McLaughlin Group Consensus - Admin is in full retreat on Iraq.

[alcuno]

Eleanor Clift said back in June that * had until Labor Day to get things under control. Well that didn't happen. Anyways, McLaughlin, O'Donnell. Clift, and Buchanan all agreed that the administration was now in full retreat on Iraq and that would be the message behind the speech tomorrow. Of course, Tony Blank__ wouldn't go that far. Full retreat? What happened to "Bring 'Em On?"

[grasswire]

1. this raises more questions...

...than it answers.

Bush wouldn't engineer the retreat on his own. Nor would Cheney. Nor would Rumsfeld-Wolfowitz. Someone bigger has forced any retreat. I guess that would be powerful GOP Senators and Representatives, who reportedly are VERY afraid after being back with their constituents for a few weeks. The neo-cons have distanced themselves (except for Adelman, who absolutely wigged out on Crossfire on Thursday).

So what's really going on inside the WH? Who is in charge? Is Rice going down, as is rumored?

[MoonAndSun]

2. Condi is in BIG trouble, grasswire, look at this link

<http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1037015,00.html>



she could be going down soon.

[dweller]

3. As should they all go down. n/t

Peace.
dp

[JNelson6563]

4. excellent article!

Thanks for posting it!

Julie

[TroubleMan]

9. ROTFLMAO

"She'll be going down soon"

So thaaaaaaatt's how she got her job.

[MoonAndSun]

12. Yuck!!!!!!

what an awful thought :puke:


LOL

[Must_B_Free]

30. That ugly mug

dining at the govner's ball?

uggh

[Eloriel]

18. Haven't read it yet, but I LOVE that headline!!!!

Bush seeks an exit strategy as war threatens his career


Grooooovy.

Eloriel

[Tinoire]

21. This article demands its own thread!

I just returned from a peace event and PEOPLE ARE ANGRY! PEOPLE WANT ANSWERS and I tell you this, not to start any flame wars but I had NO problems selling Kucinich!

Amazing article!

The nation can ill afford the extra $60 billion the White House is expected to ask Congress to occupy and rebuild Iraq next year, and sabotage to Iraqi oil pipelines and infrastructure means oil revenues will not rescue them.

<snip>

Similarly in Washington, a rapid revision of the pecking order in the White House is going on, with the hawks wrongfooted by the unravelling of their thesis on Iraq. 'They were true believers, and are stunned by the fact that its not worked out,'


Stunned? They are stunned? THOSE F(*&ING *&^-HOLES! ALL OF THEM! Democrats and Republicans who got us into this! Who year after year fattened the Pentagon budgets and pushed American imperialism throughout the world! They are...stunned?!

What we need in this country is a vote of no confidence to repudiate every "stunned" and "enabling" politician up there!

THIS, I can't say this LOUD enough, this is the time for us to get the MOST PROGRESSIVE candidate into the White House because we shall never have this chance again! Squandering this opportunity to place, to make electable, the most progressive one we can find would be a crime to our children and to the world that sat by helpless as the full furor of Yankee imperialism was unleased upon a "stunned" world.

I beg everyone reading this to please think about it and go with their heart and conscience on this vote.

We shall not pass this way again.

Peace

[KC21304]

10. Didn't see crossfire. What did Ken Adelman say ?

Are things still peachy keen ? Whose fault is it ?

[kaitykaity]

19. Link to transcript

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0309/04/cf.00.html

Choice bits:


ADELMAN: You really are talking nonsense.

CIRINCIONE: I...

ADELMAN: It's airy-fairy.

The French were never going to go along with us, Joe.

CIRINCIONE: That's not true.

ADELMAN: The Germans were never going to go along with us. They had a stake in Saddam Hussein staying in power. That's why they're not going to help any time soon.

(CROSSTALK)

ADELMAN: They -- if it was up to them, Saddam Hussein would still be there. And those mass graves that you see would be filled up with bodies now, instead of being unveiled.

[Stephanie]

11. Did you see David Brooks on Jim Lehrer last night?

OMG, he was lying so hard he was actually stuttering. They were discussing the about face and Brooks said there is an article in the Wash Post saying this was brought about by Powell. Then he paid respects to the WP reporter as a great reporter, HOWEVER, he is DEAD WRONG on this, and my sources have read me documents, and this change came from the PRESIDENT himself. LOL! So pathetic!

[barbaraann]

16. AND he's leaving the show.

Being a prostitute in front of millions of people can't be fun.

[Stephanie]

17. Leaving to write op-eds for the NYT

I may have to cancel my sub. I canNOT understand why they did that. Maybe Safire is retiring and they need a new wingnut?

[kodi]

33. digby at hulabaloo deconstructs brooks effectively as a lying liar

and showed that all brooks did was spout AEI and white house talking points.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_digbysblog_archive.html#106289328173159635

[Room101]

5. When does the McLaughlin Group come on?

It is the only watchable political show on tv as well as(Bill Moyes)
I need to start watching again, I love it when Mclaughlin calls the quest on spewing crap. He called that right wing whore "Jonny one line" when he started to use the same talking point. :)

[alcuno]

6. It depends on where you are.

In Chicago, it's on at 6:30PM Saturdays on PBS. In Tampa, it's on at 1:00PM on Sunday. It was almost all about Iraq. McLaughlin rated this fiasco a "10" on the humiliation scale.

