Still Fighting

Activism

Tell the Administration to Come Clean. Maybe this seems like a silly exercise to you, as it's pretty obvious that EVERYONE wants the Administration to come clean (well, maybe except Karl Rove and Bob Novak). However, it's not fruitless. We can't just sit back and whine about the lack of forthrightness - we have to demand accountability, and do it vociferously. Online petitions like this do have an effect - if nothing else, they let Democratic leaders know how many people feel passionately about this issue. Hopefully, they'll start getting the message, even if the GOP doesn't.

News

Insurgency seen forcing change in Iraq strategy. Let's not mince words: What this article really says is that we are losing in Iraq, and that's a scary proposition. What's even scarier is that while military experts and officials seem to see that our approach isn't working, it's still not filtering up to the policy-makers. Let's just take a few quotes from the article: "New US government analyses suggest that the insurgents ... have vastly more staying power than previously thought." Or, how about this: "Despite US estimates that it kills or captures between 1,000 and 3,000 insurgents a month, the number of daily attacks is going back up." According to a recent poll, 45% of Iraqis support the insurgency, while only 15% support the US and its diminishing allies. In response to Cheney's absurd "last throes" comment, Michael O'Hanlon, a military specialist at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said "That is the most extreme form of wishful thinking." Oh, if wishes were fishes, or maybe even withdrawal plans...

Adoption Agency Rejects Catholic Parents. There are so many things wrong with this story that it's tough to know where to begin. But let's just begin, well, at the start: "A Christian adoption agency that receives money from Choose Life license plate fees..." So, first of all, it's a shame that license plates have become politicized. Somehow we think that pro-lifers would not be too happy if there were license plates that had pro-choice slogans on them. But aren't license plates distributed by the government? Why should government money go to endorse a specific religion? But, maybe that's a different argument for a different time. What did this particular agency that blurs the line between church and state do? Well, it refuses to allow Catholic couples to adopt children from that agency. It's pretty amazing that Catholics get bent out of shape when they're discriminated against because of their particular beliefs, but then seem to have no problem when non-Christians are discriminated against for theirs. Maybe it'd be easier if the government kept out of this issue all together, and let competing religions duke it out in the private sector, where they belong.

Opium Trade Not Easily Uprooted, Afghanistan Finds. We suppose, if given a choice between al Qaeda and drug dealers, we'd probably opt for the drug dealers, but it'd be a close call. Drug dealers and terrorists are both pretty damaging to a burgeoning country, but at least drug dealers are only interested in money for the most part, not murder. So, if you want to look on the bright side of things, at least al Qaeda is no longer flourishing on Afghanistan - but the opium trade sure is. This is what happens when you have a power vacuum, and when you don't finish the job of rebuilding the country. The U.S. has promised more funds for law enforcement, but so far much of it remains unspent. And in the meantime, corrupt cops in Afghanistan accept bribes to spare certain poppy fields from destruction.

Editorials

The Ghost of Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan. To those of us who follow politics day-to-day, the fact that a Bush associate like Rove would have possibly broken the law in order to mislead the public about the Iraq war really doesn't seem the groundbreaking. Most of us realize that the White House has little if any regard for the rule of law, or even commonly held moral standards. Of course, the Rove crisis is taking hold in the press, which is nice. But there's another, possibly even more egregious example of the Bush Administration playing political games with our safety. It seems that around the time of the Democratic National Convention in 2004, the Bush Administration raised the terror alert level and announced the capture of an al-Qaeda operative, for no apparent reason. Well, it turns out that announcement led to the blowing of the cover of the only double agents inside al Qaeda that the British had. Furthermore, it forced the British to move in on some suspects before they were ready, allowing some to escape. One of those suspects was connected to Muhammad Sadique Khan, one of the 7/7 London bombers. If it sounds complex, well it is, but read Juan Cole's article and connect the dots yourself. Basically, here's the gist: Once again, for political means, the Bush Administration sacrificed valuable intelligence that should have been used in the war on terror. And while it's tough to be specific about cause and effect, why take the risk of making such an announcement and giving our enemies more information? Because in this Administration, politics trumps everything, even the safety of our citizens.

