Author Archives: Bob

Iraq war may have happened partly because not enough Iran-Contra guys were behind bars

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Sounds crazy at first, I know.

But remember that the forged Niger documents are at the heart of Joe Wilson’s trip, George W. Bush’s false Iraq-is-gonna-get-nukes claim in the 2003 State Of The Union address, Joe Wilson’s op-ed, and the Plame leak which may bring down half the administration.

As Patrick Fitzgerald himself has reportedly grokked, the forged Niger documents — and their signal path from questionable sources in Italy through the U.S. administration all the way to Bush himself — are a real key to who pushed the war and why.

And it’s beginning to look a lot like the documents might just be the handiwork of some of the war-profiteering fanatics who gave us Iran-Contra.

Supposedly, history repeats itself first as tragedy, the second time as farce.

I’m still waiting for the farce part here.

“Every ad break features ads for companies that make no products I can buy”

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Have a look at this Kos diary.

If you want to know why the "news" media couldn’t be bothered to report
enough actual news to prevent an elective war based on lies that were
plainly nonsensical at the time — and why, 2.5 years, tens of
thousands of deaths, and hundreds of billions of dollars later, they’re
still strugging to burp up the obvious — that diary explains a big part of it.

Personal experience with same issues: when my radio commentaries were syndicated, one of the reasons we didn’t get on more stations was because
Program Directors were cowed by ownership (often ClearChannel) and
afraid some liberal might piss off advertisers, especially in the hysterical post 9-11 climate.  Never mind the awards I’d won, or that in over a thousand commentaries, I never once had to retract
anything in a single broadcast.  The question wasn’t quality, accuracy, even entertainment value; it was avoiding any risk of
displeasing advertisers and ownership.

Matter of fact, I got canned from the biggest news station in Los Angeles specifically because
I was talking about stories the rest of the "news" didn’t, even though
the new boss who canned me didn’t have the guts or honesty to admit it
to my face.  (He’d grumbled at me for years, but when the day came, he said they were "cutting back all their features,"
although they a) kept every moralistic right-winger who would never
dream of criticizing corporate influence and b) replaced me
specifically with the unpointed musings of a Ted Baxterish TV anchorman
with remarkably little to say.)

I mention this a) because obviously, yeah, it still bugs me when I’m reminded of it, and b) much more to personally vouch, from direct
experience, for the only bias that matters in media.  It is real.  This is how this stuff
works.  (Incidentally, management denials of any such bias are almost
always sincere; they have drunk the Kool-Aid, they deeply believe what
they do actually accomplishes something, and that’s a big part of why
they succeed.)

These are businesses, after all.  You are not the media’s customer; you are
their product.  Their only customers are the advertisers.  That is all
that matters.

It’s right in front of our faces, all the time.  Jon gets it right here, too, as I mentioned yesterday.

The anonymous Kos writer isn’t perfect, but he gets the gist absolutely correct.

Scottie McClellan: Bush so did NOT break that broken lamp

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Farce:

QUESTION:  Thanks.  Is it true that the President slapped Karl Rove upside the head a couple of years ago over the CIA leak?

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  Are you referring to, what, a New York Daily News report?  Two things:  One, we’re not commenting on an ongoing investigation; two, and I would challenge the overall accuracy of that news account.

QUESTION:  That’s a comment.

QUESTION:  Which part of it?

QUESTION:  Yes, that is.

QUESTION:  Which facts —

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  No, I’m just saying — no, I’m just trying to help you all.

QUESTION:  So what facts are you challenging?

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  Again, I’m not going to comment on an ongoing investigation.

QUESTION:  You can’t say you’re challenging the facts and then not say which ones you’re challenging.

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  Yes, I can.  I just did.  (Laughter.)

It goes on and on like that.

Scottie is just as nonsensical and self-serving concerning Iraq, only now it’s just tragic and sad:

Q Why were 18 children killed?

MR. McCLELLAN: Our military goes out of the way not to target innocent civilians.

Q I’m not saying they were targeted —

MR. McCLELLAN: Our military goes out of the way to target the enemy, and to —

Q Why did they say 18 children?

MR. McCLELLAN: — bring to justice the terrorists and those who are seeking to prevent democracy from taking hold, through violent means, to justice. And that’s what our military does. And they do —

Q Seventy people were killed by an air strike.

MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, please let me respond, because I think it’s important to point this out when you’re bringing up a question like this. We fully support our men and women in uniform. They’re doing an outstanding job to defend our freedoms and to help the Iraqi people move forward on a free —

Q I’m not saying — I’m saying why did they kill 70 people?

MR. McCLELLAN: — to move forward on a free and peaceful future…

Reminds me a lot of Clinton’s Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on 60 Minutes, discussing the horrific impact of a decade of U.S. sanctions on Iraq:

Lesley Stahl: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price — we think the price is worth it.

Scottie McClellan: Bush so did NOT break that broken lamp

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Farce:

QUESTION:  Thanks.  Is it true that the President slapped Karl Rove upside the head a couple of years ago over the CIA leak?

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  Are you referring to, what, a New York Daily News report?  Two things:  One, we’re not commenting on an ongoing investigation; two, and I would challenge the overall accuracy of that news account.

QUESTION:  That’s a comment.

QUESTION:  Which part of it?

QUESTION:  Yes, that is.

QUESTION:  Which facts —

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  No, I’m just saying — no, I’m just trying to help you all.

QUESTION:  So what facts are you challenging?

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  Again, I’m not going to comment on an ongoing investigation.

QUESTION:  You can’t say you’re challenging the facts and then not say which ones you’re challenging.

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  Yes, I can.  I just did.  (Laughter.)

It goes on and on like that.

Scottie is just as nonsensical and self-serving concerning Iraq, only now it’s just tragic and sad:

Q Why were 18 children killed?

MR. McCLELLAN: Our military goes out of the way not to target innocent civilians.

Q I’m not saying they were targeted —

MR. McCLELLAN: Our military goes out of the way to target the enemy, and to —

Q Why did they say 18 children?

MR. McCLELLAN: — bring to justice the terrorists and those who are seeking to prevent democracy from taking hold, through violent means, to justice. And that’s what our military does. And they do —

Q Seventy people were killed by an air strike.

MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, please let me respond, because I think it’s important to point this out when you’re bringing up a question like this. We fully support our men and women in uniform. They’re doing an outstanding job to defend our freedoms and to help the Iraqi people move forward on a free —

Q I’m not saying — I’m saying why did they kill 70 people?

MR. McCLELLAN: — to move forward on a free and peaceful future…

Reminds me a lot of Clinton’s Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on 60 Minutes, discussing the horrific impact of a decade of U.S. sanctions on Iraq:

Lesley Stahl: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price — we think the price is worth it.

Scottie McClellan: Bush so did NOT break that broken lamp

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Farce:

QUESTION:  Thanks.  Is it true that the President slapped Karl Rove upside the head a couple of years ago over the CIA leak?

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  Are you referring to, what, a New York Daily News report?  Two things:  One, we’re not commenting on an ongoing investigation; two, and I would challenge the overall accuracy of that news account.

QUESTION:  That’s a comment.

QUESTION:  Which part of it?

QUESTION:  Yes, that is.

QUESTION:  Which facts —

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  No, I’m just saying — no, I’m just trying to help you all.

QUESTION:  So what facts are you challenging?

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  Again, I’m not going to comment on an ongoing investigation.

QUESTION:  You can’t say you’re challenging the facts and then not say which ones you’re challenging.

SCOTT McCLELLAN:  Yes, I can.  I just did.  (Laughter.)

It goes on and on like that.

Scottie is just as nonsensical and self-serving concerning Iraq, only now it’s just tragic and sad:

Q Why were 18 children killed?

MR. McCLELLAN: Our military goes out of the way not to target innocent civilians.

Q I’m not saying they were targeted —

MR. McCLELLAN: Our military goes out of the way to target the enemy, and to —

Q Why did they say 18 children?

MR. McCLELLAN: — bring to justice the terrorists and those who are seeking to prevent democracy from taking hold, through violent means, to justice. And that’s what our military does. And they do —

Q Seventy people were killed by an air strike.

MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, please let me respond, because I think it’s important to point this out when you’re bringing up a question like this. We fully support our men and women in uniform. They’re doing an outstanding job to defend our freedoms and to help the Iraqi people move forward on a free —

Q I’m not saying — I’m saying why did they kill 70 people?

MR. McCLELLAN: — to move forward on a free and peaceful future…

Reminds me a lot of Clinton’s Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on 60 Minutes, discussing the horrific impact of a decade of U.S. sanctions on Iraq:

Lesley Stahl: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price — we think the price is worth it.