We'll never claim to be fair and
balanced, just honest and trustworthy
January 4, 2008
OBAMA WINS IN IOWA!
Why Musharraf Lies About the
Assassination of Benazir Bhutto From Len Hart for The
Existential Cowboy
If
you want to find a culprit, look among those who lie
about the crime. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf
failed to provide security for
Benazir Bhutto. Now --he's lying about Bhutto, his
own role, and the so-called "lone lever" theory of her
death.
Describing the ground ringed by numerous buildings
as a "vulnerable place", Musharraf said: "This time
she went of her volition, ignoring the threat." The
President, who yesterday sought the help of
Britain's Scotland Yard to probe Bhutto's death,
ruled out the involvement of the country's military
and intelligence agencies in the assassination.
"No intelligence agency of Pakistan is
capable of motivating or indoctrinating a man to
blow himself up," he said, adding one has
to find out who gained the most from Bhutto's
killing. "Would I and the government be the maximum
gainer? Or is there someone else who could gain
more?"
Clearly --Musharraf is trying to implicate the man who
Musharraf said blew himself up. Clearly, the Pakistani
Prime Minister has not read this blog, has not watched
YouTube, nor any number of credible sources. Let's clear
this up! Benazir Bhutto was not murdered by the man who
blew himself up! She was not the victim of a "terrorist"
attack! She was, rather, the victim of a professional
hit. I saw at least one gunman on the video and saw at
least two muzzle flashes. The explosion might as well
have been on another planet but for the cover, the
misdirection it might have provided the gunmen.
...the establishment media is already blaming
Al-Qaeda for the assassination because ever since
the attacks of 9/11 the media has blamed every
government sponsored terrorist attack on this
fictional organization. Al-Qaeda is nothing more
than a front for government intelligence agencies
that was originally formed in the 1970’s as a
database of people who could be counted on to fight
the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan. There
have already been news reports mentioning how the
Pakistani ISI has associations with Islamic
extremists and members of al-Qaeda.
Musharraf's statement follows two previous and equally
absurd cover stories: 1) that Bhutto was killed by the
shrapnel from the blast; 2) that she died of wounds
sustained when she banged her head on a lever, the "lone
lever" theory! The "official theories" are inconsistent
with one another and inconsistent with the video tapes
of the event as it happened. Benazir Bhutto was shot to
death. The primary suspects are those, like Musharraf,
who are telling transparent lies designed to deflect
suspicion and obstruct objective investigation. Having
already failed to provide adequate security, Musharraf
has done both.
Officialdom wasted no time in trying to pin the murder
on al Qaeda. At this point, one must ask: which al
Qaeda? Are we talking about the al Qaeda as envisioned
by Colin Powell, George Bush, and Dick Cheney? That al
Qaeda is a rag tag mob of Islamic extremists trained in
the mountains by
Osama bin Laden. But there is another, a real al
Qaeda, a "base", specifically a CIA database.
The intelligence service of Pakistan, a crucial
American ally in the war on terrorism, has had an
indirect but longstanding relationship with Al
Qaeda, turning a blind eye for years to the growing
ties between Osama bin Laden and the Taliban,
according to American officials.
The intelligence service even used Al Qaeda camps in
Afghanistan to train covert operatives for use in a
war of terror against India, the Americans say.
The intelligence service, known as Inter-Services
Intelligence, or ISI , also maintained direct links
to guerrillas fighting in the disputed territory of
Kashmir on Pakistan's border with India, the
officials said.Pakistani Intelligence Had Ties To al
Qaeda, US Officials Say
No one can point to a single reason that Musharraf would
want to see Bhutto dead. Clearly, Bhutto posed a threat
not only to Musharraf but to western imperial powers to
whom he is dependent and indebted. The Bush
administration!
Bhutto's edited remarks have caused a bit of a stir of
late. In a BBC interview --edited by the BBC --Bhutto
stated that Osama bin Laden was dead, a statement that
strikes at the very heart of
George W. Bush's "war on terrorism". Recently,
however, some have said that it no longer matters
whether bin Laden is alive or dead.
