MARINES BLOWUP IRAQIS IN REAL GUNFIGHT: REAL FOOTAGE: NO EDITING

The language is rough, but war is rough and not a video game. This video shows a group of Marines blowing up Iraqis as they try to escape from their car. Yeah! Bring it on!.

Watch video here:

http://www.youtube.com/v/sXxUzCcAlPA&hl=en&fs=1

Click on diamond-shaped arrow in center of picture to activate video

HANNITY SPOONFEEDS PALIN "GOP TALKING POINTS"

This is NOT an interview and don't let anyone ever tell you the "meeting" between FOX NEWS' Sean Hannity and GOP Vice President candidate Sarah Palin was an "interview."

In this video snippet, you see Hannity reading GOP "talking points" to Palin and then just as she has been coached and rehearsed Palin parrots back what Hannity supposedly was asking her.

It is beyond pathetic and should be sent to every journalism school in the nation as an example of what is NOT an interview.

Sean Hannity NEVER took a journalism course in his life and has never worked in the real news business at a newspaper. He came to FOX NEWS from his job as a chattering disc jockey with just a big mouth and a sarcastic way of dealing with Democrats.

Is there anyone with an IQ over 75 who doesn't know the reason why the McCain campaign picked Sean Hannity to do an "interview" with Palin?

The GOP and the McCain people knew it would be a softball "meeting" but to insure it still didn't get off track they wanted a list of questions and topics Hannity was going to talk about with Palin so they could coach her on what to say.

GOD HELP AMERICA. FOX NEWS is now the 21st Century version of Hitler's Third Reich propaganda machine under Minister of Propaganda, Josef Goebbels.

HERE IS THE VIDEO:

http://www.youtube.com/v/lidkG9JX2XU&hl=en&fs=1

HAVE PLENTY OF PEPTO BISMOL NEARBY AND THEN CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW IN CENTER OF PICTURE TO ACTIVATE THE VIDEO.

VIOLENT, VIOLENT VIDEO: US TROOPS IN COMBAT IN IRAQ (VERY ROUGH LANGUAGE)

There is still a war going on in Iraq and this violent, violent video shows a US combat team in action in Iraq.

With a the military stretched to the breaking point, a vote for McCain/Palin will most certainly be a one-way ticket to reinstating the military draft.

In the heat of the race for the White House, we wonder just how many Republicans and some Democrats who plan to vote for McCain and Palin and have draft age children or grandchildren realize their loved ones will soon be fighting in either Iraq, Afghanistan or possibly even Iran.

HERE IN THIS VIDEO IS WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE CAN EXPECT TO FACE SHOULD McCAIN AND PALIN WIN THIS ELECTION:

http://www.youtube.com/v/kwVQInOL9fI&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW IN CENTER OF PICTURE TO ACTIVATE VIDEO

8 FAMILY MEMBERS KILLED BY US CHOPPERS IN IRAQ

SALAH EL-Din, Sept. 19 (VOI)- Eight members of one family were killed on Friday when U.S. helicopters shelled their house in south of Tikrit, a police source said.
“U.S. choppers shelled a house in al-Dour district in south of Tikrit, killing eight members of the same family, in addition to destroying the house,” the source, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI).

Source: http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=93748&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

WATCH AS SARAH PALIN FAILS TO ANSWER SEAN HANNITY'S QUESTION ON "THE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE."

Toward the end of Sean Hannity's interview with Sarah Palin, he asks her if she first supported "the bridge to nowhere." Instead of answering the question, Palin goes off on a tangent talking about building a ferry between the two islands. Hannity NEVER pinned her down and on why she didn't answer his original question: "Did you originally support "the bridge to nowhere?"

This is NOT reporting, but a glaring example of what happens when a former disc jockey like Sean Hannity attempts to play reporter without the credentials.

The whole one hour interview with Sarah Palin by FOX NEWS' Sean Hannity was scripted with Hannity using RNC "talking points" and Palin allowed to know what questions she was going to be asked in advance of the so-called "interview."

In short, the Sean Hannity interview with Sarah Palin wasn't an interview but a gabfest.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/Dx2703PtoGU&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW IN PICTURE TO ACTIVATE VIDEO

VINTAGE VIDEOS: IF WE DON'T REMEMBER HISTORY, WE ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT

There is a frightening similarity between the way the GOP and RNC are going about trying to win the 2008 election and what took place in Nazi, Germany in the 1930s.

Here are a few vintage videos that should be seen as a reminder of what can happen when power mad people try to seize a country:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDQgQTyhFMo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9ku8VsX-zM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX0REDzfZds&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc2d_MwnR_Q&feature=related

And how it all ended:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YcFDgHIGCU

Sinclair Lewis posited that “when fascism comes to the America, it will be led by a cross and wrapped in the flag.”

2,000 DOCTORS CALL ON McCAIN TO RELEASE HIS MEDICAL RECORDS

LOS ANGELES -- Over 2,000 MDs and other degreed medical professionals have signed an open letter calling for a "full, public disclosure" of John McCain's medical records. Brave New Films will release the complete list of names to reporters this Thursday. The text of the letter is viewable here.

By Staff, Brave New FilmsPosted on September 17, 2008, Printed on September 19, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/http://bravenewfilms.org/99224/

Editor's note: The following is a press release from our friends at Brave New Films:2,000 Doctors Call on McCain to Release his Medical Records

The state of McCain's health has become an increasingly important issue in the general election. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos last Sunday, Senator Claire McCaskill pointed to McCain's advanced age and history of melanoma as "a reality here that we have to face."

