Tannishblog

President Bush, acting as the Unitary Executive, is making secret deals with Iraq. Under the euphemism “Enduring Relationship,” a Declaration of Principles has been documented, which outlines in the most glowing terms, unending embroilment in the desert.

One of the “Principles” is “Supporting the Republic of Iraq in defending its democratic system against internal and external threats.” This is bothersome on many levels.

And under the law, the president is entitled to broker a status-of-forces agreement without congressional approval.

“The president, as the commander in chief, can enter into an agreement and in theory, certainly as complex an agreement as he deems appropriate and necessary under the circumstances,” says retired Gen. Michael Nardotti, formerly the Army’s top lawyer.

But in the case of Iraq, even the most optimistic assessments don’t expect the situation there to become as stable as Japan or South Korea for decades.

“Bases of the U.S. around the world are not situated in an occupied country,” explains Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi political activist who recently testified before Congress on this issue. “For example, U.S. forces in Japan can’t just go out of their bases and [set up] a checkpoint in Tokyo. They can’t go around Tokyo arresting Japanese people.”

And in Japan or South Korea, the U.S. military isn’t allowed to maintain internal stability. In other words, it can’t protect those governments from internal threats. Indeed, in South Korea, two governments have been overthrown in coups in the past 50 years. The U.S. military could not and did not intervene.

First we illegally occupy a sovereignty, destroy its government and prop up a puppetocracy in its place. Then we let the puppets kill the newly-deposed President. We next start negotiating - at gunpoint, of course - a business deal benefiting American oil companies. Since that failed, we are now negotiating to morph our armed forces into the Iraqi National Guard, to give us the right to protect the nation we broke from “internal and external threats.” We become their military. And, although unstated, I venture to guess that we will be the final arbiters as to who and what constitutes a threat.

Since the US is suffering the Pottery Barn effect (you break it, you buy it) with regards to Iraq, our Liar-in-Chief is tying up the loose ends of his failed hostile takeover bid of Saddam Hussein’s oilfields. As he does so, he is tying a noose around the necks of every single US Solider that will be killed in Iraq going forward, in perpetuity.

Coining vague catch phrases like “Enduring Relationship” or talk of an “Enduring Presence” in Iraq cannot sugar coat the reality that the US is an Imperial power creating a colony out of a previously autonomous nation. We’re there for the oil, and when it’s gone, we’ll leave. Not. Until. Then.

Luckily, people are asking the right questions, these days. Questions like “Is it legal.” the answer, as NPR notes, lies on the boundary between Agreement and Treaty. It’s down to semantics. Sadly, our government is ill equipped to handle the subtly of semantics. Bring in the lawyers.

Lawyering takes time, and our administration expects to broker this deal by Summer. We don’t have the time. We REALLY need to impeach these bastards.

I know I keep swearing off of political blog postings. But all other aspects of life become trivial in the shadow of the colossal catastrophe that is the Bush Administration. Nothing can compare with that. So. I reiterate a chart, initiated by Moveon.org that illustrates the actual changes in the lives of real Americans. Read it and weep.

And then there’s the tally of lies told to a gullible public prior to the illegal invasion of Iraq: totaled at 935. Included is a handy chart of peak falsehoods. I am constantly amazed by the hubris of our elected officials, and the compiling evidence that no one in the White House gives a damn about integrity, honesty, or - the least of all - being civil servants.

Truly astounding.

The real reason GWB went to the Middle East.

An American Intellectual speaks out.

We’re not afraid enough - now we need to worry about CyberArmageddon

Lastly for today: Maybe oil prices aren’t what we should be monititoring.

Accuse me of fear mongering. But some concerns ought to be shared.

Yesterday in Abu Dhabi, during President Bush’s  Your Next Iran Mideast Tour, he urges Allies (do we still have any?) to confront Iran "before it’s too late." He’s playing the Iran Sea Confrontation Hoax for all he’s worth, squeezing it dry. Luckily for us, his net worth is sinking rapidly. (And you thought Ronald Reagan was the only Actor-turned-President we’ve ever had.)

The article linked above also says this:

Chiding U.S. allies who have withheld civil liberties, Bush said governments will never build trust by harassing or imprisoning candidates and protesters. But his rebuke was general, and he did not single out any U.S. partner in the region for oppressive practices.

