Stuck in Iraq Mud, U.S. Lost Track of Iran

Stuck in Iraq Mud, U.S. Lost Track of Iran

There is a damning article in the Jerusalem Post about the lateness in the day to spin gold from the shredded landscape and failed hopes in Iraq. I fear that our President, with his series of misjudgements and misleadings, has made a mess of things - and to be honest, I am genuinely afraid of what his administration will do from here. I know I am not alone.

My hope is that President Bush will root out the failure from his administration and show America and the world that he recognizes how seriously astray we've gone by taking our eyes off nuclear proliferation while we took pre-emptive action against a nation with no 9/11 connection - - a nation we understood so little about.

Excerpt:

The world marked the third anniversary this week of the US's invasion of Iraq and the day columns of tanks entered Baghdad to topple Saddam Hussein's regime.

But once triumphed as the beginning of a new world order, the invasion may have had the opposite effect, former senior Israeli officials said Monday.

Backing Dayan's concern regarding America's ability to act against Iran while stuck in Iraqi mud, Prof. Uzi Arad - a former Mossad official and the founding head of the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya - said Israel was also at fault for the US's wrong list of priorities.

While America originally thought the war in Iraq would empower it to deal with Iran, it in fact had the opposite effect, Arad said. Israel, he added, also had high hopes for the war in Iraq but all of those had similarly disappeared.

"Israel hoped Iraq would turn pro-Western, would prosper and would become another country that supported peace with Israel," said Arad, who also served as foreign policy adviser to former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. "We thought it [the war] would be able to serve as an example of what democratization can do in the Middle East."

Israel and the US, Arad said, were "caught up in a wrong set of priorities" and instead of invading Iraq and disengaging from the Gaza Strip, the countries should have invested their efforts in curbing Iran's race for nuclear power.

"There is no reason why Iran could not have been referred to the United Nations Security Council a year or two ago before it was at the stage of enriching its uranium like it is now," he said

Zinn: Uninformed Americans Are Vulnerable to Government Deception

Zinn: Uninformed Americans Are Vulnerable to Government Deception

Howard Zinn asks: How could anyone listening to the younger Bush believe him as he laid out the reasons for invading Iraq?

Chertoff Says Arab-State Controlled US Ports would be "Safer"

Chertoff Says Arab-State Controlled US Ports would be "Safer"

This is rich. Our Homeland Security chief says we would have been SAFER with the UAE government controlling our ports.

Only a complete idiot would fail to understand that comments like this are political poison while we're at war in Afghanistan and Iraq and because of our lack of control of security in either theater. While there is any risk of regional war in the Middle East, comments like Chertoff's are going to make American citizens extremely non-confident in his commitment to protecting the Homeland.

GOP: From Rubber Stamp to Lost in the Woods

GOP: From Rubber Stamp to Lost in the Woods

David Brooks on Republicans:

If you wanted to put these changes in a nutshell, you'd say the Republicans have gone from soaring Bushian universalism to nervous, dumbed-down Huntingtonism.

More like "Rubber Stamp" to "Lost in The Woods".

Republicans have lost their moral compass (and the one they were using had been defective for some time).

I have this idea for a commercial to define these Republicans. Imagine, if you would, a campaign ad with a cute little animated cartoon Rubber Stamp with arms and legs - walking along holding hands with a cartoon version of President Bush.

Suddenly the (political) wind blows a cloud toward them, and as the cloud gets closer, you see it is chock-filled with terrible Bush approval ratings. The cute little Rubber Stamp looks at the cloud, then at Bush as if he's a monster - and pulls away from him - screaming.

Maybe a slogan or song will pop up, such as these lines sung to the tune of the children's song Itsy Bitsy Spider -

Down came the polls and washed way the ink
Now the Rubber Stamp Republicans will have to learn to think..

David Brooks:

"Today, many Republicans have lost patience with Bush's high-minded creedal statements."

Earth To David Brooks. We're tiring of your gullibility. You seem to be one of the few who hasn't quite figured out that Bush is a broken record.

