blowmentum

VOTE
* it turns out that the iraqvoteturnout of 44% is slipping... who'da thunk? http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000788083

* henryrollins: the day after the election, i felt the same the same as i did the day after sep11

WAR
* "Former CIA Director James Woolsey told a congressional panel Wednesday that the U.S. government should treat the ideological bedfellows of Islamic terrorism the same way it treated Communists and their supporters during the Cold War." http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20050202-071739-5067r

* fisk: "Yesterday, 23 bodies were brought to the morgue. There were 22 brought in on Tuesday. A week and a half ago, on just one day, almost 80 cadavers arrived; on another day 50. Even at the rate of 20 a day, a very conservative figure, this means that in Baghdad alone, 140 civilians are being killed every week, 560 a month. Again, there has been no news of this. " http://informationclearinghouse.info/article7959.htm

* at abug: "Physician's assistants and general practitioners amputated limbs, a dentist did heart surgery, and Major Auch begged and bartered with other medical units for drugs and intravenous fluids. When they ran out of blood sugar test strips for Abu Ghraib's many diabetics, according to a medic assigned to the unit, they gave insulin by guessing the dose and watching for bad reactions." http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/04/opinion/04bloche.html

* will bush declare war on iran? or will he let congress do it this time? precedent. schmecedent.

* didja see condi with jackstraw? what a debacle. (it was live on the 4 main news channels here)

* flashback "President Bush announced the attack in a four-minute television speech to the nation. "On my order, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war," he said. "These are the opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign."
Minutes before the speech, an internal television monitor showed the president pumping his fist. "Feels good," he said."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/5434637.htm

* "The British Government became directly involved in subverting the process for choosing companies to assist in the management of the United Nations' oil-for-food programme, intervening in 1996 on behalf of Lloyds"
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=607603
btw - i havent been following this closely - its all a bit tedious. volcker has been very clear to point out that the media 'conclusions' are all unsupported. and that the report is prelim interim. what seems apparent is that the ams were involved in the program and knew exactly what was going on. and condoned it. and that the unsc is 'more' to blame than kofi et al. but the daggers for kofi will remain poised. and much of the 'circumventing' was outside foil4ood, and most of it was b4 the establishment of foil4ood. and of course, it hardly compares to the missing $9bn in the cpa, or any of the halliburton no-bid deals or any of that stuff. (im no defender of the un per se, but i know a smearcampaign when i see one)




AMDOM
* so the (parently) tear-jerking episode in sotu with women hugging each other? the iraqi woman was a 30 year exile, and ambassador to egypt. and friends with perle, chalabi, kristol, zell miller, woolsely et al and al. and al. incubator babies http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/3/61911/26777 & http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/003634.php


* flashback: http://www.twofacesofbush.com/

* btw the socsec '2trill transition costs" looks like it is 1trill in the first decade, and 3.5trill in the second decade.

* ari2 "Q Scott, last night, in an amicus brief filed before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Justice Department came down in favor of displaying the Ten Commandments in courthouses and statehouses around the country. The question is, does the President believe in commandment number six, "Thou shalt not kill," as it applies to the U.S. invasion in Iraq?
MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead. Next question. Ken, go ahead."
vid here http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/02/02.html#a1476 the funniest bit is that the other reporters didnt bat an eyelid, launching straight into the next unrelated qn.

* "The difference between CNN and CNNI is an example that illuminates the US power elite's contempt for, as well as fear of, Americans."
http://montages.blogspot.com/2005/02/censoring-coverage-of-iraqi-elections.html

* 50% of personal ambankruptcies are health-cost related. 76% of em had insurance.

* some peeps are wondering why blinky pashed DINO liebermann at sotu... vid here. http://movies.ziaspace.com/SOTU1.wmv (also, for some reason, joementum was onscreen when 43 was doing his junklawsuit bit at sotu)

* "The six Democrats who voted for Gonzales are Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Ken Salazar of Colorado, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Bill Nelson of Florida, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas."
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article7969.htm


* read krug on socsec, as always

* "(Though since, as Bush reminded us, one of the core causes of Social Security's long term fiscal imbalance is that "people are living longer and therefore drawing benefits longer," perhaps his hostility to stem-cell research should be counted as an innovative part of his retirement reform package.)" http://www.reason.com/links/links020305.shtml

* podhoretz: "In every major Bush speech, he swings for the fences with a surprising and bracing line that instantly changes things... In 2005, the world-changing moment may have been those 11 words directed at young Iranians who we know (from their blogs and e-mails) are hungering for freedom like their neighbors in Iraq." http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/21666.htm

* "Vote yes on Gonzales, Senator McCain, and no one should give a shit about your story and your pain ever again." http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2005/02/alas-john-mccain-oh-dear-john-mccain.html

* ironictimes.com is funny as always - i particularly like the ticker. as always. if only i was that clever... damn. hilites: "bloggers threaten work stoppage", "concept car recalled by day dreamer" et al


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not.in.my.name.
wotisitgood4.blogspot.com