[opihimoimoi]

8. BushCo eating crow sashimi about now.

It was okayed to have Wasabi on the table.

Bush was seen gagging as did his father on Japans PM back 15 years ago.

[madaboutharry]

7. A long way from the U.S.S. Lincoln

They have used up all their gimmicks. I think the allies will do the very minimal that is necessary to try to help out the soldiers who were lied to and are stuck over there.

I think what we are going to watch is the imploding of this administration, little by little, person by person, resignation by resignation, as it limps towards the election in 2004. But a warning from Joe Conason (Salon), democrats can't become complacent.

[starroute]

13. Sounds like they're in full retreat on almost everything

They're being defied on exchange rates by China:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3076732.stm

After prolonged defiance of US demands for reform, China's central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan, has conceded that the yuan's value will eventually be set by the market.

But he gave no timetable for liberalising the currency, and said there was still considerable room for debate about foreign exchange policy.

<snip>

According to some calculations, the yuan should be revalued 40% higher, in order to restore balance to international markets.

But the Chinese have argued that Washington should do more to boost its own exports, rather than pressuring other countries to solve the problem via exchange rates.

Mr Zhou said it was still too early to tell whether exchange rates were at inappropriate levels.


They're retreating big time on North Korea:

http://www.montanaforum.com/rednews/2003/09/05/build/safety/us-nkorea.php?nnn=5

U.S. softens terms in North Korea talks

WASHINGTON The Bush administration has dropped its insistence that North Korea meet U.S. nuclear disarmament demands before it can be offered economic assistance and other benefits.

A senior State Department official outlined the more conciliatory U.S. position on Thursday in reviewing the outcome of six-nation talks in Beijing last week on the impasse over North Koreas nuclear weapons programs.


And it would be far too kind to call what's happening with the Israeli "road map" anything as controlled as a retreat.


As much as I've been feeling that it would be nice for America to learn a little humility, all this caving-in has even me embarrassed.

[alcuno]

15. Condi and Powell on the morning shows.

Will be the tipoff to the direction of * speech.

[lanlady]

14. This is it for Bush

If the situation in Iraq does not improve, his next speech will be his concession speech to the new Democratic president-elect.

[neverforget]

20. Who will he blame for his failure? The French? No, we need them.

The Germans? No, we need them too. The Russians? Nope, they're needed also. I got it! Let's blame Canada! <sarcasm> :eyes:

[liberalhistorian]

23. Hey, don't laugh,

I wouldn't put ANYTHING past these people, not even blaming Canada. They've already dissed Canada many times and pissed off that usually mellow and laid-back country, which takes a lot! They think nothing of trashing diplomatic relations with even our staunchest friends and allies.

[Stephanie]

24. I predict they can Condi and Rummy.

I think the rest will hang on, under Cheney's protection. Until the elections, followed by the investigations, followed by mass resignations.

[ronzo]

22. Who's going down?

I bet it'll be wolfie.

[Stephanie]

26. Let's start a pool in the Lounge

It's going to be fascinating to watch as they self-destruct. Who's first? My bet is above - Condi & Rummy are the perfect pair of scapegoats.

[ronzo]

28. Wolfowitz first...

....you don't think? He's bait!

[Stephanie]

29. Nah! I think Wolfowitz and Perle are not household names

They need something BIG. Also, I think Cheney will keep his PNAC guys on for as long as he can. This isn't over until Cheney's gone.

Rummy screwed up big-time with his minimalist invasion force, and Condi made the petulant Chimp look bad by not stopping him from lying about the Niger uranium in the SOTU.

[ronzo]

34. humbly

they'll serve him up before rummy or rice.
Sounds like a dish.

[radfringe]

37. what will be the excuse for leaving?

....family concerns... health reasons.... to pursue other endeavors... was going to resign all along prior to the reselection?

[sandnsea]

25. I don't believe this for a second

This would guarantee Bush would lose the election. Spend all that money, alienate the world, get hundreds of troops killed and maimed, and then retreat? Don't think so.

They're going to blame the UN. The UN is now begging for US help after the bombing and the US refuses to give up necessary control after these appeasers refused to cooperate in the first place. Throw in the whole terrorists are spilling into Iraq and fight them over there crap. Stay the course, sacrifice, bla bla.

I can't see how they would be able to spin a retreat right now. Once it goes out of the news cycle and they help push the focus to the Democratic primaries, people will forget about Iraq and then they can retreat if necessary. But not right now.

[Stephanie]

27. I don't think it means retreat from Iraq itself

I think they mean reversal of policy. PNAC & neo-con agenda is out, for the moment. Powell is prevailing. Neo-cons being called on their BS and blamed for petulant pres*s drop in the polls.

[sandnsea]

31. Powell used to blame UN

Diversionary tactic, not a retreat. They will use everything they do to further their propaganda one way or another.

[opihimoimoi]

32. The Iraqi thing was a means for the US to pull out of Saudi and kinda

save face at the same time, After all, if we has done that 10 years ago as Osama had demanded, the WTC would still be standing.

But as quagmires go, this is proving to be a nasty one. OH What to do what to do??? The Horror of failure faces the chimp as he eats crow.

[ronzo]

36. awww shit.....

We're gonna look at the bottom line.


My kingdom for the house,
ronzo

[OldCurmudgeon]

35. I agree

look for Shrub to declare war on the UN and start the bombing campaign right away.