Champagne Velvet

When Condi talks about “the goal that took us to Iraq,” is she referring to finding the WMDs that were an imminent threat, combating terrorism (by making it easier for al Qaeda to recruit), or the promotion of what by almost every account is a failing democracy? 

Rice: Democrats Won’t End Iraq Mission - New York Times

Condoleezza Rice says the Democratic wave that won the party control of Congress did nothing to deter the Bush administration from continuing its Iraq mission until ”the goal that took us to Iraq” is reached.

“We have come together,” said the signers of the Constitution Project’s accusation, “because we agree that we face a constitutional crisis. . . . The separation of powers is not a mere ‘technicality.’ It is the centerpiece of our Constitution—and our freedoms depend on it.”

It just gets harder and harder to understand how 51% of the country voted for this guy after four years of his punishment.

The Ugly Truth About the President

Would you let him do the books for your business? Would you trust your company in his hands for eight years? (No matter how Republican you are, you know you just said no to that question.) Would you trust him to be your kids’ guidance counselor and take his advice seriously? If your kids were in the Army and he was their field commander, would you feel good about putting their lives in his hands?

Well said.

This comes as no surprise.  I’m also reading elsewhere that GWB has said recently that there’s nothing he can or is willing to do to reduce prices at the pump.  Combine this with his stance on stem cell research, going to war in Iraq without an exit plan, etc., and this has to be the most shortsighted administration to ever run this country.

Dark Days For Energy Efficiency

Across the board, federal funding for energy efficiency is taking a major hit

AlterNet: Chomsky: ‘There Is No War On Terror’

…the obvious metric, the number of terrorist attacks, yeah, they’ve succeeded in increasing terror.

The fact of the matter is that there is no War on Terror. It’s a minor consideration. So invading Iraq and taking control of the world’s energy resources was way more important than the threat of terror.

…

There’s basically two principles that define the Bush administration policies: stuff the pockets of your rich friends with dollars, and increase your control over the world. Almost everything follows from that. If you happen to blow up the world, well, you know, it’s somebody else’s business. Stuff happens, as Rumsfeld said.

…

Iraq is the first war I think in the history of European imperialism, including the U.S., where there was massive protest before the war was officially launched.

He also discusses the main problem of the Democratic party, the unguarded WMD stockpiles right after the invasion, the lack of Iraq withdrawal discussion, and the most likely result of a democratic Iraq - closer economic and political ties with Iran and southern Saudi Arabia, both Shiite majorities.  An interesting read.