case the presumption should be that his evidence is not to be believed, given that he is a man with a definite political agenda. His aim is not only to support Blair’s claims that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, but also to insist that they are a continued threat that can be employed by remnants of the old regime. In this way he hopes to justify further repression by the occupation forces and their puppet government, for which he functions as an advisor.
As was so often the case, if al-Dabbagh claim of origin is to be believed then the intelligence cited in the September dossier came from forces anxious to bolster the case for war against Iraq and with a vested interest in the Bush administration’s plans for regime change."

Now That Saddam's Officially Gone....

Now that Saddam's Officially Gone...


Read this Toronto Star article from June 7, 2003.
It still rings true.

*I recalled the article because I had used it in my blog of June 7.*

All that...and Dr. David Kelly is still dead.
"Dr. David WHO!??", you say?

William Rivers Pitt on John Kerry

If you take an interest in the Democratic race for the Presidenial nomination, you'll want to read this article by the intuitive William Rivers Pitt.
He sat in Al Franken's living room on Thursday, December 4th, for a pow-wow with (or shall we call it a grilling of) Democratic candidate John Kerry.
The impressive list of guests were:

"Al Franken and his wife Franni;
Rick Hertzberg, senior editor for the New Yorker;
David Remnick, editor for the New Yorker;
Jim Kelly, managing editor for Time Magazine;
Howard Fineman, chief political correspondent for Newsweek;
Jeff Greenfield, senior correspondent and analyst for CNN;
Frank Rich, columnist for the New York Times;
Eric Alterman, author and columnist for MSNBC and the Nation;
Art Spiegelman, Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist/author of ‘Maus’;
Richard Cohen, columnist for the Washington Post;
Fred Kaplan, columnist for Slate;
Jacob Weisberg, editor of Slate and author;
Jonathan Alter, senior editor and columnist for Newsweek;
Philip Gourevitch, columnist for the New Yorker;
Calvin Trillin, freelance writer and author;
Edward Jay Epstein, investigative reporter and author;
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., who needs no introduction."

Highlights of Pitt's Thursday-night-with-Kerry observations:

"....The most revealing moment of the entire event came as it was breaking up. Kerry was slowly working towards the door when he was collared by Art Spiegelman. Though Kerry towered over him, Spiegelman appeared to grow with the intensity of his passion. “Senator,” he said, “the best thing you could do is to is to just come out and say that you were wrong to trust Bush. Say that you though he would keep his promises, but that you gave him more credit than he deserved. Say that you’re sorry, and then turn the debate towards what is best for the country in 2004.”

Kerry nodded, bowed his head, and said, “You’re right. I was wrong to trust him. I’m sorry I did.” And then he was gone."

".....In order to regain any momentum and take the nomination, he will have to convince Dean supporters, more than anyone else, to switch to his camp. Dean’s stand on the war is not the central reason for the support he has gained, but it was what drew the attention of so many would-be Kerry people. That attention, with time, became support. With all the time that has passed, and with Dean’s campaign picking up such momentum, engineering a wholesale switch seems highly unlikely."

See Altercation's "Kerry Conundrum Continued" at this cached site...dated December 5, 2003

See a discussion and poll at Daily Kos.

John Kerry Implodes on FOX News Sunday


I hate to say this..I really like John Kerry.

On a day like today (interestingly categorized as "enchanting" by Sen Bill Frist), this is where it all falls out.

On FOX News Sunday, Kerry ostracized Americans who are joyous that Saddam Hussein has been captured with a lot of sad-faced complaint.

This is surely not the time.
As a dyed-in-the-wool liberal myself, even I am feeling satisfaction in the hopes that this capture will turn things
around and cause less death all-around.
We've had enough death.

During the interview, Kerry went on to rip away at Democrat front-runner Howard Dean.
He chimed in with Chris Wallace's suggestion that Dean's campaign, because of its alleged "anti-war" focus, would be damaged at the capture of Hussein.
Kerry couldn't agree more.

Here's the conundrum...Dean stated in the last debate that the focus should NOT be on the war.
The focus of election 2004 should be about the people taking back this country.

I think we saw the end of the Kerry campaign today. It was an all-around shabby performance and proof he's out of touch with the pulse of the Democrat of tomorrow.

Today has made the Democratic hopes for a 2004 win far, far more competitive.
This is where the rubber meets the road...where champions shine and partisans whine.
Democrats beware.

Wait until you hear Howard Dean's major speech on foreign policy tomorrow.
He will shine.

