May 2nd, 2012
My, my. The GOP sure has its collective panties in a bunch over Obama actually making political hay from his successful operation to get Bin Laden last year. There are so many reasons their hypocrisy on this represents a new achievement in willful, collective self-delusion that its hard to know where to begin. That said, let's start with Jon Stewart's take.
Showing posts with label osama bin laden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label osama bin laden. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Real Threat Is Pakistan, cont...
Feb 28th, 2012
I have argued for some time that the already nuclear-armed nation of Pakistan is a far greater threat to our interests and international stability than Iran with a bomb could ever be. Here's more proof via RT:
"Senior officials in Pakistani military intelligence knew of Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts and arrangements for his safe house – that’s the implication of confidential Stratfor files disclosed by WikiLeaks. Pakistan has dismissed the allegations.
The leaked information from the rent-a-spy agency published on the WikiLeaks website on Monday shows that Osama bin Laden was in routine contact with several senior figures from Pakistan's military intelligence agency."
Unfortunately, the GOP seems to have little interest in this "ally." Discussions of foreign policy in that party's presidential "debates" devolved into little more than the candidates, with the exception of Ron Paul, promising to drag us to war in Iran. The few mentions of U.S.-Pakistan relations there have been were ill-informed at best.
I have argued for some time that the already nuclear-armed nation of Pakistan is a far greater threat to our interests and international stability than Iran with a bomb could ever be. Here's more proof via RT:
"Senior officials in Pakistani military intelligence knew of Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts and arrangements for his safe house – that’s the implication of confidential Stratfor files disclosed by WikiLeaks. Pakistan has dismissed the allegations.
The leaked information from the rent-a-spy agency published on the WikiLeaks website on Monday shows that Osama bin Laden was in routine contact with several senior figures from Pakistan's military intelligence agency."
Unfortunately, the GOP seems to have little interest in this "ally." Discussions of foreign policy in that party's presidential "debates" devolved into little more than the candidates, with the exception of Ron Paul, promising to drag us to war in Iran. The few mentions of U.S.-Pakistan relations there have been were ill-informed at best.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Obama Got Bin Laden. Period.
Jan 30th, 2012
Sullivan hammers the naysayers in a continued defense of his Obama "long game" piece and adds this interesting reminder of GOP and Democratic critiques of the current President's campaign promise a mere 3 1/2 years ago to go after Osama Bin Laden just the way he eventually did.
Sullivan hammers the naysayers in a continued defense of his Obama "long game" piece and adds this interesting reminder of GOP and Democratic critiques of the current President's campaign promise a mere 3 1/2 years ago to go after Osama Bin Laden just the way he eventually did.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Quote Of The Day - Here and Now Edition
May 16th, 2011
"They take your money. They do not co-operate. They created the Taliban. They are number one in nuclear proliferation."
-- Afghanistan's former intelligence chief, Amrullah Saleh, discussing Pakistan's relationship with the U.S. and their harboring of Osama Bin Laden
"They take your money. They do not co-operate. They created the Taliban. They are number one in nuclear proliferation."
-- Afghanistan's former intelligence chief, Amrullah Saleh, discussing Pakistan's relationship with the U.S. and their harboring of Osama Bin Laden
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Quote Of The Day 2
May 7th, 2011
"Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate." -- Sun Tzu
Monday, May 9, 2011
Bill Maher Poses A Question
May 9th, 2011
"30 percent of this country will always vote Republican. I’m just asking why?"
"30 percent of this country will always vote Republican. I’m just asking why?"
Friday, May 6, 2011
It's Still Torture
May 6th, 2011
Yesterday, I reposted an old column as a little push back against the outright liars and revisionists from the Bush era who are hyping the "torture got Osama" meme. It's totally unsurprising that FOX is parroting their talking points and repeating their falsehoods.
Andrew Sullivan kept up the pressure as he has been for some time with an analysis of why it's so important to the torturers to defend themselves now:
"So let us be very clear. The war criminal Dick Cheney presided over the worst lapse in national security since Pearl Harbor, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,000 people. This rank incompetent failed to get bin Laden at Tora Bora, and then dragged the US on false pretenses into a war in Iraq, empowering Iran's dictatorship, and killing another 5,000 more Americans on a wild goose chase. He presided over the deaths of more than 8,000 Americans, and tens of thousands of Iraqis during his criminally incompetent years in office.
