In a recent article for TruthOut.org, Russ Baker wrote an article titled, “Qaddafi, Bush and the Iraq Big Lie” in which he reminds us of the troubling ties between the US and Libya’s despotic leader, Muammar el-Quaddaffi. Baker writes:
“In May, 2009, a man named Ibn Shaikh al-Libi supposedly committed suicide while being held in a Libyan jail. Al-Libi is a deeply, deeply interesting fellow. Back in 2002, he was tortured by Egypt under US direction. It appears that the reason the US government had him tortured was not to stop some imminent attack on the United States, but to generate alleged—and false— links between Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein that could justify invading Iraq.”
The article goes on to cite Nick Baumann’s 2009 article for Mother Jones:
“Al-Libi was the man whose false confession, obtained under torture, of a link between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda provided the Bush administration with its casus belli for war with Iraq. It didn’t seem to matter that al-Libi’s claim that Bin Laden had sent operatives to be trained in the use of weapons of mass destruction by Hussein’s people didn’t make any sense. ‘They were killing me,’ al-Libi later told the FBI about his torturers. ‘I had to tell them something.’ A bipartisan Senate Intelligence committee report would later conclude that al-Libi lied about the link ‘to avoid torture.’”
This revelation about Ibn Shaikh al-Libi is just one of what has been a constant stream of skeletons falling out of the Pentagon and State Department’s closets since Egyptian police fired tear gas canisters labeled “Made in the USA” at protesters in Tahrir Square.
Of course it’s always easy to look back on a series of events and/or decisions and stand in judgment of what an elected official or a political party should or should not have done. But while hindsight may always be 20/20, the resulting criticism is not always fair nor prudent. However, sometimes the only way that individuals, and in this case a nation, can move forward is to carefully examine past mistakes, evaluate the consequences and, commit to changing course. There was never a better time for this type of examination than when President Obama was elected to office, on a wave of dissatisfaction with the policies and practices of the Bush/Cheney era, and with a mandate for change. And when in January, 2009, then House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) introduced H.R. 104, a bill to establish a National Commission on Presidential War Powers and Civil Liberties to investigate the policies that were undertaken by the Bush administration under claims of unreviewable war powers, it was the Obama administration’s opportunity to clean the the US’ foreign policy closets. The opportunity was missed. Now, 8 years of a previous administration’s embarrassing dirty laundry is spilling out, one dirty item at a time.
“A litmus test for many will be the stand that the Obama administration puts forth on accountability regarding the actions of Bush and his key players on the issue of torture and civil rights. The conversation is out there, and has been featured in numerous posts including a January 9th article at Talking Points Memo by Elana Schor. Jonathan Turley, Constitutional Law Professor at George Washington University, has been seen on both the Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow shows, where he has been explaining the high stakes for all Americans in getting this right.”
As I wrote at the time, I believed that Americans and the global community deserved answers to questions about the Bush administration policies that lead to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the suspension of habeas corpus, the NSA wire-tapping program, extraordinary rendition, torture, the no-bid contracts to war contractors, and more. It was my opinion that if President Obama and the 111th Congress failed to at least public hearing on these issues that there failure to do so would come back to come not only the President, the Democratic Party but US foreign relations. My support for H.R. 104 had less to do with the criminal prosecution of Bush administration officials, than a desire to see the record straight and a framework for real change built on a solid foundation. There are still Americans who believe that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the attacks on 9/11 and that the Iraq war was all about the desire to spread democracy to the Middle East. This, of course, if probably the same group that believes that President Obama is a Muslim.
So now, instead of an investigation by a bi-partisan panel, the White House and State Department are busily spinning answers to questions about the US’ relationships with the regimes of Mubarak, Qaddafi and Bahrain’s royal family and, the American public is learning about our foreign policy via Wikileak’s unveliing of State Department cables and CNN’s pictures of Beyonce’s private performance for the Qaddaffi family.
Congressional hearings would have been much kinder.
She quotes Frank Schaeffer who appeared on the Rachel Maddow show last night. Here is a video clip (you need to get about 50 seconds in)…
This is beyond disturbing, it’s down right scary.
I’m interested in knowing what others in this community think about this extreme hatred toward our president. Is it going too far? Let us know what you think in comments.
Have you heard the latest phrase from the McCain-Palin stomp speech? It consists of two very powerful words. “I’m angry.” To place the statement in context, Palin has said, “There is anger about the dealings of insider lobbyists, anger about the greed of Wall Street, and there’s anger about the arrogance of the Washington elite, and there is anger about voter fraud.” McCain has himself said, “You’re angry and I’m angry too.”
However, the issue I have with the “angry” statement is this: What are all these angry people supposed to do with their anger? The election is not until November 4th. Until then, are folks to let their anger simmer until it boils over into something ugly? God forbid McCain actually loses the election— then what are they to do with their anger? Are they to do as some extremists in the McCain-Palin crowd have suggests when they shouted “Off with his head,” Kill him! Get him!?”
