Yet again, another case of a “truthful president”!!!  The clothing at http://www.thumbsuckersfor.com show the world how the youngest Americans feel about what George and his pals have to say.

Bush is indeed the boy who cried wolf.

Molly, you’re wonderful. Wonder whether GF Nelson and others remember the sorts of things that were posted on Freeper boards during, say, the previous president’s administration - that they are accusing others of exactly what they themselves did to the *last* pres… ah, well, no, they probably don’t see that. GF, haven’t you noticed the irony of entering into a discussion on how to extricate US troops from Iraq by shrieking “blind hatred of Bush… GET A CLUE !!!” ?

GF, try this link: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/npp/iraqintell/home.cfm

You don’t have to give up your Fox “News,” but do take a look at the tables. And try to calm down - you wouldn’t want to be blinded by hatred or even by zealotry, would you?

I love you Molly, but the dogs are getting a no bill.

Do you remember when Washinton was virtually shut down, when there wasn’t enough money alloted to pay people in the government? Perhaps we should collectively stop all assistance to the government until we get a statement from Congress that it has set a date for troops to start coming home. If we could get this ball rolling it might just carry itself along. Being wishy-washy accomplishes nothing. The republicans are supporting George at the expense of America.

Hurrah for Molly, but don’t punish the dogs!

R.A. Earl you couldn’t have expressed my feelings any better. What a sad place we are in, empty and helpless. Revolution is looking like the only alternative.

“I heard the economy in Iraq is just great.”

Their cups runneth over.  Their average annual income has plunged to $800.  Unemployment is over 50%. Makes ‘em angry.  Fighting mad.

Bob

GF Nelson: “Try reading the 9/11 Report by bi-partisan committee. That report reveals that their was cooperation between Saddam and Al-Qaeda. You libs ignore the truth when it is revealed if it does not suit your needs.”

Actually, the 9/11 Commission Report says nothing of the sort. It does say that Iraq and Al Qaeda had twice sent out feelers, once Iraq to Qaeda, once Qaeda to Iraq—years apart—but that the feelers had been rebuffed.

The Commission’s finding: “no operational relationship” between Saddam and al Qaeda.

Certainly enough to be concerned about the possibility of future cooperation—but not actually cooperation.

I don’t know if you were trying to be cryptically sarcastic, but it was the clash from the ‘Rock the Casbah’ album. Thinking back on those words of the song, they seem quite prophetic to this situation. the whole album’s great. Here’s the lyrics to ‘Rock the Casbah’ by the Clash.

Now the king told the boogie men
You have to let that raga drop
The oil down the desert way
Has been shakin’ to the top
The sheik he drove his cadillac
He went a’ cruisnin’ down the ville
The muezzin was a’ standing
On the radiator grille

Chorus
The shareef don’t like it
Rockin’ the casbah
Rock the casbah
The shareef don’t like it
Rockin’ the casbah
Rock the casbah

By order of the prophet
We ban that boogie sound
Degenerate the faithful
With that crazy casbah sound
But the bedouin they brought out
The electric camel drum
The local guitar picker
Got his guitar picking thumb
As soon as the shareef
Had cleared the square
They began to wail

Chorus

Now over at the temple
Oh! they really pack ’em in
The in crowd say it’s cool
To dig this chanting thing
But as the wind changed direction
The temple band took five
The crowd caught a wiff
Of that crazy casbah jive

Chorus

The king called up his jet fighters
He said you better earn your pay
Drop your bombs between the minarets
Down the casbah way

As soon as the shareef was
Chauffeured outta there
The jet pilots tuned to
The cockpit radio blare

As soon as the shareef was
Outta their hair
The jet pilots wailed

Chorus

He thinks it’s not kosher
Fundamentally he can’t take it.
You know he really hates it.

That would be The Clash, Mary.  Even more a propos than you realized, eh?