Semantics is .. only important for those who just want people not to talk about the facts, but rather prefer them lost in translations: translation of human drama into body counts, translation of daily killings into ‘war concepts’, translation of truth into lies.
- Frank Biancheri

Oglala Sioux Woman to Challenge S.D. on Abortion

Oglala Sioux Woman to Challenge S.D. on Abortion

The news is spreading like wildfire. When South Dakota moved to outlaw abortion, I'd had many diiscussions with fellow bloggers about my hunch: the Native Americans would challenge South Dakota's law by opening up opportunities for women's freedom to choose on their reservations. It looks like it's happening.

[Indianz.com]The President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, was incensed. A former nurse and healthcare giver she was very angry that a state body made up mostly of white males, would make such a stupid law against women.

“To me, it is now a question of sovereignty,” she said to me last week. “I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction.”

Strong words from a very strong lady. I hope Ms. Fire Thunder challenges Gov. Rounds and the state legislators on this law that is an affront to all independent women."

Blogger Kathryn called Ms. Fire Thunder of the Oglala Sioux and got permission to post her e-mail address and other information.

Amanda Marcotte has a thoughtful post at Pandagon.
Mustang Bobby has expressed his support.
PZ Myers suggests: How about if we give South Dakota to the Oglala Sioux?

Note: The Oglala Sioux have a rich history in America. See this post, which includes a discussion of some of that history.

Catching Up

Catching Up

Sorry I haven't posted a lot this week. I was hit by the flu late last week and it wiped me out!

Here's some things I've been writing about:

US Ready to Talk with Iran on Iraq - [One America] )

The Iraq War on its Third Anniversary - [One America]

Raising the Federal Minimum Wage - The Myths vs. The Realities - [One America]

Nir Rosen: Witness to Iraq

Nir Rosen: Witness to Iraq

If you do nothing else today and you wish to know what is happening on the ground in Iraq from an unembedded reporter, please read Nir Rosen. [cached version]

Don't bother with Stephen Hayes. As usual, he's feeding the right bloggers a steaming bowl of shite and I'm sure they'll swallow it whole.

All My Children

All My Children

Dedicated to my own Mom

My son, my nieces...they are such an important part of my life.


We take them on long journeys.



They seem so small - and suddenly we realize how tall they've grown while we weren't paying attention.


Next thing you know, your little guy's meeting the President of the United States.


..and he's attending the Presidential inauguration (2005).


We remember the days when they weren't so big - and sometimes wish we could keep them that way.


When they still believed in the Easter Bunny and fairies.


When they could have fun simply by using their imagination...dreaming..


As caring parents, we attend every school sporting and music event. We mark every educational achievement.


As they grow and face a sometimes chaotic world, we hope they never forget the value of solitude and the sunshine on their face.


My favorite Christmas gift from last year.


I had to add this last photo - it's priceless. My niece (in the background) is taking great joy from the fact that she teased her baby sister. She has this cute (evil) smile on her face.

President Bush Gives Volunteer Award to Msgr. Champlin

President Bush Gives Volunteer Award to Msgr. Champlin
Congratulations to Monsignor Joseph Champlin, who received the President's Volunteer Service Award directly from President Bush yesterday when the President visited Canandaigua, N.Y. The Monsignor is being recognized for founding the Guardian Angel Society in 1997, helping to raise nearly $2 million for tuition assistance and technology updates at the Cathedral school here in Syracuse, NY. The Cathedral school has 100 kids, 20 percent of them Catholic, a majority African-American and 75 percent below poverty-level income. The Guardian Angel Society also supports ongoing education for graduates and a community mentoring program.

I have a special place in my heart for Father Champlin, not only for being one of the most inspirational priests I've ever known, but also because he baptized my son. While he was at Cathedral, he invite the Ecumenical group with whom I sing to perform at least once a year.

