Secret Plan to Keep Iraq Under US Control

[Richard Haut]

while Bush flounders and even his own people admit that the US "diplomacy" with Iran is a fraud, he has hit bigger problems.

the UN Mandate for US troops in Iraq ends on 31st. December. Bush is trying to sign a memorandum with al-Maliki in Iraq. It will not help. Such a document would not be binding under US law (according to various law professors) never mind anywhere else. US troops will be in a legal nowhere land after the end of the year.

worse than that, the Turkmen have signed a 20-year deal for their massive gas fields with Russia's Gazprom (yea, private industry - right. The head of Gazprom for 8 years was Medvedev - the new President of Russia). It is anticipated that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan agreements will follow. This means that Russia already controls Turkmenistan's fuel exports and the other major fields will follow.

but there's more ..... Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and China's Vice Premier Wang Oishan have signed an energy initiative - a so-called "energy negotiation mechanism" (under a media blackout). It is anticipated that this could involve Russia selling 30 billion cubic meters of Turkmenistan's gas to China annually for a 30-year period, and that is just the start.

[Ed Ziomek]

Rich... great points, great concerns.

I just realized the weapon that might defeat the government in Washington.

Irrelevance.

India, can't it survive in the world without the USA? I hear they just objected to some major political move we suggested.

China, certainly it can survive in the world without the USA, and doesn't it own the titles to so many loans to the United States (I am told)?

Russia. End of story, the new Arab sheik-dom is in Moscow.

And God Bless the Arabs for bailing us out, financing so many companies.

The people of America are the strength of America, but the government we have in Washington... it's like they have sold us out with arrogance, and they wake up one morning and think..."I just had a nightmare...we don't matter anymore, everybody else owns us, we went from Kings to servants overnight."

[Richard Haut]

US Admiral Mullen has publicly warned Israel against orchestrating 'USS Liberty Part II' to provoke a US-led war against Iran.

Will that stop the Zionists and their Neo-Con buddies ?

You want to know the kind of American that the world admires ? Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

[djswan]

Cleaning up the mess would be serving. I don't ever recall ever thinking of the USA as a kingdom. Irrelevence is not as powerful a weapon as perception, or so I've read.

I remember being told as of this post, by the folks with some authority in this is, " It's all about the numbers".

I found the comment to be illogical. It was not the place or time for me to find logic in it, as they were our guest and my place to be polite and listen.

[Richard Haut]

The US and Israeli backed aggression by Georgia is turning out to have a sobering lesson for any peoples in the world who might be suckered into following the same path.

The Russians have already captured at least one American - despite Pentagon assurances that the US troops in Georgia ("advisors") are not actually going to fight - and it is rumoured that the pilot of a downed SU-25 attacking the Russians may be Israeli.

Needless to say the incitement has been followed by Israel blocking all weapons sales to the Georgians and the American Diplomats saying that - apart from sending Georgian troops back from Iraq to fight - there is nothing that they can do.

In July Russia tried for a non-violent agreement with Georgia which was, according the the Russian Foreign Minister, "blocked by the West".

what is it about ? Oil of course, but Russia has just bombed the hell out of the relevant pipeline.

meanwhile, 12 members of the US Embassy in Kyrgyzstan have been questioned about an illegal arms cache of US heavy-calibre weaponry. The Americans appear to have diplomatic immunity but their lies about the weaponry do not seem to have been appreciated.

Georgia has already called for a ceasefire, and there goes yet another friend/sphere of influence for America.

[Ed Ziomek]

First of all, I know very little about what is going on over there, and for the 10,000 th time, Rich, your perspective is different and refreshing if troubling. This Georgia tragedy seems to be positioned on our side as a land grab by Russia related to oil as you say, but also a warning against the NATO leaning countries surrounding Comrade Putin, "We still have teeth, and we will bite you if you move too close!"

But isn't it perfect to have enemies again? I mean, we have everything, everything in common with the Russian people, and the Georgian people, and yet our politics says... let's exploit the conflict angle... being friends is too undefined, too non profitable.

The difference is ... Russia is suddenly strong, and America is suddenly preoccupied with 47 other distractions, and Putin knows... they can't afford another debacle.

Hence what does the 800 pound Moscow bear do? Anything it wants!

[Richard Haut]

I am fascinated top learn that McCain's leading foreign policy advisor is in the pay of the Georgians.

Randy Scheunemann takes money from the Georgians - having been set up, humiliated and defeated, the Georgians may wonder just what they have been paying for.

McCain's advisor and his buddies have achieved only one main result for America from their incompetent meddling in Georgia: the removal of two thousand Georgian troops from Iraq.

[Ed Ziomek]

McCain is winning the selection process for President, Rich.

Could it be that this crisis, or the Iran crisis, is just what the doctor ordered? Perfect, perfect timing, wagging the dog..."Don't you see what dangerous times we live in? This is no time for on the job trainees...etc. etc."

To me, diabolic humor in a very serious CNN discussion two hours ago, to the explicit tone of...

"Bush has stepped in another pile of poo, why isn't Obama doing something about it?! That's not very Presidential if he doesn't at least address this crisis!"

[Ed Ziomek]

An amazing book is getting a lot of "chatter", and that is Bob Woodward's "The War Within". I'm saving up my pennies for this one!