Rummy says that the Dept of Defense is doing a bad job of communicating.
Maybe had he not sent young people off to die without enough troops, armament, mission statement, occupation or exit plan he wouldn’t have to explain.
Then when Robert Scheer exposed the phony Pvt. Lunch story, Rummy’s minister of propaganda, Victoria Clarke lit into him for not checking the facts with the pentagon. If the pentagon had checked the facts we wouldn’t be in this mess.
I thought the song “ It’s hard out here for a Pimp these Days” was not a good choice at the Awards but it crtainly nailed this Administration correctly

It was The Clash who sang Should I stay or should I go, now?  If I stay there will be trouble. If I go it will be double.” Prophetic or what?

There’s some rock song that says “Should I stay or should I go, now?  If I stay there will be trouble. If I go it will be double.” Can’t remember who did it at the moment, but it seems to sum the situation up pretty well.

Ken, Ed, Dave…

Saddam wanted his neighbors to believe he had WMD and for good reason.  Conversations about them prove only that there were conversations not that WMD existed. In the lead up to the war, the president told us that war was not a given, but the Downing Street memo indicates otherwise.  Which was the bluff?  Which was the truth (or had more thruthiness)?  Could the memo from the Brits have been manufactured?  If you believe that is a possiblity, then why not elements of the 9/11 report that were supplied by US governmental entities? 

Also, if the media (which, like most for-profit corporations, follows the money and therefore looks for signs of shifting power...at this point, most of the media have lost credibility with most people..."left" and “right") is so left, then why in the lead up to the war were the VAST MAJORITY of experts who were given air time pro-war?  Why was the media trumping up war?  Why were they not using--not just overlooking--exceptionally qualified experts who were looking for a peaceful solution (and they did exist)?  After all, the American public was nearly evenly divided.

I believe that most Americans want what is best for Americans as a whole (not for the richest among us).  I don’t understand you right-winged folk--neither your fervert support for Bush nor the willingness to vote against your economic interests--any better than some on the left who act as if Clinton walked on water. 

For what it is worth, it is my opinion that the Lewinsky matter was a big deal: it wasn’t that Clinton cheated with an intern (which showed a lapse in judgment so great--I mean, the man had a sexual harrassment lawsuit against him at the time he was fooling around with a subordinate--that it made me question his sanity and therefore his ability to govern), it was that he lied in a court of law, which appears so pale (given his reason for lying) as to be nearly non-existent next to the crimes being committed by Bush. 

Also, it seemed to me that Clinton was an old-school moderate republican in Democrat clothing (at a time when moderate Republicans had not yet begun to admit that they had lost their hold of the Republican party years before).  In my opinion, Clinton helped betray the environment as a whole (and not just the US) and the working class (e.g., one acronym: NAFTA), and unfortunately (if that wasn’t unfortunate enough), helped set the stage for the Republican Right-winged to bat their angry red wings even harder and move themselves even farther to the bizarro Right in order to distinguish themselves from the Democratic Party. 

And now we have Hiliary trying to snuggle up to the people who hate....  (Is it me, or is she looking a little red to you?) You go Molly, I want you for President! 

I’m not a Clinton basher who blames everything on Clinton--I just may appear that way to some who will go to great lengths to revere Clinton (just reporting what I have seen folks).  In fact, I marvel at the extent that the Right goes to bash Clinton even still (overall, as far as Republicans go, Clinton was much much better than Reagan). 

The right-winged folk must think that the left is thrashing Bush because the right-wingers bashed Clinton.  I don’t see it.  As for me, as disappointed as I was in Clinton, I am terrified of the dangerous man residing at the White House and his dangerous cronies who are trashing the very concept of the separation of powers, and who believe that the President can break the law without impunity and can make laws that suit his ends no matter the means. 

Democrats and Republicans alike are working us over while working for the money and the money doesn’t come from the pockets of us--average Joes and Janes.

Our current crop of commanding generals don’t have the balls to worry about the grunts. They worry about their careers instead.

