Molly Ivins: Stand Up Against The Surge

[Hissyspit]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/11/ivins.surge/

Ivins: Stand up against the surge
POSTED: 4:59 p.m. EST, January 11, 2007

(CREATORS) -- The purpose of this old-fashioned newspaper crusade to stop the war is not to make George W. Bush look like the dumbest president ever. People have done dumber things. What were they thinking when they bought into the Bay of Pigs fiasco? How dumb was the Egypt-Suez war? How massively stupid was the entire war in Vietnam? Even at that, the challenge with this misbegotten adventure is that WE simply cannot let it continue.

It is not a matter of whether we will lose or we are losing. We have lost. Gen. John P. Abizaid, until recently the senior commander in the Middle East, insists that the answer to our problems there is not military. "You have to internationalize the problem. You have to attack it diplomatically, geo-strategically," he said.

- snip -

A surge is not acceptable to the people in this country -- we have voted overwhelmingly against this war in polls (about 80 percent of the public is against escalation, and a recent Military Times poll shows only 38 percent of active military want more troops sent) and at the polls. We know this is wrong. The people understand, the people have the right to make this decision, and the people have the obligation to make sure our will is implemented.

Congress must work for the people in the resolution of this fiasco. Ted Kennedy's proposal to control the money and tighten oversight is a welcome first step. And if Republicans want to continue to rubber-stamp this administration's idiotic "plans" and go against the will of the people, they should be thrown out as soon as possible, to join their recent colleagues.

Anyone who wants to talk knowledgably about our Iraq misadventure should pick up Rajiv Chandrasekaran's "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone." It's like reading a horror novel. You just want to put your face down and moan: How could we have let this happen? How could we have been so stupid?

MORE AT LINK

[niyad]

1. as usual, molly has it right. KO pointed out today that, if the US had a parliamentary form of gov'

der chimpenfuhrer and company would have had to resign today. would that it were that simple.

[pnwmom]

2. K & R!

[Kurovski]

3. K&R

Molly is always worth the read, IMO.

[Raster]

4. K&R!

:kick:SEVEN!

[bonito]

5. K&R Molly gets it.

[ninkasi]

6. Don't forget

Molly tried to warn the American people before the SCOTUS gave the monkey the presidency. Thanks a lot, the five of you who betrayed our country.

[The Wizard]

25. The biggest offender of the five

is Scalia who granted a stay to stop the Florida recount. He above all needs to be impeached for violating his oath of office and having the audacity to rule in contrast to his own written opinions regarding the 14th Amendment.
Beyond that, there were not people in the streets after the reins of power were wrongfully handed over to the Bush Junta. As with all wars, and we are at war with a venal form of fascism, it's the boots on the ground, the people in the streets, who will bring down this most corrupt Administration.
The question is: When will we the people be able to echo Gerald Ford's words? "At long last, our national nightmare is over."

[Hissyspit]

7. .

[JohnnyLib2]

8. Dear Molly, you knew him first and have tried to warn us.

"We the people" are catching up now and owe you a huge vote of thanks. At first, only a few listened and understood. Now, millions do.
You have been a true pioneer, fighting off enemies from all directions.

Continue to point the way, we certainly need your leadership.

[SusanaMontana41]

9. Molly is a national treasure

just like her good friend, Ann Richards.

Yes, she is always worth the read.

[Missy Vixen]

11. Molly Ivins: The Goddess of Journalism

I remember begging people to read "Shrub", the book she released before * was selected. I got answers ranging from "Maybe later," to "He can't be that bad."

Oh, he is. I think Molly was merciful in her portrayal of him.

Julie

[Bluebear]

10. "WE are the deciders" nt

[Vexatious Ape]

12. Molly for prez.

That's what I'd like to see, with Jim Hightower for VP.

[blondeatlast]

26. The very thought==wouldn't that be a force to contend with?

Smart, savvy progressives with outstanding senses of humor in the administrative branch.

Wow--it brightens my morning just to think of it.

[stephinrome]

13. thanks for mentioning Jan 27 demo, Molly

I was thinking after the "you and me Bubba" article that it would be great if she encouraged people to go to DC for Jan 27, and she just did!

Thanks, Molly!

[Hissyspit]

16. After *'s TV appearance the other day, I've pretty much decided I'm going.

Glad she mentioned it, too.

