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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-163848912014-11-26T13:27:02.804-08:00Cedric's Big Mixcedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-18074677219537271382014-11-26T13:27:00.000-08:002014-11-26T13:27:02.815-08:00Schumer speaks, Think Progress whines
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

STINK NO PROGRESS HAS THEIR PANTIES IN A WAD OVER THE REMARKS OF U.S. SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER WHO HAS DECLARED THE PEOPLE DID NOT HIRE THE CONGRESS IN 2008 TO PASS OBAMACARE, THAT INSTEAD THE FOCUS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON JOBS.

STINK NO PROGRESS INSISTS SCHUMER IS WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

APPARENTLY PEOPLE DON'T WANT JOBS, THEY JUST WANT HEALTH CARE.

AND, IN RELATED NEWS, THEY DON'T WANT FOOD, THEY JUST WANT HEALTH CARE.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

A friend at a VSO wanted to point out that Senator Murray never loses sight of veterans issues while, in the House, Corrine "Brown can't even find them." That's a very good point and one that I have missed.

At Third on Sunday, we wrote "Editorial: Corrine Brown must not be named Ranking Member" which noted how US House Rep Tim Walz was qualified to be the Ranking Member on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and Brown is not. We noted the nonsense Nancy Pelosi and her cronies pulled as they insisted that Walz couldn't run for Ranking Member because he wasn't a member of the Committee and only took part via a waiver. The editorial included this:

If he had to obtain a waiver to serve on the Committee?

That meant he served on the Committee.

That's what the waiver did, it made him a Committee member.

And Tim Walz asked questions in hearings, voted on the Comittee, etc.

He was a member and he participated.

Gov.track isn't confused:

Committee Membership
Timothy Walz sits on the following committees:

 House Committee on Agriculture

Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry

Member, Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management

 House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Member, Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management

Member, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

Member, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials

 House Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Member, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

And he didn't just serve on the Committee and show up for hearings, he sponsored bills dealing with veterans issues:

H.R. 5680: Veterans' Toxic Wounds Research Act of 2014

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Sep 19, 2014

Referred to Committee: Sep 19, 2014

H.R. 5059: Clay Hunt SAV Act

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Jul 10, 2014

Referred to Committee: Jul 10, 2014

H.R. 4191: Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Mar 11, 2014

Referred to Committee: Mar 11, 2014

H.R. 3682: To designate the community based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs located at 1961 Premier Drive in Mankato, Minnesota, as the "Lyle C. Pearson Community Based Outpatient Clinic".

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Dec 9, 2013

Passed House: Jun 17, 2014

H.R. 3569: Protecting the Freedoms and Benefits for All Veterans Act

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Nov 20, 2013

Referred to Committee: Nov 20, 2013

H.R. 2785: Military Reserve Jobs Act

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Jul 22, 2013

Referred to Committee: Jul 22, 2013

H.R. 1980: Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: May 14, 2013

Referred to Committee: May 14, 2013

H.R. 975: Servicemember Mental Health Review Act

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Mar 5, 2013

Referred to Committee: Mar 5, 2013

H.R. 679: Honor America's Guard-Reserve Retirees Act

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Feb 13, 2013

H.R. 6574 (112th): Servicemember Mental Health Review Act

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Oct 12, 2012

Referred to Committee: Oct 12, 2012

H.R. 1855 (112th): Veterans' Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitative Services' Improvements Act of 2011

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: May 11, 2011

Referred to Committee: May 11, 2011

H.R. 1566 (112th): Protecting Servicemembers from Mortgage Abuses Act of 2011

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Apr 14, 2011

Referred to Committee: Apr 14, 2011

H.R. 1025 (112th): To amend title 38, United States Code, to recognize the service in the reserve components of certain persons by honoring them with status as veterans under law.

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Mar 10, 2011

Passed House: Oct 11, 2011

H.R. 865 (112th): Veteran Employment Transition Act of 2011

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Mar 1, 2011

Referred to Committee: Mar 1, 2011

H.R. 6188 (111th): Veterans' Homelessness Prevention and Early Warning Act of 2010

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Sep 22, 2010

Referred to Committee: Sep 22, 2010

H.R. 6123 (111th): Veterans' Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitative Services' Improvements Act of 2010

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Sep 14, 2010

Referred to Committee: Sep 14, 2010

H.R. 5928 (111th): Veterans' Disability Claims Efficiency Act of 2010

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Jul 29, 2010

Referred to Committee: Jul 29, 2010

H.R. 5400 (111th): Veteran Employment Transition Act of 2010

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: May 25, 2010

Referred to Committee: May 25, 2010

H.R. 3787 (111th): To amend title 38, United States Code, to recognize the service in the reserve components of certain persons by honoring them with status as veterans under law.

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Oct 8, 2009

Passed House: Sep 28, 2010

H.R. 6695 (110th): To amend title 38, United States Code, to conform the mileage reimbursement rates used under the beneficiary travel program administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the mileage reimbursement rates for Government employees on

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: Jul 31, 2008

Referred to Committee: Jul 31, 2008

H.R. 6122 (110th): Veterans Pain Care Act of 2008

Sponsor: Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]

Introduced: May 21, 2008

Referred to Committee: May 21, 2008

In fairness to Corrine Brown, we should note that during the same period above (2008 and to the present), she also sponsored some bills.

Well . . .

Bill.

Because there was only one.

From 2008 to the present -- six years -- she only sponsored one bill having to do with veterans.

But she thinks she's earned the right to serve as Ranking Member on the House Veterans Affairs Committee?

In fairness to Corrine, we should note she had other things to focus on. In the same period, she introduced two bills on Haiti. Maybe that makes her an expert on veterans? And she sponsored four bills on National Train Day.

Of course, she also had to put in a lot of time going through those mail order catalogs to buy all her hideous wigs.

Is Corrine Ranking Member?

No.

She's issued two statements already announcing she is but until January, when the new Congress starts, she's not.

And if the Democrats in the House are stupid enough to go along with Nancy, to oppose veterans groups on this issue, they better be prepared for the voter fallout in 2016, they better be prepared for the ignorant statements out of Corrine's mouth that the Democratic presidential candidate will have to respond to. This is insanity. The woman is a moron and who cannot speak. Every time she opens her mouth she either embarrasses herself or attacks veterans -- or both!

The whole party's going to suffer as a result of Nancy Pelosi's decision and that needs to be brought home to Nancy, loudly and clearly -- not the three person meet-up that took place this weekend where an attempt was made to reason with Nancy.

This issue isn't over yet, the decision can be overturned.

But if it's not, it needs to be remembered than Nancy Pelosi is responsible for Democratic losses in 2016 as Corrine Brown becomes the face of the party when it comes to veterans issues.

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cedricsbigmixhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-77592394200308964592014-11-25T13:13:00.000-08:002014-11-25T13:13:28.826-08:00Pay Terry back for his loyalty BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

RUMORS CONTINUE TO SWIRL THAT FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O MAY BE VETTING DONALD BEATTY FOR THE SUPREME COURT.

THOUGH BEATTY IS CERTAINLY QUALIFIED, WHAT ABOUT TERRY BEAN?

BEAN RAISED OVER HALF-A-MILLION DOLLARS FOR BARRY O'S ELECTION CAMPAIGNS. [SEE "THIS JUST IN! BARRY HAS THE BEST SUPPORTERS!" AND
"TV: Madonna versus Whore all over again."]

AND VETTING?

WHY EVEN A BUST FOR SEX WITH A CHILD HASN'T RAISED TOO MUCH INTEREST IN TERRY BEAN SO HE SHOULD SAIL THROUGH A CONFIRMATION HEARING EASILY.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Chuck Hagel is now the departing Secretary of Defense. His rumored resignation is now official and AP notes that the resignation "comes as the president's national security team has been battered by crises including the rise of Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria and Russia's provocations in Ukraine."

This afternoon at the White House, US President Barack Obama and Hagel announced the Secretary of Defense's resignation. We'll skip Barack's repeated use of "Chuck" and instead note Hagel's words:

Mr. President, thank you -– thank you for your generous words, for your friendship, for your support which I have always valued and will continue to value. And to my not old, but my longtime, dear friend Vice President Biden, who I have always admired and respected, and both the President and I have learned an awful lot from the Vice President over the years -– thank you. And I want to thank the Deputy Secretary of Defense who is here, Bob Work, and the Chairman and Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Marty Dempsey, who also is here. I want to thank them for being here this morning.
I also want to thank you both for your tremendous leadership of the Defense Department and what you mean to our men and women and their families all over the world; and for the honor I've had to serve with each of you and the privilege it's been in every way.
And I want to thank the entire leadership team at the Pentagon. Without their support and wise counsel over the last couple of years our many accomplishments, and the President noted some, I have been part of that -– but it's a team. It's all these tremendous men and women, as you know Mr. President, that make this happen and I couldn't be prouder of them and what we have accomplished over the almost two years that I've had the honor of serving in this position.
And as the President noted I have today submitted my resignation as Secretary of Defense. It's been the greatest privilege of my life; the greatest privilege of my life to lead and most important, to serve -- to serve with the men and women of the Defense Department and support their families. I am immensely proud of what we've accomplished during this time. We have prepared ourselves, as the President has noted, our allies and Afghan National Security Forces for a successful transition in Afghanistan. We bolstered enduring alliances and strengthened emerging partnerships while successfully responding to crises around the world.
And we've launched important reforms that the President noted -- reforms that will prepare this institution for the challenges facing us in decades to come. I believe we have set not only this department –- the Department of Defense -– but the nation on the stronger course toward security, stability and prosperity. If I didn't believe that, I would not have done this job.
As our country prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving I want to –- you, Mr. President, and you, Vice President Biden, -– acknowledge what you have done and how grateful I am to both of you for your leadership and your friendship and for giving me this opportunity to serve our country once again.
I will continue to support you, Mr. President, and the men and women who defend this country every day so unselfishly; and their families, what they do for our country, so unselfishly. And as I have said –- and as the President noted –- I will stay on this job and work just as hard as I have over the last couple of years, every day, every moment, until my successor is confirmed by the United States Senate.
I'd also like to express my gratitude to our colleagues on Capitol Hill -- my gratitude to them for their support of me, but more importantly their support of our troops and their families and their continued commitment to our National Security.
I also want to thank my international counterparts for their friendship and their partnership and their advice during my time as Secretary of Defense. Their involvement with me and their partnership with me -- in so many of these important areas as we build these coalitions of common interests as you have noted, Mr. President –- are so critically important and to them, I am grateful I will be forever grateful.
And finally I'd like to thank my family. My wife Lilibet, who you have mentioned, Mr. President, who was with me this morning as she has been with me throughout so many years, and during so many tremendous experiences. And this experience and opportunity and privilege to serve as Secretary of Defense has been one of those; and to my daughter Allyn and my son Ziller.

Mr. President, again, thank you. To you and to all of our team everywhere, as we know Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, it is a team effort. And that's part of the fun of it, to help build teams and to work together to make things happen for the good of the country and make a better world. For all of that I am immensely grateful. And to all of you, your families, happy Thanksgiving. Thank you very much.

The repeated use of "Chuck" in Barack's remarks were most likely an effort to make shoving Hagel out of a moving car seem far kinder than it was.

Selena Hill (Latin Post) notes:

[. . .] inside sources say that the former Nebraska senator was forced out by the president, CNN reports. According to officials, the White House lost confidence in Hagel's ability to effectively lead in the Pentagon. Plus, the former Republican senator faced pressure as criticism of the president's national security team on a series of global issues mounted, including the threat of the Islamic State.

NBC News correspondent and MSNBC talk show host Andrea Mitchell Tweeted the following:

<div class="tweet original-tweet js-stream-tweet js-actionable-tweet js-profile-popup-actionable js-original-tweet has-cards has-native-media with-media-forward " data-card-type="photo" data-disclosure-type="" data-expanded-footer="

  9:03 AM - 24 Nov 2014 · Details

 " data-has-cards="true" data-has-native-media="true" data-item-id="536928152745152512" data-name="Think AgainTurn Away" data-screen-name="ThinkAgain_DOS" data-tweet-id="536928152745152512" data-user-id="2228393197" data-you-block="false" data-you-follow="false">

 <div class="tweet original-tweet js-stream-tweet js-actionable-tweet js-profile-popup-actionable js-original-tweet " data-disclosure-type="" data-expanded-footer="

  8:15 AM - 24 Nov 2014 · Details

 " data-item-id="536916033765146624" data-name="Andrea Mitchell" data-screen-name="mitchellreports" data-tweet-id="536916033765146624" data-user-id="89820928" data-you-block="false" data-you-follow="false">

  Andrea Mitchell <s>@</s>mitchellreports   13h13 hours ago

Truth is <s>#</s>Hagel brought in to manage troop draw down from 2 wars now U.S. is extending combat role in Afghanistan and "advising" in Iraq

  0 replies     28 retweets     6 favorites

Renee Montagne and Mara Liasson (NPR's Morning Edition, link is text and audio) discussed the resignation:

MONTAGNE: Well, get down to why Hagel is resigning right at this moment?

 LIASSON: Well, the president had conversations with Hagel in October about the final quarter of his presidency, and he essentially asked Hagel to step down. I think the biggest reason was that the mission has changed. When Chuck Hagel came in, his focus was on drawing down troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, shrinking the Pentagon, dealing with the sequester budget cuts. But now the world has changed. We're recommitting troops to Iraq to fight ISIS. In Afghanistan, we're going to be leaving some more troops behind. And the White House decided they needed a strategic thinker. And they've really struggled to stay one step ahead of all of these crises - Ebola, Ukraine, even conflicts in Asia. And I think the thinking was that they needed somebody else to run the Defense Department, more of a strategic thinker, in the remaining months of the president's term.

MONTAGNE: And beyond that, were there problems with Hagel?

LIASSON: Well, Chuck Hagel did occasionally seem not be on the same page as the White House. He famously said that ISIS was beyond anything we'd seen before. He was kind of out in front on that. He clashed with the national security advisor, Susan Rice, on Syria. And he never really made it into that very small insular inner circle at the White House.

For all the lies and pretense, this was not a happy exit. Early this morning, Helene Cooper of the New York Times attempted to spin pretty because she's honestly that useless. She always has been and she always will be. In 2006, Ava and I dubbed her the Bobble Head Pundit and nothing in all the years since has demonstrated that she has the skill or ability to actually report.

Helene had the story but she couldn't do a thing with it because she's never had the skill for context.

After her embarrassing 'report' broke this morning, other outlets -- including the Associated Press -- brought the skill and context Helene was incapable of. And the editorial board of the Contra Costa Times probably had the least stomach for spin of anyone working the story:

The White House announced that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had submitted his resignation after he and President Obama "both determined that it was time for new leadership at the Pentagon."
Time for new leadership? Really? Hagel's tenure is still being measured in months rather than years (18, to be exact), he has barely had time to locate all the elevators in the Pentagon. Yet it is somehow time for new leadership? This announcement is Washingtonspeak for "the guy we picked isn't working out."

TVNZ One News specifically notes,"Mr Hagel has had his own frustrations with the White House. In recent weeks, he sent a letter to national security adviser Susan Rice in which he said Mr Obama needed to articulate a clearer view of the administration's approach to dealing with Syrian President Bashar Assad. The letter is said to have angered White House officials."

Aliyah Frumin (MSNBC) notes some Congressional reaction:

"This announcement shows when you don't have a strategy, it's hard to come up w/a team to help you implement a strategy," said GOP Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri on Twitter. GOP Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland tweeted, "Pres Obama's national security policy is failing & world is in turmoil. It will take more than changing the Sec of Defense to fix it." Similarly, House Speaker John Boehner thanked Hagel for his service but added, "New #SecDef isn't enough…" And in an expanded statement, Boehner said Hagel's replacement must accompany a "larger re-thinking" of the America's military strategy, suggesting GOP lawmakers will take a tough-as-nails approach during the next confirmation process.

Hagel has agreed to hang on until his successor can be confirmed. That person will be number four. He or she will follow Robert Gates, Leon Panetta and Chuck Hagel. Four.

Since January 2009, Barack has required 4 US Ambassadors to Iraq as well: Chris Hill, James Jeffrey, Robert Steven Beecroft and Stuart Jones. Four.

When the US could have provided stability, it provided a non-stop state of flux.

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Mockingjay

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Benghazi and the United Nations

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Highlights

"THIS JUST IN! BARRY HAS THE BEST SUPPORTERS!"
"TV: Madonna versus Whore all over again"cedricsbigmixhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-5943101482126618722014-11-23T18:56:00.000-08:002014-11-23T18:56:18.315-08:00His real base?

BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

FORGET BILL COSBY FOR A MOMENT, THE HOTTEST SLEAZE SCANDAL MAY BE THAT OF A CO-FOUNDER OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN WHO JUST GOT NABBED BECAUSE HE AND HIS BOYFRIEND ARE ALLEGED TO HAVE HAD SEX WITH A 15-YEAR-OLD BOY.

TERRY BEAN INSISTS THIS IS ALL A BLACKMAIL SCHEME GONE WRONG -- SOMEONE GOT SCREEN SNAPS OF THE VIDEOS HE KEEPS OF HIMSELF HAVING SEX!

OKAY THAT PROVES HE'S INNOCENT -- NOT!

CNN NOTES:

The Oregonian reported that he helped raise more than half a million dollars for Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, and Federal Election Commission records show he's contributed thousands to Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and others.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Iraq has a new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi -- or rather their prime minister has a new name. Otherwise, things are pretty much the same in Iraq.

Human Rights Watch issued an alert Friday which includes:

An attack on November 19, 2014, targeting Erbil's governorate building killed at least 10 civilians and wounded dozens more. Attacks the same day in Baghdad killed or wounded 18 civilians. In early October, at the beginning of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar and especially holy for Shia worshippers, five car bomb attacks in Karbala killed at least 15 people and injured another 48. Since then, other bombings have killed dozens more in Baghdad, Kirkuk, and elsewhere.
"Bombings across Iraq are killing and maiming civilians in attacks so frequent they barely make the local news," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director. "But a government response that too often includes arbitrary arrests and summary executions will only fuel the cycle of abuses."
Iraq's central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government should redouble efforts to protect all civilians – Sunni and Shia, Arab and Kurd, and other minorities – in their fight against the militant group Islamic State (also known as ISIS), which has claimed responsibility for many of the attacks. Iraqi authorities have frequently responded to ISIS attacks with human rights abuses against Sunni civilians, including arbitrary arrests and detentions. In July, Human Rights Watch documented government-backed militias' summary execution of dozens of Sunni civilians in areas where they are battling ISIS.

