Somerby's big lie gets rejected

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

THESE REPORTERS SEMI LEAVE THE SNARK THAT IS THE HALLMARK OF OUR SITES TODAY TO GET A LITTLE SERIOUS -- OR RATHER TO UNLEASH A CAN OF SERIOUS WHOOP-ASS ON BITCH BOI BOB SOMERBY.

FOR MONTHS NOW, THE DUMB ASS HAS INSISTED THE MOST INSANE THINGS ABOUT THE SEPTEMBER 11, 2012 ATTACK ON THE U.S. CONSULATE IN BENGHAZI WHICH RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF GLEN DOHERTY, SEAN SMITH, TYRONE WOODS AND CHRIS STEVENS.  THE DUMB ASS HAS SEIZED ON A BAD REPORT IN THE NEW YORK TIMES -- IMAGINE THAT! A BAD REPORT ON INTEL IN THE NEW YORK TIMES! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT! ONLY ANYONE READING THE DAMN PAPER BACK WHEN IT WAS SELLING THE IRAQ WAR!

AND EVERY ONE ELSE WAS WRONG BECAUSE THE STUPID LITTLE BITCH BOI READ AN ARTICLE.


"Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot,"  "Iraq snapshot," "2 disgrace in the Committee hearing," "The White House's Jimmy Carter moment" and "What we learned at today's hearing" 

WHAT'S THAT?

THAT IS THIS COMMUNITY'S REPORTING ON A HEARING ON BENGHAZI, THE FIRST HEARING CONGRESS HELD, THAT C.I., AVA, KAT AND ONE OF OF US (WALLY) ATTENDED.  THAT HEARING SET THE OUTLINES PROVIDED BY THE STATE DEPT.  THAT HEARING ALSO REVEALED A GREAT DEAL AS JASON CHAFFETZ NOTED REPEATEDLY WHEN IT REVEALED MORE THAN HAD BEEN DECLASSIFIED.

THE WITNESSES WERE SUPPLIED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT.  THEY WERE STATE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES.

FOR MONTHS NOW, THOSE OF US AT THE HEARING AND THOSE OF US WHO READ THE ACTUAL REPORTING ON THE HEARING HAVE ROLLED OUR EYES AS VARIOUS LITTLE BITCH BOIS LIKE BOB SOMERBY HAVE SEIZED ON CREATIVE DETAILS A REPORTER SUPPLIED HERE OR THERE AND PRETENDED THEY WERE FACTS.  THEY WERE NO SUCH THING.

AND AS ELAINE NOTED IN "BOBBY DUMB F**K," HE PAINTED HIMSELF INTO A CORNER ON THE LIE ABOUT A PROTEST TAKING PLACE AND WOULD NEVER ADMIT HE WAS WRONG.

TODAY CNN REPORTS ON THE GOVERNMENT FINDINGS FROM THE INVESTIGATION LED BY RETIRED ADM. MIKE MULLEN (FORMER CHAIR OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF) AND FORMER AMBASSADOR THOMAS PICKERING.  NOTE THIS FACT:

The report said "there was no protest prior to the attacks," which it described as "unanticipated in their scale and intensity."

GET IT?  FOR MONTHS LITTLE BITCH BOIS LIKE BOB SOMERBY HAVE LIED TO YOU, HAVE TREATED YOU LIKE IDIOTS AND FOOLS AND SAID THERE WAS A PROTEST.  THERE WAS NO PROTEST.  THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL HEARING BACK IN OCTOBER.

BUT APPARENTLY YOU DON'T NEED TO ACTUALLY DO THE WORK TO STAND AROUND AND LIE WHICH IS WHAT BOB SOMERBY HAS DONE FOR MONTHS NOW.

WILL HE NOW CORRECT HIS LIE?

HELL NO.  BUT DAMNED IF HE WON'T CONTINUE WHINING ABOUT THE MEAN PRESS TREATING HIS COLLEGE ROOMMATE AL GORE BADLY.

THERE WAS NO PROTEST.

THIS COMMUNITY GOT THE COVERAGE ON BENGHAZI RIGHT AND WE DID SO BECAUSE WE ATTENDED THE CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS.  WE (C.I., AVA, KAT AND WALLY) SAT THROUGH THEM, WE TOOK NOTES AND WE REPORTED ACCURATELY AND IN DEPTH ON WHAT TOOK PLACE.

HAVING NOT ATTENDED A SINGLE HEARING AND APPARENTLY NOT EVEN CATCHING ONE ON C-SPAN, BOB SOMERBY JUST KNEW HE KNEW BEST ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE HIS WET DREAMS OUTWEIGH FACTS.

NO, HIS WET DREAMS ARE JUST EMBARRASSING.

IT'S PAST TIME FOR THE BLOWHARD TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT HIMSELF.