In particular, in today's New York Post is an opinion posted by Rich Lowry in which he points out many interesting comments quoted as if someone was standing by these highly secretive conversations, armed with a tape recorder.

The subject is the political infighting within the Pentagon, and the White House, and the special think tank committees, and the war teams responsible for the Iraq War.

Fine. Successes, some, failures many, different opinions always, and of course “pinning the blame on the billygoat” for it all... The Joint Chiefs of Staff!?

I cannot believe my eyes, that the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs are the target of blame for the debacle we call the Iraqi War, that they somehow actively stood in the way of America’s "winning" involvement.

One alleged, amazing comment in particular, that from a retired military General Jack Keane to Cheney “The Joint Chiefs are more concerned about breaking the Army and Marine Corps than winning the war.”

Two things:

1. “More concerned with breaking the Army and Marine Corps?” This opinion is ludicrous! This has to be a misquote, or misprint. Show me anytime in the history of America when this treasonous sounding statement could be true.

But let's view this in context of Cheney himself..."Do the architects of the failing war blame themselves, or do they blame the carpenters swinging the hammers?"

By 2006, the whole structure of the Iraq war was turning out badly, then hell yes, the architects of the war would blame the carpenters and plumbers! Cheney and Bush would especially love to blame the instruments of their own strategic plans, and ditto Rumsfeld’s schemes, and Rove’s back room dramas. The bravest of our American youth, the Army and the Marines, were told what to do and when to do it, and how to do it, and now they are being blamed for doing it?

I DON’T BUY IT, AND NEITHER DO YOU, I AM SURE OF IT!!!

2. Will someone tell me, here in September 2008, what “winning the war in Iraq” FINALLY means?

Do we get a gold watch when they kick us out? Do they end up selling oil to America for 50 cents a barrel? Do we now get to use the $100 billion dollars worth of 12 airfields as a strategic staging area for our 20 year presence in the Middle East? Do the Sunnis suddenly embrace the Shia as long lost brothers?

We got rid of Saddam in the Regime Change. We allowed “free elections”. We allowed them to write a constitution. No WMDs were found. No yellow cake nukes. And now, the Iraqis are asking us to leave.

I call that winning, four years ago, let’s start a parade!

Oh, another two news items... Wall Street meltdown, of course, and an American helicopter in Afghanistan took fire from the Pakistani side.

No kidding? Clue number one: come home, we declare you winners, have a parade, everybody gets a medal!

Or, more likely, our Bush government has learned nothing from this debacle. Do we EVER need a change.

[Richard Haut]

Absolutely right.

Behind all this is an announcement by NATO that its mandate ends at the Afghan Border. America (on Bush's direct orders) is attacking Pakistan without NATO.

Pakistan's senior commanders have confirmed that they will defend against the "invaders" and Pakistani jets have been deployed to the border. Pakistan is a large country, with a large army and nuclear weapons.

As for Iraq, many of the problems which America is facing were the result of aggressive tactics used against Iraqi civilians from the early stages of the invasion.

Much of this originated with one section of the US military (heavily criticized by other US units and others, including the British). It was the 4th. Infantry Division.

Their Commander was Maj. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno - today he is General Odierno, taking command from Petraeus.

The one single street that the Neo-Cons have successfully destroyed is Wall Street. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merill Lynch - and more banks to go. The big financial question now is not how many banks will fall - but will America default on its debts.

[Antisthenes]

what would happen if that happened do you figure? World Body of Collections?

[Richard Haut]

now that is a very interesting question.

the crisis will get worse, although it is still controllable - but what happens if it really slides and America does default ?

no collections - with a default, American debt becomes worthless paper.

I am just curious as to how America could buy oil under those circumstances.

[Ed Ziomek]

Rich, first of all, I don't understand finances. All I know is that the people that do are calling this "the worst" next to the Great Depression.

Hey, we are only getting started, and there are not enough lifeboats.

What I could never understand is how we gave away our manufacturing base, first to Mexico, then China.

And we exported thousands of jobs to India Pakistan, who are brilliant, ambitious, beautiful people.

And we went from 40,000 work visas some 8 years ago, to 275,000 every year since... (or some ridiculous number like that). Oh, and these import geniuses, have great engaging personalities, with work ethics that put us to shame ...

And in the same few years, we got involved in the Sudan, Yemen, Lebanon, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Georgia, off the coast of China, even Syria.

And we wake up some morning with nothing. We have been Katrinized.

As for Petraeus and Odierno. God Bless them, for whatever they think they accomplished, I can't figure it out. Odierno got "promoted" to head of Iraq, with Petraeus head of Centcom. The telling moment for me was reported today, from Odierno... warning anyone who would listen... paraphrased ... "Things are very fragile, and can reverse at any moment."

God Bless you Odierno, - volunteering for engine duty on the sinking Titanic. For over two years I have been blathering... "There is no win here, folks." They know it, but what can they do about it? March to the sound of the drums as honorable men.

Flawed as the past was, WHEN they come home, they are heros for trying, serving in an hellish, aggressive un-winnable, environment and strategy, which was not their own doing.

The American people are my heros, the well-serving American servicemen are my heros. Bush and crew are not. Congress is not.

Dustin Hoffman, Little Big Man... Mule Skinner telling Custer... "You go down there"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWGAdzn5_KU