Does that sound like a new Iraq?

No. And Robert A. Manning (National Interest) observes:

The strategy, as announced, had a coherent logic to it. But it required some large leaps of faith. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey told the House Armed Services Committee last week, "One of our assumptions is that the government of Iraq will be inclusive. One of the assumptions is that the Iraqi security forces will be will to take back al-Anbar province…If those assumptions are rendered invalid, I will have to adjust my recommendations."
The strategy assumed that once Maliki was removed as Iraqi prime minister, a new leader would form a more inclusive government, one that Sunnis would not reject. Bombing would buy time until Iraqis could be trained to fight ISIS—boots on the ground that would complement our air war.

But so far, Iraq's new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, has done little to change Sunnis' perceptions of Baghdad. Appointing the head of the Badr Shia militia to the powerful post of minister of the interior hasn't helped. Will Baghdad fully allow the fostering of Sunni national guard forces? A recent shake-up in Iraq's defense ministry and senior military leadership may be a step in that direction. But it will be at least six to eight months before it is possible to judge whether Sunnis have any confidence in the new government.

In fairness, Haider al-Abadi can point to one bit of success. AFP reports, "The Iraqi government transferred $500 million to the autonomous Kurdish region on Wednesday as part of a deal aimed at ending long-running oil and budget disputes, the finance minister said."  Press TV explains:

Hoshyar Zebari said in Baghdad on Wednesday that his ministry transferred the sum to the account of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) earlier in the day under the deal which requires Iraq to resume funding Kurdish civil servant salaries in return for a share of Kurdish oil exports.
He said the KRG began supplying 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day to State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) storage tanks in the Turkish port city of Ceyhan on Tuesday.

"This mutual implementation means that the two sides are ready to resolve all the other issues and all the issues are up for discussion," Zebari stated.

That isn't minor. For over a year now, the Kurds have been denied their part of the federal budget. Nouri al-Maliki, the former prime minister and forever thug, attempted to use the federal budget to blackmail the Kurds.

So resolving this isn't minor.

But it's also true that the only resolution Haider al-Abadi can claim thus far also involves oil. Stick a pin in that, we'll come back to it.

I would argue you could even give him credit for a meet-up/photo-op this week. Mu Xuequan (Xinhua) reports that Haider met in Baghdad with Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and the two held a joint-press conference at which Haider declared, "There is an agreement on information exchange and security cooperation (with Turkey), and moreover, the Turkish prime minister has offered military cooperation in fighting against the terror of Daash (IS' Arabic acronym), which is not only a threat against Iraq but also against Turkey and the whole region,,"

That's news.

And not because Xuequan reports, "Turkey will train Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces to fight Islamic State militants in Iraq, local Hurriyet Daily News reported on Friday. Turkey and the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government have been in cooperation for a training program in northern Iraq for a month, according to the daily report." That's an arrangement between the Turkish government and the Kurdish government and the two have been getting along amazingly well for several years now.

The same cannot be said of the Turkish government and the central government out of Baghdad.

And the only person to blame for that is Nouri al-Maliki.

He repeatedly called the government of Turkey (which shares a border with Iraq) terrorists. He insulted them non-stop and did so in a public fashion. Nouri also attacked the governments of Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia -- pretty much every government in the region except for the government of Iran.

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"THIS JUST IN! WHO'S THE BITCH?"

cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-67424223764470296492014-11-20T19:04:00.000-08:002014-11-20T19:04:43.860-08:00Barry goes bitchy
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

AMERICA'S BIGGEST BITCH, BARRY O, IS READY TO HAVE A CAT FIGHT IN THE MUD.

FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O CAME ON LIKE THE BIGGEST BITCH ON ANY SOAP OPERA AS HE CACKLED AND THREATENED IN HIS NATIONAL ADDRESS THIS EVENING.

HAVING PREVIOUSLY DECLARED HE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH REPUBLICANS, TONIGHT BITCHY BARRY DID EVERYTHING BUT INSIST, "CARRINGTON OIL WILL BE MINE, BLAKE, ALL MINE!"

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Senator Bernie Sanders declared this morning, ". . . it's a very difficult hearing because what we are going to be touching on today is what happens to the men and women who come home from war, who have served us with great courage and what happens to them when they return to civilian life."

He is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and they were talking about issues like military suicide.

But let's use Sanders' words as a starting point -- and let's note that Senate Democrats actually do work to improve the lives of veterans. The same cannot be said for the Democratic leadership in the House.

How bad are things there?

Last week, US House Rep Nancy Pelosi was in the news for denying US House Rep Tammy Duckworth the right to vote by proxy on party positions in the House:

Tammy Duckworth is not only a member of Congress, she's also a veteran of the Iraq War. Nancy Pelosi chose to 'honor' veterans this week by announcing that a veteran who lost both legs in combat would not be allowed to vote by proxy on the issue of who would hold what office -- for example, who would be the next Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Duckworth is at home in Illinois. Why doesn't she just fly to DC?
CBS News notes Duckworth "was told by doctor that it was unsafe for her to fly at this stage in her pregnancy."

Last night on Comedy Central Jon Stewart was rightly mocking the disgraceful US House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in a segment of The Daily Show entitled "Petty Woman" which ended with Jon observing, "And that's how the precedent was set that a woman leader can be every bit as craven as her political male counterparts. Let me say this, You go, girl. Seriously, you should go."

The Daily Show
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Erik Wemple (Washington Post) explains:

His takedown of Pelosi's denial of a pregnant woman's vote in House Democratic elections proceeds in merciless fashion. Availing himself of Pelosi's trail of accomplishments over the years, he documented how she has established herself on key issues that bear on the Duckworth situation. For instance: The National Partnership for Women and Families, noted Stewart, celebrated Pelosi's advocacy for "working women." Also highlighted by Stewart: Pelosi said at an event for the Voting Rights Act, "The right to vote must be the cornerstone of our democracy."
Stewart: "You're a recognized champion of working women and voting rights."
From there, the rip was easy: "You rejected, you're suppressing the vote of a minority pregnant woman who is a wounded war veteran. She is everything you supposedly stand for stuffed into one individual. She is a Democratic demographic tur-Duckworth," said the host.

Jaime Fuller (Washington Post) notes:

She denied Rep. Tammy Duckworth's request to cast a proxy vote in the Democratic leadership elections. Duckworth was advised by her doctor not to fly to Washington in her eighth month of pregnancy. Duckworth (D-Ill.) also is a double-amputee Iraq War veteran, or, as Stewart put it, a Democratic demographic Turduckworth. The reason for denying the proxy vote? Pelosi said it would set a precedent ... and Duckworth happened to be supporting someone other than Pelosi's chosen candidate for a committee position.

Poor Nancy, it's week two and it's not going away.

Even worse for Nance, it's now her.

This is her to America.

It's as though she tripped at a party and knocked a table over and now every time she waivers a little when she walks, people will giggle.

It's the New Nancy. Somewhere lower on the evolution scale than Billy Carter or Dan Quayle.

Not a good position to be in when over a third of Democratic members of the House want you gone.

Not a good position to be in when Dems are gearing up for the 2016 elections and can't afford to have a leader be a laughingstock.

And now she has an image as a person who trashes veterans.

Senator Sanders today puzzled about "what happens to the men and women who come home from war, who have served us with great courage and what happens to them when they return to civilian life."

What does happen to them?

Last week, Nancy Pelosi made clear that they will not receive fair treatment, that the work environment will not change to meet their medical needs.

Today, she demonstrated something else: Their experience means nothing.

Maybe you know of Senator Patty Murray's work on veterans employment? The Hire A Hero campaign and other programs she's steered and implemented.

Murray and others have worked very hard to stress that veterans have important skills they can offer employers. In the House, US House Rep Gerry Connolly has stressed the skills veterans have and the need for these skills to be translated into the civilian workforce.

Nancy Pelosi doesn't believe veterans have any skills or insight.

Which is why she used an arcane rule to force US House Rep Tim Walz out of seeking the Ranking Member post on the House Veterans Affairs Committee in favor of Pelosi pet Corrine Brown.

Native-born Corrine Brown struggles with the English language, attacks veterans in hearings (when she shows up for the Veterans Affairs Committee hearings), attacks witnesses, attacks the Office of the Inspector General and so much more.

This is not a new development.

Dona moderated a "Congress and Veterans" roundtable May 13, 2012 about a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing the previous week that we had covered in the community:

Kat, Wally, Ava and C.I. attended the hearing. Kat reported on it with "Congress Member Gone Wild" and C.I. reported on it with "Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot," "Congress is supposed to provide oversight" and "Iraq snapshot."

From the roundtable:

Dona: Thank you, Kat. That perfectly set up a point I wanted to get to with Ava. Kat and C.I. reported on US House Rep. Corrine Brown. Ava, what was your take?

Ava: Brown's an embarrassment. I can't believe the crap she pulled. She didn't give a damn about the veterans and made excuses for the VA and lied and misled. She's an embarrassment, I hope to hell her sorry ass is voted out of Congress.

Dona: She attacked a witness, what was that about?

Ava: Another reason her sorry ass needs to be pulled out of Congress. The second panel was people who worked outside of the government including Dr. Nicole Sawyer who is a psychologist. Corrine Brown wanted to show that her bad wigs weren't the trashiest things about her. She went off on Dr. Sawyer because Chair Miller asked about the comments Shinskeki made. Corrine Brown cut off the doctor started screaming her head and acting like a crazy woman when usually she just sounds like an uneducated one.

Dona: What set her off?

Ava: The reality was that Shinseki was being critiqued and she wasn't going to have that. She lied and stated it wasn't fair for the doctor to critique Shinseki. But, in the first round, when Shinseki was asked about Dr. Sawyer's written remarks, Shinseki offered a critique and Corrine Browne didn't say one damn word.

Dona: Wally, your take?

Wally: The same as Ava's. I'll pick up where she left off. So Corrine Brown cuts off the witness who is answering Miller's questions --

Dona: Brown doesn't even have the floor. She just barged in while the witness was speaking?

Wally: Correct. And then after she has her rant, Jeff Miller, the Chair, sort of gives this look like, "Now that the crazy lady is done . . ." He goes back to asking Dr. Sawyer a question. Dr. Sawyer is sort of stunned and she replies to Miller's question, starts to, and tries to explain she wasn't trying to offend anyone when Brown cuts her off again and starts screaming her head off about how Miller needs to tell the witness to address her remarks to the Chair. And it was just embarrassing. I'm from Florida, Corrine Brown is the Congressional joke of our state.

Dona: So, let's --

Ava: Sorry. It's not over, Dona. Miller is attempting to calm down Crazy Corrine. The hearing's at a complete standstill. And the crazy woman is insulting Dr. Sawyer, stating she won't listen to Dr. Sawyer because Dr. Sawyer isn't a "doctor." She calls the woman an "educator." As an insult. Miller notes that remark's not going to please educators and Brown doesn't care. She was just so rude. If you'd been in that hearing, you would have been shocked that a member of Congress would act the way she did.

Dona: Okay, thanks for that. C.I., is this typical Corrine Brown?

C.I.: Since January 2009, it has been. She makes excuses for the VA and rushes to excuse Eric Shinseki's many problems. I remember an October 15, 2009 hearing on the VA's inability to get checks to veterans -- the GI Bill checks -- for the fall semester and how Corrine Brown was offering excuses for the VA in that hearing too. That's just one example. She's disgraced herself. I have no use for her.

Dona: Kat, closing thoughts?

Kat: The hearing's not going to accomplish anything, the Committe's not going to, until everyone can agree that the veterans are the most important thing. Corrine Brown was not serving veterans, she's usually not. When a Republican is in office, there's the pretense that she's tough and will ask questions to protect the veterans. But when a Democrat's in office, she reveals she's just a partisan and doesn't give a damn about veterans.

And that was 2012. It's only gotten worse.

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cedricsbigmixhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-25211787250301163282014-11-19T13:31:00.000-08:002014-11-19T13:31:12.679-08:00Exclusive interview with Corrine Brown
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

CONGRESSWOMAN AND SNUFFLEUPAGUS CORRINE BROWN DECLARED HER INTENT TO RUN THE HOUSE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE OF THE AISLE.

IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW -- MUST CREDIT BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- BROWN EXPLAINED WHY TO THESE REPORTERS.

SAID BROWN, "WUH0BUCHUBBA OOS USSABOZABEE."

NO, SHE WASN'T ATTEMPTING TO CAST A SPELL.

SHE WAS ATTEMPTING TO SPEAK ENGLISH.

OOS USSABOZABEE TO YOU TOO, CORRINE, OOS USSABOZABEE TO YOU TOO..

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Shocking news out of England where the Iraq Inquiry appears to have come to some conclusions (finally). The Inquiry kicked off with Chair John Chilcot declaring:

This is an Inquiry by a committee of Privy Counsellors. It will consider the period from the summer of 2001 to the end of July 2009, embracing the run-up to the conflict in Iraq, the military action and its aftermath. We will therefore be considering the UK's involvement in Iraq, including the way decisions were made and actions taken, to establish, as accurately as possible, what happened and to identify the lessons that can be learned. Those lessons will help ensure that, if we face similar situations in future, the government of the day is best equipped to respond to those situations in the most effective manner in the best interests of the country.

The Inquiry held public hearings starting in November 2009 and concluding in February 2011.

That was nearly four years ago and still people wait for the Inquiry to issue its findings.

Well . . .

It turns out only some people wait.

Some people already know the findings.

RT reports:

Letters containing in-depth conclusions of a public inquiry into Britain's 2003 Iraq War have been dispatched to the probe's primary participants. Critics charge that the brutal eight-year war divided Britain and blackened Tony Blair's legacy.
 Under UK law, any individual that faces criticism in a public inquiry must be issued with an official letter warning them of allegations in its findings. They are subsequently then permitted to rebut and counter unsavory or unsatisfactory findings.

The Daily Mail adds:

In May [UK Prime Minister] David Cameron said he expected the report to be published 'before the end of the year'.

He added: 'The public wants to see the answers of the inquiry and I think we shouldn't have to wait too much longer.'

But just four weeks of the Parliamentary term remain – making it unlikely that it will be published before MPs recess for Christmas.

The big fear politically about the report has been Labour's fear that anchor around the neck Tony Blair will sink them all, that the report -- even if it's a whitewash -- has to hold the War Criminal accountable for his actions and words.

If the report doesn't come out by the end of the year, however, Labour could score points by painting Cameron (of the Conservative Party) as an obstructionist refusing to allow the British people to know the truth.

Space has already been created between the current Labour leadership and disgraced War Criminal Tony Blair. Demanding the release of the report and painting the Conservative Party as a barrier to the report's release could actually help Labour improve their numbers in Parliament.

As for the discarded Tony Blair?

Dominic Grover (IBT) notes:

Blair continues to be a deeply divisive figure in Britain, due to his decision to back George W Bush campaign to topple Saddam and the controversial "sexed up" dossier, which critics claim mis-sold the need for war to the British people.

France's foreign minister recently said Blair was "not best placed" to issue advice on the Middle East, in light of his track record.

There have even been alleged threats to his life, with terror suspect Erol Incedal accused of plotting an attack on him.
To cap it all, Mayor of London Boris Johnson has chosen to compare the three-time New Labour leader to tyrant Adolf Hitler in a new book.

Despite that, War Criminal Tony feels the world needs to listen to him on Iraq. The criminal doesn't want to confess, please understand, he just laughably believes he has expertise and wisdom to share.

He has nothing to share.

Blair fancies himself a Christian yet he's never taken accountability for how the Iraq War has destroyed the Christian communities in Iraq.

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-90942724310756318302014-11-18T22:18:00.000-08:002014-11-18T22:18:00.164-08:00Why Nancy Pelosi serves in Congress
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

HAVING FAILED IN HER AUDITION FOR THE CRYPT KEEPER IN THE NEXT TALES OF THE CRYPT FILM, NANCY PELOSI HAS DECIDED TO STAY IN CONGRESS.

AND SHE'S A-OKAY WITH THAT, SHE INSISTS.

"I'M HONESTLY HERE TO PROTECT THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT," PELOSI DECLARED SPITTING IN THE FACE OF THE VOTERS WHO PUT HER IN CONGRESS.

THESE REPORTERS WOULD HAVE ASKED HER TO ELABORATE BUT HER ARM HAD FALLEN OFF AND SHE WAS ATTEMPTING TO RE-ATTACH IT WITH A HOT GLUE GUN.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Before we move to violence, let's get a laugh in.

Today, US Secretary of State John Kerry declared that the Islamic State was neither "a state nor truly Islamic" -- did he follow it with "discuss"? John Kerry as Mike Meyers' Linda Richmond.

Let's move to today's violence. The United Nations News Centre reports:

A United Nations convoy of three vehicles proceeding from the Baghdad International Airport to the International Zone was hit with at least one explosion this morning, the Organization's assistance mission in the country reported today.
 According to a statement from the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), no UN personnel were killed or injured in the incident and all proceeded safely back to the UN Compound. One of the vehicles sustained serious damage.
 "The unfortunate incident this morning will not deter the UN from continuing its work in support of Iraq and its people, who have lived with violence for too long," UNAMI chief Nickolay Mladenov said.

Other violence in today's news cycle? Al Arabiya News reports:

Five members of an Iraqi family who refused to marry off their daughter to a fighter in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have been executed by the militant group in a "horrific crime," Iraq's Human Rights Ministry said over the weekend.

In a statement posted on its website Sunday, the ministry said ISIS militants executed the five family members – mother, father and three children – and then kidnapped the 14-year-old girl, taking her to an undisclosed location.

In some of today's other violence? NINA reports that the Islamic State hanged a police officer in the center of Falluja.

Hanging him in the center of Falluja was intended to send a message.

