The word from the 1600 Crew has been "they stand up , we stand down". The unfortunate reality is that not only are the Iraqi Army and police units infested with militia, they also have the problem of pretty high desertion rates.

One of Cordesman's central issues is that public statements by the Defense Department "severely distorted the true nature of Iraqi force development in ways that grossly exaggerate Iraqi readiness and capability to assume security tasks and replace U.S. forces." He also writes that "U.S. official reporting is so misleading that there is no way to determine just how serious the problem is and what resources will be required."

Cordesman says the Pentagon's Aug. 31 status report, which was sent to Congress, lists 312,400 men "trained and equipped" among the Iraqi army and national and regular police. But it adds that "no one knows how many . . . are actually still in service." At the same time, he writes, "all unclassified reporting on unit effectiveness has been cancelled."
...
Cordesman says attrition is put at "at least 20 percent per year." The Pentagon report also notes problems with the police having ties to militias and warns about "unprofessional and at times criminal behavior" by some units.

Cordesman described the situation as "far worse" with the regular police, where "desertion rates are far higher than with the regular [Army] forces and National Police. He cites the Pentagon report as saying "there is currently no screening process to ascertain militia allegiance" and "no method exists to track the success rate of these or other police officers."

Reap what you sow? So what, this is now the whirlwind?

Headline:

About 3 percent of the U.S. adult population was incarcerated or on parole or probation at the end of last year, a government report said today.

All told, a record seven million men and women were in the U.S. correctional population, which includes parolees or those on probation at the end of 2005, according to a report by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics.
...
The report also noted that the federal prison system was operating at 34 percent over capacity at the end of last year.

The revenues collected from the sale of legalized pot might be a healthy offset for revenue lost from the nonsensical tax-cutting of the 1600 Crew. The money could be used to pay for education, substance abuse treatment and bringing former prisoners back into society.

Utopian? Yeah, maybe. But at the present rate, we can't have everything and current research is showing that the Killer Weed is hardly the evil drug that it has been branded as for so long. The war on drugs is an utter failure, and the 1600 Crew's War on Brown People is failing even more extravagently. It's time to start talking real alternatives if for no other reason than the economic health of our country.

3%. Damn.

18 months later in this fah-bu-lus ekonomy dahlings, I am employed again.

Literally on my last dime. I was about to put up a paypal button.

Life is better.

Ultra-winger Kate (Sixty-Grit) O'Beirne is truly as stupid as she is just plain unattractive as a person. Over at The Corner (no linkee, sorry) she's flogging her book (well reviewed by Jane Hamsher here) which is now out in paperback. She's all moist because she found out that the Democrats might want to reconstitute the Equal Rights Amendment (which for those of you too young to remember would have been quite a triumph for women) and she, of course opposes. But the really funny part of her missive at The Corner is her misuse of a word (now remember, she's a famous "Writer" and shit.)

In a front page story today, the Washington Times reports that the new congressional majority has revived the prospects for the Equal Rights Amendment. (I had to double-check the paper's dateline). Call it the luck of the Irish given that my book is just out in paperback. Back in 1982, the ERA died when it fell three states short of the 3/4 necessary to ratify it during the proscribed period. Now feminists and some of the men who fear them hope to win ratification in those three states and have a compliant liberal Congress certify the results by a simple majority vote. Discrimination against women in employment and education has been outlawed at the federal level for 40 years, so what do these perpetually aggrieved women want? Nothing that enjoys broad public support, I argue. Conservatives should welcome the debate that this relic could launch.

I guess that when she titled her book "Women who make the world worse" she was looking in the mirror.

Yeah, so the Boy in the Bubble today has declared that he does not share the "pessimistic" assessments of the situation in Iraq and the Middle East.

President Bush, rejecting what he called "pessimistic" assessments of his Middle East policy, pledged Tuesday to make necessary changes in Iraq but vowed never to pull out U.S. troops before completing the mission there.
...
He acknowledged that "some in my country and some here in Europe are pessimistic about the prospect of democracy and peace in the Middle East." He added, "I understand these doubts, but I do not share them." The United States and NATO "refuse to give in to the pessimism that consigns millions across the Middle East to endless oppression," he said.

I'm sure that he'd find the visit enlightening. I'm sure he's learn a few things. I'm also sure he's too big a coward to ever consider it. I mean having to talk to actual Iraqis? Whatever was I thinking. Never mind.

Life in the Tony Snow's little bubble (or globe) must be sooo pleasant. From the Monday Presser:

MR. SNOW: -- (inaudible) -- civil war? No, but you have not yet had a situation also where you have two clearly defined and opposing groups vying not only for power, but for territory. ...

I guess that one day Tony will come to work and the boss will be forced to tell him that there are two factions in Iraq that are killing each other. Or not.

Are we reaching the end of the time (30 days after the election) before we can all start heading over to right-wing blogs and being "Concern Trolls" about their loss and the future of the republican party?

What would your best line/Concern Troll advice be?

Headline:

Bush Broadens Diplomatic Efforts on Iraq

The question is, will his Office Wife let him speak? Knowing that everytime the Inerrant Boy opens his mouth, things get worse. Maybe he'll tell his Puppet in Baghdad to "Bring it On"...nah, been there, done that.

Yup! The 1600 Crew has decided to get out in front of any Congressional hearings (not that it's gonna do them much good) and allow the Justice Department to "investigate" the Domestic Spying Agenda of so near and dear to Beloved Leaders heart.

After months of pressure from Congressional Democrats, the Justice Department's inspector general said Monday that his office had opened a full review into the department's role in President Bush's domestic eavesdropping program and the legal requirements governing the program.
...
Mr. Fine declined at the time, saying a review of the program’s legality fell outside his jurisdiction. He referred the matter to another arm of the Justice Department, the Office of Professional Responsibility. That office sought to examine ethical issues surrounding the roles played by Justice Department lawyers in the eavesdropping program. But its review was blocked this year when Mr. Bush personally refused security clearances for its investigators.

Democrats have since renewed their calls for a full Justice Department investigation, accusing the Bush administration of stonewalling. On Monday, Mr. Fine informed members of Congress in a letter that he was opening an investigation after the White House had agreed to approve the necessary security clearances for members of his staff.

Oh, and how politicians talk? Zoe Lofgren of California:

"It's hard to ignore the fact that there is a correlation in the timing," said Representative Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat who helped lead the push for a Justice Department investigation.

