Difference between Kerry and Bush is clear

"When I was in the Navy, the captain of the boat was in charge and the captain always took responsibility. Today I have a message for the men and women of our Armed forces ... I will take responsibility for the bad as well as the good.''

--Sen. John F. Kerry today at Colton High School in California [LINK]

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See: George "I am not sorry" Bush- -
Aides have to apologize for Bush

A man is big enough to apologize when he, or those he commands, commit an act of evil. A good Christian has the humility to admit he was wrong and to move on. George W. Bush can do neither of these.

Think about that seriously, good readers. Bush couldn't being himself to make a simple apology, which would have been incredibly powerful on his nation's behalf. We decent people of America are sorry...he's supposed to be our first-line representative. The Iraqis weren't looking to Scott McLellan with hopeful eyes or ears. They were looking to Bush. They probably didn't even notice the squeaked-out limp after-the-fact apology forced by the King of Jordan today.

I realize our troops have had to dig up their POW-comrades' cut-up body parts in shallow sand-graves in Iraq. The savagery of our enemy has been abhorrent. The answer is not this appalling cruelty in return....not if we mean what we say about winning the Iraqi heart and trust in the good faith of our intentions. Convincing Iraqis of our good faith is already a challenge when you're bombing a nation to rubble. Torturing prisoners who may or may not be guilty of a damned thing? Definitely worth an immediate apology. If we're truly "better" than savages, then there should be no question.

Once again, why couldn't Bush bring himself to do it on Arab television? I submit that Bush doesn't have the character of the kind of leader we so desperately need in this post-9-11 world.

Today in History---

1940- John Steinbeck wins Pulitzer for "The Grapes of Wrath"

"It don't matter (if they kill me). I'll be all around in the dark. I'll be everywhere, wherever you look. Wherever there's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad. I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry and they know supper's ready and where people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build. I'll be there, too."

--Tom Joad / From "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck

Rumsfeld had better go soon...and take Wolfowitz with him

If Rumsfeld goes, Wolfowitz and Feith must surely go along with him. If Bush wants to salvage his presidency, he'd best ditch these three before Colin Powell bolts and flushes them all down the toilet by simply telling the truth.

This headline, Bush backs Rumsfeld as Pentagon chief may be the definitive "turning point" for Bush's presidency. He may have just secured a guaranteed loss in November. I'm beginning to think Bush, along with his protected Rumsfeld, Feith, and Wolfowitz, are all suffering with some form of delusional psychosis.

"All but the most blindly devoted Bush supporters can see that Bush administration officials have no clue about what to do in Iraq tomorrow, much less a month from now."

--Robert Kagan [LINK]

*This is not something I'd expect to hear from Robert Kagan. See Rodger Payne's conversation with Mr. Kagan this past February

Also see Slate- the book club/American Power, Past and Present
Our legitimacy problem.
By Niall Ferguson and Robert Kagan

This Veteran is an important Voice on the Abu Ghraib issue

I highly recommend that you read Vet's running commentary on the situation. He's an experienced and reasoned voice.

VOICE OF A VETERAN

Vet's latest:

New Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Tenet Calendar Link on the Right Side of This Blog

UPDATE: We'll just focus on Rumsfeld first - he needs to leave now. But here's the problem: Wolfowitz will take over - the 2nd in command at DoD who was unaware of the true casualty figures in Iraq when questioned last week - inexcusable from a prime architect for the war that didn't need to happen. But then, "unaware" is the word of the week from this administration, pitifully put forward by Rumsfeld as some sort of defense for his ignorance of the Iraqi prison debacle. That was followed by George Bush who said he was "disappointed" in Mr. Rumsfeld for not keeping the White House informed of the situation. The blind leading the blind leading the blind...

_____________________________

This rings so true:

We are officially now in a Quagmire, with a capital Q:

(1) We have lost the support of those Iraqis who supported us
(2) We have lost any chance for impacting the Muslim world
(3) We have created potentially long-lasting damage within the military that could take years (like Vietnam) to overcome
(4) Our pronouncements for freedom and democracy in the Middle East now mean little because we don't "walk-the-talk."
(5) Our country becomes more and more divided in half
(6) Our allies, many of whom we've blown off, can't help us


Who is responsible? You don't have to listen to any media to know that it's those in charge. It begins at the top:

(1) With a government that works in secrecy
(2) With a government that disregards human rights (e.g. Guantanimo)
(3) With a government that is throwing the baby out with the bath water in terms of our individual rights (Patriot Acts I and II)
(4) With Cabinet members who don't know what's going on during their watch or allow illegal or unethical activities to exist.
(5) With a disregard for the proper uses of our military in pre-emptive wars, and the personal (and now mental) dismantling of our citizen solders (the National Guard and the Reserves), the vast majority of whom do their best to assist our active duty troops.

