Gimme one reason to stay here
Mmmm … fresh intelligence:
A senior American intelligence official said Monday that the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah had been training members of the Mahdi Army, the Iraqi Shiite militia led by Moktada al-Sadr.
The official said that 1,000 to 2,000 fighters from the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias had been trained by Hezbollah in Lebanon. A small number of Hezbollah operatives have also visited Iraq to help with training, the official said […]
The interview occurred at a time of intense debate over whether the United States should enlist Iran’s help in stabilizing Iraq [and … the] claim about Hezbollah’s role in training Shiite militias could strengthen the hand of those in the Bush administration who oppose a major new diplomatic involvement with Iran.
Josh Marshall detects Cheney’s sepulchural hands all over this, which sets him to wonderin’:
The truth or falsity of this new intel from the same sources of the reliably bogus intel of recent years, though, seems of secondary interest to the debate that’s getting set up. It’s a recipe and the argument for staying in Iraq permanently … [a]nd brings us back to the key question: what’s our goal in Iraq. Not what it may or may not have been three years ago. But what is it right now?
The whole point of the war was to start it, and then to stay. That’s it. That’s been the only goal all along. It didn’t matter much how things shook out, because there were poltical and economic benefits to be gained by a select few, whether the war progressed quickly and peacefully or slowly and disastrously. It’s like when I was underage and used to sneak into nightclubs; my elaborate planning extended just past the bouncer. After that – who cares? There were plenty of possibilities – liquor, an awesome band, older women, a hilarious story about getting kicked out – all of which were entirely acceptable to me. This new intel sounds like when I’d tell the bartender I’d left my I.D. in my other pants. Maybe I had, but that license showed I was 17, and not 21 (i.e., the facts were fixed around the policy). My goal was to buy myself a little more time, if not a cocktail.
Our mission in Iraq has long been accomplished, from the administration’s view, and it will continue to be accomplished until we leave. Even then, they can always cast the dudes who made them leave as the heavy in some, as-yet-untold story.
The bird is on the wing.
It is high time that we bomb Iran. To stop them from making Nukes.
Because all that these people understand is force, from the top down.
The golden dove has left the barn REPEAT the golden dove has left the barn!\
Also, I saw a guy once on a green bicycle that looked like Richard Simmons and that made me think of William Katt in CARRIE (the hair, natch), so I went home and punched my dog. Right in the eye.
Because all that pets understand is force, from the top down.
The Mint did a special run. Over $2Billion in crisp new Hundreds. Largest single shipment ever irc.
Loaded it onto a big plane and it disappeared into Iraq. POOF!
Campaign finance reform should be a major goal of the Democrats.
Just saying.
Also, leprechaun eggs.
Hmm. Maybe all the wingnuts understand is force, because that’s all tehy ever recommend (and, not incidentally, run far far away from actually having to implement that force themselves as a military service member)?
Hmm. Maybe all the Bushies understand is force, which is why it’s their “answer” to almost every problem? Maybe everyone Bushie-boy doesn’t like is rushing to build nukes because they fully realize that Bushie-boy understands nothing but force?
Hmm. If there were homegrown insurgents, foreign mercenaries, sectarian religious groups and a foreign army all slugging it out in a free-for-all civil war in a nearby country like Canada or Mexico, wouldn’t it be the height of irresponsibility and neglect of national security for America to not have agents and/or proxies on the ground to attempt to influence the situation in its favor?
Just wonderin’…
Pardon me, Jose. The wing is on the bird.
No, permit me. The lunatic is on the grass.
As well as in someone’s brain, it would appear.
[The] claim about Hezbollah’s role in training Shiite militias could strengthen the hand of those in the Bush administration who oppose a major new diplomatic involvement with Iran.
I like the sense of plausible-deniability in the NYT report. Reading between the lines, the reporter is trying to say “We don’t believe this claim from a ‘senior intelligence officer’ — or taxi-driver, or whatever — any more than you do, because we know the source has an impeccable track-record of making shit up. But we don’t want to risk any possible embarrassment by not reporting the claim, so we’ll put it in the context of intra-administration feuding, where its truth or falsity is irrelevant. There, that’s my ass covered.”
The good thing about reading between the lines is that the aliens have left special messages there. You just need to blur your eyes the right way to read them.
The monkey is in the wrench!
The intelligence is in the stovepipe.
The stovepipe is between the stove and the ceiling.
La plume est sur la table.
The more I listen to the Bush admin the more I’m reminded of “Animal House”.
“You fucked up…you trusted us.”
L’idiot répand la merde
Ceci n’est pas un intelligence!