And this message comes at a time when the current Iraqi government, presided over by new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi isn't working towards a political solution at all. Reuters notes there is no genuine effort to bring the Sunni tribe leaders in -- the group that made up Sahwa (Awakenings, Sons of Iraq, Daughters of Iraq). Reuters notes:

Iraq's robust official spin machine has certainly suggested the Shi'ite-led government and even its militia allies who have few friends among the Sunni tribesmen, are swinging into action.
But there are few real signs of momentum needed to bury sectarian differences and create a united force to counter IS in Anbar, which it has engulfed steadily throughout 2014 to the point where senior U.S. military officials last month described the situation there as fraught.

Sabah Karhoot, provincial council chief of Anbar, home to the Albu Nimr, told Reuters there were still enough fighters to take on Islamic State but they needed effective weapons and ammunition from Baghdad.

Where is the White House?

What are they doing?

The Sunni tribe leaders were supposed to have been brought in back in August.

It still hasn't happened.

The World Tribune reports, "The State Department has endorsed two Iraqi military requests from the United States as it struggles to recover territory lost to ISIL. Officials said the requests, which amount to nearly $700 million, would include air weapons as well as spare parts for artillery and trucks."

That's called leverage.

You don't hand it over.

You don't agree to it.

You say, "You want this? You believe you need it? Well we need to see movements towards a political solution. Step one is you bring Sunnis into the process. Let's see some tribe leaders brought in. And why don't we revisit some of those issues that led Sunnis to protest non-stop for over a year -- despite being killed by Nouri's thugs."

That's what you do.

You don't hand over things and then say, "Okay, now I need you to do something for me."

They're the ones wanting. Extract concessions every step of the way.

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-68920386461674450052014-11-17T13:10:00.001-08:002014-11-17T13:10:51.851-08:00Salon -- even more unpopular than ObamaCare
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

THE SAD AND STUPID AT SALON OFFERED A NAH-NAH HEADLINE ON THEIR LATEST 'WE LOVE OBAMACARE' NONSENSE.

GOOD FOR YOU, SALON. EVERY WORD YOU TYPE THESE DAYS IS STUPID AND UNINFORMED. THE MORE YOU LOVE SOMETHING, THE MORE THE BULK OF AMERICA HATES IT.

TAKE OBAMACARE.

THE LATEST GALLUP POLL FINDS THE 'BELOVED' OBAMACARE HAS HIT A NEW LOW WITH ONLY 37% OF AMERICANS SAYING THEY LOVE OR EVEN LIKE IT.

THAT MIGHT MAKE IT MORE POPULAR THAN FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE IT POPULAR.

BUT, HEY, SALON ISN'T POPULAR EITHER. IT USED TO BE THE PLACE TO GO TO AVOID SLATE.

NOW EVEN SLATE IS BETTER THAN SALON.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

The war on women never ends. The latest attacking women include US House Rep Nancy Pelosi.

Tammy Duckworth is not only a member of Congress, she's also a veteran of the Iraq War. Nancy Pelosi chose to 'honor' veterans this week by announcing that a veteran who lost both legs in combat would not be allowed to vote by proxy on the issue of who would hold what office -- for example, who would be the next Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Duckworth is at home in Illinois. Why doesn't she just fly to DC?

CBS News notes Duckworth "was told by doctor that it was unsafe for her to fly at this stage in her pregnancy."

Joining Pelosi in the war against women? US House Rep Rosa DeLauro who feels that if you grant an exception for Duckworth, you might have to grant exceptions for everyone.

Doesn't Rosa sound like a homophobe against marriage equality? Is she afraid that granting Duckworth the right to vote by proxy will lead to people marrying goats?

Who knows.

What is known is that US Senator Patty Murray busted her rear to ensure that the Senate explored the issues effecting wounded veterans who try to start a family.

What is known is that Nancy Pelosi and Rosa DeLauro had other things to do.

On her website, Rosa proclaims she "believes that as a nation we have an obligation to ensure that these brave men and women who serve our country, as well as their families, have access to the medical care they need" -- wait. If a doctor's orders prevent Duckworth from flying to DC -- and they do prevent her from doing so -- how is Rosa maintaining her belief?

Oh, that's right, she's not.

Again, it was Senator Patty Murray that led on the issue of the needs of wounded veterans when it came to starting families or adding to their families.

It wasn't Rosa or Nancy. Those two? They always seemed to have something 'more important' to do.
.
The choice -- or so-called choice -- Tammy Duckworth is being given is, if you want to vote, you'll have to put your pregnancy and your own health at risk.

That is a war on women and Nancy and Rosa are leading it.

Nancy doesn't give a damn about rules. Remember Denver in 2008? She stopped the delegate vote, remember?

The vote on the Democratic head for the Energy and Commerce Commission is yet another battle between Nancy and Steny Hoyer who are each backing different candidates. Nancy's taken to referring to Hoyer -- snidely -- as Martin Frost. (In 2002, Nancy took on Frost and won. She also worked hard to ensure that he was redistricted out of office in Texas' redistricting plan. Nancy worked overtime to save certain House members but not Frost who she tossed to the wolves.)

For Nancy (and her supporters) this pissing match justifies denying a pregnant woman a vote.

She should be ashamed of herself.

AP notes Tammy Duckworth has stated she will abide by the decision and that she thinks her colleagues for considering her request. That was a classy move -- and again, it didn't come from Nancy.

Nancy's tasteless and tacky move comes as Disabled American Veterans' Garry J. Augustine (Turlock Jounral) pens a column noting the mistreatment of America's women veterans:

Based on currently available data, it is clear that our country isn't fully meeting the unique physical, emotional and employment needs of women veterans. When they return home, they receive less support than their male counterparts from government programs primarily designed for men.
Today, nearly one in five women veterans has delayed or gone without necessary health care in the past year. One in 11 is unemployed. Former servicewomen experience homelessness at between two to four times the rate of their civilian counterparts.
It's unacceptable that the women who honorably served our country-our mothers, spouses, sisters and daughters-are at risk. A new report released by my organization, Disabled American Veterans, finds that the federal, state, and community programs to support women transitioning out of military service have serious gaps that put some women veterans in jeopardy.

We might suggest Congress could help with that but as Nancy Pelosi's made very clear, the needs of women veterans don't matter to her at all.

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"A trick, a con, call it what you will"
"THIS JUST IN! GUBER! GOOBER GUBER!"

cedricsbigmixhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-28340668762901258682014-11-14T13:58:00.000-08:002014-11-14T13:58:21.017-08:00A trick, a con, call it what you will
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

TV'S MCGUYVER COULD BUILD SOMETHING OUT OF ANYTHING.

TURNS OUT FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O'S  JONATHAN GUBER HAD HIS OWN TRICK, HE COULD TURN ANYTHING INTO S**T.

HENCE OBAMACARE.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

US House Rep Walter Jones: Mr. Secretary it's kind of ironic the last time that I heard, before today, a Secretary of Defense talk about military involvement in Iraq was Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. That got us into a war that was unnecessary. I know ISIL is evil. There's no question about it. They need to be taken out. But I looked at some of your statements from 2002 when you were a senator and how you felt about the obligation of a member of Congress to make a decision to send a young man or young woman to die. I also looked at your statements in 2007 when, like myself, you came out against the surge in Iraq. Now we are going to possibly be asked by the President of the United States -- like we were by George W. Bush -- to authorize an AMUF. This is nothing but an abdication of our Constitutional responsibility. To give any president an AMUF. We tried this past year in June when we had the NDAA bill, Adam Schiff tried to sunset out the AMUF that we gave to President Bush -- which is what was used by President Obama. And I do not understand how we in Congress can continue to abdicate what the Constitution says is our responsibility. Before I get to a brief question, James Madison once said this, "The power to declare war -- including the power to judging the cause of war -- is fully and exclusively vested in the legislature." And I do not believe sincerely because when -- this happens to be President Obama. He wants to have another AMUF or an extension of what we have. I hope that the Congress -- both parties -- will look seriously at what is our responsibility because it's not going to be but so long. You have sent more and more troops to Iraq to train. Many of these [being trained] are former Saddam Hussein loyalists and now they're fighting with ISIS -- some are fighting for the other side. It's very complex, I understand that and I agree with that. But for goodness sake, why in the world should we make such a commitment? And we don't even have an end point to it. I would like for you or Gen Dempsey -- I have great respect for both of you -- to submit for the record two things very quickly: how does this new war end in your opinion? And I realize that it's just your opinion but it's very important because of what you are. What is the end state of what we're trying to accomplish. The American people -- fifty -- over fifty percent of the American people do not want our personnel in Syria or in Iraq. And I will be honest with you, I don't know how we can convince the American people that a nation that's financially broke -- You sat right here, Gen Dempsey, and you were exactly right, sequestration and all the budget problems coming your way and yet you're asking for five or six billion dollars to drop more armaments in Iraq and in Syria? Where is it coming from? Please explain to the American people and to this Congress how this war is going to end some day? Whether we are advisors or we are fighting? And I hope to God we are not fighting and I hope we do not give the president a new AMUF. So if you'll get those into the Committee in written form [take the question for the record] then you won't have to answer them now. But this, again, looks like we're going down the same road that Secretary Rumsfeld said we had to do -- we had to do! -- and yet there was no end point to that as well. Thank you very much.

That was Jones from this today's House Armed Services Committee hearing where Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and the Chair of the Joint-Chiefs of Staff Gen Martin Dempsey testified.

Committee Chair Buck McKeon made clear from the start that any authorization he got behind would not be an open-ended one.

The hearing was often surreal (and what was up with the band aid Hagel had on the left side of his face?) and a demonstration of just how insane the government is.

For example, to listen to Dempsey, the Islamic State is nothing but a big pimple "We need to squeeze ISIL from all directions."

He also insisted, "There is no change, and there is no different direction." Or when he declared, "I think progress purchases patience." Were that true, the reality would still be that there is no progress. A fact Hagel seemed to acknowledge when he declared, "We are three months into a multi-year effort." Not a reassuring statement.

Justin Raimondo (Antiwar.com) offers:

So what's our policy? You can't really tell from here what this most "transparent" of administrations is up to, and what's particularly scary is that one doubts whether even they know. Obama says one thing, and then does another. Dempsey says more, Obama says less. This game of seesaw between the President and Dempsey is a bit banana-republic-anish – I mean, who's in charge here, exactly? Or are we being fooled into thinking Obama is the "reluctant interventionist," as he cynically plays the game once played by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the run up to our last world war?
FDR, you'll recall, pledged "again and again" that "your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars" – even as he was scheming and plotting to get us in by doing everything possible to provoke a German attack on our trans-Atlantic shipping. While FDR pussyfooted around – or appeared to – his allies and advisors clamored for more decisive measures, to which he eventually and gladly gave in.

Whatever the President's real views, we are sliding down the Iraqi slope pretty rapidly. Hardly a week goes by when we don't hear of another few hundred GIs being quietly shipped to Iraq – "non-combat" troops, to be sure. Yes, they're going over there to engage in some pretty dangerous and potentially lethal "non-combat" – and when they start getting killed in numbers high enough to notice, will they come back in non-bodybags?

At one point early on, Chair Buck McKeon noted that Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes went on TV (PBS' Frontline) and stated that US President Barack Obama would not reconsider his decision re: sending in troops for combat on the ground.

Dempsey stated he was under no limitations with regards to what he recommends to Barack. and that there was nothing to stop him, if he felt it was needed, from recommending US troops accompany Iraqi troops on missions in Mosul and along the border, "I'm not predicting at this point that I would recommend that those forces in Mosul and along the border would need to be accompanied by US forces, but we're certainly considering it."

US House Rep Loretta Sanchez wanted to know what was different this time? After all the training that had taken place, what was different in this latest 'solution'?

Hagel insisted one difference was the new prime minister (Haider al-Abadi) and how Iraq now had a Minister of Defense, "We haven't had a Minister of Defense in Iraq for more than four years -- [former] Prime Minister [Nouri al-]Maliki took that job for himself -- as he did the Minister of Interior."

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-30315044183144292242014-11-13T12:57:00.000-08:002014-11-13T12:57:07.838-08:00He gets freaky
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

AS IT TURNS OUT, HE'S A BOTTOM!

FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O HASN'T HAD A SEX TAPE LEAK YET, HOWEVER A PHOTO OF HIM BENT OVER THE KNEE OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN IS ON DISPLAY.

IN THE PHOTO, BARRY O IS SEEN BEING SPANKED.

HE IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN SPANKED TO CLIMAX -- IN OTHER WORDS, THE TEARS FLOWING OUT OF HIS EYES WEREN'T THE ONLY LIQUIDS HIS BODY SHOT OUT.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Wise guys
Shy guys
And sly lover boys
With big bad bedroom eyes
I never loved a man I trusted
As far as I could pitch my shoe
-- "Lucky Girl," written by Joni Mitchell, first appears on her Dog Eat Dog

Wise guys, shy guys and apparently pee shy guys.

Listening to the spokespeople for the US government, the Canadian government, the British government, the Iraqi government, et al announce their daily 'kills' from bombings who knew the big swinging dicks would go all pee shy the moment they had to step up?

This morning, NINA reported Mosul Medical Center "received the bodies of 15 civilians, including six women and four children, [who] were killed in an air strike on the Mithaq area east of Mosul."

Yet night has fallen and none of the big swinging dicks have come out to brag.

Come on, 15 kills.

Why the sudden shyness?

Usually, 15 kills would have you all crowing about the 'terrorists' you killed.

But this time, when it's known before you can brag that the dead were civilians, so you clam up.

How many times, be honest, do you think these governments have crowed they killed 'terrorists' in Operatoin Inherent Bulls**t when, in fact, they killed civilians?

Lots?

Yeah, I'd go with that too.

RT observes today, "The US military has admitted that it is reliant on satellite images, drones and surveillance flights to try and get a better picture of what is happening on the ground. It has very few reliable sources on the ground which it can use to get up to date and precise information. The data gained from the air is also used to pinpoint possible targets where airstrikes can be carried out. "

The editorial board of the Oman Tribune offers:

At this point in time it is impossible for thousands of Iraqi troops to overwhelm even a few hundred well-trained, well-equipped and highly motivated fighters of the Baghdadi militia. The blame for this must go to the Americans. When Obama announced the end of the deployment of US forces in Iraq, not much was done to ensure that the country would be handed over to the safe hands of well-trained Iraqi forces with the latest armaments. It seemed at that time that the Americans were in a hurry to get out to justify the Nobel Prize for Peace that Obama won as soon as he became president. And today, Iraq is paying a heavy price for American myopia. Much more will now have to be done to ensure the war in Iraq turns against the extremists. Who knows as time passes, more and more American soldiers might be needed in Iraq. And Obama, under heavy pressure after the horrifying loss of his Democrats in the recent Congressional elections, will have no other option but to send more troops. Or else without having any legacy to shout about, he might become the most unpopular American president in recent times. Afghanistan, after the withdrawal of US forces at the end of the year, might add to his woes. But it may not be as bad as Iraq since about 10,000 western forces will remain to advice and train Afghan soldiers who are also said to be ill-trained and ill-equipped and without effective weapons. In fact, the Americans have destroyed a lot of military equipment there, fearing that ill-trained Afghan troops would lose them in battle to the Taliban.

In Iraq especially, it is doubtful if there will be a decisive outcome on the battlefield. Perhaps it is time the government of Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi works hard for a political solution. He has made a start by wooing disgruntled elements many of who support the Baghdadi militia and have even joined it. This task is going to be tough. But Abadi will have to try hard for the sake of ensuring that his country remains a single entity and enjoys peace in the long term. The Americans will have a role to play in this by being a reliable partner and provide stability to the government. Running away like the last time will mean more trouble for the Middle East. And, having a stake in the region, they will doubtlessly be hit hard.

Barack's non-plan stared with a few hundred US service members going into Iraq and rose to 1500. That's right 1500. Huffington Post needs to grasp reality. To mock Senator John McCain, they felt the need to say AP estimates it's 1400. Yes, but they don't include the 100 Special Ops service members the White House and the Pentagon have previously acknowledged were sent into Iraq.

So from a few hundred it went up to 1500 and last week Barack announced that figure would now double to 3,000. Bill Van Auken (WSWS) reports:

The Pentagon has dispatched at least 50 US troops, including "advisers" and "force protection" forces, to Iraq's embattled western province of Anbar, 80 percent of which is reportedly under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The elements that arrived Tuesday are the advance team for a much larger deployment, which will include the bulk of the 1,500 additional troops whose dispatch to Iraq the Pentagon announced last week, effectively doubling the American forces on the ground in the country.
Anbar, which is predominantly Sunni, was the scene of the bloodiest fighting during the more than eight-year US war and occupation, which ended in 2011. It had risen in revolt against the Shia sectarian government of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki last year, paving the way for the rapid advance of ISIS and routing of the corrupt and crumbling US-trained Iraqi army.
The US military's advance team has been sent to the sprawling desert Al-Asad air base, which was a principal hub for US military operations during the 2003-2011 occupation before it was turned over to Iraqi security forces.

AFP notes, "The deployment raises the risk of potential American causalities if the Baghdadi militia group overruns an Iraqi air base there or if it manages to down an American helicopter with a shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile, though US officers insist those are remote scenarios." Jeff Schogol (Military Times) adds, "About 50 U.S. troops have deployed to Al-Asad Air Base conducting a site survey to see if U.S. advisers can use the installation to support the Iraqi military, said Navy Cmdr. Elissa Smith, a Defense Department spokeswoman."

Al-Asad Air Base . . . Why does that strike a chord right now?

Oh, yeah, Iraq's Speaker of Parliament is Saleem al-Jobouri was just there as he was visiting Anbar Province to examine conditions there. All Iraq News reports his bodyguards stopped an "assassination attempt in Ain al-Assad Military Base" today.

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-18037811279611660932014-11-12T13:28:00.000-08:002014-11-12T13:28:46.813-08:00Parry refuses to let go of the crazy
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

A DESPONDENT ROBERT PARRY, HAIR UNKEMPT, CLOTHES STAINED -- IN OTHER WORDS, USUAL APPEARANCE, IS RECEIVING VISITORS AT THE SIBLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL NOW THAT HE IS NO LONGER UNDER PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION.

THE FORMER JOURNALIST GRABBED HEADLINES LAST MONTH WITH HIS CLAIM TO BE PREGNANT WITH THE CHILD OF FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O.