_________________________

Most important, I think:

I would be remiss if I didn't dish out some well-deserved criticism of a few liberal (even some progressive), vocal critics now also airing their dismay on various blogs. Some of you are taking this opportunity to come out of your military-hating closet that you've felt forced to be in throughout the Afghanistan-Iraq wars. That is exactly the wrong thing to be doing right now. Let's put the blame where it belongs and not spread it where it doesn't belong.

Bush presidency in serious jeopardy over Iraq

GE and Siemens have pulled out of Iraq (Siemens for good, GE for now) due to the insecurity and the perception that it's all coming apart.
In India (where we've "helped them along" by outsourcing so many American jobs) the markets are plummeting as uncertainties directly related to Iraq are causing concern. Investors all over the world are in a tizzy with confusion over the ongoing bad news from Iraq. Some investors are pulling out their hair with worry that a Bush loss in November could jeopardize their "investor-friendly" tax policies.

Colin Powell is ready to break free of this administration. The tension between Powell and Rumsfeld hangs like a wall of ice on an August dog-day. I can just feel a CBS 60 Minutes segment coming on. When a soldier like Gen. Powell breaks ranks, you know you have a problem.

Rummy has his own problems.

We have nothing but a pile of twisted anger to which we'll hand over sovereignty (not) on June 30. If we proceed blindly, proudly with this obsolete dream, then the dawn of July 1 will bring civil war...just in time for the summer-sweltering Iraqi killing fields to witness the mixing of oil and dust with more blood. Perhaps the CNN and FOX cameras will be instructed to be turned off at that time. June 30 will be the cut-off date for them, too, perhaps. Then we shall not have to see the gore and the death. When American media stops the drumbeating...when the cameramen and those fair-skinned men and women with the windblown hair, microphones, khaki-colored bullet-proof vests, and Chiclet-white teeth are all gone home, it will surely mean the Iraqis are all happy as clams and that the mighty President Bush has set them free, caught Saddam, created a new and democratic government, and left a beautiful freedom behind. All will be set straight in old Persia then.

Right?

One year ago today on Iddybud


ASHLEIGH BANFIELD'S REMARKS (full-text)
MSNBC's Banfield Slams War Coverage
April 29, 2003

MAN ON HORSEBACK
By PAUL KRUGMAN

Media AWOL in noting irony of Bush's flight
By Eric Zorn

Bechtel tied to bin Ladens

Meet Your War Cabinet

The Pentagon's one-size-fits-all 'liberation' is a disaster in Iraq
Jonathan Steele in Baghdad

Economy/States: Rescue's Just Not Part of the Plan"
Washington Post May 4, 2003

WAR'S A DIFFICULT BUSINESS WHEN YOU'RE FACING THE ENEMY--AND HE'S TEN YEARS OLD.
Killing a child: 'I did what I had to do'
08.04.2003
REUTERS


Wanted: New Player for the "Axis of Evil Team"

**And more....see my link.

Check out my incredibly-musically-talented friends' new CDs....


I think you'll like them.

Disney Company too afraid of the Bushes and their political revenge to allow distribution of Michael Moore's "Farenheit 911" in North America

According to Michael Moore's agent, last spring Michael Eisner expressed particular concern that allowing Miramax to distribute Moore's new movie "Farenheit 911" would endanger tax breaks Disney receives for its theme park, hotels and other ventures in Florida, where Mr. Bush's brother, Jeb, is governor.

"It's not in the interest of any major corporation to be dragged into a highly charged partisan political battle," an unnamed Disney senior executive has said.

An important question is asked:

Should this be happening in a free and open society where the monied interests essentially call the shots regarding the information that the public is allowed to see?

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Update: Sen. Frank Lautenberg (DN.J.) asked the Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday to hold hearings to address "a disturbing pattern of politically based corporate censorship" in America.