Billmon:
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July 27, 2006
WB: Cowards
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Haim Ramon’s timing seems to be relevant here:
Two news items from JPost:
Jul. 27, 2006 17:58 – Police say testimony against Ramon reliable
Police officials said Thursday that the investigation into Justice Minister Haim Ramon’s alleged sexual harassment of a young woman was in its final phase, and it appeared that the woman’s testimony against him was reliable.
Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz and Intelligence and Investigation Division head Cmdr. Yohanan Danino were set to discuss the investigations of Ramon and President Moshe Katsav.
Jul. 27, 2006 18:22 – Ramon: IDF should escalate attacks on s. Lebanon
Justice Minister Haim Ramon stated on Thursday that the IDF should escalate its attacks against towns in southern Lebanon, citing Bint Jbeil as a specific example.
He asserted that the civilians in those towns have already left – or have been instructed to leave – and so the only people left were Hizbullah operatives.
Ramon told Channel 2 that in such a case, the IDF should use artillery and air force, calling in infantry only when there remains no other option.
Ramon also just reveived the diplomatic equivalent of “fucking asshole”
German FM: No green light for Israeli offensive
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday called Israel’s interpretation of the Rome conference outcome a “gross misunderstanding,” insisting the declaration in no way indicated the Israelis should continue their offensive in Lebanon.
Justice Minister Haim Ramon said earlier that Israel interpreted the lack of consensus at Rome as a green light to continue its attacks on Hizbullah.
“I would say just the opposite – yesterday [Wednesday] in Rome, it was clear that everyone present wanted to see an end to the fighting as swiftly as possible,” Steinmeier told reporters in Berlin.
So they are going to turn the whole of S. Lebanon into Fallujah redux?
Fucking evil war criminals.
Posted by: Cloned Poster | Jul 27 2006 16:37 utc | 3
Dean: Maliki an “Anti-Semite” for Criticizing Israel
Meanwhile, leading Democrats continue to denounce the Iraqi Prime Minister over his recent criticism of Israel’s attack on Lebanon. Several Democratic lawmakers boycotted Maliki’s speech. …But the harshest criticism of Maliki came from Democratic Party chair Howard Dean. Speaking at a gathering of business leaders in Florida on Wednesday, Dean called Maliki is “an anti-Semite.” Dean added: “We don’t need to spend $200 and $300 and $500 billion bringing democracy to Iraq to turn it over to people who believe that Israel doesn’t have a right to defend itself and who refuse to condemn Hezbollah.”
Amy Goodman
Democracy Now
Headlines
July 27, 2006
The story of an insurgent, people-powered candidate moving to the top of the polls against the Democratic establishment is not new. My brother, Howard, was in a similar position three and a half years ago in the 2004 presidential primary. I don’t need to remind you about what happened when the Beltway Democrats placed a giant target on his back and took aim.
Jim Dean, Chair
Democracy For America
“14 Days to Put Lamont over the Top”
E-letter to Democracy for America supporters
July 25, 2006
Posted by: gylangirl | Jul 27 2006 16:46 utc | 4
Looks like it, CP, as we said right from the start.
Listening to ‘the street’ (in Switz.), it looks like the reputation of Israel as a wily strategist hiding behind the curtain, getting a hapless and bumbling US to do its bidding, is toasted. The Israeli strategy is just as clueless, confused, violent and haphazard as the US’. Bomb things to bits, indulge in cock-eyed propaganda, have everyone walk all over each other, mumble about mistakes, and then scrape about for a coalition of peace-keepers who are to do…well.. something. Oh yeah, re-build a few bridges so that aid can get through?
Those Israeli Destructive Forces have either become soft from doing nothing but taking pot shots and Palestinians, sitting in tanks and at check points, playing the individual bully on the block, or the whole show is actually run by the Americans.
Posted by: Noirette | Jul 27 2006 16:47 utc | 5
For improved link to above Dean story, go to:
http://www.Democracynow.org
then click:
>>headlines
and:
>>July 27, 2006
Posted by: gylangirl | Jul 27 2006 16:59 utc | 6
The Israeli strategy is just as clueless, confused, violent and haphazard as the US’
Noirette, that’s probably because it is written by the same people. The coincidences are just too many for the plan to have been independently thought out.