"I don't know why the White House would stonewall for a year, then within a month of the election, agree to these security clearances" for the inspector general's staff, Ms. Lofgren said in an interview. "We don't know what it means, but we'll find out."

Dear Beloved Leader, Preznit Ima Loser is going to go to NATO to ask for more troops. Yeah, would that be from, ummmm, "Old Europe" or the bright and shiny new one that exists in NeoCon Fables?

President Bush will ask NATO for fresh troops for the fight in Afghanistan and fewer restrictions on how they can be used when he sits down this week with alliance leaders to review the state of the dangerous mission there, according to senior U.S. officials.

Yeah, I can so feel the luuuuv at the NATO summit. From here.

A major research institution has just announced the discovery of the densest element yet known to science. The new element has been named "Bushcronium." Bushcronium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 311. These particles are held together by dark forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. The symbol for Bushcronium is "W". Bushcronium's mass actually increases over time, as morons randomly interact with various elements in the atmosphere and become assistant deputy neutrons in a Bushcronium molecule, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to believe that Bushcronium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as "Critical Morass". When catalyzed with money, Bushcronium activates Foxnewsium, an ele- ment that radiates orders of magnitude more energy, albeit as incoherent noise, since it has 1/2 as many peons but twice as many morons.

With the elections and the newly Democratic congress about to be seated in a couple of months, it seems that the republicans are not so interested in fighting for Preznit Ima Diktator and his Imperial Agenda.

Republicans who limped back to Washington for a lame duck congressional session last week found a host of marching orders from President Bush, but perhaps none more urgent than this: Before Democrats take control of Congress in January, they must pass legislation authorizing the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program.
...
...The response: deafening silence. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist quickly dispatched aides to put out the word on Bush's request: Not gonna happen.

The eavesdropping program, launched in secret after the 9/11 attacks, was revealed last December by the New York Times. The newspaper also reported that the government failed to get surveillance warrants from a secret court that monitors domestic spying. During the ensuing uproar, the president defended the program as targeting only domestic communications that originate overseas. His lawyers have argued that the president's executive wartime authority precludes his having to seek surveillance warrants. Says Todd Gaziano, director of the conservative Heritage Foundation's Center for Legal and Judicial Studies: "Every president has engaged in the equivalent of warrantless wiretapping and surveillance-the only difference is that this administration is being far more sensitive to civil liberties."(my emphasis)

It defies belief that the republicans and their cronys are still trying to spin the illegalities of the 1600 Crew. I suspect that as subpoenas come out, the number of shredders sold at office-supply stores will go up ... in fact, I'd be willing to be there's going to be a statistically significant correlation.

Chicken wings for that midnight shredding party, Mr. Secretary?

Jose Padilla. He might be unsavory, he might not be the guy you'd want to have a beer with, or be dating your daughter; but he's an American Citizen. Except to the adminstration.

Jose Padilla. Toss the Bill of Rights into the shredder, baby. The Enlightnment is Ovah.

After he was arrested in 2002, Jose Padilla was considered so dangerous that he was held without charges in a military prison for more than three years -- accused first of plotting a radiological "dirty bomb" attack and later of conspiring with al-Qaeda to blow up apartment buildings with natural gas.
...
Padilla, now 35, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and had a history of criminal trouble as a teenage gang member in Chicago before moving to Florida and converting to Islam in the 1990s. He was first thrust into the spotlight in June 2002, when then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft made a television appearance from Moscow to announce Padilla's arrest and designation as an "enemy combatant" by President Bush.
...
James B. Comey, then the deputy attorney general, detailed Padilla's alleged travels around the Middle East from 2000 to 2002, including a trip to an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, meetings with senior al-Qaeda leaders and preparations for blowing up apartment buildings inside the United States.

Comey characterized many of these allegations as based on admissions by Padilla, and was candid in saying that much of the information could not be used in a criminal court -- a fact that has greatly complicated the government's position in the current case.
...
Padilla's attorneys say that his voice is heard on only eight of about 50,000 FBI wiretap recordings in the case, and that there is no mention of violence or jihad on any of the recordings connected to him.

In a motion to dismiss the case in October, federal public defender Michael Caruso and his team also alleged that Padilla "was tortured for nearly the entire three years and eight months of his unlawful detention. ...

Among other things, the defense alleges that Padilla was held for 1,307 days in a 9-by-7-foot cell, isolated for days or weeks at a time, physically assaulted and threatened with execution and other violence, kept awake with lights and noises, and forced to take mind-altering drugs, possibly PCP or LSD.

The government counters that Padilla offers no evidence to back up the allegations and that, besides, his treatment by the military is irrelevant to the criminal case against him.

All of what was done to Padilla was done before the "Military Commissions Act" was passed before the election (because it would not have had a hope in hell of passing afterwards).

Jose Padilla is an American Citizen. Look at what has been done to him, and whether you are a republican or a Democrat, be afraid, be very afraid of the powers that have been granted to the Government because Dear Leader has played the fear card so effectively.

How much more scared/terrified/apprehensive will you be of our government if Padilla is acquitted in open court of any crimes?

Trust the 1600 Crew to use the troops.

A blood-coagulating drug designed to treat rare forms of hemophilia is being used on critically wounded U.S. troops in Iraq despite evidence it can cause clots that lead to strokes, heart attacks and death in other patients, The (Baltimore) Sun reported for Sunday's editions.
...
The Food and Drug Administration said in a warning last December that giving Factor VII to patients who don't have the blood disorder could cause strokes and heart attacks. Its researchers published a study in January blaming 43 deaths on clots that developed after injections of Factor VII.

However, the Army medical command considers it a medical breakthrough that gives front-line physicians a way to control deadly bleeding. Physicians in Iraq have injected it into more than 1,000 patients, reported The Sun, which makes its first Sunday edition available Saturday afternoon.

"When it works, it's amazing," said Col. John B. Holcomb, an Army trauma surgeon and commander of the Army's Institute of Surgical Research. "It's one of the most useful new tools we have."

Military medicine in combat is always a challenge, and I certainly want to see injured troops getting the best care, but I don't think that means getting an off-label treatment that could potentially cause them problems greater than the injury they are getting treated for.

If the military wants to use this drug, then they ought to get together with NIH and fund a long-term study of the effects of the drug on the population they are using it on. It would not be fast, and it might make the drug less available, but it might save more lives in the long run than not.

