So you got to let me know, Should I stay or should I go?

Petraeus Expects to Recommend Troop Cuts in Iraq This Fall

"My sense is I will be able to make a recommendation at that time for further reductions"

Now where have I heard that before? Oh, I remember, it was exactly what Petraeus said last year:

Monday, September 10, 2007 - General David Petraeus made his long-awaited appearance on Capitol Hill today. The general said he believes the United States can reduce its presence in Iraq to pre-surge levels by next summer

Well summer's here and now he says he'll let us know next fall, oddly enough, it's yet another 'Friedman unit', what a surprise! And just in time for the elections!

Doesn't anyone in the MSM or Congress have enough brain cells to remember that this is the exact same lie that's been repeated for the whole war!? (More here.)

Why Congress isn't rejecting this "an ass-kissing little chickenshit" out of hand I'll never understand. (More here.)

Petraeus also said 'violence has hit a four-year low'

That's just an outright lie. Last month, April 2008, 52 Americans died and Iraqi military & civilian deaths were 744 (confirmed).

In the last 4 years there were 18 months that American soldiers had fewer deaths. In the last 2 years there were 5 months that Iraqi military & civilian deaths were lower. (That's just confirmed, actual civilian deaths are probably much higher, but our military refuses to do 'body counts.')

General, I just got one thing to say: You better go now, go now, go now.




Cross posted at VidiotSpeak

How does it feel?

How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

How does it feel to be the excuse for Bush to continue the war? How does it feel to keep soldiers in the war zone until they slowly go mad or die? How does it feel to be leg-chained to the worst administration in US history and know your name and face will be forever linked with them in the history books?

How does it feel?



I know how I feel just listening to you two.

crossposted at Rants from the Rookery

Closer, Let me whisper in your ear, Say the words you long to hear

"General Foresees Troops Coming Home"

Does anyone really buy into all this anymore? Does anyone really think the Iraqi army/police/government will ever come close to being able to pull it all together and hold up against the forces of corruption, religious battles and just plain ineptitude? Does anyone at all see this as a "winnable" war? And how, exactly, would one "win" it? Who are we fighting?

I mean, really? "Terrorists", as Bush is quick to tell us? Aren't terrorists basically scattered all over the globe? There's no one country called "TerrorLand". How does killing a bunch of them who happen to be in Iraq right now, in the long run, ultimately protect us (Bush's main selling point), when there is probably an endless supply all around waiting to take their place?

Wouldn't they pretty much be able to walk in our backdoor through our weakly guarded borders and set up shop anytime they wanted right now, as Bush is willing to trade off on that to keep the supply of cheap labor streaming in for his corporate pals?

Does anyone actually believe that when we pull out of Iraq, no matter when that will be, that the whole place won't collapse like the dike the little dutch kid finally pulled his finger out of?

Hard to kick the winning field goal when the goalposts keep moving. If there were ever any real goalposts to begin with.

Who else thinks that this is all part of a big "stalling" game by this administration, just wanting to hold things together long enough to step down and leave the inevitable big "CRRAAASSHHHH!!!" for the next administration to deal with, in an attempt to side step blame for it? "Hey, it didn't happen on my watch." Prick.

Same thing for the economy, which is being held together with smoke and mirrors and Chinese money, which will leave a deficit large enough to choke a few trillion horses by the time Bush & Co. are through.

And that, I think, is the most frustrating part of it all. He'll probably succeed in holding things at bay until he, like fellow weasels Rove and Gonzales (who took the early train out of town), has scurried off to a safe distance away from the collapse of the house of cards that he balanced for eight years.

"Mission accomplished".

As Steve would say...Bastard.

[graphics by Dancin' Dave]