McCain may want to say that he is utterly appalled, and state that he totally rejects Congressman John Lewis’ reference to John Wallace, in his condemnation of McCain’s campaign rally etiquette. However, the fact is, if McCain refuses to fiercely and immediately— on-the-spot—denounce such statements that come from the crowd at his campaign rallies, he is inadvertently condoning them.
I believe that that Congressman John Lewis—in his statement that “McCain and Palin were sowing seeds of hatred and division”— was simply saying that to allow such unbridled anger and hatred to bubble up and fester is dangerous, and has the potential—if unchecked—to lead to violent acts on the part of some. The campaign has a responsibility to not incite it, allow it or condone it.
The following Associated Press article ran in the Detroit Free Press on October 10, 2008. My comments follow.
BALLOT GAFFE: Is it Obama or Osama?
Who is running for president? In an upstate New York county, hundreds of voters have been sent absentee ballots in which they could vote for “Barack Osama.”
The absentee ballots sent to voters in Rensselaer County identified the two presidential candidates as “Barack Osama” and “John McCain.” In the United States, the best-known individual named Osama is Osama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaeda terror group.
The county elections office faxed a statement in which the two commissioners, Democrat Edward McDonough and Republican Larry Bugbee, said they regret the error but never acknowledge what the error was.
“It’s human error, it’s very unfortunate, it’s an embarrassment to our office, obviously,” McDonough said.
### Compiled from the Associated Press
MY RESPONSE:
Let me say it up front: Yes, Rensselaer County is a Republican led county. However, there were supposedly three proofreaders and no one caught the error before the absentee ballot went out to over 300 residents.
Certainly, no one expects stupid errors on a simple ballot with names we’ve all become extremely familiar with. I suspect the person who typed the ballot assumed right—that no one would be paying close enough attention to notice until it was too late.
What could incite an American—let alone a New Yorker—more than being asked to vote for Osama? By the way, the letter “s” is no where near the letter “b” on the keyboard. The “s” is typed with the middle finger of the left hand and the “b” with the index finger.
A more accurate “typo” would have been “Onama”, “Ovama” or “Ogama.” Nah… those don’t have the same effect—and they certainly would have been caught.
Osama: Willful or ignorant?
I believe there are three options:
1) Either the individual who typed the ballot was typing with one finger and truly made a mistake;
2) It was a Freudian slip of the finger by a mindless, out-of-touch individual who actually believes the negative emails circulating that refer to Obama as Osama; or
3) The individual purposefully committed election fraud by attempting to reduce the number of votes cast for Obama due to the incendiary reference to Osama Bin Laden.
What about the election commissioners who didn’t catch the error? They probably didn’t see it. How often are simple, routine actions thoroughly analyzed? It’s not excusable, but very likely that proofing an absentee ballot is something that is delegated or neglected entirely.
I’m typically very optimistic and always ready to give others the benefit of the doubt—but this incident is extremely suspicious to me. Why, well, because I don’t believe in coincidence—and Osama—well, it’s just not your typical typo.
Why Does The McCain Campaign Want To Convince You To Be Scared of Obama?
Is the McCain campaign having it’s cake and eating it too? Are they for or against calling Barack Obama a terrorist? Do they think the only way they can win, is to scare the voting public into thinking Obama is not a true American?
Did you ever wonder who started the rumors about Obama? If so, here is a very interesting article in the New York Times – The Man Behind the Whispers About Obama…
The most persistent falsehood about Senator Barack Obama’s background first hit in 2004 just two weeks after the Democratic convention speech that helped set him on the path to his presidential candidacy: “Obama is a Muslim who has concealed his religion.”
That statement, contained in a press release, spun a complex tale about the ancestry of Mr. Obama, who is Christian.
The press release was picked up by a conservative Web site, FreeRepublic.com, and spread steadily as others elaborated on its claims over the years in e-mail messages, Web sites and books. It continues to drive other false rumors about Mr. Obama’s background.
This one really takes the cake. I’m no theologian, and I won’t claim to know what God is thinking. But, I’m just going to take a wild guess here, and assume God doesn’t like this kind of thing very much.
Is this guy kidding? Did he just threaten God? When did this election become a war between the good Gods and the bad Gods? Personally…I think there are good people and bad people, not good Gods and bad Gods. What do you think?
It doesn’t make much sense, and you might assume that because John McCain is the candidate who is a veteran himself, that his record on veterans’ benefits would be superior. But, you would be wrong. So, why is John McCain claiming to have an excellent voting record on veterans’ benefits and other veterans’ issues? I imagine, it’s for votes. He appears to be putting his campaign ahead of the welfare of veterans. What do you think?
In the first presidential debate a couple of weeks ago, John McCain boasted that he’s always been a champion for veterans. I’ll take care of them,” he said. “And they know I’ll take care of them.”
Unfortunately for McCain, facts keep getting in the way of the claim.
In recent years, McCain’s ratings from veterans’ groups have been less than impressive. The Vietnam Veterans of America, for example, recently compiled a list of key votes, and found McCain voted against the group’s position 15 times and with the group eight times. (Obama, in contrast, voted with the VVA 12 times, and against it only once.)