Our soldiers do not deserve to become guinea pigs in this war just for the sake of expediency; and make no mistake that's what's going on here when over 1,000 doses have been administered with no idea of the long-term effects of the medication and a record of ill-effects are being found.

Nothing about this misbegotten war shocks me much anymore, but this is just another facet of 'what in the fuck are they thinking'. I really don't know anymore. You would think that the the Preznit would say "don't do that", but in administration that hates science and scientific fact look for the inevitable attack on critics as "hating the troops" etc etc ad nauseum.

I detest Joe Biden almost as much as Joe Lieberman. Biden, whose allegiance to MBNA and the Bankruptcy Abortion makes him as unviable as presidential candidate could ever be, at least in a progressive and fair Democratic party is now trying to look and sound like presidential material.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee aides debated last Tuesday whether to call deposed Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to the hearing table for a public flogging. The decision was no -- at least for now. Later that day, I bumped into the incoming committee chairman, presidential hopeful Joseph R. Biden Jr. He said that while there was "extraordinary malfeasance" born of the Iraq crisis, he was planning to stay clear of all that. "That's looking backward," he said. "I'm in the 'action plan' department."

Biden expressed concern about the inquisitorial zeal of some of his "friends in the House," stressing that the key for both chambers will be "attaching all investigations to the broadest public purpose."

I'm wondering if MBNA Joe's "action plan" might have been you know, plagiarized, from the notes of the 1600 Crew, you know, do nothing; sound Preznitial, and hope the media fawns all over you for your "resoluteness". After all, Bought-and-paid-for Biden is no stranger to stealing ideas and calling them his own, even if they're proven to be bullshit, or bat-shit crazy.

And while all this proceeds, what about those show horses? Well, they'll steer clear of the hearings and, as one senator recently quipped, "stay away from past-tense words like 'woulda, coulda, or shoulda' " as they develop their action plans. But once the 2008 campaign season heats up, they'll choose among the coming year's subpoena fest for the sharpest disclosures, and wield them in electoral battle.

I guess short tempers may go with short tenures...

The staff of retired House Majority Leader Tom DeLay weathered many a storm during the Hammer's controversial tenure. But apparently they couldn't handle a couple of days of Dr. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, the former Houston city councilwoman who won the special election to serve out DeLay's term.

According to the Capitol Hill publication Roll Call, seven holdover employees, including DeLay's former chief of staff, David James, quit en masse after unpleasant run-ins with the congresswoman. A former DeLay aide who now works for House GOP Leader John Boehner told the Chronicle the staff "felt like they were treated terribly" by their new boss.

I wonder if anyone told her that the republican 109th Congress only works two days a week?

I love this bit too:

Sekula-Gibbs has raised a few eyebrows on Capitol Hill in her first three days in office. First, she expressed surprise and disappointment that neither President Bush nor Vice President Dick Cheney stopped by to visit during her office's "open house" Tuesday.

There is no truth to the rumour that Chad Conrad Castagana will title his memoirs to be "Tilting at Windbags" ghost written by Jerome Corsi, and published by Regnery.

Amazing the silence of the right on this, especially the same screeching people who wanted Deb Frisch strung up by her tits, isn't it?

From today's Froomkin:

"Q: How is Vietnam different from Iraq?

"A: Bush had a plan for getting out of Vietnam."

Op-Ed headlines in the Winger Post:

"Remember Who Sent You" E. J. Dionne Jr.

"Pelosi's First Mistake" By Robert D. Novak

"Can the Democrats Deliver?" By Robert J. Samuelson

"Time of Testing for Harry Reid" By David S. Broder

Why don't they cut right to the chase, and run a story about some Democrat fucking sheep out behind the Supreme Court building, while another one sells videos of it on the inter-tubes and one of the freshman "conservative" Democrats spends his days loading Alzheimers patients in a van and dropping them off at random DC metro stops.

It would have the same impact, and they'd give it the same 'thoughtfully weighty' commentary that they are giving now. Forgive me for being so cynical, but Jeebus.

It's a well-known and established fact that when our Beloved Leader either compliments a program, or promises support it means that the program or initiative in question is about to get the axe, be defunded or totally ignored...see: promises after Katrina. So when at the meeting in Vietnam (which is apparently safe enough for the Deserting Fratboy Coward to visit now 36 years late) he says this:

On the eve of an economic summit in Vietnam, Bush voiced tentative support for a free-trade agreement covering all 21 member states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, saying during a speech here that the idea deserves "serious consideration."
...
In his address previewing issues he plans to emphasize during his week-long trip, Bush said the United States is serious about helping the region meet the challenges that could undermine its recent record of explosive economic growth. He cited efforts to develop alternative energy sources, fight pandemic diseases such as AIDS and avian flu, and combat terrorism.

I wonder who he'll blame for getting the wrong Vietnamese flag on the Whitehouse.gov website? Probably, oh, I don't know...Nancy Pelosi?

Dana Milbank on Countdown tonight was talking about the "discord" and how Pelosi was battered by her backing of Jack Murtha for majority leader. Olbermann pointed out that they have reached accord, and that they are moving forward. Milbank seemed intent on keeping the "meme" (I hate that word) alive that the Democrats are a house divided. Watch "Divided Democrats" become a recurring theme/talking point among the republican-loving pundits as 2008 gets closer.

For the record, Olbermann did not let him get away with it. Thanks, Keith.

Well, isn't this interesting (as the Church Lady might have said):

“We can put in 20,000 more Americans tomorrow and achieve a temporary effect,&rdquo he said. “But when you look at the overall American force pool that's available out there, the ability to sustain that commitment is simply not something that we have right now with the size of the Army and the Marine Corps.”

General Abizaid also publicly said for the first time that the American position in Iraq had been undermined by the Bush administration's decision not to deploy a larger force to stabilize the country in 2003. That decision was made after Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, the Army chief of staff at the time, told Congress that several hundred thousand troops would be needed. His testimony was derided by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, and the general was ostracized at the Pentagon before his retirement a few months later.

“General Shinseki was right that a greater international force contribution, U.S. force contribution and Iraqi force contribution should have been available immediately after major combat operations,” General Abizaid said. “I think you can look back and say that more American troops would have been advisable in the early stages of May, June, July.”

Too bad no one listened to him outside of Left Blogtopia (and you know what a bunch of loons we are) and some of the "realists" left in the government, but who had no ability to influence the decision making one way or the other.