He has run every year in the Camillus Veterans Memorial 5k Run, which traditionally kicks off our annual Memorial Day parade. A gifted writer, he has penned many books about Catholicism and sprituality. He has struggled with bone marrow cancer, diagnosed with a rare form of the disease in 2002. He wrote a book titled From Time to Eternity and Back: A Priest's Successful Struggle with Cancer. My own mother read and was comforted by the book in her last days in her own battle with cancer. One of my favorite books by Father Champlin is Slow Down, which is a book of five-minute meditations on God and spirituality. (Read a sample - "Blessings in Burdens" - pdf file)

There's a very good article about Father Champlin at the Syracuse New Times.

Father Joe - I am so very happy for you! Congratulations.

Jay Rosen on Newspaper Blogging

Jay Rosen on Newspaper Blogging

Jay Rosen has a new blogpost on newspaper blogging.
See: The Six Degrees of Newspaper Blogging and Why the Guardian is Ahead. [Huffington Post]

See Press Think's Blue Plate Special feature by Briana Mowrey on John Robinson, editor of the News & Record in Greensboro, NC.

The Democrats' Biggest Mistake

The Democrats' Biggest Mistake

At Shadow of the Hegemon, there's a quote from Adam Cohen's recent NYT article about the political power of bloggers:

With very few exceptions, national Democrats in Washington see the blogosphere as composed of uninformed, ranting, dirty masses who need to be kept as far away as possible.

The Democrats are missing the boat with this kind of snobbery. After Howard Dean raised millions of dollars from internet campaigning, they should know better. And I imagine they haven't seen the Wesley Clark grassroots website. During the 2004 campaign, John Kerry had an excellent blogging website.

Former Senator and 2004 VP candidate John Edwards has most recently harnessed some very informed and persuasive citizen-bloggers at the new One America Committee blog. By the time 2008 rolls around, some of these national Democrats, much too late, will realize the organizing power of the netroots and likely won't know what the hell hit them. I would hope, by the sheer power of the ideas laid out by the bloggers at the new Edwards blog, that mainstream media will take notice and offer respectful commentary. If I may offer a personal example of mainstream media giving more credibility to bloggers than some representatives from my own party, my city's newspaper asked me to blog politics at their own website over two years ago. [The Rational Liberal]

Are national Democrats missing a very important boat?

We bloggers don't sit out here and do this work for free because we have ulterior motives or unwashed intentions. Most of us, I'd wager, by the gift of a lot more free time, are more informed by our own conscience and our own choice of reading material than many of our elected representatives. It would behoove them to listen to what's happening out here.

In politics, elitism will get the Democrats nowhere - ever. It turns people off. It may make them popular with pseudo-intellectuals, but there are a lot of concerned and very-much informed common-sense people out here who knew - in 2003, for example, that the Iraq War was an unjust, dangerous, futile, and chaotic mess just waiting to happen.

The Republicans are much better at this game. National Republicans have understood the power that exists on the netroots level, especially when given wings by the support of the national party. They derive much power from acknowledging the credibility of the concerns of their constitiuents. National Republicans have invested in RedState.org, a popular site for Republican citizens to discuss the issues of the day, and you'd be hard-pressed to see Republican leaders laying waste to the intelligence levels of the citizens who care enough to discuss the issues there.

See a further discussion at Crooks and Liars.

Feingold Censure: Will Democrats Stand For Law Breaking?

Feingold Censure: Will Democrats Stand For Law Breaking?

George Clooney is swearing about meek Democrats. (see "I am A Liberal - There, I Said It!" - and great, but what took you so long, George?) Update: [Sheesh - Clooney didn't even write it as presented on HuffPo.]

Molly Ivins is cussing about them too.

Senator Russ Feingold gave Bush a much-needed "what for" yesterday, offering his resolution for censure of Bush on the NSA wiretapping issue.

I suspect that Clooney and Ivins will be disgusted to learn that the Democratic establishment fears the party may appear "extremist" because of Senator Feingold's resolution. If they back away from Senator Feingold now, they'll look like people with no conviction or willingness to protect the People they have sworn to represent. The idea of our President deciding that it's perfectly fine to ignore any standing law and cover his ass later on - and getting away with it time after time - is a frightening thought for those who carefully tend the gardens of democracy.

