The second in a series of Iraq war studies has been released by the Army's Combined Arms Center.  The study concludes that "planning" for post-Saddam Iraq was ". . . not well thought out, planned for, and prepared for before it began."

"Additionally, the assumptions about the nature of post-Saddam Iraq on which the transition was planned proved to be largely incorrect."

Remember:  The Republicans are supposed to be the experts in national security and John McSame wants another 100 years of this nonsense.

Paul Watson Contends there's a: Corporate Media Blackout On Bilderberg Meeting. He says:

"...Ben Bernanke, Condoleezza Rice", Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton(see UPDATE) "amongst a host of other global power brokers have all convened in Chantilly Virginia to secretly discuss the future of the world - yet not one mainstream U.S. corporate media outlet has uttered a single word about the 2008 Bilderberg conference...do you still not think it odd that not one mainstream U.S. press outlet has even mentioned it in passing?...

"...A mere book signing by an ex-politician would generate at least a few headlines, yet we have dozens of CEO’s, European and Federal Reserve banking and finance kingpins, Prime Ministers, European royalty, NSA officials, professors from top Universities, NATO and UN officials, oil company chairmen, and foreign policy luminaries meeting behind closed doors and yet not one single U.S. media report..."

More Below the Fold:

On Thursday -- "Mission Accomplished" Day -- we reminded ourselves of exactly how big of a #*$@ing idiot Richard Perle is and was.

He was, after all, the guy who wrote immediately following the Mission Accomplished Day Mark 1.0 that:

President Bush has led the United States and its coalition partners to the most important military victory since World War II.

And...

It ended quickly with few civilian casualties and with little damage to Iraq's cities, towns or infrastructure. It ended without the Arab world rising up against us, as the war's critics feared, without the quagmire they predicted, without the heavy losses in house-to-house fighting they warned us to expect.

And of course...

We will find Saddam's well-hidden chemical and biological weapons programs, but only when people who know come forward and tell us where to look.

Three laughably stupid assertions, even on the day they were made, and they've only grown more stupid with age.

So, how's the benefit of hindsight serving The New York Times? Brilliantly, as ever:

May 4, 2008
Op-Ed Contributor
Time to Cut the Cord
By RICHARD PERLE

Yes, because Richard Perle still owns a custom-tailored suit, he is worthy of publication on the New York Times Op-Ed page today.

Is he repentant? Not exactly. Though he starts off by implying that someone was a giant #*$@ing idiot five years ago. Just not him.

THE most important thing we can do to help the Iraqis and ourselves is to recognize — and reverse — the seminal mistake that followed the quick destruction of Saddam Hussein’s murderous regime: the foolish (however well-meaning) and arrogant belief that we know better than the Iraqis how to rebuild their devastated society.

Gee, I wonder how that "seminal mistake" got made?

It's not really worth anyone's time to analyze whether Perle's vision for Iraq has gotten any more clear-headed. It has, but only because he now recognizes that the ideas that led people to think that, um, certain American opinion leaders were giant #*$@ing idiots five years ago were in fact giantly #*$@ing idiotic. So, "Duh!" to them! Whoever they are.

The real question is why the NYT still feels it's doing anyone any good by collecting the three paragraph musings on Mission Accomplished Day Mark. 5.0 of the chief giant #*$@ing idiots who had it wrong on Mission Accomplished Days Marks 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0.

The least they could do is say that the price of publishing their thoughts is an admission that they're giant #*$@ing idiots. And if they won't do it, do it for them. Use that little bit of italicized type at the bottom where you usually tell everyone what a genius the person is:

RICHARD PERLE was an assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration and is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

And just add...

RICHARD PERLE was an assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration and is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. And a giant #*$@ing idiot.

See? Easy as pie. Corner office and a fat paycheck, please.

My head hurts.  Today's NY Times Week in Review has a distinguished symposium titled How to See This Mission Accomplished.

Wow, I thought naively.  A diverse group of opinions on what to do about Iraq on the fifth anniversary of the most shameful, bitterly ironic "celebration" in US military history.

Then I looked at the distinguished conspirators [oh, I mean contributors]: Fred Kagan, Daniel Perle, Danielle Pletka, Ken Pollack, Paul fucking Bremer, for chrissake!  Yes, NY Times.  The Mission will finally be "accomplished" by taking the advice of the rogues and criminals who engineered the initial "Mission Accomplished."