The Mess in Mess O'Potamia just isn't going to get better any time soon, no matter how many times Beloved Leader chants "freedom agenda, freedom agenda".

The murder of 14 year-old girl and her family was a result of the NeoCon "freedom agenda" that Beloved Leader and his BFF Joe Lieberfuck are so enthusiastic about. It looks like one of the soldiers involved has decided to plead and roll over on his co-defendants.

A US Army soldier has pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and helping murder her and her family.

James Barker agreed to the plea deal at the start of his court-martial in the US to avoid the death penalty, his civilian lawyer said.
...
In addition, former soldier Steven Green has been charged in a civilian court and is awaiting trial in a Kentucky jail.

He was discharged from the army for a personality disorder earlier this year, and in July pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and sexual assault.

They did the deed, and they have to pay for it; but if The Drunken Deserting Fratboy Coward had not had to get his war on, they never would have been in the time or place to commit these acts. It's not an excuse, but it is a fact.

Yeah, he's got a clue. Not.

President Bush traded ideas on Iraq with a bipartisan commission Monday and promised to work with the incoming Democratic majority toward "common objectives." At the same time, he renewed his opposition to any timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops.
...
Asked about proposals by Levin and others for a phased troop reduction, Bush said, "I believe it is very important … for people making suggestions to recognize that the best military options depend upon the conditions on the ground."

All he knows of "ground truth" in Iraq is what Darth Cheney and (up til now) Rumsfeld told him. I suspect that no matter what the Iraq Study Group says, he'll adopt any proposal of theirs kicking and screaming.

I wonder if he'll threaten to hold his breath and kick his feet on the Oval Office carpet if he does not like the ISG recommendations? Magic 8-Ball sez: Likely.

Then there's this:

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada went to the Senate floor to lend support for a change in Iraq policy.

But Republicans shot back, saying they would oppose any timetable because it could cause Iraq to collapse into chaos.

Is there a single clue on the republican side of the aisle?

Someone out here has to be shitting bricks over this little fuck-up.

A Chinese submarine stalked a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier battle group in the Pacific last month and was undetected until it surfaced within firing range, The Washington Times reported on Monday.

The Chinese Song-class diesel-powered attack submarine was seen within five miles of the carrier Kitty Hawk and its accompanying warships on October 26, the newspaper said, citing defense officials.

As most of my submariner friends used to say, "there are two classes of ship, Subs and Targets". Yeah, it's still true, I guess.

I'm guessing that all of a sudden ASW has taken on "new" relevance in the modern Navy... well good. Nothing like reinventing the wheel, is there?

Wow. Presenting Doug Feith in two parts, first shorter Doug Feith:

"Can I please have a reacharound?

Rumsfeld has been attacked for insisting that troop levels for the Iraq operation be kept low, supposedly out of ideology and contrary to the advice of the military. What I saw, however, was that Rumsfeld questioned standard military recommendations for "overwhelming force." He asked if such force was necessary for the mission. ...
...
But Rumsfeld never told Gen. John Abizaid or Gen. Tommy Franks that U.S. Central Command could not have the number of troops that the commanders deemed necessary. ... If other generals are unhappy with the troop levels in Iraq, the problem is not that they failed to persuade Rumsfeld, but that they failed to persuade Abizaid or Franks.

For anyone to even begin to believe that a man who said "You go to war with the Army you have" is either competant or in-touch with the forces he's responsible for especially in war of choice he advocated, is pretty lame, a word that describes Mr. Feith to a "T".

Now that the dust is settling on the 2006 election, and there are still a couple of months to go until the actual take-over of the congress, it's time to re-examine the question of Impeachment. As everyone who has been a long-time reader here knows, I have oft advocated impeaching the bastard and sending it to the Senate for trial, The Flying Spaghetti Monster knows how well-deserved that fate would be. But with the takeover of both chambers of congress, especially the winner-take-all House, that imperative is no longer there.

Why?

We have several really, really good chairmen of House committees that have both the experience, and fortitude (not to mention subpoena powers) to start their own investigations into matters that will plumb the depths of the depravity (yes, depravity) of the 1600 Crew and their use of the government as their own personal piggy bank. Bringing the misuse of funds, and the abuse of power at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue into the spotlight might spark calls for who knows what kind of Congressional legal action. And if it does, then Congress will just be doing the will of the people. All of the investigations should be done with staff of both parties involved so that results are seen as "bi-partisan", which is one of the reasons that the Watergate hearings were successful...Howard Baker's place in the American political landscape was assured by his role in Watergate as the minority committee member of the Watergate committee who asked "What did the president know, and when did he know it?".

If the work of the investigations is successful, and there is no reason to believe that it would not be, then the results will be viewed by most Americans (who are paying attention) as fair. If they mean that Bunnypants goes home with no pension, no secret service detail, and a place in history as the first impeached and convicted president, well so be it.

If he goes home being known as the single most incompetant and corrupt man in American history because he injured the very fabric of American society in his personal quest to destroy the Constitution and our country from within, well, I can live with that result too.

And as usual, a dollar short. Sort of. Although I only lasted for most of my first two years in the Marine Corps Option program in NROTC because of the 1972/73 requirement by the Commandant of the Marine Corps that every Marine Officer had to be a Rifleman, and there was to be no exception for Aviators after 1974 (sigh, I'm really that old), I bailed out and went to the Navy. Not because I did not think that I could hack "Bulldog Cruise" and then TBS, but because I was deathly terrified of breaking something (I am not the most graceful athelete outside of a swimming pool), and being NPQ'd (Not Physically Qualified) for Pensacola. My career plans did not include being an 0331. Given my propensity to swim, I figured that Navy would be a better fit anyhow. Sort of makes sense, since running on water is not well documented outside certain stories.

So to my sort-of brethren, I say Happy (belated) Birthday and a big "Semper Fi". The MOI at my college told me "Once a Marine, Always a Marine", but I don't know if two years as a Marine Option count...I had an Eagle, Globe and Anchor on my collar, but never made it to Quantico.

Anyhow,

To all my other Vet Brothers and Sisters out there, Hey, Happy Veterans Day. We have real cause to celebrate now, don't we? To those of you still serving, come home to your loved ones safe and sound and remember, we all think about you every day.

Peace.

Trying to ram through as much legislation as possible before the end of the 109th Congress, like the Terrorist Surveillance Act and every other piece of John Yoo-inspired fascist legislation? And wasn't that the piece of shit bill that Specter was trying to get passed that gave Preznit Felonious Fone Phreak some kind of immunity for all past transgressions that say, Congress may be interested in knowing about?

