It is worth noting, even now, that the Dirty Fucking Hippies were right all along about Bush's illegal war of aggression.

* Several conservative media personalities have condemned Iraqis as "ingrates" this week, for failing to thank the U.S. for our efforts.

As Yglesias rightly points out, the Iraqis never asked us to "liberate" them or to invade their country. The US invasion was carried out to further (even if wrongly, stupidly, criminally) US interests in the region, and not for the benefit of the Iraqi people. Only a delusional monomaniac would be surprised at their hostility.

One can't help but wonder if the laws of symmetry require that somewhere, the family of a suicide bomber considers the US to be "ingrates" for not appreciating everything he did to attempt to save our souls.

Not only are the Iraqis ingrates for all that the United States has done for their country, so are the displaced persons and families of New Orleans, who have never shown their gratitude for Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina. Tsk, tsk.

Cheney's statement requires some serious reverse Nixon parsing. WMD includes chemical and biological weapons. Cheney made no mention of delivery systems. Therefore all capability and feedstock means is that Iraq had working High School chemistry or biology lab and competent lab assistants. Anthrax occurs in nature, so there is your "feedstock".

Your quote from Yglesias said:

"The Iraqi people didn't ask to be liberarted conquered and occupied by a foreign power..."

It should be noted that in the original, Yglesias struck out the word "liberarted" (sic). Quoting this phrase without the strike is sure to lead to confusion.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice inexplicably told the AP yesterday that no "American money" was lost to corruption in Iraq.

In one respect she is correct. Its just fiat.

* Several conservative media personalities have condemned Iraqis as "ingrates" this week, for failing to thank the U.S. for our efforts.

So Juan Williams is officially a "conservative media personality" now?

Personally, I view him as more of a spouter of inane "conventional wisdom" rather than a liberal or conservative. He makes some weak effort to play a liberal on the Fox Sunday show, but that's just because he wants the job.

(Of course, if he made a strong effort to convey progressive positions, he would no longer have that job)

Does it even need to be said that Frank Gaffney is, for now and ever more, the Worst Person in the World? Somebody box him up and ship him to Iraq; I think he needs to find out what life over there amongst the ingrates is like.

Here ye, here, ye where as we the people of the Washington Monthly do her by endorse Seven Benen and Kilzoy as persons of the year that bring forward true transparency and with this piece have targeted America’s crooks that long over do need addressing and a public hearing.

THE LEGACY PROJECT SPINS IRAQ,

IS A TERRIFIC ARTICLE. IT IS A GREAT ARTICLE TO DISCRIBE THE BUSH AND COMPANY’S NUROTIC AMERICAN LEADERSHIP.

“�The harsh reality is that this was not a noble undertaking done for good reasons. It was a criminal enterprise launched by madmen cheered on by a chorus of fools and cowards. And it's seen as such by virtually everyone all around the world -- including but by no means limited to the Arab world.��

Steven for me the Arabs are influential very deeply and connected hard with money and American resources that Bush and Company squandered for family profiteering. When one has to have secret mercenaries to protect diplomacy in a war zone now shows the “criminal enterprise� yet to be exposed.

For Bush and Company to be exposed for these crimes would be the greatest gift America could get God bless and Merry Christmas.

Bush, when confronted with the fact that al Qaeda wasn't in Iraq until after the U.S. invasion, said the development was irrelevant, asking, "So what?"

It was a criminal enterprise launched by madmen cheered on by a chorus of fools and cowards.

Get over it!

no American money was lost due to corruption in Iraq???

Bullshit! Every American cent spent in Iraq was lost due to corruption.

Saddam Hussein was a "mortal threat" to the United States???

No more so than Global Warming, arsenic in the water, outlawing stem cell research, our growing dependency on foreign oil, the corporatist takeover of the US government, and oh yeah, Osama Bin Laden, for Christ sake!

Saddam Hussein "still had the capability to produce weapons of mass destruction" prior to the U.S. invasion???

So does Canada.

the fact that al Qaeda wasn't in Iraq until after the U.S. invasion, said the development was irrelevant, asking, "So what?"???

"So what? So let's dance!!!" What a tremendous slouch.

It was a criminal enterprise launched by madmen cheered on by a chorus of fools and cowards.

And until we launch the investigations, prosecutions, and convictions appropriate to a criminal enterprise, that will be what defines us as a nation, no matter how popular Barack Obama may be.

