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sometimes being a CITIZEN JOURNALIST requires making difficult decisions, and sometimes we choose unwisely

Case in point:  after staying up into the wee hours of the morning investigating the Natalee Holloway disappearance (I spent six hours staking out the Spice channel and am sad to report finding no sign of the missing Alabama teen—though with my wife out of town, I plan to dig more this evening), I overslept today’s Presidential Strategy speech for the War in Iraq—a speech that John Kerry and others are now evidently trying to suggest failed to answer persistent Democratic party criticisms that the administration and the military “don’t have a plan” for winning the war and securing the peace.

Fortunately, Jon Henke took it in, and has answered the more disingenuous of the administration’s critics quite ably:

[…] Granted, the White House should have done a better job at spreading [the strategy for victory] message from the very start. But it’s sheer laziness and/or incompetence on the part of the media and critics to pretend that the Iraq strategy hasn’t been widely available for a long time. Apparently, though, the White House wakes up every now and then to remind the media that—in between reporting that the White House has no strategy for Iraq—they ought to report the, you know, actual White House strategy for Iraq.

Right, excellent.

Now. Back to the search for Natalee.

29 Replies to “sometimes being a CITIZEN JOURNALIST requires making difficult decisions, and sometimes we choose unwisely”

  1. vladimir says:

    NPR actually had a person on their panel after the speech who was in alignment with the administration’s policy.

    Shocking.

  2. Dave S. says:

    Wait!  Was that her?  That one!

    No, that was another blonde.  Oh well.

    Keep looking.

  3. shank says:

    My wife won’t let me pay for the Spice channel, but sometimes I put it on anyways and I think I see her in the static, but hell; it could be anything.

  4. Matt, Esq. says:

    I think the dems have stepped in it this time.  They were quick to jump on the Murtha bandwagon a month ago – “we must withdraw the troops” and now you have good ol Flipper talking about “strategy of victory” which would allow us to pull out our troops.  Not only is this in stark contrast to his “wrong war wrong place wrong time” memme from the election but its at odds with what Boxter, Pelosi and the rest of the barking left have been preaching, as recently as yesterday. 

    I have no doubt Flipper got a gander at that poll a few days ago which indicated that a majority of americans thought the constant democratic criticism of the Iraq war was hurting our country (obviously, I’m paraphrasing) and he realizes that if he follows Pelosi’s lead, he’ll have absolutely no chance at making another run at the presidency (he’s not going to get the nomination anyway but if there’s one thing Mr. Heinz is not, its realistic).  I’m certain Ms Clinton will be making similar rumblings for a “victory strategy”, as she’s been more cagey about the IRaq war then Kerry. 

    I can easily foresee the presidential hopefuls butting heads with the shrill far left, who has no other agenda then to stop the war to spite Bush.  And of course, the shrillest wing of the left is also the one that raises alot of the money, putting these pres. candidates in an even bigger bind. But Kerry and Co. will not be able to erase these last three weeks, where Murtha was saying Iraq is a disaster and democrats all nodded their bloated heads in agreement.  I’m sure KKKarl, the grand wizard, will have many many of those sound bites prepared for the 2006 and 2008 elections, when democrats will try to talk tough on the war – “we’ve always supported the war, we just think Bush is doing it wrong”.

    For the life of me, I cannot imagine why the democratic thinkers haven’t just abandoned this anti-war memme and focused more on domestic policy, where they’re arguably more informed if rarely ever correct.

  5. Phoenician in a time of Romans says:

    For the life of me, I cannot imagine why the democratic thinkers haven’t just abandoned this anti-war memme

    Concern for the lives and wellbeing of America’s troops, for the honour and image of America, for the security of America threatened by unnecessary wars, and for the ethics of an illegal war of aggression?

    Nah – must be because they’re “moral relativists”.

  6. Kossock says:

    “focused more on domestic policy, where they’re arguably more informed if rarely ever correct.”

    Baldfaced lie, typical of rat-repugs. Look at this link, does it look like the Enronomics of Chimpy & Co. are doing any good?

    http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/30/051130163113.y2qc1yav.html

  7. natesnake says:

    There are few things that rival the simple pleasures of watching porn, roughing up the usual suspect, and sleeping sprawled out in the empty bed while the wife is out of town.  Sad?  Yes.  But surprisingly satisfying.

  8. Salt Lick says:

    Concern for the lives and wellbeing of America’s troops?