Responding to a question about McCain's cancer, Senator Harry Reid told blogger Matt Stoller last month, "Health issues are extremely important. . .There should be total transparency when a person is running for President of the United States." Senator Chuck Schumer told Stoller, "When you're running for president, everything should be public including your full medical records." Video of the remarks by Schumer and Reid is available here.

In May, the McCain campaign allowed a small group of reporters to review over 1,000 pages of McCain's medical records from 2000 to 2008 in just three hours and under strict prohibitions.

In an interview with the Columbia Journalism Review, Lawrence Altman, M.D., medical correspondent for The New York Times, described the event as such: ". . .to have a slew of reporters and give each individual reporter three hours to go through what was said to be approximately a thousand pages - that's 333 pages per hour, and I don't think speed readers can read that much that fast. . .[the time limit] doesn't allow anyone, in my mind, to make a thorough analysis and recording, which is what you'd want."

Click on link above for more....

NEW VIDEO: SEAN HANNITY SOFTBALLS SARAH PALIN

The second installment of the Sean Hannity interview with Sarah Palin was so pathetic it doesn't
warrant running the whole fawning episode from the September 18 "Hannity and Colmes" FOX NEWS show.

However, here are brief snippets from the so-called "interview."

NOTICE HOW FOX NEWS KEEPS RUNNING "BREAKING NEWS" UNDER THE VIDEO OF HANNITY INTERVIEWING PALIN.

In one segment of Pt. 2 of the hyped Sarah Palin interview, Hannity asks Palin about how she first supported the "Bridge to Nowhere," but then voted against it after it was already determined it was not going through Congress.

Instead of answering Hannity's question, Palin goes off and starts talking about building a ferry between the Alaska islands and Hannity NEVER asked her why she did not answer his initial question.

This segment is not available now, but we will be posting it shortly because it clearly shows what a pathetic interviewer Sean Hannity is and how he is not a reporter but a mouthpiece for the McCain/Palin campaign.

WATCH PORTIONS OF PT. 2 OF THE SARAH PALIN INTERVIEW HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/Ul6U3J2OiQI&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW IN PICTURE TO ACTIVATE VIDEO

SOLDIER IN IRAQ KILLS SQUAD LEADER AND TEAM LEADER

Soldier in Iraq Kills Squad Leader and Fellow Team Leader
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 10:47 PM CDT
Source: http://www.vetvoice.com/

When the two deaths in Iraq were announced late Sunday, something didn't sound right. It wasn't combat, there was no mention of a vehicle accident, and with two dead, it clearly wasn't a suicide. Now we know why:
A U.S. soldier was detained in Iraq after he allegedly opened fire on a superior and another unit member, killing them both, the U.S. Army said Wednesday.
The soldier was subdued by other troops, and medics tried unsuccessfully to save the wounded soldiers, said Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo, commanding general at Fort Stewart in southern Georgia, where the soldiers' unit is based.
An Army spokesman said the shooting happened Sunday in Tunnis, Iraq. The alleged shooter's name was not released.
The Army identified the slain soldiers as Staff Sgt. Darris J. Dawson, 24, and Sgt. Wesley R. Durbin, 26.
The soldier--a team leader whose name hasn't been released yet--had apparently been in a meeting with his squad leader and the other team leader about his performance.
When the AP says the shooter was then "subdued by other troops," my hope is that this included multiple buttstrokes.

Chinook Goes Down in Iraq
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 10:19 PM CDT
Bad news:
BAGHDAD - An American Chinook helicopter crashed early Thursday in southern Iraq, killing at least five U.S. soldiers and leaving two others missing, the military said.
A U.S. statement said the CH-47 Chinook was landing after midnight about 60 miles west of Basra when the incident occurred.
A spokesman for the Multi-National Force-Iraq confirmed to The Associated Press that the helicopter had crashed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to provide details.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the crash, or if hostile fire was involved.
UPDATE: The AP is now reporting the two missing soldiers as having been killed, bringing the total to seven. Also, hostile fire is "not suspected."

New CBS/NYT Polls Asks about Iraq
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 06:36 PM CDT
Among other things, the new CBS/New York Times survey found the following:
Still, most Americans continue to think the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq in the first place, and 53 percent now say the war in Iraq is not a part of the war on terrorism -- more than ever before.
I guess these things become clearer when the casualty rate in Afghanistan skyrockets while Pakistan falls apart. Go figure.

EXCLUSIVE: THE PASTOR WHO CLASHED WITH PALIN

The pastor who clashed with PalinBaptist minister Howard Bess, who wrote a book Palin wanted banned and who fought her on abortion and gay rights, says the country should fear her election.

By David Talbot
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/15/bess/index.html

Sep. 16, 2008 The Wasilla Assembly of God, the evangelical church where Sarah Palin came of age, was still charged with excitement on Sunday over Palin's sudden ascendance.

Pastor Ed Kalnins warned his congregation not to talk with any journalists who might have been lurking in the pews -- and directly warned this reporter not to interview any of his flock. But Kalnins and other speakers at the service reveled in Palin's rise to global stardom.