Conversion versus Activation. Time for a little meta-blogging. Sometimes, people read Still Fighting, and they just don't understand why we're doing this. We're not trying to present both sides of the issues, something that many people argue would be a more valuable services. They're right; this is clearly a one-sided blog. The answer is that we've picked sides a long time ago. Our interest is not in "converting" people to our side - we'd have to be a whole more objective to do that. No, rather, our interest is in "activation" - we want you, our readers, to feel empowered and motivated after reading Still Fighting. Chris Bowers, at MyDD, explains why these days, activation is so much more important than conversion. So, choir, let's get going!

On defensive about Rove, GOP shoots self in the foot. Sometimes, when you think the GOP can't get any crazier, they go and do something like this. Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid proposed a bill in the Senate that would revoke the security clearance of anyone who leaked classified information. This is not just a canny political maneuver; it's particularly relevant if we want to keep government secrets from being leaked by those who would use them to further their own political causes. But it seems the GOP isn't a big fan of keeping government secrets, and instead proposed a bill designed to attack Reid and Dick Durbin. One minor problem: In their haste to fight back, their bill would not only have revoked the clearances of Reid and Durbin, but multiple Republicans as well. Sometimes, you just have to laugh at these fools, because the only other option would be to cry at the fact that they're running the country.

Activism

Buy Blue. You know where your money goes when you spend it, but where does it go after that? The world of finance is not a closed system, but it's all about moving money from there to here. Make no mistake: Big Business makes a lot of friends in Washington, where money talks loudest of all. Whose campaign benefits from that pair of shoes you just had to have? The folks at Buy Blue help you keep track of what happens to your money after you shop.

News

Pressure grows as Pentagon misses deadline on troop levels. A chief complaint of Iraq war critics is that BushCo never had a detailed strategic plan for controlling the area after our troops secured a victory. In recent funding legislation, Congress gave the Pentagon sixty days to fill in some blanks. Trouble is, the deadline was this past Tuesday, and so far nobody knows when or if those plans will surface. I called my Representatives just yesterday on this very issue, and none of their staffers could give me any answers. Take a few minutes to get in touch with your own representatives, and tell them you'd like to know how Congress plans to address this. Congress.org can help you track 'em down if you don't have their info handy.

Help From France Key In Covert Operations. A favorite hobby of the 101st Fighting Keyboardists is to bash anything and everything French. Don't like Bush, and sound like you know what you're talking about? Then you must be an America-hating, croissant-eating, holding-your-cigarette-funny foreigner, because everybody knows how much the French hate us. Except, it turns out, that their covert people help our covert people catch terrorists. John E. McLaughlin, the recently-retired former acting CIA director, called the relationship "one of the best in the world," and said that the French contribution is "extraordinarily valuable." Laptop warriors of the world, take notice.

Homeland Security to narrow its focus. The Department of Homeland Security is getting a makeover, narrowing the scope of its efforts and changing the way it coordinates intelligence. "Some of the tools needed to prevent, respond and recover from such awful scenarios are already in place," says Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, "others need significant improvement." The DHS will streamline its intelligence gathering, and reorganize so that it can better focus on the most catastrophic terrorist threats, such as nuclear or biological attacks. Chertoff says the focus will shift more toward "addressing threats that pose catastrophic consequences," and spend fewer resources on smaller threats. Let's hope this works. What the hell took so long, though?

Editorials

Rove: Seeds Of Destruction From Seeds Of His Success. While most of the focus on Karl Rove these days revolves around the Plame leak and his role in it, Dal LaMagna takes us on a trip down memory lane. The President's chief advisor has a history of exactly this kind of dirty fighting, which may be why those on the left are so up in arms over the current events. Here's a small sample: At the beginning of his career, driven by an obsession with politics, Rove stole office stationery from a Democratic candidate for state treasurer and created fake invitations advertising "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing." He also invented the "push poll," designed to pass on negative images of opponents by posing hypothetical scandals as questions, targeting a candidate's perceived weakness or a negative public bias. Has his incredible success in using these unethical smear tactics also sown the seeds of his own demise?

