Before the attack on Iran becomes a fait accompli

The Air Force is preparing for an expanded role in Iraq that could include aggressive new tactics designed to deter Iranian assistance to Iraqi militants, senior Pentagon officials said.

The efforts could include more forceful patrols by Air Force and Navy fighter planes along the Iran-Iraq border to counter the smuggling of bomb supplies from Iran, a senior Pentagon official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing future military plans.

Such missions also could position the Air Force to strike suspected bomb suppliers inside Iraq to deter Iranian agents that U.S. officials say are assisting Iraqi militias, outside military experts said.

Note: this is in addition to making a Naval officer (with specialty in air strikes) head of CENTCOM and the current bullshit whispers about us killing Iranian agents who were mixed in with the Iraqi militias.

Look, they - the authoritarian nutbags in the administration - are going to attack Iran unless we do something about it.

So do something, already.

An actual, honest to goodness, straight talk from a pol. A Republican no less:

Credit where credit is due. Bravo, sir.

(I’m at a conference all week, hence the light posting)

I’m starting to really dislike you

“Our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, commonsense way,” Obama said in a video posted on his Web site. “Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can’t tackle the big problems that demand solutions. And that’s what we have to change first.”

Remind you of anyone? Like, oh, Lieberman.

Listen, you triangulating, do-nothing, gasbag… there is no need for you to adopt the GOP talking points and DC punditocracy formulations of “reality” in order to be accepted.

No one likes a triangulator. Except perhaps Clinton, Bill… and his presidency was an ahistorical aberration… and you’ll also remember that that particular triangulator was despised by the DC ruling class.

So don’t excuse the rabid GOP destruction of our governance as “partisanship” that applies equally to both Dems and Repubs… use your parliamentary power. Don’t talk about the challenges to big problems that demand solutions… solve them.

They’re evil and they only care about your health if it helps their profitability.

It is expected there would be no problems securing funding to explore a drug that could shrink cancerous tumors and has no side-effects in humans, but University of Alberta researcher Evangelos Michelakis has hit a stalemate with the private sector who would normally fund such a venture.

Michelakis’ drug is none other than dichloroacetate (DCA), a drug which cannot be patented and costs pennies to make.

It’s no wonder he can’t secure the $400-600 million needed to conduct human trials with the medicine - the drug doesn’t have the potential to make enough money.

Michelakis told reporters they will be applying to public agencies for funding, as pharmaceuticals are reluctant to pick up the drug.

At roughly $2 a dose, there isn’t much chance to make a billion on the cancer treatment over the long term.

According to research on DCA, formerly used to fight metabolic disease in children, the drug apparently revitalizes damaged mitochondria in cancer cells, effectively triggering cell death and shrinking the cells.

“One of the really exciting things about this compound is that it might be able to treat many different forms of cancer,” explained Michelakis.

This is also a large part of what’s wrong with the American medical system.

Who would ever want a $2 pill that shrinks/kills tumors with no side effects? Don’t be ridiculous. The mere idea of such a thing being desirable is absurd.

Watching and listening to the members of the Bush administration in their public speaking, it is increasingly clear that they are planning preemptive naval and air strikes on targets inside Iran.

They feel they can do this with no Congressional support.
They feel they can do this with no popular support.
They feel they can do this with impunity and at any time they so choose.

Because in their world view - now fully supported by their handpicked regulatory agency heads and their legal lackeys - that the president is accountable to no one in a time of war … and the president is the only one who gets to determine when we are in a state of war or what war is.

Welcome the Bush imperial presidency.

Evidence? We’ve already attacked an Iranian consulate in Iraq. We’ve arrested Iranian diplomats inside Iraq. Condi’s statements this week were full of prevarications when it came to intent with Iran and also threw in language obviously intended to create a fig leaf for causus belli. They administration is on record hoping for a Gulf of Tonkin incident (in Iraq there, but they discussed plans to fabricate an incident if no argument otherwise could be found), and they’ve been goading the Iranians for months. Years, if Sy Hersh is correct… and I think we know that he is.

And now these insane, bloodthirsty, chickenhawks need to slake their thirst in Iran.

Ignore for the moment that such a strike is unwise, illegal, and a violation of everything this country has ever stood for - I will make this plain: an attack on Iran will result in the deaths of thousands of US troops. Sadr runs Iraq, is tight with the Iranians, and has the ability to interdict our troops logistics. If we attack Iran, it is going to make Chosin Reservoir look like a walk in the park. We don’t have the airpower or naval capacity to fully resupply our troops throughout the country and our army will be forced to retreat to a few isolated bases in major ports. Not only will our army be in trouble, but Iran is going to make life for our navy pay and pay heavily. The Gulf is a tiny area, Iran has multitudes of very good, very fast anti ship missiles. Shipping as a whole will come to a halt, but if we don’t lose a good number of ships, I will be surprised (or it will be because they’re not actually in the Gulf and thus are not in full support of the ground). One carrier sinks and the entire endeavor just became a miserable failure.