Posted by: Ensley | Jul 27 2006 17:10 utc | 7
i’m disgusted dean would stoop so low as to actually call maliki an anti semite. is this part of the framing the dems are using to corner bush w/his puppet. pretty slimey.
The coincidences are just too many for the plan to have been independently thought out.
independence? there ain’t no independence between the master and the mini me.
Posted by: annie | Jul 27 2006 17:32 utc | 8
Dean and the Dems are doing what they gotta do. It’s sick, perverse and wholly dishonest, but then it’s a sick, perverse and wholly dishonest system. I don’t know if having John Conyers as House Judiciary Chairman is worth this kind of shit, but after four years of one-party Republican rule, I’m willing to let the Dems give it a shot.
Posted by: billmon | Jul 27 2006 17:36 utc | 9
Billmon, that’s assuming that they are doing it as a strategy move. What if it’s what they really mean?
Posted by: Ensley | Jul 27 2006 17:41 utc | 10
Oh I agree Ensley, straight from the same script book.
Posted by: Noirette | Jul 27 2006 17:42 utc | 11
OT here.
I want to call into question the dynamics of how US bloggers are covering the Israeli war-crimes in Lebanon and Hezbollah’s 10% share of these in Northern Israel?
Atrios – Not Interested.
KOS – You tell me, I don’t go there anymore.
Steve Gilliard – Great coverage.
Steve Clemons – ditto -.
Billmon – at the front line -.
When Howard Dean says Maliki is an anti-semite, something’s fucking rotten in the US.
Posted by: Cloned Poster | Jul 27 2006 17:54 utc | 12
Still wondering if W actually said, “Let Heads Roll” before flattening Fallujah.
Posted by: gar | Jul 27 2006 18:20 utc | 13
Yeah CP amongst the various bloggers I visit it is very interesting to note those who avoid the Lebanon news entirely. In Europe, too. Painful. Diaries /posts /leaders about Rembrandt, stem cells, re-hashing the world cup.
Those who don’t discuss it I have dropped. Kos I will not set foot in so dunno.
Posted by: Noirette | Jul 27 2006 18:53 utc | 14
“These places are not villages. They are military bases . . .”
Kinda describes Israel, don’t it? One big armed camp.
Madness reigns.
Posted by: gmac | Jul 27 2006 20:22 utc | 15
“Billmon, that’s assuming that they are doing it as a strategy move. What if it’s what they really mean?”
They’re bourgeois politicians. They don’t mean ANYTHING, except protecting the privileges of the ruling class.
(It feels good to get in touch with my inner Marxist every once in a while.)
Posted by: billmon | Jul 27 2006 20:56 utc | 16
(It feels good to get in touch with my inner Marxist every once in a while.)
do you still have the tee shirt ;>)
Posted by: dan of steele | Jul 27 2006 22:14 utc | 17
I said Marxist, not Stalinist. Stalin wasn’t a Marxist — just a gangster and a snitch who figured out sooner than the rest of the Old Bolsheviks that the key to climbing the greased pole of revolutionary power was to cherry pick the most ruthless opportunists and slide them into the key slots on the organizational chart.
Or as the neocons (our neo-Bolsheviks)like to say: People make policy, not the other way around.
Don’t want no t-shirt like that.
Posted by: billmon | Jul 27 2006 23:06 utc | 18
Ensley: “The coincidences are just too many for the plan to have been independently thought out.”
Yeah, and the way the U.S. is helping really bothers me. My apologies if someone has already posted this story from the UK Independent:
Last night Mrs Beckett said she had protested to the American government after it emerged that two cargo planes loaded with 5,000lb ” bunker-buster” bombs bound for Israel had stopped over at Prestwick airport near Glasgow.
Last night Mrs Beckett said she had protested to the American government
Yea, she said the US was breaking “security regulations”. Quite a “protest”.
Dean and the Dems are doing what they gotta do…
Why do they gotta do it?
There’s enough holes in the neocon line to drive tanks through, if you had somewhere else you wanted to go.
So far the only Democrat I’d vote for is Jonathan Tasini.