Senator Feingold is one of those careful garden-tenders. I think that he made a world of common sense yesterday. He made his case strongly, making it clear that the President broke the law - plain and simple. Bush has a pattern of breaking the law, then having his administration and rubber-stamper Republicans fold in behind him to stare down his crevasse of lies and come up with a new law to fill in the deep cracks. That is absolutely anti-American and Senator Feingold was correct in his final lines about the terrorists winning if we allow anyone - even a President - to break the law.

Americans are shaky on Bush. We don't "just trust him." He's f**ked up on Iraq after rushing headlong into it and lying us into it. He's been caught covering for his errors so many times that his lack of humility, forthrightness, and truth-telling doesn't even shock us like it used to. If we lived in a nation of dolts, we would likely be happy to have Bush as our Dolt King. But we're not dolts - and we know what the king of the dolts has done.

When the shock wears off and you get used to your President saying "Screw you, I'm President" to the rule of law one too many times, you know it's time to censure the man. He's not a King. We have a system of government that has not changed in over 200 years. Bush is a deviant and it must be pointed out.

Russ Feingold knows it. Why don't his Democratic colleagues? Their shying away from the Censure is just as dishonest, to my way of thinking, as George W. Bush when he fails to account for his law-breaking. I thought the Democrats showed extreme cowardice when they backed away from Senator Feingold on his concerns about the Patriot Act. When the Democrats decide to go numb to please the mainstream media, they will also have a numbing effect on people who are looking for ethical and rule-abiding leaders. If they believe they are scoring points with moderate voters by abandoning what is right and just, they are sadly mistaken. They lose much respect from American citizens every time they fail to take a unified stand.

You've got lobbyist-pampered Republicans like Sallie Mae's favorite puppet John Boehner calling Senator Feingold's words on the Senate floor yesterday "political grandstanding of the very worst kind." Senator Feingold doesn't strike most Americans that way. I believe that most people in tune with politics see Senator Feingold as a fairly quiet person of reason and common sense, which is why so many ears perk up when he gets up to speak.

For those Americans who are not in tune with politics, they heard next to nothing about Senator Feingold's Resolution on the nightly news last night. Will Democrats leave Senator Feingold swinging in the breeze again? If that's what they have decided, my respect for them as individuals have dropped down the shaft.

Give us an ethical, moral, principled leader who not only can create a spirit of unity in the party, but will stand by his or her convictions with humble demeanor and firm, convincing reason - along with a swift readiness and ability to defend him/herself from the daggers of political attacks. As things stand today, I'm wondering if there is one Democrat in all of Washington, D.C. that I would stand behind with the utmost confidence that they were that kind of leader.

Looking into the halls of D.C., Russ Feingold is about as close as it comes.

And I'm no extremist.

______

UPDATE: Senator Feingold Calls Silent Democrats Cowards [Think Progress]


Anonymoses predicts that "Censure parties" will erupt around the world.

Carte Blanche parties can spring up all over Jesusland, and the money can be used to stuff into the mouths of Chris Matthews and Rush Limbaugh.

Screwy Hoolie has a simple task for you to complete:

If we don't stand up for our Constitutional values, then no one else will. Russ Feingold is doing what we asked. Now it's our turn to take part in our democracy. As we're seeing with the plan to sell off our National Forests, public pressure can turn the most hard-hearted conservatives into servants of the progressive movement. Go ahead and make the call or write the letter. Then tell your friends to do the same.

Just keep banging away at them until they buckle, Senator Feingold. Scrutiny Hooligans salute you.

Iddybud salutes you, too, Senator Feingold.

Here's an easy way to let your Representatives know. While most politicians sat back and weighed the political pros and cons of holding the president accountable, Senator Feingold stuck his neck out and did it. Now it's up to us to show broad public support. Can you sign this MoveOn.org petition asking Congress to join the call for censure?

Chile Elects First Female President

Chile Elects First Female President


Meet Michelle Bachelet, Chile's new President.