Well, it’s going to take a pretty big upheaval to get our country back on the track of our founding principles. I like that part in the Declaration of Independence where the signers “mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

I guess we have simply become to fat and selfish to lead the world much longer ... unless, of course, “we the people” take our nation back. Our current crop of leaders really, really suck. And if we don’t have the backbone to do something about it, we deserve whatever fate is in store for us.

We have an election coming up, let’s see what happens. Will 2006 be the Year of the People like 1776? and we throw the bums out? or will it be the continuation of thumb-suckers waiting for some mythical event to bail us out of the mess we’ve made? Get real, Jesus is not coming back a la Revelation.

Read our Declaration of Independence, folks!

When did liberal become a bad word, where did this negative connotation come from?  Conservatives...please wake up.  Have some respect for former Marines like Scott Ritter who as a weapons inspector told many “Liberals” who were listening that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction.  Pay attention to the details not the sound bytes you hear O’Reilly spit out.  It’s really not that hard, just simply follow the money. 

General Electric signs a deal with the army for over $400 million dollars.  They own MSNBC which operates MSN and NBC, before the war started FAIR reported almost no news coverage with dissenting points of view!  Why not?  Well, they need to SELL this war to the public to be able to sign the deal.  This is common sense, think logically. 

Thank God for people like Molly Ivans!  It is our resposibility as citizens of the United States to be critical of our President.  Thomas Jefferson is rolling in his grave because of our apathy and ignorance. 

According to John Hopkins University, well over 40,000 Iraqi civilians are dead.  Do they not have the right to life?  Life under Saddam was better than no life at all.  Conservatives care much about the unborn but apparently when you are here, you’re on your own.  Conservatives...I love you but it’s time to step back into reality. 

Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney said it best:

“If you’re going to go in and try to topple Saddam Hussein,you have to go to Baghdad. Once you’ve got Baghdad, it’s not clear what you do with it. It’s not clear what kind of government you would put in place of the one that’s currently there now. Is it going to be a Shia regime, a Sunni regime or a Kurdish regime? Or one that tilts toward the Baathists, or one that tilts toward the Islamic fundamentalists? How much credibility is that government going to have if it’s set up by the United States military when it’s there? How long does the United States military have to stay to protect the people that sign on for that government, and what happens to it once we leave?”

Hooray for Molly & Doonesbury for President!

“Something is rotten in Denmark(I mean other than Flemming Rose and his Zionist cartoons towards Islam) when Feingold and McCain both go to Iraq, TOGETHER!”

Molly, your a bright woman, so please explain:

What makes you think that this administration is ever going to tell the truth about anything?

G F Nelson wrote ...
“You libs wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you in the butt. Your blind hatred of Bush obscures your ability to decipher the truth. Looks like Bush did not “lie” about WMDs. See what I mean.
Try reading the 9/11 Report by bi-partisan committee. That report reveals that their was cooperation between Saddam and Al-Qaeda. You libs ignore the truth when it is revealed if it does not suit your needs. GET A CLUE !!! “

There are still pathetic BUSH IS GOD’S MAN people out there who have blind faith in this bullsh*it.  This alleged “cooperation” is bogus.  If it were true, Bush and Cheney would be talking it up daily.  Since the report came out, they have completely stopped talking about any such cooperation.  Only FOX news and the radio conservative radio talk show hosts still bring this up, knowing that their listeners will eat it up because it’s what they want to hear.  How about a quote from the report detailing exactly how Iraq worked with Al-Qaeda?… Yeah, that’s what I thought.

I heard the economy in Iraq is just great. All those no bid corporate contracts are really paying dividends. Just ask Cheney. Too bad the Iraqi’s won’t lie down so that the Bush oil buddies could make even more money than they already are on the inflated price per barrel.

