You Say It's Your Birthday, It's My Birthday Too Yeah!

My mother was so convinced that it was to early for me to arrive, she caught both sides of the door with her hands while they were wheeling her into the delivery room. I believe this explains why I'm usually always early.


I do have a special birthday post over on the anonymous rowhouse.
Thanks justrose.

R.I.P. Shelby Foote

Way back when I was in college, I got to hear Shelby Foote give a talk on the Civil War. He was a true southern gentleman, and knew how to tell a good story. His 3000 page three volume history of the civil war is considered the benchmark for historians and students of the war. Unlike some history text, his volumes are written in a breezy narrative style, accessible to most people who are interested in learning about the war. Another great author from the dirty south.

Pay No Attention To That Spinner Behind The Curtain

It seems Karl Rove has decided to step out from behind his spin control room and dip his fingers in the placid waters of political discourse. Offering a "theraputic" view to New York conservatives about the differences in technique in dealing with the threat of terrorism. Or actual terrorism as the case may be.

Rove asserts that democrats made a mistake after 9/11. Meaning, the dems didn't want to fight the terrorist, rather they wanted to "indict" and offer "therapy" to our attackers. This notion conveniently leaves out, (convenient for conservatives) the vote in congress authorizing the president to take any action necessary to punish our attackers. This vote was unanimous in the Senate, and near unanimous, save one vote, in the House. Of course, the facts are never convenient things for conservatives like Rove who decide for themselves what the reality is, then act.

Rove's seemingly blunt phrasing, is actually more deft manuvering. A political high wire act that couldn't be trusted to others. Certainly not the president himself, who can't seem to remember where he left that pair of pants containing all his political capital. Not Cheney, who's growling pronouncements on Fox News about the "weakening insurgency" in Iraq, leave more and more people scratching their heads. No, this was a mission for the spinmiester himself.

The object it seems is simple. The groundwork for the mid-terms next year has to be laid now. Iraq is not going away, nor is it getting better. Despite all the spin in the world, more and more Americans are realizing this fact everyday. So Rove has to continue to "sell" the war in Iraq as a part of a the larger war on terror. Much the same way he has. It's just that now, the press is not quite as compliant. The message is more muddled. Before the election last year, or really since 9/11, it wasn't necessary to attack democrats outright because the lies were working.

Most of the people who voted for Bush in November, believed the following:
1. That Iraq had played a role in the planning and implementation of the attacks on 9/11.

2. That Iraq had weapons of mass destruction in 2003 when we invaded, and he plannned to use them on us.

Both of these are well documented lies, although even today its easy to find people that still believe them. So Rove has to reinforce this notion with voters. Mainly to shore up the republican base. And to send a sort of coded message. In the wake of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo everyone in the world can see what kind of justice we mete out. To the red state faithful, Rove is saying, "we treat those fuckers worse than the dems would any day." This message is loud and clear to the rest of the world as well. Can the religious extremist who hate us, hate us even more? Are moderate muslims being swayed to jihad by our actions? The president says "bring 'em on!"
Cheney says, "fuck 'em!" Karl Rove says, "The war on terror will continue for the forseable future." And he and the neo cons are doing everything they can to ensure that it will.

Pentagon Confirms Koran Abuse At Gitmo

Of course, timing is everything. When Newsweek ran the article about the Koran being flushed down the toilet, their source in the Pentagon, didn't object to what was printed BEFORE it was published. Only after, when the story became a PR disaster for the Bush Administration did their source back off the claim. This was two weeks after the intitial article appeared in Newsweek. The White House spin machine then launched into it's familiar "left leaning media" mantra. Helped along by Fox News and talk radio. Newsweek, admitting it's own sloppy journalism forced to back off the story. Right wing bloggers bend over backwards patting themselves on the back, breathlessly asserting, "I told you the media was biased!" And then the Pentagon releases it's report, today. Late after the evening news, on Friday.


America

June 04, 2005

[US admits guard soiled Koran at Guantanamo
By Roland Watson
AN AMERICAN guard at Guantanamo Bay urinated on a copy of the Koran while others kicked, stepped on and soaked copies with water balloons, the Pentagon admitted last night.

A two-word obscenity was written in English on the inside cover of another copy. One interrogator was fined for “a pattern of unacceptable behaviour”, according to a month-long inquiry.

The details will cause further embarrassment for the Pentagon, which has been fighting claims that the Koran was systematically mishandled as a tactic by US interrogators to break detainees.

The findings were deliberately released late into the night in an attempt to minimise the damage. But Pentagon chiefs insisted that despite the problems uncovered, the investigation revealed that the vast majority of personnel respected the Koran.]

So a month later, the Pentagon gives us the truth. But the spin has spun. The illusion of a left leaning media remains. Timing is everything.