It confirmed, they said, that God was making use of Wasilla. "She will take our message to the world!" rejoiced an Assembly of God youth ministry leader, as the church band rocked the high-vaulted wooden building with its electric gospel.

That is what scares the Rev. Howard Bess. A retired American Baptist minister who pastors a small congregation in nearby Palmer, Wasilla's twin town in Alaska's Matanuska Valley, Bess has been tangling with Palin and her fellow evangelical activists ever since she was a Wasilla City Council member in the 1990s.

Recently, Bess again found himself in the spotlight with Palin, when it was reported that his 1995 book, "Pastor, I Am Gay," was among those Palin tried to have removed from the Wasilla Public Library when she was mayor.

"She scares me," said Bess. "She's Jerry Falwell with a pretty face.

"At this point, people in this country don't grasp what this person is all about. The key to understanding Sarah Palin is understanding her radical theology."

Bess -- a fit-looking, 80-year-old man in a gray University of Illinois sweatshirt and blue jeans – spoke with me over coffee at the Vagabond Blues, a cafe in Palmer with a stunning view of the nearby snow-capped Chugach Mountains. The retired minister moved to the Mat-Su Valley with his wife, Darlene, in 1987, after his outspoken defense of gay rights at Baptist churches in the Santa Barbara, Calif., area and Anchorage landed him in trouble with church officials. In the Mat-Su Valley, Bess plunged into community activism, helping launch an assortment of projects, from an arts council to a shelter for the mentally disabled.

Continue reading http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/15/bess/index.html

Inevitably, his work brought him into conflict with Palin and other highly politicized Christian fundamentalists in the valley. "Things got very intense around here in the '90s -- the culture war was very hot here," Bess said. "The evangelicals were trying to take over the valley. They took over the school board, the community hospital board, even the local electric utility. And Sarah Palin was in the direct center of all these culture battles, along with the churches she belonged to."

SARAH PALIN'S PERSONAL EMAILS---LOOK AT THEM

Here they are. Sarah Palin's personal emails.

http://gawker.com/5051193/sarah-palins-personal-email-account-hacked

VIDEO: ALASKA WOMEN REJECT SARAH PALIN IN ANCHORAGE

Not everyone in Alaska is crazy about Sarah Palin. In fact, the more people are finding out the real truth about Sarah Palin the more the bloom has come off the "Alaska Rose." or the "Caribou Barbie Doll."

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/yGvKy-5yFz8&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW IN PICTURE TO ACTIVATE VIDEO

BUSH ADMIN TO VETO PAY RAISE FOR TROOPS

The following is from the VetVoice newsletter http://www.vetvoice.com/and is a potpourri of events that impact the lives of veterans and active duty personnel.

Click on the part in BLUE for addtional information:

Source: http://www.vetvoice.com/

Veto Threat over 0.5% Military Pay Increase
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 09:02 AM CDT
Right now the administration is threatening to veto the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009.
Want to know one of the reasons why?
The Administration strongly opposes section 601 of the bill, which provides an additional 0.5 percent increase in 2009 above the President's 3.4 percent across-the-board pay increase.
The cost?
The cost of increasing the FY 2009 military pay raise by an additional 0.5 percent is $293 million in FY 2009 and $2.5 billion from FY 2009 to FY 2014.
Compared to all the bailouts of the last week, $293 million is frankly, nothing.
Would someone turn this into a televised advertisement?

Losing our Way in Afghanistan
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 10:21 AM CDT
Spencer Ackerman--who is currently embedded with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan--has a great piece in today's Washington Independent about the way in which Afghan corruption is killing our ability to make progress. Key quote:
As Robertson said earlier that day, the police and the army are the only long-term strategy for securing Afghanistan. The U.S. troops have two missions: to hunt down the Taliban and Al Qaeda elements, and to prepare the Afghan security forces to take over security duties. Today, the second mission appeared to imperil the first.
You can read the entire article here.

Pakistan Orders Troops To Fire On US Soldiers
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 09:01 AM CDT
So, just to review, Pakistan is harboring Al-Qaeda terrorists, has WMD (including nuclear), and has a horrible human rights record. Now, they are even showing open hostility against US forces.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) Pakistan's military has ordered its forces to open fire if U.S. troops launch another air or ground raid across the Afghan border, an army spokesman said Tuesday.
The orders, which come in response to a highly unusual Sept. 3 ground attack by U.S. commandos, are certain to heighten tensions between Washington and a key ally against terrorism. Although the ground attack was rare, there have been repeated reports of U.S. drone aircraft striking militant targets, most recently on Sept. 12.
Pakistani officials warn that stepped-up cross-border raids will accomplish little while fueling violent religious extremism in nuclear-armed Pakistan. Some complain that the country is a scapegoat for the failure to stabilize Afghanistan.

How is it that Pakistan is considered our "ally"? And why is it that we need to attack Iran?

WOMEN SAY NO TO PALIN

They are getting more and more organized. These are just a few of the sites that have popped up aimed at Sarah Palin:

http://womenagainstsarahpalin.blogspot.com/2008/09/women-say-no-part-8.html

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-81143

http://snoringkatz.vox.com/library/post/how-to-say-what-you-need-to-say---women-say-no-to-palin.html

http://impeccablypiquant.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/women-say-no-to-sarah-palin/

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/70e7e/women_say_no_to_sarah_palin_with_fury_and_dread/

http://www.notmytribe.com/2008/just-say-no-sarah-palin-84556.html

http://tpzoo.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/women-say-%E2%80%9Cno-sarah-palin%E2%80%9D-speak-out/

http://forums.therandirhodesshow.com/index.php?showtopic=9426

And if ALL THIS isn't enough, you can use the google search engine to find many, many more sites. Click here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=women+say+no+to+palin&btnG=Google+Search

Bill Corcoran, EDITOR: CORKSPHERE: http://corksphere.blogspot.com, a blog devoted to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Presidential race.