And thank goodness there weren’t any WMD’s because if there were they probably would have been looted and used against us by now. Or maybe they were looted… :-0

I’m sure Bush did everything he could to protect our country before 9/11. After all, Clinton warned him that Al Quaida was the biggest threat to our country when he handed the reigns over and in the first August of his presidency Bush got a report warning of imminent attack from Al Quaida. Why wasn’t he tough on terrorism then? He didn’t put law enforcement agencies on alert.

Maybe he was too busy planning the attack on Iraq and trying to figure out how to destroy social security for the enrichment of his buddies in the banking industry.

I see that Ken Hathaway also learned all he ever needed to know about debate and analysis from picking on littler kids at recess in elementary school. Nice Ken, now you can chuckle to yourself about it in bed tonight while you masturbate to an Ann Coulter book jacket.

“Sometimes we can predict the future if someone just wants to believe it.”

-------------------------------------
IRAQ –the Votes, the Tally, the War:

“The Inevitable”

The Bush Administration keeps stating that “we” cannot leave Iraq: until the votes for democracy are complete; until Iraqis establish a democratic government, until Iraqi forces can protect their citizens, not until…

Well, not until we realize The Inevitable will the true Iraqi solution come forth. It’s the obvious one, the one that Iraqis are in the midst of forming themselves through violence.

This “insurgency” is not going to end until the most important lines are finally drawn, --- the boundary lines, separating each “tribe” into their own ruling domains.

Mankind has always and will always fight to the end for their country, their territory, their religion, their everything....

That is a Truth of any country, any heritage. Call it nationalism, call it anything you want except an untruth.

Presently, lines already mark territories guarded by numerous militias that answer only to their own leaders.

Therefore --- The INEVITABLE --- divide Iraq into three countries: Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites. And most important, divide the wealth equally. Then and only then can true nation building take place. That should have been the goal from the beginning.

Iran will control the south no matter what. If Turkey invades the Kurdish “nation” then NATO is nothing more than a farce. Central Iran (Sunni) can then play out it’s power over itself, as will the others.

If it’s still not too late, perhaps it’s worth diverting our efforts towards that solution.

But would the Bush Administration condone such a change in its policy, it would mean admitting a mistake --- and aren’t they all infallible --- in their own words, in their own minds, it’s always someone else’s fault - (does “faulty intelligence” come to mind?)

“Stay the Course” has been their eternal mantra, a course mapped by lies.

Truth requires Courage, while Strength requires character, and Wisdom will ensure a lasting and true peace. Yet none of those qualities can be in effect until the curtain of lies is lifted. And that is where Courage still waits its turn.

Does the Administration have the Strength, Courage, and Wisdom to understand the future --- and not use the excuse of, “...nobody could have predicted, nobody could have imagined.”

Republicans used that excuse in their past, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the insurgency in Iraq. It’s become an idiot’s answer to the very end of time.

If they only saw the Truth..... they could predict the future!