In what is being viewed as a major change in the existing social scenario in Chile, one of Latin America’s most conservative nations, appointed its first ever woman president. In this remarkably progressive step, socialist, Michelle Bachelet, who was in political exile and an ex-prisoner of the military dictatorship, was sworn in Saturday as Chile’s first female president on Saturday in the country’s coastal city of Valparaiso which is home to the congress. The ceremony was attended by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice along with other luminaries from as many as 120 different countries. - [24X7Updates]

Adam Cohen's advice for Netroots

Adam Cohen's advice for Netroots

Adam Cohen has an idea for netroots insiders. [NY Times]

The Democratic establishment could not hold the netroots back even if it wanted to. Their ability to raise money, recruit volunteers and shape the debate will make them indispensable. What "Crashing the Gates" is short on is policy: ideas for providing health care, improving education, and all the other things that make it important which party wins. As the gates swing open, that should be the next item on the agenda.

I couldn't help but wonder, as I read Mr. Cohen's article, what Jerome Armstrong - who is founder of myDD.com and an adviser to the political action committee for Mark Warner - must be thinking about Molly Ivins' trashing of former Virginia governor's candidacy. [All on the same day that Warner is showcased as an "anti-Hillary" in the NY Times' magazine].

John Edwards News & Observer Interview

Senator John Edwards, considered a prospective candidate for president in 2008, recently spoke with News & Observer [Raleigh/Durham] editor Jane Ruffin.

Because I Can - (Tar Heel Tavern)

Because I Can..(Tar Heel Tavern)
This entry has been made especially for Billy the Blogging Poet's Tar Heel Tavern edition.

I play with my cell phone camera on a lazy Saturday afternoon - just because I can.

Check out my Republican and Democrat Beanie Babies. Note that in MY office, the Democrat always shows dominance over the Republican.



I can take a photo of my latest hair cut.



I'm cat blogging because I can. I know it's cheesy, but I've placed my Eliot Spitzer 2006 sign in a strategically noticeable place.



I took a walk through my village, then a ride through the surrounding countryside.



The photo directly above, on the right, is a Ukranian Orthodox church, which springs up majestically from the hills as you're driving along.




Syracuse University is playing Pitt this evening, and my friendly neighborhood Inn is expecting a big crowd for the game.



The photo below is of the Erie Canal, which is within easy walking distance of my home.



The upstate New York countryside..




When I say I am an American, I mean I come from a long line of Americans. My great grandmother Isabell was born in 1780. Think about that. She was an infant during the American Revolution when the Battle of Yorktown was being fought in 1781...before the signing of the US Constitution. She lived right here in Camillus where I live today. Isabell is buried in a very quiet, tiny country cemetary about 3 miles from where I am now living. I visit her often. Her husband John, my great-grandfather, was the son of a patriot - a Revolutionary War soldier. You can see my image as I'm taking a photo of Isabell's stone. It says:

Isabell
Wife of John Pelton
Died February 16, 1840
Age 60 years

I'll end with the moon - and I bid you a Goodnight.

SD State Senator Napoli - Abortion OK for 'Pious' Virgins

SD State Senator Napoli - Abortion OK for 'Pious' Virgins
Misogyny Rears its Head With Outlawing of Abortion
Dear God, Do They Really Think That Way?

I've seen some mocking of South Dakota state legislator Bill Napoli's statement on the PBS Newshour regarding the way an unwanted pregnancy can "threaten" the life of a young religious virgin woman. [Napoli had supported exemptions for cases of rape or incest to the state's abortion ban.]

BILL NAPOLI: A real-life description to me would be a rape victim, brutally raped, savaged. The girl was a virgin. She was religious. She planned on saving her virginity until she was married. She was brutalized and raped, sodomized as bad as you can possibly make it, and is impregnated. I mean, that girl could be so messed up, physically and psychologically, that carrying that child could very well threaten her life.

Let's take a step or two further, for the sake of humanity vs. gender-stereotypical religious triumphalism. Values are values. Life is life.