On the other hand, the man who abolished torture as soon as he took office, Barack Obama, captured and killed Osama bin Laden, and captured a massive trove of intelligence, more than two years later. No Americans died in the operation.
What on earth are we debating? How have these delusional maniacs managed to even get us onto this turf? Because they have to. Because when the full truth of these past years are fully in focus, they will be revealed as some of the greatest criminals ever to have wielded power in America."
Yesterday, I reposted an old column as a little push back against the outright liars and revisionists from the Bush era who are hyping the "torture got Osama" meme. It's totally unsurprising that FOX is parroting their talking points and repeating their falsehoods.
Andrew Sullivan kept up the pressure as he has been for some time with an analysis of why it's so important to the torturers to defend themselves now:
"So let us be very clear. The war criminal Dick Cheney presided over the worst lapse in national security since Pearl Harbor, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,000 people. This rank incompetent failed to get bin Laden at Tora Bora, and then dragged the US on false pretenses into a war in Iraq, empowering Iran's dictatorship, and killing another 5,000 more Americans on a wild goose chase. He presided over the deaths of more than 8,000 Americans, and tens of thousands of Iraqis during his criminally incompetent years in office.
On the other hand, the man who abolished torture as soon as he took office, Barack Obama, captured and killed Osama bin Laden, and captured a massive trove of intelligence, more than two years later. No Americans died in the operation.
What on earth are we debating? How have these delusional maniacs managed to even get us onto this turf? Because they have to. Because when the full truth of these past years are fully in focus, they will be revealed as some of the greatest criminals ever to have wielded power in America."
Ahem, A Note To Deathers
May 6th, 2011
The incredibly paranoid and would-be-funny-if-it-wasn't-true "deather" movement took a hit today. From Al Jazeera:
"Al-Qaeda has confirmed the death of its leader, Osama bin Laden, and said in an online posting that it would continue to launch attacks on the West.
The group said it would not deviate from the path of armed struggle and that bin Laden's blood " is more precious to us and to every Muslim than to be wasted in vain".
The statement was released on forums sympathetic to al-Qaeda and translated by the SITE monitoring service on Friday.
"It [bin Laden's blood] will remain, with permission from Allah the Almighty, a curse that chases the Americans and their agents, and goes after them inside and outside their countries,"al-Qaeda said."
The incredibly paranoid and would-be-funny-if-it-wasn't-true "deather" movement took a hit today. From Al Jazeera:
"Al-Qaeda has confirmed the death of its leader, Osama bin Laden, and said in an online posting that it would continue to launch attacks on the West.
The group said it would not deviate from the path of armed struggle and that bin Laden's blood " is more precious to us and to every Muslim than to be wasted in vain".
The statement was released on forums sympathetic to al-Qaeda and translated by the SITE monitoring service on Friday.
"It [bin Laden's blood] will remain, with permission from Allah the Almighty, a curse that chases the Americans and their agents, and goes after them inside and outside their countries,"al-Qaeda said."
To paraphrase Chevy Chase, "Osama Bin Laden is still dead."
To Show Or Not To Show
May 6th, 2011
There are so many reasons not to release the kill photos of Osama Bin Laden. Philip Gourevitch makes his case against it in The New Yorker and observes:
"The main argument for releasing a photograph of the punctured scalp of our enemy is that it will provide proof that bin Laden really is dead. In other words, seeing is believing. But does anyone really believe that any more? Believing is believing. People who want, or need, to believe that bin Laden wasn’t shot dead will have no difficulty believing that a picture of his cadaver is a fake, a simple propaganda trick. The release of Obama’s long-form birth certificate didn’t put an end to birtherism, so why would the release of bin Laden’s autopsy video put an end to deatherism? And why does the White House care to appease the holders of such delusions?"
There are so many reasons not to release the kill photos of Osama Bin Laden. Philip Gourevitch makes his case against it in The New Yorker and observes:
"The main argument for releasing a photograph of the punctured scalp of our enemy is that it will provide proof that bin Laden really is dead. In other words, seeing is believing. But does anyone really believe that any more? Believing is believing. People who want, or need, to believe that bin Laden wasn’t shot dead will have no difficulty believing that a picture of his cadaver is a fake, a simple propaganda trick. The release of Obama’s long-form birth certificate didn’t put an end to birtherism, so why would the release of bin Laden’s autopsy video put an end to deatherism? And why does the White House care to appease the holders of such delusions?"
