Chris Shays says the Surge is WORKING! Please support Blue America's Jim Hines
By John Amato Thursday Sep 06, 2007 2:01pmIs there any more of a reason to get "Blogger Rage" Shays outta here and support Jim Himes? Check his performance out on PBS's the News Hour. You go Jan! We've done really good so far. Jane Hamsher, who is hanging in the C&L Bat Cave today---says:
Yesterday’s $5 fundraiser for Jim Himes has netted 80 new donors to our Blue America page, and by way of comparison Shays only had 107 donors during the last quarter. So it would be great if we could find 29 more donors, which would mean Jim had more contributors in just over 24 hours from Blue America alone than Shays had during the entire second quarter. If you’ve got $5 to spare, think of it as a way to combat the useful idiocy of Brian Baird.
Contribute to Jim Himes via Blue America here.
By the way, Baird now is attacking the GAO report and get this:
Meantime, Baird has so many requests for interviews that he already has offered a two-hour media availability Monday, after Petraeus and the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, testify before the House. Democrats opposed to the war held their tongues about Baird last week. But on Thursday, Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., told Congressional Quarterly: "I'll give Brian a gun and let him go to Iraq and shoot whoever he wants."
When asked about Stark's comment, Baird said, "What was that all about?"
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What a used car salesman. Keep moving those goalposts, Chris.
The administration has dirt on Baird. There's no other explanation.
Might want to tell Shay his stall is waiting for him in Mn.....
shays diputes the numbers but one number doesn't lie: american deaths are still happening with no significant drop in years.
Yes there is another explanation~its the scent of power-being in the know- the big boys telling you the stuff they can't say "out there"...power is an increadible attractor-no matter the sex or sexual orientation...
Surge Protector
Wow. Just... Wow.
And he sounds like such a QUEEN!
Not that I agree with him, but I guess I just can't blame a Closet Gay Republican for trying to defend the man he loves!
What is with this dirtbag? Must be his last FU on the way out, cuz he has v little chance of reelection.
Bush: Chrissy-Boy, if ya don't get out there and give my Iraq policy the ol "Yale Cheer"... *waves pictures of Shays in a Central Station bathroom stall raping puppies* ...I can always share these bad boys with Fox News... *smirk* *laff*
Shays: Oh God, NOO!!!!!! I'll say ANYTHING! Please!
Don't fuck with Stark - the man has a very sharp tongue and is not afraid to use it!
Of course the surge is having some success if you put enough troops in. But that's not the same thing as fixing a problem. Baghdad is improving some, (even though they don't count some violent incidents unless they can explain them), but Basra is getting worse. They're playing whack-a-mole.
It's like they boy with his finger in the springing holes of a dike.
Unfortunately, no dikes will let me put my finger in their hole.
Shay has been to Iraq 18 times !!! Yet, he says in this video that he meets with Iraq
persons "he caanot meet within Iraq" in Turkey, Syria, etc. WTF. Is it toooo dangerous
to meet with Iraquian officals within their own country and he has to meet with them
in "other" countries. And using Anbar as an example of "success"...BS, does he not know
that just today, seven(7) of our U.S. troops were killled in Anbar?? Maybe that is a
success and peaceful to Shay, but to me it's just the opposite. He is a puppet of the
bush-lite regime and is just parroting the talking points of the Pentagon/Gen. P. and
that asshole sitting in the W/H.
The only things these guys are citing as proof of success of the surge is that a few tribal sheiks have chosen for their own self interest to kick out some foreign fighters. Since when was this the most important benchmark of the surge? Or even was a benchmark? What was sold to the American people at the time of the announcement of the surge was that it would bring down the violence primarily in Baghdad to give the national government breathing space to get it act together. It was modeled on the Afgan plan of taking at least control of the capital city. This has really not happened at all. Helping to elevate some non-democratic brutal Sunni tribal leaders, who where the power base of Saddam Hussein, to me is not evidence of the success of the surge. In fact, it is exactly the opposite. It is just setting the country up for a larger civil war. The Anbar red herring is all BS. The Republicans are just trying to shift the goal posts regarding the definition of the success of the surge.
The surge is working? Good, then he should pick up a gun and get over there and help.
Four soldiers were killed today in Anbar. Three were killed somewhere else in Iraq. But bottom line, seven soldiers were killed today, and for what? While we wait to see if we need a new plan? That's no reason for anyone to die.