But --it does matter. Truth always matters
especially when it strikes at the very heart of
"officialdom" propped up by lies and propaganda. Osama
was, after all, the Bush administration's poster boy for
world wide terrorism.
Bhutto’s claim that Bin Laden is dead may very well be
true. Several MSM outlets have reported precisely that,
and, inexplicably they have been ignored. The best
example is the FOX report of Dec 2001, for example. All
but ignored until recently —-even by Fox. The New York
Times reported in 2002 that Bin Laden was dead and has
apparently re-discovered their story. As of yesterday,
it had been republished on the NYT web site.
My own opinion is that Bin Laden had been long dead by
the time a "tape" surfaced just prior to the 2004
elections. Many believe the tape was faked. Whoever
faked that tape had a dog in the race --George W. Bush!
Qui Bono? George W. Bush? Who had lied most loudly, most
vehemently and most often about "terrorism". George W.
Bush! Again --if you want to find a culprit, look first
at those who lie about the crime. Who lies? Qui Bono?
Who is compromised? Certainly, the release of what is
most certainly a "fake Osama" benefited the regime of
pretender to dictatorship. George W. Bush.
Conspiracy theories, moreover, are most vociferously
denounced by conspirators. The only world wide
conspiracy that we are supposed to believe in is the one
that has been promoted most vociferously by George W.
Bush, Dick Cheney et al. What is al Qaeda, if not a
conspiracy?
In the meantime, check Findlaw or the Cornell Law School
library. Search for SCOTUS or Federal Court decisions
having to do with ’conspiracies’.
That’s a helluva lot of ink, time, and labor about
something that does not exist. What is al Qaeda if not a
conspiracy? What is an Islamcist radicalism, if
not a conspiracy? Certainly --the GOP does believe in
conspiracy theories. They believe and have a
religious-like faith in many worldwide conspiracies of
anti-war hippies,
secular humanists, pornographers, liberals,
feminists, academics, environmentalists, baby killers,
and --during the Nixon years --nattering
nabobs of negativism. The GOP leadership is a
conspiracy of liars, graft-takers, and co-conspirators
in the Military/Industrial complex, itself a conspiracy
best described by St. Thomas More:
So God help me, I can perceive nothing but a certain
conspiracy of rich men procuring their own
commodities under the name and title of the
commonwealth.
They invent and devise all means and crafts, first
how to keep safely, without fear of losing, that
they have unjustly gathered together, and next how
to hire and abuse the work and labour of the poor
for as little money as may be.
The conspiracy described by More is as accurate today as
a description of the
Military/Industrial complex and the web of robber
barons that comprised the GOP base. Of course, the GOP
has a stake in making sure you don't believe the truth
about them. If they truth were know about their party, a
Republican candidate might never, ever get elected.
Know a blog that
deserves to be featured on the Blog World Report? Contact Robert.
Iowa means nothing. Pat Buchanan won the Iowa
caucuses, remember. Iowa means everything. A black man,
in a rural state, virtually unknown until four years
ago? That’s something.
As for Huckabee, ha ha ha ha ha. It appears the GOP
meltdown still has legs. Buy more popcorn. This could be
good.
And that, I’m afraid, is about all I have to say
about that. Years of living in an irrelevant state
(Indiana, widely ignored by candidates from across the
political spectrum) taught me not to waste hard-drive
space thinking about political candidates who will be
forgotten by the time I got a chance to cast my ballot
(Steve Forbes, anyone?). The Michigan primary is in two
weeks, but apart from a Romney ad that runs on the local
news, I’ve seen little evidence of a campaign here. Of
course,
we’re being punished by the DNC, for daring to want
a say in things. Takes a little of the wind out of the
sails.
I admit to being a bit excited. Man, Obama. (I truly
wish Chris Matthews would stop calling him a “son of
Kenya,” however.) At this point, the Democrats could
nominate a Hannibal Lecter/Britney Spears ticket, and
I’d vote for it, so discontented am I with the status
quo. The GOP has lost any claim on leading the country.
In many ways, it’s just that simple.
