The Blue State

A Stroll Down Memory Lane aka. Lying Culdesac (o'crap)

With all the "fresh" elephant Sh*t flying around these days from theadministration, I thought posting a few of the old charms would bereminiscent of looking through an old family photo album. There are probablymany more, but let's start with these.

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought
significant quantities of uranium from Africa." - President George W. Bush,
State of the Union, 2003

"You can't distinguish between Al Qaeda and Saddam, when you talk about the
war on terror." - President George W. Bush, September 25, 2002

"There's overwhelming evidence that there was a connection between al Qaeda
and the Iraqi government - Vice President Dick Cheney, 2004

"What I want to bring to your attention today is the potentially much more
sinister nexus between Iraq and the al Qaeda terrorist network." -Secretary
Colin Powell, 2003

"The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and
Saddam and al Qaeda - because there was a relationship between Iraq and al
Qaeda. - President George W. Bush, 2004

"We don't know." - Vice President Dick Cheney, on whether there was a
relationship between Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 attacks

"Imagine those 19 hijackers with other weapons and other plans, this time
armed by Saddam Hussein." - President George W. Bush, State of the Union,
2003

'Keith Olbermann takes a “look back” at Bush’s first months in office leading up to 9/11' Thanks to Crooks & Liars (from Sept 2006)

Mission Accomplished!

Bush was absolutely right the other day when he said:

 

"Should the foreign minister of Iran bump into Condi Rice, Condi won't  be rude; she's not a rude person. I'm sure she'll be polite,"  Bush said at a news conference after meeting with European Union leaders.

 

"She'll also be firm in reminding the representative of the Iranian  government that there's a better way forward for the Iranian people than  isolation," Bush said.

After reading this article I have no idea what (if anything) wasaccomplished, but she wasn't rude! And that's what counts.

But other evidence from the conference, and the Iraqi capital, suggested thatthe last 24 hours in America and Iran's severely frayed relationship have beenanything but straightforward. Iraqi officials present at Ms Rice's briefconversation with Mr Mottaki over lunch yesterday recounted the followingstrange diplomatic exchange:

“As-salama aleikum (peace be upon you),” Mr Mottaki is believed to havesaid.

“Hello,” replied Ms Rice. “Your English is better than my Arabic."

At which point the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, is said tohave joined in, encouraging the two countries to talk: “We want to warm theatmosphere some.”

To which Mr Mottaki replied: “In Russia, they eat ice cream in winterbecause it’s warmer than the weather," a somewhat obscure comment that MsRice is said to have agreed with.

Surely Bush's legacy willinclude the placement of the right people on the right positions.

Bush: 'Condi Wont be Rude'

What is wrong with this guy and his administration of jackasses? In referenceto Rice bumping into the foreign minister of Iran, Bush actually had totell us she wouldn't berude, and will be firm about policy. Why would he feelthe need to tell us that? Oh, maybe because he thinks she's incompetenttoo.

"Should the foreign minister of Iran bump into Condi Rice, Condi won'tbe rude; she's not a rude person. I'm sure she'll be polite," Bush said ata news conference after meeting with European Union leaders.

"She'll also be firm in reminding the representative of the Iraniangovernment that there's a better way forward for the Iranian people thanisolation," Bush said.

 

Editorial: Very disturbing comment from Rice

Earlier this morning on CNN's Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice implied that the public will have to wait until she writes a book before learning the truth about the war:

"Look, not everything went right," Rice said. "This is a very difficultcircumstance. There were some things that went right and some thingsthat went wrong. And you know what? We will have a chance to look atthat in history. And I will have a chance to reflect on that when Ihave a chance to write my book."

Why do you have to wait until you write a book and make a profit before reflecting on what happened?  You are the Secretary of State.  You should be reflecting on the truth each and every day -- unlike on August 6, 2001 when you basically ignored the memo "Bin laden Determined to Strike in US."

Lastly, Rice claimed that "some things" have gone well in Iraq.  If so, what are they?  I can't thing of one single aspect of this war that has aided our long-term national security interests.  Not even the oil has benefited us.

Rice: I will answer in writing

What a surprise, Secretary of State Rice is going to takeadvantage of executiveprivilege, and will answer any questions in writing, Rice said I have "answeredand answered and answered" referring to what she knew about thegovernments claim that Iraq was trying to buy uranium from Niger, which waslater proven to be false. The Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted and approved the subpoena 21 to 10.

The subpoena for Rice, approved by a congressional committee led byCalifornia Democrat Rep. Henry Waxman, was part of a flurry of action in thestepped-up congressional oversight of how the Bush administration operates.

Rice said she had answered questions about the matter in three letters overthe last month and cited a legal doctrine that can shield a president and hisaides from having to answer questions from Congress.

When are theconservative "hold-outs" going to stop complaining about theinvestigations, and realize that something is very wrong with thisadministration. Stop sticking up and making excuses for this crap.

Waxman Invites Condi to Testify

Congressman Henry Waxman D-CA is the Chairman of the Committee on Oversightand Government Reform. The web page is a great place to stay up to date with ongoing investigations, both present and past.

Chairman WaxmanInvites Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to Testify on April 18th -

The Committee has formally requested Secretary Rice to testify beforethe Oversight Committee on April 18th regarding the Administration’s claimsthat Iraq sought uranium from Niger, White House treatment of classifiedinformation, the appointment of Ambassador Jones as "specialcoordinator" for Iraq, and other subjects.

Invitationto Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice This link shows the new invitation,apparently she never responded to a previous one.