Gee, is it too late to talk about resurrecting the Office of Special Counsel? That would set the republican's asses on fire.

Yeah, there's your bi-partisan Preznit at work. Hey, maybe he'll accuse Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi of wanting to coddle terrorists! That'll be just like the old days. Well if he does, watch for the wingnuts to start the year talking about how "obstructionist" the left is.

That will be those who are left whose heads have not exploded from saying "Speaker Pelosi".

Damn, that sounds nice... :)

You know, I'm all for some semblence of bipartisanship in the Congress, hell, I even think it ought to be the order of the day ... you know, let the bastards live with the minority rules that they imposed after 1994 for a while, and then give them a chance to become part of the process again. Slowly.

But I'm not especially sure that my tolerence for bi-partisan cooperation extends to Beloved Leader. He called us all "terrorist lovers", brought the term "unAmerican" pretty close to becoming normal speech for the wingnut segment of the population, accused us of pretty much everything up to and just short of wanting to become suicide bombers in the cause of progressivism. Now he wants the Senate to confirm Robert Gates and John Bolton before the change in the Senate next year.

President George W. Bush will make a push to get confirmation for John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations before power in Congress shifts to the Democrats, the White House said on Thursday.
...
...Bush also is seeking confirmation during that time for former CIA Director Robert Gates, his nominee to replace Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld

Pelosi and Reid need to watch out for political "roofies" being snuck into their White House Coffee Klatches over the next few months. No less a personage than Grover Norquist compared bipartisanship to date rape, and that's what's going on here. Make no mistake about it.

Howard Fineman, a man who has been both Bush sycophant and abject apologist for the 1600 Crew since 1999 (or before) finally wrote something the other day that strikes me as true, not to mention a great observation:

"President George W. Bush's Iraq policy is now in the political equivalent of receivership -- a bankrupt project that is about to be placed in the hands of the worldly-wise pragmatists who surrounded the president's own father. Think of them as receivers in bankruptcy, looking for ways to salvage America's military and moral assets after a post-September 11 adventure that voters (and most of the rest of the world) concluded was a waste of blood and treasure. . . .

In the second hundred hours can you please de-fund/dismantle the "Office of Faith Based Initiatives" and use the money for something worthwhile, like say helping enlisted men and women's families get off food stamps? Then perhaps encourage the IRS to begin looking into the tax-exempt status of the politically activitist of the 'mega-churches'?

Thank you,

Jo Fish

Hoyer vs. Murtha. I'll take Murtha, please. Much of what has been accomplished has been because of his courage in coming forward and breaking the Happy News Cycle coverage of Iraq. That took the kind of courage that needs to be rewarded.

Steny Hoyer's main acheivement of record that I can remember off the top of my head is the proposed expansion of the Washington DC ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone) aka "The Fear Zone" around the Baltimore-Washington area because well, he's askeered and feels that more restrictions are better than less.

One old aviator's opinion.

Apparently Hastert ("Just Denny") is not going to run for a leadership position in the new republican house organization. I wonder if he's really going to do much other than collect some $$ and figure out a way to retire at the end of this term.

Karma's a bitch when you lose and Delay's is not there to ...ummm.. delay your fall, huh big guy?

Wow....Rumsfeld, worst SECDEF evah is out. A primary architect of the Mess O'Potamian strategery is hist-ory. Well, it's start. Interesting that the Bob Gates, a fringe Iran-Contra player and protege of Daddy Bush and Brent Scowcroft is being brought in to take the SECDEF job.

Once again, Daddy is cleaning up Junior's mess. It's a shame that Incurious George insted of just failing at some bullshit business venture failed at something as deadly as a war that now has to be cleaned up. Tweety asked Andrea Mitchell rhetorically "How do you" (speaking of Bush) "roll this back?" I guess we're seeing the first attempt.

Rumsfeld and Cheney were extremely dismissive for the last six years of the role of CIA in American foreign policy, to the point of emasculating it by setting up DoD intel and policy shops to burnish the intel for the invasion of Iraq. Gates is a really intersting choice in light of that aspect of the war alone.

I have to wonder how long the NeoCon surrounding Rumsfeld at DoD will last. My bet? There are some senior officers who are helping them pack their offices today and tossing their shit out into the Pentagon parking lot for them as I write this (Doug Feith).

I also suspect we are seeing the final week of the vaunted "force transformation" bullshit that Rumsfeld was so fond of. Gates has the unenviable task of trying to keep the sides of the Pentagon from collapsing after six years of Rumsfeld and his imperious foolishness. The time at DoD for "change for the sake of change" is over for a while, I suspect.

I also wonder if Cheney is now moved off to become a more "traditional" Vice-President, while Daddy Bush quietly moves his players in to take over the final two years of Juniors Failed Experiment?

Given what happened in this country last night, this is almost funny in that ironical way that is just too strange.

Former Marxist revolutionary Daniel Ortega won back Nicaragua's presidency, according to updated results released Tuesday.
...
In the waning weeks of the campaign, Bush administration officials issued veiled threats that the United States might impose punitive measures such as a trade embargo if Ortega was elected.

I wonder if they can "not negotiate with terrorists" in Iran just for old times sake to reconstitute the Contras. You just know they want to...

Alex the answer is: "What should be stuck in John McCain, he's done."

I think we just witnessed the end of McCain '08, barring some weird Washington Miracle.

Hehe...losing the election.

Sorry, just had to toss that one out there.

Best:
Sensennbrenner will no longer run the House Judiciary Committee, therefore far less Whacko-Fascist legislation will issue forth.

Worst:
Lieberman is still there, and will probably be renting out his vote for undisclosed amounts of something negotiable.

Best:
Speaker Pelosi. "Just Denny" Hastert.

Worst:
Tom Delay is not incarcerated yet. He can still make some mischief on the hill.

Best:
Judicial nominations will recieve actual "advice and consent".

Worst:
Beloved Leader will still try and appoint someone like Roy Moore or Charles Pickering to the Supreme Court if he has the chance, just to pick a fight.

Best:
Pork might actually end.

Worst:
Pork might not actually end.

Contributions? My brain is tired. :)

Yeah, so as I write this we're looking at possible victories in Montana and Virginia.