Not a single "dirty fucking hippie" [n. phrase: someone who had the sense to oppose the war before it started] (unless you consider Nathaniel Fick, a Marine infantry officer in Iraq and Afghanistan and a fellow at the Center for a New American Security, to perhaps be a dirty fucking hippie).

<

Ah-ha-ha!

I mean, boo-hoo-hoo!

Relax, Celebrate Victory
Richard Perle

From start to finish, President Bush has led the United States and its coalition partners to the most important military victory since World War II. And like the allied victory over the axis powers, the liberation of Iraq is more than the end of a brutal dictatorship: It is the foundation for a decent, humane government that will represent all the people of Iraq.

This was a war worth fighting. It ended quickly with few civilian casualties and with little damage to Iraq's cities, towns or infrastructure. It ended without the Arab world rising up against us, as the war's critics feared, without the quagmire they predicted, without the heavy losses in house-to-house fighting they warned us to expect. It was conducted with immense skill and selfless courage by men and women who will remain until Iraqis are safe, and who will return home as heroes.

In full retreat, the war's opponents have now taken up new defensive positions: "Yes, it was a military victory, but you haven't found Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction." Or, "Yes, we destroyed Saddam's regime, but now other dictators will try even harder to develop weapons of mass destruction to make sure they will not fall to some future American preemptive strike."

We will find Saddam's well-hidden chemical and biological weapons programs, but only when people who know come forward and tell us where to look. While Saddam was in power, even a hint about his concealment and deception was a death sentence, often by unimaginable torture against whole families. Saddam had four years to hide things. We have had a few weeks to find them. Patience -- and some help from free Iraqis -- will be rewarded.

The man who wrote this wears custom-tailored suits, and appears on television and gives speeches around the world as a revered Serious Person.

You, who were right about the war even while he was stupifyingly wrong, have Doritos cheese on your shirt collar, and are considered by the Democrats you elected to end the war to be morons for wondering why it hasn't happened sooner.

Happy Mission Accomplished Day.

John McCain said this yesterday:

We need to listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies.

Yep, we all know which "democratic allies" he's talking about.  In the middle east, that's Israel.  And what John is saying here is that he wants to follow in the Bush footsteps of conducting middle eastern policy per the wishes of the hard right Israel lobby.  The same lobby which pushed us to hit Iraq (a country primarily of concern to Israel) after 9/11 instead of countries who actually had something to do with Al Qaeda.

And his Bully Boy Buddy as well, Richard Bruce Cheney!

The Tardy New York Times – well I remember its rapt support of Bush’s big misadventure in Iraq with tales of Chalabi duly copied down and put into print by dear Judith Miller, intimate of Irving "Scooter" HotLips Libby and his damned mountain ashes, or bloody birches, or what the hell ever, in the fall – the retarded Times now delivers its 5-year eulogy to Bush’s Iraq misadventure.

There's a remarkable article For sale: West’s deadly nuclear secrets on the front page of the British Times today.

A WHISTLEBLOWER (Sibel Edmonds) has made a series of extraordinary claims about how corrupt government officials allowed Pakistan and other states to steal nuclear weapons secrets.
[...]
Edmonds described how foreign intelligence agents had enlisted the support of US officials to acquire a network of moles in sensitive military and nuclear institutions.

IMPORTANT UPDATE- see bottom of post

Richard Perle is at it again. Thing is, his “at it” out crazies the craziest of crazies. I think this LA Times headline says it more succinctly than I can: Richard Perle is again propping up regime-toppling Mideast dissidents who lack credibility.

In my opinion, a real leader doesn’t flee his country. He doesn’t beg for an external revolution. He doesn’t pledge fealty to America. He stays put, and risks his life for his people. May a giant beer can fall on “Iran’s” Amir Abbas Fakhravar.

While refusing to admit to any wrongdoing throughout the interview, Black did concede one failing on his own behalf.

"I clearly misjudged the strength of the corporate governance movement" he said.  Conrad Black protests innocence

Conrad Black, friend of Richard Perle and many other prominent Neocons had that to say after being convicted of 3 counts of Fraud totaling 3.5 Million in loot or funds. Black is looking at up to 35 yrs in prison for his crimes.

