The big speech?

Tuesday, Tuesday. First up, need to talk about my buddy Tony.

Tone's been a drunk for years. I've been around him for years. He was taking sips of beer outside the school before going into pre-K. I told people, "That's Tony. He's like a brother to me." Then yesterday and Sunday, Tony was so crocked, he was going off on people in public and sounding like a crazy man.

So I just want to take a minute to explain that Tony today is not the man I knew. He is not the man I grew up. I denounce Tony. I'm really proud of myself that it only took me a little over 20 years to do so.

Aren't you proud of me too?

You're not?

Well, Tony's not a drunk but isn't that a bit like Barack today. Claiming that what Jeremiah Wright did in the last few days was a shock! Shocking! He never would have thought Wright would say those things or act like that! He's only known the man for 20 years.

What a liar.

Barack's down in the polls and hurting and he grabs time for a Sister Souljah Hour and we're supposed to believe him? After he's already talked Wright up, named his book from Wright's phrase, put him on his campaign, made him his spiritual adviser? I know, I know, Bambi said he was just a preacher. Today, Bambi said that. Claimed Wright wasn't his spiritual adviser. Never had a problem with the credit until today, did he?

Barack was fine with Wright for 20 years. Barack stopped being fine when he saw the polling. When he realized that another 4,000 or so word speech wasn't going to make things go away. He had to make Wright go away.

He didn't have the judgment to cut Wright off 20 years agao, 15 years ago, 10 years ago or 5 years ago. He didn't even have the judgment to do it before declaring his presidency. But when it's all going up in smoke, suddenly Bambi wants to tell America, "I'm not like him!"

Are you buying it?

The only thing more stupid than refusing to break with him was only breaking with Wright when everyone's said over and over that you should. So much for that superior judgment. He's got no record, he's got no experience and, today, he revealed that he has no judgment. I'm really not sure where he thinks the campaign goes from here?

Seems like the smartest thing would be to call up Hillary, see if she'd take him as v.p. and then announce that seeing the 'real' Wright was so upsetting that he's decided to drop out of the race. That might allow him to save some face.

Here's today's "HUBdate: NC Gov. Mike Easley Endorses Hillary:"

NC Gov. Mike Easley Endorses Hillary: This morning, Hillary received the endorsement of North Carolina Governor and superdelegate Mike Easley. Read more.
Stronger Against McCain: In a new poll released by AP-Ipsos, Hillary leads Sen. McCain by 9 points (50-41) while Sens. Obama and McCain are statistically tied (46-44). The poll also shows Hillary faring better than Sen. Obama against McCain among independents (50-39) and has sizeable leads among seniors and Catholic voters. Clinton also pulls 2/3 of voters under 30 versus McCain, which is better than Obama does with that group. Read more.
Addressing Soaring Prices at the Pump: Hillary unveiled an aggressive plan yesterday to address the problem of skyrocketing gas prices. "Record oil prices are contributing to higher energy prices, food prices and a squeeze that is making many middle class families feel like they are falling further behind. American families are hurting now. They need a President who will focus every day on ensuring that they can make ends meet." Read more and more.
If You Read One Thing Today: "As Clinton Seeks Gas Tax Break for Summer, Obama Says No." "'At the heart of my approach is a simple belief,' Mrs. Clinton said. 'Middle-class families are paying too much and oil companies aren’t paying their fair share to help us solve the problems at the pump.'" Read More.
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: "Hillary Clinton's economic leadership has been key to her victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania and will be the focus of her campaign in the run-up to the Indiana and North Carolina primaries. As [yesterday's] New York Times reports, Senator Clinton is demonstrating her leadership on core economic issues by laying out the boldest and most specific plan to help create jobs of any candidate in this race - and she is the only candidate with comprehensive proposals to reduce our dependence on foreign fuels in the long run and provide relief for consumers in the short term." Read more..
"Clinton Accepts Missoula Debate Offer" Meanwhile, "Obama [is] still mulling [the] offer." Read more.
Charming Charlotte: In Charlotte, Hillary "got a star's welcome" from "more than 4,000 supporters" at the Time Warner Cable Arena yesterday "as she entered to a darkened arena with spotlights dancing over a crowd cheering and waving signs." Read More.
Mellencamp in Indiana: Hoosiers for Hillary announced yesterday that legendary Hoosier singer and songwriter John Mellencamp will perform on stage at an event with Hillary in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 3.

So did you catch Barack's stumbling, bumbling performance today? If you did, maybe you were wondering why he was mentioning AIDS? Wright did mention that he thought AIDS was a government conspiracy/plot to harm African-Americans this week. But that was also one of the big clips BEFORE Barack gave his nearly 4,000 word speech. It didn't bother him then. He says it bothers him now. So the real question will probably be: Are we as stupid as he thinks we are?

Reuters thinks they're really cute here, they're wrong:

Retired locksmith Leslie Hedman, 61, said he doesn’t like any of the three candidates — Clinton, Obama, or Republican John McCain – because none are committed Christians.
”Obama is a Muslim,” he said. Where did he hear that?
”He said he was but then he said he’s not,” said Hedman.
Ironically enough, many of the lunchtime crowd said they were also turned off by Obama’s ties to Rev. Jeremiah Wright – the former pastor of Obama’s Christian church in Chicago, Trinity United Church of Christ.
“I definitely don’t like Obama because of the mess with him and his pastor. I don’t think he’s been honest about it,” said Candace Demmin, 37, as she had lunch with her mom.
”How can you go to a church for 20 years and not heard your minister say something off-color? Either he’s heard it and is lying about it, or he’s lying about going to church as much as he does,” said Demmin. “In which case he’s not the Christian he says he is.”

Their whole point of the article is "Poor Obama, people think he's a Muslim." If people think that, it's his fault. He's acted like it's something shameful while insisting "I'm a Christian" in debate after debate. But the first person in the excerpt above doesn't think Hillary, John McCain or Obama is Christian enough. So it's really hard to boo-hoo over Bambi being misjudged. Maybe people have different standards of Christianity? The first guy above does. If Obama was worried about it, he should have been campaigning in Indiana and ignoring Pennsylvania -- which David Axlerod keeps saying/spinning, they always knew they'd lose.

Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the refugee crisis continues, guess who got tossed under the bus, and more.


Starting with war resistance. Iraq War veteran Agustin Aguayo is a war resister whom the US military resisted/refused to give CO status to although he clearly met the conditions for it. Aguayo took his case to the civilian courts and it was winding through them when he was informed he was being sent back for another tour of Iraq. Aguayo self-checked out to demonstrate how serious he was. Though he turned himself in and did so in less than thirty days, the US military elected to court-martial him for desertion. Aguayo is cureently appealing to the Supreme Court on his CO status. He and his wife Helga Aguayo spoke with the International Socialist Review (no writer credited by the magazine for the article in the March/April Issue).

In it, Agustin Aguayo explains, "When I first went to prison, people started to know who I was because they had read the newspapers, but I didn't want to give myself too much importance at the time. I was really focused on getting out. I got a few letters from active-duty soldiers being very supportive. One person in my unit who was recovering from health problems contacted me. He said that he was told that he would be redeployed again soon and that he wasn't ready, so he decided to go to Canada. I'm not going to say that I completely inspired him to make his decision, but I think he thought about what I went through." Helga Aguayo shares, "It reached outside the peace movement. We got letters from lieutenants saying that they too were fighting -- but they were doing it quietly. There are a lot of soldiers, lieutenants, and captains fighting across the board. I think the most touching one was from a wife. She said that her husband had just had a heart attack and that they still wanted to deploy him. And she said, 'We didn't know it was possible to resist'." It's a very strong interview (and Helga's response to a question right after the section we excerpted is a must-read).


Meanwhile, in Canada, many US war resisters are currently hoping to be granted safe harbor status and the Canadian Parliament will debate a measure this month on that issue. You can make your voice heard. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).


Ann Wright, with Susan Dixon, is the author of DISSENT: Voices of Conscience. She is also retired US State Dept (she resigned over the illegal war) and retired military (Army Col.) At ZNet, Wright explores the realities for many women in the service: "The Department of Defense statistics are alarming -- one in three women who join the US military will be sexually assaulted or raped by men in the military. The warnings to women should begin above the doors of the military recruiting stations, as that is where assaults on women in the military begin -- before they are even recruited. But, now, even more alarming, are deaths of women soldiers in Iraq and in the United States following rape. The military has characterized each death of women who were first sexually assaulted as deaths from 'noncombat related injuries,' and then added 'suicide.' Yet, the families of the women whom the military has declared to have committed suicide strongly dispute the findings and are calling for further investigations into the deaths of their daughters. Specific US Army units and certain US military bases in Iraq have an inordinate number of women soldiers who have died of 'noncombat related injuries,' with several identified as 'suicides.' Ninety-four US military women have died in Iraq or during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Twelve US civilian women have been killed in OIF. . . . Of the 94 US military women who died in Iraq or in OIF, the military says 36 died from noncombat related injuries, which included vehicle accidents, illness, death by 'natural causes' and self-inflicted gunshot wounds, or suicide."