And for you who did not see the previous C&L thead of Sept. 5th, @ 9:31AM PST
entitled "Lies, Damn Lies", you need to do so. The Military/Pentagon are playing
games with the casualty figures within Iraq...NOT counting persons killed by car
bombs, NOT counting Shites killing Shites, NOT counting Sunni's killing Sunni's, and
NOT counting persons shot in the "back of the head". As the old saying goes:
"Figures don't lie, but Liars will figure"...so appropriate in this instance since
the NEW method imployed by the Pentagon is soooooo much B.S.
the "surge is working".... this is just blatant bullshit. and every politician that repeats this should be challenged.
i said it yesterday and i repeat it today> the claim that the surge is working can ONLY be made when the iraqis start coming together politically and form an effective national government. that was, after all the reason for the surge. it was NOT to go and beat the insurgents, civil war opponents, and civilians into submission--we could do that with our eyes closed. no, the TRUE mission was to help bring about the political reconciliation that is so needed.
and this has not happened. with august recess, large blocks of law makers abandoning the coalition govt, etc. it is evident that ONCE AGAIN the strategy is a complete failure.
again, (if one does buy into the notion that violence and deaths are down [which they are not]) the success of bringing security to some areas (the means) has not brought about the political reconciliation at all (the ends).
in fact, i would claim vigorously that the surge has had the EXACT opposite effect. the surge tactic has been detrimental to the strong, cohesive national govt strategy that we should have been working towards.
we have armed local warlords, so they could fight AQI, yet these same warlords are also working against the same govt we are trying to prop up...
*bangs head on desk*
Maybe that's the man's honest opinion.
Is blogger rage just a lynch mob directed at anyone who disagrees with them? Maybe you guys are crazy nazis after all....
I am not sure the U.S. military has ever publically included its special forces casualties in its numbers either.
Don @ 19:
Oh, and the "rage" is absent at a place like FreeRepublic...yeah, right? It's the Blogosphere where like minded people sound off.
Don @ 19:
Personally, it has nothing to do with a lynch mob mentality; just seeking/wanting the
truth...and Shay is not one we can rely upon to supply. I, for one, rely upon the
recent GAO report(bi-partisian) and the spoken words of many, many soldiers who
have expressed their views/opinions totally contrary to those of Shay.
BD @ 2:
I don't know what's up with Baird. He deserves credit for voting against the war in the first place, and he makes a somewhat valid point that the GAO report doesn't argue in favor of immediate withdrawl. He makes a somewhat les valid point that the GAO only takes into consideration statistics through Aug. 1.
Overall, I think Baird is the kind of guy who actually looks at facts and tries to make the best determination going forward, irrespective of personal pride, or blind ideology, or party loyalty, or political expedience. (Or I suppose its possible that Karl Rove has photos of him snorting meth off of a gay hooker.) I think these are the kind of people we need as our politicians whether we always agree or not (I mean the thinking kind, not the meth snorting kind.)
In other words, he seems like the kind of guy who actually listens during debates instead of the guy who checks with his business connections or campaign manager to find out how to vote on everything.
I think he's wrong about the "surge" strategy, but I think he'll come around.
Better than asking him to carry a gun, maybe someone could ask him how we are supposed to maintain that kind of military presence and how we are going to pay for it.
NEED FACT CHECK HELP: I read yesterday that in Anbar province (where the surge has reportedly been a success) there are fewer U.S. troops today than there were before the surge began. The reason for the decrease is the shifting allegiances among Iraqi sects--some in Anbar provinces are not fighting along side US troops rather than against them. Hence, the success in Anbar has had nothing to do with more troops.
Does anyone know where I can confirm this???
Shays is right of course, how can we expect Iraqis to live together when we can't even stop sectarian murders in the House of Representatives? Ummmm... Chris? WTF?!
Nice tactics in that talk, Chris: THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING. THE SURGE IS WORKING.
It reminds me of that SNL skit: I LAUGHED, I CRIED, IT WAS BETTER THAN CATS.
Then when that doesn't work, just say the Democrats are too partisan, and we need to work together more (to make more blood money for the Cheney administration.)
"The number of U.S. troops in Iraq has climbed to a record high of 168,000, and is moving toward a peak of 172,000 in the coming weeks."
Madness.
Failed Leadership and Failed Policy Reaches New Heights, With the Democrats Unable to Stop a War Longer Than the One Fought Against the Combined Forces of Hitler, Mussolini, and the Empire of Japan. A War Against a Ragtag Group of Diverse "Insurgents" Fighting an Occupation Brought on by Deluded Men. America's National Security is Weakened by this Fraudulent Conflict. [via Buzzflash]
Bizby @ 24:
Maybe Geraldo Rivera could tell you more about troop movements?
I think you're right, that the two things are unrelated - the surge was supposed to go into "28 Baghdad neighborhoods" if memory serves - but I don't think those numbers are available to the general public.
The war will never be over. Weapons makers will never be rich enough.
"The surge is working."
Yeah...all it needs is twenty more years and it will be a smashing success.
Bizby @ 24:
check firedoglake and rawstory. they usually on top of things.
click on my name and I believe you should go to a url that has loads of links. A buddy of mine put it together.
Stating that WE cannot even do anything HERE is not going to convince me that we need to be THERE.
If someone came out and said
"Look the fact of the matter is we need this war to look good so we have weight to through at OPEC so that they will continue trading in USD, so lets all pull together and make this thing happen." I would by right on board.
But, all this lying and treating the war like a cost plus money maker for the elites makes it sound like
"Look we put a price tag on our soldiers and we are going to make alot more then the total worth of a bunch of brown people and a few poor americans. but I think you are all really stupid so im just going to make this stuff up as i go."