    Gee, Phoenician, judging from you post at this blog, I didn’t think you cared:

    As far as I’m concerned, Americans weeping because they’ve lost their spouses, their mothers, fathers, sons and daughters in these illegal, stupid wars are a good thing. The rest of us outside the US should look on at the sight as we would look on at a dog having its nose rubbed in an indoor accident, and for the same reason. Distasteful, yet necessary for housetraining.

  9. corvan says:

    Phonecian,

    Or maybe it’s because they are political opportuntists thrashing around for a message that will sell.

  10. Carl W. Goss says:

    Re:  “(The) actual White House strategy for Iraq”?

    Read it at The Fox News site; it’s called National Strategy for Victory in Iraq. Put out by the National Security Council.

    It’s nothing less than a long term committment to rebuild Iraq. 

    Nation-building, I think Mr Bush used to call it.

    Put out, of course, like all the administration’s propaganda, with absolutely no concern for the fact that most Americans want to part of nation-building and most Iraqis want us out of Iraq, period.

    Talk about an adminstration out of touch.  Just goes to show you can always count on the GOP to stay out of touch with reality.

  11. Old Dad says:

    Salt Lick,

    Good catch. PIATOR is proved a ghoul.

  12. “Put out, of course, like all the administration’s propaganda, with absolutely no concern for the fact that most Americans want to part of nation-building and most Iraqis want us out of Iraq, period.”

    Please provide citation for your claims above.

    Otherwise, you are just another leftists spewing bullshit.

  13. natesnake says:

    Carl Goss, you would do well to digest some of the feces that Phoenician litters the blogsphere with.  That is the company that you keep.  People that cheer the death of American soldiers.  Honestly, do you really want to align yourself with terrorist sympathizers?

  14. Matt, Esq. says:

    *&Concern for the lives and wellbeing of America’s troops, for the honour and image of America, for the security of America threatened by unnecessary wars, and for the ethics of an illegal war of aggression? *

    BWHAHAHA. 

    Concern for the lives and wellbeing of America’s troops—shown by undermining their mission at every opportunity and comparing the US to Sadaam Hussein (Ted Kennedy says “torture chambers opened under new management” – Yes, Teddy is clearly concerned with the lives of our troops, by attempting to paint a big fat fucking bullseye on em). 

    Honor and image of America – as a pusseywhipped handcuffed country, who can’t raise a finger without a by your leave from the UN vs. the world’s last superpower doing what it can to protect itself from attacks from all sides ? There’s honor in retreat ?  There’s honor in surrender ? There’s honor in letting a dictator kill his own people ?  You and I have different definitions of honor sir.  Survey says :  Nope

    Unnecessary wars ?  Like which ?  Afghanistan was unncessary ?  Iraq was unncessary ?  You are from the school that would prefer to fight terrorists on our home turf apparently ?  Ok, if you write down your address, I’ll post it on one of the jihadi websites and you can get your wish. And I guess its also unncessary to have dictators comply with treaties THEY signed ? hmm. 

    Illegal war of aggression ?  I’m sorry, have their been any arrests or indictments ?  Clearly, if its an illegal war, the president has been impeached and run out of Washington on a rail.  Funny how that hasn’t happened.  Mind explaining which laws were broken to make this an “illegal war”

    Would you like to try again ?

  15. Matt, Esq. says:

    *Baldfaced lie, typical of rat-repugs. Look at this link, does it look like the Enronomics of Chimpy & Co. are doing any good? *

    Yes, clearly america is fucked. 

    (my actual take on it is the state of the ecnonomy shows the resilience of the american people- I don’t believe an ecnomy can be changed in any significant way by a president).

  16. Cutler says:

    PIATR is a scumbag, but he’s also more intellectually honest than the fools who pretend the country and soldiers they want to hate are simply drones led on by the Bush war machine and fascist media. At least he can count ballots and recognize elections. Course, the fact he isn’t an American trying to be patriotic makes that easier.

  17. Carl W. Goss says:

    No, I don’t like terrorists. 

    I also dislike imperialism, military adventurism and nation-building rhetoric. 

    Which is all this administration is given us. 

    That and a lot of propaganda about how “well” everything is going in Iraq.

    It’s going so well, the US will have to stay in Iraq indefinitely, instead of withdrawing in a few months….

  18. Jeff Goldstein says:

    You realize we’re still in Europe and the pacific as a direct result of WWII, right, Carl?

    Damned German and Japanese nation-building debacles.