Turning to the subject of Iraqi refugees. In Geneva today, Jennifer Pagonis, the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee, explained the UNHCR's latest survey of Iraqi refugees living in Syria found "that 95 percent had fled their homeland because of direct threats or general insecurity and that only 4 percent currently had plans to return to Iraq. . . . The survey revealed that of all those interviewed, only 39 out of 994 people -- or four percent -- are planning to return to Iraq. Of the 39 people, 31 percent plan to return with the next 12 months and the remainder have not set a date." That's Syria. IRIN notes, "A study published in March by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the mental state of Iraqis in Jordan and Lebanon has pointed to mounting social and economic problems as the cause of increased domestic violence." IRIN makes clear tha the half a million in Jordan are facing few job prospects which is a problem since "middle class" Iraqis were more apt to settle in Jordan and the money is gone or going. This comes over a week after the UNCHR pointed out that Bulgaria appears to be making it more difficult for Iraqi refugees to receive status. AAP reports a problem for being granted citizenship in Australia is a fear of "failing Australian's citizenship test test is stopping refugees from applying to become citizens" and "the fail rates" for Iraqis have been "up to 20 per cent, compared to 5 per cent fail rates overall." The UNHCR notes there are 4.7 million Iraqi refugees -- 2 million living outside of Iraq and 2.7 million living within Iraq." Of those outside of the country, the UN notes that 44% of them left "between 2003 and 2006, while 54 per cent left after 2006." It should also be noted that puppet of the occupation, Nouri al-Maliki, has gone out of his way to avoid paying assistance to the neighboring countries that have taken in Iraqi refugees. With Serbia writing off $3 billion in Iraqi debt, it'll be interesting to watch al-Maliki come up with his next excuse for not giving aid to those neighboring countries taking in Iraqi refugees. Meanwhile England's Banner Theatre stages a multi-media musical entitled "The get free mobiles . . . don't they?" Keith McKenna (Great Britain's Socialist Worker) reviews the musical and explains, "It is a story of refugees fleeing communities disrupted by the West, told in a series of exciting songs and humorous sketches. These frame filmed interviews with people who have arrived in Brimingham from Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Iraq. The show systematically demolishes the myths about asylum seekers."

In Iraq, the assault on Sadr City continues. Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) reports, "A four-hour firefight between U.S. forces and militiamen today near the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City left at least 28 people dead, bringing to 73 the number of gunment the U.S. military said it had killed in three days." AFP puts the Sadr City death toll at 37 for today and notes the armed clash Susman describes, adding that four US service members were injured "in the fighting." BBC notes, "Doctors in the area's two hospitals said on Tuesday that they had received a stream of casualties throughout the day, the BBC's Patrick Howse reported from Baghdad. More than 50 people had been injured in the fighting, the doctors said." CBS and AP explain, "AP Television News footage showed men helping women cross the street and children running for cover behind blast walls amid gunshots. Men helped carry several blood-soaked injured people onto stretchers to a local emergency hospital. Outside the hospital, the dead were placed inside plain wooden coffins." Raviya H. Ismail and Shashank Bengali (McClatchy Newspapers) report: "Residents said that the American rocket attacks leveled three houses. Eyewitnesses reported seeing body parts scattered atop the smoldering rubble. Officials at Al Sadr Hospital, one of the main hospitals in the slum, said that 43 injured victims were brought in Tuesday afternoon, including six children and four women. 'In addition (there are) many victims we cannot reach because of the bad security situation,' said a hospital emergency worker who identified himself only as Mohammed. Another hospital official, who asked not to be identified because of security concerns, said that 1,190 injured victims have arrived at the hospital since March 25."

In some of today's other reported violence . . .

Bombings?

Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports Baghdad mortar and rocket attacks claimed 2 lives and left ten people wounded, a Baquba bombing attack on the "Awakening" Council in which a woman detonated a bomb killing herself and claiming the live of 1 "Awakening" Council member and wounded five others, a Baquba roadside bombing that wounded three Iraqi soldiers, a Sadiyah bombing that wounded Samir Al Sadi ("director of Sadiyah town"), claiming the life of 1 of his bodyguards and wounded two more people, a Mosul truck bombing that claimed the life of the trucker and left and Iraqi solider wounded and a Mosul car bombing that claimed the life of 1 Iraqi soldier and left five more wounded. AFP notes two Kirkuk bombings -- one in an Iraqi military equipment store calimed 3 lives and left seven people wounded while another claimed the life of 1 person as well as leaving eight injured.

Shootings?

Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports Dheya al Jodi ("director of the projects in the ministry of labour and social affairs") was shot dead in Baghdad (3 people shot dead in Baquba). (Reuters states he did in a Baghdad roadside bombing.)

Corpses?

Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 6 corpses discovered in to the "east of Baquba". Reuters notes 2 corpses discovered "just outside Kirkuk".

Yesterday's snapshot included this: "Zachary Coile (San Francisco Chronicle) reports that House Democrats are tacking on items to the Iraq war spending bill which would indicate there's not going to be an effort to cut off funding. Colie notes it 'is expected to fund the war through the end of the Bush presidency and for nearly six months into the next president's term'." Today Deidre Walsh (CNN) reports that in addition to adding to the war spending bill, a timeline for withdrawal may be added: "Another Democratic aide said the House could probably pass a bill with a timeline and funding for the other domestic items, but the Senate would likely strip out most of them." So, at best, a wash is what's being described. Gordon Trowbridge (The Detroit News) reports on the war budget in terms of the other house of Congress, "The Pentagon will rescind part of a $610 million request for Iraq reconstruction spending that Sen. Carl Levin had described as "unacceptable," Levin's office announced Tuesday. In a letter to Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the department would withdraw a request to spend $171 million of the money on construction of Iraqi police stations. Gates said he would ask the Iraqi government to pay for the police stations."

Turning to US presidential politics. Jeremiah Wright's publicity tour continues to draw attention. Alessandra Stanley (New York Times) observes, "Mr. Wright's demystification process began on PBS on Friday. Bill Moyers, the host who knows and obviously admires Mr. Wright, gave the pastor every chance to elaborate on his bona fides . . . Mostly, he gave his guest a chance to show his softer side". Howard Kurtz (Washington Post) points out, "Moyers's question after this diatribe: 'When people saw the sound bites from it this year, they thought you were blaming America. Did you somehow fail to communicate?' Thought he was blaming America? Where did anyone get that idea? 'You cannot do terrorism on other people and not expect it to come back on you,' Wright said yesterday. For good measure, he also defended Louis Farrakhan. I sure wish Moyers had found time during his hour to ask Wright why he's pushing the lie that the government created the AID virus to kill blacks." [Ava and I address the nonsense of Wright & Moyers here.] Dana Milbank (Washington Post) covers Wright's speech to the National Press Club yesterday (link has text and video):

From the moment he entered the room, Wright seemed to be looking to stir controversy; he was escorted by Jamil Muhammad, a leader of the Nation of Islam, which contributed to the minister's prominent security detail. Speaking before an audience that included Marion Barry, Cornel West, the New Black Panther Party's Malik Zulu Shabazz and Nation of Islam protocol director Claudette Muhammad, Wright praised Louis Farrakhan, defended the view that Zionism is racism, accused the United States of terrorism, repeated his belief that the government created AIDS to extinguish racial minorities, and stood by his suggestion that "G** damn America."

Deliah Boyd (A Scriverner's Lament) traces the Sunday-Monday evolution of Barack Obama from some of the comments by Wright have offended him to Barack's refusal to "look reporters in the eye and defend" Wright while he spoke. Andrea Mitchell's report on NBC's Today this morning (link is just video) demonstrates how Barack refused to make contact and spent the bulk of the time while speaking staring at the ground. Frank James (Baltimore Sun) reminds, "The problem for Obama is that he has already said that he can't or won't disown Wright. In his race speech in Philadelphia, he essentially said he could no more break with Wright than he could African-Americans generally" -- or his own 'White grandmother' -- "After such declarative statements, Obama is pretty much stuck with a Wright who has already absolved himself of any further damage he may do to his former congregant. Wright basically was announcing his conscience will be clear." ABC News' Jake Tapper noted this morning, "Democratic sources tell ABC News that Wright is unquestionably worrying superdelegates about Obama's electability." And CNN's Eliott C. McLaughling explained this morning, "Wright, who performed Obama's marriage and baptized both of his children, appears unremorseful about the fiery sermons that made their way on to YouTube and led to his ouster from an advisory committee the Obama campaign."

This morning? Barack Obama, eye on the White House, held a press conference today where he declared that was "outraged" by Wright's remarks and attempted to claim, "The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive" blah blah blah. His comments yesterday (what Milbank covered) were no different than his comments in the clips ABC's Good Morning America aired last month. The ones that led Mr. Pretty Words to give his big speech in Philadelphia about love-love-hope-hope. And yet now they're offensive? He sat through those remarks for 20 years. How stupid does he think (hope?) voters are? Larry Johnson (No Quarter) is terming it "Barack's triple back flip". Taylor Marsh breaks it down: "So today, Obama in a press conference stated he was "shocked" about Rev. Wright's statements yesterday. Is Senator Obama really saying that he didn't realize that Wright was spewing anti-American sentiments all this time? That he was unaware of Wright's political leanings from the pulpit? It defies credibility." VastLeft (Corrente) keeps it simple, "Welcome, Reverend Wright!" (implying Wright should join all the others Barack's thrown under the bus).

The other Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton is in the news as well. Fernando Suarez (CBS News) notes that North Carolina Governor Mike Easley endorsed her today and stated, "I never, never thought the United States of America could get in as much trouble as we have over the last seven or eight years. It's going to take someobdy special. Somebody smart, somebody who understands it, somebody who has experience to get in there, turn it around immediately and she can do that." Meanwhile Jo Mannies (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) reports that "U.S. Rep Ike Skelton, D-Lexington" has endorsed Hillary as well. Skelton is the chair of the House Armed Services Committee. Meanwhile Mike Glover and Beth Fouhy (AP) report:

Democrat Barack Obama dismissed his rivals' calls for national gas tax holiday as a political ploy that won't help struggling consumers. Hillary Rodham Clinton said his stance shows he's out of touch with the economic realities faced by ordinary citizens.
[. . .]
Clinton, who toured the Miller Veneers wood manufacturing company in Indianapolis, said "there are a lot of people in Indiana who would really benefit from a gas tax holiday.
"That might not mean much to my opponent, but I think it means a lot to people who are struggling here, people who commute a long way to work, farmers and truckers," Clinton said. She has called for a windfall tax on oil companies to pay for a gas tax holiday.
"Senator Obama won't provide relief, while Senator McCain won't pay for it," Clinton said. "I'm the only candidate who will provide immediate relief at the pump, with a plan."