THOUGH MANY WHO HAD DISCOVERED THEY HAD AN IMPACTED COLON WOULD BE SHEEPISH, PARRY'S DOUBLING DOWN INSISTING THAT HE WAS PREGNANT AND THAT THE SECRET SERVICE REMOVED THE BABY "AND ARE SERVING BITS AND PIECES IN ONE OF MICHELLE'S PUBLIC SCHOOL LUNCHES!"

THE ORDERLIES CAME IN TO STRAP PARRY DOWN AS HE CONTINUED SCREAMING.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

US President Barack Obama appears to have only one answer: Bomb and bomb again.

Alsumaria reports a bomb southeast of Baghdad left two people injured, a central Baghdad roadside bombing left four people injured, a northern Baghdad bombing left 3 people dead and ten more injured, an attack involving 3 Baiji suicide bombers left 7 civilians dead, and a Tarmiya suicide bomber took his own life and the lives of 2 Iraqi soldiers with seventeen more left injured. National Iraqi News Agency reports a Kirkuk roadside bombing killed 1 person and left seven more injured, a roadside bombing near Buhriz left 1 Iraqi soldier dead and two more injured, and 1 corpse was found dumped in eastern Baghdad.

In addition, despite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's September 13th promise to end the military's bombing of residential neighborhoods in Falluja, the bombings continue. NINA notes one family (woman, man, child) were killed in the latest bombings and seventeen more people were injured. Again, this is the Iraqi military doing the bombing -- not the Islamic State.

Falluja is in Anbar Province, it is a Sunni dominant city. Sunnis feel targeted in Iraq -- by their own government. Loveday Morris (Washington Post) notes how this issue is impacing current realities:

In a flurry of meetings in recent weeks, tribal leaders have demanded that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi address problems of missing weapons and lack of support as they hold out against extremists in the face of mass detentions and executions. Hundreds of tribesmen have been summarily executed in the western province of Anbar over the past month, with hundreds more rounded up north of Baghdad.
The slayings have underscored the predicament of Sunni tribes that have resisted Islamic State extremists, often with little help from the central government. The killings threaten to undermine the government strategy of mobilizing the Sunni tribes against the Islamic State in the tribes' areas — a key pillar in efforts to crush the militants.

"We demand that the government does something," said Sheik Naim al-Gaoud, a tribal leader with the Albu Nimr. "We feel that we have been abandoned and neglected."

Sunnis feeling targeted is not paranoia. They are targeted. Even the Associate Press grasps that as they point out today, "The vengeance that Iraq's Shiite militias mete out as they fight the Islamic State group can be just as brutal as that of their sworn sectarian enemies."

For those who need visuals and/or specifics, follow these Tweets.

,

   شمرية العراق ☪ retweeted

    LEWIS   @khq2221UAS     ·    15h 15 hours ago

Shia Gangs killed yesterday doctoer from Sunnis south Baghdad <s>@</s>1957_Tintin_ <s>@</s>anthonyflint58 <s>@</s>TurtleWoman777 <s>@</s>hrw

 View more photos and videos
  0 replies     26 retweets     12 favorites

    شمرية العراق ☪  @MoonNor27     ·    11h 11 hours ago

Iraq army killed innocent civilians from sunnis sect in Baghdad after took big ransom from his family <s>#</s>Iraq <s>@</s>hrw

 View more photos and videos
  0 replies     278 retweets     61 favorites

    شمرية العراق ☪  @MoonNor27     ·    10h 10 hours ago

Video terrifying Bashar soldiers shooting at child trying to save his sister https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cceu478rN_c#t=0 …<s>@</s>1957_Tintin_ <s>@</s>SanduKanKanack <s>@</s>hrw

  YouTube

 View more photos and videos
  0 replies     35 retweets     22 favorites

The refugee crisis and the violence just keeps going and increasing.

Barack's so-called plan hasn't stopped the violence at all.

Today, US Senator John McCain compared Barack's so-called 'plan to "another war we lost, myf riend, and that was the Vietnam War." Meanwhile, Phil Mattingly (Bloomberg News) reviewed "The Phases of Obama's Iraq War" and concluded:

Many of the questions that were raised back in June still sit unanswered: How long will the operations take? How will U.S. troops on the ground to advise and assist stay out of combat operations? Will the Iraq security forces ever be able to carry their own weight? Obama administration officials acknowledge that the strategy is still far from a sure thing, especially the Syria component.
 For Obama, it's an evolving strategy, one that has brought the U.S. into deeper engagement each step of the way.

And while Barack clearly has no answers, neither does Iraq's Prime Minister. Reuters notes, "Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday he intends to remove concrete barriers from Baghdad, despite little sign of a respite from car bombs they were designed to thwart, and give a greater role to the Interior Ministry in securing the capital." Well, if he actually does it, that will put him ahead of Nouri al-Maliki who, shortly after becoming prime minister (in his first term), announced the walls were coming down (2006) but it would be years before even a few did.

On those walls, I'm surprised the US Congress (among others) aren't suggesting any walls taken down be moved to Camp Hurriya to help protect the Ashraf community.

There is no 'plan.'

But there is plenty of room for failure -- daily and long term. Press TV (link is text and video) reports US professor Stephen Zunes has stated, "Due to the bad reputation US forces had in Iraq during the occupation, US forces may end up creating a backlash that could inadvertently strengthen ISIS. [. . .] It was US policies which helped lead to the rise of ISIS originally so it raises serious questions as to whether a return of US forces will actually make things better."

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cedricsbigmixhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-78947710114325364072014-11-11T12:59:00.000-08:002014-11-11T12:59:02.914-08:00Parry did not give birth
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

A VERY DEPRESSED ROBERT PARRY CONTINUES TO BE A PATIENT AT THE SIBLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.

BUT WHILE THE ONE TIME JOURNALIST WHO CLAIMED TO BE THE MISTRESS OF FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O WENT TO THE HOSPITAL SUNDAY TO GIVE BIRTH TO WHAT HE SAID WAS THE CHILD OF THE PRESIDENT, THINGS HAVE GONE DIFFERENTLY THAN EXPECTED.

"IMPACTED COLON" IS WHAT HOSPITAL SOURCES TELL THESE REPORTERS.

PARRY WAS NEVER WHAT ANYONE WOULD CALL SKINNY, OR SLIM, OR EVEN STOCKY. HE WAS ALWAYS A BIG GUY.

AND HIS GIRTH HAD INCREASED OVER THE LAST MONTHS -- BUT DUE TO AN IMPACTED COLON, NOT PREGNANCY.

PARRY IS SAID TO BE DEPRESSED, ON BED REST AND DEMANDING TO EITHER SEE BARRY O OR ELSE BE SERVED "SEVERAL" ICE CREAM CAKES "TO NURSE THE PAIN."

WHAT IS KNOWN IS THAT PARRY IS NOT PREGNANT.

NOR WAS EVER PREGNANT.

PARRY WAS JUST FULL OF S**T -- APPARENTLY MORE SO THAN USUAL.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

If you're the Christian Science Monitor, you can't do actual reporting so you have to find 'click bait.' You can read the latest garbage from the paper by clicking here and going to Yahoo (thereby not giving CSM a click for their 'click bait').

A busy body by the name of Richard Brunt wonders -- from Canada -- what were Americans thinking last Tuesday?

I believe I've said this already but tend to your own gardens.

I really don't give a s**t what some Canadian thinks of American elections.

I don't make a point to stick my nose into their elections.

But for someone that thinks something awful took place, exactly how long is Canada going to keep conservative Stephen Harper on as prime minister?

And are you ever going to get off your lazy asses and demand that asylum be granted to War Resisters?

And what about fracking? Isn't that your leading export of late: Socially damaging policies?

Speaking of, how far along have you gotten with regards to addressing the very real complaints of indigenous peoples in Canada?

What's that?

You just want to talk about how "groovy" you think Barack Obama looks in sun glasses?

Well just because you're letting the precum pool in your pants doesn't mean you need to share your erotic fantasies with the rest of us.

Brunt's so busy jizzing while moaning Barack, he actually writes, "Obama brought soldiers home from Iraq."

Indeed.

For example, he brought these two home last month -- in body bags.

That's Lance Cpl. Sean P. Neal (photo from Facebook). We noted his death in October 25th snapshot.

That's Cpl Jordan Spears (photo from Marine Corps). Last month, he was reclassified as the first death in 'Operation Inherent Resolve.'

Apparently, Brunt's been too busy jacking off to light bondage fantasies of Barack disciplining him to pay attention to actual events in the real world -- including the fact that 'Operation Inherent Resolve' has already claimed the lives of 2 American service members.

While Brunt sees accomplishments worth bragging of, the Chicago Tribune's Steve Chapman seems less inclined to shine it on, "The United States is still involved in a 13-year-old war in Afghanistan, and President Barack Obama has undertaken a new one against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, just three years after he withdrew the last of our troops from Iraq. The administration is also carrying on a drone missile campaign -- which looks eerily like war from the receiving end -- in Pakistan and Yemen."

Brunt also seem to forget that his own government is taking part in the bombing of Iraq.

Maybe if he spent a little less time trying to trash the American people for how they voted (or not voted -- most Americans eligible to vote elected not to vote in last Tuesday's elections), he'd be able to effect some change in his own government?

Or at least not appear so pathetic and envious that he obsesses over his neighbors instead of living his own life.

Or ignorant of what's going on in Iraq, how the Iraqi people continue to suffer and how Barack keeps sending in more US troops.

What Brunt avoids, Jon Stewart took on in tonight's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central). Excerpt:

US President Barack Obama September 18th: I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil

Jon Stewart: Yes! If American troops are going to be fighting, they're going to be fighting on our soil! Against . . . Wait a minute. It's comforting to hear our president say on national television there will be no combat troops in Iraq.

News Anchor, November 7th: Today, President Obama authorized the deployment of 1,500 more US troops to Iraq to help with the fight against ISIS.

Scott Pelley, November 7th: With this expansion, the number authorized has grown from 275 in June to 3100 tonight.

Jon Stewart: What the f[bleep]! You said no troops in Iraq! And in five months we've increased the number of US troops in Iraq by ten times. At this rate, by 2016, everyone in the world will be in Iraq fighting ISIS! We're going to have to recruit people from ISIS to fight ISIS. And those troops are boots on the ground! You said no boots on the ground! The ground would get no boots!

Barack, September 18th: The American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission in Iraq. Their mission is to advise and assist our partners on the ground.

Jon Stewart: Oh, I'm sorry, that's my mistake. I'm sorry. So it's not 3,000 troops, it's 3,000 advisors. Okay. Well, you know, that's a lot of advice.

Even Democracy Now! addressed Barack's decision to deploy more US troops to Iraq (link is text, audio and video):

AMY GOODMAN: Well, for more, we go to Raleigh, North Carolina, where we're joined by Matthew Hoh, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, former State Department official who resigned in protest from his post in Afghanistan over the U.S. policy there in September 2009. Prior to his assignment in Afghanistan, Matthew Hoh served in Iraq. From 2004 to '05, he worked with a State Department reconstruction and governance team in Salah ad-Din province. And from 2006 to '07, he worked as a Marine Corps company commander in Anbar province.

Matthew Hoh, welcome back to Democracy Now! Can you share your response to the increased boots on the ground?

MATTHEW HOH: Hi, good morning, and thank you for having me on. My response is, as many people, I think, in the United States, scratching their head and wondering: What are we doing? What does the United States government really think it's going to accomplish by putting more American troops into the middle of the Iraqi civil war and into the middle of the Syrian civil war, particularly coming off of 13 years of war in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya, in Somalia, in Yemen, etc.? So, my response, Amy, is more or less the same as most people's, of a—very concerned and, you know, lack of a better phrase, this is crazy.

AMY GOODMAN: Speaking to CBS's Face the Nation, President Obama insisted U.S. troops will focus on training Iraqis to fight ISIS and coordinating airstrikes, rather than engaging in active combat.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: What hasn't changed is, our troops are not engaged in combat. Essentially what we're doing is we're taking four training centers, with coalition members, that allow us to bring in Iraqi recruits, some of the Sunni tribes that are still resisting ISIL, giving them proper training, proper equipment, helping them with strategy, helping them with logistics. We will provide them close air support once they are prepared to start going on the offense against ISIL. But what we will not be doing is having our troops do the fighting.

AMY GOODMAN: President Obama refused to rule out further increases in U.S. troops in Iraq.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: As commander-in-chief, I'm never going to say never, but what, you know, the commanders who presented the plan to me say is that we may actually see fewer troops over time, because now we're seeing coalition members starting to partner with us on the training and assist effort.

AMY GOODMAN: That is President Obama on CBS's Face the Nation. Matthew Hoh, do you believe what he's saying?

MATTHEW HOH: No, I don't. And I think it's very easy for us to revisit this in a few months' time, just as now we're revisiting this from several months ago, and see the increase, the graduation of entry of American forces back into the conflict. But I think it's a slippery slope—excuse me—and that very quickly this will spin out of control for the United States. What happens when American troops are killed? What happens when we lose several young men to a suicide bomber? How is the president going to react to that? How is the United States going to react when our troops are in combat and we only have 3,000? And the president, who can't seem to face down the same critics in Congress who are always demanding for war, the John McCains and Lindsey Graham, how is he going to face them down then, if he can't face them down now? So, I don't believe his words, and I think that this is going to be the beginning of an unfortunate and tragic re-entry of America back into this civil war.

Reuters reports, "The United States has deployed a team of about 50 troops to an air base in Iraq's fiercely contested Anbar province to lay the groundwork for an advisory mission at the core of its campaign against Islamic State militants, officials said on Monday." All Iraq News quotes Sha'aban al-Obaidi, Commander of the Emergency Police, declaring, "The US trainers arrived at Assad Military Base in Anbar and met with the security leaders."

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-18819841656451029592014-11-09T19:31:00.001-08:002014-11-09T19:31:55.116-08:00Parry selects a name
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

IN A LATE NIGHT SURPRISE, ONE-TIME JOURNALIST AND ALLEGED PRESIDENTIAL MISTRESS ROBERT PARRY HAS BEEN RUSHED TO THE SIBLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.

WITH THE AMBULANCE SIREN WAILING IN THE BACKGROUND, PARRY TOLD THESE REPORTERS -- MUST CREDIT BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE -- THAT HE WAS "A LITTLE NERVOUS BUT HAPPY OVER ALL. I'VE TOLD THEM TO LET BARRY KNOW I'M EN ROUTE TO DELIVER OUR BABY. I WAS THINKING OF NAMES, SOMETHING CLASSY LIKE CORETTA -- AFTER CORETTA SCOTT KING. BUT NOW I'VE DECIDED TO GO WITH ARMAND DE BRIGNAC OBAMA -- YOU KNOW, IN HONOR OF JAY Z AND THE BOOZE LABEL HE JUST BOUGHT."

FOLLOWING PARRY'S CELL PHONE CALL, THESE REPORTERS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL IN AN ATTEMPT TO SEE HIM BUT HOSPITAL STAFF INSISTED, UNDER DOCTOR'S ORDERS, HE WASN'T BEING ALLOWED ANY VISITORS.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

He waited until after the mid-term election to announce it, but US President Barack Obama is sending more US troops into Iraq. CBS News notes, "White House officials said the timing wasn't driven by the political calendar but that the request came from the Iraqi government and was refined over the last several weeks."

Yesterday, the White House issued the following:

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

 November 07, 2014

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Deployment of Additional U.S. Military Personnel to Iraq

One of the pillars of the United States' counter-ISIL strategy is building the capacity of local forces to take the fight to ISIL. We have been providing this support for Iraqi Security Forces through advise and assist programs; through the provision of weapons, equipment, and intelligence; and through airstrikes with our coalition partners to enable our Iraqi partners' success. As a part of our strategy for strengthening partners on the ground, President Obama today authorized the deployment of up to 1500 additional U.S. military personnel in a non-combat role to train, advise, and assist Iraqi Security Forces, including Kurdish forces. The President also authorized U.S. personnel to conduct these integral missions at Iraqi military facilities located outside Baghdad and Erbil. U.S. troops will not be in combat, but they will be better positioned to support Iraqi Security Forces as they take the fight to ISIL.
The President took these decisions at the request of the Iraqi Government and upon the recommendation of Secretary Hagel and his military commanders based upon the assessed needs of the Iraqi Security Forces. This mission will be undertaken in coordination with multiple coalition partners and will be funded through the request for an Iraq Train and Equip fund that the Administration will submit to Congress.

In recent weeks ISIL has suffered a series of defeats in Iraq against the Iraqi Security Forces and Peshmerga, with the support of U.S. and coalition air strikes and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, as well as U.S. military advice. The United States and its coalition partners will continue to confront the threat of ISIL with strength and resolve as we seek to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism campaign. The President values the dedication and valor of the American servicemen and women whom he asks to carry out this mission on behalf of the American people.

Again, Barack waited until after the mid-term election on Tuesday to announce his decision.

Possibly, he was fearful of a backlash in the United States?

If so, he was mistaken, sadly.

Peace groups or 'peace' groups have bent over backwards for the baby boy they whored for in 2008.

They've refused to call him out as he's carried out more wars than Bully Boy Bush, carried on the worst policies of Bully Boy Bush and proven to be one of the worst presidents of all time.

To their credit, for a change CodePink had neither their head in the sand or a case of laryngitis and actually noted their opposition to the move:

   CODEPINK  @codepink     ·    23h 23 hours ago

PR: <s>@</s>CODEPINK Condemns President's Decision to Send 1,500 More Troops To Iraq: Calls for an End to Funding War: http://codepink.org/article.php?id=6950#sthash.UJb3gOq9.dpuf …
  0 replies     8 retweets     1 favorite

Equally true, though, they're part of a campaign to call Hillary a "bitch." (Little Denny Trainor Junior's campaign -- which won't make him man, but nothing else has either.)

To call her a "bitch" or the c-word or worse.

They think it's 'cute' and 'antiwar.'

And maybe it would be if just one damn time they called Barack a bastard (which, linguistically speaking, he is).

But they can't and they won't call Barack mean names. They can barely bring themselves to object to his war making.

And that is definition of sexism.

If their approach to protesting war was calling people curse words, then that would be their approach.

And we could examine it or amplify it or critique it or condemn or whatever.

But that's not their approach with men.

It's only how they treat women.

And when you have a double standard, that's the definition of sexism.

Since 2008, they've protested Hillary, heckled her, called her mean names and attacked everything about her.

During this time? Barack Obama has spent six years as US President.

