Justin Raimondo Retweeted
Woodward book depicts Trump's skepticism of the US troop presence in South Korea as just another example of how crazy and unstable he is. The idea that only a loon would express such heresy is the kind of baked-in political assumption that Woodward pretends he's immune to.
Bob Woodward's a dope and he's a dope who championed the Iraq War. He was cheerleading and egging it on. That tells you all you need to know about Bob Woodward's so-called judgment.
This is from Justin Raimondo's latest column:
I’m often asked “How can you claim President Trump is in any way supporting your antiwar agenda when he …” and this is followed by a reference to at least one of the places on earth where he’s violating his “no more regime change” pledge or otherwise supporting the unsupportable, as in Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. I’ve always answered by saying that, in the long run, and in a general sense, his November 2016 win was a giant step forward in that the anti-interventionist principle has been victorious even if it’s being imperfectly implemented.
However, back in April I raised the possibility of an active “resistance” inside the White House that is specifically preventing him from carrying out his mandate for peace. In “A President Held Hostage?” I outlined the scenario an anonymous White House official described in a recent New York Times op ed piece, wherein he or she describes the forces out to destroy Trump’s presidency:
“The dilemma – which he does not fully grasp – is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.
“I would know. I am one of them.”
Although I have to admit that I never thought they’d come right out and say it, my April column anticipated the above-cited seditionist by several months. In citing a Washington Post article that described what appeared to be a “two-track” White House policy on Russia, I asked:
“But is it his policy, or is it being imposed on him by a White House staff that seems to be working against him and a Deep State apparatus that is actively seeking to oust him?”
“… Surrounded by liars, leakers, traitors, and saboteurs, President Trump has managed to minimize the damage done by the War Party, while he’s not entirely able to neutralize them. His Korean peace initiative is going ahead, as both North Korea and the South jointly declare the never-settled Korean war to be finally over.
“There’s a battle going on inside this administration, and as yet we don’t know who the victor will be. It’s Trump versus practically everyone else – which basically means the two sides are evenly matched. I know who I’m rooting for….”
These anonymous traitors, one of whom admitted to taking things off the President’s desk, pose as great patriots. The Times piece sounds almost as pompous and hypocritical as Max Boot – or even Bill Kristol – as it rails against this “undemocratic” President’s “amorality” even as the author and his fellow minions amorally (and illegally) undermine the very concept of democracy.
The column is called "The Seditionists." If you've forgotten, Elaine called it sedition last week as well.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
According to Sadr officials, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has rejected Haider al-Abadi, Nuri al-Maliki, Haid al-Amri, Falih Fayadh, and Tariq al-Najim to become next Iraqi PM. Wilayat al-faqih is on the rise in Iraq as al-Sistani plays same role of Iran's SL in filtering candidates.
There is a scramble on. Who will emerge the winner is in doubt but the realities should not be.
In Iraq, Maliki's State of Law party demands US forces leave Iraq. Says US is violating scope of strategic agreement. Says new Iraqi government must act decisively as it did in 2011 when it made US leave.
mobp.as/AEU2m
Why is Nouri al-Maliki making these statements? Because (a) it's popular to say US troops will leave (the Iraqi people have wanted that overwhelmingly since at least 2005) and (b) he's trying to make it look like he can and did accomplish that.
He accomplished no such thing.
The US had a drawdown of forces in December 2011. A drawdown. Not a withdrawal. Nouri told John McCain he needed at least 30,000 US troops and he refused to budge on that. This was addressed here at length. What did the corporate media -- supposedly covering the same hearing -- go with instead? JOHN MCCAIN GOT NASTY WITH LEON PANETTA! They will lie, they will distract. The corporate media whored to sell the Iraq War. It whored to keep it going. Let's all stop pretending that they're capable of doing anything of great value.
We covered that hearing with "Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot," Ava reported in "Scott Brown questions Panetta and Dempsey (Ava)," Wally in "The costs (Wally)," Kat in "Who wanted what?" and at THIRD with "Enduring bases, staging platforms, continued war." But what corporate media went with was nasty words from McCain. Now the corporate media was already selling the lie that all troops would be leaving. So I guess it's no surprise that they would choose to ignore the very real content of the hearing which refuted that claim. Again, it was a drawdown, not a withdrawal.
Senator, as I pointed out in my testimony, what we seek with Iraq is a normal relationship now and that does involve continuing negotiations with them as to what their needs are. Uh, and I believe there will be continuing negotiations. We're in negotiations now with regards to the size of the security office that will be there and so there will be -- There aren't zero troops that are going to be there. We'll have, you know, hundreds that will be present by virtue of that office assuming we can work out an agreement there. But I think that once we've completed the implementation of the security agreement that there will begin a series of negotiations about what exactly are additional areas where we can be of assistance? What level of trainers do they need? What can we do with regards to CT [Counter-Terrorism] operations? What will we do on exercises -- joint-exercises -- that work together?
That's Panetta at the hearing, He's referring to the Memo of Understanding -- which we were the first to report on. And, to this day, one of the only to report on it.
