Another Dumb Shit Moment

From who else – Joe Lieberman:

“Somebody in our government said to me in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, Iraq was yesterday’s war. Afghanistan is today’s war. If we don’t act preemptively, Yemen will be tomorrow’s war,” Lieberman said, during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday”. “That’s the danger we face.”

See, the problem is, Ho-Joe, youse gots to finish one war before youse starts another.

But -wait!  When has that stopped the U.S. before – why attempt it now.

The Pentagon is spending more than $70 million over the next 18 months, and using teams of Special Forces, to train and equip Yemeni military, Interior Ministry and coast guard forces, more than doubling previous military aid levels.

Shouldn’t Nigeria be on that list, too, Joe?  Jus’ askin’

The Joseph Goebbels Academy of Political Propaganda

Apparently Mary Matalin graduated from the P.J. Goebbels Academy of Political Propaganda summa cum laude.

Case in point.

Hard to say what else she or any other ReThug can dream up that was ‘inherited.’

Sherlock Holmes-a-thon

It looks like TCM – Turner Classic Movies – channel 52 for those with Cable One here – is having a marathon of Sherlock Holmes movies.  Most seem to have Basil Rathbone as Mr. Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson.  On a TV near you until 6:00 pm MST

The Scarlet Claw – which I’m currently viewing (love that title!) – is a 1944 production.

Sherlock Holmes investigates a haunting in a Canadian village vital to the war effort.

Fixing to do errands, a few household chores, then lighting a fire and taking on the TiVo, and mulling over whether to go see ‘Sherlock Holmes’ with Robert Downey, Jr., & Jude Law tomorrow.

New Update on Bowe Bergdahl

It’s been since the end of June when Bowe Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban; my note here.  For the past couple of weeks there’s been heavy hinting another video would surface that would supposedly show the latest ‘from’ Bowe.

The BBC online has a video snippet here; there doesn’t appear to be any audio.  The Idaho Statesman has screen shots from the video.

NATO has confirmed the man in the video – seen wearing sunglasses, a military helmet and uniform – is Pte Bergdahl.

Weird getup: Sunglasses, his helmet & uniform.  It’s propaganda at its finest, of course, as is whatever message Bowe recites.  We don’t know the intensity of the duress he is under and, I’ll be one giving him the benefit of doubt until I learn otherwise.

“Even though I am prisoner of war, however, I had a chance to rethink a lot of things and to ask myself questions that I never asked myself before,” he says.

“One of the biggest illusions that the Army gives us coming over here as a soldier, as a private in their army, is that we’re coming over here to fight a terrorist group of men.

“We are fighting a country and a people that are well organized and extremely smart of how to fight. I keep bringing up the point of history to people that I talk to. You simply need to look at their history to understand that the Afghan people know how to fight, and they have lived this way since the beginning of their people,” he says.

There are various constructs thrown into the video, pictures and video of President Obama, the effects of a Afghan home allegedly following an American bombing, along with some criticism of the “hired stooge” – Mr. Karzai – ending with the trade demand: Bowe Bergdahl for a “limited number of prisoners.”  No deal with the Taliban, according to the video, there will be further captures of soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

Christmas

Merry Christmas, Comprehensive Comprehender……

Just the type of Santa I’d see delivering what he could to all those in need.

Huckabee’s Fallout

Is tweeting the new ‘Dear Mike’ method?

“With a heavy heart – I just resigned as Arkansas coordinator for HuckPAC – one of the toughest things I have ever done in politics,” Jason Tolbert tweeted Tuesday morning.

Not only tacky, but cold-hearted as well.

I still believe!!!!   Mmhmmmm.

More at the Washington Post.   The comments have devolved into some scripture quoting although this most recent comment is certainly appropriate.

On other threads, posters indicated that Gov. Huckabee relied on suggestions from ministers and other religious leaders, rather than on law enforcement officials who warned against commutation or release.

If that’s true, his judgment is truly in question in these cases.

Posted by: bulldog6 | December 3, 2009 10:15 AM

Russ Feingold’s answer to the President

Getting ready to watch Rachel Maddow’s show, as well as Keith Olbermann (TiVo) and then switch between CNN and Fox News just to torture myself.

