Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

Lee,
You mean the lightbulb suddenly flashed on and somebody finally concluded the region is even more unstable that it could have ever been under Hussein?
Well, golly gee, why didn't you say so?
The scenario you've described has already been stated by so many that all you're doing is repeating an echo...
PS If you think 21000 more troops is going to "contain it", then you are even more detached from reality than our president...

According to the latest audit, 36 million designated for armored vehicles has "disappeared". An olympic-size swimming pool for Iraqi police cadets goes unused. Billions more in potential overcharging by American companies looms on the horizon.
But here's the kicker: An American contractor was asked how bad it is in Iraq and he responded, "I'll put it this way, the currency in Basra is now the Iranian toumar and not the Iraqi dinar."
Geez...

Here are the top Bushisms for 2006, quoted directly from George W Bush, and based upon a poll of language observers and a global language monitor:
1."I'm the decider."
2."I use the google."
3."It was not always certain that the U.S. and America would have a close relationship."
4."I've got an ek-a-lecttic reading list."
5."The only way we can win is to leave before the job is done."
6."Stay the course."
7."When the final history is written on Iraq, it will look like a comma."
8."The congress was right to renew the terrorist act." (It's the patriot act)
9."I want to be a war president, no president wants to be a war president."
10."The fiscal year that ended on February the 30th." (Ends Sep 30/Oct 11).
The hit parade just keeps on coming...

How about a month devoted to birth control...

"a big mistake"
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/12/27/ford.iraq/index.html
Read Ford's comments on Bush's plans of spreading democracy around the middle east...

From what I've heard, the swift plants were raided, in part, because a number of the illegal aliens were accused of "aggravated identity theft".
As far as the issue of employers and illegals is concerned, some employers are now doing the perp-walk and it's about time that it's happened. A fence company in San Diego, for example, has recently been fined 5 million for repeated violations of rehiring illegals and the president and vice president of the company were reportedly facing five years in jail, along with personal fines for their role in it. These execs are expected to be in jail for a minimum of six months so they will reportedly do some time.
Halting illegal immigration has to start with employer sanctions...

Condi Rice has spoken: No talks with Syria or Iran on Iraq, period. The Baker commission has said it's recommendations must be taken in total for any chance for success in stabilizing the situation in Iraq.
Condi Rice has spoken: The violence in Iraq might contiunue after the Bush administration leaves office. Tell us something we don't know! And it means there's little hope of Bush implementing the commission's recommendations even though point is probably moot since the entire package would need to be adopted for any chance for success.
Condi Rice has spoken: "Get ready! We're going to the middle east, a lot!" Golly gee, all of us can't wait to go!
Condi Rice has spoken: "I've been thinking about Iraq, a lot." Oh, really! Heavens to Betsy, We're saved!
Condi Rice: remains true to her description in the LA Times, "Happy and clueless"...
Bush! Total Bush voters!!!

Here's an interesting link from a retired general's commentary on what Bush ought to do now in Iraq.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/12/11/shepperd.analysis/index.html

In addition to outlining Bush's exit strategy, where none previously existed(it's always been "stay the course"), I have some thoughts on where the troops should've been in the first place: Afghanistan. In a recent LA Times article, only 1/5 of the country is said to be under government control. The next few months will be pivotal in determining the outcome of the war in Afghanistan. Now is the time for Bush to heed the words and recommendations of the commission's report, and redirect American troop concentrations to Afghanistan before it is lost...

Dick Cheney must have gotten some advice from Kissinger on "shuttle diplomacy."
He arrived in Saudi Arabia for a few hours of talks with King Abdullah.
Seems he discussed the entire mess of Iraq, Iran, Lebannon, Syria and everything in between, in two hours.
What, the same thing couldn't have been accomplished by a video conference? Cheney and the King have to use interpreters anyway.
It appears Cheney deftly stepped in. To it.
Both Cheney and King Abdullah are reported to see things, "eye to eye." I wonder if that includes the reports of the Saudis planning to cut oil production to increase the cost of crude oil. But, given the fact that Cheney discusses the nation's energy policy in private with VPs of energy companies, we'll probably never know, except when we continue to get the oil shaft at the pumps.
Anyhow, just how much could Cheney have accomplished in his few hours of talks with the Saudi King? Afterall, the ethnic and sectarian violence that's helped fan the civil war in Iraq goes back historically for decades so what could Cheney's visit really accomplish to stop it?
The Bush administration won't acknowledge the reality of civil war in Iraq and this BS meeting with Cheney and King Abdullah is simply more of the same...

Would you like to have the government or your vehicle's manufacturer as a permanent ride-along in your car, truck or SUV? A ride-along that monitors how fast you are going? Or, how many passengers you have on board your own vehicle? Or, what position your transmission shifter is in? Or, what position your driver seat is in? Or, whether or not the driver and front passenger wore their seat belts? Or, whether a brake pedal was applied Or, your front passenger's occupant classification?
Would you like to go to jail for years or even life if you get into a serious accident and the above information is used against you in a court of law?
That's exactly what's happened to drivers who unkowingly had EDRs installed in their vehicles before they bought them. EDRs are event data recorders and they are similar to "black boxes" installed in airplanes. They record all sorts of data before and after a crash. For those unfortunate drivers who were involved in accidents that resulted in death or serious injuries, EDRs in their own vehicles became key pieces of evidence against them at their trials. One such case involved a woman who was driving her friend home when she hit an ice patch and lost control of her SUV. The driver's friend was killed and the driver is in prison because the EDR showed a higher rate of speed than the posted limit. Another driver got life in prison after being involved in a fatal fatal accident based upon speeding as recorded by an EDR.
How do you know if you have a EDR installed in your vehicle? If your vehicle is a 2004 or later model, there's a 75% chance it has one. Look in your owner's manual and it will tell you if one is present and what data it records. I was surprised to find I've got one in my '05 Toyota Highlander and it records the data described above. I never knew I had a 24 7 ride-along until now...