The memo of understanding -- which we came across from the Congressional Research Service -- outlined the US military's role in Iraq after the drawdown.
Nouri was prime minister in 2011. All US troops did not leave. Nouri was also prime minister in 2012. That's when Barack sent more US troops back into Iraq but no one was supposed to know or comment on it. The tired whore Jill Abrams was insistent that this news would not be front paged. She was not going to risk Barack's re-election by informing people of the truth. So the news, when it finally appeared in THE NEW YORK TIMES, was buried in a report on Syria.
Here's what Tim Arango got into his New York Times report on Syria:
Iraq and the United States are negotiating an agreement that could result in the return of small units of American soldiers to Iraq on training missions. At the request of the Iraqi government, according to General Caslen, a unit of Army Special Operations soldiers was recently deployed to Iraq to advise on counterterrorism and help with intelligence.
It should have been front page news with a big headline. Instead it was buried in a report on Syria. And Barack then went into the 2012 debates claiming Iraq as a win, lying that he'd pulled all US troops out when he never did that and when, weeks before, he'd sent in more special ops troops.
The corporate media is the story of whores chasing a buck and circle jerking.
Should we trust the media? Sunday, PBS decided to cover Iraq -- it feels the need to every six months or so. So PBS' WEEKEND NEWSHOUR offered:
Last October, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that the Islamic State had been defeated but last month, the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced that they were back and using new tactics. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Simona Foltyn reports on how ISIS has exploited Iraq’s poor governance, fragmented security apparatus and ethno-religious strife to survive for this report produced in cooperation with The Investigative Fund.
Catch the mistake?
Last October?
Dropping back to December 9, 2017's "ISIS is ended cries Hayder:"
It's like a never-ending farewell tour from Cher -- Hayder al-Abadi has (again) announced that ISIS has been defeated (again) in Iraq. It's "final," this time, it's for real . . . This time, he knows it's for real.
Harriet Agerholm (INDEPENDENT) notes a dissenting voice:
Theresa May has warned that Isis is ”not yet defeated” after Iraq declared an end to its fight against the jihadi group.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday declared the country’s war against Isis officially over, saying the group no longer occupied significant territory in the country.
I remember when IS were rampaging across Iraq in 2013, and it looked like they wouldn't be stopped. IS group aren't finished, but for Iraq, this is quite a moment.
Iraq declares war with Islamic State is over
Hayder is insisting it's all over.
Hmm.
Although Iraqi PM Abadi has declared the end of ISIS in Iraq, but as this map shows, there is still a small ISIS-controlled desert area between Ninawah and Anbar. isis.liveuamap.com
Alexandra Zavis and Nabih Bulos (LOS ANGELES TIMES) explain that Hayder is insisting the 'win' doesn't mean that US troops should leave because he needs some to say on for "training, intelligence and logistical support."
It's easy to understand why THE NEWSHOUR got it wrong on Sunday, they never covered the claim to begin with. They were more concerned with a bunch of nonsense. They never covered the above. Not on Saturday, December 9th (wildfires was their big story), not on Sunday, December 10th (Roy Moore was their obsession) and not on Monday, December 11th (their first full hour broadcast after the announcement). They never covered the claim -- not as a headline, not as a segment.
GOOGLE "isis defeated abadi" and these are some of the results:
Iraq Prime Minister Declares Victory Over ISIS - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/world/middleeast/iraq-isis-haider-al-abadi.html
Dec 9, 2017 - BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of
Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State on Saturday, announcing
the end of more than three years of battles to regain control over
nearly one-third of the country that had been under the terrorist
group’s dominion.Iraq announces defeat of Isis | Financial Times
https://www.ft.com/content/d6636416-dcf3-11e7-a8a4-0a1e63a52f9c
Dec 9, 2017 - Defeating Isis has been the main priority for Mr Abadi, who faces elections next year. He took office in 2014 after Baghdad was humiliated by an ...Iraq is 'fully liberated' from ISIS, its military says - CNN - CNN.com
https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/09/middleeast/iraq-isis-military-liberated/index.html
Dec 9, 2017 - The US special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS tweeted his support for Abadi's declaration and said the coalition ...A hero for defeating ISIS, Iraq's PM still has to woo voters - CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/10/middleeast/iraq-election-abadi-intl/index.html
May 13, 2018 - With so many contenders this year, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi stands at the epicenter of the hotly contested election.Theresa May warns Isis is 'not yet defeated' after Iraq declares victory ...
https://www.independent.co.uk › News › World › Middle East
Dec 9, 2017 - Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday declared the country's war against Isisofficially over, saying the group no longer occupied ...ISIS has been militarily defeated in Iraq and Syria - Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/isis-military-defeat-iraq-syria-2017-11
Nov 21, 2017 - Iran and Iraq both announced ISIS's military defeat on Tuesday. ... Iraqi Prime Minister Hadir Al-Abadi declared military victory over the Islamic ...Iraq declares final victory over Islamic State | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/...crisis.../iraq-declares-final-victory-over-islamic-state-idUSK...