The House broke our way, and we fairly kicked ass there. I look forward to seeing the new House Leadership work with Republicans who want to solve the issue of Iraq and the other huge problems facing our country like the deficit and totally out-of-control spending in a way that everyone can agree on with both sanity and comity. It's also time to start seperating politics from Policy in how the government runs. That's not entirely achieveable, but the adminstration has managed to make the conflation of the two an artform, never before witnessed in the history of the republic.

I also want to see Democrats behave like the Progressives on social issues that they are, the minimum wage and taking care of the less fortunate in our country need to be addressed up-front, and solutions need to be implemented as part of the rebuilding of a truly Purple America.

It's time to end the Red State/Blue State Bullshit and work together.

All that being said, Motherfuckers if you want to rumble, bring it, I don't think that there is much of a mandate for stupidity in the halls of Congress after tonight.

I suspect that George Bush will display the stubborn, intractable nature that governs his inner man-child within a week. He's never succeeded at anything on his own, he has no achievments save his grandest ambition of becoming a "War President" to further his own political aspirations. His most successful solo moment in his life has been to wrap himself in the Flag and stand on the bodies of 3000 Americans and others after 9/11, and use both to question the fidelity, bravery and integrity of all who would oppose him for all the years that followed.

So, am I happy that we have finally won one? Absolutely. Do I believe that Democrats should display the utter and vile hubris of the heirs of the 1994 "Republican Revolution"? No, and I'll walk away from them if they do. In a New York minute.

Do I think that they should function as an opposition party as envisioned by the Founding Fathers? Absolutely. Should they ask questions of the Administration and demand answers? Absolutely. Should they deny the opposition the opportunity to speak, make recommendations, bring legislation to the floor to be voted on it's merits? No. I think part of their "mandate" if there is one tonight is to begin to restore our government on behalf of all the people of this country.

I was also struck by something that John Murtha said in an interview tonight, that the Democrats were going to go back to a Five Day workweek in the House. I suspect that if the average American who works upwards of 50-60 hours a week, sometimes with both spouses in that situation fully understood that the Republican Congress has only been working two days a week most of the year, there would have been even more turnover in the Congress tonight on both sides of the aisle. I applaud the new House leadership if they can begin by keeping that promise on January 4th, 2007. I think that will stand them in good stead with all American, no matter what their party.

All in all, it's been a great night.

Now, off to see whazzup in Big Sky Country.

Peace.

Thank you.

☮

Love, The Management

I found Ted Haggard's Crystal Meth and used it before I wrote this crapulence.

Shorter Eugene Robinson: "I made Michael split it with me."

This has to be one of the most moronic things that I've seen on The Corner in quite a while (and there are a lot of stupid things in that part of WingNutLand).

Anti-Rumsfeld Editorial in a (Non) Army Paper [Mario Loyola]
The Army Times editorial slamming Rumsfeld is more interesting than meets the eye. This is a private newspaper owned by the same company that owns USA Today. It caters to the military, but has no affiliation of any kind with the military or the Department of Defense. None of the folks on the editorial board are currently military and an editorial assistant at the outfit couldn't think of any editor who ever had been in the military. They have no more visibility into the military than any other newspaper, which is to say not much.

So for Mr. Loyola to say:

...They have no more visibility into the military than any other newspaper, which is to say not much.
...
...Rumsfeld is hugely popular among the military, as is obvious in any of his Town Halls and speeches to them.

All this leads me to one conclusion, this guy is a typical kool-aid drinking republican, i.e. full of shit.

But hell, that might just be one old airdale's opinion.

Read this. Wolcott.

Please don't beat your head against a wall after you read this quote. It will only hurt more.

David Frum: "I always believed as a speechwriter that if you could persuade the president to commit himself to certain words, he would feel himself committed to the ideas that underlay those words. And the big shock to me has been that although the president said the words, he just did not absorb the ideas. And that is the root of, maybe, everything."

Maybe not anymore. Is that noise I hear the sound of Wingnut Heads Exploding?

and go read this. Betty Bowers takes on The Right Reverend Haggard...

I suspect that this will be a rather uncomfortable weekend at the Ted Haggard tax-free mansion. You see, Reverend Haggard is a vociferous spokesperson against gay marriage and, until yesterday, his wife probably had no idea she was actually in one.
...
Haggard famously claimed that "the only difference between me and George Bush is that Bush drives a Ford and I drive a Chevy." And from what I can tell, this may be the only honest thing the man has said. Let's compare, shall we?

Against gay marriage?

Check.

Fondness for sniffing illegal white powder?

Check.

Association with gay male prostitutes?

Jeff Gannon meet Mike Jones.

(H/T All Spin Zone)

Our boy, Micheal Ledeen, "NeoImp", as MeteorBlades terms him is now claiming that he was never in favor of invading Iraq (yeah, you can stop laughing now...).

I think the level of casualties is secondary. I mean, it may sound like an odd thing to say, but all the great scholars who have studied American character have come to the conclusion that we are a warlike people and that we love war. . . . What we hate is not casualties but losing. And if the war goes well and if the American public has the conviction that we're being well-led and that our people are fighting well and that we're winning, I don't think casualties are going to be the issue.
Michael Ledeen
AEI Breakfast
March 27, 2003

Question #1: Gentlemen, should we go to war against Iraq?

Ledeen: We have been at war with Iraq for years, since we performed victory interruptus at the end of the Gulf War phase. Iraq has attempted to assassinate a former American president, broken the agreement to permit international inspectors, aided anti-American terrorists both internationally and within the United States, and called for anti-American jihad with monotonous regularity. The only question is whether or not we're prepared to finally wage the war in such a way as to win it.

Question #2: Okay, well if we are all so certain about the dire need to invade Iraq, then when do we do so?

Ledeen: Yesterday.

What an absolute load of crap coming from a man (and I use that term loosely) who was a father of this bullshit movement to invade Iraq.

It's said that victory has many fathers, defeat has none. I guess we just found the bastard in the woodpile, or one of them anyhow...

Sometimes the jokes do write themselves:

Paris Hilton wants to be the first celebrity to go into space.

Ba-da-bing. Thank you, I'll be here all week, have some of the Tuna, before it's extinct.

From her mouth to the Hairy Thunderer's ear. Deborah Pryce, running in tough battle for reelection in central Ohio just made this statement:

As she fights for her political life, Ohio Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce distanced herself Thursday from the Iraq war, telling CNN Radio, "What's happening in Iraq is not a direct reflection on me."
...
In a statement issued to CNN later, Pryce finished her response, writing, "What's happening in Iraq is not a direct reflection on me."

