Ben Carson Crazy Talk on Iraq

Ben Carson is a huckster with no interest in ever becoming President. Carson went on Fox News saying that troops should be sent to Iraq. Carson said no troops should be prosecuted for any war crimes in Iraq.

CARSON: Our military needs to know that they’re not gonna be prosecuted when they come back, because somebody has, said “You did something that was politically incorrect.” There is no such thing as a politically correct war. We need to grow up, we need to mature. If you’re gonna have rules for war, you should just have a rule that says no war. Other than that, we have to win. Our life depends on it.

I would ask if Carson would swear on a Bible if he would not prosecute soldiers that kill their commanding officers or if soldiers raped minors. Carson would shake like a leaf if he was asked that question. I know this when Carson backtracked on domestic abuse when confronted by Bill O'Reilly. Carson actually defended NFL player Ray Rice punching out his wife. Who seriously does that if he wants to be President?

Carson, who earlier this week said people should stop “demonizing” Rice, told O’Reilly that he did not feel he should go unpunished for hitting Palmer, who later married him.

“What I’m saying is, for someone to do something like that who has everything going for them, it means that there’s some real deep psychological issues,” he explained.

“No doubt about it,” O’Reilly said. “I hope that Mr. Rice gets the treatment he needs — but again, I want to send the message that I do believe this is a plague, this violence against women all over the world.”

“No question,” Carson said, seemingly backtracking. “It’s a big problem.”

Notice Rice back peddling at the end. Carson is going to be a train wreck in the presidential debate. One thing for sure is Ben Carson has no respect for the rule of law.

Chris Kyle's Own Words

Chris Kyle was a seriously flawed individual. Kyle was also known to be a public pathological liar.

Kyle claimed he punched out Jesse Ventura. A court ruling revealed that the incident never took place. Kyle's widow has to pay Ventura a 1.845 million for libel.

Kyle claimed he went to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and killed 30 armed looters from a rooftop. Police told reporters they never heard of any sniper related homicides. The story is pure bullshit.

The real Chris Kyle was a guy who bragged about shooting Iraqis. How much of his war experience is true is up for debate.

A man who grew-up in Texas and served 4 tours in Iraq isn't going to have an enlightened view of Iraqis. Kyle's unfortunate racism is almost expected. That doesn't explain or excuse his pathological lying.

Update: Another sickening quote from Chris Kyle.

Chris Kyle, a US navy Seal from Texas, was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and claimed to have killed more than 255 people during his six-year military career. In his memoir, Kyle reportedly described killing as “fun”, something he “loved”; he was unwavering in his belief that everyone he shot was a “bad guy”. “I hate the damn savages,” he wrote. “I couldn’t give a flying fuck about the Iraqis.” He bragged about murdering looters during Hurricane Katrina, though that was never substantiated.

Chris Kyle should not be anyone's role model.

Shocking News: Paul Wolfowitz Misleads On Current Iraq Situation

Andrew Sullivan accused Paul Wolfowitz of lying about ISIS.

We should say al Qaeda. ISIS sounds like some obscure thing; it’s even more obscure when you say Shia and Sunni … It means nothing to Americans whereas al Qaeda means everything to Americans … My point is that these are the same people, they are affiliated with the same people, who attacked the United States on 9/11 and still have an intention of attacking the United States and attacking Europe …

The problem with Wolfowitz's remarks is the al-Qaeda’s General Command released a statement disavowing ties with the ISIS.

ISIS “is not a branch of the al-Qaeda group . . . does not have an organizational relationship with it and [al-Qaeda] is not the group responsible for their actions,” al-Qaeda’s General Command said in a statement, marking the first time the leadership has formally repudiated an affiliate.

The bombing attacks by ISIS angered the Syrian civilian population. The ISIS has tortured women, killed journalist and killed government employees. The ISIS is so brutal that both the United States and Iran view the organization as a security threat. ISIS was generating bad PR al-Qaeda on the Arab Street. The deal-breaking was ISIS defying al-Qaeda orders.

The notion of the U.S. seeking help from Iran came from Secretary of State Kerry, who said he “would not rule out anything” to end the “existential threat” ISIS poses to Iraq. “We’re open to discussions if there is something constructive that can be contributed by Iran, if Iran is prepared to do something that is going to respect the integrity and sovereignty of Iraq,” Kerry told Yahoo News.