WASHINGTON POST: FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBERS ARE LATEST WAR TACTIC

The war in Iraq is far from over, and indeed may even be on the verge of exploding according to a Washington Post story on Wednesday.

The Republicans, and especially John McCain and his wing men, Joe Lieberman and Lindsay Graham, have been LYING to the American public about how well things are going in Iraq.

The "surge" is about to have the reverse effect on Iraq and there are indications more and more violence will be seen in Iraq in the days and weeks to come and it will all be directed at U.S. troops in Iraq.

One of the methods the insurgents are going to use to inflict death on U.S. troops is female suicide bombers. They have been trained and they are eager to carry out the mission of killing Americans.

FOX NEWS and John McCain and his sidekicks continue to LIE to the American public about conditions in Iraq even after outgoing General David Petraeus told the press he would NEVER USE THE WORD VICTORY in describing the conditions in Iraq.

COMMENTARY BY BILL CORCORAN, EDITOR OF CORKSPHERE

Female Suicide Bombers Are Latest War Tactic

By Sudarsan RaghavanWashington Post Foreign ServiceWednesday, September 17, 2008; A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/16/AR2008091603697.html

BAQUBAH, Iraq -- Shortly after the Muslim sunset prayer, the beggar approached Naeem Jabbar as he stepped out of his car. She was no more than 19 years old. He was a leader of the Awakening, a U.S.-backed force that has helped improve security in Iraq. For the past four months, Jabbar had given the young woman food and money, enabling her to survive until the next day.

WATCH VIDEO OF SUSPECTED FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBER

"He trusted her," said Jabbar's brother, Muntasar. "We never searched her."
On this evening in July, hidden under her black garments, she wore a vest filled with explosives, nails and ball bearings. As her benefactor greeted her, she triggered the bomb, killing him, four others and herself.

U.S. and Iraqi officials say Sunni insurgent groups, especially al-Qaeda in Iraq, are using religion, money and empty promises to persuade sometimes vulnerable women to conduct suicide attacks, highlighting the movement's desperation at a time when its influence and ranks have declined. Efforts by the U.S. military and Iraq's neighbors have limited the number of Arab fighters reaching Iraq, a flow that was once the major source of recruits willing to commit suicide.

But extremists say the women are acting on their own motives, including ideology and revenge, and describe the female bombers as the latest tactic in a slow-burning war.

Since the 2003 invasion, 53 Iraqi women have either carried out suicide attacks or were apprehended before they could do so, according to the U.S. military. The attacks have killed more than 370 people and injured 650. This year, there have been 31 female bombers, including 17 in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad. The youngest bomber was 13, according to U.S. military statistics.

Two weeks ago, police in Baqubah, Diyala's capital, captured a woman with reddish-brown hair wearing what appeared to be an explosives-laden vest. She said that her name was Rania and that she was born in 1993. In an interrogation captured on a police video obtained by The Washington Post, she said a woman had wrapped the vest on her body and told her to take it off at home.

"Why did you come to blow yourself up?" asked Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, the chief spokesman for Iraq's Interior Ministry, who was in Baqubah to help oversee an offensive against insurgents.

"I swear to Allah, they did not tell me to explode myself," Rania replied.

WAR VIDEO: US MARINES GET AMBUSHED ON A ROOFTOP IN IRAQ

The war in Iraq is far from over despite what the Republicans are saying. Before General David Petraeus turned over his command of the multi-national forces in Iraq, he was quoted as saying he would never use the word "victory" to describe what is taking place in Iraq.

President Bush's token removal of 8,000 troops from Iraq is a drop in the bucket because there are still 160,000 young Americans in Iraq and will be there for years to come.

This video shows a US. Marine platoon caught in an ambush. The language is rough and the footage is graphic.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/CNlnIXu0ww8&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW IN PICTURE TO ACTIVATE VIDEO

VIOLENT WAR VIDEO: WHAT REPUBLICAN KIDS CAN EXPECT IF McCAIN/PALIN ARE ELECTED: SPECIAL FORCES DOING WHAT THEY DO---HOORAH!

The polls are shifting and it looks more and more like John McCain and Sarah Palin are going to win in November. Both of them are warhawks and have vowed to assist Israel in a war with Iran, or go to war with Russia if Russia attacks a NATO country.

The United States military is stretched to the breaking point and the ONLY way the U.S. could engage in another war is to ramp up the MILITARY DRAFT.

That means every Republican who votes for McCain and Palin can expect their little darlings to be drafted and possibly sent to IRAN or RUSSIA to end up in a fight like is shown here in this graphic and brutal VIDEO.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/xrELhu0cRDU&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW IN PICTURE TO ACTIVATE VIDEO

ARIANNA HUFFINGTON: THE PALIN DOCTRINE. WHY NEOCONS ARE SO EXCITED--LIKEABLE ON THE OUTSIDE, BLANK SLATE ON THE INSIDE

She's perfect for the neocons: likeable on the outside, a blank slate on the inside.