Clinton's exactly right and it's one more sign of how Barack doesn't get rural or Small Town voters -- the bulk of whom have to drive elsewhere to work (or drive elsewhere as part of their work -- whether taking cattle to auction, driving a truck, what have you). Hillary details her plan here. At her campaign site, Jamie Radice interviews Jim Stammerman to find out why he's supporting Hillary:

Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I'm from Louisville, born and raised. I grew up in a blue-collar family where politics was always discussed. I went to Bellarmine College and then University of Kentucky for graduate school. I actually ended up being Vice President of the Jefferson County Young Democratic club. One of my most prized possessions is an autograph from JFK.
Q: So is everyone in your family interested in politics:
A: I'm actually a third generation precinct captain. My older brother Bill was the County Co-Chairman for Hillary in Dallas County, Iowa. I actually went out to Iowa in January and helped him volunteer. My other brother Ken served 27 years in the U.S. Foreign Service.
Q: What's the first campaign you volunteered on?
A: Kennedy. We actually chased the Kennedy caravan down Forth Street (laughter). There was a big parade and he spoke in front of the County Courthouse to about 25,000 people. We made signs, wore JFK hats and buttons, it was exciting.
Q: Why are you a Democratic?
A: I think the Democratic Party does more for the common good. I think a lot of the things that are really great about America came out of the Democratic Party leadership: social security, medicare, wage protection.
Q: Why are you supporting Hillary?
A: I think she's a very intelligent person, a very experienced person. There is no doubt in my mind that she'll make a great leader.
Q: What's a typical day like volunteering?
A: There really isn't a typical day. I like meeting people so this works well for me. However, we have all sorts of things for volunteers to do, make signs, call voters, there really is something for everyone.
Q: Why do you think the people of Kentucky should vote for Hillary?
A: Hillary shares the same values as most of the people of Kentucky. For example, Hillary is very involved in education and Kentucky needs a good education President. I worked in higher education for more than 30 years so this has always been an important issue for me.

the common ills
mikey likes it
iraqagustin aguayo
ann wright
tina susmanthe los angeles times
zachary coilethe san francisco chronicle
mcclatchy newspapersthe socialist worker
the new york timesalessandra stanleyhoward kurtzthe washington postdana milbank

Elite Barack, Hillary's plan for the economy, Third

Ba dah, Ba da da dah. Monday, Monday. :D Okay, let's get a funny that'll help the start of the week not seem so annoying. Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Working Class Barack"

Yeah, Barack really cares about working people. That's what makes the comic even funnier! :D And it's good one to begin with. Why doesn't Barack want to help working class people? Does he think he's too good for them? (Obviously.) A candidate who does want to help working people is Hillary Clinton and this is Howard Wolfson's "MEMO: Economic Leadership = Jobs, Jobs, Jobs:"

Hillary Clinton's economic leadership has been key to her victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania and will be the focus of her campaign in the run-up to the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.
As today's New York Times reports, Senator Clinton is demonstrating her leadership on core economic issues by laying out the boldest and most specific plan to help create jobs of any candidate in this race -- and she is the only candidate with comprehensive proposals to reduce our dependence on foreign fuels in the long run and provide relief for consumers in the short term.
Today, she will unveil a plan to suspend the gas tax paid for out of oil company profits in order to give drivers price relief during the upcoming peak driving months of summer. Unlike Senator McCain, Senator Clinton's plan is paid for and will not raid the highway trust fund. Senator Clinton also has the most detailed, comprehensive trade agenda to ensure that trade is not a race to the bottom and has a bold housing agenda that would freeze foreclosures and create a moratorium on subprime resets. And she would take away $55 billion in special interest tax breaks and put that money back in the pockets of middle class Americans.
While Senator Obama retools his stump speech to reach middle and working class voters, Senator Clinton is going to continue doing what she has successfully done in Ohio and Pennsylvania -- reach out to those Americans who work hard for a living and need a champion in the White House to help them in this difficult economy.
In Pennsylvania, 55% of voters identified the economy as their number one issue -- Senator Clinton won that group 59-41. In Ohio, 40% of voters said the economy was poor -- Senator Clinton won that group by 16 points. Senator Clinton's specific economic plans -- on green collar jobs, on tax relief, on reducing fuel costs for consumers and taking on the oil industry -- has clearly resonated with the voters most concerned about the state of the economy.
By contrast, Senator Obama continues to perform poorly with blue collar voters, raising serious concerns about his ability to successfully compete in key industrial swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. He does do well with those voters who say the economy is good (7% of the electorate in Pennsylvania) or those who are not at all worried about the state of the economy (12% in Texas), but as the economy worsens that group will likely continue to diminish.
Indeed, it is the leadership that Senator Clinton demonstrates on this critical issue that accounts in part for her consistent success in winning over those voters who decided in the last 3 days of the campaign (18 point margins with those voters in both Pennsylvania and Texas). As voters consider the serious challenges facing the nation and the next President in the closing days of these contests, they are choosing the candidate they believe can best be the steward of our economy in rocky times.
As this campaign continues, Senator Clinton will continue to stress the economy in her stump speech and will make clear that, unlike Senator Obama, she knows consumers need relief from gas taxes and deserve a President who has consistently been willing to take on big oil as opposed to awarding it billions in giveaways -- as Senator Obama did when he voted for the Bush-Cheney energy bill.

Okay, let's do Third. Along with Dallas, the following worked on the edition:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Dona, Jess, Ty, Ava and Jim,

Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,

Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,

C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,

Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),

Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,

Mike of Mikey Likes It!,

Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz,

Ruth of Ruth's Report,

Wally of The Daily Jot,

and Marcia SICKOFITRDLZ.

And here's what we came up with:

Truest statement of the week -- This is Maya Angelou and you know it was the one to make truest.

A note to our readers -- Jim breaks down the edition.

Editorial: Panhandle Media earns an F -- We were thinking about making another feature the editorial and Dona pointed out that Ava and C.I.'s piece is a long one and that there hadn't been a short editorial in "years" so she said let's do a short editorial. This also allowed the topic of war resisters to be brought in because we didn't have time for that. So this worked out pretty cool.

TV: Mission Impossible -- Ava and C.I. Jim loves it. We all do but Jim wishes they'd cover news each week. I know there are readers who are hoping they'll just stick with entertainment programming. The love NBC's Chuck and I know when it goes into repeats they'll review it. Remember, they picked that as the best show of the season back in the fall. They're the reason I watched and I fell hard for Chuck. That really is an amazing show. They've mentioned it and tried to steer people to it but they were planning to review it in the summer because they knew it would get picked up for a second season. (And summer doesn't offer them a lot to review.) I know from talking to them both that there's a Friday night show they don't like and may review but they were hoping to wait on that until after it's announced if it's cancelled or renewed. They don't want to be accused of getting it cancelled. (A friend with a show on Fox a year or so ago did blame their review for getting it cancelled. Apparently, when decisions are made anything can make a difference. They say it can't and that he was just upset because his show got cancelled. They point out the ratings were lousy and the show as lousy.) I also know they hate reality TV but are thinking about grabbing one reality show (not airing yet). They were looking at some episodes of that. And there are shows they've got carved out for the summer. The big problem for them is having 52 weeks of reviews. (They'd say the biggest problem is writing the reviews! They're really tired of writing them. I know, they just keep getting stronger but they're tired of TV.) This is one of their best and I think the fact that it is allows them to be less worried about the summer.

The truth about Panhandle Media -- This is what was almost the editorial. We were all tired. And we were going to make this the editorial because we didn't feel like staying up any later. That's when Dona came up with the idea of a short editorial. This is a really strong piece and C.I.'s added a note to it since it went up. The print edition had to run in full. But for online, several paragraphs were deleted. There was concern that the person being quoted could be identified and C.I. said to call the person and read the quotes. That took place and the person agreed they were too specific and identifiable. So that section was just pulled. We could have paraphrased the quotes but we were all tired and just wanting to be done with it. I think it's really strong. And love the illustrations!

Roundtable -- Jim's trying some new things to make roundtables workable. For this test run, he was trying to assign. We knew that going in. We didn't have time for a really big topic and I hope it comes up next time because Betty would really have something to say. We tried to keep it short in our answers and stay on topic. I hope it's interesting to read. When C.I.'s saying "I don't know what you want, do you want me to repeat myself?" that really was C.I. asking because C.I. had answered Jim's question and Jim's asking the same basic question again. :D Jim laughed when C.I. said that. Jim was watching the time and worried Wally and Marcia wouldn't be joining us in time so he wasn't listening all that closely.

Vanity, they name is Jesse Jackson Jr. -- Jesse Jackson lied and called Hillary Clinton vain. But who had surgery to lose 50 pounds? Love this illustration too.

Liar of the Week: David Corn -- What a Corn Nut. David Corn, two Thursdays ago, is on a Clinton media conference call screaming about pardons Bill Clinton gave. Which Bill Clinton didn't give. Then Corn goes and blogs on it. And is still calling them pardons. Then last Monday (which is why we do the update), he writes about non-existant pardons again. On that post, they finally add a note stating there were no pardons. But they call it a "clarification" and not a "correction." And they blame the media. When David got his information from the Obama campaign. It was David's fault. What a liar.