ISIS is extremely dangerous. What ISIS isn't is part of al-Qaeda. The goal of ISIS is to take control of Syria and Iraq by force. ISIS is currently more a regional threat. Wolfowitz's statement has no basis in fact.

Quote of the Day: Bernie Sanders Edition

Jon Stewart Vs the Neoconservatives

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive

Jon Stewart plays clips of how wrong the neoconservatives were about the Iraq war. Stewart saves his best jokes for John McCain. However, Stewart's Lindsey Graham's impression is the best moment in the video.

Harry Reid Vs the Neoconservatives

Harry Reid takes to the Senate floor to point out how neoconservatives have been wrong on Iraq.

Money quote:

Reid: Being on the wrong side of Dick Cheney is being on the right side of history.

Amen.

Dick Cheney's Iraq Greatest Hits

Will the media please stop asking Duck Cheney about his views on the current crisis in Iraq. Cheney has zero credibility on foreign policy.

Quote of the Day

"Now, I love John McCain — I just went out to do an event for him. We used to be close friends, and we’re trying to get that back a little bit. Campaigns have a way of causing those things to wane…. But here’s where we are with regard to Syria: With all the credibility we’ve gained in the world, we don’t want to blow it like the last administration did in Iraq, saying “weapons of mass destruction."

Vice President Joe Biden

Usually Biden puts his foot in his foot. This time he says something wise. The Obama administration needs to have solid intelligence on Iran's nuclear program. The decision should not be made on flimsy intelligence or political calculations.

The Benchwarmers

People wonder why Majority Leader Harry Reid did not push for real filibuster reform. The same reason why House Speaker John Boehner's 112th Congress passed the lowest amount of bills since the 1940s. It goes beyond ideology and partisnship. Congress doesn't want to have to have tough votes on the roll call. Political cowardness trumps politics.

Remember the vote for the Iraq Resolution. The legislation was based on fiction.

Whereas the United States is determined to prosecute the war on terrorism and Iraq’s ongoing support for international terrorist groups combined with its development of weapons of mass destruction in direct violation of its obligations under the 1991 cease-fire and other United Nations Security Council resolutions make clear that it is in the national security interests of the United States and in furtherance of the war on terrorism that all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions be enforced, including through the use of force if necessary;

Whereas Congress has taken steps to pursue vigorously the war on terrorism through the provision of authorities and funding requested by the President to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized,

committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such persons or organizations; Whereas the President and Congress are determined to continue to take all appropriate actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such persons or organizations;

Whereas the President has authority under the Constitution to take action in order to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United States, as Congress recognized in the joint resolution on Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107–40); a

Whereas it is in the national security interests of the United States to restore international peace and security to the Persian Gulf region: Now, therefore, be it

The kicker is Congress never declared war. The Constitution clearly states only Congress has the power "to declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water." Congress gave Bush the power to decide if he wanted to invade Iraq.

(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to— (1) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and (2) enforce all relevant

Senators like John Kerry tried to escape responsibility for their votes.

"We should not have gone to war knowing the information that we know today," Kerry said Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." "Knowing there was no imminent threat to America, knowing there were no weapons of mass destruction, knowing there was no connection of Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda, I would not have gone to war. That's plain and simple."

That is what Senate hearings are for. Don't give President Bush a blank check and expect him not to use it.

Harry Reid is doing everything in his power to avoid gun control legislation. Reid will likely use the excuse that his caucus doesn't support the legistation. This will save Democrats and Republicans from having to vote. Their is bipartisan support in ducking gun control.

“Something will happen. The question is what,” says one senior Hill aide. “What matters to Reid is trying to protect his caucus. I don’t think he is going to want to put Democrats in conservative-leaning states taking votes on something that won’t have a clear pathway to success.”

Sen. Marco Rubio said Congress is too busy to take on gun control. This is coming from the same man that never introduced his immigration bill because he went on a book tour.

Congress can't get anything done because they have no desire to. We don't have elected leaders. WE have benchwarmers collecting a government paycheck.