The War's Realists. President Bush recently gave a speech, after the London bombing attacks, in which he said "We're fighting the enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan and across the world so we do not have to face them here at home." On the one hand, our President just said "well, at least they haven't hit here!" On the other hand, he's completely ignored the fact that fighting them "over there" doesn't really work; just ask the British. Ultimately, rhetoric will only take you so far. The war in Iraq will succeed only if there is a concrete plan for success, and so far Bush hasn't produced anything that will result in a stable and sovereign Iraq.

How to Talk to a Conservative About Karl Rove (if You Must). Spinning furiously, the Right Wing Noise Machine is out to discredit Joseph Wilson and make Karl Rove look like a hero. Think Progress has put together a concise and comprehensive guide to debunking all the current RNC talking points, if you're able to pin down a Bush supporter long enough for him or her to run out of breath praising his steadfast leadership. Can't comment during an ongoing investigation? Well, what about all these other times? Rove didn't leak a name? Doesn't matter; the law specifies "identifying" a covert agent but doesn't say specifically by name. Plame wasn't undercover? Well it turns out that's not exactly true either. Lots of other links and interesting comments below the post. Print this one out and keep it in your wallet - or get it made into a shirt, and wear it at your conservative friends' parties. They'll thank you later.

Activism

Nathan Kleinman's Hunger Strike. At the time of this article, Kleinman's hunger strike was at 10 days, but now it's at 12. Actually, he's stopped fasting, having been relieved of his duties by another committed activist. And what are they starving themselves for? They're starving themselves to draw attention to the genocide going on in Darfur. Maybe you're not into starving yourself, and that's fine. However, if you find yourself asking "But what can I do?", well, fortunately his sister has posted a couple fantastic suggestions on his blog for how you can make a difference and help stop this ongoing atrocity in Sudan.

News

Despite Scopes, Evolution Still on Trial. Ah, 1925. Those were the days. How silly we all were back then, debating whether or not evolution could be taught in schools. Sadly, we're just as silly not, eighty freakin' years later. The annual re-enactment of the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, TN, just serves to show us how far we really haven't come. Evolution is STILL under attack by fundamentalists who are really annoyed with theories that conflict with their world view. The sad thing is that Bush's re-election has fired up the anti-science base, and the situation has actually gotten worse as of late. Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education, claims that "We have been facing more anti-evolution activity in the last six months than we have ever faced in a comparable period before." Just think about that. Ain't progress grand? You know, the fact that we're regressing on that front might be the most compelling argument against evolution we've ever seen...

VA Hospital in Texas Fights to Stay Open. Frankly, we don't quite know where to start with this article. For what reason, exactly, should we lose it completely? Is it because kids are being shipped off to war ill-equipped to defend themselves? Is it because the Administration was so arrogant about its success in Iraq that it failed to adequately estimate the burden on Veterans' hospitals? ("The increase in demand for our services from what we projected is up 126 percent.") Is it that the Administration, having broken an implicit promise with the all-volunteer military to not abuse their trust and send them into war frivolously, is now breaking an explicit promise to take care of them when they return from the war wounded? It's all of that and then some. It's not just the newer veterans that need hospitalization - there are older veterans who might get the boot too. Hey, not only can Bush not keep his promises, but he can break promises his predecessors made!

Santorum Book Excerpts. In the wake of the Downing Street Memos, Rovegate, and the London Bombings, we haven't mentioned our favorite Republican Senators / raving lunatic Rick Santorum. Fortunately, he has been working overtime to make sure the entire country knows just how off his rocker he really is. The best part about his comments is that they make our job easy - there's really nothing we could write about them that could do them justice. So click on over and read some excerpts. Then, thank your lucky stars that he's getting crushed by Bob Casey, Jr. in the latest polls, and resolve to make sure he stays that way.