Hold on Molly Dear, watching them spin can make you dizzy.
We, that is, the US, MUST cease hostilities immediately and withdraw all of our military forces from SouthWest Asia, the Bases that we’ve built in Iraq vacated, no Air War, cease fire and leave. This has been an expensive, embarrasing and painful disaster.
Our current program of “standing up the Iraqi Forces” is a recipe for a longer, bloodier period of chaos once we are, inevitably, driven out. (By the way, are we arming these new Iraqi Soldiers and Police? Who got that contract?)
Every day that we occupy Iraq, we provide a live-fire training ground for would-be Davids to learn Goliath’s weakpoints and every night that we hold thousands of people in a limbo archipeligo from Abu Ghraib to Bagram to Guantanamo, we pour more fuel on the fire.
Whatever Bush/Cheney/Rummy/Rice had planned, it’s been a total bloody failure. Unless this chaos IS the plan.
Felicity Smith only brushed the surface of the effects of “Liberation” on Iraqis. Sewage is still pouring into the Rivers from the treatment plants we bombed, potable water is scarce, food and healthcare are spotty and Unemployment is well over 50%. Nearly every family has lost someone to violence that we have unleashed. Over the past few months, thousands of people have been executed by deathsquads, some of them run right out of the Ministry of Interior (looks like John Negroponte’s Ambassadorship is bearing fruit). Skip the happy-talk ‘til you get the lights on 24/7. (Just love that flight of fancy about airlifting half a million pounds of toxic chemicals out of a no-fly zone to Syria. I was wondering how they could have snuck the huge convoy of trucks across the desert without our satelites seeing them, silly, they flew them out! With not one airworthy plane, with all commerce embargoed, without us noticing! It was amazing! Must have been on the UN planes.)
[Question for Wingnuts] Is the Airport road from Baghdad secured yet?
But the spin isn’t so smooth these days, got a little hitch in their git-along, not too many people as gullible as Dave anymore.
Just today some GOPig was on Terri Gross scrambling for distance from the coming slopfest, claiming that “Bush is a rebel within the Republican Party”! He was also suggesting that Cheney bow out, maybe become a consultant, to put Condi in his chair, setting her up for a run in 2008! (another flight of fancy!)
W is radioactive. Andy Card bailed. Most of the misAdministration probably glow in the dark. Of course, it’s a toss-up whether it’s worse to campaign or go hunting with Big Dick.
Between now and November, it’s time to put the pressure on both parties, get out in the streets and make noise. Several events are already underway, the grassroots and the netroots are starting to twitch. There are long running vigils against the war in almost every state.Towns in Vermont and elsewhere are passing impeachment resolutions, several hundred towns and cities repudiated the Patriot Act, Two Thirds of Americans have it figured out.
Unfortunately, most of our “leadership” and much of the Media are in the other third.

Molly,you are an American natural resource-and yu know what utah philips says about that-"run for your lives” seriously i always look to your articles for intelligence,humor and insight...Austin’s Leading Lady, my hats off to you.

Right on Molly! we live in an age where so much information streams past us that it can often overwhelm us all. words and events carry meaning, and I think its perfectly fine if ordinaty people stretch the truth now and then, were all guilty of this for sure, and Im sure that at times we’ve been caught playing with our words, trying to pull the proverbial wool over someones eyes. But we are talking about the office of the President of the United States of America, one of the most prestigious, if not most powerful seats to hold in the world, and he and his vice president, cabinet members, etc (you know who you are) continue to pave the path to destruction. Read that again.
Pave the path to destruction. The urgency of removing people who cannot be trusted in Public Offices is of the highest importance. It would be a great trajesty to allow such tyrrants as insane as these men and women the continued access to resources and power. A call for impeachment is being made!
Strip them of their power and titles! Our focus should be on sustainable development and living - Discovery Channels new show “Canada’s Worst Handyman” (http://www.discoverychannel.ca/worsthandyman/)doesnt cut for meaningful relevant information. Not to mention my skepticism about the new reality TV show’s name or intent. What is this showing saying and establishing in the audience’s mind?
The media has become too powerful Molly - how can we take it back power when theyre conducting simple random samples of the whole population without our knowledge (Im talking about the eavesdropping, which for all I know has been analyzed as deeply as the information on myspace for consumer habits, behaviors, etc. crazy shit).
How will we reenvoke a spirit of community and understanding when our evenings are spent “trying to analyze” the thought processes of a dozen teenagers plotting and fighting Road Rules (is that how people really act?) Or on Survivor, where the show plots people against each used similar forms of entertainment to keep their subjects in line.
So many of my friends think they know whats going on, the truth is, not many people will ever figure it all out, and that is why it is so important for us to get up and do something. Sometimes I sit back and think about watching The Daily Show or the Colbert Report - which some of my same friends will watch, cheering them on, the Knights of Truth. They do a good job, allright, of keeping you glued to your seat. But they havent come to serve real justice - that my friend, is up to you and me.