To borrow from an old cliché, if Sarah Palin didn't exist, the neocons would have had to invent her.

In fact, this is how one former White House aide describes her: "She's bright and she's a blank page. She's going places and it's worth going there with her."

Arianna Huffington
Posted September 15, 2008 12:47 PM (EST)
The Palin Doctrine: Why the Neocons Are So Excited
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-palin-doctrine-why-th_b_126511.html

Sarah Palin may not have known what the Bush Doctrine was, but we're getting a pretty good idea of what the Palin Doctrine is. Or will be -- because it's still currently under construction.

And what is it going to look like? Let's just say, it's going to seem familiar.

According to London's Daily Telegraph, the architects of the Palin Doctrine are a group of people who have been singularly wrong about virtually everything in the last decade -- the neocons, who have been briefing Palin for weeks.

As predicted, the fact that she didn't know anything wasn't a bug, it was a feature.

She's perfect for the neocons: likeable on the outside, a blank slate on the inside. To borrow from an old cliché, if Sarah Palin didn't exist, the neocons would have had to invent her.

In fact, this is how one former White House aide describes her: "She's bright and she's a blank page. She's going places and it's worth going there with her."

Of course, the place her neocon mentors hope she's going is the White House. Given their dismal track record, they're smart enough to figure that the American public wouldn't be too keen on letting them in the front door again, so they are trying to sneak in hidden behind Palin's skirt.
The Trojan Moose approaches.

The Daily Telegraph details how the neocon talent scouts spotted their political Eliza Doolittle back in the summer of '07. The love connection began, appropriately enough, on a love boat:
"Sources in the McCain camp, the Republican Party and Washington think tanks say Mrs. Palin was identified as a potential future leader of the neoconservative cause in June 2007. That was when the annual summer cruise organised by the right-of-centre Weekly Standard magazine docked in Juneau, the Alaskan state capital, and the pundits on board took tea with Governor Palin."

So nice to meet you, Governor. And don't forget, cucumber sandwiches and preemptive invasions on the Lido Deck at four!

Not surprisingly, Palin's biggest fan is Bill Kristol, who describes her as the "specter of a young, attractive, unapologetic conservatism" that "is haunting the liberal elites."

Among her other Henry Higginses is neo-neocon Joe Lieberman, who is reportedly helping prep Palin for the big ball -- her debate with Joe Biden.

She's already passed her first test with flying colors: being willing to link 9/11 with Iraq, something not even the president is still willing to do. Last week, she told a group of Iraq-bound soldiers that they were going to "defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans."

By George (Bush), I think she's got it! Congratulations, Professor Kristol, your student is coming along just fine.

Of course, the neocons know they already have an ally at the top of the GOP ticket. McCain may have been a reformer on campaign finance, but when it comes to foreign policy, he has always been solidly in the neocon club. He loves to burnish his foreign policy bona fides by talking about how he wanted to fire Donald Rumsfeld months before Bush did. But he doesn't talk a lot about how, in the days immediately after 9/11, he was part of the neocon crowd itching to get into Iraq.

Just a few days after the attack, McCain was already talking about "some other countries" that helped Bin Laden. Countries like Syria, Iran, and...Iraq. And a few weeks later, during an October 18, 2001 appearance on David Letterman, McCain answered a question about how the war in Afghanistan was going by announcing that the invasion of Iraq would be "the second phase" of the war on terror (how prescient of him to know that Saddam wouldn't give up those nonexistent WMD).

What's more, he tried to buttress the case for attacking Iraq by claiming that the recent spate of anthrax attacks "may have come from Iraq." Or Fort Detrick.

Six years later, demonstrating how little he's learned from the debacle in Iraq, McCain hired Randy Scheunemann, a neocon darling who helped form The Committee for the Liberation of Iraq in 2002, as his campaign's chief foreign policy advisor.

As TPMMuckraker noted in July, "Of all the hawkish Washington foreign-policy types pushing both before and after 9/11 for war with Iraq -- a war that an overwhelming majority of Americans now considers a mistake -- Scheunemann, though not a marquee name, was among the most energetic and influential. And in the invasion's aftermath, he consistently opposed steps that might have helped stabilize the country."

And now, according to the Daily Telegraph, Scheunemann is briefing Sarah Palin.

McCain's selection of Palin may have been reckless, but it was anything but random. The neocons' view of the world may be disastrous, dangerous, discredited, and deadly -- but it's far from dead.

Their patron saint, Dick Cheney, the scowling embodiment of the Neocon Doctrine, had way too much baggage -- and way too low approval ratings -- to mount a run for the White House.

That's why the Palin pick was so brilliant.

On the outside, she's exponentially more likable and talented at connecting with people than Cheney ever was. But on the inside, once she graduates from the neocon finishing school, she'll be a complete and total Dick. Cheney. With lipstick.

Sarah Palin may not have known what the Bush Doctrine was, but we're getting a pretty good idea of what the Palin Doctrine is. Or will be -- because it's still currently under construction.

BLOOD THIRSTY WOMAN: THE TRUTH ABOUT SARAH PALIN

All of the stories contained in this link about SARAH PALIN have been documented and are true. This is a look at the REAL Sarah Palin, the "huntress" who likes to hunt wolves and moose and has been known to even go on a helicopter ride over Alaska terrain killing animals from the air.

http://www.grizzlybay.org/SarahPalinInfoPage.htm

VIDEO: McCAIN'S HEALTH RECORDS. WHY WON'T HE RELEASE ALL OF HIS HEALTH RECORDS?