THIS IS WORSE THAN WHEN HE ATTACKED FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR JOE WILSON AND CIA AGENT VALERIE PLAME.  THERE HE LIED ABOUT THE TWO BECAUSE HE WAS FRIENDS WITH FAILED REPORTER MATTHEW COOPER (WHOM THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION HAD OUTED VALERIE PLAME TO AND MATTHEW COOPER DIDN'T WANT TO TELL THE TRUTH ON THAT).  SO TO DEFEND HIS FELLOW BITCH BOI, BOB SOMERBY ATTACKED WILSON AND PLAME OVER AND OVER.

THAT WAS DISGUSTING.

BUT IT HAS BEEN NOTHING COMPARED TO THE LAST THREE MONTHS AS HE HAS 'CREATED' DETAILS ABOUT BENGHAZI THAT WERE REPEATEDLY IN CONFLICT WITH WHAT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TOLD CONGRESS IN PUBLIC HEARINGS.

TOMORROW WE WILL AGAIN BRING ON THE SNARK.  TODAY WE WANT TO POINT OUT THAT BITCH BOI BOB SOMERBY HAS BEEN ABOUT AS FACTUAL AS MSNBC PRIME TIME WHEN IT CAME TO BENGHAZI.  HE NEEDS TO TAKE A GOOD HARD LOOK AT HIMSELF.


FROM THE TCI WIRE:

APA reports Turkey's "Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey is prepared to bring Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to a hospital in Turkey after he suffered a heart attack".  A heart attack?  A stroke?  A coma?  Details shift depending upon the outlet.

What is known is that Jalal Talabani was taken to the hospital last night.  All Iraq News noted a statement from his office stated that it was a health emergency and that the President of Iraq was fatigued due to the recent political crisis and from his efforts to mediate the crisis between Baghdad and Erbil.  Alsumaria also noted the statement that it states he was exhausted.  Aaad Abedine (CNN) was among the first to note it was a stroke and in the most recent update quotes Kurdistan Alliance MP Mahmoud Othman stating, "His health condition is not very good."  However, Talabani's office throughout the day did not say "stroke."

By 3:00 pm Baghdad time, Suadad al-Salhy, Isabel Coles, Patrick Markey and Michael Roddy (Reuters) were citing unnamed "government sources" declaring Talabani in "critical but stable condition."  They weren't the only one citing government sources at that time.  For example, Alsumaria reports Talabani's health is deteriorating and that he is now in a coma according to "government sources."  Kitabat went with an unnamed medical source who stated that Talabani was "clinically dead.".  All Iraq News was noting that he has not regained conscious and that brain damage is feared.  They also noted that Talabani's office has issued a new statement declaring the emergency health condition -- again, Talabani's office avoided specifics  -- was a result of the hardening of his arteries and repeat the statement that his condition is stable.

Again, that was what was in the news cycle earlier today (it was morning in the US).  It's already Wednesday in Iraq, early morning hours, and details are not any clearer nor any more concrete.  In their headline, the Independent of London states "Stroke leaves President in a coma" (the text of the report doesn't mention a coma).  Adam Schreck and Qaasim Abdul-Zahara (AP) call it a stroke and note that some reports "say Talabani may be in a coma."  BBC News reports, "Well-placed Kurdish sources say he remains in a coma."  As American Enterprise Institute's Michael Rubin points out at CNN's Global Public Square, "The president's health has long been shaky; Talabani has made a half dozen trips to Minnesota's Mayo clinic in recent years for various ailments exacerbated by obesity and diabetes, compounded by years of excessive smoking and drinking. Talabani's extended absences have become commonplace. Just this past summer, Talabani was absent from Iraq for almost two months after suffering complications from knee surgery."

With the lack of clarity as to Talabani's condition, focus turns to what happens if he passes away or is unable to continue as president?  All Iraq News cites the Constitution and explains that should the office of president become vacant, the vice president would preside for no more than 30 days.  There would be an election (elected by the Parliament) within 30 days to determine who would be the next president.  We'll come back to that in a minute.  Kitabat notes politicians are discussing succession issues and, should Talabani step down, pass away or be unable to continue in office, most are stating that Talabani's deputy in the PUK, Barham Salih, would be the next elected president of Iraq.  Conservative Michael Rubin offers his belief that there will also be a push for Hoshyar Zebari.  Hoshyar Zebari is a Kurd (like Talabani and Salih) and he is in his second term as Foreign Minister of Iraq.  In that role he has traveled regularly to meet with various foreign officials (such as Euopean Union High Commissioner Catherine Ashton, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, etc.).  Lack of clarity also prompted Osama al-Nujaifi to return home.  All Iraq News reports the Speaker of Parliament was in the midst of his scheduled trip to India when he learned of Talabani's hospitalization and he ended his official visit to return to Iraq.  Though al-Nujaifi returned on his own, it is also true that as one the "three presidencies" noted in the Constitution (the others are the prime minister and the president), the Speaker of Parliament does need to be present in Iraq during a time of national uncertainty.