Campaigns -- Jess is serious and we all are. About Cynthia McKinney. The "I'm running for 5% of the vote" is nonsense. She'll be covered in the general election but no one's going to the trouble to cover her now. She's only running for 5% of the vote, not the presidency. Doesn't seem like a real run. We also note how Barack won't debate and some stuff from Hillary.

Highlights -- Betty, Kat, Rebecca, Marcia, Ruth, Elaine, Cedric, Wally and I wrote this and picked the highlights unless we note differently.

So that's what's what. Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


Monday, April 28, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces more deaths, the assault on Sadr City continues, and more.

Starting with war resisters. On Friday Leif Kamunen was arrested. Who? The Kamunen brothers first show in the June 4th 2007 snapshot. Randy Furst (Minneapolis Star Tribune) reported on Luke Kamunen who "began to wonder if he'd made a mistake the moment he arrived for basic training" as did his brother Leif and "Jan. 2, the twins, age 21, and their brother Leo, 20, went AWOL from the Army. All three failed to return to basic training after Christmas break in northern Minnesota." Luke had been arrested, "jailed in Carlton Country for a week and then flown to Fort Knox, KY., where he was given an 'other than honorable discharge'." Joel Bleifuss (In These Times) observed then, "For the Kamunens, blood is thicker than oil. And they are not alone in knowing that living at home beats dying in Iraq." From the June 13th snapshot:

Kim Johnson, Duluth's WDIO, reports on Luke Kamunen who, like his two twin brothers Leo and Leif, self-checked out of the US military on the Christmas break and notes, "The brothers' story is not an isolated one. In fact, the Department of Defense reports desertions have risen 35 percent in the past two years -- from more than 2,400 in 2004 to about 3,300 in 2006" and notes that Luke Kamunen "was surprised" to encounter many others who had done the same "when he was detained by the military".

Now you may be noting MSM outlets plus Joel Bleifuss and that's correct. Dropping back to the November 9, 2007 snapshot:

It's also worth noting that many other resisters went public in the wake of Watada: Darrell Anderson, Agustin Augyo, Kyle Snyder, Mark Wilcox, Ricky Clousing and . . . stop there. Stop there and don't continue because that's how All Things Media Big and Small, with every few exceptions, have treated 2007's crop of war resisters. Despite the fact that 2007 is set to be a record year -- according to the military's own official numbers -- for war resistance, emerging war resisters fell off the media map. James Burmeister was the strongest example. Either you followed Canadian media or you caught NOW with David Brancaccio or you didn't have a clue. Too bad for everyone because the last week of September "kill teams" (US service members setting out equpiment as traps to shoot Iraqis) would become a huge story but Burmeister was telling the story when he went public in June of 2007. Eli Israel would remain "Eli Who?" to All Things Media Big and Small despite the fact that he became the first war resister resisting publicly while stationed in Iraq. The Kamunen brothers? In These Times could find them when no one else in independent media could or would. The mainstream media showed some interest because three brothers -- Leo, Leif and Luke -- all electing to self-checkout over the same Christmas 2006 holiday was news . . . to some.

That was true then and it's true now. War resisters going public in 2007 (Class of 2007) were completely ignored by Panhandle Media and that hasn't changed a bit -- not even when they try to sell a really bad 'book' (just out this month, and already stinking up shelves) that claims how much they care about "standing up" and covering war resisters. Yeah, we're talking Amy Goodman and today's program continues her long, long silence on the Kamunen brothers. Will the silence be unbroken, Amy, will the silence be unbroken? It takes a lot of nerve to hype your cut and paste 'book' on the backs of war resisters when you refused to cover anyone emerging in months. (It starts with Ivan Brobeck -- see "The Full Brobeck" -- who turned himself in on election day 2006 and Goody had no time for her. She would later interview Kyle Snyder -- on the run at the time -- but Snyder had already been discussed on the program, by an attorney, before The Full Brobeck.) Since November 2006, Amy Goodman has not introduced any new war resister to her audience (and, let's be clear, that's not due to the fact that she's been chatting non-stop with Ehren Watada -- she's not been. In fact, she 'covered' Watada's Feb. 2007 court-martial by broadcasting a video report made by Truthout and posted at Truthout. Goody's had other things to do. So she misses Eli Israel (the first service member to publicly resist while stationed in Iraq), James Burmeister (who remember has turned himself in), Skylar James, Ross Spears, Brad McCall . . . It's a long, long list. War resistance didn't stop -- only the coverage did.

Over the weekend (Friday, 11:29 p.m.), Randy Furst (Minnesota Star Tribune) reported that
Leif was arrested "when he and his girlfriend pulled out of the Cartlon driveway on Friday morning in her grandfather's red Tacoma pickup truck. His girlfriend, Angela Martini, said that Leif, 22, had gotten wind the military was after him and was planning to turn himself in to an Army office in Duluth after being AWOL for nearly 16 months." AP notes: "Leif Kamunen's girlfriend, Angela Martini, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis on Friday that Leif had assumed that the Army would not have him arrested. She said he had spoken with someone in the Army last year who told him there was nothing in the Army computer about him and he should just go about living his life."

Meanwhile, in Canada, many US war resisters are currently hoping to be granted safe harbor status and the Canadian Parliament will debate a measure this month on that issue. You can make your voice heard. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).

In Iraq, the assault on Sadr City continues. CNN notes 8 deaths and twenty-eight injured from Friday night to Saturday morning. CNN notes the US military claims 7 Iraqis killed from Saturday night to Sunday morning. Today Alexandra Zavis (Los Angeles Times) reports that the US military states ("since Sunday") they have killed 38 people in Sadr city while officials in Sadr City state "they have received 24 dead and more than 100 wounded since 8 a.m. Sunday. The victims included women and children, they said." AFP notes the number dead has risen to 45. CNN notes that Sadiq al-Rikabi ("adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki") has stated the assault on Sadr City will continue: "the militias must hand in all heavy and medium weapons; hand over people wanted for arrest; and keep out of the affairs of Iraqi security forces, government institutions and reconstruction projects." Alissa J. Rubin and Erica Goode (New York Times) report that Qassim Atta ("an aide to Mr. Sadr in Najaf") stated the central government in Baghdad was attempting "to resolve political differences by force." Sunday saw people power and natural forces. On the latter, Sholnn Freeman (Washington Post) reported "a sandstorm blanketed Baghdad on Sunday" and, despite US claims that attacks on the Green Zone were "nearly eliminated," the cover of the sandstorm allowed mulitple mortar attacks to be launched on the Green Zone while Slobodan Lekic (AP) observes, "The near-daily shelling of the Green Zone has become acutely embarrassing for both Iraqi authorities and the U.S. military." . On the former, Hussein Kadhim and Raviya H. Ismail (McClatchy Newspapers) reported, "About 50 leaders representing a variety of Iraqi political blocs took to Baghdad's Sadr City on Sunday, a stronghold of firey religious leader Muqtada al Sadr, to protest the U.S.-led siege of that area" and quoted Nassar al Rubaie explaining, "We have a delegation meeting with Maliki to let him know the real situation going on in the city. We have lawmakers from different blocs and parties to come and watch the situation on the ground." Rubin and Goode quote Azzad Barbani ("a member of Parliament from the Kurdistan Democratic Party") explaining, "What is different about this delegation is that it is composed of all kinds of Iraqis" and the reporters note, "At stake is the outcome of October provincial elections in which other Shiite parties in the government stand to lose seats to Mr. Sadr's supporters." And that wasn't the only gathering taking place on Sunday. Farah Stockman (Boston Globe) reports that, in Helsinki, behind closed doors, "a group of rival members of Iraq's parliament and tribale leaders" met throughout the weekend "for the first time for a futher round of talks that they hope will lay the foundation for peace in their troubled country." Reuters notes the following participants at the Helsinki meeting: "Minister of Dialogue and National Reconciliation Akram al-Hakim, chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee Sheikh Humam Hamoudi, Fouad Maasoom of the Kurdistan Patriotic Union (PUK), Shi'ite Dawa Party parliamentary leader Ali al-Adeeb and Osama al-Tikriti from the Sunni Arab Iraqi Islamic Party". Colin O'Carroll (Belfast News Letter) explains that the group was "advised on peace-making by former sworn enemies Jeffrey Donaldson and Martin McGuinness."

Another continue action is the fighting between the PKK in northern Iraq and the Turkish military. Reuters notes, "Turkish air strikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq are 'unfortunate' and will do little to address Ankara's concerns about security, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said on Monday." Hurriyet reports, "Turkey expects an increase in the contacts with the Kurdish administration of northern Iraq in the coming days, Turkey's foreign minister said on Monday. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan added such contacts could occur at various diplomatic levels and are important for fighting terrorists and for Iraq as a whole. Babacan's remarks signalled a softening of the Turkish stance towards Iraqi Kurds." AFP points out how long the Turkish military's attacks have been going on and notes tensions lowered following Jalal Talabani (Iraq's President) visiting Ankara and stating he would join Turkey in rooting out the PKK, "But Turkey's ties with the administration of northern Iraq, led by Massud Barzamo, remain chilly and the United States has often called on both sides to mend fences. The PKK has been fighting for self-rule in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives." In the midst of this ("amid Iraq's highest mountains between the Iranian and Turkish borders"), Sam Dagher (Christian Science Monitor) reports on Kurdish Taha Barwari ["minister of sports and youth for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)"] who hopes the creation of "33 recreational centers around the region" will ease some of the tensions within the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Ghassan Charbel (Dar Al Hayat) offers this analysis of Turkey's interests: "Turkey looks at the region and becomes anxious. Its Iraqi neighbor wallows in the midst of a bloody storm; occupation, terrorism, resistance and sectarian conflict. Any permanent disintegration in Iraq would carry the Kurdish fires into the Turkish house. Iraq's unity controls the liminits of federalism and curbs Iran's ability to pull the strings in Iraq. This is why Turkey has an interest in a united and democratic Iraq with no room on its territories for a small independent Kurdish state or for the tiny state of al-Zawahiri."

Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .

Bombings?

Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports Baghdad mortar attacks wounded ten people today, a US air bombing in Baghdad that wounded two people, a Baghdad motor cycle bombing that claimed 1 life and left three people wounded, 3 Baghdad raodside bombings that wounded ten people.

Shootings?

Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports an armed clash in Diyala Province that claimed the lives of 5 "Awakening" Council members while "a Sadrist leader" was shot dead in Basra and his wife was wounded.

Corpses?

Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 6 corpses discovered in Baghdad.
is no longer available online. Today the US military notes that the corpses of 2 Iraqi police officers "were discovered in Tikrit, April 27. The two policemen were reportedly off-duty traveling in a privately-owned vehicle when they were fired upon by another vehicle." Aseel Kami (The Scotscman) reports 50 corpses were discovered in Diyala Province Sunday.

CBS and AP report: "The U.S. military says three American soldiers have been killed in a rocket or mortar attack in eastern Baghdad." AP adds, "A fourth U.S. soldier was killed by a shell in western Baghdad, the military said." That brings the total number of US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war to 4056 with 44 for the month so far making it the deadiest month for US service members since last September.


Turning to the US, Zachary Coile (San Francisco Chronicle) reports that House Democrats are tacking on items to the Iraq war spending bill which would indicate there's not going to be an effort to cut off funding. Colie notes it "is expected to fund the war through the end of the Bush presidency and for nearly six months into the next president's term." Noting press reports, Team Nader writes, "Nader-Gonzalez would set a six-month deadline to get out of Iraq. McCain/Clinton/Obama would not. This past weekend, Ralph Nader toured Hillary Clinton's home state of New York. From Buffalo to Syracuse to the north country, Nader made the point -- time to get out of Iraq. Nader is in Connecticut today, and then on to Vermont. As Ralph Nader continues his 50-state peace campaign, our supporters are working to get Nader-Gonzalez on ballots all across this country. From Maine to California, and Florida to Alaska. Come November, we hope to give the citizens of the United States a choice." At the end of March, Team Nader took on independent media. They have also taken to task others including Medea Benjamin who chose to respond and Nader's 2004 running mate Peter Camejo has responded to Benjamin:

I was stunned to see Medea Benjamin complaining to the Nader/Gonzalez campaign because the campaign had used the word "shameful" in referring to "progressive" Democrats who had supported the pro-war, pro-Patriot Act, anti-labor, and anti-environmental candidate John Kerry in 2004.
I have great personal admiration for Medea Benjamin for many of the stands and actions she has taken through the years. But her capitulation to the Democratic Party has been truly disappointing.
Medea Benjamin eventually joined the "progressive" Democrats and has become an active supporter of the Democratic Party.
Without the Democratic Party's support, Bush's war policies could never have been implemented. The Democrats voted in Congress a resolution that included the phrase, "unequivocal support for George Bush's conduct of the war in Iraq."

Turning to an idiot. Natalee Holloway (not the idiot) is a young woman who disappeared in Aruba and has never been found. Her parents are hopeful that she'll be found. Keep that in mind while you read this: "One 18-year-old white girl from Alabama gets drunk on a graduation trip to Aruba, goess off and 'gives it up' while in a foreign country, and that stays in the news for months! Maybe I am missing something!" The brains to butt the hell out of a tragedy instead of using it for your own cheap gain, instead of talking smutty and thinking you're cute. That trash being quoted? Jeremiah Wright. He is trash and he owes the Holloway family a public apology. And Barack Obama needs to condemn very loudly this nonsense. But he won't. He never does. It's why he keeps being asked about Wright. Bill Moyers was happy to gloss over facts while sitting down with Wright last week. As Ava and I noted, Natalee's name wasn't once raised by Bill Moyers. "Garlic noses" wasn't raised by Bill either. Nor did Moyers explore Wright's claim that AIDS was a government plot to destroy African-Americans. We did get to find out that Wright and Moyers are both idiots who believe the Jewish faith includes the New Testament. We did get to hear Wright express disgust of sodomy. We got to hear the allegedly 'educated' man reject a slogan that doesn't exist ("My government right or wrong" -- he meant "My country right or wrong"), It was all a lot of nonsense. Joan Walsh (Salon) addresses the damning of America here as well as Wright's comparing the attacks on 9-11 to a slave rebellion. On the program and in the near constant press since, Wright's described himself as lynched, crucified, and just about everything you can think of. To buy any of that, you'd have to believe the greatest victim of Wright's trashy and hateful mouth is Jeremiah Wright. William Branigin (Washington Post) reports that Wright appears to now be questioning Dick Cheney's patriotism. While the president of vice is greedy, questioning his patriotism hardly seems the way to win people over to your side. Dana Milbank (Washington Post) evaluates today's performance at the National Press Club, "It seemed as if Wright, jokingly offering himself as Obama's vice president, was actually trying to doom Obama; a member of the head table, American Urban Radio's April Ryan, confirmed that Wright's security was provided by bodyguards from Farrakhan's Nation of Islam" and Milbank picks that performance as the one people may point back to "months from now" if Obama's campaign tanks. Milbank also notes that Wright "renewed his belief that the government created AIDS as a means of genocide against people of color". Larry Johnson (No Quarter) weighs in on Wright here. Obama has his other problems including stabbing every supporter in the back on Fox "News" yesterday. The best take on that is also the funniest, VastLeft (Corrente) has transcribed the conversation with editorial comments.

Former President Bill Clinton is on the campaign trail of Senator Hillary Clinton. Scott Zumwalt (HillaryClinton.com) notes Bill Clinton's trip to Oregon resulted in over 10,000 Oregonians turning out. Toby Harnden (Telegraph of London) quotes Bill Clinton on why Barack Obama refuses to debate her, "I think I know the answer to the question why only one candidate wants to debate, because I saw the debate in Pennsylvania. And afterwards, 41 per cent of the voters watched it, and by 52 per cent to 22 per cent they said Hillary won." Lexi Cribbs has a photo essay of Hillary campaigning in Jacksonville, North Carolina. We'll close with this from Howard Wolfson's "MEMO: Economic Leadership = Jobs, Jobs, Jobs:"

Hillary Clinton's economic leadership has been key to her victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania and will be the focus of her campaign in the run-up to the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.
As today's New York Times reports, Senator Clinton is demonstrating her leadership on core economic issues by laying out the boldest and most specific plan to help create jobs of any candidate in this race -- and she is the only candidate with comprehensive proposals to reduce our dependence on foreign fuels in the long run and provide relief for consumers in the short term.
Today, she will unveil a plan to suspend the gas tax paid for out of oil company profits in order to give drivers price relief during the upcoming peak driving months of summer. Unlike Senator McCain, Senator Clinton's plan is paid for and will not raid the highway trust fund. Senator Clinton also has the most detailed, comprehensive trade agenda to ensure that trade is not a race to the bottom and has a bold housing agenda that would freeze foreclosures and create a moratorium on subprime resets. And she would take away $55 billion in special interest tax breaks and put that money back in the pockets of middle class Americans.
While Senator Obama retools his stump speech to reach middle and working class voters, Senator Clinton is going to continue doing what she has successfully done in Ohio and Pennsylvania -- reach out to those Americans who work hard for a living and need a champion in the White House to help them in this difficult economy.

Actually, one more thing. NOW on PBS has won the 3008 Edward R. Murrow Award for Best TV Documentary for their investigative report "Child Brides: Stolen Lives" which was reported by Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa. The episode can be viewed online here. So congratulations to NOW on PBS, Hinojosa and everyone else working on the half-hour program which airs on Friday nights on most PBS stations (check local listings).

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now on pbs

E-mails

Friday! At last. I thought I'd go through some e-mails. The policy is pretty much no e-mails to outsiders. No one's written anything embarrassing privately but people pass them around and think they have the 'goods' on us. So if we don't know you, we don't write you.

Ada Pinkston, I didn't check out the Dick Cheney thing. I did check out the Hillary smear. It was insulting to her, it was insulting to working class Americans. It wasn't funny. It was probably sexist in fact but I'd have to go back and look at it again. If this is what Current TV has to publicize, no wonder nobody watches that channel. I'd say "thanks for writing," but I don't need my inbox junked up with trash.

Kelly Hargraves, C.I. knows Molly Bingham and the documentary she co-directed is one we all love so I'll post your press release in full. I don't know if we'll review this at Third or not. I know we'd like to but there's always time issues. We don't review movies there because they are loyal to their original audience. We can and have reviewed DVDs. I know C.I. will be up for a review so that's two of us who'll vote for it and I can't imagine anyone voting against it but, again, there are time issues. Here's the press release in full but I'm not fixing the quotation marks or anything. They'll come up as squares here and that's because Blogger/Blogspot uses a different font.