Posted by: John Francis Lee | Jul 28 2006 11:29 utc | 21
@John Francis
I’m not disagreeing with any particular point, but I’m curious as to why you wouldn’t support Dennis Kucinich, who has remained consistently opposed to fascism in the US government since before 9-11 until the present.
Posted by: Monolycus | Jul 28 2006 11:34 utc | 22
Mono
though Dennis Kucinich is the best guy in the whole crowd he will never be elected in this age of television simply because he is too short. If we could make him a foot taller he would be a front runner now.
Posted by: dan of steele | Jul 28 2006 11:59 utc | 23
@Dos et al…
Dennis Kucinich is the best guy in the whole crowd he will never be elected in this age of television simply because he is too short.
or swift boated or any number of tatics to make him look like bad.
Hell, it’s like the one hit group Living Colour, ‘cult of personality’ song lyrics…
“When a leader speaks that leader dies…”
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Jul 28 2006 12:53 utc | 24
Wolf:
U$ put up a link to congress.org the other day, which in turn had a link to the roll-call:
“ISRAEL SUPPORT RESOLUTION PASSES 410-8: Should the House have voted to support Israel in the latest conflict and call for Syria and Iran to be held accountable? (How They Voted) Let Congress and President Bush hear your views on the latest Middle East crisis.
The eight who stood up for our interests :
- Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)
- John Conyers (D-MI)
- John Dingell (D-MI)
- Carloyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)
- Jim McDermott (D-WA)
- Ron Paul (R-TX)
- Fortney Stark (D-CA)
- Nick Rahall (D-WV)
Let us make sure that these eight are returned to office in November! They will certainly be targeted by the AIPAC for elimination.
So whose interests do these other toads represent? Certainly not ours.
The four who, although “present”, would wash their hands of the blood of the Lebanese :
- Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
- Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
- Barbara Lee (D-CA)
- Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Another poster here at MofA paraphrased Michael Lerner who related the standard answer given by all the “liberal” (Demoplican) politicians he asked to stop voting for the Israeli Entitlement Program :
‘ If I vote against AIPAC they will come after me, fund opposition, etc. But I pay no price from you (left-liberals) ‘cuz I vote on things you care about most of the time. Until voting “against AIPAC” is The Bottom Line issue for liberals nothing will change.’
Well voting against AIPAC is now The Bottom Line!
Posted by: John Francis Lee | Jul 28 2006 13:28 utc | 25
The four who, although “present”, would wash their hands of the blood of the Lebanese
tough crowd! He did not vote for enthusiastically killing like all the republicans and most of the democrats. Maybe he tired of walking around with a bulls-eye painted on him and thought that a “present” was making enough of a statement to a resolution which everyone except AIPAC will forget about within minutes of it being passed.
he has a very good record of being against huge defense spending and has demonstrated his ability to stand up to giant corps. those giant corps actually ran him out of Cincinnati where he resisted efforts to sell of the municipal power. but that is for another thread and another time
Posted by: Anonymous | Jul 28 2006 13:50 utc | 26
Voting against AIPAC is now The Bottom Line.
Posted by: John Francis Lee | Jul 28 2006 14:01 utc | 27
‘But I pay no price from you ‘cuz I vote on things you care about most of the time.
Until voting “against AIPAC” is The Bottom Line issue for liberals nothing will change.’
Voting against AIPAC is now The Bottom Line.
Posted by: John Francis Lee | Jul 28 2006 14:04 utc | 28
I hear you JFL. AIPAC war policy is toxic to American national security. Politicians who put AIPAC war interests above American safety interests are traitors.
@Monolycus
Kucinich is an opportunist who cynically claimed the feminist mantle in order to win the DNC nomination for president- after consistently voting against women’s reproductive rights throughout his congressional career. His failure to hold accountable the war criminals by not voting with the progressives [even sexist Ron Paul could do that!] further exposes his duplicitous posturing.
He wants the campaign money. The issues are secondary means to that end.
Posted by: gylangirl | Jul 28 2006 15:16 utc | 29
@gylan
“Kucinich is an opportunist who cynically claimed the feminist mantle in order to win the DNC nomination for president- after consistently voting against women’s reproductive rights throughout his congressional career. His failure to hold accountable the war criminals by not voting with the progressives [even sexist Ron Paul could do that!] further exposes his duplicitous posturing.”