And if "national uncertainty" seems a bit much to some, please note that Alsumaria reports the Islamic Union of Kurdistan (a minor political party in the KRG) used today to launch a verbal attack on both Talabani and KRG President Massoud Barzani.

Jalal is in his second term as president of the constitutional republic of Iraq, his first term began in April of 2006.  Per the Iraqi Constitution, he cannot seek a third term.  (Jalal was also president in 2005 prior to the writing and ratification of the Constitution.)  He is a leader not only of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (one of the KRG's two major political parties) but also of the Talabani tribe.   While his official power derives from the Constitution, his prominence on the world stage results from his personal biography as well as that of his wife Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, First Lady of Iraq.  Dropping back to the December 5th snapshot:

Like many notable Iraqis, her family has a long history of involvement in Iraqi politics and in being persecuted.  Novelist Ibrahim Ahmad was her father.  He was also a judge and one of the first chairs of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (the first after it changed its name).  Moving up the political chain in Iraq has always meant creating enemies.  He would end up in Abu Ghraib prison for two years.  He would go on to become an editor of a newspaper and, more importantly to the political situation, the voice of the KDP following it's split into two parties -- the other, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, would be headed by Mustafa Barzani.    Today the PUK is headed by Massoud Barzani who is also the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government.  He is the son of the late Mustafa Barzani.  Mustafa's grandson is KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani. 

Jalal and Hero have been married for over thirty years -- by all accounts a happy marriage -- and their own personal histories and experiences go to why Jalal has been an international presence. When Parliament votes in a new president, which may not be until 2014 when Talabani's term expires, it is very doubtful that anyone with the same national or international stature will be the president.  (Although Hero Ibrahim Ahmed would obviously have a similar stature and the Talabani tribe has long supported women politicians.  It was nieces of Jalal's that were most vocal in decrying Nouri's  Cabinet in January 2011 for it's lack of women.)  The editorial board of  Lebanon's Daily Star observes, "Replacing Talabani with someone as charismatic and experienced, with the same skills of mediation, and with as few blemishes on his nationalism, will be no easy task, especially for a government's whose reputation has thus far been far from clean."

Jalal Talabani's name came up today at the US State Dept's press briefing when NPR's Jonathan Blakley asked State Dept spokesperson Victoria Nuland for a comment:

Jonathan Blakley: Can we move to Iraq?

Victoria Nuland: We can move to Iraq.

Jonathan Blakley: Okay. President Talabani, he's sidelined.  I'm wondering what you know about his health because there's been a lot of kind of wild speculation on how badly he is right now.  Apparently, it's a stroke.  And also, do you -- are you fearful that with him sidelined, could there be some instability up there in northern Iraq and Kurdistan?

Victoria Nuland: Well let me start by saying that our thoughts are with President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, his family, and the people of Iraq.  We wish him a full recovery.  I frankly don't have any information beyond what his office has put out with regard to his health.  I think you know that we have been urging calm, we've been urging dialogue.  We were pleased with the initial agreement between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces.  We want that kind of calm to continue.  We want stability to be observed, obviously, up there.  But we'll just have to see how he is going forward.

Some will see -- I know I will -- more genuince concern in the US Embassy in Baghdad's Tweet than in all of Nuland's blathering.

10h U.S. Embassy Baghdad ‏@USEmbBaghdad

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad wishes President Talabani a quick and full recovery.

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• Reply
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As Jalal's fate remains uncertain, Nouri al-Maliki, chief thug and prime minister of Iraq, continues targeting journalists.  We noted twice last week that Fakhri Karim is being targeted by Nouri -- Nouri's office issued a statement this week attacking the Al Mada editor -- because Karim believes Iraq can be and should be everything outlined in the country's Constitution.  For that, for faith in Iraq's future, Karim is being publicly attacked by Nouri al-Maliki.    Al Mada reports today that Fakhri Karim has received orders to evacuate his home immediately -- military orders.  And to try to enforce them, Nouri sent a convoy of troops to Fakhri's home.  Kitabat points out that Fakhri was calling on Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to intervene and get the order rescinded.  That's not happening now because Jalal's in the hospital from an apparent stroke.  This should scare many.  In fact, people should be shuddering over the not-so-distant memory it recalls.