April 25, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kelly Hargraves Phone: 1-323-662-1930

Toll free: 1-800-229-8575

kelly.hargraves@firstrunfeatures.com



MEETING RESISTANCE An “Astonishing” Journey into the Heart of the Iraqi Resistance
Available on DVD May 20, 2008
MEETING RESISTANCE is a daring, eye-opening film that raises the veil of anonymity surrounding the Iraqi insurgency by meeting face to face with individuals who are passionately engaged in the struggle against coalition forces. It documents for the first time the sentiments experienced and actions taken by a nation's citizens when their homeland is occupied.
With unique insight into the people involved in the resistance, this acclaimed film explodes myth after myth about the war in Iraq and the Iraqis who participate. Voices which have been previously unheard - both male and female - speak candidly about their motivations, hopes and goals, revealing a kaleidoscope of human perspectives. Through its unprecedented access to insurgents and clandestine groups, MEETING RESISTANCE is the missing puzzle piece in understanding the Iraq war - not only the toll of the occupation but the mindset behind those who resist.
MEETING RESISTANCE was directed by Steve Connors and Molly Bingham. Connors was born in Sheffield, England. He began taking photographs while serving as a British soldier in Northern Ireland in the early 1980s. Connors has worked for most of the worlds’ newspapers and magazines including Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times and spent fifteen months from November 2001 on in Afghanistan. During the invasion, he went to Iraq and spent fourteen months there working on MEETING RESISTANCE. The film is Connors’ directorial debut.
Molly Bingham was born in Kentucky and graduated from Harvard College in 1990. She began working as a photojournalist in earnest in 1994, traveling to Rwanda in the wake of the genocide. She has worked as a photojournalist for many different publications and has also completed projects for Human Rights Watch. Bingham teamed up with Connors in August of 2003 to begin a film about who was behind the emerging post-war violence in Iraq.
DVD Bonus Features:Directors’ Audio Commentary • Film Notes • Biographies • Theatrical Trailer
Featured on Good Morning America, National Public Radio, ABC World News, Anderson Cooper 360, This Week with George Stephanopolous, CNN, Vanity Fair, and more!
SCREENED BY THE U.S. MILITARYShown to Iraq-based and Iraq-bound troops“I spent several years studying and fighting the insurgency at the tactical and operational levels, and I strongly recommend MEETING RESISTANCE. It provides the best view into the minds and motivations of Iraqi insurgents I have found in years of research.” - MAJOR DAN FICKEL (RES)
“The single most astonishing documentary yet on the Iraq war. A breakthrough film!”- SIDNEY BLUMENTHAL, SALON.COM
"Powerful and fascinating!" - SHAUNA LYON, THE NEW YORKER
"A remarkable piece of war reporting." - RICHARD LEIBY, WASHINGTON POST
“DARING...COURAGEOUS...ENLIGHTENING! Sometimes a film serves as a potent weapon of endangered truth, dispelling official lies and giving voice to those whose collective pain has been silenced. MEETING RESISTANCE is that film and more, an act of resistance in its own right to the US war on Iraq.” - PRAIRIE MILLER – WBAI RADIO
“A rare glimpse into the hearts and minds of those who have dedicated themselves to ridding Iraq of its invaders.” - RONNIE SCHEIB, VARIETY
“The documentary equivalent of a Seymour Hersh investigative story in The New Yorker. REQUIRED VIEWING!” - JOE GARFOLI, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
“EYE-OPENING!” - PETER MARTIN, CINEMATICAL
More information about the film can be found at meetingresistance.com
MEETING RESISTANCE

85 minutes, color, 2007, Arabic w/English subtitles UPC: 7-20229-91324-9 Catalog #: FRF 913249D

Retail Price: $24.95 Canadian Retail Price: $29.95 Pre-book: April 15 Street Date: May 20

Meeting Resistance is an amazing movie. C.I. put the link to the website up at Third at the start of the writer's strike and I know C.I.'s written at length about this movie because I knew ALL about it before I saw it. And when I saw it? I was still blown away. This is one to check out on May 20th.

Barbara G. Ellis, good luck to you on April 29th. That's all I can offer you. The time for impeachment was a sliver of a window. I don't believe it's happening. (And my mother outlined repeatedly why she didn't believe it was possible barring Bully Boy bombing Iran.) The time's passed, my opinion, it's not happening. Good luck to you but I think it's a waste of time. Pelosi won't let it happen. The Congress is focused on veterans, the econmy and the Petraeus nomination. The country's focused on those things and the elections. (Congress is focused on the elections as well.) I don't promote things I don't believe in. So good luck to you.

The others aren't worth mentioning. If you automatically went into the junk folder, I didn't check that and don't plan to. Consider it a sign that I wasn't supposed to read your e-mail.

Here's today's "HUBdate: Fair is Fair:"

Fair is Fair: In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Clinton campaign strategist Geoff Garin writes: "The bottom line is that one campaign really has engaged in a mean-spirited, unfair character attack on the other candidate -- but it has been Obama’s campaign, not ours. You would be hard-pressed to find significant analogues from our candidate, our senior campaign officials or our advertising to the direct personal statements that the Obama campaign has made about Clinton." Read More.
$$$: "Hillary Clinton raised $10 million in the 24 hours after winning the Pennsylvania primary, aided by contributions from 80,000 new donors." Read more and keep it going at http://www.hillaryclinton.com/.
An Open Letter From Dr. Maya Angelou: Poet and activist Dr. Maya Angelou wrote an open letter about her commitment to Hillary’s candidacy. "Hillary does not waver in standing up for those who need a champion.... I am supporting Hillary Clinton because I know that she will make the most positive difference in people's lives and she will help our country become what it can be." Read More.
In Case You Missed It: Paul Krugman writes in today's NYT: "From the beginning, I wondered what Mr. Obama’s soaring rhetoric, his talk of a new politics and declarations that 'we are the ones we've been waiting for' (waiting for to do what, exactly?) would mean to families troubled by lagging wages, insecure jobs and fear of losing health coverage. The answer, from Ohio and Pennsylvania, seems pretty clear: not much. Mrs. Clinton has been able to stay in the race, against heavy odds, largely because her no-nonsense style, her obvious interest in the wonkish details of policy, resonate with many voters in a way that Mr. Obama’s eloquence does not." Read more.
Bringing Troops Home with Honor: Yesterday, Hillary highlighted policies for veterans at "Solutions for America” events in Fayetteville and Asheville, NC. It’s rare for a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to endorse a candidate but General Hugh Shelton is backing HRC. In NC yesterday, he said: "Unlike any other candidate, [Hillary] understands that maintaining a well-prepared armed forces goes beyond providing dollars....She is the only candidate who has offered a responsible plan for bringing our troops home with honor." Read more.
Electable…Without FL or OH? The Obama campaign released a memo yesterday on electability, but as Chris Cilizza highlights, "two states that are not mentioned in the Obama memo are Florida, the key battleground in the 2000 presidential race, and Ohio, the Florida of the 2004 contest." Read more.
Debate Watch: Hillary is willing to debate Sen. Obama in North Carolina, Oregon, and Indiana while Sen. Obama continues to resist. His excuse today: "It's not clear that another debate is going to be the best use of our time." Meanwhile Sen. Evan Bayh said this yesterday: "We have thousands of people in Indiana who...deserve an opportunity to see both candidates stand side by side...We in Indiana don’t want to be treated as second-class citizens." Read more and more.
Today on the Trail: In North Carolina, Hillary hosts a "Solutions for America" event in Jacksonville, NC. In Indiana, she hosts "Solutions for the American Economy" events in Bloomington, East Chicago, and Fort Wayne. She also meets with steelworkers to discuss creating and protecting jobs in Gary.

Funniest thing I saw online today pissed me off at first. It was nothing but a Hillary slam. I mentioned it to C.I. who said, "Oh, please, he has no ethics. He did favors for his mistress and that's why he lost his job as an editor and why he has to be a blog columnist now." When I heard that, I laughed so hard. I guess it really does all even out at some point. :D


Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


Friday, April 25, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces more deaths, an oversight exploration announces Iraqi Forces figures are wrong, the VA scandals continue and more.

Starting with war resistance. Claudia Feldman (Houston Chronicle) reported a week ago on consientious objector Hart Vines and his participation at Iraq Veterans Against the War's Winter Soldier (IVAW's Ronn Cantu who started the first IVAW chapter in Texas, at Fort Hood, is also covered in the article). Feldman reports:

One of his jobs in Iraq was to stand guard with a .50-caliber machine gun while his buddies searched houses supposedly inhabited by insurgents and enemy combatants. At the conference, searches of that kind were described vividly. Sometimes soldiers kicked in the front doors. Sometimes they upended refrigerators and ripped stoves out of walls. Sometimes they turned drawers upside down and broke furniture.
One day Viges was instructed to search a suspicious house, a hut, really, but he couldn't find pictures of Saddam Hussein, piles of money, AK-47s or roadside bombs.
"The only thing I found was a little .22 pistol," Viges said, " ... but we ended up taking the two young men, regardless."
An older woman, probably the mother of the young men, watched and wailed nearby.
"She was crying in my face, trying to kiss my feet," Viges said. "And, you know, I can't speak Arabic, but I can speak human. She was saying, 'Please, why are you taking my sons? They have done nothing wrong.' "

And, dropping back to a September 2005 speech he gave, here's what happened once he returned to the US:

And after I came home I've come to realise that we've got to make better choices, I applied for Conscientious Objector [status]. I was able to remember the Sermon on the Mount. I'm a Christian, what was I doing holding a gun to another human being? Love thy neighbour. Do good for him. Pray for those who persecute you, don't shoot them. I get my Conscientious Objector packet approved. I'm alone. I'm free, I'm done. It's all gone now, right? No! I still swerve at trash bagsfireworks. I'm looking at everyone's hands and faces [tonight] to see who's going to want to shoot me. I can't express anything, I can't express love. All my relationships are falling apart because they can't f**king understand me. How do they know the pain that I've gone through or the sights that I've seen, the dead bodies? The innocence gone, stripped, dead? I couldn't do it myself. I couldn't stand the pain. People were leaving me. I was alone. I couldn't cut my wrists. So I called the police. They come stomping through my door. I have my knife in my hand. "Shoot me. Shoot me". All of a sudden I was the man with the RPG, with all the guns pointed at him. Misled, miseducated, thinking that "Yes, we can solve all the world's problems by killing each other". How insane is that? Lucky enough I lived through that episode as well. See, you can't wash your hands when they're covered in blood with more blood. It's impossible; the wounds carry on. Families are destroyed.

