Four Years and Counting in Iraq

Funny how time flies...it seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in the court house waiting to see if I would be chosen as a peer to a defendant waiting to be tried in court of law. I sat in a room with my fellow prospective jurors waiting for my number to be called watching the television at the front of the room. I can't recall the particular station (possibly CNN), but I do remember what was on that morning.

It was the first day of what the Bush administration referred to as "shock and awe." Having watched the previous Gulf War in 1991, I was hardly in shock or awe of what I was witnessing. Undoubtedly the Iraqis residing in Baghdad were in "shock and awe" as the US military flew thousands of sorties over their country, delivering death and destruction to the already sanctions worn nation.

As I sit in the comfort of my home, I remember sitting next to a gentleman who was waiting to be called as a potential juror. We spoke ever so briefly that morning. He commented that the US military was going to destroy Iraq and destroy Saddam Hussein. I told him that he was probably right about that (the US military is well equipped when it comes to wreaking havoc upon our enemies). But then I said something that abruptly ended our conversation. I said to the gentleman,

We will never find and weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. You cannot find what does not exist.

The look I got that morning was one of incredulity. That was the first time I got that look from an SOB (Sycophant of Bush).

As luck would have it, I was not selected as a juror. I was dismissed from jury duty shortly after returning from lunch at 1:30 pm. The gentleman that I spoke with every so briefly was selected with a group of others to adjourn to a courtroom located on the third floor of the courthouse. Kind of ironic.

You know, if I was big on conspiracy theories, (and I am not) I'd think that someone heard what I said and realized that if the president of the United States can't convince me that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and was connected to al Qaeda and what transpired on 9/11 and that the Iraqi people would "greet us with flowers" and "greet us as liberators" than I'd never convict anyone.

Durbin's Gulag

November 7th, 2005...the date that I originally posted this cartoon. The press was up in arms, and so too were the Republicans over the words spoken by Senator Richard Durbin, he said:

"You would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others - that had no concern for human beings."

It was damn near impossible to watch a news program on any of the 24 hour networks without having to suffer through the bloviating Republicans who sought to shame Senator Durbin and the Democrats in both the house and senate.

So why did I repost the Durbin cartoon you ask...well you see it was this article I was reading over at The Raw Story. Well needless to say it reminded me of what transpired when Durbin spoke out against this administration.

POLAND -- The CIA operated an interrogation and short-term detention facility for suspected terrorists within a Polish intelligence training school with the explicit approval of British and US authorities, according to British and Polish intelligence officials familiar with the arrangements.

Intelligence officials identify the site as a component of a Polish intelligence training school outside the northern Polish village of Stare Kiejkuty. While previously suspected, the facility has never been conclusively identified as being part of the CIA's secret rendition and detention program.

...

According to a confidential British intelligence memo shown to RAW STORY, Prime Minister Tony Blair told Poland's then-Prime Minister Leszek Miller to keep the information secret, even from his own government.

Sadly this event, like so many others has disappeared down the memory hole. Care to comment?

Libby's Lousy T-Shirt

Now that Libby has been found guilty on four of the five charges, I believe that my prescient cartoon deserves to be reposted for all to see. It will be interesting to see whether or not Libby is allowed to remain free on bond pending his appeal for a new trial. Libby deserves to be in jail...rather than walking around as is he wasn't found to guilty of four of five charges. I can only hope that Libby's appeals process is fast tracked so he can get to stepping in his prison uniform.

I have little doubt that Bush will pardon Libby long before January 2009. maybe Fitzgerald will be able to convince Libby that it is in his best interest to roll over on his boss, Dick Cheney. It is most interesting that the day after his subordinate was found guilty in a court of law that Dick Cheney learned that he had blood clot in his leg. Is it possible that the blood clot is the cover story and that Cheney has yet another little heart attack post Libby conviction?

Just speculating...