This video takes an in depth look at the cancer John McCain has had in the past and various medical experts describe what problems John McCain could encounter because of his past bouts with cancer.

FOR ANYONE THINKING OF VOTING FOR McCAIN THEY SHOULD WATCH THIS VIDEO:

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/lvesa49zSIM&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6

CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW IN PICTURE TO ACTIVATE THIS VIDEO

MUST SEE VIDEO: U.S. MARINES ENGAGE ENEMY NEAR GAS STATION IN IRAQ: EXTREMELY ROUGH LANGUAGE

In the eyes of John McCain, Sarah Palin, Joe Lieberman and Lindsay Graham the war in IRAQ is almost over, but not for this unit of U.S. Marines who engage the enemy near a gas station in IRAQ.

WARNING: THE LANGUAGE IS VERY, VERY GRAPHIC.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

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YOU'VE GOT TO SEE THIS VIDEO: HELO'S FROM HELL: POUR IT ON GUYS

This video shows the massive firepower of US helicopters during the war in IRAQ as one scene after another depicts the devastation the helos inflict on the enemy in IRAQ.

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http://www.youtube.com/v/BgAcwRLusM4&hl=en&fs=1

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GRAPHIC VIDEO: 8 US TROOPS KILLED IN KIRKUK--VIDEO OF DESTROYED US VEHICLES

John McCain continues to say "victory" is within the grasp of the U.S. military in Iraq, but General David Petraeus, supreme commander of multi-national forces in Iraq, says the word "victory" is NOT a word he would ever use in describing Iraq because of the continuing violence that takes place on a daily basis in IRAQ.

This graphic video shows the remains of Humvees and other U.S. military vehicles which were destroyed killing 8 U.S. soldiers in Kirkuk, Iraq

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CNN's LOU DOBBS BOUGHT RACIST "OBAMA WAFFLES" AT VALUES VOTERS SUMMIT

This has become a minor story, getting substantial coverage in the blog world.

However, the AP version of the story does not mention that the creators of Obama Waffles had a photo on their Web site of CNN's Lou Dobbs, a speaker at the Values Voters Summit, purchasing them and reported that he said "My wife will love this."

The photo and story has been removed from the site but bloggers were able to take screen shots before it was taken down.

At the Values Voters Summit in D.C. last weekend, Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss were selling boxes of "Obama Waffles" for $10 per box. The box of waffle mix features a caricature of Obama reminiscent of stereotypical racist cartoons.

Submitted by AmyW on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 3:36pm.

Alerts A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERTby Amy Weiss
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/alerts/481

The Family Research Council (FRC), the group that runs the conference, stopped the selling of the waffles and said they didn't realize before that they contained "offensive material."The AP describes the waffles:

While Obama Waffles takes aim at Obama's politics by poking fun at his public remarks and positions on issues, it also plays off the old image of the pancake-mix icon Aunt Jemima, which has been widely criticized as a demeaning stereotype. Obama is portrayed with popping eyes and big, thick lips as he stares at a plate of waffles and smiles broadly.Placing Obama in Arab-like headdress recalls the false rumor that he is a follower of Islam, though he is actually a Christian.On the back of the box, Obama is depicted in stereotypical Mexican dress, including a sombrero, above a recipe for "Open Border Fiesta Waffles" that says it can serve "4 or more illegal aliens."

The recipe includes a tip: "While waiting for these zesty treats to invade your home, why not learn a foreign language?"The novelty item also takes shots at 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, Obama's wife, Michelle, and Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.While the creators claim their product is satirical and not racist, the FRC felt strongly enough to stop sales. A black pastor and member of the FRC, Harry Jackson, wrote a column on the conservative site Town Hall about the dangers of allowing people such as Whitlock and Moss a voice in this election:


There is one thing that could torpedo McCain's efforts - a sense that McCain is playing the race card against his opponent instead of using a legitimate political strategy. If the race is determined by the content of the candidates' character and a sportsman like contest, Americans will have realized Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream. Therefore, even if Senator Obama is not elected president, the nation will acknowledge this as a watershed moment for the entire country. On the other hand, if racial slurs and prejudice are used by McCain supports it could cause a backlash among undecided voters that will cause the McCain/Palin ticket to lose.

The only negative thing that came out of the Values Voter's Summit was that two men from Franklin Tennessee (Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss) sold a product called "Obama Waffles" at the event until the conference leaders shut them down on Saturday.

The Family Research Council issued a statement on behalf of all of the sponsors of the summit that we "strongly condemned the tone and content of the materials" of the product's packaging. As far as HILC is concerned, the so-called political "satire" on the boxes of waffles is racist and makes fun of all African Americans - not to mention unfairly demeaning Barak (sic) Obama.

Two hundred and six newspaper articles carried the story of the waffles this weekend. Newspapers from Jerusalem to China felt that this story was newsworthy. If this last seven weeks of the campaign becomes a referendum on race, it will hurt race relations and the McCain campaign.