We spent more than a few bucks prosecuting a 20 year old PFC, probably for doing what she was told.  Every service member is responsible for their conduct and, while no service member is required to obey an order which is either illegal or immoral, nothing is more corrosive than poor or just plain wicked leadership.

When America looks at military leadership, it needs to look beyond the ranks of the enlisted and Non Commissioned Officers, even though NCO’s run every branch of the service.

Officers are responsible for the behavior of those under their command.  At least, that’s the way I remember it when I was an officer.

Time to leave the enlisted and NCO’s alone.  Time to walk over to the Stockade and spring that kid and apologize for the Leadership she didn’t get, the Leadership every soldier, sailor, airman and marine is owed.

Time to take a little walk over to the O Club.

I am sick of the snide remarks coming from the partisans on both sides.  So few speak with any reasoned thought or respect for an opposing opinion. Playing this game of political zingers and one-upmanship only serves the egos of the writer and is to the detriment of a civil society.

This country is in a hell of a mess fiscally. We have MUCH bigger problems to solve. We all know what they are: Jobs for our kids, retirement, health care, pollution, and energy.

We are all having a great time at this party called THE AMERICAN ECONOMY that we forget that our kids will be left with the bill and the cleanup. I love my kids and I am sick with the thought of the world we are leaving them. Future generations will scorn our legacy and curse our selfishness.

If we don’t stop the bickering amongst ourselves quickly then I fear America will soon enough become a nation divided, which we all know can not stand

Keep up the good work Molly, I know that when I read any of your articles they tell the truth.
The Neo-cons can’t stand the truth

RE:  Comment #5962 by felicity smith on 3/28:

Some information for #5948. Median per-capita household income in Iraq has dropped to less than $200.00/year. 

THIS IS THE MEDIAN PER CAPITA INCOME IN MADAGASCAR, ONE OF THE WORLD’S POOREST COUNTRIES. PATHETIC AND UNNECESSARY FOR BOTH COUNTRIES.

RE: Comment #5961 by ken Hathaway on 3/28

Poor Molly, still upset that GW did not call her on prom night!  (etcetc)…

UMMM, HA, HA ... WHAT A GIFT OF HUMOR. OKAY, “KEN,” LET’S SEE YOU DO BETTER. MOLLY WRITES A COLUMN AND HAS WRITTEN BOOKS. HAVE YOU? HOW ABOUT A POINT-BY-POINT REBUTTAL OF WHAT MOLLY WROTE, INSTEAD OF INSULTS? CAN YOU HANDLE THAT?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Tw49mm-CmNo -truth is - “the idiots are taking over”

the truth is - “the idiots are taking over”

amazing how many right-wing bush-backers are reading this “left wing criticism, left over maxist dribble and hatred for our country, our institutions and our president"--and yet they still can’t see the truth in it. They’re obviously as clueless as President Chimp. No surprise there, I guess--like the bumper sticker says, “vote republican--it’s easier than thinking.”

Some information for #5948. Median per-capita household income in Iraq has dropped to less than $200.00/year.  Gasoline is rationed - 13 gallons/week, and each gallon costs 5 times more than it did before occupation.  96% of Iraqi households still receive goods through the distribution networks set up under the U.N.’s former oil-for-food program.  It’s difficult to get news on the state of Iraqi infrastructure such as schools because journalists keep getting killed.  Maybe you’d like the job.  Unfortunately the situation in Iraq is so bad even we Dems have no idea how to clean it up.  And we’re certainly getting alot of flack because we don’t know how.  Of course as my mom used to say, “You made the mess, you clean it up.”

Poor Molly, still upset that GW did not call her on prom night!  Having done nothing of value so far Molly is still trying to find her way on the highway of life.  I guess I will just continue to wait and hope that someday she will write something of value and something she has some knowledge of.  I hope it happens before I retire in 3 years.

