Blogs For Victory

Yet more proof that our entire effort in Iraq has been misguided from the start and that our best option is to get out as quickly as possible:

Last week, Iraq experienced the lowest level of “security incidents” since March 2004, a reduction that military officials attribute in part to improvements in Iraqi security forces.

“The collective efforts … to increase the capacity of the Iraqi security forces is a key part of the reason why we saw last week the lowest level of security incidents in Iraq the past four years,” Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said May 28 during a news conference in Baghdad.

“It is also why we are seeing Iraqi citizens increasingly supporting their security forces by calling in tips on criminal activity and illegal weapons,” Bergner continued. “And it is why we are seeing the Iraqi security forces conducting effective operations in Basra, Mosul and Baghdad to enforce the rule of law.”

Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, said he and other officials tasked with building and training the national security forces in Iraq are seeing continued progress.

“The last 12 months have witnessed a marked decrease in violence, along with a corresponding increase in the capability, professionalism and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces,” he told reporters during the news conference.

As we can see here, we are definitely stuck in the middle of an Iraqi civil war which cannot be ended by our efforts. The fact that the Iraqi security forces have demonstrated their inability to fight for the so-called democracy in Iraq is all the proof we need that our continued presence is the problem.

The sooner we elect the Hope and Change of Obama – who knew that Iraq was a failure even before we went in – the better we’ll be. We’ll be able to cut ourselves loose from these complete losers in the Iraqi security forces and make common cause with the peace-loving government of Iran, which is only interested in ending imperalist US influence in the middle east. The prospect of a McCain presidency is just too horrible to contemplate – leaving for Canada would be the only rational American response to such an event. McCain is certain to keep pumping more dollars and lives into this Iraq mess, which has no end in sight and which has clearly made Iran stronger.

That’s gonna leave a mark:

In an extraordinary message obtained and authenticated by Politico, Dole uses his trademark biting wit to portray McClellan as a classic Washington opportunist.

“There are miserable creatures like you in every administration who don’t have the guts to speak up or quit if there are disagreements with the boss or colleagues,” Dole wrote in a message sent yesterday morning. “No, your type soaks up the benefits of power, revels in the limelight for years, then quits and, spurred on by greed, cashes in with a scathing critique.”

Michael Marshall, Dole’s spokesman and colleague at the Alston Bird law firm, confirms the message came from the former senator and presidential candidate. “Yes, it is authentic,” Marshall wrote in an e-mail.

“In my nearly 36 years of public service I’ve known of a few like you,” Dole writes, recounting his years representing Kansas in the House and Senate. “No doubt you will ‘clean up’ as the liberal anti-Bush press will promote your belated concerns with wild enthusiasm. When the money starts rolling in you should donate it to a worthy cause, something like, ‘Biting The Hand That Fed Me.’ Another thought is to weasel your way back into the White House if a Democrat is elected. That would provide a good set up for a second book deal in a few years”

Dole assures McClellan that he won’t read the book — “because if all these awful things were happening, and perhaps some may have been, you should have spoken up publicly like a man, or quit your cushy, high-profile job.”

“That would have taken integrity and courage but then you would have had credibility and your complaints could have been aired objectively,” Dole concludes. “You’re a hot ticket now, but don’t you, deep down, feel like a total ingrate?”

He signs the email simply: “BOB DOLE”

McClellan is just another in a long, sad line of former insiders who have turned on their boss after leaving their employ – but he’s not the worst of this species, that would be those who become “sources” for anonymous denunciations. It would be nice if the people who ran our government were all men and women rather than being, as they all too often are, self-absorbed weasels. You want to know why President Bush is as unpopular as he is? Because he did what he thought was right, treated everyone decently and will take no revenge on any of those who betrayed him – for being an honorable man in a den of cretins, President Bush has earned scorn, and while those who slander him come out smelling like a rose, President Bush will carry an unearned public reputation for dishonesty to his grave…only a century from now, when all the actors of this play are long dead, will the full truth be able to come out. At that time, woe unto the memory of those who acted dishonorably.

So, apparently my former senator thinks that on 9/11 we were “basically at peace.”

And these days, we just don’t have Guido and the boys to take care of such things:

A political fundraiser on trial in a corruption case in Chicago is wanted in Nevada on allegations that he rang up more than $803,000 in Strip casino debts, court documents show.

Antoin “Tony” Rezko, who was awaiting a jury decision Thursday at his fraud trial in Chicago, is sought on a felony arrest warrant issued May 20 alleging he failed to repay 10 casino loans totaling $472,275 and dating to mid-2006 at Caesars Palace and Bally’s, Clark County court spokesman Michael Sommermeyer said.

Rezko, of Wilmette, Ill., also is named in a separate lawsuit alleging he owes $331,000 plus interest to the Bellagio for loans he received in February 2006.

