Rosa Brooks: A clear vision of Bush and Musharaff:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

From today's LA Times:

Oh, George. Why do you hate America?

For years, I thought we were just having a misunderstanding. You know: You say tomato, I say tomahto; you say checks, I say balances; you say enhanced interrogation techniques, I say torture.

But with recent events in Pakistan, I'm beginning to wonder if our problem isn't more than just a misunderstanding. Because if you're supposed to be protecting our nation against Islamic extremism, why are your foreign policies actually strengthening dangerous extremists everywhere?

Look, I'm not going to bring up all that business about the Iraq war and the way it's created a cause celebre for extremists. Anyone can make an honest mistake and wreck a country. And we don't need to rehash that old quarrel about Guantanamo and how it's helped Al Qaeda's recruiting efforts, or argue about the way your saber-rattling on Iran has strengthened Iran's hard-liners.

But come on. Pakistan, for God's sake?

More at link:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brooks15nov15,0,7992029.column?coll=la-opinion-columnists

[JVS]

1. So, you're saying that Kucinich is unelectable, right?

I HATE YOU!

;-)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. How'd you know?

LOL...

;)

[Poiuyt]

3. Bush has made so many poor choices, it's hard to narrow them down

This article kind of reminds me of Bush's relationship with the Saudis, who are as despotic as they come.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Indeed he has...

In fact, I'd be hard pressed to say he's made any good choices...

[Poiuyt]

5. Well, he does have good fashion sense!

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

7. bottom picture

He wants to go Square Dancing?

[...of J.Temperance]

12. He's waving and saying "Hi! My name's Georgina, look at my purty duds!"

That's what he's saying in that bottom picture.

In the top picture he's saying "Hi! My name's Virgil, wanna come and eat some squirrel? My Momma, who's also my sister, she cooks some good squirrel!"

In the middle picture he's saying "Hey! Check out these snappy duds and check out my fucked up left foot!"

[...of J.Temperance]

11. He's such a little weirdo....his left foot is all fucked up as well n/t

.

[Arugula Latte]

16. What the ...

Is that middle pic. for real? What's up with the Wizard Wear? :wtf:

[FloridaJudy]

14. A "poor choice"

Is leading with a high diamond. What GWB makes are monumental fuck-ups.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

6. Do you read Rosa much?

Has she always questioned (*), or is this somethin new? I liked the closing

"Look, George, I'm not saying you consciously meant for things to turn out this way. But as Freud said, there's no such thing as an accident.

Have you discussed this with your therapist?"

Hi Peggy,

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. I do read her on a fairly regular basis...

She's good, but not always this good...

She's liberal...She always sticks it to him!

The closing made me smile!



:hi: back atcha!

[Capn Sunshine]

9. Did you see the Times Op-Ed piece on Bhutto from the 14th?

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-oe-bhutto14nov14,1,5372024.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Written by her niece, who think's she's full of shit.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

18. Actually, no...

And you need to be registered on the LA Times website to read it, alas...

Perhaps I'll do that...

I'm sure it's worth reading...

Thanks for the link!

[...of J.Temperance]

10. The fact is that W

Doesn't give jackshit about fighting Radical Islamic terrorism, like with so many other things with him, his rhetoric is all lies.

The proof is in the pudding, IF he was genuine about fighting Radical Islamic terrorism, then he wouldn't have invaded Iraq, a nation that had zilch to do with Al-Qaeda et al....he would have invaded Pakistan instead, a nation that for years, has been harboring and training the Radical Islamists.

Instead of invading Pakistan, W has babied them and given them all sorts of military hardware goodies....this ISN'T the sort of thing that one would do IF one was SERIOUS about combatting Radical Islamic terrorism and terrorists.

Personally, I think that W and the neo-Con's BIGGEST wet dream, is for Pakistan to fall victim to Al-Qaeda and Al-Qaeda to get their mitts on Pakistan's fully operational nuclear program....this way it'd give the neo-Con's what they want, an excuse for Perpetual War....they're sick and twisted fuckers, but there IS a method to their madness.

W and Co. are still babbling on about Iran, they've been obsessively trying to find a way to start shit with Iran, a nation that has no functioning nuclear program, a nation that ISN'T an immediate threat....Pakistan has been an immediate threat since at least early 2002....and now, here we are, Pakistan a powder-keg that we KNEW was going to explode has exploded and W still sits on his hands, while still frothing at the mouth and stroking himself while trying to find a way to have War with Iran.

A great many people always knew that Pakistan was a wolf in sheeps clothing....and for that matter SO is Saudi Arabia....Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are the two BIGGEST state sponsors of Radical Islamic terrorism, it's very telling that both of those nations are held up as "our" so-called Allies....fact is, you willingly allow a rattlesnake into your bed and you're going to get bitten.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

19. Well said...

[...of J.Temperance]

24. Oh

Shucks, it was nothing :)

[NewJeffCT]

13. good article

thanks for finding it and posting it.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

20. Thanks!

[zanne]

15. I like your style, California Peggy! nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

21. I appreciate it! nt

[Hydra]

17. This piece misses the point entirely

But I rec'ed it on the principle that anyone questioning this situation is a good thing.

The point here is that we SUPPORT Musharaff in everything he's doing...he's our bought and paid for boy, not some clever person who's playing us. We don't care about "Islamic Extremists"- OBL is probably dead...but the "threat of extremism" is a good excuse for us to invade and occupy countries or support puppet dictators like Musharaff who hold territories for us and kill the people we order them to.

Why do idiots hand Bush the "He's trying to do the right thing" card? As if he doesn't have enough spinners and apologists on Faux already.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

22. I think the author meant it as sarcasm...

A clever joke, if you will...

And yes, of course, you're right...We do support him in everything he's doing...

It makes me sick, the things that are being done in our name.

[Hydra]

23. I was hoping for sarcasm

but too much of it is devoted to the idea that we are fighting some legitimate fight there in the Mid-east...and ignores the point that we were the ones who sold Pakistan and Iran nuclear tech.

Perhaps she was being ultimate dry sarcasm, but I think it's the mistake most people make with Bushco- mistaking deliberate intent with incompetent blunders. I used to find it useful to sling mud at Bushco that way(and they provide so many opportunities), but I've found that people are willing to excuse "mistakes" where they wouldn't forgive malevolence.

As such, it's more useful to point out how we are arming the insurgency in Iraq, were wiretapping and datamining people pre-9/11, have supported bloody dictatorships and killed democracies, sold nuke tech to people illegally, etc. The sooner people get the point that this is all planned and cold blooded, the better.