Thats the problem with guys like this.
Bizby @ 24:
there are issues of paying off the sunni warlords, buying them off, if you will
also, there is the question of whether the ethnic cleansing has reached such a point that locales have seen a rdx in violence b/c they have already been cleansed.
Bizby @ 24:
As far as fact-checking the story, I can only emphasize that 'stories' about what happens(happened?) in Iraq vary with the source. I have heard reports that in Anbar, the soldiers turned over the 'policing' of the province to an Iraqi group and the US soldiers took a smaller role. Sectarian violence went up, and there were fewer confrontations with US troops.
In the betrayus report, this will look like a decrease in violence because now the US doesn't count dead they don't personally kill.
Old Billy @ 23:
Baird is a repug. That is enough for me to believe he's indifferent to humanity AND he's full of schitt.
Ricky Bones:
Not really sure what freerepublic has to do with crooksandliars.
Doggiebobo:
Nobody knows the truth about whether the surge is "working" because the goals are too vague. If someone perceives a decline in sectarian violence (after we add in all the bombing and people shot in the front of the head), they can come to the conclusion that the surge may eventually lead to stability. You have to start with some idea of how long is reasonable to give it time to "work" etc. before you can even render an opinion, and there is precious little agreement on that.
Shays has been there 18 times. That doesn't mean he is right in his subjective view, but it isn't the crap peddled daily out of the Ministry of Truth. I, for one, am not going to contribute to his opponent because he expressed an opinion that is different than that of my own or other educated observers.
Anti-war activists are staging a sit-in in Brian Baird's Olympia, Wa. office this afternoon. They will also be reading a list of names of American military personnel who have died for no legitimate reason in Iraq.
Baird's boosh has a bad day embarassing AmurKKKa:
1- Speech Delayed To Fill Empty Seats…Calls "APEC" "OPEC," Australian Troops Austrian Troops…
2- Testy Exchange With S. Korea’s President…
3- Goes Out Wrong Exit
Don @ 34:
I understand, but thus far bush's war in Iraq has been going on for over 4 years; longer,
as you know, than it took us to defeat Germany and Japan, so "yes, time is an important
element of success." Just as goals and time-tables are, but thus far(after 4 + years)
it seems quite evident that whatever the plan is, it has not worked. As General P. said
just last week..."we can anticipate being in Iraq for a least nine(9) more years"... of course
not indicating as to the strenght and/or numbers of troops involved, but if he is correct,
and if my math is correct, that means that we'll be there for 13 years...at a minimum.
Off-Topic
New Bin Laden tape is out on the MSM. Is it just me or does it look like computer animation? The lighting almost looks artsy... a little too pretty, methinks. And of course, the resolution is low. Sure makes it easy to fake a Bin Laden tape, don't it?
"Bin Laden's" speech sound like it was written by some neocon think tank.
Or, maybe I'm just nuts.
Bam. Boozle!
Chris Shays needs to be swept out of office. He's a buffoon and an embarrassment.
Well I'll be.
Shays says that America's government is like Iraqs... Hmmm... What is one to make of this?
That our brilliant leaders have created a situation in one country (Iraq) they have no business being in in the first place, and in doing so have created, or devolved another (the US) into the same convoluted mess? (Rumors of civil war here? IEDs? Occupying forces marching down the streets? No electricity? Water? Puppet government? Bombs going off? Soldiers torturing and shooting civilians? ...I suppose, given time, it may yet happen...)
OR
The briliant leaders have created a situation that is so on track with expectations that they (Iraq) are simply, and with relative ease, replicating our own system of government (a democracy) and all will be normal after that matter of that little civil war (sectarian) is complete?
Either way, Mr. Shays, you're a tool.
Lieberman and Shays--Connecticutt, you must be very proud.
Shays has been wrong about the Iraq War every step of the way. In February 2002 he told a hostile (i.e., perceptive and well-informed) audience in Westport, CT that he believed that the aluminum tubes could only be used for making nuclear weapons; he was wrong. He told constituents during the 2004 debate that anybody who believed that Saddam Hussein wasn't involved with 9/11 just didn't know what he's talking about; he was wrong. As late JUne 2004 he told voters that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. We just hadn't found them "yet;" he was wrong.
Face it: he's an incompetent liar. Way past his sell by date.
Shays is trying to be "tough" to drum up support by the mouth-breathers on talk radio
WHAT? I'm so tired of picking my jaw up off the ground every time this man speaks.
Has Mike Rodgers gotten back to us yet on Shays?
I watched the program on pbs with these characters... i get this feeling that pbs is starting to lean to the right... anyone else feel this way?
Everyone knows Shays is the typical Rethug. that wets his panties everytime he lies his ass off.
Unbelievable. Shays actually compared the ability of the two parties in the United States to work together, with the various factions in Iraq. He's saying that the Iraqi government's ability to perform as a government is no worse than the U.S.government's ability. Stop letting this guy spend U.S. taxpayer money to travel to Iraq. Clearly, he needs to spend a little more time back here, working within his own government, as he is completely clueless.
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