Did you notice Dumbya’s eyes last night? Red. More beady than usual….but instead of idiocy, the characteristic smirk has a snicker behind it. And he seemed zoned out. Something is going on. It could be drugs, but I think it’s something else…..
Outside of FEAR! and DANGER!, he is blaming the people for buying houses and things – not that he WANTED people to do this, ya know – for the problems the economy is having. That’s Delphi. Turn stuff around, blame it on the victim, and make it sound feasible. Delphi is what Hitler used. How many times have Dems compared the Bush administration to Hitler’s?
I keep mentioning Delphi lately in my posts. We parents of special needs kids know from Delphi. All politicians use it in some form, too, but I’ve never seen it used as much as I have this election. Obama’s used it, successfully, in the primary. Saul Alinsky, the guy who developed the Delphi technique, was the subject of Hillary Clinton’s thesis. So that makes the primary even more pathetic. But I digress….
What Fearless Brainless Leader didn’t explain to the American people was how the Fed is desperate because they are overextended, and China pretty much owns us. Their butts are in a sling, no matter what else is going on….and they are counting on the wimpiness of the Dems to bail them out.
Of course, there were no solutions in his speech that would benefit the American people, like paying off everyone’s credit cards and loans, or giving everyone in the country a million dollars and then requiring them to pay off their loans….which would be a lot less than them giving all that money to the institutions. Institutions, heh, that is a good name for them. That’s where the people who run these things belong…. But Heaven Forbid the Fed bail out real people, instead of real assholes.
The flip side of the coin? We’ve all joked at some time that Bush/Cheney would probably pull a martial law stunt, just so the Republicans could stay in office. It seems that that might not be such a joke.
Think about it. McCain suspending his campaign. When Hillary and Edwards suspended theirs, they basically quit. But – Is McCain not suspending, and just getting out of the way in preparation for a major move by the guy he supported 90% of the time? Is this our October Surprise?
Actually it’s probably more of a Dicktator Cheney move. Bush is too dumb for a move like this. People, in our zeal to return the pResidency to the Dems, and with Bush/Cheney keeping a low profile, we are not thinking about them. HOW many times have we all talked about this kind of thing?? We must never turn our back on scum. All these little things I am about to mention have happened in dribs and drabs. They’ve been easy to miss, or put aside. There is too much to truly be coincidence, especially with the timing….
Remember the statements that implied that the Iraqi oil revenue was going to pay for the war?
Now the Bush Administration and The Fed are saying that we have a financial crisis that needs an immediate $700 billion infusion from the American taxpayer. Did you know that some of that money could be used to bail out foreign owned banks?
Within the next 24 hours, Congress is expected to make an historic choice in addressing America’s financial crisis:
Cut the Bush administration a $700 billion blank check for Wall Street
OR
demand sensible public checks and balances in the $700 billion bailout.
Well, before you let them cut that blank check think about this?
Remember the brave US service men and women who were sent to war in Afghanistan and Iraq without proper body armor.
Remember the appalling conditions at Walter Reed Medical Center.
Remember that the US embassy in Iraq which cost in excess of $600 million to build and is projected to have an annual operating cost of $1.2 billion.
Remember that President Bush vetoed a $35 billion expansion to the SCHIP program which would have provided health insurance to millions of America’s uninsured children. He said that we couldn’t afford it.
Remember the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and now Ike. There are still parts of New Orleans’ 9th Ward as well as many parishes in Western Louisiana which have yet to have all of the debris removed.
Remember that five years after the worse blackout in US history, the energy grid is still “in dire straits“.
Are you going to let The Fed, the Bush Administration and Congress rush through a $700 billion dollar bailout of Wall Street and the banking industry when all of the aforementioned have put America and Americans last time after time after time after time?
Now, I’m not saying that nothing needs to be done to fix this broken economy. But are you going to let them rush to a bailout like they rushed to a war?
Manufacturing terrorism During The Election, Is It Possible?
Yes. I absolutely believe that before the elections this Republican administration will manufacture a terrorism event. I can feel it in my bones. The old boys of the Grand Old Party have one up their sleeve and I think they will spring an attach before the election.
Would you put it past them? Nope, I would not.
These are the same people that told the world Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was ready to attack the USA. Lies, lies and more lies. Bush and McCain, joined at the hip.
This is what I think they will do, when the polls change and Obama is ahead by a lot, probably a few days or week before the election, they will either stop a huge attack or they will actually kill a few of us to make their point.
I just hope that there is time for the American people to see through their lies and deceit. If Obama takes office he will keep us safe, he will make this country strong, and he will improve our way of life.
Why? Because he will surround himself with people that will make a difference and people that will work for all classes and not just the rich class. One thing I am sure of is that the Obama administration would not manufacture terrorism, and weapons of mass destruction.Why? Because if they get in office they would bring in with them the hope of the country on their shoulders and not arrogance like Bush brought.
Why would anyone believe this administration after it failed us so much?
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