Great Grape Scapegoat

Ex-C.I.A. Chief, in Book, Assails Cheney on Iraq:

Mr. Tenet takes blame for the flawed 2002 National Intelligence Estimate about Iraq’s weapons programs, calling the episode “one of the lowest moments of my seven-year tenure.” He expresses regret that the document was not more nuanced, but says there was no doubt in his mind at the time that Saddam Hussein possessed unconventional weapons. “In retrospect, we got it wrong partly because the truth was so implausible,” he writes.

What's implausible is that Tenet, Cheney and the rest of these clowns didn't get exactly what they wanted. Clowns.

Loss Averse

House Passes Bill Requiring an Iraq Pullout:

WASHINGTON, April 25 — The House on Wednesday narrowly approved a $124 billion war spending bill that would require American troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq by Oct. 1, setting the stage for the first veto fight between President Bush and majority Democrats.

Finally, the Dems control of Congress has commenced the painful process of 'getting out' of Iraq. Or, capitulation, surrender and defeat as the nutbags prefer to refer to it.

I use the scare quotes cause once the combat troops are gone, there'll still be a massive US presence in Iraq.

Some folks find it easier to ride their stocks down to the bottom during a market crash than sell out and realise their losses mid-descent. Let's hope the rational folks prevail.

Projectile Pundit

Roy Edroso elicits this response from commenter, CHRISV82:

"A brief scan of your front page, Edroso, reveals that you have not made any mention of the ethnic conflict in Chad.

You f*cking racist c*nt. I hope you burn in eternal hell for the way you strut around like some enlightened liberal when you are responsible for the displacement and murder of thousands of Chadians. If ever we meet, sir, I shall defecate in your oral cavity.

You'll rot, you bigot."

Enough to make you waste your time trying to effect the government of the nation you reside in's policies.

Err on the side of completely incorrect

I missed this when it first appeared..

British backtrack on Iraq death toll:

The researchers, reflecting the inherent uncertainties in such extrapolations, said they were 95 per cent certain that the real number of deaths lay somewhere between 392,979 and 942,636.

The conclusion, based on interviews and not a body count, was disputed by some experts, and rejected by the US and British governments. But the chief scientific adviser to the Ministry of Defence, Roy Anderson, described the methods used in the study as "robust" and "close to best practice". Another official said it was "a tried and tested way of measuring mortality in conflict zones".

Meanwhile, felafel lovin' creeps like Fox's
O'Reilly believe anything under 60,000 dead human beings is no biggie.

Dreary Matt Smudge

Jon Swift: Snarkfest. Not an April Fool's post.

small 'L' gymnastics returns

We can't enforce Hicks gag: Ruddock..

Mr Ruddock said the extraordinary condition had nothing to do with the Federal Government. "It's their agreement," he said. "I didn't seek it. The Australian Government didn't seek it."

Mr Ruddock said he expected the order to be enforced in Australia because it was agreed by the parties in the plea bargain and that agreement was the basis for Hicks being sent home.

But later, speaking on the ABC's Lateline he said that for Australia to agree to an extradition, a charge similar to the one laid overseas must exist under Australian law. "In Australia, we have a position about freedom of speech."

So, first up, it was all 'hey, what can we do but enforce a gag order we didn't ask for blah blah hands tied blah not our rules mcblah'.

*thump* ooh, that had to hurt. A bad fall from the uneven bars.

*sniff* I smell the fear of an unpopular Government skidding (while executing perfect flips followed by spot-on flops) towards a poll.

The coaches grabbed their tube of deep heat and rubbed it in good, then back for the second round with a new routine.

and...

Straight 10's from all the judges!

Would you believe, Tarzan and his apes..?

We didn't gag Hicks: PM

THE Howard Government insists it did not speak to the United States about the sentence that gags David Hicks until after the federal election, even though ministers knew the penalty before the deal on his fate was made public.

Recently, the ex-public servant turned whistleblower (you know, the kind that point out something wrong that needs to be fixed in order to potentially save lives but is being actively resisted/suppressed/ignored by the Federal Government) Kessing could have a lot to say about this Government's cynicism when it comes to protecting its position.

What a bunch of nasty little thugs.

29 Years of service, et tu?

Bill O'Reilly cuts mic of US Colonel Ann Wright as she defends her service and stance:

The banner beneath the Colonel at the beginning read "U.S. Army (Ret.) Col. Ann Wright" changed to "Col.Ann Wright retired from State Dept. in opposition to Iraq war" and ended with "Anti-war activist Col. Ann Wright."

The old felafel fiend, O'Reilly, has been pumping out this routine for a long time now. He must rate (compared to other Fox News shows). Fans of WWF Smackdown must dig it.

If I believed in God, I'd pray for his soul.