Acerbic Politics

Let's Teach Our Kids That War is Fun

Perpetual War Might be the Goal

From Time (a blog, not the magazine)

The Army is considering a proposal to allow a private developer to build a military-themed park that would include Cobra Gunship rides and bars including a '1st Division Lounge.'"

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Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Ass

From Nobody's Business

Lieberman loses. McKinney is out. Delay is gone. Ney withdraws. Say what you will, but miraculously, Washington's asshole quotient is heading in the right direction.

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Support of Iraqi Withdrawal Growing.

From FPIF

Over the past three and a half years, few members of Congress have challenged President George W. Bush over his "stay the course" mentality in Iraq. Indeed, just over a month ago nearly 300 Representatives endorsed the Bush Iraq policy of remaining in Iraq until a "free and stable Iraq" has been achieved. And while 39 Senators voted to support withdrawal in the same month, only 13 brave Senators supported a deadline of 2007.

But with dire assessments about a growing civil war from top U.S. brass, the highest death tolls in Iraq since Saddam fell, and Bush's announcement to send 5,000 more troops to Iraq, new voices are sounding the call for a phased withdrawal from Iraq.

Writing to Bush on July 31st, twelve Senate and House Democratic Leaders and ranking members from the key national security committees wrote to the President, "We believe that a phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq should begin before the end of 2006." Many of the twelve are newcomers to the withdrawal position including Tom Lantos, Jane Harman, and Jay Rockefeller.

With political heavyweights such as Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer signing on, conservative pundits were quick to call the letter a political ploy during an election year. More likely these leaders have finally taken a reality check of the situation. The U.S. (and Iraqi) public is solidly behind a timetable for withdrawal and the situation in Iraq getting worse by the day with no clear military mission for the U.S. remaining. These members of Congress seem to have looked honestly at the situation and are proposing the politically difficult but necessary solution.

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AFGHANISTAN -- PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI HINTS AT STEPPING DOWN:

From Think Progress

Although Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently stated that she does not "know anyone who is more admired or respected by the international community" than Hamid Karzai, the leader of Afghanistan is facing increased criticism both at home and abroad. A growing number of Afghans and some foreign supporters are said to be "losing faith" in Karzai's government, "which is besieged by an escalating insurgency and endemic corruption and is unable to protect or administer large areas of the country." Equally frustrated, Karzai criticized the international community for "long ignor[ing] his pleas for more help to build the nation's security forces." Taking "bitter umbrage" at international criticism of his government, he has now "strongly suggested" that he will not seek another term in the next national elections in 2009. "I don't think it's good to be running all the time. Let other people get a chance to run." His remarks "raise significant questions" for Afghanistan, where violence has surged this year to its "worst level since the Taliban were ousted in 2001," thanks to a resurgent Taliban that has grown increasingly sophisticated. Opium production also remains alarmingly high, with Afghanistan producing 87 percent of the world's opium in 2005, and citizens are "increasingly angry" with the widespread corruption that pervades their entire system.

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TORTURE -- ADMINISTRATION SEEKS TO NARROW WAR CRIMES ACT:

From Think Progress

The Bush administration has drafted amendments to a U.S. war crimes law "passed in the mid-1990s that criminalized violations of the Geneva Conventions." The changes would mean interrogators would no longer face possible prosecution for committing "outrages upon [the] personal dignity" of prisoners. Examples of these "outrages" could include acts "such as the forced nakedness, use of dog leashes and wearing of women's underwear seen at the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq." "This removal of [any] reference to humiliating and degrading treatment will be perceived by experts and probably allies as 'rewriting'" the Geneva Conventions, said retired Army Lt. Col. Geoffrey S. Corn. "The plan has provoked concern at the International Committee of the Red Cross, the entity responsible for safeguarding the Geneva Conventions." Two weeks ago, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales spoke privately with lawmakers about the need for "protections" against prosecution for "actions taken by U.S. personnel under a 2002 presidential order, which the Supreme Court declared illegal, and under Justice Department legal opinions that have been withdrawn under fire."