Editorials

Contemptible Traitors: Get Them Out of Government - NOW. Shouldn't the title of this blog post by Arthur Silber be self-evident? Apparently, it's not. You may be sick of hearing about Karl Rove (he certainly makes us feel ill), but until the message sinks in that Rove, and any Administration that would continue to associate with him, is about as deceitful, treacherous, and anti-American as one can get, we're not going to let this go. In fact, Democrats should be shouting this from the rooftops. Silber's post may initially seem a bit over-the-top, but in fact, we could all use a little more of his righteous anger. These people think that running the country is just a game, and it's all about power. It's not about making the country safe. It's not about "liberating Iraq". It's solely about "winning", and when they "win", every single American citizen loses. Silber is absolutely correct - Rove and his ilk are contemptible traitors, utterly without principles, willing to sacrifice anything to keep themselves in power, and they must be removed from government - NOW.

The Indisputable Media Bias. Have you ever been in a discussion (or argument) with a conservative, and had them blithely assert that the media is obviously liberal? You may have even accepted such an assertion as truth, without even really thinking about it. But the fact of the matter is that conservatives have spent years and years trying to get this assumption drilled into the heads of the public, and by and large, it has worked. What's wrong with that? Well, pretty much everything. It may be true that the average journalist is tilted liberal, but it also used to be the case that the average journalist had some measure of integrity, and reported the facts. These days, journalists have been so cowed by the constant shouting from the right that it's tough to get any raw facts out these days. This article from Cenk Uygur gives a nice overview of the difference of coverage between the Clinton Administration "scandals", and the Bush Administration "things the press seems to ignore". The next time someone tries to tell you the media is liberal, don't accept it. Frankly, these days, it's the equivalent of blaming the (admittedly weak-willed) referee when they don't like a call. Unfortunately, these referees seem to be pretty easily influenced.

The Judge for Me. A little while ago, we all thought that the new Supreme Court nominee would be the political story of the summer. Now, it seems that it may simply serve as a distraction from Karl Rove's problems. But it's still much more important than booting Rove, and we shouldn't lose focus in the furor. Richard Cohen, as usual, offers from well-grounded observations on the looming Supreme Court battle. The religious right sees this as an opportunity to get their just due, after all, they delivered the Presidency to W, and they deserve quid pro quo, right? Well, no. As Cohen says, "The interest groups act as if the vacancy on the Supreme Court belongs to them. I beg to differ. It is the United States Supreme Court and belongs to all of us." Damn straight.

Activism

Operation Truth. The mission of Operation Truth, the largest Iraqi veterans' group in America, is to make a connection between the American public and troops serving (or who have previously served) in Afghanistan and Iraq. The focus is two-fold: Giving servicemembers a voice by allowing them to speak directly about what life is like in Iraq, and to involve itself in public debates about US military action and how veterans are treated by the nation that sends them into war. There's a ton of information about the area and our involvement in it, as well as first-person accounts from troops in Iraq. Additionally, the website presents the issues facing our troops both in Iraq and at home, information about OpTruth vets speaking at colleges around the country, and more besides. Find out how you can spread the word about Operation Truth, and take the discussion to the media and your representatives.

News

Why Bush Has to Fire Rove. Rove sure has been in the news a lot lately, and it looks like the media might actually be latching on. In today's White House Press Briefing, reporters repeatedly questioned Scott McClellan on Rove's involvement in the Valerie Plame case as well as the Bush administration's previous statements that a) anyone involved in leaking this information would be deal with and b) Karl Rove was not involved. McClellan declined to answer the majority of questions, citing the ongoing investigation, but David Corn writes that it doesn't really matter what Rove's exact involvement is: Either Rove knowingly outed Plame as political punishment for dissent or he, oops, accidentally leaked classified information. Either way, as Bush's senior advisor and chief political strategist, this issue might force Bush's hand and Rove may be out of wriggle room.