Travis- the metaphor of sneaking into a bar is terrific. Thanks.
The underage drinker is in the bar!
The gasoline is in the fire.
The caffiene is in my blood.
The lunatic is in my head.
L’oiseau est sur l’aile.
Nope. Doesn’t make it any better.
The more I listen to the Bush admin the more I’m reminded of “Animal House�.
“You fucked up…you trusted us.�
Omg, that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking for some time now. Every time some winger says that the Dems voted for the AUMF and that even though the intelligence was “faulty” it’s nobody’s fault. Because, in a nutshell, that is exactly what they are saying to anyone who took the whole “Saddam is a danger to America” idea seriously. They are saying that WE fucked up because we trusted THEM.
Would this be a good time to point out that the Mahdi army has also received much training and logistical support from the US-backed “Iraqi Police Force”?
Ou est le singe?
Le singe est sur la branche.
The troll is under the bridge.
. . . et le chat est sous la chaise. Mais ou est le souris?
Le souris est dans la chatte abyssiniane. Le chauve-souris géant noir est plongée par l’air.
That has got to be the best description as to why we are there in Iraq that I have read in 3 years.
Die Fledermaus ist im Haus.
It didn’t matter much how things shook out, because there were poltical and economic benefits to be gained by a select few, whether the war progressed quickly and peacefully or slowly and disastrously.
The more I read about this war, the more I become convinced that we invaded to keep Iraq’s oil off the world market, thus preserving record profits for the oil companies. A civil war accomplishes this to perfection; you can’t ship oil out of a country that is drowning in chaos. Thus the utter lack of concern on the part of Bush and Co about the downward spiral in country.
Nie, nie. Nietoperz jedzie autem do pieczary.
le monsieur est a la piano, jouant tous les etudes.
Or is that et000dz?
Ah, non! Ganesh le chat du Bengale ne parle pas français!
¿Mehitabel habla español?
Incidentemente, Jose Chung es lleno de mierda. Pero lo sabÃas, no?
The whole point of the war was to start it, and then to stay. That’s it. That’s been the only goal all along. It didn’t matter much how things shook out, because there were poltical and economic benefits to be gained by a select few, whether the war progressed quickly and peacefully or slowly and disastrously. It’s like when I was underage and used to sneak into nightclubs; my elaborate planning extended just past the bouncer. After that – who cares? There were plenty of possibilities – liquor, an awesome band, older women, a hilarious story about getting kicked out – all of which were entirely acceptable to me. This new intel sounds like when I’d tell the bartender I’d left my I.D. in my other pants. Maybe I had, but that license showed I was 17, and not 21 (i.e., the facts were fixed around the policy). My goal was to buy myself a little more time, if not a cocktail.
Awesome, Travis… just an awesome summary. You know it’s great, because the wingtards sent one of their best-known blogtrolls over to piss on it mitt schnell. Now we just need a tattoo artist who can needle the whole paragraph onto the fishbelly flesh of a certain occupant of the Naval Observatory, because some people really should come with a warning label.
Mehitabel no habla español, pero su casa-mono puede utilizar Google.
ماذا يتØدثون؟
Righteous, they are talking about nothing.
ماÙ?يش Øاجة
in Egyptian slang.
Le chat Bobby vraiment prefere la nourriture sec.
We are talking about nothing, but Jose Chung started it. It then became a point of honour to prove that we are more effective at meaningless gibberish.
SM’s contribution left me wondering whether Polish has the equivalent of L33t-sp34k, and if so, how they tell the difference.
ماÙ?يش Øاجة
How do I say that? Mafish haja or something like that?
Any links about Arabic you think are good would be a help if you have any you think I couldn’t find on my own.
ماÙ?يش Øاجة
To quote my most respected friend Smiling Mortician, gawd I love this place…
mikey
As my good friend Luke once said, sometimes nothing’s a pretty cool hand.
casa-mono *falls over giggling*
I may stop being a handmaiden, and become a casa-mono.
I think we kicked Jose Chung’s ass back to Hullaballo. Poor Digby! Gary is much more fun than the Chungbot. But perhaps it is Gary’s day off.
As for this ‘fresh intelligence,’ I don’t know anyone in the world who believes this crap except, of course, the tame MSM.
Do they care that the real press in the rest of the world is laughing at them?
Do they care that the real press in the rest of the world is laughing at them?
No, my dear Gentlewoman, because they are proud NOT to be members of the reality-based community. And as we all know, Reality has a well-known liberal bias.
Die Strasse ist in die Stadt. Nach der Krieg es gibt viel Milka fuer Alles.
You’d tell the bartender you left your ID in your other pants? And that actually worked???