AP: PETRAEUS: MORE THAN TROOPS NEEDED IN AFGHANISTAN: VICTORY IS NOT A WORD HE WOULD USE ABOUT IRAQ

General David Petraeus, the outgoing head of multi-national forces in Iraq, basically said John McCain, George Bush, Lindsay Graham and Joe Lieberman are lying when they say "victory" is at hand in Iraq.

Over the weekend, Petraeus said he would NEVER categorize any gains in Iraq as "victory" and "victory" may NEVER be achieved in Iraq.

To begin with who signs an armistice? There are so many elements fighting in Iraq there isn't one group representing ALL of Iraq so the word "victory" does not apply as it has in other wars.

Petraeus is also very cautious about events in Aghanistan and had this to say about Afghanistan:

Petraeus: more than troops needed in Afghanistan

By KIM GAMEL Associated Press Writer

http://tinyurl.com/5ua7ys

BAGHDAD (AP) -- U.S. Gen. David Petraeus said Sunday that experience in Iraq shows it will take political and economic progress as well as military action to tackle increased violence in Afghanistan.

"You don't kill or capture your way out of an industrial strength insurgency," he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

His comments come as a debate over the need to redeploy troops from Iraq to Afghanistan has become a central issue in the U.S. presidential campaign.

Petraeus, who is widely credited with pulling Iraq back from the brink of civil war, is taking over as chief of U.S. Central Command, the headquarters overseeing U.S. military involvement throughout the Middle East, as well as Afghanistan and the rest of Central Asia.

He'll hand over the reins in Iraq to Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno Tuesday during a ceremony at the U.S. military headquarters at Camp Victory on the western outskirts of Baghdad.

Petraeus' counterinsurgency strategy has paid off in Iraq, where the number of attacks has dropped to its lowest point in more than four years. But he will face a new challenge with violence rising in Afghanistan.

It will be a delicate balancing act to tackle a resurgent Taliban enjoying refuge in the lawless border areas of Pakistan without losing ground in Iraq.

"We've got a situation in Afghanistan where clearly there have been trends headed in the wrong direction," Petraeus said. "Military action is absolutely necessary but it is not sufficient."
"Political, economic and diplomatic activity is critical to capitalize on gains in the security arena," he said.

The 55-year-old general assumed control of U.S. forces in Iraq about 19 months ago after President Bush ordered some 30,000 additional American forces to Iraq as part of a so-called surge aimed at stopping spiraling Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence.

The reason for the decline in violence is hotly debated, but the U.S. military cites the troop buildup, along with a Sunni revolt that saw former insurgents turn against al-Qaida in Iraq and a Shiite militia cease-fire ordered by a strident American foe Muqtada al-Sadr.

Petraeus also acknowledged the military's dual role, calling U.S. troops "builders and diplomats as well as guardians and warriors" in his farewell letter posted on the military's Web site.

"The progress achieved has been hard-earned," he wrote. "There have been many tough days along the way, and we have suffered tragic losses. Indeed, nothing in Iraq has been anything but hard."

Petraeus stressed it was premature to discuss strategy but suggested he will carry over lessons from his playbook in Iraq - including possible outreach to try to bring hostile players into the political process.

Petraeus, however, stressed the ultimate decision to reach out to militants would be up to the Afghan government.

"We did reaffirm in Iraq the recognition that you don't kill or capture your way out of an industrial-strength insurgency," he said.

"Clearly there are so-called irreconcilables who must be killed or captured or run out of the country," he added. "But reconciliation with some of those who are currently part of the problem and making them part of the solution is something that I know is being examined as an option."

Bush announced last week that one Marine battalion and one Army brigade would be shifted from Iraq to Afghanistan this fall and winter - far fewer than the 10,000 troops U.S. commanders there had requested. Meanwhile, about 8,000 U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by February
.
George Friedman, the head of Stratfor, an independent intelligence risk assessment agency based in Austin, Texas, said Petraeus faces a more organized enemy in Afghanistan with the Taliban and must consider reaching out to them along with tribal chiefs.

"He's struggling with the question of limited forces and a political climate that's much different than Iraq," he said. "But it's impossible to imagine how the United States can create an Iraqi-style solution without the Taliban because they're getting stronger every day."

Petraeus and other military leaders have consistently warned that the security gains in Iraq are reversible and need continued U.S. attention - a point underscored by persistent bombings that bear the hallmarks of Sunni insurgents.

And while security gains have been remarkable, the Iraqi government has largely failed to take advantage of the calm to make political progress.

Petraeus said the new challenges in Iraq include stalled provincial elections that are expected to redistribute power among Iraq's deeply divided groups, growing tensions between Arabs and Kurds over disputed territory in the north and the need to provide new employment for Sunnis fighters currently on the U.S. payroll.

He also warned al-Qaida and "residual militia elements" remain a threat.

"There are still very significant challenges and there will be for the foreseeable future," he said, warning against an overly rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

"What we're wary of doing in a country that has had a surprise around every corner is unduly jeopardizing the gains for which our soldiers and our Iraqi partners have fought so hard," he said.
---

VIDEO: JON STEWART POINTS OUT DOUBLE STANDARD AT FOX NEWS

FOX NEWS is notoriious for shading the truth, or worse yet only telling ONLY one side of the story.

The sad part of it is there are millions of Americans who get their news from FOX NEWS not ever realizing FOX NEWS is NOT a news outlet, but a propaganda branch of the Bush White House, the GOP and now the McCain/Palin campaign.