Molly is right on target, as usual, except that I think the allusion to “Battlestar Gallactica bull” is unfair.  The writers and protagonists of that show are far more honest, and far less manichaean than are Bush, Cheney and company.

G F Nelson read some history about Iraq, then whine about the “libs” FROM A long time GOP man

I guess the liberals feel it is unfortunate that there has not been another terrorist attack on the US soil, nor has their been one on any overseas US target outside of Iraq since the rules were changed on 9/11.

Leftmedia! Give me a break! For the past 6 years its been a real task to find unbiased, truthful reportage. Mostly on the web, sometimes in the newspaper, never on TV (with the notable exception of The Daley Show & the Colbert Report—it’s bad when you have to go to faux news shows to get the real news!).

Gosh, looks like Dave been sharing his pills with some of his buddies. Hey wingnuts, how do you intend to pay off your share of your hero’s 9 trillion dollar budget deficit? Maybe you can make payments out of your Social Security Personal Savings Accounts? Maybe out of the millions you’re making in the stock market? Nah - those $8 an hour jobs will cover it, especially with the President’s common-sense tax cuts.  If you guys are actually afraid of terrorists, actually think they’re going to roam the streets of your town chopping heads off, then I’ve got some real estate I think you’d really be interested in, as well as a couple of sweet, creampuff used cars.

I’m interested in getting some of the pills that Dave Moberg’s taking - did you get those from Rush, buddy?

I guess the thing that sticks in my craw is that Bush can barge into Iraq, start a civil war, and then say “leave it to the next guy to clean up” and the American public just sits there and nods its collective head.

This is standard Bush operating procedure. It was there in his business ventures and in his governorship. Somebody will always pick up after me.

I’m really tired of spoiled rich kids.

It’s a civil war when the leftmedia pounds it into our brains a million times a day, it’s a “quagmire” when the leftmedia says the word over and over and over again, there of course were no WMDs even tho proof beyond a shadow of a doubt has consistently been revealed, most recently in the declassified pentagon documents detailing Saddam’s conversations and minutes from meeting with Al-Qaeda, tapes of him discussing how to remove his illegal weapons into Syria, interviews with his top air force general in which specific details of an airlift of WMDs into Syria in the weeks before the invasion occurred… but you’re not interested in that are you?  you “patriots” are only interested in the bad news, only in the death count, only in the “civil war,” only in the violence.  any idea what the per capita income is in Iraq now? how about the average during Saddam Hussein’s rule?  any idea of how many schools and hospitals have been built by coalition forces?  any idea how many teachers have been trained?  any idea of anything besides the number of Americans killed?

but please, continue your “patriotic dissent.” it’s making SUCH a difference!

Well damn, I thought this broad was dead!

Nothing to say except I love Molly.

Football fans get it--At some point, it’s not about the plays being called, but about who is calling them.  Nothing works well with a bad quarterback, and a good leader can make all kinds of plays work.  We don’t have to know an exact strategy to know that the current adminstration cannot make any strategy work.

Bush will frustrate all future American historians. Until now they had fun debating which president was the worst. Now it’s no contest.

The article points to the core problem of our governing bodies. Both political parties are so intent in feeding their faces and those who support them the American middle class is being destroyed.As the saying goes,"If a Politicians lips are moving he is lying!” holds true to our current situation.Somewhere in this great land should be men and women with common sense to find solutions to problems where we all benefit, not just the inner circles of greed driven Democrat and Republican Parties.

Molly,
You are the very best at “turn of a phrase.” Maureen Dowd comes in at a close second, but you’re still the Champ. Keep on keeping on.

This administration reflects America’s lack of values in both it’s corporate missions and resultant cultures...as well as our religious structures...that are as dry as dead men’s bones...and bear similar fruit in our hearts.

The spoiled and intolerant little weasle that we currently call The President of The United States is representative of this...our postmodern demise of the american character...both corporately and religiously.

America needs to take a good honest look into the mirror...not only at the killing we actually do...but...what we have become inside.