Did anyone else see Cindy Crowley holding hands with Bush as she conducted her interview. I shit you not. Bush took her hand and they strolled through the Oval office hand in hand and she beamed like the fat chic who gets to go to the prom with the captain of the cheerleader team. It was nauseating and insane. It's gotta be on the CNN website somewhere. The "No Bias No Bull" woman talked to Crowley and claimed it "a sweet and tender moment". The corporate media is fucked beyond belief and repair.

Did anyone else see Cindy Crowley holding hands grinning cat

I was wondering if this was one of those body language domination things. And not to defend Candy too much, but I think even she was weirded out by it. At the time, I wondered how King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia felt when Bush held his hand as they walked through the bluebonnets a couple years ago.

wasn't Gaffney one of those paid shills for the Bush Administration and why does the media keep calling these guys?

We invaded Iraq because we wanted to cover-up the fact that we supplied SH with massive amounts of explosives, the same stuff that's killing our troops.

We invaded Iraq to set up 30 some odd permanent bases across the desert.

We invaded Iraq so that George could follow the battle using action figures (he did, the record shows).

This is all very true, but for all the wingnut huffery and puffery, the big story was that an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at the shrub. Aside from a smattering of wingnut pundits, no one seemed terribly offended by this. It may well become Bush's legacy event.

Pakistan has 30 trillion cubic feet of gas!

According to www.legitgov.org/index.html, Pakistan is alleged to have 30 trillion cubic feet of gas trapped in tight reservoirs of Pakistan for oil & gas exploration and production.

It struck me, why would Bush give Pakistan nuclear weapons then give nuclear to India!

Aren't Pakistan & India enemies? How many years have they been fighting over Kashmir?

When the Iraq War first came up, I was opposed to it but not really agitated about it. I thought it would be a mistake but not a disaster. After all, it was in the administration's interest to do a decent job of it. I think what surprised me and a lot of other people, here and abroad, was what a mess it turned into. Even if you thought they were just going to pump out all the oil and invade Iran and Syria, they still needed to pacify the area, provide security, etc. so that these things could happen.

I'd like to thank Bush for all he's done for our country, but I think I'm going to need all my shoes.

No American money has been lost to corruption on the war! Then this begs the question since we have borrowed money from China, Saudi Arabia & Mexico to pay for it.

We had a surplus when the Bush Administration came into office. What happened to the surplus?

Was the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan started to coverup missing money from the treasury?

Again, why didn't the administration sell war bonds? They sold the idea of war under the pretext that Iraqi oil would pay for the war!

Far-right commentator Frank Gaffney insisted on MSNBC yesterday that Saddam Hussein was a "mortal threat" to the United States and while it was "regrettable" that U.S. troops had to die, they "did have to die."

Gaffney should be monkey stomped by a group of military widows.

First, I appreciate the disgust with which the Iraq effort is held, but I hope that liberals won't try to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory just to make a point. Obama should take advantage of the "gift" given to him and keep moving it forward. The definition of Liberalism from wiki...

Liberalism is a broad class of political philosophies that consider individual liberty to be the most important political goal.

Liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity. Within liberalism there are various streams of thought which compete over the use of the term “liberal� and may propose very different policies, but they are generally united by their support for a number of principles, including freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, an individual’s right to private property, free markets, and a transparent system of government. All liberals, as well as some adherents of other political ideologies, support some variant of the form of government known as liberal democracy, with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law.

Second, if I were Obama, I would send Xmas Cards with pictures of Saddam swinging from a rope to guys like Assad and Dear Leader with the message, "Thinking of you" on the inside. Just to let them know that promising to play nice doesn't mean liking.

Yglesias' statements were excellent and right on. I can't see even pretending to be nice to these monsters unless it was to lure them to a place where they could be hung. Murderous Sociopaths were happy the day we started the killing.

Our leaders have a way of protecting each other rather than holding each other to account...Unless it is a liberal who is guilty. Most of the country polls liberal so it's easy to see the disconnect between the people and our elected leaders.

I would submit to you that if the president and the media had been truthful and honest with the intelligence about presenting the idea of invading Iraq...The People Never would have stood for it. It was completely unnecessary for protecting our nation or keeping us safe. This administration lies about its motivations and always will. Where have they ever been honest or released information without being forced. Patriotism was just a cover.

No money is lost to corruption in Iraq?

Private contractor "Triple Canopy" said after getting contract for Iraq- It filled backpacks with money - bricks of money

see http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12542