I didn't have to investigate to know which religious platform Napoli was speaking from. As a Catholic myself, I immediately recognized Napoli's rhetoric as "Catholicspeak." What if the virgin was a Muslim? A Wiccan? A Buddhist?

If Napoli can see how a young woman's life is "threatened" when she suddenly realizes she has an unexpected and unwanted pregnancy to deal with, then Bill Napoli is admitting that there are lives ruined and he's admitting that deep emotional scars are left behind because of the pregnancy rather than the abortion. And he's right. If he came out of his triumphalist shell, he might understand how forcing a young woman to endure an unwanted pregnancy, brought about by any means, can shatter her life's plans and/or contribute to mental illness and the suicide rate.

Napoli is dead wrong in saying that any young woman who isn't a regular Christian church-goer, and who gets raped, deserves to have her life "threatened." That is an extremely ignorant, misogynistic, and dangerous way to think. It's saying that it's okay to rape and impregnate a non-virgin because she's a dirty whore. Rapists: stay away from the church-goin' gals - grab yourself a filthy slut and South Dakota will make you s Daddy.

As the aunt of five beautiful young nieces, now children, I cringe at the thought of them growing up in today's South Dakota. Our young women need to grow up with a sense of pride, freedom, equality, respect, and dignity without the men (or women) in their government making rules about who is "decent" and who is not when it comes to their intimate choices. For all the GOP negative talk about "socialism," they become complete hypocrites by making the choices for our young women that they should be making themselves. We parents raise our girls the way we think they should go and the option to worship or not to participate in religion is completely up to the individual. If freedom of conscience is respected, as our forefathers have prescribed, government has no right to judge who is eligible for a safe, legal abortion and who is not.

If SD State Senator Bill Napoli's narrow-valued religious triumphalism had ruled the day, allowing exemptions for only freshly raped, impregnated "religious virgins" to obtain abortions in South Dakota, I guarantee you'd see a hell of a lot more rape charges going up against young South Dakota men and a lot more pregnant girls claiming to be "pious." Let's not push our young generation into this kind of false faith, fear, and judgement. It's ugly. It's apparent that misogyny has existed perenially in South Dakota. It's all rearing its ugly head once again. The abortion ban is betraying religious bigotry and public leaders are promoting a gross misunderstanding of mental illness. What a shameful step backward for women in America and their freedom of conscience.

Note: South Dakota lawmakers have rejected the idea of allowing any exemptions for cases of rape or incest to the state's abortion ban, leaving all South Dakota women subject to misogyny and disregard for their freedom and conscience. In essence, Bill Napoli, in his own way, made an admission that women are emotionally scarred by unwanted pregnancy. If I was a mother of a young man OR woman living in South Dakota today, I'd move out of that state to ensure that my children lived in an environment of the spirit of the freedom that our Founding Fathers intended for them. South Dakota will not get my tourism dollars and I will not do business with any South Dakota firms while this draconian law remains on their books.

American Street's Kevin Hayden says that South Dakota’s "sex nazis" deserve their own country. I couldn't say it any better.

Raise the Federal Minimum Wage

Raise the Federal Minimum Wage

From the One America Committee:
Let's raise the federal minimum wage!

Raising the minimum wage would be a major victory in the fight against poverty, and it could spearhead other much-needed reforms that together could make widespread poverty a thing of the past. So please, co-sign Senator Kennedy’s proposal to raise the minimum wage, and tell your friends and family to do the same.

Is Bill Giving Hillary Bad Advice?

Is Bill Giving Hillary Bad Advice?

It sounds to me as if Bill Clinton may be giving his wife some bum advice on "the strong thing."

A "strong woman," to me, means being a woman of realistic conviction as well as being a woman who is a trustworthy, capable, and job-worthy Commander in Chief. Of course, conviction is subjective. If a woman, from where we stand today, expresses the conviction that we need to stay in Iraq one nanosecond longer than we should while holding to the conviction that her vote on the Iraq War Resolution was valuable, it is the kind of conviction that would drive the majority of Americans away from her at the voting booth. Let's be blunt. One look at the public polls will show any intelligent person that the American public thinks the Iraq War was not worth the fuss, the death, or the treasure. When 70 percent of Republicans believe civil war will break out in Iraq, you know that cold reality is hitting the frying pan and splattering the burning grease of truth onto the lap of Washington D.C.