Meanwhile, in Canada, many US war resisters are currently hoping to be granted safe harbor status and the Canadian Parliament will debate a measure this month on that issue. You can make your voice heard. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).

Turning to the Dept of Veteran Affairs. Pia Malbran (CBS News) reports that, "While on the stand in California federal court" yesterday, "where the VA is facing a lawsuit filed by veteran advocates who are demanding better health care, Dr. Michael Kussman, the VA's Under Secretary for Health, said, 'I Disagree with the premise that there was some effort to cover up something.' On March 10 of this year, Everett Chasen, the chief communications officer for the VA's Veterans Health Administration (VHA) sent an e-mail message to several top agency officials including Kussman. At the time, CBS News was preparing a report about attempted suicides among VA patients. Chasen wrote, 'I don't want to give CBS any more numbers on veteran suicides or attempts than they already have -- it will only lead to more questions'." CBS News has been covering this story for some time. Today Peter Hart (FAIR's CounterSpin) explained:

Sadly, there's no end of examples of US journalists accepting and parroting official government statistics without challenge so when we find a case of an outlet actually questioning an official source and bringing that challenge to the public it seems worth taking note of. Last year CBS Evening News reported what they and others have called an "epidemic of suicides" among those who have served in the US military. The network noted that there were more than 6,200 such suicides in the year 2005. Those numbers were challenged however by the Department of Veterans Affairs head of mental health Dr. Ira Katz who insisted that CBS had it wrong, the suicide rate for vets was actually no higher than normal. In a distrubing April 21st follow-up, however, CBS provided evidence that those numbers were not wrong and evidently that's why the VA didn't want the public to know them. CBS reporter Armen Keteyian noted that the VA recently provided date indicating just 790 attempted suicides by vets in all of 2007; however, Keteyian had access to an e-mail Katz sent to his top media advisor in which the VA official said something dramatically different acknowledging that "our suicide prevention coordinators are identifying about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among veterans we see in our medical facilities." That's pretty far removed from the 790 a year the VA had reported to CBS and consequently to the public. Even more disturbing is the evidence that Katz knows he's actively misinforming the public on this critical issue. His e-mail was titled "Not for the CBS News interview request" and the opening line was "Sh!" The note closed with Katz' concern: "Is this something we should carefully address before someone stumbles on it?" Clearly this is a story that will require further follow-up to find out what else the VA would like to hide from the public about yet another of the devastating impacts of the war on Iraq. We certainly hope CBS will continue in the way they've started out and that they won't be alone.

Note on the above, all links in Peter Hart's commentary go to CBS News which has text and video for each link and the e-mail itself, PDF format warning, is here. Bob Egelko (San Francisco Chronicle) reports that Kussman stated on the stand yesterday, "The number of patients who have adjustment reactions to the experience that they have in Afghanistan or Iraq is very important, but we don't believe that's mental illness. It would be unfair and inappropriate to stigmatize people with a mental health diagnosis when they are having what most people believe are normal reactions to abnormal situations." There is no care or concern, just a desire to cut down on expenses. Diagnosis the mental health disorder requires that it be treated. Dropping back to IVAW's Winter Soldier Investigation last month:

Adrienne Kinne: And then they went to go to the next step, to actually make this happen. And I was actually on a conference call when someone said, "Wait a second. We can't start this screening process. Do you know that if we start screening for TBI there will be tens of thousands of soldiers who will screen positive and we do not have the resources available that would allow us to take care of these people so we cannot do the screening." And their rationale was that medically, medical ethics say if you know someone has a problem, you have to treat them. So since they didn't have the resources to treat them, they didn't want to know about the problem.
That's the reality for refusing to diagnose, Kinne's point that the VA would then be ethically bound to treat. If you missed Winter Soldier you can stream online at Iraq Veterans Against the War, at War Comes Home, at KPFK, at the Pacifica Radio homepage and at KPFA, here for Friday, here for Saturday, here for Sunday. Aimee Allison (co-host of the station's The Morning Show and co-author with David Solnit of Army Of None) and Aaron Glantz were the anchors for Pacifica's live coverage. Kinne testified Friday afternoon. Wednesday saw the VA's deputy chief Gordon Mansfield facing questions from the Senate's Veterans Affairs Committee. Armen Keteyian and Pia Malbran (CBS News, link has text and video) reported that Senator Patty Murray questioned him about how anyone could have faith in statements from the VA since "every time we trun around we find out that what you're saying publicly is different from what you're saying privately?" Les Blumenthal (Seattle Times) quotes Murray stating, "I used to teach preschool, and when you bring up a 3-year-old and tell them they have to stop lying, they understand the consequences. The VA doesn't. They needed to stop hiding the fact this war is costing us in so many ways." Murray also noted, "I am very angry upset that we find out this week that several inernal VA e-mails that were made public -- not becuase you wanted them to, but because of a lawsuit that ws ongoing -- showed that the VA downplayed significantly the number of suicides and suicide attempts by veterans in the last several years. Just a few months ago in November the VA was confronted with an analysis that said there were 6,250 veterans who had committed suicide in 2005 an average of 17 a day. VA officials said that number was inaccurate, it was much lower. These e-mails that were uncovered this week show that Dr. Katz, who is the VA's top mental health official, not only backed up those alleged numbers but he acknowledged that the numbers were much higher than that. So what they were telling us in November and December was that the number was lower but inside the VA everyone knew it was higher. And there are e-mails saying that and showing that". Thursday on the Senate floor, during a vote on the Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act, Murray stated the following:


And just this week, we got more evidence that the Administration has been covering up the extent of the toll this war has taken on our troops. Internal e-mails that became public in a court hearing show that the VA has vastly downplayed the number of suicides and suicide attempts by veterans in the last several years. Last November, an analysis by CBS News found that over 6,200 veterans had committed suicide in 2005 -- an average of 17 a day.
When confronted, VA officials said the numbers were much lower. But according to the internal e-mails from the VA's head of Mental Health -- Dr. Ira Katz -- 6,570 veterans committed suicide in 2005 -- an average of 18 a day. The e-mails also revealed that VA officials know that another 1,000 veterans -- who are receiving care at VA medical facilities -- attempt suicide each month.
Mr. President, these numbers offer tragic evidence that our nation is failing thousands of veterans a year. And they reflect an Administration that has failed to own up to its responsibilities, and failed even to own up to the true impact of the war on its veterans.
What is most appalling to me is that this is not the first time the VA has covered up the problems facing veterans who sacrificed for our country. Time and again, the VA has told us one thing in public -- while saying something completely different in private. It is outrageous to me that VA officials would put public appearance ahead of people's lives. Yet, Mr. President, it appears that is what has happened again.
When we -- as members of Congress -- sit down to determine the resources to give the VA, we must have a true picture of the needs. And if there's a problem, we have to act. It's our duty -- and the duty of the Administration -- to care for veterans. By covering up the true extent of that problem, the VA has hindered our ability to get those resources to the veterans who need them. That is irresponsible, and it's wrong.

Senator Daniel K. Akaka has joined Murray in calling for Ira Katz' resignation. Meanwhile C.W. Nevius (San Francisco Chronicle) reports on the attorney handling the lawsuit against the VA, Gordon Erspamer: "He's a rainmaker attorney for a major firm in the city who has set aside time to take legal action that doesn't earn a penny. And besides that, he's got a compelling and personal back story and a chip on his shoulder to prove it. Erspamer's cause since the late '70s has been the rights of armed forces veterans, and this week's trial has the VA squirming over a shocking rate of suicides among vets and has captured the national spotlight." Aimee Allison and Aaron Glantz hosted a live report on KPFA about the trial Tuesday and Gordon Erspamer was interviewed in the first hour.

Yesterday, the Office of the Special Inspector General For Iraq Reconstruction released a report entitled [PDF format warning] "Intermim Analysis of Iraqi Security Force Information Provided By The Department Of Defense Report, Measuring Stability And Security In Iraq." Julian E. Barnes (Los Angeles Times) reports, "The U.S. military does not have an accurate tally of the number of Iraqi security forces who have been trained or who are present for duty . . . The study says some Iraqi soldiers and police who were killed or wounded in action remain on the payroll so their families can receive financial compensation, skewing the statistics. . . . Reinforcing earlier findings, Special Inspector General Stuart W. Bowen Jr. and other officials said the data being provided to the U.S. military were inaccurate." William H. McMichael (Army Times) adds that "thousands of others counted as present for duty are not showing up for work because they're injured, on leave or absent without leave . . ." The 21-page report (13 of text and then additional notes) also states, "Evolving changes in reporting methodology make it difficult to compare information from one report to earlier reports." Page five notes of the Defense Dept's most recent report, "Although the March 2008 Section 9010 report, as well as earlier ones, presents an array of numbers, other information in the 9010 reports and elsewhere indicates (1) uncertainty about the number of Iraqi personnel who are present for duty at any one time; and (2) uncertainty about the capabilities of the police force because the police have greater capacity to recruit that to train -- this limits the number of police on the rolls who have been trained. In addition, shortages of officers and/or non-commissioned officers in both the police and defense forces remain a significant long-term challenge that could take a decade to address."