In this video Jon Steward, host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," cleverly shows how FOX NEWS speaks out of both sides of their mouth in a never-ending attempt to mislead the poor saps who watch FOX NEWS thinking they are actually getting "news" when ALL they are getting is right wing spin.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card

WASHINGTON POST: AS MAYOR OF WASILLA, PALIN CUT OWN DUTIES, LEFT TRAIL OF BAD BLOOD

WASILLA, Alaska -- On Sept. 24, 2001, Mayor Sarah Palin and the City Council held their first meeting after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The council condemned the attacks and approved a $5,000 gift to a disaster relief fund. Palin said she would try to obtain materials from both attack sites to include in the town's "Honor Garden."

By Alec MacGillisWashington Post Staff WriterSunday, September 14, 2008; A01
http://tinyurl.com/5vahfj

And then the council and mayor returned to their normal business: approving funds to upgrade the public well, issuing a restaurant permit and taking up a measure forbidding residents from operating bed-and-breakfasts in their homes. After a lively debate, the bed-and-breakfast measure lost, 4 to 1.

Since joining the Republican ticket, Palin has faced questions about whether she is qualified to be vice president or, if necessary, president. In response, the first-term Alaska governor and Sen. John McCain point to the executive qualifications she acquired as Wasilla mayor, a six-year stint from 1996 to 2002 that represents the bulk of her political experience.

Palin says her time as mayor taught her how to be a leader and grounded her in the real needs of voters, and her tenure revealed some of the qualities she would later display as governor: a striving ambition, a willingness to cut loose those perceived as disloyal and a populist brand of social and pro-growth conservatism.

Read more http://tinyurl.com/5vahfj

BREAKING NEWS: US-NATO AIR STRIKES ARE KILLING CIVILIANS IN AFGHANISTAN

WASHINGTON -- Ramped-up U.S. and NATO airstrikes in Afghanistan are causing an increased civilian death toll, raising concerns about the fallout from civilian deaths on the war effort against the Taliban insurgency, according to a major new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) released here Monday.

Report: U.S.-NATO Airtrikes Over Afghanistan Are Killing Innocent Civilians

By Ali Gharib, IPS NewsPosted on September 12, 2008, Printed on September 14, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/98619/

The 43-page report, "Troops in Contact: Airstrikes and Civilian Deaths in Afghanistan," warned that the cost in civilian casualties caused by the increase in bombings goes well beyond the loss of human life and could put the nearly seven-year U.S.-NATO war effort at risk.

"The harm caused by airstrikes is not limited to the immediate civilian casualties," said the report, which also cited the destruction of homes and property and the displacement of their civilian occupants caused by the bombing.

"Civilian deaths from airstrikes act as a recruiting tool for the Taliban and risk fatally undermining the international effort to provide basic security to the people of Afghanistan," said Brad Adams, HRW's Asia director of HRW.

BUFFALO NEWS: PALIN ACCUSED OF LYING OVER STATED VISIT TO IRAQ

Lt. Col. Dave Osborn, commander of the 3d Battalion, 207th Infantry of the Alaska National Guard, who was in charge of the 570 local troops serving in Kuwait and Iraq, said Palin did not cross into Iraq.

“You have to have permission to go into a lot of areas, and [the crossing] is where her permissions were,” Osborn told the newspaper Friday.


Palin accused of lying over stated Iraq visit

By Glen Johnson - ASSOCIATED PRESSUpdated: 09/14/08 6:58 AM
http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/national/story/438736.html

WASHINGTON — The question of whether Sarah Palin has ever been to Iraq pushed Obama aides Saturday to accuse the McCain campaign of outright lies, distortions and distractions to the American people.

Since Republican presidential nominee John McCain tapped the Alaska governor to be his running mate on Aug. 29, questions about her experience have been fueled by her relatively brief tenure in office, as well as a dearth of foreign travel.

Palin made a well-documented trip to Kuwait and Germany last year to visit U. S. troops, and over time, the governor and her staff have revealed she also visited Canada and Mexico.

Meanwhile, her aides clarified that a purported visit to Ireland was little more than a refueling stop during her trip to the Middle East.

On Saturday, a Palin aide told the Associated Press the governor also set foot in Iraq during her July 2007 trip to see members of the Alaska National Guard, although the campaign has not emphasized it since the visit was brief.

The aide, who demanded anonymity before answering the question, said Palin visited a “military outpost” on the Iraq side of the Kuwait/Iraq border.

That answer appears to contradict one provided to the Boston Globe, which reported Saturday that McCain-Palin aides had twice revised their description of Palin’s visit to Iraq.

The newspaper said unnamed aides initially explained that Palin had visited a “military outpost” inside Iraq. The Globe said campaign aides and members of the Alaska National Guard subsequently explained that she did not venture beyond the Iraq/Kuwait border when she visited the Khabari Alawazem Crossing on July 25, 2007.

VIDEO: JOHN McCAIN'S WANDERING EYES---McCAIN LEAVES NO DOUBT HE IS A BUTT MAN AS HE GAPES AT SARAH PALIN'S POSTERIOR

This video explains why so little vetting of Sarah Palin was done. All John McCain had to know about Sarah is she has a great butt. In this video, McCain can't take his eyes off Sarah Palin's posterior while McCain is seen twisting his wedding ring.

Check out Cindy McCain standing behind her husband. If looks could kill.....

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