Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The jokes (because they make themselves that)

As we start our morning, we see that baby teethed Peter Beinart has just published at The Daily Beast -- Newsweek.

pay attention1



"Experts Say Iraq Attack Is Irrational, Yet Hawks Are Winning the Debate" screams the headline. If that were a personal website or most news outlets, I'd let it pass without comment. ("Iraq" is actually Iran.) However, I have been too often treated to Newsweek gasbags on TV and NPR explaining how 'stupid' or 'dumb' or 'old' some politician is for confusing the two countries. For example, in 2008, they really loved to pounce on John McCain for doing that. So is The Daily Beast - Newsweek senile? Is this a telling moment. Can we get several hours of MSNBC prime time exploring that 'issue'?

Also of interest, Petey wants to talk about War Hawks but wants to pretend like he wasn't hawkish himself on Iraq (he was). Nothing he's done or said in the last years has indicated his new pose is anything other than a fashion make over.

Peter can be thrilled that there's a bigger joke than him. Aswat al-Iraq reports Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki issued a statement on Kirkuk yesterday. You may remember oil-rich Kirkuk is disputed. The KRG wants it as does the centeral government out of Baghdad. In his statement, Nouri insisted that "the constitution is the criteria to solve all problems, including of Kirkuk."

If you didn't just spew your morning beverage, you may not know what the Constitution says about Kirkuk. It's Article 140. A census and referendum are supposed to resolve the dispute over Kirkuk per the Constitution. What's so funny about that?

How about this? Nouri becomes prime minister in 2006. Artice 140 is supposed to be implemented when? By the end of 2007.

Nouri spent his entire first term ignoring the Constitution on Iraq.

That he now insists that 'the Kirkuk way is the way' may be more empty words from Nouri or it may be him tipping his hand that he has no intent to follow the Constitution. (Something he's spent al his years in office already making clear.)



Kat's "Kat's Korner: Absorb the Graffiti" went up last night. Isaiah's latest comic goes up this morning. Mike's "Happy TV Day!" went up last night. We'll close with this from Sherwood Ross' "CIA Drone Strikes Targeting Funerals, Emergency Responders" (UK Progressive):

Ignoring the possibility that emergency responders rushing to the aid
of Middle East drone-strike victims may be medical personnel, U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency(CIA) operators have also marked them for death.
The CIA has also been targeting the funeral services of the alleged suspects it
murders, also killing mourners who often may not be suspects but family and/or
friends of the deceased, perhaps including children.
Although President Obama claims the drone strikes in Pakistan have not
caused a "huge number" of civilian casualties, reliable estimates say
the figure has already topped 500, including 60 children. It is a
tragic fact that secondary strikes raining down on funerals have
killed dozens of mourners.
Denying the wounded on the battlefield aid or targeting them and/or
their rescuers with fresh attacks goes against a policy General George
Washington established during the Revolutionary War. In that struggle
Hessian and British troops were known to follow up their victories by
bayoneting any wounded left alive on the battlefield. When Colonial
troops were tempted to respond in kind, Washington would say, "No, we
will not do it to them."
President Obama's policy authorizing targeting relief workers with
second strikes has all the hallmarks of violating the Geneva
Convention against caring for the battlefield wounded, which, after
all, was the primary reason for the establishment of the International
Red Cross.



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