Which fits in with Demetri Sevastopulo (Financial Times of London) observation that Nouri al "Maliki's campaign" assault on Basra "has resulted in US troops deploying to Basra and left the UK with no choice but to provide additional support to the operation. One person familiar with US military planning in Iraq said the 'fiasco' started by Mr Maliki had 'forced the hand of the British' to support the Iraqi government, in addition to the current core mission of training Iraqi forces." And the strain comes as Daniel Bentley (The Scotsman) reports, "British troop numbers in Iraq will only be futher reducded 'if conditions allow', Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said yesterday." The numbers also matter in terms of The Petraeus & Crocker Variety Hour earlier this month. Repeatedly the numbers now known to be non-reliable were cited as 'proof' of 'advances'. Gen David Petraeus' seven-page prepared remarks always cited the numbers of Iraqi Forces:

A number of factors have contributed to the progress that has been made. First, of course, has been the impact of increased numbers of Coalition and Iraqi Forces. You are well aware of the U.S. surge. Less recognized is that Iraq has also conducted a surge, adding well over 100,000 additional soldiers and police to the ranks of its security forces in 2007 and slowly increasing its capability to deploy and employ these forces.[. . .] A second factor has been the employment of Coalition and Iraqi Forces have grown significantly since September, and over 540,000 individuals now servein the Iraqi Security Forces. The number of combat battalions capable of taking the lead in operations, albeit with some Coalition support, has grown to well over 100 [Slide 10]. These units are bearing an increasing share of the burden, as evidenced by the fact that Iraqi Security Force losses have recently been three times our own. We will, of course, conduct careful after action reviews with our Iraqi partners in the wake of recent operations, as there were units andleaders found wanting in some cases, and some of our assessments may be downgraded as a result. Nonetheless, the performance of many units was solid, especially once they got their footing and gained a degree of confidence, and certain Iraqi elements proved quite capable.Underpinning the advances of the past year have been improvements in Iraq's security institutions. An increasingly robust Iraqi-run training base enabled the Iraqi Security Forces to grow by over 133,000 soldiers and police over the past 16 months. And the still-expanding training base is expected to generate an additional 50,000 Iraqi soldiers and 16 Army and Special Operations battalions throughout the rest of 2008, along with over 23,000 police and 8 National Police battalions.

Meanwhile AFP reports, "Iraq's hardline Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Friday called upon his followers and security forces to stop the bloodshed a week after he warned of 'open war' against the government." Deborah Haynes (Times of London) quotes him stating, "I call upon my brothers in the army, police and al-Mahdi Army to stop the bloodshed. When we threatend an open war, it was meant against the occupation and not against our people. There will be no war between Sadrists and Iraqi brothers from any groups." And the UN human rights envoy, Radhika Coomaraswamy declared today of Iraqi children, "Many of them are no longer go to school, many are recruited for violent activitis or detained in custody, they lack access to the most basic services and manifest a wide range of psychological symptoms from the violence in their everyday lives."

In some of today's reported violence . . .

Bombings?

Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Tikrit car bombing that claimed the life of 1 police officer, a Falluja mosque bombing that claimed 1 life and left four people wounded and notes two US air bombings of Baghdad after night fall yesterday that claimed the lives of 13 people and wounded forty (those numbers are US military numbers).

Shootings?

Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports an armed clash in Baghdad with three Iraqi soldiers wounded and 5 "gunmen" killed. CBS and AP report: "Assailants on Friday gunned down an Iraqi journalist who had been working for a local radio station run by a Shiite political party that is the chief rival of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the station and police said. Jassim al-Batat was killed by gunmen in a speeding car as he left his house in the town of Qurna in his own car, said Adnan al-Asadi, the head of the local al-Nakhil radio station based in the southern city of Basra. Qurna is 55 miles north of Basra." Reuters quotes al-Asadi explaining, "His only concerns were his work and his family. He was liked by all his colleagues, and we don't know any reason why he should be killed." Reuters also notes 1 adult male shot dead outside his Iskandariya home, 1 fisherman shot dead in Mosul (another injured), 1 police officer shot dead in Mosul and 2 people shot dead in Iskandariya.

Corpses?

Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 corpses discovered in Baghdad.

The US military announced today: "A Multi-National Division -- Center Soldier was killed in an improvised explosive device attack south of Baghdad, April 24." The announcement brings to 4052 the number of US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war.

Turning to US politics. First up, Wednesday's snapshot referenced Big Tent Democrat's post (TalkLeft) on the nonsense of Tom Hayden -- the latest nonsense from a lifetime of nonsense but the link was wrong. My apologies. The correct link is here. Wednesday night, Elaine provided the letter Hayden needs to write -- the public letter -- and why no woman need listen to him until he does. (Not that they need to listen to him after, for that matter.) Wednesday night, Taylor Marsh also weighed in on Tom's nonsense and, let me repeat something here, Tom invents things. He invents conversations that allegedly happened years ago when he needs them for modern times. We've avoided commenting on his current wife here because who knows what the woman did or didn't know. Tom loves to embellish a tale. But the point is that he's a longterm sexist and no women needs him speaking for her. On the topic of sexists, Keith Olberman of MSNBC, as Jeralyn (TalkLeft) points out, made a comment on air that has some wondering if he was calling for Hillary Clinton to be assaulted or murdered: "Hyperbole? A figure of speech? Sexist? Or a call to snuff her out?" Joan Walsh (Salon) explains Olberman has 'apologized' -- he still doesn't get how offensive his statement was and how his add-on only more so. He gets that it sounded to some like murder but he still doesn't get (and Walsh doesn't appear to either) that the "apology" is still stating a woman needs to be taken into a room and forced "politically" out of the race. It's undemocratic and, with his pattern, it's sexist. Susan UnPC (No Quarter), writing before the 'apology,' gets it very clearly, "Take notice of his use of the pronoun 'he'." Meanwhile Paul Krugman (New York Times) examines the working class support for Hillary Clinton and how Obama still -- all these months later -- can't connect with those voters? Jonathan Mann (CNN) explains, "Hillary is back. Until now, Hillary Clinton's campaign hd one consistent quality -- it kept coming up short. . . . The biggest question about her campaign was when it would finally succumb to being so second-place. This week that changed. She won the Pennsylvania primary by 10 percentage points, a margin that convinced contributors to flood her Internet site with $10 million."

Seth Bringman (HillaryClinton.com) explains "Hillary Clinton's Plan to Address the Student Loan Crisis:"

Over a year ago, Hillary Clinton called on the Bush Administration to address the growing problems in the subprime mortgage market. Instead of listening, President Bush stood by as the subprime crisis spiraled into a larger housing and credit crisis that is driving our economy downward. This economic crisis now threatens to claim another victim: student loans. As the result of the credit crunch, more than 50 student lenders, accounting for almost 14% of private student-loan volume, have already withdrawn from the guaranteed student loan program [Wall Street Journal, A3, 4/24/08]. Hundreds of thousands of students who are actively considering how to finance their college educations could be left in the lurch, without the ability to pay for college. And when those students are not able to college, that is not only tragic for them but a loss for our economy as a college graduate earns $1 million more over the course of their lifetime than someone with a high school diploma.
Now is the time to act to prevent a student lending crisis. In Indiana, where six of every ten students graduate with debt, and that debt averages $21,000, it is vital that we ensure that every Hoosier student can count on the loans they need to attend school in the fall [Project on Student Debt]. Today, Hillary laid out her plan for addressing the student loan crisis. She urged the Bush Administration to support her plan, and act swiftly to head-off this growing crisis.

That's the opening use the link for the itemized list. Marlon Marshall offers a photo essay of Hillary at the "Solutions for the American Economy" in Indianapolis. And we'll go out with this from Geoff Garin's "Fair Is Fair" (Washington Post):

What's wrong with this picture? Our campaign runs a TV ad Monday saying that the presidency is the toughest job in the world and giving examples of challenges presidents have faced and challenges the next president will face -- including terrorism, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mounting economic dislocation, and soaring gas prices. The ad makes no reference -- verbal, visual or otherwise -- to our opponent; it simply asks voters to think about who they believe is best able to stand the heat. And we are accused, by some in the media, of running a fear-mongering, negative ad.The day before this ad went on the air, David Axelrod, Barack Obama's chief strategist, appeared with me on "Meet the Press." He was asked whether Hillary Clinton would bring "the changes necessary" to Washington, and his answer was "no." This was in keeping with the direct, personal character attacks that the Obama campaign has leveled against Clinton from the beginning of this race -- including mailings in Pennsylvania that describe her as "the master of a broken system."So let me get this straight.On the one hand, it's perfectly decent for Obama to argue that only he has the virtue to bring change to Washington and that Clinton lacks the character and the commitment to do so. On the other hand, we are somehow hitting below the belt when we say that Clinton is the candidate best able to withstand the pressures of the presidency and do what's right for the American people, while leaving the decisions about Obama's preparedness to the voters.Who made up those rules? And who would ever think they are fair?

the common ills
trinas kitchen
mikey likes it
iraq
bob egelkogeoff garinadrienne kinne
kpfa
iraq veterans against the war
aimeee allisondavid solnit
aaron glantz
armen keteyianpia malbranles blumenthal
c.w. nevius
julian e. barnesthe los angeles timeswilliam h. mcmichael
paul krugmanthe new york times