"I voted to give the president the authority to use force in Iraq; that doesn't mean I'm always happy with what I see, but I can think of nothing worse for our troops or our prospects for success than having 435 members of Congress second-guessing our commanders," Pryce wrote.In a statement issued to CNN later, Pryce finished her response, writing, "What's happening in Iraq is not a direct reflection on me."

"I voted to give the president the authority to use force in Iraq; that doesn't mean I'm always happy with what I see, but I can think of nothing worse for our troops or our prospects for success than having 435 members of Congress second-guessing our commanders," Pryce wrote.

I don't think that the oversight authority given to the Congress by the Constitution exactly counts as "second-guessing", but then I've been wrong before.

But she's not responsible and it's no reflection on her. She's not responsible enough to be sent back to Congress again, that's for sure. I hope the voters and Franklin County and surrounding areas that have Ms. Pryce's name on the ballot in front of them on Tuesday remember that she "is not responsible", and vote for Mary Jo Kilroy.

It's the responsible thing to do, that will reflect well on the voters in central Ohio.

Pastor Ted just said in an interview on KUSA from Denver (via MSGOP) that he "only bought meth once, and never used it" and that he knew the man who sold it to him because he got a "massage" from him in his hotel room. Apparently Pastor Ted frequents many hotels in Denver, and that's how he learned of "his Massuer".

Uh-huh.

What's the old adage? When you're in the hole, put down the shovel? Pretty good advice, I'm thinking.

I wonder if he can get an answer from Preznit Picklehead about how to extracate himself from this within 24 hours. He'll be lucky to get the White House to answer his calls for the next 24 months.

Yesss... self-righteous christofascists, the gift that keeps on giving. Nothing wrong with being gay, or even republican, but being one of those self-hating, gay-baiting christofascists is another story.

I'm guessing that by now, you've seen the story of Ted Haggard, christofacist powerhouse, wired right into Karl Rove's office (now probably wired right into Karl Rove's shitcan), being 'outed' by a gay hooker in Denver.

The voice mails for from a man who calls himself "Art."

It should be noted Haggard's middle name is Arthur.

The first voice message, left on August 4 at 2:18 p.m., says:

"Hi Mike, this is Art. Hey, I was just calling to see if we could get any more. Either $100 or $200 supply. And I could pick it up really anytime I could get it tomorrow or we could wait till next week sometime and so I also wanted to get your address. I could send you some money for inventory but that's probably not working, so if you have it then go ahead and get what you can and I may buzz up there later today, but I doubt your schedule would allow that unless you have some in the house. Okay, I'll check in with you later. Thanks a lot, bye."

The second voice message, left on August 4 at 5:10 p.m., says:

"Hi Mike, this is Art, I am here in Denver and sorry that I missed you. But as I said, if you want to go ahead and get the stuff, then that would be great. And I'll get it sometime next week or the week after or whenever. I will call though you early next week to see what's most convenient for you. Okay? Thanks a lot, bye."

Jones claims Art is referring to methamphetamine in the messages.

**Update**
Apparently Haggard as now admitted to "some indiscretions" with the man who made the charges. Can we finally be done with the gay-bashing now, please? Jeralyn thinks it's to the meth business. Hey, in for a penny, in for a pound, smoke/fire, whatever. I'll bet there's more to it than that, and we'll hear about it soon.

Enough of the hypocrisy, hate and hysteria. If republicans and their evangelical supporters were less worried about their self-percieved "ick" factor about gays and more concerned with being lied to by their bought-and-paid for politicians no one would probably really care much if Pastor Ted liked to take a occaisional stroll on the wildside.

I'd feel worse for the guy, but he was up on the top of the heap with pushing the "gay marriage" issue with the 1600 Crew, and used his pulpit to encourage his flock to hate rather than love.

Karma is truly a bitch, ain't it?

It's crap like this that Americans are tired of, and has such a distinctly partisan stench attached to it. More and more Americans are sick of the rubber-stamp congressional republicans...and with any luck at all, they'll be unemployed soon (or at least a goodly number of them will be).

Investigations led by a Republican lawyer named Stuart W. Bowen Jr. in Iraq have sent American occupation officials to jail on bribery and conspiracy charges, exposed disastrously poor construction work by well-connected companies like Halliburton and Parsons, and discovered that the military did not properly track hundreds of thousands of weapons it shipped to Iraqi security forces.

And tucked away in a huge military authorization bill that President Bush signed two weeks ago is what some of Mr. Bowen’s supporters believe is his reward for repeatedly embarrassing the administration: a pink slip.

The order comes in the form of an obscure provision that terminates his federal oversight agency, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, on Oct. 1, 2007. The clause was inserted by the Republican side of the House Armed Services Committee over the objections of Democratic counterparts during a closed-door conference, and it has generated surprise and some outrage among lawmakers who say they had no idea it was in the final legislation.

Why is anyone surprised that CheneyBurton will operate with no oversight now? Why is anyone even in the least surprised that the republicans killed this on a party-line vote in secret? It's what they do, it's who they are and it's hopefully finally going to cost them the only things they understand, their power and perks.

As part of my choking on TV for the next several days leading up to the 7th, I have been watching a fair sampling of Talking Head Punditry and other blow-dried ne'er do wells.

On Tweety today he had a panel that must pass as "diverse" for him, Mikey Barnickle, Tony Perkins of the Fambla Research Council and Sixty-grit O'Beirn all opining on how badly the Democrats were going to lose on Tuesday (no, really Perkins said that).

Amazing.

For a media that purports to "Love the Troops", with their slavish reportage on all matters Martial (when it suits their republican paymasters), why have they virtually ignored the U.S. Soldier abandoned by the 1600 Crew to the "tender mercies of the Shi'ia Militias", but managed to have wall-to-wall coverage of John Kerry's foot-in-mouth disease?

I think I know the answer, but I'm just asking for the hell of it.

Not to hatchet the chickens before they count, or however that goes...if the wave of the election looks as it might, I have a suggestion for Nancy Pelosi and possibly Harry Reid for their first statement on Wedenesday morning:

"We are grateful for the hard work, dedication and trust of the American People who are giving us this chance to set our country on a new course. We issue this invitation to the White House to work with us to move our country forward beginning in January. All ideas are welcome, all members are included in the work we propose to undertake.