Hillary needs a new recipe.

72% Troops in Iraq: End War in 2006

72% Troops in Iraq: End War in 2006

A new Le Moyne College/Zogby Poll shows just one in five troops want to heed Bush call to stay “as long as they are needed.” The survey included 944 military respondents interviewed at several undisclosed locations throughout Iraq. It was conducted in conjunction with Le Moyne College's Center for Peace and Global Studies.

While 89% of reserves and 82% of those in the National Guard said the U.S. should leave Iraq within a year, 58% of Marines think so. Seven in ten of those in the regular Army thought the U.S. should leave Iraq in the next year. Moreover, about three-quarters of those in National Guard and Reserve units favor withdrawal within six months, just 15% of Marines felt that way. About half of those in the regular Army favored withdrawal from Iraq in the next six months.

The troops have drawn different conclusions about fellow citizens back home. Asked why they think some Americans favor rapid U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, 37% of troops serving there said those Americans are unpatriotic.

Almost 90% think the Iraq war is retaliation for Saddam’s role in 9/11, and most don’t blame the Iraqi public for insurgent attacks. The continuing insurgent attacks have not turned U.S. troops against the Iraqi population, the survey shows. More than 80% said they did not hold a negative view of Iraqis because of those attacks. However, less than a third think that if non-Iraqi terrorists could be prevented from crossing the border into Iraq, the insurgency would end.

My first impression is that, if 90% of those interviewed believe that Saddam Hussein actually had a role in 9/11 (a myth of which no reputable journalist has ever found proof), then it's no wonder that 37% of them would think it's "unpatriotic" for any of us here at home to demand a troop withdrawl. I hate to say this, but it seems that they are relying on false information, and I wonder who's feeding it to them over there. Is it Rush Limbaugh, the lying gasbag they hear in Iraq on American Forces Radio?

A BIT OF RECENT HISTORY REGARDING AMERICAN FORCES RADIO:

[See Media Matters' petition to have the Limbaugh propaganda removed]

[See Iowa Senator Tom Harkin's statement where he took issue with the fact that there was no commentary on the American Forces Radio service that would even begin to balance the extreme right-wing views that Rush Limbaugh routinely expresses on his program.]

[Last October, New York Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter called for an Inspector General investigation into the partisan bias of AFN programming.]

[See where American Forces Radio Network (AFRN), after plans to air Ed Schultz' progressive talk radio program were scrapped by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Allison Barber, the "coach" of the now-infamous staged, scripted satellite feed featuring President Bush and troops in Iraq.]

[Blogger Brian Maloney has called the AFN Schultz shunning by the Department of Defense a "phony scenario" - but here we are four months later and is Schultz' voice is anywhere to be found in Iraq? The jury is still out on that one. American Forces Radio began airing “The Ed Schultz Show,” nearly two months after the controversial host was originally scheduled to hit the airwaves. Last December, the first hour of Schultz’s daily show, along with the first hour of the Al Franken radio show and the Sean Hannity show, was broadcast Monday through Friday over the network’s Voice Channel. HOWEVER (and here's the kick in the ass) - not everyone is able to hear the new shows.]

[Last January, the DOD news site wrote about a survey being conducted asking questions of 10,000 service members and Department of Defense civilian employees overseas to determine what they're looking for in radio programming provided by American Forces Network.]

Limbaugh has had the clear propaganda advantage in Iraq. He has made significant inroads into the minds of many of these soldiers, bombarding them with irresponsible misinformation for over the past three years. Let's face it - by the time this DOD survey about radio preference is completed, the troops will probably be home from Iraq - because regardless of what they think about their AFN radio service, 72% have stated, loud and clear, that they think it's time to draw down.

_____


Related: A post by John Zogby. [Huffington Post]