  19. corvan says:

    We’re still in South Korea as well.  And what do you know?  All those places where we stayed…functioning modern, fairly democratic societies.  The place we left..SE Asia…killing fields, boat people and totalitarianism. Go figure.

  20. vladimir says:

    Quote:  “Concern for the lives and wellbeing of America’s troops, for the honour and image of America, for the security of America threatened by unnecessary wars, and for the ethics of an illegal war of aggression?”

    It seems to me that through history, when you occupy the sovereign airspace of another country then you are at war with it.

    If you were for the ending of the no-fly zones, than it’s intellectually honest to say you supported the destruction of a nascent Kurdish republic in the north.

    The sole convincing moral case against the war would have had to demonstrate, either for certain or within a high likelihood that that the consequences of a regime change war were worse than the standing regime.

    In logic and morality, one must compare the current state of the country with the likely or probable state of it had Saddam and his sons been allowed to continue to rule.

    There were many who warned of the rising up of the Arab Street, before the Iraq War…much like those who warned that a humanitarian disaster was not only likely, but intended to occur in Afghanistan. We were warned of those foreign fighters who would come to Afghanistan to wage Jihad and they did, much to their regret.

    The violent death of thousands of Bin Ladenists/Jihadists/Islamists in Iraq, with the prospect of this number greatly increasing, is reason to continue fighting, not to retreat.

  21. alppuccino says:

    “Diane Pelosi has the IQ of a pencil eraser”

    –Rush Limbaugh, November 30, 2005

    “Fuck you, Mr. Limbaugh!!”

    –Conrad Nibler, President NAAPE

    National Association for the Advancement of Pencil Erasers.

    Erasing bigotry at every turn.  Since 1994

  22. ahem says:

    Face it, the only thing Bush might do to ‘answer persistent Democratic party criticisms’ would be to commit hara-kiri with a blunt blade–nothing less will do.

    As for ‘Pustules in a time of Cholera’ and Comrade Karl Goss–neither of whom recognizes discredited Marxist propaganda when they encounter it–I suggest a whole-brain transplant. I hear the French are doing marvelous things these days with freshly-harvested corpses. And for only $2000 American, they’ll throw in a face and an afternoon at Euro-Disney.

  23. Rush Limbaugh says:

    What do I know about pencil erasers, those are for people who make mistakes.

  24. SPQR says:

    Goss, other than inconvenient fact that your opinion about what the Iraqi people want is contradicted by … oh, the Iraqi people themselves, your comment is just fucking brilliant.

    Brillant.

  25. The_Real_JeffS says:

    The sole convincing moral case against the war would have had to demonstrate, either for certain or within a high likelihood that that the consequences of a regime change war were worse than the standing regime.

    Sweet, Goss.  Moving the goalposts after the Iraq invasion is over.  Just about every pre-war “estimate”, both pro- and anti-war, was way off, if not flat out wrong.  And here you are, close to 3 years after the invasion started, demanding a “high likelihood” to prove that the war was justified.  Karl Marx would be proud, you being such a useful idiot and all.

  26. Conrad Nibler, Pres. NAAPE says:

    How about those times when you can improve on a good idea?

    ..

    ..

    Checkmate Mr. Limbaugh………checkmate.

  27. Toby Petzold says:

    Isn’t it weird that being totally indifferent to the fate of a beautiful young woman should be a sign of health?

    So long as the blogosphere continues to evolve in a relatively non-commercial direction (excepting the odd grants to one’s wish lists, let’s say), it will become less and less necessary to turn to the profit-driven Big Media for one’s news.

    These people in cable news should be ashamed of themselves.

  28. You realize we’re still in Europe and the pacific as a direct result of WWII, right, Carl?

    Damned German and Japanese nation-building debacles.

    Posted by Jeff Goldstein | permalink

    on 11/30 at 05:31 PM

    We’re still in South Korea as well.  And what do you know?  All those places where we stayed…functioning modern, fairly democratic societies.  The place we left..SE Asia…killing fields, boat people and totalitarianism. Go figure.

    Posted by corvan | permalink

    on 11/30 at 05:39 PM

    hey guys, you forgot Kosovo. and uh, last i heard they’re still debating about the government there.(do they get one or not?)

  29. Irishwalsh says:

    I didn’t think I was being to crafty by looking around for a the White House’s Iraq strategy and finding a full detailed copy of it on…of all places the White House web site.

    Apparently I was being crafty though since the media hasn’t looked there yet.

Comments are closed.