Halliburton's Higher Bill. In all the stories of no-bid contracts and dodgy billing practices, the name of one corporation consistently rises to the top: Halliburton. Sweetheart deal after sweetheart deal lands in this company's lap, even as questions linger about its billing practices and billions of dollars literally go missing in Iraq. The US Army has just ordered five billion dollars in services from Halliburton for logistics support of US Troops in Iraq, and that's a billion more than similar services cost last year. In March, 2003, President Bush said that combat in Iraq would cost about sixty billion; a big difference. Halliburton's former chief executive just happens to be our own Vice President, Dick Cheney; he claims there's no connection between his position and Halliburton's intimate involvement in Iraq. But when the Army continues ordering work from a company it's citing for unreasonable billing practices, it really makes you wonder whether this is just more of the same from the truth-challenged Bush administration.

Fall Cases on Hot-Button Issues May Hinge on the New Justice. Just last week Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement, and everybody's waiting for Chief Justice William Rehnquist to drop the other shoe. Bush continues to insist he has no "litmus test" for judges, and that appointments are made based on the judge's qualification and adherence to merely interpretating the law. Yet with one, and probably two, Supreme Court seats opening up Bush has a golden opportunity to swing the Supreme Court decidedly to the right. Justice O'Connor was a key vote in many of the Court's decisions concerning privacy and civil rights, and all sides are gearing up for what may well be Bush's toughest confirmation battles of all. An appointment to the Supreme Court is for life, and anybody he places there now will spend decades deciding our most important cases.

Editorials

Why Dems Must Find the Guts to Ask the Big National Security Questions. Terrorists attacked us almost four years ago, yet in the time since Bush has spent over three hundred billion dollars in Iraq while underfunding Homeland Security where we most need to be protected. David Sirota says it's time for Dems to step up: As Republicans use the London bombings to bring national security to the forefront for yet another election cycle, Democrats are fearing to "politicize" the tragedy. This is a tactic that always plays to GOP strengths: Come out strong and swinging, criticize your enemies when they don't, then criticize them when they do. Politics is ultimately about controlling the debate, and Republican leaders seize it by the scruff of the neck and drag it wherever they want. It's time for Democratic leaders to stop being cowed by the right-wing rhetoric and making a few swings of their own. And it's time for you to let YOUR Democratic representatives know you want them to throw a few punches, instead of just absorbing them.

How I Became an Ex-Conservative. A lifelong conservative noticed one day that the National Debt actually went down under Democrat Bill Clinton, unlike the two Republicans who bookend him. This caused him to think about changing his previous views "of the benefits of increasing investment capital by reducing taxes on corporations." The failure, he states, is that investment capital is a much less potent force than what actually drives an economy: consumer demand. Swing by and check out his reasoning over at Unlawfulcombatant, a blog for "economic populist commentary."

Karl Rove - Soft on Terror. Karl Rove is hurting the War on Terror. The thing is, Valerie Plame, the much-mentioned CIA operative outed a while back in the press, was an intelligence asset working on finding those WMDs we want to keep out of terrorists' hands. Whoever leaked her identity took a working piece of the intelligence machine and rendered it completely useless. By putting politics first to punish dissent, Rove damaged our ability to fight those terrorists that Bush is so worried about. Olbermann's story of an unattended bag highlights why people like Rove shouldn't be pulling the big levers.

Well, we knew it would happen sooner or later. After eight months without missing a day, the Still Fighting machine finally broke down this weekend, literally. Computer glitches, but not lack of effort, caused us to miss the posts this weekend. Don't worry, though, we're not going anywhere!

Activism

MD Governor: Racial Discrimination "Not My Business." Really? Then why did Robert Ehrlich veto a plan to allow more rights to homosexuals a few weeks ago (particularly in light of the fact that his chief of staff is gay)? Why did he hold a fundraiser at an all-white club? There's something rotten going on with Ehrlich...oh yeah, he's a racist, corrupt Republican. (These days, it seems that they're the only kind around, even though that can't possibly be true, can it?) He's only interested in Maryland's top 1%. Think Progress (in the title link) has the info, and the link to email Ehrlich and his Lt. Governor, Michael Steele. Let's remind him that we won't tolerate this kind of behavior. After all, if we don't, who will? (Remind him, that is, not tolerate it.)