Someone sent me Russ Feingold’s statement in response to President Obama’s speech this evening.

I do not support the president’s decision to send additional troops to fight a war in Afghanistan that is no longer in our national security interest.  It’s an expensive gamble to undertake armed nation-building on behalf of a corrupt government of questionable legitimacy.

This I can get my head around for sure.  The following I’m not too sure. I’m not up on the strategy of destabilization of Afghanistan – and even less so with Pakistan.  Where is India in all this?

Sending more troops could further destabilize Afghanistan and, more importantly, Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state where al Qaeda is headquartered. While I appreciate that the president made clear we won’t be in Afghanistan forever, I am disappointed by his decision not to offer a timetable for ending our military presence there.  I will work with members of both parties and both houses of Congress to push for a flexible timetable to reduce our troop levels in Afghanistan, as part of a comprehensive strategy to combat al Qaeda in the region and around the world.

Convergence at 46th & Kenyon

So this sad saga ends ….. the only way most figured it would.

Suspected Police Killer Shot Dead

in Seattle’s Rainier Valley

King 5 News as well.  The Seattle PI has front page news.

Now we’ll see how Huck-a-Buck responds.  More information here as some of the documents detailing the charges, etc., against Mr. Clemmons were put online yesterday.  The documents from Washington State, Pierce County (Tacoma) were released as well related to Mr. Clemmons.

Now his family will face the repercussions of concealing Mr. Clemmons’ whereabouts, and hopefully we’ll hear little more less of Mr. Huckabee’s political ambitions.

(From the scanner came that the police were sending the media to 46th & Kenyon as Mr. Clemmons had been shot dead at 44th & Kenyon.)

Huckabee Without Blame – According to Huck-a-Buck

Well the wingers are out in force this morning calling down their flying monkeys on Mr. Huck-a-Buck who is learning today just how fucked he is.  Interestingly, specifically:

“Note the passive language and blame-shifting to prosecutors with no explicit mention of Huckabee’s role in granting clemency over the objections of prosecutors.”

That’s Michelle Malkin…. it’s at her website under ‘Violent felon granted clemency.’  I can’t bring myself to link.

From the Seattle PI blog yesterday.

Mr. Huckabee’s “aw schucks, Goober shine dulled out for me long, long, long ago and quick-like at that.   In my estimation he’s simply Sarah Palin in drag. He’s just as stupid as she is – possibly even dumber, as if that’s possible.  Here’s an interesting ‘tidbit.‘

But the controversy could deal a fatal blow to his presidential ambitions given past accusations that the conservative pastor was soft on crime. As governor of Arkansas Mr Huckabee helped to grant twice as many pardons and commutations as his three predecessors combined, including Bill Clinton.

Among those benefiting were Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones guitarist who was pardoned for a 1975 traffic offence after Mr Huckabee — who plays bass guitar in a band called Capitol Offense — met him at a rock concert.

Whoa – “twice as many pardons … as his three (3!) predecessors COMBINED,” including that goddamned draft-dodging Bill Clinton, ya know.

Huckabee’s train just lurched to a stop in the political cemetery.

Four Police Officers Murdered in Tacoma…

Been keeping track of the four police officers killed in Tacoma (Lakewood) this morning.

The man who is reported to be the shooter and just “a person of interest” is a Maurice Clemmons.

But the most disturbing information thus far about this case:

Clemmons was paroled by Gov Mike Huckabee (R) in 2000
___ Maurice Clemmons received a 35-year sentence in the early 1990s for armed robbery and theft. His sentence was commuted in May 2000, and he was let out three months later.
___ The following March, Clemmons committed two armed robberies and other crimes and was sentenced to 10 years. You’d think they’d keep him locked up after that, but no: He was paroled last March and is now wanted for aggravated robbery and I suppose a few questions about this case as well.

The story is picking up ….. Huffington Post, Politico, Marc Arbinder at ‘The Atlantic’ to name a few are moving in on Huckabee’s role in Clemmons’ pardon.  It seems Huckabee was also involved in the parole of convicted rapist Wayne DuMond. DuMond was accused of rape and murder after being released but died in prison before standing trial.