I don’t doubt that you know what you’re talking about, but I’m not familiar with the details myself. Could you provide me with a link that outlines this? I’ve never run across any stories myself that would seem to impeach Kucinich’s integrity, but it is always possible that I am missing something. Thanks for pointing this out to me.
@John Francis
I don’t think you’re being entirely fair to suggest that Kucinich “…would wash (his) hands of the blood of the Lebanese” by not explicitly voting against AIPAC (though, like you, I wish he would have done precisely that). As far as his interest in the blood of the Lebanese is concerned, he authored a congressional resolution (h.con.res. 450)last week to demand an immediate ceasefire from Israel… and it was one that did not necessarily shoot itself in the foot by antagonizing the Isrealis, thereby escalating the conflict.
Posted by: Monolycus | Jul 28 2006 17:19 utc | 30
errata I meant to say house res. 921 and not 450. I regret any inconvenience this error might have caused.
Posted by: Monolycus | Jul 28 2006 17:33 utc | 31
Wolf:
‘ appeal to all sides in the current crisis in the Middle East for an immediate cessation of violence; ‘
This is hot air.
How about
‘ stop arming the Israelis with the munitions they are using to murder civilians and UN peacekeepers and to destroy the infrastructure of Lebanon and Gaza; ‘
You can’t break an omlette without breaking eggs. To avoid antagonizing the Israelis in the face of genocide is absurd. American politicians have been avoiding antagonizing the Israelis for forty years. That is the problem.
‘But I pay no price from you ‘cuz I vote on things you care about most of the time.
Until voting “against AIPAC” is The Bottom Line issue for liberals nothing will change.’
With their endless equivocations, their sellouts to the AIPAC they are antagonizing me. As they should be all Americans.
I want change.
Not one more Nickel!
Not one more Dime!
No more money!
For Israeli war crimes!
Not one more Nickel!
Not one more Dime!
No more money!
For US war crimes!
Sorry if I’ve antagonized anyone.
Posted by: John Francis Lee | Jul 29 2006 2:54 utc | 32
@John Francis
I want change, too. I am NOT and never have been a supporter of the nation of Israel. I think that the Likud party/US Democrat party/US Republican party are the greatest threats to human survival that currently or have ever existed.
However (and this is a BIG however), Israel is a reality. Outrage or catchy slogans over their actions aren’t going to make them go away and unless you are suggesting that the US declare war on Israel (which will, let’s face facts, never happen), antagonizing them results in bloodshed. Not your blood, not my blood, but the blood of those Lebanese/Palestinians/Syrians/Iraqis/Iranians/Jordanians that you are also concerned about. Your justifiable outrage is making you become cavalier about the blood you didn’t want anyone to wash from their hands… and neither do I.
Yes, AIPAC delenda est. Yes, US financial support for Israel must cease. Yes, war crimes must be held accountable… but you and I are grown ups and must realize that taunting the playground bully from afar is going to get more people killed… people who do not have the megaphone that we do.
First, an immediate ceasefire… THEN when human beings are out of immediate harm’s way, we can push for the dismantling of AIPAC and start prosecuting war criminals. We have the same goals, John Francis. I am just as appalled as you are. Remember, though, that action-for-the-sake-of-action keeps coming back to bite our asses. In dealing with Israel we need to be methodical and, above all, keep our heads cool or we will just perpetuate the inhumanities we are currently seeing.
You’ve not antagonised me. I’m just looking for an effective course of action here.
Posted by: Monolycus | Jul 29 2006 4:08 utc | 33
An effective course of action is cutting off the funding of the Four Decades War against the Palestinians along with the war in Iraq.
The things that are “impossible” are impossible only given the present American political class.
It is not as “nuanced”, as complicated as these shills and their MSM stenographers put across. All of that talk is like talk of a “timetable for withdrawal” in lieu of withdrawal.
I believe a candidate who will put that course of action before the people will be elected. Perhaps he or she will choose a different call and response than I have offered. That is immaterial.
A war needs, in order of importance, money, money, and more money. Cut off the funds for war and you’ve cut the Gordian Knot. Israel’s war in the Middle East will be over in one New York minute.
Posted by: John Francis Lee | Jul 29 2006 4:48 utc | 34