Tits deep and falling fast the al-Maliki-led, U.S.-backed government in Iraq is struggling to provide basic necessities to a nation broken by war, civil and sectarian strife, and ancient animosities. While American troops are dying every day as the situation continues it's bottomless descent, it took a Congressional repudiation for the Bush Administration to take action.

As the symbolic, non-binding resolution moves from the House to the Senate today, Secretary of State Condoleza Rice flew to Baghdad unannounced to secure the Administration's position in the hearts and minds of Iraq's beleaguered leaders. She'll be playing hardball demanding results from the latest plan to quell the violence in the nation's capitol, while offering assurances that the Bush Administration has no intention of caving to Congress or the American people. The escalation will happen. But, if swift progress is not made, the U.S. will lessen it's support of the ruling coalition, which is essentially a death sentence to anyone working in the Iraqi government at the moment. In short: "We don't care how you do it, just get it done." The pressure is on.

The Administration's escalation plan calls for 21,500 U.S. troops to be embedded with Iraqi forces to secure key areas of Baghdad and Al Anbar province. This allows the full spectrum of American military intelligence, technology, and fire support to be made available to Iraqi units on the ground through their American embeds without compromising U.S. operational security. It also allows Iraqi troops - taking orders from their own civilian government - to effectively become the best equipped, best informed, and best trained death squads the world has ever known without asking U.S. troops to become war criminals. It's all very neat and tidy.

Dear people of Iraq, rejoice for you have been liberated.

Labels: Condoleza Rice, iraq, Nuri al-Maliki, Surge

Just when I try to get this blog up and rolling again, the shit hits the fan. Once upon a time I was worried about the fate of our nation under the current administration. Specifically I was concerned with the long term consequences of what I viewed as a misguided foreign policy. Today there's so much wrong with where our nation has gone and what has been done in our name that I don't know where to even begin when choosing topics to included in this electronic screed of mine.

In the past week the vice president has proven himself to be above the law by having dismissed local law enforcement seeking to investigate a hunting accident he was involved in. Conspiracy theories aside, the man is an American citizen and subject to the laws of this land. He should have - at the very least - been interviewed by local authorities. In avoiding this he has sullied the reputation of the United States as a lawful nation of the people, by the people and for the people. Dick Cheney is a disgrace.

Also this week, a top NASA scientist - previously gagged by woefully unqualified administration appointees - announced that Greenland's ice shelf is melting far faster than previously thought. The resulting rise in global ocean levels is only one possible consequence. North Atlantic ocean temperatures will drop due to the increased inflow of ice melt, greatly improving the chances of a stalled Gulf Stream. Should this occur, Europe will suffer a dramatic climate change.

Pictures of abuses inflicted upon innocent Iraqis by US service members and Pentagon contractors at Abu Ghraib were released by an Austrailian news service. These images were then immediately republished around the globe where they were met with universal scorn and criticism. Well...almost universal. Here in the US, no news outlet made a very big deal of the images, and the administration dismissed them altogether stating that those responsible had already been punished, and refusing to accept that the 1,000+ images indicated that the torture which occurred was indeed systemic in nature and not the act of a handful of individuals.

On top of all of this Secretary of State Condi Rice lied point blank to congress. As did former FEMA head Michael Brown, and current Department of Homeland Security Head Michael Chertoff.

Meanwhile the list of former administration officials and functionaries who now criticize their former masters continues to grow. Paul Pillar, the CIA's national intelligence officer for the Middle East and South Asia from 2000 to 2005, and Ari Fleischer who served as President George W. Bush's first press secretary joined those growing ranks this week.

When will this ship of the damned finally sink?

Labels: Abu Ghraib, Ari Fleischer, cia, climate change, Condoleza Rice, Dick Cheney, NASA, Paul Pillar