Rezko is a real estate developer and fast-food entrepreneur who has raised thousands of dollars for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

As it turns out, Rezko does own a piece of property which might be sold to help pay off this debt – it is right behind Obama’s house and, as fate would have it, the property is perfectly useless to anyone other than Obama, as you can’t access the property except though Obama’s…given that Rezko’s purchase of this property greatly lowered the cost of Obama’s swell home, maybe it is time for Obama to return the favor to his long time and very close political friend?

As I’m sure everyone is aware:

…After being introduced by Obama’s church’s new pastor — Rev. Otis Moss — Rev. Pfleger talks about the importance of taking on “white entitlement and supremacy wherever it raises its head.”

“Rev. Moss, when Hillary was crying, and people said that was put on, I really don’t believe it was put on,” Pfleger says from the pulpit. “I really believe that she just always thought, ‘This is mine! I’m Bill’s wife, I’m white, and this is mine! I just gotta get up and step into the plate.’ And then out of nowhere came, ‘Hey, I’m Barack Obama,’ and she said, ‘Oh, damn! Where did you come from? I’m white! I’m entitled! There’s a black man stealing my show!’

Pfleger then mocks her crying, much to delight of the crowd, many of whom stand up and applaud.

“She wasn’t the only one crying, there was a whole lot of white people crying!” Pfleger says to laughter.

Here’s the description of St Sabina:

Faith Community of Saint Sabina

St. Sabina is a Word-based, Bible teaching African-American Catholic Church that believes in the power of praise and worship.

We are a spiritual hospital where all are welcome and invited to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

Our purpose is to nurture and develop spiritually mature Christians who are not confined by the walls of the sanctuary, but can penetrate the world in order to present God’s way of living as a divine option.

A friend of mine attended Mass – as it were – at a “faith community” here in Las Vegas, and her first question upon entering was “where’s Jesus?”…no crucifix in evidence, which is akin to not having home plate at a ball park. In contrast, my parish mission statement has much to say about being Catholic, Our Lord and other things more traditionally associated with, you know, church (I had placed the mission statement of my parish on this thread – but I am worried that someone will use it to find out which church I attend, and I don’t want my fellow parishoners bothered on my account; sad that I had to be concerned that much with safety).

While Rev. Pfleger has apologised, I find it shocking that a priest of the Church could make so cruel, hateful and grossly inaccurate a statement. What Pfleger said wasn’t even remotely Christian – and I urge his Bishop, Francis Cardinal George, to take firm action to ensure that such statements are never made again.

UPDATE: Monsignor Jim Lisante volunteers to replace Wright as Obama’s pastor…if Obama refuses, perhaps Lisante can take over day to day operations at St. Sabina?

Interesting:

The secret of Stonehenge has apparently been solved: The mysterious circle of large stones in southern England was primarily a burial ground for almost five centuries, and the site probably holds the remains of a family that long ruled the area, new research concludes.

Based on radiocarbon dating of cremated bones up to 5,000 years old, researchers with the Stonehenge Riverside Project said they are convinced the area was built and then grew as a “domain of the ancestors.”

“It’s now clear that burials were a major component of Stonehenge in all its main stages,” said Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeology professor at the University of Sheffield in England and head of the project. “Stonehenge was a place of burial from its beginning to its zenith in the mid-third millennium B.C.”

So, all that new age claptrap about it was just a lot of nonsense…not too surprising. Oddly enough, this occured to me not too long ago – that the arrangement of the stones appears similar to Celtic graves which, due to weathering, have become exposed to the open air. Seems our ancient ancestors, mystifed by death, spent a lot of effort on it…the Egyptians being the most famed in this area, but there is no reason to believe that anything else of a similar nature has any different use.

Will Obama ever go to Iraq?

Will Hillary ever quit?

Will Howard Dean survive for even a week after the nominee is chosen?

Will we be able to stifle laughter as we attempt to “debate” whether Obama has qualifications which make him a better candidate than McCain?

Discuss these and other burning questions of the day

Play nice!

Details over at Battle Born Politics.

From Canada:

In response to a series of controversies over abortion debates on Canadian campuses, the student government of York University in Toronto has tabled an outright ban on student clubs that are opposed to abortion.

Gilary Massa, vice-president external of the York Federation of Students, said student clubs will be free to discuss abortion in student space, as long as they do it “within a pro-choice realm,” and that all clubs will be investigated to ensure compliance.

“You have to recognize that a woman has a choice over her own body,” Ms. Massa said. “We think that these pro-life, these anti-choice groups, they’re sexist in nature … The way that they speak about women who decide to have abortions is demoralizing. They call them murderers, all of them do … Is this an issue of free speech? No, this is an issue of women’s rights.”

You can say whatever you want, as long as what you say is in accordance with liberal views – thing is, Massa would probably stoutly assert that her action is anti-fascist in nature because in liberal-land only fascists are pro-life.

And liberals still get outraged when I point out that liberalism, fascism, communism and Nazism share the same basic mindset…

HAT TIP: NRO’s The Corner

Details over at Battle Born Politics.