News

Lethal Chemicals Stored Near Largest Population Centers. From the "What are they thinking?" files, 100 chemical plants in America (about one-fifth of the total amount) are located near major population centers. Worst-case scenario of a terrorist attack on these plants: One million (or more) casualties. Thanks to Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA) for putting this information together. Our government has not done enough to demand better safeguards at these locations, and that might be the biggest shame of all. If nothing else, didn't the London attacks teach us that we're still vulnerable? We're especially vulnerable if the Administration refuses to inconvenience big chemical plants at the cost of our safety.

Bush Aide Rove Was Time Reporter's Source. Confirming what we've all known (if only in our guts) for the last week-and-a-half, Newsweek magazine has reported that Karl Rove was one of the "secret sources" that spoke to reporters about Valerie Plame. As Bill Israel writes (a full week ago, nonetheless), this is a gross misuse of the First Amendment. For a White House official to put himself above the law, and then have that White House demand "answers" is one of the most public examples of hypocrisy we've seen so far. We all know that it's illegal to reveal the name of any CIA agent. Yet who wants to take bets that Rove gets off scot-free? Rep. John Conyers has an excellent article written about Rove, in discussing what is "fair game." Hey, Karl - calling liberals unpatriotic? Fair game, if inaccurate. Breaking the law? Not fair game. Learn the difference.

Coast Guard Plagued by Breakdowns. "Making America's borders safer" has been a mantra of Bushco since 9/11. But when push comes to shove, they aren't budging. Take the Coast Guard, for example. Outdated and obsolete equipment, including planes and ships, are breaking down at a record pace. The current plan to have all of this equipment replaced in 20 years just won't cut it. Even Republicans acknowledge that, in order to protect our Borders, more must be done by this administration. In fact, the White House wants to increase the time to replace to 25 years. That's right, they want to take longer! As Michael over at AmericaBlog writes, this would mean that someone born today would graduate college before the White House's plan to upgrade the Coast Guard is finished. Maybe we're not being clear enough, so we'll spell it out: THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS NOT INTERESTED AT ALL IN MAKING AMERICA SAFER. Got it? Let's find someone who is.

Editorials

A Tragedy, And A Failing Strategy. As the Cunning Realist writes, the events in London last week, while tragic, exemplify our failing strategy in Iraq. As long as bin Laden and al-Zawahiri remain free, as long as we continue to fail to negotiate any cease-fire with the insurgency, as long as al Qaeda has reason to fight, these terrorist attacks will continue. We're not politicizing - we're telling it like it is. As TCR says, "Enough already. No more excuses. Find them, get them, kill them. We don't want to hear anymore about how many 'top lieutenants' have been captured or how Al Qaeda's capability is 'greatly diminished.'" We want results. If Porter Goss knows where they are, then why are we sitting on our hands? Is our intelligence that terrible that we can't find the most wanted man in America? You gotta think that might boost Bush's sagging poll numbers.

Time for Robert Novak to Feel Some Chill. In the midst of the Valerie Plame/Karl Rove saga, we mustn't forget Robert Novak, doucheb-err, pundit extraordinaire. As you read Jay Rosen's article, keep in mind that Novak has more information about where Plame's identity came from than Judy Miller and Matt Cooper combined. Yet Novak continues to write, continues to stay out of legal trouble, saying he won't talk about it until after the case is settled. We agree with Rosen - if Novak won't talk, bench him. Keep him off of TV. Don't print his editorials. Put him on leave. Make him learn some scruples the hard way.

Where is the New U.S. Ambassador? Someone needs to remind Bush that there are other countries in the world than Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, China and North Korea. Australia, for example. Australia has been without a U.S. Ambassador for seven months (since Tom Scheiffer was reassigned to Tokyo). Why is that? Is it because Australia doesn't have any oil? Do none of Bush's "mates" want to go? Whatever the reason, this ambassadorship shows just how much Bush regards other countries in the world. When Bush wonders why so many countries have pulled out of the "Coalition of the Willing," all he needs to do is look at how he treats neighboring countries to see the truth.