WB: Revolt of the Puppets – Moon of Alabama

July 25, 2006

WB: Revolt of the Puppets

Billmon:

That’s not an Arab or a Muslim thing, really — just basic human psychology. And it appears that in the concentric circles of Middle East loyalties, Sunni versus Shi’a is still trumped by Arab versus Jew, believer versus infidel and (it would appear) tough Islamic fighters versus corrupt pro-U.S. elites.

Revolt of the Puppets

Posted by b on July 25, 2006 at 16:32 UTC | Permalink

Comments

Not really a revolt of the puppets as much as the futile protests the oil party’s host makes when his besotted guests start to break the furniture.

Posted by: NickM | Jul 25 2006 17:53 utc | 1

Puppet numero uno.
Standing beside Bush during his first visit to Washington as prime minister, Maliki reiterated his call for an immediate end to hostilities between the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and Israel.
“I also emphasised the importance of immediate cease-fire and call on international community to support the Lebanese government, to support the Lebanese people to overcome the damage and destruction that happened,” Maliki said.
The Bush administration opposes an immediate ceasefire, which Bush says would only lead to more violence in the future.
“I told him Maliki I support a sustainable cease-fire that will bring about an end to violence,” Bush said.

Posted by: Cloned Poster | Jul 25 2006 18:04 utc | 2

Loyalties!
PM’s daughter protests Gaza killings

Dana Olmert takes part in left-wing demonstration outside army chief’s house; protesters call Halutz ‘murderer,’ declare ‘intifada shall prevail.’ Meanwhile, human rights groups send letter to PM, defense minister, calling on them to stop war crimes in territories.
Ynet, no date. 🙂
link

Posted by: Noirette | Jul 25 2006 18:27 utc | 3

The wing-nut condemnation of Saudi was always weak and muted. It concentrated on known lies, or aspects that were intuitied to be completely superfcial – Binny was Saudi, most of the famous 19 were Saudi (supposedly) and Bush held hands (oh the horror!) with princes in robes.
No doubt, various rabid and violent comments were proffered. But that is just the style.
Those people knew that Saudi was a friend of Bush and that 9/11 kinda, well, didn’t count. You hadda make a lot of noise about it, to show you were a good patriot, and wanted to kill ragheads, that was the whole point no? (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) but Saudi, well, there were reasons Bush was tight with them…the oil, all that…
Note the guff about freedom fries and the cowardly smelly French also died away about 18 months ago. With reason!

Posted by: Noirette | Jul 25 2006 18:43 utc | 4

P.S.
It was the Democrats who were most down on the Saudis.

Posted by: Noirette | Jul 25 2006 18:49 utc | 5

Feh.
It’s like watching some Cosa Nostra goombahs talkin’ with their hands on a Brooklyn corner.
La Cosa Nuestra – this thing of ours.
Americans: Lissen up just lissen a me, this New American Century, this thing of ours, means we gotta run the whole Middle East Side from now on, capice?
Saudis: no, no, we’ll lose our kingdom to the populace, we’ll lose this thing of ours . . .
Iran: we’re the regional power ever since Iraq got whacked. That’s just how it is, baby. You can’t touch this thing of ours . . .
Jordan: This thing of ours ain’t much, but it’s all I got. Don’t do this shit is all I’m sayin’ . . .
Israel: Allah youse guys is gettin’ too big for your britches, ya know? Ya wanna ruin this thing of ours.
Syria: Back off, Izzy. This thing of ours is none of your business.
Lebanon: Ow! Hey, whud I doo? Whud I doo?
Afghanistan: So you guys want this heroin or what?
Pakistan: Lessee, whack Musharraf today, or wait until the weekend? Hey go buy some extra falafel, Abdul, we’re gonna go to the mattresses pretty quick here. Where the fuck is my plutonium?