Sorry no posts yesterday. I was tired. About once
every week or 10 days, the collected weight of sleep
deprivation collapses on my wee head, and there’s
nothing to do for it but submit. That didn’t stop many
of you from getting chatty in the comments, about
architects, of all things. I love you guys. (P.S. I’ve
never had to hire an architect in my life. Maybe that
should be my goal for the second half of my life: Do
something that requires an architect. Use NN.C
commenters as consultants. I could use a new kitchen.)
One housekeeping note before we go further: Someone
mentioned, in the comments, having to boycott this site
until “The Wire” runs its course, but that won’t be
necessary — all my Wireblogging will take place over at
The New
Package, with no mention here other than the
customary link-whoring. The New Package is up and
running, by the way, with
a nice look at the numeric themes in season four, by
our blogmistress, Virgotex.
States
Sue
Bush/GOP
Over
Emissions
From
TomCat for
Politics
Plus
California led 15 other states and five environmental groups into federal court Wednesday to challenge the Bush administration's refusal to let the state limit vehicle emissions of gases that contribute to global warming.
In a lawsuit filed in San Francisco, the state accused the Environmental Protection Agency of exceeding its authority when it barred California last month from enforcing limits on cars and trucks starting with the 2009 model year, the first law of its kind in the nation. The state needed the EPA's approval to implement clean-air standards that are stricter than federal rules.
"The EPA has done nothing at the national level to curb greenhouse gases, and now it has wrongfully and illegally blocked California's landmark tailpipe emissions standards," state Attorney General Jerry Brown said at a news conference in San Francisco.
He said EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson had offered no coherent legal explanation for his Dec. 19 refusal to let California act and accused President Bush's appointee of merely "doing the bidding of the auto industry."... [emphasis added]
Johnson has it absolutely right on this. Bush and the GOP, including all the GOP candidates, favor the profits of greedy corporations over cleaning up the environment. This case should be interesting to watch. Let's hope for a favorable outcome.
"They're
living in the tropics… They've got everything they could possibly
want."
— Dick Cheney
Torture and indefinite detention are shamefully un-American,
inhumane, unconscionable.
WEAR ORANGE January 11 and protest the shame that is Guantánamo Bay.
www.aclu.org/closegitmo
To me, the guantanamo prison is an especially low spot in US
history. What would be the need to have a prison housed in another
country, that does not follow our own laws of due process, other
than to circumvent the law? Denying Habeus Corpus rights- to even
present the reason why a prisoner is in jail-- what they are charged
with. The US has not declared war in Iraq, and calls the prisoners
"detainees", so that they don't have to follow prisoner of war
protocol. We don't even know the extent of abuse & torture that goes
on there.
Enough!
JANUARY 11, 2008, is the six-year anniversary of the first arrival
of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay.
On January 11, we are calling on everyone opposed to torture and
indefinite detention to WEAR ORANGE to symbolize their sadness and
disgust with the national shame that is Guantánamo Bay.
January 11, 2008 will mark six years since the first 20 prisoners
arrived at Guantánamo Bay Cuba. Since then, 775 prisoners have
passed through the gates and no trials have been completed.
As a symbol of freedom and democracy throughout the world, the
United States must hold itself to our own high standards. When we
resort to the use of torture, abuse, and indefinite detention we
lower ourselves to the level of our enemies and defy the basic
values that we hold dear. Guantánamo Bay has tarnished the
reputation of the United States and makes a mockery of our core
values. Six years on, it is time to call once and for all for the
United States to CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO!
Stand with us on January 11th and let’s prove that those who would
advocate for a lower standard are on the wrong side of the law...
the wrong side of core American values... and the wrong side of
history. Join me in signing the petition to Close Guantánamo and
stand strong in support of justice.
I'm thrilled by Sen. Obama's victory in Iowa last night! On to New Hampshire!
Once again, I'm pimping his book, The Audacity of Hope. If you haven't already, please read this amazing book and get to know this man who may be our next President!
