Hey liberals: Let Bush declare victory in Iraq

Much has been written by pundits left and right in response to an op-ed in yesterday's NY Times, "A War We Just Might Win," which asserts that things are improving in Iraq. Conservatives are hailing the op-ed as proof that the surge is working and everything is going to be fine if we just stick with it (nee "stay the course"); liberals are deriding the piece as another round of pixie dust from the same Tinkerbells who led us into war in the first place.

The liberals are right, of course, but pointing out the truth won't get them anywhere. Instead, they need to let Bush and his minions believe they're winning the war, so they can eventually declare victory and our troops can come home. Bush & Co. will not be satisfied any other way, and liberals are just beating their heads against a wall trying to fight them on it.

Let it go, liberals. Let Bush declare victory. It's the only way the rest of us will ever win.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/opinion/30pollack.html

How fast is the ice melting?

A new study from the University of Colorado at Boulder found that glaciers and ice caps are currently melting at a rate of 100 cubic miles a year. That's a volume nearly equal to that of Lake Erie. And the rate is increasing by three cubic miles per year.

The study estimates that this accelerated melting could raise sea levels an additional 4 to 9.5 inches globally by 2100 - not including the thermal expansion of warming ocean water, which could double those numbers. A 1-foot rise in sea level typically causes a shoreline retreat of 100 feet or more.

Is this what Bush means by "We're making progress"?

http://www.motherjones.com/blue_marble_blog/archives/2007/07/4935
_glaciers_ice_ca.html/?src=email&link=hed_20070720_bl4
_glaciersandicecapskeeppouringiton

Bush goes under, Cheney becomes president

OK, by "under" we mean "under anaesthesia." And by "president," we mean "for a couple of hours."

The unthinkable event is supposed to happen tomorrow, when Bush is scheduled to have a colonoscopy.

Speaking of unthinkable.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/20/bush.colonoscopy/index.html

Do NOT watch this video

...unless you really, really hate the iPhone: http://www.willitblend.com/videos.aspx?type=unsafe&video=iphone

Morally unfit?

Senator David Vitter (R-LA), yesterday: "I'm not going to answer endless questions about [being on the D.C. Madam's list] all over again and again and again and again. That might sell newspapers, but it wouldn't serve my family or my constituents well."

David Vitter, October 29, 1998: "Some current polls may suggest that people are turned off by the whole Clinton mess and don't care.... But that doesn't answer the question of whether President Clinton should be impeached and removed from office because he is morally unfit to govern."

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/progressreport

"We're making progress"

Bush said today that we're making progress in Iraq. Where have we heard that before?

June 28, 2007:
"The colonel leading the assault says we have denied al Qaeda a major bastion. The city is cleared. The challenge, of course, is going to be for coalition and Iraqi forces to keep it that way. But we're making progress in Operation Phantom Thunder."

April 4, 2007:
"So while we're making progress, it also is tough. And so the way to deal with it is to stay on the offense, is to help these Iraqis."

June 9, 2006:
"And victory in Iraq is a country that can sustain itself, govern itself and defend itself. That's the definition of victory, and we're making progress toward that goal."

April 4, 2006:
"And I'm convinced we're making progress there. But I do urge the folks on the ground to get that unity government in place, so that the Iraqi people have confidence in their future."

March 22, 2006:
"And we're making progress when it comes to training the troops. More and more Iraqis are taking the fight."

March 21, 2006:
"We're making progress because of -- we've got a strategy for victory, and we're making progress because the men and women of the United States military are showing magnificent courage and they're making important sacrifices that have brought Iraq to an historic moment -- the opportunity to build a democracy that reflects its country's diversity, that serves its people, and is an active partner in the fight against the terrorists."

January 10, 2006:
"The training of the Iraqi police is an enormous task and, frankly, it hasn't always gone smoothly. Yet we're making progress -- and our soldiers see the transformation up close."

October 16, 2005:
"We're making progress toward peace. We're making progress toward an ally that will join us in the war on terror, that will prevent al Qaeda from establishing safe haven in Iraq, and a country that will serve as an example for others who aspire to live in freedom."

October 5, 2005:
"So on the one hand, we're making progress when it comes to training Iraqis to take the fight to the enemy, we're bringing the enemy to justice, we're on the offense. On the other hand, democracy is moving forward in a part of the world that is so desperate for democracy and so desperate for freedom."

August 23, 2005:
"I'll remind the people that we're making progress on two fronts -- a political front. The Iraqi people are working hard to reach a consensus on their constitution."

August 11, 2005:
"And we're making progress training the Iraqis. Oh, I know it's hard for some Americans to see that progress, but we are making progress."

May 20, 2005:
"But one of the things that's important to understand is the Iraqi government understands that as civilian governments change, there needs to be stability in the military and a chain of command that links top to bottom. And General Casey knows we're making progress toward establishing that chain of command."

June 17, 2004:
"And we're making progress toward that goal. We've been there -- it's been 14 months since the fall of Baghdad, and the work has been hard and difficult."

May 24, 2004:
"We're making progress. Yet there still is much work to do. Over the decades of Saddam's rule, Iraq's infrastructure was allowed to crumble, while money was diverted to palaces, and to wars, and to weapons programs."

May 5, 2004:
"And we're making progress. There are a few people there in Iraq that want to claim credit for any situation on the ground, but the people in Fallujah are tired of foreign fighters and radicals and extremists preventing them from living a normal life."

April 30, 2004:
"And so we're making progress, you bet. There's a strategy toward freedom."

April 13, 2004:
"But when you think about where the country has come from, it's a relatively short period of time. And we're making progress."

November 27, 2003:
"Well, one way you measure is how many people you bring to justice. And they feel like they're making good progress."

August 8, 2003:
"The American people know that we laid out the facts, we based the decision on sound intelligence and they also know we've only been there for a hundred days. And we're making progress."

July 30, 2003:
"And so we're making progress. It's slowly but surely making progress of bringing the -- those who terrorize their fellow citizens to justice, and making progress about convincing the Iraqi people that freedom is real."

April 24, 2003:
"And we're making progress. There's tangible, visible progress on the ground there in Iraq."

http://www.oliverwillis.com/2007/07/bush-were-makin.html

Well, isn't this ironic?

Scooter Libby was Marc Rich's lawyer (circa 1985 to 2000). In fact, Libby believed that prosecutors "misconstrued the facts and the law" when they went after Rich on tax evasion charges. "There are no facts that I know of that support the criminality of the client based on the tax returns," Libby said.

Read all about it:

http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/03/02/clinton.library/