Posted by: Antifa | Jul 25 2006 18:58 utc | 6

@Antifa – :-)))

Posted by: b | Jul 25 2006 19:42 utc | 7

yes yes, we need more of this creative re inactment ! go for it antifa

Posted by: annie | Jul 25 2006 20:10 utc | 8

Not sure where to put this, but I guess here is as good as anyplace.
Prof. of Theoretical Physicist, Michio Kaku, on his weekly radio prog has announced that “UCB has just released a study showing that if Everyone in Am. replaced their car w/plug-in hybrids, oil usage would be decreased by 80%, thereby eliminating the need for imported oil.”
Time to lobby for money wasted on War Dept. & tax cuts for uber-rich & corps. to be spent enabling that – NOW. Spread the word…(I’ll see if I can round up a link for the rpt. I would expect it to be online in some form…)

Posted by: jj | Jul 25 2006 21:21 utc | 9

I normally avoid watching dubya in action. Not good for the demeanour, circumstance intruded last night so I caught “Dubya and Maliki live at the Whitehouse”.
They’ve really had to up the Thorazine dose or something, cause right after the bit where Maliki did his ritual “see! I may be a slimy quisling, but I am a good muslim”, then demanded Israel quit its murdering, Shrub copped a question from the Amerikan Aipac Flunky Press.
Paraphrasing a little it went something like:
“Given that even your arselicking ragheads such as Maliki support Hezbollah, what hope can there be for peaceloving Israelis? In fact why is this guy here at the WH and not down at Gitmo taking a bath or three?”
Although I may have been heavy on the hyperbole that was pretty much the sub-text of the NYT or TIME journo’s question.
Bush’s first reaction was like he’s been slapped in the kisser with a rancid tuna. Then he pulled the well known, moronic cross-eyed, rabbid trapped in the headlight glare, that most have become familiar with.
Next he turned to one side, gazed vacuously off into space for about 30 seconds while he received instructions from backstage, and peformed two or three ‘jumps’ ie starting a couple of phrases of a well worn speech, then suddenly stopping and skipping to another, rather like a disc player when trying to find that correct track.
He settled on an old standard about ‘the joy of bringing democracy to the ME’. Although one had the feeling that dubya the wannabe DJ didn’t necessarily agree with the programming choice.
By way of an intro he segued into the bringing democracy croon with “I know it seems a long time ago we had those elections in Iraq but . . ”
I particularly liked the ‘we’ it makes no apologies about the fact that election wasn’t for the Iraqi’s, it was for amerikans. By giving it the old tried and true vote vindication, they could feel ‘better’ as their troops murder, rape and burgle. (but that’s another track here too lol)
Best of all though was the way the Whitehouse Press Corps, you know the one that has ‘seen the light’ and no longer unquestioningly accepts administration dissemblance, took it like the gentleman’s gentlemen they are. (As many will know gentleman’s gentleman was the polite term for a valet or manservant in the Edwardian era).
They didn’t say a word about this ME democracy bizzo. Nothing like “How well do you think that democracy has embedded into Iraq since nobody even talks to your Maliki boy anymore?”
Much less “If this ME democracy is such a world-beater why is amerika and it’s best proxy Israel at war with two of the three established ME democracies (Palestine and Lebanon) and shaping up for the mother of all blues with the third (Iran)?”
But least of all they didn’t say the thing that any journalist has a right to say to any speaker, no matter what their position is, at a press conference that has been convened by the speaker and the journalists have been invited to:
That is “Mr President you didn’t answer the question. What is Amerika’s reaction to Prime Minister Maliki’s support for Hezbollah and his statement that an immediate ceasefire is essential?”
This wasn’t a Fox news moment. This was a general distribution release for “the ‘merikan people”. Are they really still lapping up this sort of tawdry, contemptuous really, diss by the body politic?

Posted by: Debs is dead | Jul 25 2006 21:27 utc | 10

Via Digby
US lawmakers call on Iraq’s Maliki to commit suicide (hmm – not really)