"You cannot expect people to believe in the promise of a better future when they are jailed for peacefully petitioning their government," Bush said. "And you cannot stand up a modern, confident nation when you do not allow people to voice their legitimate criticisms."

That’s an interesting statement. Especially so when juxtaposed with this article:

Eighty people were arrested at the Supreme Court Friday in a protest calling for the shutdown of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Demonstrators wearing orange jump suits intended to simulate prison garb were arrested inside and outside the building. “Shut it down,” protesters chanted as others kneeled on the plaza in front of the court.

They were charged with violating an ordinance that prohibits demonstrations of any kind on court grounds. Those arrested inside the building also were charged under a provision that makes it a crime to give “a harangue or oration” in the Supreme Court building.

The maximum penalty is 60 days in jail, a fine or both.

A strange and timely convergence of facts.

The media is playing up yesterdays “Confrontation” between the US Navy and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. A pentagon spokesperson called the encounter “significant.”

Then the article outlines a testosterone-fueled display of playground antics on behalf of the Iranians, and an American response of the paranoid twitchy-trigger-finger variety. It’s laughable that someone would play up this episode.

Except for one thing: Our pals Dick and George only have a few more months to launch the third leg of their World Domination Tour. That truth is likely to be common knowledge to upper management at the Pentagon. That they intend to war with Iran is what makes such a silly scene scary.

Newsporn star Bill O’Reilly showed his brand of professionalism when he yelled and shoved a Barack Obama campaign staffer. Bill’s response: "I might have called him an SOB." A consummate professional.

As they say: "And now for something completely different." (OK - so I couldn’t think up a reasonable segue. Sorry.)

Wired Magazine outlines the Top Ten New Organisms of 2007, starting with hypoallergenic cats and ending with a yeast that can "Smell" poison. way cool.

“A kinder, gentler nation.” Remember those words? What ever happened to that idea?

Notwithstanding the absurdity of using such a phrase as political rhetoric, I remain partial to the idea - especially these days. It’s a bitter irony the utterer of those words is also responsible for the man who, as president, is presiding over the opposite national direction. One could say that all Presidents since Eisenhower have been steering our nation in that direction. The only difference is Our Mr. Bush has a deficit of subtlety.

Being kinder and gentler has its place, even in politics. Perhaps that is why Barack Obama surfaced as the Democratic winner in Iowa yesterday. The man exudes kindness and gentility. (being the most telegenic candidate by fair amount can’t hurt, either.)

While the O-man is not my favorite, I believe he is more electable than any other. Charisma is a large part of game, and Barack’s gleaming smile and steady confidence has projected him far already. And, I believe in his rhetoric about compromise. Having worked within the Illinois congress, he’s had a fair amount of challenge working for his constituency: Illinois being a Red State with a Blue lesion growing on it’s northeast corner. Hammering out the details is old hat even for such a youthful politician.

Dennis Kucinick is not so young, and he also has that Kinder, Gentler Nation aura. He’s my pick for the Presidency, although I suspect I’ll only get to vote for him in the Primaries. America is not about to elect a man that believes in Strength Through Peace. A flash flood of wisdom is unlikely to penetrate the grass roots of Political Ideology anytime soon.

But a man can dream, can’t he?

Or for a still unlikely - yet more realistic - fantasy, let’s Have Barack pick Dennis as his running mate when he accepts the nomination at the Democratic Convention. That would be amazing! Enter the Age of Carebear Politics. That thought is so “out there” even I can’t imagine the repercussions. But leading the world from the heart must be better than leading the world from the ass.

Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it.

I’m determined to return to blogging - I’m resolved. That would make it a resolution!

Whatever. The point is I refuse to let this blog peter out. I also resolve to branch out from the stale and overwrought topic of Politics. Even I am sick of my constant one-note whining about the disgusting state of our disunion. There isn’t anything I can say that is not said better by more illustrious Bloggeratti.

to start, I offer a Geeks-eye-view on the sorry state of mainstream software, coming from DownloadSquad, and found via Reddit:

The Five Most Annoying Programs On Your Computer

So True!!