What odds do The Smart Boys In Vegas put on this one? Well? We got two chances. Slim and None.

To stay or go? Well Molly why don’t we just ask the Iraqies !!

Thank You R.A. Earl.
I agree wholeheartedly.
That’s the rub.
Best,
Frank

Fugodaboudit! For the sake of our fellow Americans there, we should just get out of Iraq (Iran, *stans, Eurasia, whatever). For the sake of our fellow Americans here, we should just get Bush/Cheney out of office immediately. We simply must help ourselves. That’s the truth.

Good golly, miss molly,

Left to the left, we’ll all loose our heads.  You don’t like the status quo, but offer absolutely nothing but left wing criticism, left over maxist dribble and hatred for our country, our institutions and our president.  Why do they print you?

Something stinks in the Whitehouse, and the smell seems to envelope the entire country. We have a bunch of liars governing this country, we have been misled and the country duped. They used the media to sell their bloody war, and all the lies are finally catching up on them. This administration has made us look weak and incompetent with the rest of the world, and we have lost all credibility.

But here in America, the Media isn’t reporting all the GOOD NEWS the propagandists are producing!  Whatever to do?!

Sadly, outside of the moderate to far left, there’s no sense of outrage.

You libs wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you in the butt. Your blind hatred of Bush obscures your ability to decipher the truth.

Looks like Bush did not “lie” about WMDs. See what I mean.

Try reading the 9/11 Report by bi-partisan committee. That report reveals that their was cooperation between Saddam and Al-Qaeda.

You libs ignore the truth when it is revealed if it does not suit your needs.

GET A CLUE !!!

The only thing worse than failure in Iraq would be success. Does anyone remember the South Lebanese Army? Why are we arming Iraqis? Time to admit defeat and cut and run. It feels so good when you stop banging your head on the wall.

molly “some day tell the truth” now you know that the Show Pigeon we have in the white house, is not going to start now. when the next shoe drops, this guy will come roaring back!

Thank God for Molly Ivins.  I pray for her physical health, as her continuing her brilliant writing is critical to my ongoing mental health in this bizzaro world of Orwellian new speak.

People who hide in denial are more fearful than those who face reality because they are conflicted internally.

At some level of consciousness, they realize they are trying to walk on water and the stress of trying to maintain their illusion enflames their fears.

It becomes a vicious cycle and self-doubt begins to grow.

The process accelerates when self-image begins to dissolve.

It’s like watching parts your body rot and fall off from leprosy, but it’s worse . . . because like Alzheimer’s, it begins with your mind.

Since most people have consented to live in a masquerade, I see no reason we can’t have fun while we’re at the party. Molly, you’re wonderful; the only reasonable way to treat these increasingly-bizarre stories is to laugh at them. Kudos and such.

Molly, Great analysis of an impossible situation.  Most people are ignoring the wolf cries, I think.  Still, Bush going around talking monotonously to his choir and boring all of us to death, might motivate a few morons to think his way...again… and bring his poll #’s up to a full 40% before he’s finished.

This administration will NEVER “level” or “tell the truth.” They never had the moral courage to be truthful from day one. To them “truth” is whatever they decide will benefit their agenda the most. Their “truth” bears no relation to actual fact or honesty or integrity.

And that, is about the only consistent thing about them. You can COUNT ON THEM TO LIE. All the time. Every time. Without fail.

So, as in any game where you KNOW in advance your opponent is going to cheat, what do you do?

I don’t have the definitive answer. But I guess you could pick between just not playing the game and becoming better at cheating than they are. Since they’ve already corrupted all the referees, and change the rules on the fly, there’s no chance you can beat them by cheating.

So the decision I’ve made is to just not play. I have a life to live and, for the moment, I can live it in almost complete isolation from whatever political propaganda is being generated. If I could possibly find a way to disconnect from society completely I would.

I’m disgusted and ashamed to my core with what we, collectively, have become.