Dancing through the news on Iraq

[Cross-posted from The Middle Everything]

The Guardian:

A wave of at least 14 bombings ripped across Baghdad on Thursday morning, killing at least 60 people in the worst violence Iraq has seen for months.

Radio Free Europe:

The fear now is that today’s attacks, which have occurred amid a rapidly unraveling political situation and the withdrawal of U.S. military support, could signal a return to that sectarian strife.

How pervasive is this sectarian strife?

Russia Today:

Tariq al-Hashemi [Iraqi Vice President] is accused of paying his bodyguards to target government officials in 2006-2007, and was banned from leaving the country on Sunday. But by Monday, when the warrant was issued, Al-Hashemi had already moved to Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. The move provided the VP with significant immunity to the arrest warrant, given the region’s special status.

Let’s backtrack for a second to put this into perspective. Tariq al-Hashemi is a leading Sunni politician in Iraq’s central government that seeks to bring together the country’s majority Shia Muslim population with the minority Sunni Muslims and Kurds.

Before World War I, “Iraq” was three provinces within the Ottoman Empire: Sunni, Shia, and Kurd. After becoming a country and being forced to live together, a strongman Sunni ruler named Sadaam Hussein came to power and committed massacres against both the Shia and Kurd populations. The Kurd’s still want their own country (hence the “semi-autonomous Kurdish region” in northern Iraq); the Shia and Sunni always seem to have trouble living together.

Iraq’s current Prime Minister, Nouri al-Malki, is a Shiite. And the Sunni VP al-Hashemi apparently contracted out hits on Shia politicians. After al-Malki issued an arrested warrant for the country’s vice president, al-Hashemi fled for safe haven in Kurdistan, which is supposed to be part of Iraq and, BTW, is also part of Iraq’s central government in Baghdad.

So, besides issuing an arrest warrant for a sitting member of that government, what else is happening with Iraq’s central government? Glad you asked.

The Guardian:

The claims about Hashimi, made on state television, which aired the alleged confessions of three of his guards, have inflamed already high tensions between Sunni politicians and the Shia-led government of Maliki, which last week ordered a second prominent Sunni figure, deputy prime minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, to stay away from parliament.

The Sunni-dominated Iraqiya bloc, which has 91 seats in the 325-seat parliament, has flagged a boycott from the legislature by many of its members. Three Sunni provinces have made unilateral declarations of autonomy.

And, of course, massive bombings — right after the last US troops pulled out of Iraq. The timing of all this is peculiar, because…

Russia Today:

The scandal follows the departure of the last remaining US troops from the country, leaving behind what US President Barack Obama called a “sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq.”

Looks like that $808 billion spent on the Iraq war — instead of infrastructure repairs, improving the US economy, and social services — was a complete and total waste.

Jamie Leigh Jones Case Going to Court

Great news: Jamie Leigh Jones is finally getting her day in court.

HOUSTON – Jury selection began Monday afternoon in the case of a Houston woman who says she was raped by co-workers in Iraq when she worked for KBR, a former subsidiary of Halliburton.

The suit was filed by Jamie Leigh Jones against Halliburton and its ex-subsidiary, KBR Inc. Jones says she was raped while working for KBR at Camp Hope, Baghdad, in 2005. KBR and Halliburton, both based in Houston, split in 2007.

Jones has fought for the past six years to get her day in court. She finally had that chance Monday, arriving at the courthouse early with her attorneys at her side.

Jones can only file a civil suit. The Bush administration and Congress placed contractors under State Department supervision. Military contractors are not under the Defense Department. Therefore the the military article code does not apply. That is why Blackwater has been able to break the law in Iraq. Attorney Scott Horton explained the legal failure of the policy.

(1) The Justice Department is effectively not present on the scene, does not have personnel deployed charged with conducting investigations, collecting evidence and making preliminary decisions as to whether incidents are suitable for prosecution. This would require a team of FBI agents with appropriate training, including access to forensic labs and personnel.

(2) The case when first alleged seems to have been treated as an issue related to administration of a contract, rather than a criminal justice matter, triggering only a State Department investigation. But the State Department does not have authority to conduct criminal inquiries or to bring charges.