And they've never called out the precious little baby boy.

No.

They've applauded and cheered and said, "Look, Barack made stinky in the toilet all by himself like a big boy!"

They've applauded and cheered his every baby step towards further destruction and death.

When they look back on the last years, they'll see they've vilified a one-time US Secretary of State while letting the most powerful person in the world, a sitting US president, get away with, yes, murder (see The Drone War for the first of many examples).

Beyond issues of ethics and fairness, their past actions matter because Barack hasn't started another wave of the ongoing Iraq War in a vacuum.

He's done it because the so-called 'left' in the United States hasn't had the backbone, ethics, what have you to call him out.

If only he were a Republican (or a woman), he could be vilified by what passes for a peace movement in the United States.

Instead, so-called 'leftists' still rush to lie that Barack has 'ended' the Iraq War.

Lolita C. Baldor (AP) reports the proposal Barack's making comes with a $5.6 billion price tag and Congress is expected to begin considering it next week. Missy Ryan (Washington Post) observes, "The new training mission in Iraq echoes a much larger effort that the United States initiated after its invasion of Iraq in 2003. That years-long endeavor, which rebuilt Iraqi forces largely from scratch, cost the United States more than $20 billion." And yet Barack's rushing to spend more billions at a time when he has repeatedly attacked the safety net programs in the US (see, for example, Andre Damon's "Obama budget slashes Social Security, Medicare" at WSWS last year).

Spencer Ackerman and Tom McCarthy (Guardian) report, "Barack Obama has authorized the doubling of US troop levels in Iraq for the war against Islamic State (Isis) militants, further straining his pledge against 'boots on the ground'." And the press, with the exception of Ackerman and McCarthy, agree to pretend there are no boots on the ground and that US pilots dropping bombs in Iraq are not flying combat missions.

 BBC News reports (link is video) on a reaction to the news today:

Russell Trott: Despite the lack of security on the streets of the Iraqi capital, some see the announcement of the deployment of 1,500 non-combat US troops as a fresh occupation of their land

Hamd Al Mutlaq (Iraqi Sunni law-maker): The US has sent thousands of soldiers and invaded Iraq and failed to impose security and stability in the country. What gives us security and stability is the unity of the Iraqi people. What is needed from the US is for it to help bring the Iraqi people together.

Russell Trott: More bomb blasts in Karbani a border town under siege for more than 40 days now despite the bombardment by US led aistrikes on Islamic State positions, they still control large areas of Iraq and Syria. In Kobani, they're up against [. . .] and in Iraqi Kurdistan where their own battle with the Islamic State continues, the announcement of more US troops is welcomed but not unconditionally.

Ari Harsin (Defence Comm Head, Kurdish Regional Govt): I hope that they can effectively take part in the battle and, especially, because we need the ground troops.

Russell Trott: That is something Washington has so far resisted. Three months after US forces first launched airstrike, the Pentagon believes Iraqi forces are better prepared to take on Islamic State militants on the ground thanks in part to the training they have received.

Barack is selling this as a response to a request from the Iraqi government (made weeks ago, did he only now get the message?). So it's interesting to read All Iraq News: "The Iraqi Government assured on Saturday 'the decision of sending more international troops into Iraq is welcomed despite the fact that it is too late step'."

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-13537409978872750912014-11-06T20:28:00.000-08:002014-11-06T20:28:56.880-08:00Parry almost gives birth
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

IN THE MIDST OF A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY, FORMER JOURNALIST ROBERT PARRY CLUTCHED HIS STOMACH AND INSISTED, "IT'S TIME! IT'S TIME!"

AS CURIOUS LOOKERS ON WATCHED, HE DEMANDED A PILLOW, BOILING WATER AND SALT WATER TAFFY AS HE STRUGGLED TO SINK TO THE GROUND.

"THE BABY'S COMING!" HE YELLED FOR ALL TO HEAR.

"IT'S GOING TO TAKE A FEW PUSHES!"

AND THEN, AS EVERY ONE WATCHED, PARRY SQUEEZED OUT ONE OF THE LOUDEST FARTS EVER HEARD IN NORTH AMERICA.

GIGGLING, PARRY STOOD AND SAID, "FALSE ALARM."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Matt Bradley and Ghassan Adnan (Wall St. Journal) report on the budgets (2014 and 2015) today and also on the conflict between the KRG and Baghdad while getting it right -- something few do -- about what came first (Nouri's withholding the 17% of the federal budget the Kurds are entitled to) in this economic battle. As the 2014 budget continues to elude the Iraqi government, new prime minister Aider al-Abadi is making weapons and violence his spending priority and slashing everything else:

Mr. Abadi's cuts have pushed budget expenditures this year down to 137 trillion Iraqi dinars ($117.9 billion) from a projected outlay of 171 trillion ($147.16 billion).

The cuts have been painful. Plans were scrapped to hire some 37,000 new government employees—including doctors and teachers—and raises were delayed for existing ones. The government has also postponed plans for new student loans and scholarships, said Majda al-Tamimi, who represents the government-allied Sadrist bloc on the finance committee.

There's even talk in parliament of cutting spending on orphans and on elementary-education projects, according to some lawmakers.

That helps no one, that's nonsense and it's outrageous but set aside the ethical issues.

It's also stupid politics.

Deeply stupid.

Iraqis need jobs. Iraq needs doctors and teachers.

The inability to create jobs in the recent past in Iraq led to what?

Oh, that's right, Sunnis joining al Qaeda in Iraq.

Gutting student loans and scholarships?

Exactly what the hell is al-Abadi doing.

And let's stop lying that he's protecting the country.

Getting foreigners to bomb your own country from airplanes -- and tossing a few of your war planes into the air -- is not providing safety or addressing any issues.

It's actually both stupid and cowardly.

It's the Chicken Hawk way for War Hawks to cowardly to fight on the ground.

You want to run the 20,000 or 30,000 people out of country with over 30 million people?

You don't need bombs falling from the skies.

You need people on the ground willing to rebuke, forget fight, the Islamic State.

In 2010, the Iraqi people cast votes to stand for a national identity and that's still possible.

But that embarrassing budget won't do a damn thing to pull the country together.

If the US government, if Barack wanted to help, he would have a US diplomatic delegation in Iraq explaining how to utilize the budget in a manner to pull the country together.

Equally true, the Iraqi government needs to be going after Nouri al-Maliki and Nouri's son whose theft of public monies is an open secret and Iraqis suffering in poverty aren't going to embrace further poverty measures while thieves like Nouri remain unpunished.

He doesn't just remain unpunished, he remains in the presidential palace despite not being prime minister. He refuses to leave.

If Haider al-Abadi had any sense, he's send the military to force Nouri out and you better believe Iraqis would cheer him on.

When Haider can't even reside in the prime minister's housing because former prime minister Nouri won't leave, he looks weak and inept.

He's looked weak and inept since his September 13 announcement that he had ended the bombing of Falluja's residential neighborhoods -- since he made the announcement and the bombings continued. NINA notes 9 civilians were killed today and twenty-three more ("including women and children") were left injured from the security forces' bombings.

Let's go back to Barack's press conference. Here Phil Mattingly is asking a question.

Q Also if it is your feeling that you have the power to implement any type of agreement that's reached without any action from Congress? And then, also I just wanted to quickly touch on the AUMF that you mentioned earlier. Is that going to be more of a codification of the limits that you've put in place for the mission up to this point? Or what should we be looking for on that when you send it to the Hill? Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: On the AUMF, the leaders are going to be coming here on Friday. It will be an expanded group, not just the four leaders, but a larger group who all have an interest in the issues we're discussing today. And I'm actually going to invite Lloyd Austin, the CENTCOM Commander, to make a presentation about how our fight against ISIL is proceeding and I think to answer questions and assure that Congress is fully briefed on what we're doing there.

With respect to the AUMF, we've already had conversations with members of both parties in Congress, and the idea is to right-size and update whatever authorization Congress provides to suit the current fight, rather than previous fights.

In 2001, after the heartbreaking tragedy of 9/11, we had a very specific set of missions that we had to conduct, and the AUMF was designed to pursue those missions. With respect to Iraq, there was a very specific AUMF.

We now have a different type of enemy. The strategy is different. How we partner with Iraq and other Gulf countries and the international coalition -- that has to be structured differently. So it makes sense for us to make sure that the authorization from Congress reflects what we perceive to be not just our strategy over the next two or three months, but our strategy going forward.

And it will be a process of listening to members of Congress, as well as us presenting what we think needs to be the set of authorities that we have. And I'm confident we're going to be able to get that done. And that may just be a process of us getting it started now. It may carry over into the next Congress.

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cedricsbigmixhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-80921841428905158762014-11-05T20:33:00.001-08:002014-11-05T20:33:50.813-08:00Parry wants his Baby Daddy back
BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

AT A BABIES 'R US TODAY, AN INCREASINGLY FAT ROBERT PARRY INSISTED THAT THE LOSSES TUESDAY NIGHT STEMMED FROM HIS AFFAIR WITH THE PRESIDENT.

BARRY O, PARRY INSISTED, HAD SPENT "FAR TOO MUCH TIME COURTING ME AND GETTING TO KNOW MY NOOKS AND CRANNIES, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, SPREADING THE BUTTER, IF YOU GET MY MEANING, DOING SOME HEAVY TILLING, IF YOU CAN FOLLOW ME, THAN HE DID HELPING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY."

AS PARRY TRIED OUT STROLLERS -- MAINLY TO REST ON, HIS EXPANDING BELLY IS TAKING A REAL TOLL ON HIS BACK, HE EXPLAINED -- HE SAID HE'S READY TO FORGIVE BARRY O "IF THE EXPERIENCE HAS PROPERLY HUMBLED HIM. OUR BABY NEEDS A DADDY."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Barack has his own problems. Spencer Ackerman (Guardian) reports, "The Pentagon has denied that the US strategy against Islamic State (Isis) is in disarray after a series of setbacks as the war known as Operation Inherent Resolve stretches into its fourth month."

The argument that Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby made today was that the Syrian government, particularly Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is not benefiting from the 'focus' the US government is placing on Iraq.

Focus?

As Akerman points out:

US military officials frequently describe their strategy as "Iraq first", reflecting what some in the administration suggest is a more realistic ambition, compared to the complexity of the neighbouring Syria conflict. The US has renewed its mentorship of the Iraqi military it built during the 2003-2011 occupation. But the administration is signaling that a counteroffensive to oust Isis from Iraq, led by the Iraqis and backed by US airpower and Iranian-supported Shia militias, will not proceed until spring 2015.

Until spring of 2015?

Barack plans to keep bombing and pretending that's a 'plan'?

Long after Barack leaves the White House, Iraqis will have to rebuild.

And what Arabic social media is noting, though the western press has avoided, it is the Sunni areas that are being destroyed with these bombings. When the bombing finally ends, it is the Sunnis who will be living in destroyed, shelled neighborhoods. There are many Arabic commentators on social media who don't feel this is an accident but part of the continued persecution of the Sunnis.

Changing topics . . .

Who in the world do you think that you are fooling?
Well I've already done everything that you are doing
-- "Two Kinds of Love," written by Stevie Nicks, first appears on her Rooms On Fire

The always laughable (and always sexist) Kevin Drum wags his tiny cock-lette at Iraq and figures out there's no 'plan.' Did the universe just offer a collective "Duh!" How many weeks, how many months have we been pointing that out?

I was going to be kind and ignore David Zucchino's nonsense for the Los Angeles Times.

But his ridiculous report is what 'enlightened' Kevin Drum.

So let's note that it's a miserable 'report' that's ahistorical and embarrassing.

The article fails to address that the military has been without a head. In the US, we call it the Secretary of Defense (currently Chuck Hagel). In Iraq, they call it the Minister of Defence. And from 2010 until his ouster this summer -- four long years, Nouri al-Maliki refused to nominate anyone to head the Ministry of Defence (it was a power grab -- Ayad Allawi was the first to rightly call it that).

So for four years they had no one.

But, even more importantly, the Los Angeles Times has reported on the Defense and Interior Ministries (Interior is a security ministry, it is not parks and wildlife -- Nouri also refused to nominate anyone to head that ministry).

Ned Parker -- often on his own, often with others -- repeatedly reported on the corruption and crime in the ministries. He did spectacular reporting, in fact, on one particular floor in the Interior, the corruption there.

With all that to build on, Zucchino's article was disappointing.

He's a strong reporter and he'll do strong reporting again, I'm sure.

But Kevin Drum finds a stitched together article that fails to get at the realities -- which includes ignoring Nouri not wanting training from the US (for those who've forgotten, Barack was told to find other uses for the money the White House planned to spend training the Iraqi police in 2012) -- wonderful and inspiring.

Kevin would, wouldn't he?

He did, after all, cheer on the Iraq War.

Which makes you wonder why Mother Jones keeps trying to turn him into a star (he's too ugly for TV), why two women running the magazine and website are bound and determined to turn an elderly White man into a media star instead of devoting those resources to men of color or women?

Related, every now and then FAIR and others will gripe about how those people who were wrong about Iraq in 2003 continue to be respected voices in the media. But they never have the guts, do they, to point out all the 'left' voices (like Drum) who cheered on an illegal war and yet are employed by left sites like Mother Jones?

If FAIR's really worried about accountability, they need to call on Mother Jones to ditch Kevin Drum who helped sell the illegal war.

Just last June, FAIR was whining about CNN bringing back on pundits who cheered on the Iraq War -- so when does FAIR find the guts to call out Mother Jones for hiring Drum?

Until they do, they look like whiny, little hypocrites.

There should be much more anger that a supposed left publication like Mother Jones is providing a forum for these pundits who got it wrong than the supposedly 'neutral' or 'mainstream' or 'middle' CNN.

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cedricsbigmixhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-91477344960403305552014-11-03T20:33:00.001-08:002014-11-03T20:33:50.873-08:00White House denies Parry's pregnancy claimsBULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

FUTURE MOMMY-TO-BE ROBERT PARRY IS RETHINKING HIS FUTURE.

"I'M SURE I'LL BE TIED DOWN WITH NURSING AND MOMMY BLOGGING," INSISTS THE ONE-TIME JOURNALIST, "BUT I'LL BE HAPPY WITH THIS LIFE."

BUT WHITE HOUSE INSIDERS SAY OTHERWISE AND CALL PARRY'S CLAIMS TO BE PREGNANT WITH FADED CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O'S BABY "SO MUCH BUNK!"

HIS OPPONENTS SAY HE'S LYING AND THAT HE'S ATTEMPTING TO EXTORT MILLIONS FROM BARRY O AND HIS WEALTHY DONORS.

WHEN PRESSED FOR A REASON WHY, THEY POINT TO PARRY'S FAILED NEWS ENTERPRISE CONSORTIUM NEWS.

AS IF TO CONFIRM THESE RUMORS, PARRY RECENTLY TWEETED:

    Robert Parry  @Consortiumnews     ·     Oct 31

Editor Robert Parry makes a last call for donations to Consortiumnews' fall fund drive, still $6,000 short,

MORE ON THIS STORY AS IT DEVELOPS.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

US President Barack Obama has no plan. He keeps calling doing the same thing (bombing from the air) a 'plan' but it's not a plan.

It fails to adapt, it fails to address.

It's just violence responding to violence.

Your latest clue is the inability of the State Dept to utilize what is taking place.

Want to get Sunnis on board with the government? Give them a reason.

Especially give them a reason when the actions of the Islamic State are prompting revulsion.

I've noted before, over and over, that new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi needs to make grand gestures to the Sunni community in order to make clear that the targeting they experienced under Nouri al-Maliki is a thing of the past, that they are welcome and wanted in the government and the country.

This is where you do it.

When the Sunni community is reeling from what is supposed to be a 'message sent' from the Islamic State, a warning not to cooperate with the government, that is when you have the best chance to make your case for a new Iraq.

But the State Dept can't do it and Haider al-Abadi is proving to be incredibly inept. In the face of the above killings, he announced he would increase bombings.

That does nothing to help the Sunni community.

It does physically destroy the land they call home but it doesn't help them.

And while he had a public comment on the massacre carried out by the Islamic State, he had none on the massacre carried out by his own forces.

Sunday, Human Rights Watch released an alert which opened:

Victims of a massacre in a mosque in Diyala province by Iraqi pro-government militias and security forces recognized the attackers and knew them by name. The Iraqi government should promptly make public any investigation of the attack on the Musab Bin Omair mosque on August 22, 2014, which killed 34 people, and bring those responsible to justice.

According to accounts by five witnesses, including one survivor of the attack, armed men, some wearing civilian clothes and others in police uniforms, attacked the mosque at midday in the village of Imam Weiss in Hamreen, Diyala province, about 50 kilometers northeast of Baaquba, the provincial capital. The attackers shot to death 32 men, one woman, and one 17-year-old boy, all of whom witnesses said were civilians who were attending Friday prayer when they were killed, with PK-type and AK-47 Russian-made automatic weapons, the witnesses said. All of the witnesses said they recognized the attackers and knew them by name.
"Pro-government militias are becoming emboldened and their crimes more shocking," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director. "Iraqi authorities and Iraq's allies alike have ignored this horrific attack and then they wonder why the militant group Islamic State has had such appeal among Sunni communities."

Witnesses, all of whom asked Human Rights Watch not to reveal their identities for their protection, said the shooting began at about 12:10 p.m., during the imam's Friday speech. A survivor, who was inside the Sunni mosque, said he saw a man enter wearing the dark green T-shirt, pants, and headband typically worn by militiamen affiliated with Asa'ib Ahl al-Haqq, a pro-government militia. He was carrying a PK-type automatic weapon.

"He shouted, 'Do not move. No one leave!'" the witness said. "He aimed his first shot at the sheikh [imam], and then he continued shooting at the rest of us. When I heard the first gunshot I dropped to the ground."

The gunman continued shooting at random, the witness said. "People were on the ground screaming and crying, saying, "Allahu akbar [God is great], La ilaha illa Allah [there is no God but God]."

Three of the witnesses entered the mosque after this first attack. They said they saw eight armed men leaving the mosque. When they entered, they saw about 10 people who appeared to be already dead and about 30 more injured. "What I saw was indescribable, inhuman," one said. "Most of the people were injured, not dead, and were crying out for water and for help with their injuries. I saw a man whose left side of his head was completely blown off."