Now is the time to stand up. Call your congresspersons and tell them to speak out publicly against attacking Iran.

I also think it timely for us to start the articles of impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors. One would think that the deaths of more than 100,000 people and the destruction of American goodwill and power worldwide ought to be enough to qualify. Then again, there’s no blowjob involved.

Stand up and say no to an insane, illegal, preemptive strike against Iran. Do it now. All we can do is call our representatives, but what they can do is make it a constitutional issue.

What say you, presumptive Dem ‘08 nominees? Where’s Hilary? Obama? Edwards (note: he’s not in congress, of course)? More triangulation from the first two and the latter’s focusing on the McCain/Lieberman/Bush escalation AFAIK.

And if anyone needs a top-notch lawyer to draft up the articles of impeachment for you, I’m here for you.

Update: Edwards has come out strongly against escalation, so I’ll consider him anti-Iran as well. Obama is still triangulating (grr). General Clark (still my fav candidate) is also outspoken in opposition to the escalation and exceedingly concerned about Iran. Go Clark!

Military Is Expanding Its Intelligence Role in U.S.

The Pentagon has been using a little-known power to obtain banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans and others suspected of terrorism or espionage inside the United States, part of an aggressive expansion by the military into domestic intelligence gathering.

The C.I.A. has also been issuing what are known as national security letters to gain access to financial records from American companies, though it has done so only rarely, intelligence officials say.

Banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions receiving the letters usually have turned over documents voluntarily, allowing investigators to examine the financial assets and transactions of American military personnel and civilians, officials say.
…
But it was not previously known, even to some senior counterterrorism officials, that the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency have been using their own “noncompulsory” versions of the letters. Congress has rejected several attempts by the two agencies since 2001 for authority to issue mandatory letters, in part because of concerns about the dangers of expanding their role in domestic spying.

What we’ve got here is an agency that is forbidden from spying on citizens… spying on citizens… without a warrant… keeping the information in a database (read: forEVER)… and using this information in completely unaccountable, untold ways. Oh, and the Pentagon, NSA, and FBI are also in the act.

This is unconstitutional, illegal, and exceedingly dangerous. Whatever remained of our democracy is teetering on the brink of elimination.

Interesting how the righty jackasses screaming about jackbooted thugs in powder blue helmets are totally OK with this when there’s a Republican administration in charge. Idiots. Don’t you know that your names too are going to be on the list eventually?

… oooh, American Idol’s on!

I’m putting the over/under on “some time in the next 3 months… whenever that best weather month is.” From last night’s speech

Though President Bush’s national address Wednesday night was about Iraq, his most provocative comments focused on her neighbor, Iran.

Early in his speech Bush raised the matter of Iran, suggesting that if U.S. efforts to secure Iraq failed, “Iran would be emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons.”

Bush blamed both Syria and Iran in helping radical insurgents within Iraq.

“These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq,” he said.

He then singled out Iran, adding that she “is providing material support for attacks on American troops.”

Bush made an implied military threat against both nations: “We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.”

The President continued in this vein, suggesting a larger U.S. goal of stopping Iran’s nuclear program:

“We are also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East. I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region. We will expand intelligence sharing — and deploy Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies.

So you’ve got a 30% approval president pursuing a 12% approval strategy of escalation pumping a sub-5% new attack on a new target that is not threatening us… tell me again how we’re living in a democracy instead of an authoritarian banana republic?

Enjoy.

Though We, the People, are essentially powerless to stop this insane escalation of an idiotic war as perpetuated by an unaccountable authoritarian/Caligula-liite, I cannot stand idly by as the AWOL preznit sends more of your sons and daughters to die in the sands of Iraq.

No Surge.

No McCain/Lieberman magic pony plan.

No Surge.

No Bush/Cheney oedipal dreams of imperial grandeur.

No more.

If you can call your congresscritters to register your opposition to this latest infernal idiocy (which, by the way, is also a precursor to the likely upcoming naval and air strikes on Iran - this is America, how?). You are not alone and maybe, just maybe, enough voices working together can stop this insanity.

Ann-a fanna Falthouse edition.

I’ve commented on the worthlessness of Althouse before. In case you don’t know who I’m talking about, Altmouse shows you everything you need to know.

Seriously, though. Listen to Brad. Play that song in the background as you read the story (and the comments). Good times, good times.

From The Carpetbagger Report .

Now, I don’t think McCain has a chance in hell of winning the GOP nomination - outside of the DC media, he’s got zero love and his narcissism and plain batshit crazy is going to do him in (and, oh, did I mention he’d be older than Reagan when Reagan was first elected?) - … but he’s still the GOP frontrunner du jour, so it’s nice that we’re getting the lists going now.

Vote McCain for more of the same in 2008!