Let's drop back to December 17, 2011 because clearly some need their memories jogged of when Nouri last turned the military on enemies in Baghdad:

Ines Tariq (Al Mada) reports on the controversy over whether or not the country's Supreme Court has issued an arrest warrant for Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi. Reportedly, Nouri al-Maliki wants al-Hashemi arrested. Nouri's political slate is State of Law. They came in second in the parliamentary elections. Iraqiya came in first. al-Hashemi is a member of Iraqiya. Iraqiya made clear Friday that things were changing and today they walked out of the Parliament.
Meanwhile Al Rafidayn reports Nouri al-Malikis asking Parliament for a vote to withdraw confidence in Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq. Nouri states he al-Mutlaq is no longer able to hold office as a result of an interview he gave to CNN. Tuesday, Arwa Damon and Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) reported:


Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is amassing dictatorial power as U.S. troops leave the country, risking a new civil war and the breakup of the nation, his deputy warned

Tuesday.
Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq told CNN that he was "shocked" to hear U.S. President Barack Obama greet al-Maliki at the White House on Monday as "the elected leader of a sovereign, self-reliant and democratic Iraq." He said Washington is leaving Iraq "with a dictator" who has ignored a power-sharing agreement, kept control of the

country's security forces and rounded up hundreds of people in recent weeks.
[. . .]
"America left Iraq with almost no infrastructure. The political process is going in a very wrong direction, going toward a dictatorship," he said. "People are not going to accept that, and most likely they are going to ask for the division of the country. And this is going to be a disaster. Dividing the country isn't going to be smooth, because dividing the country is going to be a war before that and a war after that."
Like Tareq al-Hashemi, Saleh al-Mutlaq is a member of the Iraqiya political slate. Dar Addustour is reporting that the homes of al-Hashemi and al-Mutlaq as well as the home of Rafi Hiyad al-Issawi have been surrounded by "tanks and special forces." Dr. Rafi Hiyad al-Issawi was the previous Deputy prime minister (2007 through 2010). He was the head of Falluja General Hospital prior to that and he is currently the Minister of Finance. Like the other two, al-Issawi is a member of Iraqiya.

[. . .]

[. . .] Liz Sly (Washington Post) notes that the 'government' is "unraveling faster than had been anticipated Saturday." She also notes, "In recent days, the homes of top Sunni politicians in the fortified Green Zone have been ringed by tanks and armored personnel carriers, and rumors are flying that arrest warrants will be issued for other Sunni leaders." For days? Plural. "In recent days."

He's again using the military to surround and intimidate someone he has labeled an enemy, the editor of Al Mada newspaper.  That should alarm and bother everyone.  That should bother Iraqis because why the hell is the Iraqi military -- especially considering the last days of violence -- being stationed at Fakhri Karim's home?  How is the editor of a newspaper a military target?   This is an attack on the press and it's appalling and it's disgusting.  This morning I called out the Committee to Protect Journalists for refusing to stand up for Fakhri.  In doing so, I noted that they didn't have their Iraq count correct (they list only 3 murdered journalists for 2012) and their new report was wrong because it claims that there were no murdered journalists in 2012 and I went over a Saturday phone call I had with a CPJ friend over their silence  on Nouri using the military Friday to shut down satellite channel  Al-Baghdadi in Iraq.  The friend called later in the morning to angrily inform me  that late yesterday afternoon CPJ did issue a statement calling that out.  So let me include the link and now let me note that we argued on the phone (loudly) about this Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning.  I'm glad they finally decided to issue a statement and let me say I was wrong this morning when I said they hadn't issued one.  Let me further note that they did a much better job than I did (not very hard to do) by noting that the radio station was Radio Al-Mahaba (the press accounts I read and linked to had the radio station being part of Al-Baghdadia, it's not, it's an independent women's radio station).   So praise to you for that but, please CPJ, explain to me exactly how many phone calls need to take place and how loudly I need to scream into the phone for you to note Iraq because you still haven't noted Fakhri?

Yeah, you finally noted al-Baghdadi.  But it's closed.  Fakhri is alive and Al Mada is publishing.  At what point are you going to defend them?  And when are you going to call out turning the military loose on the media?  In what non-failed state is that suddenly acceptable?

But please do let me know exactly how long and how loud I need to yell over the phone to get concern expressed for Fakhri.  I don't know him, I've never met him.  I know the paper he's the editor of, Al Mada.  I know it does strong work and has consistently had strong reporting.  If it makes a mistake, it corrects it.  It's a responsible paper and one that does investigative reporting. It should be considered a national treasure and a point of pride for the international journalism community. 

Like most papers covering Iraq, it has been repeatedly targeted.  Back in July, we were noting how both it and Kitabat were hacked and "May 25th, Al Mada reported on how their website was experiencing daily attacks causing the site to crash.  They were down for the entire month of June.  When they came back up last week (they came up on Thursday, June 28th, they were able to add new content Friday, June 29th), they really hoped CloudFlare was going to help.  But it hasn't.  They've been down since Wednesday."

So Al Mada's on it's own?  Fakhri is on his own?  So much for some sort of 'family of journalists' around the world.  Apparently there's family and then there's step-family and the step-children will be ignored and left on their own as though this weren't the 21st century but instead some Grimm's fairy tale.

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