Two witnesses said they had begun carrying the wounded into the garden in front of the mosque when, after about 10 minutes, they heard more shooting as a second group of between 20 and 30 armed men headed toward the mosque. The witnesses fled, leaving the wounded behind. Another witness who was watching from his house about 100 meters away confirmed this account.

All of the witnesses said they then heard screams and more gunshots. The second round of shooting lasted approximately 15 minutes, they said.

The witnesses told Human Rights Watch that all of the 34 dead except one were from the Beni Weiss, a Sunni tribe in Diyala. None of the witnesses knew the reason for the attack, but one said he believed it was in retaliation for an attack with an improvised explosive device earlier that day about 20 kilometers north of Imam Weiss that killed five militiamen. The witnesses all said there were no fighters in or around Imam Weiss at the time of the attack.

The witnesses said there was an army checkpoint about 200 meters from the mosque and a police checkpoint about 150 meters from the mosque, but that no security forces responded to the attack even though the shooting was broadcast over the mosque loudspeaker and could be heard from at least 600 meters away, where one witness heard the shooting from his home.

Two witnesses said they called for army assistance and for an ambulance, but none arrived until nearly an hour later. At about 1:30 p.m., they said, soldiers from the 5th brigade of the army's 20th division arrived in an army ambulance and a cargo truck, which carried the dead to the hospital morgue in Muqdadiyya, 15 kilometers away.

Hadier al-Abadi either can't or won't control the military. September 13th, he ordered them to stop bombing the residential neighborhoods of Falluja.

The bombings have not stopped.

In fact, Iraqi Spring MC notes the latest results of these War Crimes (bombing civilian areas are defined as War Crimes): 4 civilians dead and three injure.

In the face the continued bombings of Falluja, in the face of the slaughter carried out by the Iraqi forces, why should Sunnis believe in a buy-in of the new government?

They shouldn't and they don't.

al-Abadi looks like a fool or a liar.

NINA reports Sunday saw him insisting that the rights of all minorities were protected in Iraq -- all Christian minorities. And yet he's silent on the attack on the Sunni mosque, the attack carried out by his own forces.

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cedricsbigmixhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-74401430638382861172014-11-02T15:08:00.000-08:002014-11-02T15:08:44.590-08:00The dirty details of the dirty affair

BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

FAILED JOURNALIST AND PRESIDENTIAL MISTRESS ROBERT PARRY HAS GROWN WEARY OF WHAT HE SEES AS "DEAD BEAT FATHERING FROM THE WHITE HOUSE."

IN AN ATTEMPT TO FORCE THE HAND OF FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O, PARRY IS GOING PUBLIC WITH DETAILS OF THEIR LIFE, THEIR LOVE LIFE.

"THE PRESIDENT HAD ME LIKE SO MANY LAYS POTATO CHIPS AND HE HAD ME IN THE CALVIN COOLIDGE ROMPUS ROOM IN THE EAST WING. WE MET MANY LATE NIGHT HOURS. HE HAD ME ON MY BACK, HE HAD ME ON ALL FOURS, HE HAD ME ON MY BELLY AND HE HAD ME WITHOUT MY DRAWERS," PARRY DECLARED PAUSING TO DAB HIS EYES WITH A LARGE BEACH TOWEL.

GATHERING HIS WITS, "HE USED TO CALL ME BUTTERCUP AND THE LITTLE PONY HE LOVED TO RIDE BUT I GUESS HE'S FORGOTTEN ALL OF THAT NOW."

THE WHITE HOUSE HAS A CALVIN COOLIDGE RHOMPUS ROOM?

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

NewsinEnglish.no reports, "Norway's government has confirmed plans to send a total of 195 military personnel to Iraq and Afghanistan as a contribution to the US-led international efforts to combat terrorism. The decision announced Thursday was critizised by some left-wing politicians, but the opposition Labour party said it supported the move." Steven Chase (Globe and Mail) reports, "Canadian warplanes are poised to start striking targets in Iraq, with the government saying bombing of Islamic militant forces should begin very shortly." Emily Kent Smith (Daily Mail) reports England's gearing up to provide Apache helicopters to Iraq and "If Apaches are sent to Iraq - which are piloted by the Army Air Corps - it would mark the first British Army involvement in a conflict role in the country."

For those who've forgotten who else is bombing Iraq, the US Defense Dept helpfully notes, "Among the coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq are the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain."

That's a lot of countries and so many more lining up for their chance to destroy Iraq.

The US Defense Dept boast, "Separately, officials said, U.S. and partner-nation military forces conducted two airstrikes in Iraq yesterday and today, using attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL terrorists. [. . .]

 In Iraq, an airstrike near Bayji struck a small ISIL unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, and an airstrike west of Ramadi struck an ISIL checkpoint."

Tom Bowman (NPR's Morning Edition, link is text and audio) notes:

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has been on the defensive recently about the strategy to take on the Islamic State. American warplanes have been bombing targets in Iraq and Syria, but militant fighters are still on the move.
"We have made it very clear, I have and President Obama has, that this is a long, difficult effort," Hagel said.
Difficult, some critics say, because the U.S. military is not bombing enough targets and is not deploying any U.S. ground troops in the fight. There are also critics who say the U.S. does not have effective partners on the ground and is not training a sufficient number of local troops or militias.

"This sounds like a Goldilocks approach. We're looking for a solution that's just right," said Fred Hof, who worked in the Obama administration on Syria policy.

Greg Miller (Washingon Post) adds, "The magnitude of the ongoing migration suggests that the U.S.-led air campaign has neither deterred significant numbers of militants from traveling to the region nor triggered such outrage that even more are flocking to the fight because of American intervention."

If you're not grasping what a failure US President Barack Obama's 'plan' has been, Xinhua reports, "A total of 255 tribesmen and local policemen were executed by the militants of the Islamic State (IS) after the group took them from their villages and towns in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial security source said on Thursday."

Here's the thing about little boys and their war toys, it stops being a fun game quickly. They end up like gamblers at black jack, they just can't walk away.. They're losing but they keep betting because now they've lost face, now everyone's looking at them. And they know they're not doing anything different and they're not planning to do anything different, but if they keep bluffing, surely (they hope) their luck will change.

Luck is all Barack's hoping for at this point to save his 'plan.'

 Al Arabiya News notes, "Islamic state of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants executed 46 people and besieged 500 families in the Iraqi city of Heet, Al Arabiya News Channel's correspondent to Anbar reported on Wednesday." Sameer N. Yacoub and Sinan Salaheddin (AP) add, "Hit was captured by Islamic State militants earlier this month after heavy clashes with the government security forces and tribal militias." Earlier this month.

When you're losing cities, you aren't making "gains." Even if you retake them, you are not making "gains." The Pentagon keeps labeling this and that "Islamic State propaganda" but the Defense Dept isn't averse to circulating its own propaganda.

Loveday Morris (Washington Post via the UK Independent) provides the reality that the Defense Dept keeps glossing over:

But a visit to the Sunni settlement this week laid bare the huge cost of that victory. The town is now emptied of its 80,000 residents, and building after building has been destroyed – by air strikes, bombings and artillery fire.
After four months of battles between the Isis and the Iraqi army, about 10,000 pro-government Shia militiamen were poured into this area in Babil province for a final push, according to Hadi al-Amiri, who leads the Iranian-backed Badr Brigade and co-ordinated the operation.
Defeating the militants involved clearing out all the residents and leaving the town nearly flattened, underscoring the challenge the Shia-led government faces in areas where demographics do not work in its favour.

And that's what the Pentagon -- and White House -- insists is a 'success.'

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-11643133061593364932014-10-29T13:15:00.000-07:002014-10-29T13:15:19.753-07:00Robert Parry wants his Baby Daddy

BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

FAILED JOURNALIST AND PROFESSIONAL ODDITY ROBERT PARRY HAS DECIDED TO EMBARRASS THE FADED CELEBRITY IN CHIEF.

"IF BARRY O WON'T ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRODUCT OF OUR LOVE," PARRY SAID POINTING TO HIS BULGING BELLY, "I'LL JUST HAVE TO START EXPOSING SOME OF HIS SIGNATURE MOVES."

PARRY INSISTED THIS ISN'T ABOUT "VINDICATION OR GETTING EVEN. I JUST WANT MY BABY DADDY BACK. YOU HEAR ME, BARACK, I JUST WANT MY BABY DADDY BACK!"

PARRY BEGAN STOMPING HIS FEET LOUDLY UNTIL HE LET A PARTICULARLY NOXIOUS FART RIP.

A SHEEPISH PARRY DECLARED, "THE PREGNANCY'S CHANGING MY BODY."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Erik Prince is back in the news but all those who had "glory hole scandal" haven't won -- yet. No, Prince has a book and is busy promoting it. Justine Drennan (Foriegn Policy) reports:

In his book Civilian Warriors, as well as in a relatively rare interview ahead of its paperbackrelease Tuesday, Prince vehemently rejected such claims and argued that Blackwater was scapegoated by vindictive Democrats and a State Department and Pentagon that couldn't come to terms with the government's growing dependence on private contractors. "I'm no hero. The world knows all too well about my mistakes. But I was never meant to play the villain," he wrote in his book. "Seeing the company I'd built torn down for no reason was almost too much to bear."

Really?

Democrats kicked his Blackwater out of Iraq?

The State Dept and the Pentagon sued his mercenary company Blackwater?

He doesn't own Blackwater anymore.

He sold it to escape legal culpability.

Now he attempts to escape reality.

Ali Abbas Mahmoud can't escape the reality of what Blackwater did back in September of 2007. Last week, Ali Abbas Mahmoud spoke about it to Jonathan S. Landay (McClatchy Newspapers) following the convictions of four men who had worked for Blackwater and took part in the attack:

One of the dead boys was Mahmoud's 11-year-old nephew, Qasim Muhammad Abbas. Qasim's father, Muhammad Abbas Mahmoud – Ali Abbas Mahmoud's elder brother – also died. The boy's mother was wounded.

The family was sitting inside a pickup when the shooting broke out. Members of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority, they were hauling furniture to a new home in a Shiite neighborhood after tensions with minority Sunni Muslims forced them to leave their old house.
Ali Abbas Mahmoud, a 52-year-old Ministry of Housing employee who agreed to speak by telephone but refused a face-to-face interview, said he'd never forget how his sister-in-law, frantic with grief and terror, called him as she sat bleeding inside the pickup.
"She made me hysterical when she called me and told me that my brother had just been killed," he recounted. "She was in the vehicle. She screamed, 'They slaughtered your brother and they slaughtered your nephew and I'm injured.' She made me as hysterical as she was."

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/10/23/244476/in-iraq-blackwater-verdict-provides.html?sp=/99/117/416/103/#storylink=cpy

Is Ali Abbas Mahmoud a Democrat?

A Pentagon official?

A State Dept official?

No, he's an Iraqi citizen.

Erik Prince is very good about rewriting history. Some day, the pool may pay off and he may get busted on his knees in a truck stop men's room -- at which point, he'll try to rewrite that as well.

But all the revisions don't change the fact that his company killed innocent Iraqis.

His company was out of control.

It was out of control because that's the way he wanted it.

There was no training on the need to avoid wounding or killing civilians.

Iraqis, the same people who do not matter to him today, did not matter to him when he ran Blackwater and the actions of his employees reflected that.

At the Pentagon today, spokesperson Rear Adm John Kirby declared, "While we recognize that a major Iraqi offensive against ISIL may still be a ways off, these are encouraging reports that highlight Iraq's determination to take the fight to ISIL."

They continue to spin the inability of the Iraqi military to do its job as 'good news.'

But every day that the Iraqi army fails to do its job, more US taxpayer dollars are thrown away in Iraq, "millions a day," Kirbay declared today.

And the tab for the latest wave of the never-ending Iraq War just keeps growing.

Q: On ISIS. Does the department anticipate forwarding a request for additional money to Congress for 2015 for the ISIS fight?

REAR ADM. KIRBY: I think you've heard [Defense] Secretary [Chuck] Hagel and the chairman [of the Joint Chiefs, General Martin Dempsy] talk about this. I think certainly there's going to have to be some considerations going forward, but I wouldn't get ahead of specific budget moves that haven't been made yet.

I think, you know, we've gone to the Hill, we've testified to the operations, and again, Secretary Hagel has been very clear that certainly considerations for added funding are going to have to be part of the calculus going forward. But we're just not in a position right now where we can detail what that would look like, what form it would be, how much it would be, that kind of thing.

Going to nail down the cost someday soon, huh? Like they nailed down what was happening in Iraq?

The administration failed to heed warning, failed to listen to intelligence, failed to use common sense and was completely surprised this summer to discover the Islamic State in Iraq.

Tonight PBS' Frontline examined the Islamic State and how they came to be major players in Iraq. Michael Iskikoff (Yahoo News) recaps:

The film, reported by correspondent Martin Smith, offers a richly detailed account of how the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki alienated the country's disenfranchised Sunni population, making reckless accusations of terrorism against Sunni leaders — including the country's Vice Prime Minister Tariq al-Hashimi. Those allegations — flatly denied by al-Hashimi on camera — were based on the testimony of bodyguards who, it is strongly suggested, were tortured.

With little pressure or engagement from Washington, al-Maliki's anti-Sunni agenda — driven by his "paranoia," as one of Smith's interlocutors says — paved the way for ISIS radicals to march through huge swaths of Iraqi territory this spring, seizing arsenals of U.S.-made weapons from a collapsing Iraqi army. This, of course, was the same army that the U.S. spent billions arming and training. In fact, terrorism expert Ken Katzman suggests in the film, they were a phantom led by do-nothing officers.

Nouri was only in office, in his first term as prime minister, for a few months when we noted in 2006 his paranoia which the US government thought (at that time) would make him more "manageable" (as the CIA analysis termed it). By the time WikiLeaks was publishing the State Dept cables in 2010, the US government's knowledge of Nouri's paranoia was on full display for anyone who wanted to see.

Yet the White House, Barack's White House, continued to support Nouri.

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cedricsbigmixhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-52334381098727035802014-10-28T13:24:00.000-07:002014-10-28T13:24:10.051-07:00He's got a sweet tooth

BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

ONE TIME JOURNALIST AND SELF-IDENTIFIED PRESIDENTIAL MISTRESS ROBERT PARRY INSISTS THAT HE IS STILL BEING SHUNNED BY THE WHITE HOUSE BECAUSE HE IS CARRYING THE CHILD OF FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O.

HE MADE THIS DECLARATION AS HE OCCUPIED A FAST FOOD LOCALE.

"I KNOW THIS IS DIFFERENT," EXPLAINED A SWEATY PARRY, FROM A STALL IN THE BATHROOMS OF BRAUM'S ICE CREAM AND BURGERS. "BUT TIMES HAVE CHANGED. THESE DAYS, A WOMAN CAN BE A CABINET SECRETARY AND, YES, A MAN CAN HAVE A BABY. I AM NOT GOING AWAY."

AS IF TO PROVE IT, PARRY OCCUPIED THE WOMEN'S ROOM IN BRAUM'S FOR 6 HOURS TODAY, INSISTING HE THOUGHT HIS WATER MIGHT BE BREAKING.

ASKED WHY THE WOMEN'S ROOM AND NOT THE MEN, PARRY HISSED, "MEN ARE NASTY! IF I HAVE THE BABY TODAY, NO WAY I'M HAVING IT IN A ROOM WITH URINALS!"

THE BRAUM'S STAFF WAS ABLE TO LURE HIM OUT WITH THE PROMISE OF SEVERAL FREE CARTONS OF ICE CREAM.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

And Barack should be asked about them. Why is there no televised prime time press conference focusing on Iraq?

Oh, that's right.

Because the US press can't focus on Iraq.

If Helen Thomas were still around, you can be sure she'd be asking about one topic everyone should be asking about?

That's Lance Cpl. Sean P. Neal (photo from Facebook). We noted his death in Saturday's snapshot.

Missy Ryan (Washington Post) notes, "The Pentagon said Neal's death was the first U.S. casualty in Iraq since the Obama administration began its 'Inherent Resolve' mission, which now includes airstrikes against the extremist group in Iraq and Syria and a growing number of U.S. military personnel on the ground in Iraq in August."

Murtaza Hussain (Intercept) offers:

Cpl. Neal was only 19 years old. He would have only been eight at the outset of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and merely six on 9/11 – a child at the time of both these events. The fact that he ended up losing his life in Iraq is on one hand tragic, and on the other completely absurd.
The tragedy here is that a young man with a long future ahead of him ended up dying in a distant country before even reaching the age of twenty. The absurdity is that men such as him are still losing their lives as a result of still-inexplicable decisions made over a decade ago. The Iraq War never ended, but now it's being fought by men who were just children when it started. Walter Lippman once said, "I don't think old men ought to promote wars for young men to fight." In our time, old men have been promoting wars that kids would ultimately end up fighting.

You know what?

Those statements are offensive.

And it's why the Intercept is such a lame venture.

It's a bunch of sexist jerks like Murtaza Hussain, Glenn Greenwald (if his sexism is news to you, where have you been the last decade), Jeremy Scahill and so many others.

And when you hire sexists, you get garbage like what Hussain's offering, garbage that renders the US female service members who've fought in the ongoing Iraq War -- and who've died in it -- invisible.

It is a complete, 100% tragedy that Sean Neal is dead. It is a huge loss. But Hussain makes an ass out of himself by reducing it to "men."

If the Intercept wants to have any future at all -- most likely it doesn't, Libertarians online have long been sexist -- it's going to have to accept the fact that half the world is female.

Shame on all the useless jerks (Dan Froomkin, that means you) who have treated Hussain's sexist rambles as manna from heaven. Shame on you.

Last May, The Daily Beast offered Kate Hoit's "The Names You Don't Hear: Nearly 200 Women Have Died in Iraq and Afghanistan." Froomkin, who has made time to attack female artists, didn't really have time to give props to Hoit for that piece.

Too bad. The sexism needs to end and it needs to end now.

It is insulting to the women who have served -- and to the memory of the women who died -- to write such sexist nonsense as Hussain did. Hussain, The Intercept and every man who Tweeted that article without pointing its fatal and sexist flaw should issue an apology -- but they won't. The day will come when sexists are shunned in the same way that racists are. That day is in the future. When it does come, history will not be kind to the many men -- including those at Intercept -- who regularly engaged in sexism -- history will not be kind, nor should it be.