Democrats in the US Senate called on Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to condemn Hezbollah’s attacks against
Israel and to recognize Israel’s right to defend itself.
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The lawmakers expressed dismay during a press conference over Maliki’s recent criticism of “Israel aggression” in Lebanon and called for a “clarification” from the Iraqi leader before he appears Wednesday before a joint session of Congress.
The lawmakers suggested that some members of Congress may choose to boycott the event if an explanation is not forthcoming.
“No matter how politically expedient he thinks it may be, to stand with America, you have to stand against terrorism,” said Senator Chuck Schumer.
“Before he speaks in front of the Congress and the American people, there’s a very simple question we are asking the prime minister today: Which side is he on when it comes to the war on terror?” Schumer said.
In a letter dated July 24, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, along with other party leaders, called on the Iraqi leader to clarify his views before speaking to a joint session of the US Congress.
“Your failure to condemn Hezbollah’s aggression and recognize Israel’s right to defend itself raise serious questions about whether
Iraq, under your leadership, can play a constructive role in resolving the current crisis and bringing stability to the Middle East,” the lawmakers wrote to Maliki.
“As you know, the American people have given so much in the name of fighting global terror and helping build a better future for the people of Iraq,” the Senate Democrats said.
“Americans deserve to know whether Iraq is an ally in these fights.”
The letter went on to call Maliki’s recent denunciations of Israel’s bombing of Lebanon “very troubling.”
“In advance of your scheduled appearance before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, we believe it is essential that you clarify your position with respect to Hezbollah and its provocative incursions into Israel,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Specifically, it is imperative that the US Congress and the world know immediately whether you support or condemn Hezbollah’s acts of terrorism.”

Anybody wants to vote for these blokes?

Posted by: b | Jul 25 2006 21:49 utc | 11

“As you know, the American people have given so much in the name of fighting global terror and helping build a better future for the people of Iraq,” the Senate Democrats said.
“Americans deserve to know whether Iraq is an ally in these fights.”
LOL. And I thought I was cynical.

Posted by: billmon | Jul 25 2006 21:59 utc | 12

I’ve answered by own question. The ever obliging demopublicans have simply made the problem go away :
Dems: Cancel Iraqi speech to Congress

Numerous congressional Democrats were in front of the cameras today, denouncing comments made by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders who condemned Israel’s attacks in Lebanon but not the actions of Hezbollah, the terrorist organization Israel says provoked its iron-glove response by rocketing northern Israeli cities and kidnapping Israeli soldiers.
House Democrats called on House Speaker Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) to cancel Maliki’s scheduled address to a joint session of Congress tomorrow.

Now that’s a loyal opposition for ya.
A party which wanted to win the mid terms in November would let the rethugs stew in the shit by letting quisling Maliki speak the truth to power and continue his “Israel is a warmonger” monologue.
Not the dems. Once again they demonstrate where their loyalties lie. Not to their party, their party’s members or heaven forfend the voting public. Not even to President Bush or ‘the people of Amerika’.
No Amerika’s loyal opposition have remained true, steadfast, and loyal to their AIPAC paymasters.
By beating one another about the head, kneeing each other in the groin as they claw and scratch their way to the nearest news camera to denounce Maliki and his comments, they will give the asleep with ennui at the swich, rovians, sufficient warning to either cancel Maliki ‘live at the house of people’s deputies’ (unlikely), or time to tell/beat into Maliki “drop the pro-islamic jibber-jabber”, and organise a technical problem that will prevent the live broadcast being shown back home in Iraq.
Iraqis will instead be treated to ‘selected highlights’.(considerably more likely)
What more can be said? As an outsider who sees a certain longterm advantage in seeing the demopublicans being beat like that old tin drum, I shouldn’t complain.
However while it’s true that the loyal dem party supporters have been getting nervous since Shrub’s popularity rose from 29% to 30% they won’t have been expecting this.
That is it would be safe to imagine demopublican ‘true believers’ were worried that their nemesis, the battered, tired and no longer original Karl Rove may pull a ‘october surprise’ or some other brilliant blindside. However I betcha they never imagined that their very own idols; the combed over, ferret faced dissimulators, would bow out gracefully like an old soprano at the behest of their sugar daddy who would rather hear the unfaltering arias of their handsome rival.

Posted by: Debs is dead | Jul 25 2006 22:17 utc | 13

heh so slow answering the question didn’t realise bernhard would beat me like that old tin drum.

Posted by: Debs is dead | Jul 25 2006 22:19 utc | 14

Re my post #9 above. I just got email back from author. He sent me rough draft of his paper. Final draft will be ready soon. I’ll post when it is & hopefully B- will do a thread for it. Prof. Kammen said: “actually, it has to be PHEVs powered by green (cellulosic) ethanol to achieve that figure.”
God knows how much land & fresh water would be required to achieve that transformation…Wonder how much of that could be saved used plankton instead?

Posted by: jj | Jul 26 2006 1:38 utc | 15

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