Here's something I never thought I'd say:

Norm Coleman, I'm proud of you.



From Senate floor, Coleman criticizes Bush plan for Iraq
FREDERIC J. FROMMER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Sen. Norm Coleman took to the Senate floor Wednesday to raise his objection to President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq, arguing that an escalation of U.S. forces isn't the answer to the violence in Iraq.

"A troop surge in Baghdad would put more American troops at risk to address a problem that is not a military problem," said Coleman, a Minnesota Republican and White House ally. "That will put American soldiers in the cross-hairs of sectarian violence, create more targets. I just don't believe this makes sense."

President Bush will deliver a prime-time speech Wednesday night, in which he is expected to announce he's sending 21,500 more Americans to Iraq. Coleman, who visited Iraq last month, has previously announced his opposition to this approach, but he elaborated in his Senate speech Wednesday.

Coleman said the U.S. is fighting two fronts in Iraq: against terrorists, and in the war between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

"Our military must continue the battle against extremists and terrorists, but we have no business being caught in the cross-fires of an Iraqi sectarian conflict," he said. "... The only long-term solution for bringing stability to Iraq must be centered on national reconciliation."

That's up to the Iraqi government, Coleman said.

"I refuse to put more American lives on the line in Baghdad without being assured that the Iraqis themselves are willing to do what they need to do to end the violence of Iraqi against Iraqi," he said. "If Iraq is to fulfill its role as a sovereign and democratic state, it must start acting like one."

An increase in troops ignores the conditions on the ground, said Coleman.

"My consultations with both military and Iraqi political leaders confirms that an increase of troops in areas plagued by sectarian violence will not solve the problem of sectarian hatred," he said.

Coleman stressed that the U.S. must succeed in Iraq.

"It is easy to lose sight of the fact that we are in Iraq as part of a global war on terror," he said.

"There is no question that Iraq has become the key battleground of this war. Failure cannot be an option in either the overall war on terror, or in Iraq."

A failed state in Iraq, Coleman said, would create a breeding ground for terrorists.

The White House had no immediate comment on Coleman's speech.

More evidence of tides turning

Blog friend, J. Marquis of Major Conflict fame, wrote a great post on the awakening of the American public. Here is more proof of his correct assessment:

"Broadcasting & Cable," a trade publication for the TV industry, reported that Fox News’ ratings are “dropping precipitously.”

Slackers at Fox News Channel, you’re on notice! Your boss is not pleased. Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes is on the warpath following his network’s recent ratings slump, and he won’t hesitate to clean house to turn things around.

So far during the second quarter, the No. 1 cable news channel’s primetime schedule has dropped 22% in its core 25-54 demo and 8% in total viewers. The first quarter was even worse. […]

Insiders say that, even though Fox News remains No. 1, Ailes is fuming over the complacency he senses among staffers.

Production values are slipping, and bookers aren’t competitive enough, relying too heavily on the same pool of faces and settling for authors or actors after they’ve already been on CNN or … gasp … MSNBC.

For that matter, as Singer added, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann is “edging ever closer to Fox News’ big star, Bill O’Reilly, among the much-coveted 25-54 demographic.”

Consider this your morale boost for the day.

Say hello to my little friend

Ok, it's not so little. (I just felt like quoting Tony Montana.)

This is my first major purchase for school -- a 17" MacBook Pro.

Apple sure knows what they're doing. It's the most beautiful computer I've ever seen. Even their packaging and manuals are first rate.

I'm have a feeling that everything was designed, and written, by liberals. : )

Redeploying Our Troops Out of Iraq

Letter from Russ Feingold - U.S. Senator
Honorary Chair, Progressive Patriots Fund

According to the latest news reports, in the coming days the President will address the nation about his intentions regarding the situation in Iraq. While the President ought to set forth a timetable to redeploy our troops out of Iraq as soon as possible, all signs point to a repackaged version of "stay the course," possibly with an increased U.S. presence on the ground. That strategy simply doesn’t make sense. Our open-ended presence there only fuels the insurgency, and adding more troops with no end date in sight only adds more fuel to the fire.

Thanks to each and every one of you, starting today, Democrats now control Congress – and now is the time for us to lead. There is no higher foreign policy priority than making America safer and getting our nation back on track by redeploying our troops out of Iraq.

Co-Sponsor the Resolution to Redeploy Our Troops Out of Iraq

It has been almost two months since Americans went to the polls and rejected the President’s strategy in Iraq. Since then I've continued the fight we started in August 2005 when we were alone in demanding a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Today, in this new Democratic Congress, I have introduced legislation that would require the redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq within six months.

The administration has repeatedly ignored recommendations for a timely redeployment of our forces currently fighting in Iraq. But it's reckless to continue to devote so much of our resources to one nation while ignoring the growing threats we face elsewhere in the world. It is now time for Congress to work toward redeployment. I'm asking for citizen co-sponsors from all 50 states to join my call for redeployment.

I know the Progressive Patriots Community has always been by my side and I hope you’ll continue to work with me on this extremely important issue.