Spencer Ackerman (Guardian) points out, "Technically, Neal may not have been the first US fatality of the Iraq-Syria war against the Islamic State. Naval forces assigned to US Central Command, which has operational control of the war, acknowledged on October 3 that a Marine, Corporal Jordan L. Spears, went missing at sea in the North Arabian Gulf after bailing out of his MV-22 Osprey. Spears took off from the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, which carried Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, assigned to support the war in Iraq and Syria." UPI notes Spears was (or is) 21-years-old. RT notes that the commander of Spears unit wrote online, "Cpl. Spears was a cherished member of our MEU family, and he fulfilled a key role in our aviation combat element." Stars and Stripes notes:

Cpl. Jordan L. Spears, 21, of Memphis, Ind., was one of two aircrew members who went into the water when the Osprey's pilot lost control of the aircraft, which the Navy said was participating in flight operations in support of the missions over Iraq and Syria. The pilot regained control of the Osprey, and the other aircrew member was recovered.

I have no idea about Sean Neal's unit, but the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Jordan Spears' unit, there are women in that unit -- I know that would shock Murtaza Hussain -- there are several women who are part of the current deployment of that unit.

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-86799134342845431032014-10-26T15:23:00.000-07:002014-10-26T15:23:43.860-07:00Child birth fears

BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

FIRST MISTRESS AND SOMETIMES JOURNALIST ROBERT PARRY REVEALED TODAY TO THESE REPORTERS -- MUST CREDIT BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX  -- HIS REASON FOR GOING PUBLIC WITH HIS PREGNANCY: HE WANTS FADED CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O TO BE AT THE BIRTH.

"I WANT A NATURAL CHILD BIRTH, YOU KNOW," HE STATES. "I'D LIKE BARRY TO BE MY BIRTHING PARTNER, AFTER ALL, HE IS THE DADDY. AND I'M GOING TO NEED A LOT OF HELP, YOU KNOW. I ONCE WENT ON AN ALL DAY CHEESE BINGE AND THE NEXT DAY NEARLY BLEW OUT MY RING HOLE TAKING A MASSIVE DUMP. I'M NOT SURE I'M UP TO PUSHING OUT A BABY ALL ON MY OWN."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

The numbers on Barack Obama's kill list just keep growing. Add another American to the list.

Yesterday, the Defense Dept released the following:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release No: NR-539-14
October 24, 2014

DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

 The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.

 Lance Cpl. Sean P. Neal, 19, of Riverside, California, died Oct. 23, in Baghdad, Iraq, from a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation.
  He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Central Command, whose headquarters element deploys from Camp Pendleton, California.
  For more information, media may contact the I Marine Expeditionary Force Public Affairs Office at (760) 763-7039 or after hours at (760) 207-5865.

Well, of course, he didn't die in combat. Hasn't US President Obama insisted US troops would not see combat in Iraq? And hasn't the press gone along with that lie?

However he died in Baghdad, Lance Cpl Sean P. Neal died in Baghdad.

And Barack's the one who sent him there.

Hey, hey, BHO, how many people did you bury below?

Barack sent Neal and many others into Iraq.

Any deaths are on Barack's hands.

Hey, hey, BHO, how many people did you bury below?

And the deaths of Iraqis are on his hands as well.

Especially the ones killed by Iraqi forces.

Barack hopped in bed with previous prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and is in bed with current prime minister Haider al-Hadi. Under both, civilians have been terrorized by Iraqi forces throughout Iraq.

This includes, but is not limited to, the ongoing bombing of Falluja's residential neighborhoods -- a legally defined War Crime. One that has been taking place since January of this year.

Hey, hey, BHO, how many people did you bury below?

Will this awaken the so-called peace 'leaders' in the United States?

Or will they continue to direct their outrage at Bully Boy Bush -- a man who left the White House in January 2009?

Maybe they'll continue to obsess over Hillary Clinton?

Anything to avoid growing the hell up and calling out the person running the wars today.

Lance Cpl Sean P. Neal's death is on Barack's hands but never forget CodePink, Win Without War and so many other fake ass organizations are culpable in Neal's death and the deaths of so many Iraqis.

Hey, hey, BHO, how many people did you bury below?

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cedricsbigmixhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-22620308469357826622014-10-24T13:14:00.001-07:002014-10-24T13:14:32.575-07:00It's about the babies!

BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

FIRST FAMILY AVOIDS PREGNANT CONSPIRACY NUT AND IT IS LEAVING ROBERT PARRY DISTRESSED AND THREATENING THE PREGNANCY.

"I WAS AT THE DOCTOR'S TODAY," A SHAKEN ROBERT PARRY EXPLAINED TO THESE REPORTERS -- BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX EXCLUSIVE MUST CREDIT BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- "AND MY HEALTH HAS TAKEN A TOLL -- FROM THE PREGNANCY AND FROM THE STRESS OF BEING SHUNNED. MICHELLE NEEDS TO GRASP THAT BARACK IS MY BABY DADDY TOO. AND I NEED TO BE WITH MY BABY DADDY -- FOR MY BABY AND FOR ME!"

AT THIS POINT, PARRY PULLED OUT A SCARF AND BLEW HIS NOSE ON IT REPEATEDLY.

COMING UP FOR AIR, HE SAID, "WHEN I TOLD THE DOCTOR I WAS PREGNANT HE SAID IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. AND I GET IT. I'M NOT A TEENAGER ANYMORE. A MAN MY AGE, PREGNANT? AT MY AGE? IT JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN. BUT I AM KEEPING THIS BABY. AND MICHELLE NEEDS TO GET WITH THE PROGRAM. SOON THERE WILL BE ANOTHER OBAMA AND SHE JUST NEEDS TO DEAL. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS AIN'T ABOUT HER AND IT AIN'T ABOUT ME. IT'S ABOUT THE BABIES. THE BABIES!"

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

As Barack Obama's nonplan continues in Iraq, there are whispers of another plan (a post-mid-term election one). Karen DeYoung (Washington Post) reported yesterday that the White House thinks it has another 'plan' for addressing the Islamic State in Iraq. This one would be termed a "battle plan" and a sure sign of its weakness can be found in the belief that it will take place "gradually." DeYoung explains:

The plan, described as methodical and time-consuming, will not begin in earnest for several months and is designed to ensure that Iraqi forces do not overextend themselves before they are capable of taking and holding territory controlled by the militants.

It may also include U.S. advisers in the field with the Iraqis, should that be recommended by American military commanders, said the official, who updated reporters on administration strategy on the condition of anonymity under rules imposed by the White House. The advisers, the official said, would not participate in combat. President Obama has said repeatedly that no U.S. ground forces would be deployed to Iraq.

You can be sure that the "may"s will disappear after the start of the next month when Barack will no longer have to worry about the immediate voter fallout.

Bill Van Auken (WSWS) offers:

And, as for Obama's promise about no "ground forces," this term is used in a manner that does not apply to special operations troops, advisers and other smaller units, but rather to the deployment of full combat brigades.
The announcement that the topic was discussed by US and Iraqi officials almost certainly indicates that preparations are being made to substantially increase the number of US military personnel deployed in Iraq, which, according to official figures, now stands at over 1,400.

Leaving what's around the corner to take a look at what's on the road now, Lolita C. Baldor (AP) notes, "The Pentagon says Iraq's new defense minister says his troops will go on the offensive against Islamic State militants who have taken over large sections of the country."

They'll go on the offensive, will they?

Anytime soon?

Sunday, World Bulletin noted the Iraqi military's efforts to retake Baiji ended when a bomb blew up "an armored vehicle" killing 4 Iraqi soldiers and leaving seven more injured. The military insists the vehicle blown up was driven by a member of the Islamic State and that the military mistook it for one of their own vehicles and, most importantly, they'll try again to retake Baiji. Real soon. But still not yet, not as of today.

And today Saif Sameer and Ned Parker (Reuters) report that the Islamic State seized Zauiyat albu Nimr Village in Anbar Province and that, during the battle, the Iraqi military began escaping via a helicopter.

They're going on the offensive when?

Do they understand what "offensive" means?

They just might be as confused as Valerie Jarrett who, two Sundays ago on NBC's Meet The Press, declared Mount Sinjar to be an important "success." Today, Saif Sameer and Ned Parker (Reuters) also report, "U.S. President Barack Obama authorized air strikes on IS in Iraq in August, citing the duty to prevent an impending genocide of minority Yazidis at the hands of the jihadist insurgents who attacked them around Sinjar Mountain."

Air strikes on Mount Sinjar. Just like the latest wave started August 8th.

What's really changed since then?

Nothing.

And I keep waiting for US Senator John McCain to haul out his whack-a-mole talk from the previous administration and point out that any minor victory in X leads to a loss in Y.

Mount Sinjar came up in today's US State Dept press briefing moderated by Jen Psaki:

QUESTION: Can you confirm reports or do you have any comment on the fact that Yezidis are once again trapped on Mount Sinjar and requesting help, expecting an assault again by ISIS fighters?

MS. PSAKI: Well, obviously, as you know, we had taken recent action, relatively recently I should say, over the course of the summer. I don't have anything new to predict for you. We remain committed to addressing humanitarian crises as we see them and to continuing to assist those who are impacted by the threat of ISIL. But operationally, I would point you to DOD to see if there's anything they would want to preview about anything they're planning.

QUESTION: Just to follow up on that, the Administration has said repeatedly that, for example, Kobani in a city of itself doesn't have a lot of strategic import in the overall fight. I'm wondering if you have any idea what ISIS's – what their aim is in trying to get Sinjar. Why? Do you have any idea why Sinjar is such a prize? They keep going back to it, so --

MS. PSAKI: Well, I don't think – I know this is not what you asked, but even on Kobani I can't tell you why – we can't tell you why, aside from their desire to have a propaganda victory, that they are focusing there either. The reason --

QUESTION: Well, the border. They could control the border there.

MS. PSAKI: But in terms of their focus on Sinjar, I don't know that I have analysis on why strategically ISIL is going after it more.

QUESTION: But the reason that you undertook the action in the first place is because you thought that ISIS was trying to launch a genocide against the Yezidis.

MS. PSAKI: Right. That's right.

QUESTION: So aren't you still concerned about that?

MS. PSAKI: Well, we certainly remain concerned about any group that's threatened by ISIL, and we've taken action in the past. I have nothing to preview for you in terms of future operations, as would be typically the case.

Saif Sameer and Ned Parker (Reuters) report, "U.S. President Barack Obama authorized air strikes on IS in Iraq in August, citing the duty to prevent an impending genocide of minority Yazidis at the hands of the jihadist insurgents who attacked them around Sinjar Mountain." But AFP reports, "Islamic State group jihadists besieging Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq have killed a commander of forces from the Yazidi religious minority defending the area, a fighter said yesterday. The commander, Al Sheikh Khayri, had returned from Germany, which has large Yazidi community, to fight, and was killed on Wednesday night, Khalaf Mamu said by telephone."

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-37791861950318166372014-10-23T13:25:00.000-07:002014-10-23T13:25:02.051-07:00Parry talks of naming the expected First Child

BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

ONE-TIME JOURNALIST AND FULL TIME CONSPIRACY THEORIST ROBERT PARRY ANNOUNCED HE IS "POSITIVELY GLOWING" FROM HIS PREGNANCY.

AND IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW -- MUST CREDIT BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- HE REVEALS THAT FADED CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O IS AWARE HE IS ABOUT TO BE A FATHER AGAIN.

"BUT I TOLD HIM," PARRY DECLARED, "THAT WE'RE GOING WITH A RESPECTABLE NAME FOR THIS CHILD. LIKE 'BLANKET' OR EVEN 'SODY POP.' MAYBE 'TEVO' IF IT'S A GIRL."

ASKED WHEN HE WAS EXPECTED TO DELIVER THE LOVE CHILD, PARRY SAID, "I THOUGHT IT WAS THIS MORNING BUT THAT JUST TURNED OUT TO BE HARD GAS."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

There was enough to convict without using questionable evidence. Questionable evidence leads to rulings. On appeal, any charge could be struck down. Hopefully, the prosecution didn't cut corners or else the justice many feel was handed out today could be at risk of being pulled away.

It should also be noted that the four weren't rogue.

They were acting in a manner Blackwater encouraged, in a matter the US government encouraged.

This is not to say the four are innocent or that they should have walked.

This is to note that the guilt didn't stop with the four convicted today.

Mark Ruffalo Tweeted:

 <div class="tweet original-tweet js-stream-tweet js-actionable-tweet js-profile-popup-actionable js-original-tweet has-cards new-action-bar" data-card2-type="summary" data-expanded-footer="

  8:57 PM - 22 Oct 2014 · Details

 " data-has-cards="true" data-item-id="525133770232324096" data-name="Mark Ruffalo" data-screen-name="MarkRuffalo" data-tweet-id="525133770232324096" data-user-id="47285504" data-you-block="false" data-you-follow="false">

   Mark Ruffalo <s>@</s>MarkRuffalo   17m17 minutes ago

Blackwater Guards Found Guilty in 2007 Iraq Killings http://nyti.ms/1tfq1Lk  Erik Prince should have probably been on trial as well.

It should also be pointed out that the government official being 'protected' in the attack remains a mystery.

His or her name or names should have been revealed long ago.

And trend stories should have died long ago.

The media loves them -- loves them enough to create them.

Susan Faludi documents this very well in the journalistic classic Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women.

One of the most famous examples in the book is Faludi taking on Newseek's 'trend story' about how women of a certain age were more likely to be killed by a terrorist than to get married. The 'support' for that story? It was a comment a reporter made and that was enough to kick off a trend story -- a lie spread around the world.

Faludi notes:

The trend story, which may go down as late-20th-century journalism's prime contribution to the craft, professes to offer "news" of changing mores, yet prescribes more than it observes. Claiming to mirror public sentiment, its reflections of the human landscapes are strangely depopulated. Pretending to take the public's pulse, it monitors only its own heartbeat -- and its advertisers'.

Trend journalism attains authority not through actual reporting but through the power of repetition. Said enough times, anything can be made to seem true. A trend declared in one publication sets off a chain reaction, as the rest of the media scramble to get the story, too. The lightning speed at which these messages spread has less to do with the accuracy of the trend than with journalists' propensity to repeat one another. And repetition became especially hard to avoid in the '80s, as the "independent" press feel into a very few corporate hands.

Husna Haq is the latest unable to resist the bait of 'ISIS recruits!' To Haq's credit, there is no nonsense of trying to turn this into a 'young girls are joining IS!' nonsense we've already seen.

But this paragraph in the Christian Science Monitor article gets at all that is wrong with these 'trend stories:'

According to CIA estimates, about 2,000 Westerners have traveled to Iraq and Syria (many via Turkey) to join ISIS. Of these, more than 100 have come from the US, at least 500 from the UK, and more than 700 from France, according to estimates from authorities in those countries.

Oh my goodness!

100 Americans!

That's like a tenth of the country!

Because we only have 1,000 people in the whole country, right?

No, there are 316.1 million people in the United States.

So that's 316,100,000 people and of that huge number 100 have joined the Islamic State.

Are you getting how useless these stories have been?

There is no trend story here.

And with the numbers so small you really could profile everyone in a report.

But it might not carry the alarm and create the frenzy trend stories live to do.

Margaret Warner tried to jump on the bandwagon with a dopey story for The NewsHour (PBS -- link is video, audio and text) about this so-called trend.

Even worse, she and her dopey guests pretended that the Islamic State thickens its media as a result of a social media.

No.

They may get a message out via media but what has thickened their membership is attacks on the Sunni population -- in Iraq, where they are the minority, and in Syria, where they are the majority.

Stop the persecution of the Sunnis and you end the need for anyone to get behind a group that argues it can protect the Sunni population.

It's an obvious point so many miss. Take the State Dept's Brett McGurk.

    Brett McGurk  @brett_mcgurk     ·    13h 13 hours ago

Welcome decision today by the Kurdistan Regional Government's parliament to support the deployment of <s>#</s>Peshmerga forces to <s>#</s>Kobani.
  0 replies     131 retweets     84 favorites

That's not addressing anything. Human Rights Watch's Kenneth Roth points out:

<div class="tweet original-tweet js-stream-tweet js-actionable-tweet js-profile-popup-actionable js-original-tweet new-action-bar" data-expanded-footer="

  5:49 PM - 22 Oct 2014 · Details

 " data-item-id="525086458118291458" data-name="Stars and Stripes" data-screen-name="starsandstripes" data-tweet-id="525086458118291458" data-user-id="9130702" data-you-block="false" data-you-follow="false">

 <div class="tweet original-tweet js-stream-tweet js-actionable-tweet js-profile-popup-actionable js-original-tweet new-action-bar focus" data-expanded-footer="

  5:29 PM - 22 Oct 2014 · Details

 " data-item-id="525081585658634240" data-name="Kenneth Roth" data-screen-name="KenRoth" data-tweet-id="525081585658634240" data-user-id="17839398" data-you-block="false" data-you-follow="false">

   Kenneth Roth <s>@</s>KenRoth   4h4 hours ago

More US military advisers won't help <s>#</s>Iraq defeat ISIS until Baghdad reins in Shia militia still killing Sunnis. http://trib.al/HARKn7g

   0 replies     34 retweets     15 favorites

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-1275381638180753232014-10-22T13:10:00.000-07:002014-10-22T13:10:00.376-07:00The shocking news

BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

AS NOTED YESTERDAY, THE SCANDAL IS AMONG US.

TODAY, LEGENDARY CONSPIRACY THEORIST AND ONCE UPON A TIME REPORTER ROBERT PARRY CONFIRMED HE IS WITH CHILD AND THE FATHER OF THE CHILD TO BE?

FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O!

SAID PARRY TO THESE REPORTERS -- MUST CREDIT BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX --, "I PRAYED FOR A MIRACLE AND I GOT ONE. I AM CARRYING THE HOLY ONE'S CHILD. I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH HIS CHILD. HIS SPERMIES ARE INSIDE ME. ASK NOT THE HOW, BEHOLD THE POWER OF PRAYER!"

PARRY THEN LIFTED UP HIS SHIRT AND INVITED THESE REPORTERS TO FEEL THE BABY KICK.