Dec 9, 2017 - Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over Islamic State on ... the Russian military announced the defeat of the militants in neighboring Syria, ... Daesh is an Arabic acronym for Islamic State, also known as ISIS.Iraqi Prime Minister Celebrates Defeat Of ISIS, But Still Faces Pressure ...
https://www.npr.org/.../iraqi-prime-minister-celebrates-defeat-of-isis-but-still-faces-press...
Dec 12, 2017 - Iraq is celebrating the defeat of ISIS as Prime Minister Haider al Abadi declared Dec. 10 the country's newest national holiday. The prime ...Iraqi PM Abadi declares 'end of war against' ISIL | Iraq News | Al Jazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/.../iraqi-general-war-isil-171209120757374.ht...
Dec 9, 2017 - Haider al-Abadi says Iraqi forces have taken 'complete control' over ... the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.Iraq says its war against Islamic State has ended - USA Today
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/12/09/iraq-says.../937148001/
Dec 9, 2017 - Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced Iraqi forces were in full control of the country's border. ... More: Trump takes credit for ISIS defeats.See there? Everyone except for the news program on our 'educational TV' covered the story.
Should we trust the corporate media? What have they done to earn our trust?
Nouri al-Maliki is lying as he angles to (again) become the prime minister of Iraq.
That he can even be considered for the post goes to the failure of corporate media. Nouri was a thug running secret prisons well before his second term. But the corporate press largely ignored that. By his second term, he was a War Criminal. And everyone looked the other way because the White House did. June 19, 2014, with Mosul seized by ISIS, Barack Obama finally had enough of Nouri and began easing him out. Barack replaced him with Hayder al-Abadi.
This was supposed to be an improvement.
How?
Hayder was Dawa (Nouri's political party) and he was State of Law (Nouri's political slate) and he was Nouri's buddy. For four years, Hayder was Little Nouri. Iraq has continued to suffer.
The Iraqi people have had enough.
Saturday, rockets were fired at the US mission in Baghdad.
That wasn't their only target.
Protesters set fire to Iranian consulate in Basra, Iraq on.rt.com/9dvy
Caught for years between the governments of Iran and the US, is anyone really surprised that missions of both countries would be targeted today?
The Iraqi people don't want to be occupied. No one does.
US troops remain in Iraq for one purpose only: To occupy Iraq.
It's why Bully Boy Bush didn't declare victory after the fall of Baghdad in 2003. It's why the ongoing war is 15 years and counting. It's why US troops continue to die in Iraq.
The troops are there to continue the occupation.
It's an occupation that hides behind puppets and the puppets aren't even smart enough to try to offer small appeasement to the people. They're just greedy and grab everything they can while the people of Iraq suffer and do without.
The protests started in July and close to 100 protesters have been killed. But the western media has largely ignored these deaths as well as the protests. Attack the US and Iranian missions in Iraq and, suddenly, the western press is interested and suddenly violence has arrived. AP shrieked:
Iraqi security forces deployed on the streets of Basra on Saturday, a day after protesters in the southern city stormed the Iranian consulate and torched government buildings in violence that rocked the oil-exporting Shiite heartland and sparked alarm across a conflict-weary country.
Masked troops in combat fatigues set up checkpoints and rode through the city center in black pickup trucks with heavy weapons mounted in the back. Security forces in Humvees deployed at intersections.
It's the third month of protests and protesters have been wounded in the hundreds and killed but only now is the western media concerned.
BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE
BASRA Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi is under increasing pressure to resign after violent protests claimed the lives of 13 people in Basra last week.
AFP notes:
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrives in Basra, where protests over government neglect have escalated into deadly violence
They don't ponder whether this will fix anything. Nor do they seem keen on informing people that Hayder's previous visit didn't change a damn thing. Oh, yeah, this is his second visit.
Iraq's PM @HaiderAlAbadi arrives in #Basra for the second time since the start of anti-government protests in the oil-rich southern province. #BasraProtests
The Protest in #Basra’s city, south of #Iraq, continues - #BasraProtests #IraqProtests enoughisenough14.org/2018/09/10/the…
We'll close with these tweets from Duaa Malik:
I urge global leaders to consider their positions regarding what’s happening in #Basra carefully. Accusing the people of #Basrah of terrorism would create major regional &international security challenges. Deal with the protests in a wise/calculated manner. #BasraProtests #البصرة
A call to save activists in #Basra: Protest organizers and protesters in #Basrah are being targeted by the #Iraqi government. Their photos are circulating with captions, including: “traitors,” “clients,” and “terrorists.” They’re also facing murder threats. #BasraProtests #البصرة
The Iraqi government is a huge terrorist organization run by criminals and murderers. Their aim is to steal from and terrorize the #Iraqi public. Stop terrorizing the people! All they’ve demanded are their rights. #BasraProtests #البصرة_تنتفض #Basrah #Basra #البصرة
The Iraqi government is running a huge arrest campaign under various allegations, including terrorism. Every time an #Iraqi demands his/her rights, he/she is accused of terrorism. #BasraProtests #البصرة_تنتفض #Basra #Basrah #البصرة
