Now, its time to party!

Juan Cole:

I hear behind the scenes from people on the ground in Iraq. Little mainstream reporting gives a sense of the grittiness, grimness, death and destruction that they discern behind the traffic jams and the frantic shopping/ hoarding of everyday life. Kudos to Jeffrey Gettleman for telling it like it is. One remembers what a controversy it caused when Farnaz Fassihi of the Wall Street Journal let it be known in October of 2004 via an email how bad things were in Baghdad, how shocking her first-hand account seemed to many Americans who were not being given the full story by their government or their press (sometimes the latter is stenographer for the former). Gettleman's thoughtful and hard-hitting piece is sort of like Fassihi 2, except that the NYT published it and the Wall Street Journal never published Fassihi's backgrounder.

All you anti-War, freak-show, lefties out there can now start to kick up your heels and celebrate. Your wishes have come true, Iraq is well and truly experiencing civil war.

Give yourselves a big pat on the back for a job well done. You've earned it, yo.

Blog the man down

New bloggy blog mcblog for the blogroll.. Shakespeare's Sister. A group blog.

Their bio pics bug me a bit (they're foggin up my mirror, yo!) but some great stuff. Believe it. Such as comparing Bush with the artist formerly known as..

And not good Prince. The famous "Bullhorn Moment"? That was W's "Purple Rain". It's been downhill ever since. Unfortunately, if you will recall, "Purple Rain" was followed by Bush's "Under the Cherry Moon", the War in Iraq. People who knew better tried to talk Prince out of making that movie, but he swore he knew what he was doing. And we all know how that turned out.

The value of life

New Business Blooms in Iraq: Terror Insurance
:
The Iraq Insurance Company, a state-owned group, has sold about 200 individual terrorism policies in the last year, and is now negotiating with several government ministries and private companies for group policies that would cover thousands of employees.

The idea of insuring ordinary people in what may be the most violent place on earth came from Abbas Shaheed al-Taiee, an executive at the Iraq Insurance Company.

"It is a kind of gift to the Iraqi people," said Mr. Shaheed, 53, a big, heavyset man with terribly serious eyes and a reputation as a master salesman. "We have expanded the principles of life insurance to cover everything that happens in Iraq."

Amazingly, the company has yet to pay out on a single claim.

The flame of the entrepreneurial spirit burns brightly!

Only minor scratches, do not affect play

Juan Cole:

Some 18 bodies were found, victims of night-time sectarian reprisals. One of the victims was a 13-year-old girl. It looks and smells like a civil war, folks.

Ok all you RWDB, Bush cheerleading kiddies.. EAR MUFFS!

The silver cloud with plaid lining

85 Bodies Found in Baghdad in Sectarian Strife
:

In some ways, Baghdad seems quiet. Compared with the situation a few months ago, fewer mortar rounds sail into the Green Zone, where the United States Embassy is. Fewer American Humvees growl through the streets. The Iraqi Defense Ministry released figures on Tuesday showing insurgent attacks down 7 percent this past week compared with attacks in the one before.

But beneath those numbers is a pointed violence that may be impossible to control because it cuts right to the heart of Iraq's identity crisis, a long-held rivalry between majority Shiites and minority Sunni Arabs, who ruled with iron sway until the American invasion.

What's your next move Rummy? Ah, of course, more troops.

You're fakin' the funk!

N. J. School Teacher Cannot Release Results of Mock War Crimes Trial of Bush.

Well, we shouldn't be surprised, these guys were scared of a heap of imaginary weapons in Iraq.

The rising price of material

Jon Stewart at the Oscars:

Stewart returned to some political jabs as the evening wore on, asking the cameras to point to a huge statue of the Oscar image above the stage.

And, in obvious reference to the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein in the days after U.S. forces entered Baghdad in the spring of 2003, he said, "Do you think if we all got together and pulled this down, democracy would flourish in Hollywood?"

And he could've asked whether or not the civilian casualties were 20k or 100k, prior to the outbreak of a civil war. That would've been heaps (as in big piles) funny.

Turn that light out!

Roy Edroso on spinning the effect of Samarra:

ALL IS WELL! We seem to be getting lots of panicky Don't Panic messages about Iraq these days. The authors of these messages curse liberals and the media, as usual, but increasingly include on their shit list the American people as a body.

Of course, like Vietnam, the idea (it IS only an idea and not reality, after all) that the US is failing/has failed in its recently stated mission to avert civil-war in Iraq, is all the fault of damned liberals. Heh, indeed.

Tim Dunlop has a post, along similar lines, but involving everyones favourite tight-rope walking act, Fox News.

Skilful Ignorance

From today's Crikey email:

24 verbal and written warnings – to Australia's UN mission in New York, to Austrade, to government ministers, to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to the Prime Minister's office, to AusAID – that AWB was paying bribes in contravention of UN sanctions.

Yet despite this avalanche of evidence, despite 24 separate warnings of smoke or fire, not one witness from the government or its departments has yet appeared at the Cole Inquiry, as The Australian reports today.

One thing is for sure, it takes a heap of talent to ensure that you and your minister's remain ignorant despite such a barrage of advice.

"Hello!?!"

John Howard, the political mastermind, king-dick of mendacity and skilful ignorance.