We will not be buying new drapes and carpets for any offices on Capitol Hill, because it is not a fiscally sound idea at a time when we can not afford it.

Thank you, and God Bless America."

From comments below:

Hi--
I'm a reporter for the St. Petersburg Times in Florida and I'm writing an article about wounded vets who have returned from Iraq (preferably to Florida). If you are an injured veteran from this war -- or know one who might want to talk with me -- I can be reached at 352-697-3143 or elesley@sptimes.com. My deadline is Friday evening.
Thanks!
Elena Lesley

Preznit Prayerful Pinhead...

President Bush reaffirmed his support for two of the most polarizing figures in his administration today, saying he wanted Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld as well as Vice President Dick Cheney to remain until the end of his presidency.
...
"Both men are doing fantastic jobs," Mr. Bush told The A.P. The president and his top aides have said repeatedly that no wars ever go exactly as planned, and that the American-led campaign to depose Mr. Hussein was good for the Iraqi people and good for the security of the United States.

It's long been a contention of mine that the service of Dear Leader was more easily characterized as "Other Than Honorable" for his disappearing act from the Texas Air National Guard, and then his disobedience of a direct order to get a goddamn flight physical. His apologists from Dan Bartlett to AssRocket have managed to make the arguments for his service more about the questioner than the Exalted Personage himself.

Well, now I know. There is not a fucking honorable bone in his body. Why? It's the Code of Conduct, something that all of us had drilled into us, Officer and Enlisted alike, perhap those of us who went to SERE School most of all (Aircrew, SEALs). Let's review, shall we?

The Six Articles of The Code of Conduct

Article I

I am an American fighting in the forces that guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

Article II

I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

Article III

If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

Article IV

If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information nor take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

Article V

When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

Article VI

I will never forget that I am an American fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

So what the fuck is up with this shit?

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki demanded the removal of American checkpoints from the streets of Baghdad on Tuesday, in what appeared to be his latest and boldest gambit in an increasingly tense struggle for more independence from his American protectors.

Mr. Maliki’s public declaration seemed at first to catch American commanders off guard. But by nightfall, American troops had abandoned all the positions in eastern and central Baghdad that they had set up last week with Iraqi forces as part of a search for a missing American soldier. The checkpoints had snarled traffic and disrupted daily life and commerce throughout the eastern part of the city. (my emphasis)

Now a soldier has gone missing, and he's determined that he'll just leave him behind. Something no officer would do who cared about his troops. But he was never an officer, he was a Lucky Sperm Awardee of a set of Lieutenants bars and silver wings.

He certainly didn't give a shit then, and he doesn't now. Does the military need to have their noses rubbed in this shit anymore to understand that they horse the have backed cares about them for ceremony and ass-kissing and not a whit for the things that matter to them, like their futures, their survival and their traditions like not leaving a buddy behind?

Here's a couple of Medal of Honor citations of men who knew that we leave no one behind, even at the risk of their lives:

Lieutenant Clyde E. Lassen, United States Navy
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 19 June 1968 as pilot and aircraft commander of a search and rescue helicopter, attached to Helicopter Support Squadron Seven, Detachment One Hundred Four, embarked in USS Preble (DLG 15), during operations against enemy forces in North Vietnam. Launched shortly after midnight to attempt the rescue of two downed aviators, Lieutenant (then Lieutenant, Junior Grade) Lassen skillfully piloted his aircraft over unknown and hostile terrain to a steep, tree-covered hill on which the survivors had been located. Although enemy fire was being directed at the helicopter, he initially landed in a clear area near the base of the hill, but, due to the dense undergrowth, the survivors could not reach the helicopter. With the aid of flare illumination, Lieutenant Lassen successfully accomplished a hover between two trees at the survivor's position. Illumination was abruptly lost as the last of the flares were expended, and the helicopter collided with a tree, commencing a sharp descent. Expertly righting his aircraft and maneuvering clear, Lieutenant Lassen remained in the area, determined to make another rescue attempt, and encouraged the downed aviators while awaiting resumption of flare illumination. After another unsuccessful, illuminated, rescue attempt, and with his fuel dangerously low and his aircraft significantly damaged, he launched again and commenced another approach in the face of the continuing enemy opposition. When flare illumination was again lost, Lieutenant Lassen, fully aware of the dangers in clearly revealing his position to the enemy, turned on his landing lights and completed the landing. On this attempt, the survivors were able to make their way to the helicopter. Enroute to the coast, Lieutenant Lassen encountered and successfully evaded additional hostile antiaircraft fire and, with fuel for only five minutes of flight remaining, landed safely aboard USS Jouett (DLG 29). His courageous and daring actions, determination, and extraordinary airmanship in the face of great risk sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Lieutenant Thomas R. Norris, United States Naval Reserve

Lieutenant Thomas R. Norris, United States Naval ReserveFor conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a SEAL Advisor with the Strategic Technical Directorate Assistance Team, Headquarters, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. During the period 10 to 13 April 1972, Lieutenant Norris completed an unprecedented ground rescue of two downed pilots deep within heavily controlled enemy territory in Quang Tri Province. Lieutenant Norris, on the night of 10 April, led a five-man patrol through 2,000 meters of heavily controlled enemy territory, located one of the downed pilots at daybreak, and returned to the Forward Operating Base (FOB). On 11 April, after a devastating mortar and rocket attack on the small FOB, Lieutenant Norris led a three man team on two unsuccessful rescue attempts for the second pilot. On the afternoon of the 12th, a Forward Air Controller located the pilot and notified Lieutenant Norris. Dressed in fishermen disguises and using a sampan, Lieutenant Norris and one Vietnamese traveled throughout that night and found the injured pilot at dawn. Covering the pilot with bamboo and vegetation, they began the return journey, successfully evading a North Vietnamese patrol. Approaching the FOB, they came under heavy machine gun fire. Lieutenant Norris called in an air strike which provided suppression fire and a smoke screen, allowing the rescue party to reach the FOB. By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, undaunted courage, and selfless dedication in the face of extreme danger, Lieutenant Norris enhanced the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

1. The real Iraqi Conundrum
   
2. Such Bullshit
   
3. Employed
   
4. Kate O'Beirne is an idiot
   
5. A task for Dear Leader...
   
6. Snow-Globe
   
7. A question...
   
8. The truth of it...
   
9. How Politicians Talk ---
   
10. Loser Man