                                                                                                                   

 

Documents and Links

 

   
• Letter      to Secretary Rice Regarding Fabricated Niger Claims
   
• June      10, 2003: Administration Statements on Iraq Nuclear Evidence Contradict      Known Facts, Raise New Questions
   
• July      29, 2003: More Questions for NSA Rice on Iraq Nuclear Claims
   
• January      14, 2004: Rep. Waxman Investigates Inconsistencies in White House Leak      Responses
   
• February      17, 2005: Unanswered Questions Remain on Rice's Iraq Pick
   
• August      1, 2005: Letter to Secretary Rice
 

Iran Decides to Release Sailors

Iran's decision to release the 13 British sailors was welcomed by the U.S.,however the White House continues with their Hardball attitude of meetingand talking with Iran.

Secretary of State Condolezza Rice saidon Monday: Reuters reported.

if the circumstances were right, she would not rule out meeting Iranbilaterally, but with the usual caveat that Iran must give up enrichment.

Andpreviously said she would meet with Iran only in a multilateral context, alongwith other nations dealing with Iran over its nuclear ambitions. Iran may not bethe easiest country to deal with, but I think it's a no brainier to open up dialoguewith them, as opposed to the silent treatment and not knowing what they arethinking or doing.

Trump said Rice seems like a nice person, but doesn't cut it as a negotiator.

"I see Condoleezza Rice -- she goes on a plane, she gets off aplane, she waves, she goes there to meet some dictator," Trump said."They talk, she leaves, she waves, the plane takes off. Nothinghappens, it's a joke, nothing ever happens. I think she's a very nicewoman, but I don't want a nice woman. I want someone that's notnecessarily nice."

I say let's talk, lets make deals and let's stop looking for the "next" country to bomb.

Stage is set for Cheney's resignation

Monday's news that Dick Cheney had a blood clot in his leg renewed rumors that the most powerful Vice President in recent years might resign.  The speculation originated a few months ago when John Negroponte mysteriously stepped down from his intelligence chief post to become the new Deputy Secretary of State. 

Why would someone leave a front-line job for a backup job?  Could it mean that if Cheney steps down, Rice would move up to become the new Vice President, and then Negroponte be named Secretary of State?

Keep in mind, there is nothing left for Cheney between now and January of 2009.  His power has been greatly diminished.  Why would he stick around?  The clan of hawkishly fringe officials -- that included Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, John Bolton, Scooter Libby and Douglas Feith -- are all gone.  He has no staunch allies to reinforce his positions during Bush cabinet meetings.  With the news that the Bush Administration will talk with Iran and Syria, it shows that Condoleezza Rice's State Department and Robert Gates' Pentagon, both of which favor the diplomatic approach, have out-flanked Cheney.

Again, there is nothing left for Dick Cheney.  Condoleezza Rice is Bush's new wingman (or wingwoman), and Cheney is not.  This medical situation provides Cheney with the perfect excuse to resign.

All Cheney can do is talk

Dick Cheney's hawkish circle that once had enormous influence on Bush's foreign policy has been diminished.  Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, John Bolton, Scooter Libby, and Donald Rumsfeld are all gone.  We are watching the lessening of Cheney's influence before our very eyes.  Just days after Dick Cheney took a hard-line approach on Iran, American officials have agreed to high-level negotiations with Iran and Syria, which will take place at a regional conference on Iraq:

The discussions, scheduled for the next two months, are expected to include Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Iranian and Syrian counterparts.

Theannouncement, first made in Baghdad and confirmed by Ms. Rice, that theUnited States would take part in two sets of meetings among Iraq andits neighbors, including Syria  and Iran , is a shift in President Bush’s avoidance of high-level contacts with the governments in Damascus and, especially, Tehran.

We will probably never seen Bush and Ahmadinejad in a room together -- so don't get your hopes up.  Though, this definitely is a start.  It shows that the State Department and the post-Rumsfeld Pentagon are moving in a more realistic direction, even though it is taking them a long time to do so.

Bottom line: the most damage Cheney can do is with his mouth.  In terms of his influence, he is definitely a lame duck without anything to do other than voice threats.  New Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has obviously helped shift power away from Cheney.  Even Joshua Bolton, Bush's Chief of Staff, is more influential than Cheney at this very moment.  Compared to the situation when Andrew Card was in there, a lot has changed.

Rice favors Palestinian civil war

The Administration has obviously expressed its intention to micromanage the Iraqi civil war.  Though, it does not end there.

The internal struggle between Fatah and Hamas, the two Palestinian political parties, reached a dangerous level a few months ago.  Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, ultimately decided to prevent an all-out civil war by agreeing to share power with Hamas.  This angered Condoleezza Rice, who blasted Abbas this week for agreeing to the Hamas call for a unity government.  According to Time Magazine, Rice's outburst almost killed scheduled peace talks between Abbas and the Israeli Prime Minister:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the summit aimed atre-starting Middle East peace talks as "a big, big failure." Butaccording to Abbas aides, the meeting with U.S. Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert almost nevertook place.

A close Abbas aide tells TIME that the Palestinian leader nearlyboycotted Monday's three-way summit after a stormy session with Ricethe day before in Ramallah. Witnesses to their meeting say it souredwhen Rice accused Abbas of "retreating from previous commitments" byagreeing to share power with the militant Islamic group Hamas.

"And what were these commitments?" asked Abbas.

"To dissolve the [previous Hamas] government and call early elections," Rice said frostily, according to witnesses.

"I'd reached a situation where I had to prevent a Palestiniancivil war," Abbas explained. Since December more than 90 Palestinianshave died in feuding between the two rival militias.

In other words, Rice and the Administration would rather manipulate the Palestinian factions into fighting a civil war than to recognize a democratically-elected Hamas government.  We all know that Hamas supports extremism in the region.  Remember though, like them or not, they were elected.  The Administration's grand platform is to promote democracy in the Middle East.  How is a democracy like the one in Palestine supposed to thrive if a foreign superpower meddles in its business and tries to start a civil war?