Billmon: War in Our Time

* "Meanwhile at the United Nations, the US has blocked a proposed Security Council statement that expressed concern over Israel's ongoing shelling of the Gaza Strip. At least 16 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks. In the most widely-publicized incident, an eight-year girl was killed and seven of her siblings injured when an Israel shell hit their home. Israel says it will continue the shelling until militants halt launching rockets at bordering Israeli towns. Israel has been accused of carrying out a harsh response because the rockets have not caused any injuries. US Ambassador John Bolton said the UN's draft statement was unfairly critical of Israel. But supporters of the resolution said it had also called on Palestinians to prevent rocket attacks and suicide bombings. Referring to the US, Palestinian UN observer Riyad Mansour said: "It was obvious they did not want the Security Council to have a position."" (link)

* "A batch of 278 e-mails between lobbyist Jack Abramoff and a Bush administration official show a highly inappropriate relationship where gifts and business interests mixed freely and frequently, federal prosecutors said Friday. The prosecutors hope to use the e-mails in the criminal case against David Safavian, who is accused of lying and obstruction of justice in connection with investigations of an Abramoff-sponsored golf outing to Scotland in August 2002." (link)

* billmon: "War in Our Time : And so the most promising opportunities for a rational settlement have all passed us by. Instead of a moderate reform president and a group of nervous ayatollahs anxious to cut a deal, America now has Ahmadinejad – and the dawn of what could conceivably become an explicitly fascist regime in Iran, or at least a very close substitute for one.
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Multiply that carnage by a thousand, or a million, and you've got more than a political slogan; you've got a war."

* billmon: "The chances that Dick Cheney will fire his old boss and ideological comrade in crime are only slightly higher than the chances that Rumsfeld's removal would lead to even a minor improvement in the situation in Iraq. It's almost like asking Cheney to fire himself.
To be honest, I think the pair of them would get rid of Junior before they would ever consider stepping down. This absolute determination to hold on to office at all costs may seem bizarre, considering how old and sick these guys are -- and how much shit is coming down on their heads every day -- but it's just the way these things work."

it's great to have billmon back.