Why this isn't big news yet here in the States should speak volumes to you, but that is another story altogether. Back in 2004 Daniel Gross writing for Slate gives you a good starting point to why this is something you should be interested in. The Curse of Black's Perle

In my recent post, "Sibel Edmonds Case: the untellable story of AIPAC," I made the case that the so-called 'AIPAC Case' - the trial of Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman - is only the tip of the iceberg.

Former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds wants to tell us what she knows about various criminal and treasonous activities that she became aware of that involve high level US officials, the embassies of Israel and Turkey, and lobbying groups associated with those two countries - primarily AIPAC and the American Turkish Council.

In this post, I want to discuss a few extra items that I didn't mention in my post last week.

Last week, former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds, announced that she was willing to tell everything that she knows if any of the major networks are willing to give her airtime, without airbrushing the essence of her case. Bradblog will have an update on the progress, or lack of it, next week.

Of course, Sibel would prefer to testify under oath in congress, but apparently our Democratic Congresscritters (I'm looking at you, Waxman) don't care about the treason, bribery, and corruption that has hijacked US foreign policy.

Meanwhile, last week we learnt that the judge in the AIPAC case has allowed subpoenas to be issued to 15 current and former high-level officials. Many of us are excited about the prospect of the trial - but Sibel assures us that the case, as it stands, is just the tip of the iceberg.

'AIPAC' is at the core of Sibel's case, and Sibel’s story needs to be heard - either in Congress, or in the media.

Former FBI translator and whistleblower Sibel Edmonds has promised to tell us everything she knows about treason at the highest level of the US government - with one proviso:

"Here's my promise to the American Public: If anyone of the major networks --- ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, FOX --- promise to air the entire segment, without editing, I promise to tell them everything that I know."

Edmonds, "the most gagged person in the history of the United States of America," has been trying to expose criminal activity, treason, at the highest levels of the US Government - Congress, Pentagon and State Dept - since she became aware of the crimes in 2001 and 2002.

Edmonds has exhausted every conceivable channel in the courts, Congress, and elsewhere, and is now willing to risk criminal charges to ensure that the American people learn how their government really 'works.'

BradBlog has the exclusive.

We all remember how we got into this Iraqi mess, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, Jeb Bush, Paul Wolfowitz and others created a "group" a Project for New American Century, it was "founded" by William Kristol andFred Kagan they closed their doors last year.

Here comes Freedoms Watch to pick up where they left off. They have deep pockets and are well funded. Ari Fleischer and Bradley Blakeman are the front men for the group, who's behind them is yet to be seen. The question is who is funding them?

President Bush declared "Today, Baqubah is cleared." And that sentence struck me like a lightening bolt so I went back and looked up exactly what he said, and it made me think of the real speech Bush should have given from the White House this past week.

I remember that dreary fall of 2002 when Jim Lehrer would have Chuck Hagel and Richard Lugar and Joe Biden on about once a week to repeat again and again and again how the initial "defeat" of Iraq's "forces" could be and probably would be accomplished quite easily.
The problem, they practically shouted (I recall the very mellow Dick Lugar just bristle with disdain at some assbite from one of the neocon think-tanks) was Securing The Peace after our precision bombs had taken out the "valuable targets" they had.

The Osama Factor.

The latest video episode of Osama bin Laden's terror series (transcript) has stirred up the rightist media mouthpieces like little that has come before it. There is a uniform glee amongst them that savors the return of OBL much the same as Harry Potter fans relish each new edition of the young wizard's tales. Were it opening at the Cineplex, I expect that lines of Crusaders dressed up as Rummy and Saddam would be forming around the block. Their delight stems from their confidence that every Osama sighting scores points for the Republican Doctrine of freedom by agression.

Brought to you by...
News Corpse, The Internet's Chronicle Of Media Decay.

Last week former FBI translator, and head of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition, Sibel Edmonds sent a letter to NSWBC members expressing some frustration with the current congress on their failure to follow up on their promises to hold hearings into various whistleblower cases.

Sibel is looking for suggestions about how to get congress to actually, you know, do something.

After years of activism, Sibel has concluded that:

There are only three parties of interests in this government, in this town. The Prostitutes=Congressmen/Senators, the Pimps=the lobbyists, and the Fat Cat Clients= incompetent bureaucrats in charge, MIC, Oil, Contractors, etc.

The letter, and some of my comments are below.