If you're favorably impressed, then check out The Obama Book Project at the link in my sidebar. This was started by a UT Austin student named Alex Gunter, and I think it's a terrific idea. Basically, you buy as many copies of the book as you can afford and give them to people to read, sign, also sign the online guest book, and pass it on to someone else. Some people leave copies of the book in public places with a note for people to read it, sign it, and pass it on. I've been trying to help Alex's project to get more exposure because I know when people read the book, whether they agree with all or some of his ideas or not, they will realize that Sen. Obama is not some inexperienced political lightweight.
Religious Traffic Sign
From
John Good for Left in Aboite
With about
98% of the vote
in from the
Iowa caucus,
I project Barack
Obama will be
elected the next
President of the
United States.
Sure, a lot
can still happen
between now and
November, but
baring a major
change it is
difficult to see
any other
result. Edwards’
populism won’t
sell in many
states outside
of Iowa, and
having lost her
aura of
inevitability,
support for
Clinton is
likely to
hemorrhage. Dodd
and Biden both
withdrew, and
Richardson
performed too
poorly to be a
serious
candidate. As
for the general
election, the
record turnout
of 227,000 in a
state that went
for George Bush
is just one sign
of the advantage
the Democrats
have. Some
questioned the
model used by
The Des Moines
Register that
estimated
200,000
attendees but
this number was
greatly
surpassed. By
comparison, the
turnout in 2004
was 125,000.
Not only did
Obama win the
caucus, he “won”
in the
post-caucus
speeches.
Clinton’s speech
sounded like a
speech of the
Democratic Party
past. John
Edwards’ speech
was the Dean
scream put to
words, showing
yet again
Edwards would
never be elected
president.
Barack Obama
gave the speech
which would be
expected not
only by the
leader of the
Democratic
Party, but by
the president of
all the people
of the United
States. The
Republicans
might be able to
beat Hillary
Clinton. I
believe they
would have
beaten John
Edwards. They
will have a hard
time beating
Barack Obama.
Mike Huckabee
also gave a good
speech, but it
was the speech
of a skilled
pastor, not a
president. While
Obama’s victory
in Iowa will
probably propel
him to winning
his party’s
nomination, the
Republican
nomination is
still in doubt.
Huckabee did
show he could
win beyond the
evangelical
vote, and
considering the
flaws in all the
Republican
candidates he
might be able to
win the
nomination. This
is certainly a
serious blow to
Mitt Romney. The
conventional
wisdom a few
weeks ago was
that a victory
for Huckabee
would open up
the race for
Giuliani. With
John McCain
surging in New
Hampshire,
Giuliani could
be forgotten by
Super Tuesday.
The one
difficulty
McCain might
face in New
Hampshire as a
result of
tonight’s
results is that
the independents
might vote
overwhelmingly
for Obama,
taking away
potential votes
from McCain.
In looking at
Giuliani’s
prospects, it is
also hard to
take anyone
seriously who
could not even
beat Ron Paul.
The Ron Paul
fantasy has
ended. As I’ve
noted many times
before, Paul’s
enthusiastic
supporters could
help him do
better than his
4% standing in
the national
polls, but not
by enough to be
meaningful.
Making a lot of
noise on line,
and having a
successful rally
in
The World of
Warcraft, is
not the same as
getting real
people to vote
for your
candidate. I’m
sure it won’t be
long before the
Paul supporters
develop a
conspiracy
theory claiming
that Paul really
won but had the
vote stolen.
Back in the real
world, Paul has
the money to
remain in the
race as long as
he wants, and he
might even do a
little better in
New Hampshire,
but he is purely
a protest
candidate with
zero chance of
winning.
Obama’s
support among
independents
will make it
harder for a
third party to
harm the
Democrats by
dividing the
vote. Michael
Bloomberg is
much less likely
to run against
Obama, as has
been suspected
since the two
met for
breakfast in
November. Ron
Paul might still
decide to run as
a third party
candidate, with
some rumors
suggesting he
might be
planning to run
as the candidate
of the
theocratic
Constitution
Party, which is
closer to Paul’s
current views
than the
Libertarian
Party. It is
hard to see
Ralph Nader or
the Green Party
seriously
hurting the
Democratic Party
led by Obama.
Obama's
win
is
GREAT
NEWS!