Mindbogglingly Epic Fail
May 6th, 2011
I don't know how I missed this one earlier in the week. Simply amazing.
I don't know how I missed this one earlier in the week. Simply amazing.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
When DID We Know?
May 5th, 2011
Yesterday, Sam Seder dug up a very interesting 2008 appearance by Christiane Amanpour on Bill Maher's Real Time. In it, she clearly states that a source has told her Osama Bin Laden is living in "a nice comfortable villa in Pakistan." This raises so many troubling questions.
Yesterday, Sam Seder dug up a very interesting 2008 appearance by Christiane Amanpour on Bill Maher's Real Time. In it, she clearly states that a source has told her Osama Bin Laden is living in "a nice comfortable villa in Pakistan." This raises so many troubling questions.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
No Torture
May 3rd, 2011
As the right raced to make vulgar claims that torture is somehow vindicated in the wake of the death of Osama Bin Laden, the lie was put to rest by none other than former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
From a Newsmax exclusive:
"Asked if harsh interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay played a role in obtaining intelligence on bin Laden’s whereabouts, Rumsfeld declares: “First of all, no one was waterboarded at Guantanamo Bay. That’s a myth that’s been perpetrated around the country by critics."
Nope. Torture did not help get Osama Bin Laden. And, by the way, it's still un-American and immoral.
As the right raced to make vulgar claims that torture is somehow vindicated in the wake of the death of Osama Bin Laden, the lie was put to rest by none other than former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
From a Newsmax exclusive:
"Asked if harsh interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay played a role in obtaining intelligence on bin Laden’s whereabouts, Rumsfeld declares: “First of all, no one was waterboarded at Guantanamo Bay. That’s a myth that’s been perpetrated around the country by critics."
Nope. Torture did not help get Osama Bin Laden. And, by the way, it's still un-American and immoral.
Quote Of The Day - Here and Now Edition
Mar 3rd, 2011
"The [Al Qaeda] system is reeling overseas. Pakistan is terribly embarrassed, and every AQ guy hiding out right now, has to worry not only about predator strikes, but 40 Seals and the agency landing on your roof." -- a former covert ops CIA officer speaking to David Corn on the death of Osama Bin Laden
"The [Al Qaeda] system is reeling overseas. Pakistan is terribly embarrassed, and every AQ guy hiding out right now, has to worry not only about predator strikes, but 40 Seals and the agency landing on your roof." -- a former covert ops CIA officer speaking to David Corn on the death of Osama Bin Laden
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
It Mattered To Us...
May 3rd, 2011
by F. Grey Parker
The news of Osama Bin Laden's death at the hands of U.S. Forces operating deep inside Pakistan may well define us in a way matched only by a certain bad September day nearly 10 years ago.
by F. Grey Parker
The news of Osama Bin Laden's death at the hands of U.S. Forces operating deep inside Pakistan may well define us in a way matched only by a certain bad September day nearly 10 years ago.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Serious Business
May 2nd, 2011
These are the faces of the administration while watching the operation to get Bin Laden unfold live from a world away. Powerful stuff.
These are the faces of the administration while watching the operation to get Bin Laden unfold live from a world away. Powerful stuff.
The un-Official Obama Statement
May 2nd, 2011
You've probably already seen this. It has certainly gone viral. I figured I'd post it anyway.
You've probably already seen this. It has certainly gone viral. I figured I'd post it anyway.
Quote Of The Day - Here And Now Edition
May 2nd, 2011
In response to some of the not only dubious but outright vile claims being made by Keep America Safe among others.
"One would think that if so-called “enhanced interrogations” provided the magic silver bullet, and if the courier was a protégé of K.S.M.’s, then the C.I.A. might have wrapped this up back in 2003, while they were waterboarding the 9/11 mastermind a hundred and eighty-three times." -- Jane Mayer writing for the New Yorker
In response to some of the not only dubious but outright vile claims being made by Keep America Safe among others.
"One would think that if so-called “enhanced interrogations” provided the magic silver bullet, and if the courier was a protégé of K.S.M.’s, then the C.I.A. might have wrapped this up back in 2003, while they were waterboarding the 9/11 mastermind a hundred and eighty-three times." -- Jane Mayer writing for the New Yorker
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