I will continue to work for a sensible foreign policy that refocuses our efforts from Iraq in order to continue the global fight against terrorist networks. Please co-sponsor my resolution to help send the message that we can't afford to wait any longer. It's time for Congress to take the necessary steps to fix our Iraq policy immediately.


Sincerely,

Russ

T-minus 45 minutes!

Hey Repubs, Paybacks a bitch

(I love this story. Go House Dems!!!)

From CNN:

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: As soon as Democrats -- House Democrats officially take control on Thursday, they will start debating the dizzying legislative agenda they promised in the first 100 hours of the new Congress, which translates in -- into two-and-a-half weeks of work.

Now, Democratic leadership aides say this will be the schedule. Thursday and Friday, they will pass measures perform -- performing -- or reforming, I should say, House lobbying and ethics rules. And we will get details on that tomorrow.

Now, next week, House Democrats will vote to implement outstanding 9/11 Commission recommendations, vote to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, lift federal funding limits on stem cell research, take up a measure intended to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for Medicare.

If you can follow all of this, then, next week, they are going to cut student loan rates -- that's their plan, at least -- in half, and also cut subsidies for oil companies.

Now, in order to get all of that passed, and fast, Democratic leadership aides say they will limit Republicans' ability to offer competing measures. Now, that's exactly the way Republicans ran the House for 12 years, shutting out Democrats on most key legislation. But Republicans are crying foul.

They're pointing to quote after quote from incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, promising open debate and room for opposition. And GOP leaders are even holding a press conference tomorrow to propose a set of what they call minority rights that Pelosi herself demanded before the election.

We're told some House Democrats were worried about looking and sounding hypocritical here, but the leadership decided that this is the only way to ensure their campaign promises are kept, and insist that, down the road, Republicans will have more rights

"..an underperforming, bon vivant scion of the "right kind," and sent him out amongst us

Latest letter to the editor of the East Hampton Star from my very wise & wonderful Uncle Richard:

Yesterday my wife and I went to the movies and saw "The Good Shepherd." After the movie, I wanted to refresh my memory about the history of the OSS, CIA and those who ran it and still run it.

What struck me most in the movie was when Joe Pesci, playing the role of a Mafia Chief, is approached by Matt Damon playing the role of the leader of the CIA effort in the "Bay of Pigs" fiasco, to ask for Mafia assistance in the US government's effort to overthrow Castro in Cuba. Pesci asks Damon to explain something he (Pesci) doesn't understand..." We Italians have our love of family, the Jews have their traditions, the Irish have their homeland, the blacks have their music, what do you guys have?" Damon answers "we have the US of A and you are all our guests!"

Wow! Is that true? I asked myself? So I went to the internet and researched for some answers and insight, and you know what? Matt Damon's quote was right on the money. Those people do, literally, have the country and they move us to do their bidding like chess pieces! WWI, maipulated; WWII manipulated; Vietnam manipulated and now Iraq, manipulated.

My reading just clarified and reinforced my latent feelings that America and its stated goals and hailed concepts of liberty and justice for all, has been hijacked by an elitist group of male, white, Protestant and pseudo-Protestant, rich, connected, Ivy League type "Real Americans", many with memberships in "Skull & Bones" and other like, closed, secret organizations. These same, linked and networked "Real Americans" sit on all of the major corporate boards, are known , and appointed to most of the key political positions in Washington, run for and are backed with oodles of dollars and elected to almost all of the positions of power, (assassinating or destroying those who defy the pattern or who may not follow it, (i.e., the Kennedys, Martin Luther King, Dukakis, Humphrey et al., ) they exercise inordinate power and control over our lives and, with great input into our national public policy and institutions, they spend their lives doing what they deem to be "what is best for the country and those who they allow to live in it" regardless of what the majority of the people think or want (hey, ain't Iraq just so?) using false fears, false rumors, coordinated press releases etc.

And our Universities? Our free press? our "fair and equal" TV?

Yale Univ. gave out a degree to an underperforming, bon vivant scion of the "right kind," and sent him out amongst us. A History major who knew no history, a furture World Leader who knew 0 about the world, a man whose own mother thought was a complete loser, who didn't know that Kim Jong-il is not Kim Jung II; who thinks Pyongyong is a a game played with paddles and a small white ball; who never knew that the Shiites and the Sunnis have major, violent differences, doesn't read, doesn't listen to wise advisors, never makes a mistake or admits to one and is generally scary when one thinks of the power and position he holds. And now he has violated the singular most important duty of an American President, to keep our people safe from harm and war unless there is absolutely no alternative"

Thanks Yale....you have put "Skull & Bones" alumni and their power, money and influence ahead of your duty to the country and your students and failed to maintain excellence in the field of education. Shame on you.

Now most of the foregoing is just speculation on my part, backed up by many disjointed but unassailable facts. Make of it what you will, but we may have started to wake up in 2006...hopefully we will continue to stand guard against the subtle subversion of this great country by "the end justifies the means" guys we have been following like sheep lo these many years.

Richard H.
East Hampton, NY