It
means
we
have
embraced
a
more
international
candidate
who
has
humility
and
substance.
Obama
is a
U.S.
constitutional
scholar
and
a
purist.
He
would
be
able
to
personally
communicate
with
the
most
provocative
nations
in
the
middle
east
because
he
is a
good
listener,
has
sound
principles
and
a
name
they
can
identify
with.
He
would
do
more
good
for
world
peace
by
his
open
demeanor.
Domestically,
I
think
he'd
carefully
weigh
each
bill
that
came
to
him,
untainted
by
special
interests.
I am
also
happy
that
John
Edwards
came
in
second.
But
what
happened
to
Kucinich,
the
other
purist
whom
we
love?
We
will
be
doing
an
analysis
on
our
show
this
morning.
If
you
live
in
Vegas
you
can
tune
in
Live
or
go
to
our
website
and
listen
in
the
audio
archives.
The
Basham
and
Cornell
Show
broadcasts
weekday
mornings
at 8
am
Pacific
(11
a.m.
Eastern)
on
KLAV
1230
AM
Radio
live
in
Las
Vegas.
All
shows
are
simulcast
on
the
Internet
(and
archived)
and
can
be
listened
to
at
Basham
and
Cornell
Progressive
Talk
If
you've
missed
our
show,
check
out
the
audio
archives.
We
have
interviewed
John
&
Elizabeth
Edwards,
Dennis
&
Elizabeth
Kucinich,
John
Dean,
Valerie
Plame,
Christine
Pelosi,
Dahr
Jamail,
Senator
Mike
Gravel;
Pulitzer
Prize
winner
Charlie
Savage,
Congressman
Charlie
Rangel,
Senator
Byron
Dorgan;
bestselling
authors
Greg
Palast,
Paul
Krugman,
Greg
Anrig,
Mikey
Weinstein,
Paul
Krugman;
Media
Matters’
Eric
Boehlert
and
Paul
Waldman
are
regular
guests.
Upcoming:
Obama
and
Hilary.
If
you
missed
any
of
these
shows,
check
out
the
archives
on
our
website.
WHAT
OBAMA'S
WIN
MEANS
From
Blogger
Christopher:
Personally,
what
last
night
meant
for
me
is
the
beginning
of
the
end
of
the
Bush
nightmare
and
the
beginning
of a
new
America.
Think
of
it:
1.
The
first
black
president
of
the
Harvard
Law
Review
is
poised
to
become
the
first
black
president
of
the
United
States
2.
Barack
Obama,
defied
the
pundits
and
the
polls
who
just
last
summer
said
Hillary
Clinton
was
unstoppable
3.
Barack
Obama
carried
the
youth
vote
(17
to
30)
by
57%
4.
the
Iowa
Caucus
proves
that
retail
politics
are
alive
and
well
and
vital
in
the
USA
5.
last
night's
Obama
victory
proved
the
desire
for
change
--
real
change,
is
greater
than
the
desire
for
experience
7.
the
international
media,
from
La
Republicca,
to
the
Sydney
Morning
Herald,
to
the
Times
of
London,
to
the
Times
of
India,
is
reporting
the
USA
is
again
open
for
business
as
voters
reject
the
path
the
Idiot
Bush
has
taken
us
down
these
past
7
years
Now,
onward
to
New
Hampshire,
Nevada
and
South
Carolina!
clif
said...
Obama
carried
the
under
30
womens
vote,
which
means
Shillery
doesn't
resonate
as
well
with
them
as
she
thought.
It
might
be
the
next
generational
passing
of
the
torch,
like
1960
and
1992
were.
A
post
boomer
president.
__________________________________
And
LETTERMAN'S
BACK!
My
son's
father
is
an
Emmy
Award-winning
writer
on
the
Late
Show
with
David
Letterman
and
we
are
so
pleased
that
he
is
back
at
work.
He
is a
brilliant
comedy
writer
who
wrote
the
Johnny
Carson
show,
many
films
like
the
original
"Bad
Boys"
and
now
writes
Letterman's
monologue,
Top
Ten
List
in
collaboration
with
the
other
gifted
scribes.