(3) The Department of Defense was called upon to provide medical expertise, which was a reasonable step. But no guidelines appear to have been available as to how this was done. The alleged surrender of the rape kit by military medical personnel to Kellogg Brown & Root was grossly improper, producing a serious lapse in the chain of custody—and in this case, loss of evidence which cannot be reproduced. It reflects an attitude which I hear constantly when interviewing State Department and Defense Department personnel—namely, that the problem is the contractor’s. Of course, the contractor has an interest in performing its contract and maintaining a good relationship with the contracting agency. The contractor does not have any interest per se in law enforcement. It might well decide to terminate employees it believes are involved in a crime, but beyond that the contractor will, very appropriately, believe that the responsibility for law enforcement lies with law enforcement agencies.

Sadly, the Obama administration has done nothing to change the military contracting rules.

Quote of the Day

"If President Bush copied Julius Caesar by ordering his army to empty Iraq of Arabs and repopulate the country with Americans, he would achieve immediate results: popularity with his military; enrichment of America by converting Arabian Iraq with American Iraq (therefore turning it from a liability to an asset); and boost American prestiege while terrifying American enemies.

"He could then follow Caesar's example and use his newfound popularity with the military to wield military power to become the first permanent president of America, and end the civil chaos caused by the continually squabbling Congress and out-of-control Supreme Court."

Phillip Atkinson

Atkinson penned this punditry masterpiece in 2007. The op-ed appeared on Family Security Matters. The web site is run by the Center For Security Policy. The CSP is technically a think tank. In reality, it promotes conspiracy theories about Shariah law taking over America.

Atkinson fails to note the Julius Caesar was assassinated for being dictorial. The rest of the world already fears America's military might. Other country would more likely make alliances to keep America in check. The last thing the NATO countries would do is sing praises for commit genocide and stealing Iraq's oil. Both of which are illegal under international law.

You may write off the CSP as a fringe group. How many fringe groups have Beltway insiders Elliott Abrams, Richard Perle, Doug Feith and Jack Dyer Crouch, II and Dick Cheney as members? CSP is a reflection of the insanity that is Republican foreign policy.

Quote of the Day

"It's approximately 500, of which . . . approximately 350 are combat deaths."

Paul Wolfowitz, in April of 2004.

Wolfwitz was asked how many U.S. military personnel died in Iraq. The actual causality count that day was 722 US troops. 521 in combat operations. As a Deputy Sec. of Defense, Wolfowitz didn't bother keep track of how many troops died in Iraq.

Joel Award: Sarah Palin

It is time to give out the Joel Award. The award goes any celebrity, pundit, blogger or politician that purposely contradicts himself or herself.

On Fox News, Sarah Palin said she wants the Libyan conflict ended quickly.

We better be in it to win it. 'Win it' means Qadhafi goes and America gets to get on out of there."

"It's not America's role not to be out and about nation building and telling other countries how to live."

Funny but Palin supports nation building in Iraq. It makes me wonder why Palin wants to NATO air-strikes stopped ASAP.

We should be clear, however, that fewer troops mean assuming more risk. Talk of an exit date also risks sending the wrong message. We should be in Afghanistan to win, not to set a timetable for withdrawal that signals a lack of resolve to our friends, and lets our enemies believe they can wait us out. As long as we’re in to win, and as long as troop level decisions are based on conditions on the ground and the advice of our military commanders, I support President Obama’s decision.

Cats & Dogs & Iraq

Mother Jones has a photo slideshow of soldiers dealing with the straw dogs and cats in Iraq. Soldiers have adopted some of the animals. A life in Iraq would mean certain death for these creatures.

Fox News Geography

Thanks to Fox News: I now know Egypt has moved to the eastern side of the Red Sea. This caused Iraq to disappear off the face of the Earth.

I know the people that run Fox News are not bright. Most people learned in grade school Eqypt in part of Africa. Here is a map that better explains Egypt's proximity to Iran and Israel.

Contractor Charged in Jamie Leigh Jones Case

Jamie Leigh Jones is finally getting justice. A KBR contractor David Charles Breda Jr. was been charged with sexual assault.

David Charles Breda Jr., 34, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in October at Camp Al Asad, Iraq, where he was employed by a subsidiary of Houston-based military contractor KBR Inc.