FOR 20 MINUTES THESE REPORTERS EACH HELD A HAND ON PARRY'S LARGE, PROTRUDING BELLY BUT FELT NO MOVEMENT.

PARRY EXPLAINED THE BABY WAS "WHAT'S KNOWN AS 'SHY IN THE WOMB'."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

On the topic of distractions, did you catch Kathleen Miles (Huffington Post) serving up sop yesterday? The queen of the pig sty wanted you to know that if the GOP wins control of the Senate in the November mid-term elections, Senator John McCain will call for ground troops in Iraq.

Oh, good heavens!

Where are the pearls?

We must clutch the pearls!

And fan ourselves!

Oh the shock . . .

It's so unsettling.

And what a surprising plot twist!

John McCain, who has been calling for ground troops in Iraq will, after November, continue to call for ground troops in Iraq.

Yes, that's right.

He's already calling for troops in combat in Iraq.

(And, yes, ground troops -- US ground troops -- are already in Iraq and US troops flying missions where they drop bombs in Iraq are already taking part in combat missions. Don't say it too loudly, though, it might lead Kathleen Miles to piss her panties in public.)

No one's expecting or predicting a huge swing in the Senate.

It's thought that two seats may be in seriously play and could go to the Republicans giving them control of the Senate.

47 or 48 Democrats (we'll count Bernie Sanders in that number) can't stand up to the GOP?

Can't or won't?

If Miles wants to panic, she should panic over the fact that Democrats in the Senate are most likely poised to sell out the American people yet again on Iraq.

And, shocker, that's probably true regardless of who controls the Senate after the mid-term elections.

Shame on anyone who believes the crap Miles is churning out.

Shame on anyone who believes the Democratic Party when it comes to Iraq.

It was, after all, the 2006 mid-term elections that proved the Democratic Party is a craven whore who will say anything -- while doing nothing.

Ahead of the election, Nancy Pelosi (and others) declared that if the voters gave the Democrats control of even one house of Congress, the Democrats would end the Iraq War.

The voters gave them control of both houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

January 2007 saw that Congress sworn in and, November 2007, all US forces left Iraq and the war was declared over and . . .

What's that?

Oh, right.

The Democrats did nothing.

The war ground on.

The Democrats did nothing.

Nancy likes to blame Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

I was present when she insisted to the San Francisco Chronicle that she did everything she was supposed to do but Harry Reid refused to rally support in the Senate and, in fact, quashed any efforts to end the war.

I wasn't the only one present. And audio exists of her remarks.

But somehow we're the only site that's ever managed to report what Nancy said, to acknowledge her accusations.

Miles appears to want to use the Iraq War to scare up votes for the Democratic Party.

I believe America bought that game in 2006. I don't think anyone's still wanting to play it today.

The GOP Senate would be a great thing.

It would allow whores like Medea Benjamin and CodeStink and Robert Parry and all the others to rail against power.

They don't now.

They haven't in years.

They are War Hawks in their own silence and in their own refusal to call out Barack Obama who is the President of the United States but for whom they've made excuses for six years now.

It was Hillary's fault and then it was this person's fault or that person's fault (or the conspiracy cabal that loony Robert Parry is seeing yet again -- when he plays like the contra story got him drummed out of the real press, he forgets to talk about his wild eyed, nutty conspiracy tales he presented as fact at Sarah McClendon's home over and over and over and over . . . . I have over twenty letters from Sarah stapled in journal volumes from those years where she documents Parry's 'creative' thinking.).

A GOP-controlled Senate could let these lazy ass whores pretend they're taking on the power again as they railed against the legislative body (while still failing to hold Barack accountable for his own actions).

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cedricsbigmixhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-28659663257106852142014-10-21T13:14:00.000-07:002014-10-21T13:14:29.521-07:00It's a-coming!

BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

IT'S COMING! THE MOTHER OF ALL WHITE HOUSE SCANDALS!

AND IT'LL BREAK BEFORE ELECTION DAY!

THE RUMOR WAS CONFIRMED TODAY TO THESE REPORTERS BY WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON JOSH EARNEST WHO DECLARED, "I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ANY SCANDAL INVOLVING DARK & LOVELY."

(DARK & LOVELY IS THE SECRET SERVICE'S NEW NAME FOR FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O.)

ASKED ABOUT THE RUMOR WHICH INVOLVES BARRY O AND AS A YET CAN'T BE REVEALED OTHER PERSON, JOSH EARNEST BACK PEDALED AND BEGAN INSISTING, "OKAY, NOW YOU'RE TALKING LIKE THE O HAS A FRIEND BUT, CHECK THE POLLS, HE CLEARLY HAS NO FRIENDS IN D.C. OR ELSEWHERE. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY JUST A VILE RUMOR WITH NO BACKING BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY THAT BARRY O COULD BE INVOLVED IN ANY THING INVOLVING ANOTHER PERSON BECAUSE SO FEW PEOPLE CAN EVEN STAND HIM THESE DAYS!"

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

There's a lot of embarrassment to cover today so let's open with something strong. US Senator Patty Murray's office issued the following today:

FOR PLANNING PURPOSES CONTACT: Murray Press Office

Monday October 20, 2014 (202) 224-2834

JBLM: Murray to Deliver Remarks at Washington State Service Member for Life Transition Summit

Murray will commend JBLM for leading the charge in helping servicemembers transition successfully to civilian life

Will lay out steps to build on progress, ensure all veterans are connected with care, professional opportunity

(Washington, D.C.) – Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 21st, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) will deliver remarks at the Washington State Service Member for Life Transition Summit, a three-day conference focused on connecting veterans, transitioning servicemembers, and their families to meaningful professional opportunities.

In her remarks, Murray will reflect on the progress made so far toward helping servicemembers in Washington state and across the country transition successfully to civilian life, lay out specific steps to build on this progress going forward, and call for continued commitment to uphold our responsibility to those who have bravely served our nation.

WHO: Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)

WHAT: Senator Murray will deliver remarks at the Washington State Service

Member for Life Transition Summit.

WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 21st

 12:00 PM PST

WHERE: Joint Base Lewis-McChord

 American Lakes Conference Center (Access directed once on base)

###

So that's tomorrow and that's the strong.

Let's turn now to the weak and embarrassing.

Andrew White.

We ignore the British creep.

We don't take known liar's seriously.

In 2006, the repugnant White testifed that there were no Jews present in Iraq. It was a lie and when he learned reporters had been present, he had a hissy fit.

Not that he lied under oath, no.

He had a hissy fit that reporters might report he lied under oath.

(Only one outlet did.)

White's the White Bwana of Baghdad. He presents himself as Lady Bountiful, ministering to the Iraqis. But he's also cooperated with the regime, passed on information, ratted out people.

All of which is why he's not wanted in Baghdad currently.

We usually ignore all of that and ignore him.

But Adam Ashton (McClatchy Newspapers) chose to report on White or 'report.'

White's in the US.

Campaigning, apparently, for Republicans in the 2014 mid-terms.

Doing so at US churches.

Oh, if only Lois Lerner were still around, no doubt she'd be on the phone to immigration seeing how to toss White out of the country.

From Ashton's report or 'report':

His blamed the latest plight of Iraqi Christians on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in December 2011.
"The reason we had this tragedy now is because you came in and you left us too soon. We weren't ready to be left," he said, in encouraging the Life Center congregation to vote for politicians who would not have left Iraq.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/10/19/3441067_baghdad-minister-faults-us-policy.html?sp=/99/296/&rh=1#storylink=cpy

For those who don't know the fake ass, White cheered on the Iraq War. When it grew very unpopular, he tried to publicly pretend otherwise.

For a so-called man of the cloth, he sure lies frequently.

I wasn't aware that was now allowed and encouraged in the Anglican Church.

He supported the Iraq War, cheering it on. And now he's come to the United States to spread the 'good' word that Iraq needs more war and that Americans should vote for politicians who want more US troops in Iraq.

Is it really true that the fake ass couldn't pass an audit if his books were looked at? There have been lots of improvements to his British home in recent years that have neighbors scratching their heads in wonder over the ability of a 'simple man of the cloth' to repeatedly foot the bills for.

Moving from one fake ass to another, Susan Rice. In the October 15, 2014 snapshot, we were taking on her many lies uttered on NBC's Meet The Press. Let's zoom in:

Offical Benghazi Liar Dirty Rice: Our air campaign is off to a strong start and we've seen very important successes in places like Mosul Dam, Sinjar Mountain, where we were able to rescue many tens of thousands of civilians at risk. And this is going to take time. So it can't be judged by merely what happens in one particular town or in one particular region. This is going to take time and the American people need to understand that our aim here is long-term degradation and building the capacity of our partners.

The success of Mount Sinjar!

Kind of like the 'success' of Benghazi, eh, Susan?

Rice has a habit of spinning people left behind and forgotten as a mission accomplished.

Alsumaria reports today that Yezidi MP Haji Kndorjsmo is calling for the government to rescue 700 families who are still trapped on Mount Sinjar.

700 families?

If we pretend all are limited to three people, we've got 2100 Yazidis still trapped on Mount Sinjar all these months later and only one week after Dirty Rice went on national TV and lied.

Again.

Ahmed al-Hamadani (Al Arabiya) reports, "Local Sinjar Protection Forces holding back ISIS militants are quickly running out of supplies and ammunition and have sent out emergency appeals to U.S.-led coalition forces for help, the source said." The Washington Post's Loveday Morris Tweeted:

<div class="tweet original-tweet js-stream-tweet js-actionable-tweet js-profile-popup-actionable js-original-tweet new-action-bar" data-expanded-footer="

  9:17 AM - 20 Oct 2014 · Details

 " data-item-id="524232837160263680" data-name="Shami Witness" data-screen-name="ShamiWitness" data-tweet-id="524232837160263680" data-user-id="57914577" data-you-block="false" data-you-follow="false">

 <div class="tweet original-tweet js-stream-tweet js-actionable-tweet js-profile-popup-actionable js-original-tweet has-cards new-action-bar" data-card2-type="summary_large_image" data-expanded-footer="

  9:12 AM - 20 Oct 2014 · Details

 " data-has-cards="true" data-item-id="524231721751818241" data-name="Loveday Morris" data-screen-name="LovedayM" data-tweet-id="524231721751818241" data-user-id="19993635" data-you-block="false" data-you-follow="false">

  Loveday Morris <s>@</s>LovedayM   11h11 hours ago

Yazidis desperate for air assistance as ISIS advances on Mount Sinjar in northern <s>#</s>Iraq. Lost two villages today. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/islamic-state-seizes-two-yazidi-villages-as-it-advances-on-mount-sinjar/2014/10/20/63cd2a22-9292-4c42-9ff5-41d430ec2819_story.html …

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-6312888608975246092014-10-19T05:34:00.001-07:002014-10-19T05:34:42.405-07:00The frustrations of Doug Henwood's limp dick

BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

EPIC FAILURE DOUG HENWOOD BLAMES HILLARY CLINTON FOR HIS SHRIVELED AND USELESS PENIS AND HAS TAKEN TO HARPER'S TO VENT BECAUSE SEXISTS KNOW THEY ALWAYS HAVE A HOME AT HARPER'S.

IN A NEVER-ENDING ESSAY, NUTLESS DOUG VENTS AND RAGES NON-STOP OVER ONE WOMAN, SOUNDING LIKE A LESS MASCULINE JAN BRADY, BUT NEVER ONCE MANAGES TO EXPLAIN WHY, IN SIX YEARS, HE'S NEVER DEVOTED THIS MUCH ATTENTION TO BARRY O WHO, FOR THE RECORD, IS PRESIDENT AND IS DOING ACTUAL DAMAGE?

OH, THAT'S RIGHT! BARRY O DOESN'T HAVE A SCARY VAGINA!

FEEL FOR LIZA FEATHERSTONE, THE WOMAN DUMB ENOUGH TO MARRY THE ELDERLY, NUTLESS, TINY DICKED DOUG HENWOOD.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Let's start with the biggest nonsense of the week.

CJ Chivers wrote poorly this week -- no surprise. Chivers is a New York Times no-star who has clocked more miles than a bald tire and all those years of working for the paper have really never amounted to anything of note. The paper that creates and spits out journalistic 'stars' couldn't do anything with Chivers.

This was demonstrated yet again when he had an assignment fall in his lap. Michael Gordon or Judith Miller could have created shockwaves with it. A number of others could have painted it for what it was -- a story of government indifference to the suffering of soldiers sent into a risky situation (without appropriate gear) and then ignored as they suffered. All Chivers could do was go rote and hope he'd pleased an old college professor.

It was left to the right wing media to do what Miller (no longer with the paper) or Gordon might have done, run around like Chicken Little insisting the sky was falling and it was falling WMDs!

No.

And we waited to see if the Forest Gump of White House occupants, Bully Boy Bush (the original, "I am not a smart man . . ."), would prove to be as dumb as he was so often thought to be.

Nope.

Bush was actually rather smart this week.

He kept his mouth shut and let others stick their necks out and claim he was right and that he had been vindicated.

He let others lie.

He kept his mouth shut because the chemical weapons US troops encountered in Iraq were not WMDs.

They were not what Bully Boy Bush sold the war on.

What were they?

What you can find in Russia today. What you can find in parts of Eastern Europe still.

Old stockpiles that should be destroyed.

(But how do you destroy them? Even 'safe' procedures will damage the environment -- a reality that should be considered when these monsters create weapons to begin with. And 'monsters' refers to the multinational corporations.)

Counting those decaying -- and largely unusable -- artifacts would have been like Bully Boy Bush pointing the vast number of landmines littering Iraq and claiming they too were a threat to US lives.

Like the landmines, the aged stockpiles were not 'deployable' and were only a threat for any unlucky enough to stumble upon them (or live in the area -- those weapons degrade slowly and release chemicals into the immediate area as they do degrade).

Bully Boy Bush did not declare, "With a lot of elbow grease and chewing gum, Saddam Hussein is hoping to glob together some decaying chemical weapons and, with a really big slingshot, aim them at Philadelphia."

March 19, 2003, Bully Boy Bush insisted:

The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder. We will meet that threat now with our Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines, so that we do not have to meet it later with armies of firefighters and police and doctors on the streets of our cities.

The US troops suffering -- 17 plus seven Iraqis according to Chivers -- wouldn't have had to 'meet that threat' if Bully Boy Bush hadn't sent them into Iraq. (And the bulk of what was discovered, as Chivers noted, were supplied by the US government.)

While so many wasted time on fantasies and lies this week, Iraq suffered as usual.

Today the Parliament met. And, in real news, the Parliament voted on the security ministries. National Iraqi News Agency reports Mohammed Ghaban is the new Minister of Interior (over the federal police and prisons) after winning the votes of 197 MPs while Khaled al-Obeidi is the new Minister of Defense after securing 173 MP votes.

The Parliament voted on other positions as well and they matter also. For example, All Iraq News reports Bayan Nouri is now the Minister of Women Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari (who served 8 years as Foreign Minister) is now Minister of Finance, Faryad Rawandozi has been voted Minister of Culture, Dirbaz Mohamed was voted Minister of Immigration, Saman Abdullah was voted Minister of State, and Adil al-Shirshab was voted Minister of Tourism.

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cedricsbigmixhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-16384891.post-84388523718088365482014-10-18T18:24:00.001-07:002014-10-18T18:35:19.119-07:00Dodging the bill again

BULLY BOY PRESS &  CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O IS ALSO SOMETHING OF A DEADBEAT.

DINING OUT RECENTLY, THE O MADE A BIG SHOW ABOUT PICKING UP THE BILL ONLY TO PROVIDE A CREDIT CARD THAT WAS DECLINED.

HIS PARTY WAS PREVENTED FROM HAVING TO DINE AND DASH WHEN SHE-HULK PULLED OUT HER OWN CARD AND PAID FOR DINNER.

REACHED FOR COMMENT, BARRY O TOLD THESE REPORTERS, "HEY, A FREE MEAL'S A FREE MEAL."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

On the topic of the Iraqi police, Elizabeth Palmer (CBS News) observes, "Basic training lasts 45 days. The young recruits are almost done. In two weeks, they'll be sent into combat. They're called police, but they're trained like the military." A ton of money -- US tax payer money -- was already spent training the Iraqi police.

You may remember that the Minister of Interior said in the fall of 2011 that the US should find a better way to spend their money and that training wasn't needed.

Woah.

You may remember that the man the US press insisted was the Minister of the Interior said that. He wasn't the Minister. The ministry was headless. Nouri al-Maliki, thug and prime minister, refused to nominate anyone to head the security ministries. Instead, he named flunkies 'acting ministers' which -- while unconstitutional -- allowed him to control the ministries.

So actually, the flunky was speaking on behalf of Nouri.

Now they need help.

One plan being tossed around was basically three sets of forces -- Kurds, Sunnis and Shi'ites -- making up a national guard.

The justification for this was probably best explained by Fareed Zakaria (CNN's Global Public Square), "Billions of dollar poured into it, because it was based on the idea that there was an Iraq, that there was a nation that there would be a national army for. Maybe we need a different strategy, which is to stand up sectarian militias, Shia militias, Sunni militias. They already exist. And the Kurds have their Peshmerga, that model. Send them into fight in their areas, not in other areas where they would be regarded as a foreign army."

That notion appears to be dead now. Tamer el-Ghobashy (Wall St. Journal) reports:

Momentum has swung against the proposal to create a national guard that would encompass local forces in Iraq's provinces as rival political blocs expressed reservations over who would be allowed into the new service and how funding would be allocated.
The Obama administration has pushed the national guard proposal as a way to bring minority Sunnis closer to the Shiite-dominated central government after years of policies espoused by former Prime Minister Iraqi Nouri al-Maliki that excluded them.

So the police are being rushed through training, the national guard idea appears dead, Shi'ite militias terrorize Sunnis throughout Iraq. On those militias, NINA quotes Kirkuk's Sheikh Othman Agha calling for "a solution to the militias, which are spread in public roads and highways being contrary to the Constitution and detrimental to the national interest and harmony among citizens of one nation."

It's a shame the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Interior aren't addressing these issues and --

Oh, wait, again there is no Minister of Defense and there is no Minister of Interior.

All Iraq News reports rumors that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi intends to make new nominations for the post on Saturday: Khalid al-Ubaidi for Minister of Defense and the always controversial Ahmed Chalabi for Minister of Interior.

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