Comment: I think today's events will gravely impact Bob Graham's chances that he may have been tapped
for VP by Dean. Wesley Clark and John Edwards will probably be 'A'-list.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

From last week's debate in New Hampshire:

Ted Koppel: "In other words, you're saying, given where we are today, a continuing presence of some number of U.S. troops is going to be essential over a period of, what, years?"

Howard Dean: "Over a period of a few years, until the Iraqis really are able to have a democracy which is strong enough not to allow Al Qaida to emerge and has a constitution that's widely enough respected so they will not have a fundamentalist Shiite regime."

Later in the debate:

Howard Dean: "You know, I just did something that George Bush's father did, I looked at my watch during the debate. We have about 12 minutes left. We've spent almost all our time on Iraq.

Now, Iraq and national security are important, but it's not what this debate's about.

I was in a car the other day with a woman who was a teacher. She told me she'd taught for 23 years. She made a decent salary. Her husband had lost his job, but he was able to find another one that was for less pay.

They made too much to get any help sending their kid to college, and they couldn't afford their one child's tuition for college. That's what this election is about.

This president has lost 3 million jobs. He has given tax cuts to people who make $1 million a year of $112,000. Sixty percent of us got $325.

What this election is about is taking back this country for ordinary people. And we can argue all we want about Iraq..."

(APPLAUSE)

"... but average people can't send their kids to college. Average people have health-care payments every month that are more than their house payments.

We need to talk about how to move George Bush back to Crawford, Texas, so ordinary people in this country don't have to worry about their jobs going to China; so that we can have a president of the United States who doesn't think that big corporations who get tax cuts ought to be able to move their headquarters to Bermuda and their jobs offshore.

So that we do something for small businesses in this country that create 70 percent of the jobs in America and keep their jobs in their community.

What this election is about -- yes, national security is important, but I don't think it's an hour and a quarter out of an hour and a half debate.

We need to talk about jobs. We need to talk to about health insurance for every single American. We need to talk about an education system that's different than No Child Left Behind, which has left so many children and so many teachers behind and given huge unfunded mandates to Americans all over this country.

I do not think the president of the United States, for example, ought to be able to run the school systems of New Hampshire and Iowa, for example, from Washington, D.C., and I don't think Tom DeLay ought to be the chief superintendent. Those are things that we need to talk about as well."

(APPLAUSE)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Birth Brothers..or Mere Coincidence?


You decide.

Saddam Hussein Captured

SADDAM HUSSEIN CAPTURED- Iraqis Fill Streets of Capital, Firing Guns in Celebration

Good work by our brave American forces.
This is their shining moment..most deservedly.

The Army 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division-Operation Red Dawn- did us proud.



They found him hiding like a rat in a hole.
Hopefully, our precious troops will be made safer by this capture.

My question..was this rat hole an effective command-center for the Iraqi resistance?
Who is actually running this show?

I commend whoever made the decision that Saddam be taken alive.
He will serve a far better example alive than dead.
This statement from AP today leads us to believe that the White House may have wished it had happened differently: "Without directly saying so, the White House had clearly preferred to see Saddam killed than captured, as having him in custody raises questions about a trial."

The Guardian asks: How should Saddam's capture be handled? Readers have submitted comments.

Many blogger comments about the Hussein capture can be found at Truth Laid Bear.
And here, TruthLaidBear asks a rather preposterous question, but gets some thoughtful answers.

Now and the near future is the time we will discover what portion of these deadly assaults upon our troops were
Hussein-centered and how much was centered in terrorist-interests. We must remember that these are and always have been two separate entities...the Baathists and the terrorist groups who've swarmed into Iraq since we've begun the pre-emptive campaign. Who are the "dead-enders" and who are the literal suicide-"live wires"?


Let's hope this is true:

"....A Governing Council member, Jalal Talabani, told Iran's official news agency, IRNA, that Saddam's detention will bring stability to Iraq. "With the arrest of Saddam, the source financing terrorists has been destroyed and terrorist attacks will come to an end. Now we can establish a durable stability and security in Iraq," Talabani was quoted as saying."

The President will speak at 12:00 pm (noon) today. It will be broadcast on Dish Network channel 209.

Note: This may save Donald Rumsfeld's job...for the moment.
He really needed this.

AP- Official: Saddam Dug Hole to Hide Himself

Saddam capture good for Bush in many ways


AP- Car Bomb at Iraq Police Station Kills 17

Democratic Candidates' Book List

JOHN EDWARDS


"FOUR TRIALS"


HOWARD DEAN


"WINNING BACK AMERICA"


WESLEY CLARK


"WAGING MODERN WAR"


JOHN KERRY:


"A CALL TO SERVICE-MY VISION FOR A BETTER AMERICA"



DENNIS KUCINICH:


"A PRAYER FOR AMERICA"