Glenn, I love it when you post pictures of the war-lovers. It's not enough that they look like pudgy wimps who would faint if threatened by Granny wielding a soda-straw. They have to look like the quintessential pudgy wimp. I mean, I know it's not nice to judge a book by the cover and all that...but really.

You would not need to ask?

Ken Kagan is a Hasidic Jew?

Ken Hagan is a Amish bug?

aplogies to Hasidic Amish.

so sad...

All U.S. Embassy personell has been ordered not to leave "re-inforced" structures. That would be Newspeak for bunkers.

That's a face that even a mother couldn't love.

Other than Bill Kristol and Fred's brother, war cheerleader Robert Kagan, nobody has been more wrong about more things with regard to Iraq than war lover Fred Kagan.

Or, has he been just a little less wrong?

Years of being wrong and yet they are the experts. The MSM kills its credibility and when they get called on it just whine that progressives are shrill and intolerant. Guess what I AM ALWAYS shrill and intolerant for advocates of policies that cause death and destruction. So I wear my badge with honor

Okay, so Fred said "the" civil war is over. Cockburn says a "new" civil war is starting. Did anybody ask Fred about a new civil war? I thought not. And how can you have a "new" civil war if the old one is still going? It follows that Cockburn's report actually supports Fred's pronouncement. Fred's reputation as an expert stands unblemished.

Anyway Glenn, aren't you getting just a little tired of this old-fashioned fact-based thinking?

Off topic but I quite enjoyed this--

Joe Lieberman has his hands full correcting John McCain on Harry Shearer's Le Show.

http://download.kcrw.com/audio/9044/ls_2008-03-23-164218.mp3

The fun begins at 34:12.

More Le Show

http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/ls

I'd love to see a documentary that alternately shows the predictions and pronouncements of the think tanks you mentioned and the ones who actually got it right.

Perhaps if enough of the public could compare the media darlings who have been consistently wrong next to the men and women who lost their jobs because the didn't, we could rid ourselves of the Kagans and the other chickenhawks.

I would be so horribly embarrassed, being so horribly wrong, so horribly often and, by extension, causing so many deaths.

What is it that allows a person to feel no shame?

That I could take seriously would be a restaurant-buffet recommendation.

If he'll say John McCain will be our next president.

What is it that allows a person to feel no shame?

The fact that no one "important" tells them that they're wrong, but instead actively heaps adulation on them?

Because lets face it. All the "important", "serious" people love the war. It's just a matter of pacing and implementation to them. So who cares about semantics about what's a 'civil war' or not? Reality-based thinking is so pre-Reagan.

Although I do have to say, in the midst of my mourning the death of Reality and Truth, I can't stop laughing at the vacuity of this putz's pudgy ass face.

Who wants to bet this tenth-wit got the shit beaten out of him DAILY by the neighborhood kids?

And WHY does the rest of the world have to pay for these guys' "sissy-boy" neuroses?!

(Ok, it was swampland)

Christopher Hitchen's name came up because he wrote a truly rude column about Obama's race speech.

In coming up with reasons why we should ignore Christopher Hitchins I found and posted this tidbit:

Hitch......11/05/03.

http://www.slate.com/id/2090772/

The president has been widely lampooned by many a glib columnist for saying that increased violence is not necessarily a cause for despair and may even be evidence of traction. He is, in fact, quite right to take this view, which was first expressed, to my knowledge, by Gen. John Abizaid

I added:

Good to know that the increase in violence in 2003 was a good thing. Think of how much better it is now that it's still happening 5 years later.

Rock 'n' Roll!

Imagine my dismay when I realized that my snarky comment about an increase of violence being a good thing was actually being parrotted by GWB at the same time:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/27/bush-iraq-positive/

And the saddest part is the most detailed coverage I could find today on the subject of the new wave of violence went out of its way to lay blame at the feet of the Iranians.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/27/basra.analysis/

All I can observe at this point is that my faith that "truth will win out eventually" will have to be put on hold for another few FU's.

it's just that the pronouncements he is paid to make are often out of sync with the ordinary reality we proles understand. the underlying, 'true', reality will manifest itself in due course. elect mccain and wait patiently, dear plebs.

There is something pathetic about our experts on Iraq who inhabit think tanks. We should rename the Heritage Foundation, AEI and other places were stupid men play word games the Thoughtless Tanks. As soon as they pronounce on Iraq an event nails the lie. But are they humbled or shamed? No way. They bob and weave; and in weaving to create their cloth of deception. Ignore these bums.

the government of Iraq announced a weekend curfew in Baghdad. They're obviously afraid of increased violence there. It'll be interesting to see if people respect that curfew and if they don't, whether the government can enforce it.

The government used 30,000 military and police in Basra and still seem to be unable to defeat the Mahdi Army.

Interesting developments.

Have no fear! McCain and the Neocon Cabal are already proclaiming the violence in Iraq as an attempt to keep him from being elected!

That's why Iraqi's fight and die! So they can influence American elections!

Love the ethnocentrism, hate the fact that people will buy it.