Kudos
to
Letterman
for
standing
up
for
the
writers.
____________________________________
WALK
THROUGH
THE
CAUCUS
PROCESS:
If
you
missed
the
Basham
and
Cornell
show
yesterday,
check
out
our
audio
archives.
Yesterday
we
had
John
Hunt,
Chairman
of
the
Clark
County
Democratic
Party
walking
us
through
the
caucus
process.
Nevada
is
third
in
line,
on
January
19,
after
New
Hampshire.
Hunt,
a
decorated
veteran,
has
a
son
on
his
third
tour
of
duty
in
Iraq.
Then
at
8:30,
we
were
joined
by
Jennifer
Palmieri,
the
Senior
Vice
President
for
Communications
at
the
Center
for
American
Progress.
Prior
to
joining
the
Center,
she
was
the
National
Press
Secretary
for
the
2004
Edwards
for
President
campaign.
She
was
the
National
Press
Secretary
for
the
DNC
during
the
2002
election
cycle,
and
she's
an
eight
year
veteran
of
the
Clinton
White
House.
The
Basham
and
Cornell
Show
broadcasts
weekday
mornings
at 8
am
Pacific
(11
a.m.
Eastern)
on
KLAV
1230
AM
Radio
live
in
Las
Vegas.
All
shows
are
simulcast
on
the
Internet
(and
archived)
and
can
be
listened
to
at
Basham
and
Cornell
Progressive
Talk
Did anyone watch Fox News' coverage of the Iowa Caucuses?
I for one had MSNBC on all day and all night. I thought Chris Mathews and Keith Olbermann did a great job.
But out of curiosity I had to flip to Fox News after the results were in just to see what they were saying. They had Sheppard Smith, Greta Van Susteren, Laura Ingraham, and Susan Estrich doing post election analysis.
Sheppard Smith is ok. He doesn't take that right turn at wingnutville as so many Fox News hosts do. Susan Estrich is an old guard Democrat cut from the same block as Hillary Clinton. Laura Ingraham of course is a right wing hack while Greta is just an opportunist and will say whatever she thinks her bosses want her to say.
I expected a bunch of Obama bashing to be going on but instead they all played it cool. Laura Ingraham said she was blown away by the support for Obama in Iowa. She was visibly shaken and thinks the Republican Party is in serious trouble.
So why did Fox News go clean all of a sudden? I don't expect it to last but I think it's telling. After all their coverage of Osama Obama, saying Obama's name while showing Osama's picture, and perpetuating the myth that Obama attended a Madrasah, why did they all of a sudden go soft?
Could they have a ratings problem? Or do they have enough sense to realize that if they go after Obama right after his win in Iowa that it would back fire on them?
I wonder if Fox is finally moving somewhat to the left not because they want to, but because they have to if they want to remain relevant. I expect the real Fox News crew (Brit Hume, Fred Barnes, Bill Kristol, Cal Thomas, Oliver North, Bill O'Reilly, Mort Kondracke, etc) to go after Obama but they will probably wait until after New Hampshire.
I wonder if Hillary is putting in calls to Murdoch asking for a little help....
A Dick, A Would-Be DickTator, A Peek-a-Boo, I See You
From
DCup for
PoliTits
From a post at Think Progress....Rudy Giuliani floats the idea of keeping Dick Cheney as Vice President. Like a turd he floats it.
Rudy Giuliani is a bad man. A craven attention and power-grabber. A guy who would take us further down the road toward fascism. Rudy, the 9-1-1 President would want a whole lot more window-peeping and wire-tappingpowers to keep us safe, dontcha know?
And he wants Dick.
Well, so do I, most of the time, but not that Dick. No, the dick I want is the one-eyed kind that responds nicely to gentle caressing and vigorous sucking. Not the Dick that responds to the almighty dollar and the scent of unbridled power. And oil.
You know, I'm unthrilled by the Democratic Candidate "front runners." I'm frightened and sickened by the Republicans.
Because I can't stand Rudy's speech impediment, that's why.
"They're
living in the tropics… They've got everything they could possibly
want."