[mnhtnbb]

23. Hubby asked about the date this a.m. He's thinking about going.

I am waiting to have a hip replacement, so I probably won't go, because walking is tough.
I went in September 05!

[maxsolomon]

28. not good enough

if the war continues, its your fault.

:sarcasm: for the 'its our fault' thread yesterday.

[mnhtnbb]

44. Oh, good, I'll be sure to let Bush know I'm coming so he better cancel the war.

[annabanana]

14. Baldwin's character on 30 Rock was sweet talking Molly

on the phone in last night's episode...

(two weeks ago it was Condi...)

[Philosoraptor]

15. We have lost.

[DirtyDawg]

17. Paraphrasing from Saving Private Ryan...

...Support Our Troops: Get them the hell out of there!

[bajamary]

18. Send the Twins

[seesdifferent]

38. Boxer referred obliquely to this with Rice

and the NY Post is all up in arms....too funny....
http://seesdifferent.wordpress.com/2007/01/12/ny-post-blames-dem-for-laura-bushs-takedown-of-condi-rice/

[bluescribbler]

19. K&R

Good to have Molly back. She always makes so much sense.

[IWantAChange]

20. Molly Ivins is a treasure - K&R.

[AverageJoe]

21. K & R!

:kick:

[mnhtnbb]

22. Molly says, "we are the deciders". Damn straight!

[cwydro]

24. KICK

:kick:

[redqueen]

27. She's right, you know.

It's up to US. It always is. The government is a reflection of the sum total of our actions as citizens... no more, no less.

[maxsolomon]

29. subtract corporate personhood from the equation

& i'd almost agree with you.

[redqueen]

34. excellent point

WE the people have a much harder time asserting our will when we have to compete with "people" like that

[maxsolomon]

36. i would argue that those "people" make the rest of us

irrelevant drones in a fascist state.

but its a COMFY fascism.

[redqueen]

37. *sigh*

pretty much

[maxsolomon]

39. hey, cheer up!

none of it matters when you have achieved Nirvana!

[redqueen]

41. :)

thank you

so easy for me to forget that!

[specimenfred1984]

30. Molly "Kool Aid Drinkers"...

Go ahead and "hit the streets" like Cindy Sheehan but remember "there are proper channels" to go through first!

BARFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.

[wiggs]

31. The surge makes so little sense that it forces the conclusion that its purpose

is not what we've been told. Could be that extra troops will be used to protect oil resources and private oil contractors (oil contract signing imminent)...could be that the next step in the overall plan is confronting Iran (Patriot missiles transported to Iraq now?)...could be that the extra troops are part of a strategy to do one more thing before declaring victory and departing, claiming that his tactics and his alone are effective after all....

Even if Bush is insane and dumb, Cheney and Rice are not (just evil...and oil corporatists)..there's some reason for this surge, we just don't know what it is. I suspect it isn't to go door to door in one city to harrass a pissed-off, long-suffering population.

It's the same crap that we saw then the decision to invade came down...the justification really made no sense -- had to look deeper for the real reasons. A stupid, misguided, stubborn president is the perfect front man for what's really doing on. Even the suspicions by many that this guy has a screw loose is fine by those really controlling the moves. Keeps press from discussing real events.

Oil contracts. Follow the oil.

[hashibabba]

33. Now that the oil contracts have been signed (or are being signed),

he just wants to keep the troops in Iraq so they'll be real close when he attacks Iran.

[tavalon]

32. I can hear Molly's voice in my head

with her amused but annoyed tone reading this piece. You know, I'm a southerner but I've always felt that we sound kinda stupid with our slow drawl but Molly never, ever sounds dumb. She sounds like the rapier wit she is. Now, of course, as a lifelong southerner, I am well aware that Southerners are just as smart as the northerners and likely to have lower blood pressure, to boot.

[DrZeeLit]

35. Molly Rocks... as usual!!!! Get well, Molls, and come back stronge!!! n/t

[NNadir]

40. Of course, if Molly Ivens didn't buy the "Bush = Gore" formula there'd be no war.

But who cares about 2000?

It's not like it mattered who was seated in the office of President. Probably President Gore would already be fighting in Iran, Syria, and a few other countries.

One wonders how much applause Ms. Ivens would have gotten had President Gore been seated in the office to which he was elected.

It's way too fucking late Molly.

[ProudDad]

43. Have you got a link for this assertion

Molly has always though of shrub as a defective idiot...

[Jack Rabbit]

42. K/R

!!