Breda, who lived in the Houston suburb of Pearland before he left for Iraq, was arrested Thursday at a Houston-area barber college by agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. A call to his attorney was not immediately returned.

The federal indictment returned Friday in Houston marks the latest allegation of sexual assault involving civilians working for contractors in Iraq.

Jones had to deal with the conservative blogosphere accusing of making up a story of being raped. It is shameful and and petty. Defending Halliburton and KBR became more important than the Republican stance of being tough on crime. This disgusting post at Flopping Aces is a perfect example.

I’m sorry, I don’t buy that at all. Why in the world would the Army hand over criminal evidence to the company involved in the crime?

Doesn’t make sense.

Then these evil men threatened her if she talked. Did they threaten her with death? A beating? You know, because they are evil and all I would expect that. But no, they threaten her with her job. They really thought that she would care about her job with a company that was involved in her rape?

But you do have a Congressman involved in getting her rescued so the believability index goes up a bit.

Benefit of the doubt goes to her…..for now.

The comments at Flopping Aces shows the cluelessness of the blog's readership. This factually inaccurate statement by ChrisG illustrates willful ignorance.

If the shipping container was not suspect, this really is. ANY positive rape result would go up SEVERAL chains of command instantly! KBR does not have “security officers” like some bad Hollywierd film and US Army CID would be all over this, as would NCIS, DOS Security, and EVERY other US Federal enforcement agency. KBR also would not be allowed to take the kit. These are marked and inventoried items. IF there was a breakdown in well documented accountability, “heads rolling” would be an understatement!!

Halliburton/KBR admitted to ABC News the Army doctor gave the rape kit to KBR security. Congressman Ted Poe had to call the State Department to remove Jones from the KBR facility.

Michelle Malkin called the coverage of Jones' case "Halliburton Derangement Syndrome." Malkin links to a post by Ted Frank.

People with legitimate claims usually don’t have lawyers trying so desperately to forum-shop that they file amateurish briefs like this, and Jones loses a ton of credibility with me over that.

I wonder if Frank still feels Jones' lacks credibility after the arrest of David Charles Breda Jr.

Update: I should make it clear it is not known what woman Breda is accused of sexually assaulting. Numerous American women have reportedly been raped by contractors. Breda is the first known contractor to be charged. All these conservative blogs that doubted Jones' story are not covering the Breda case. To the best of my knowledge no one has been charged in the Jones Case

Barack Obama In Iraq

The White House web site has pictures of Obama's visit. It is amazing how the troops respond to Obama.

Warnings unheeded

Nearly 50 years ago, another Republican president said farewell to the nation with a warning about the growing strength of the ties between the military and corporations. Eisenhower said:

Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet, we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

Tonight, Bush ended his own farewell address with references to Iraq -- an unneeded war where private/corporate militias were heavily relied upon for fighting.

And Ike -- a real Republican -- rolls over in his grave.

Au revoir, Bush. Be sure not to cause anymore catastrophes on your way out, if you can help it.

Quote of the Day

"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. Those rough men might hesitate knowing their commander-in-chief just might not stand behind them if their actions become known. Their hesitation will lead to American deaths."

Erik Erickson, of RedState.com.

Erickson makes the most unintentional homoerotic gaffe since the volleyball scene in Top Gun. Erickson goes on to spread the myth that the Left is "working on behalf of our enemies." My rebuttal is torture doesn't work. I wrote a post in 2007 about tortured detainee al-Shaykh al-Libbi giving false information under distress.

"Al Qaeda continues to have a deep interest in acquiring weapons of mass destruction," Colin Powell told the Untied Nations. "I can trace the story of a sernior terrorist operative telling how Iraq provided training in these weapons to al Qaeda. Fortunately, this operative is now detained and he has told his story."

The information was tortured out of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libbi was bogus. He was tortured by means of waterboarding and hypothermia. He told his interrogators what they wanted to hear for one simple reason. So they would stop. Former Vietnam POW and Senator John McCain wrote, "I gave them the names of the Green Bay Packers' offensive line, knowing that providing them false information was sufficient to suspend the abuse."

The Bush administration used this bogus intelligence to make the case for the Iraq war. Erickson is delusional for believing torture works.