Cedric's Big Mix: 2016-07-10

Saturday, July 16, 2016

She's not all that in to feedback

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

"THEY WILL ONLY PRAISE ME!" HISSED CRANKY CLINTON TODAY AS SHE OUTLINED HER GOALS IF SHE MANAGES TO STEAL THE PRESIDENCY.

"THERE ARE ENOUGH PEOPLE SAYING NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT ME, ABOUT MY HAIR, ABOUT MY LOVERS, ABOUT MY CROWS FEET, ABOUT MY FARTS, ABOUT MY WEIGHT, ABOUT MY CRIMES," SHE EXPLAINED IN A SPEECH TODAY.

"BUT ONCE I AM CROWNED AS QUEEN OF ALL AMERICA, YOU CAN BE SURE THAT THE CRITICISM WILL STOP BECAUSE I WILL LEGALLY COMMAND IT. NOW BOW BEFORE ME, SWINE, BOW!"

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

The report from the Iraq Inquiry continues to dominate the news on/from Iraq despite being released last Wednesday, one week ago.

Wes and Helen Holmes (BELFEST TELEGRAPH) write a letter to the editor noting that the blame can be spread around beyond Tony Blair:

Ours is a parliamentary democracy and the resolution to go to war was determined by our political representatives.
As the decision was a shared one, the blame also must be shared.
Given that vast numbers of innocents are dead as a consequence of the invasion it is not sufficient for those responsible to claim they were duped.

They're certainly correct about their type of government.

And I do agree that many share blame. I would include Gordon Brown (who replaced Blair as prime minister and could have ended the UK involvement much sooner), I would include Barack Obama who has not ended the Iraq War despite being elected on the promise that he would. I would include members of the US Congress such as Hillary Clinton who voted for it. I would include members of Congress who pretended to be against it but did nothing to stop it once it started -- US House Rep Barbara Lee poses so well she should be in a wax museum, not in Congress. Former US Senator Mike Gravel in 2007 and 2008 repeatedly outlined how anyone in Congress could stop the war. (Gravel was not in Congress during the Iraq War.) I would include a lot of people.

But of all of them: Bully Boy Bush and Tony Blair would be at the top. (Barack would be immediately below them because the Iraq War goes on.)

As for who would be at the top?

Tony Blair.

Bully Boy Bush was a laughingstock on the world stage.

He needed Blair as an ally to sell the war.

The so-called coalition of the willing would have been next to nothing without Blair.

Blair had an image -- a false one, but an image -- for being upstanding and forthright.

Blair was deceitful and a liar -- as most of New Labour is and was.

He sold out the people in one neoliberal scheme after another.

But he could have held onto the myth were it not for the Iraq War.

Had he not made the promise long before the war started -- as documented in the report from the Iraq Inquiry -- to stand with Bully Boy Bush no matter what, it's very possible the war would not have started.

France already was thought unwilling to take part (the report throws doubt on Blair and Bush's assumptions there). To have also not had the longterm ally of England?

It would have been much harder to get the war off the ground.

The war machine in the US -- which does include the media, never forget that:

‏@medialens

The 'mainstream' media are guilty of burying facts and stifling dissent on #Iraq. http://www.medialens.org/index.php/alerts/alert-archive/2016/823-the-great-iraq-war-fraud.html … #Chilcot

21 retweets14 likes

The war machine had already slimed the French. If they had then done the same with the British, late night comics would have had a field day with who was next and Americans would have been even more suspicious of the impending war.

Bully Boy Bush was seen as a deranged cowboy.

Blair was seen as a wise and thoughtful leader.

Without Blair by his side, a case can be made that the Iraq War would not have started.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Clinton feels the love

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

CRANKY CLINTON GOT BERNIE SANDERS' ENDORSEMENT.

BUT WILL SHE GET HIS VOTERS?

A NEW POLL SUGGESTS THAT SHE IS NOW TRAILING DONALD TRUMP.

IN FACT, THE ONLY THING AMERICANS APPEAR TO AGREE ON IS THAT THE F.B.I. SHOULD HAVE CHARGED HER.

REACHED FOR COMMENT, CRANKY TOLD THESE REPORTERS, "BEING AMERICA'S MOST WANTED IS A FORM OF LOVE IN AND OF ITSELF."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Today, US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter visited Iraq and declared, "And I'm pleased to report today in that connection that we agreed for the United States to bolster the Iraqi efforts to isolate and pressure Mosul by deploying 560 additional troops in support of the ISF and especially at the Qayyarah West airfield."

‏@DeptofDefense

#SecDef Carter arrives for meeting with #Iraq Minister of Defense Ubadi. 

69 retweets94 likes

Yes, more US troops are going into Iraq.

More.

If you're surprised you may be remembering previous statements by US President Barack Obama. Such as on June 19, 2014 when he stated "American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq" and August 9, 2014 when he insisted, "As Commander-in-Chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq. American combat troops will not be returning to fight in Iraq, because there's no American military solution to the larger crisis there."

Or August 11, 2014, when he declared:

But as I said when I authorized these operations, there is no American military solution to the larger crisis in Iraq. The only lasting solution is for Iraqis to come together and form an inclusive government -- one that represents the legitimate interests of all Iraqis, and one that can unify the country’s fight against ISIL.

Or . . .

Get the picture?

Yet today, Secretary Ash Carter spoke in Iraq declaring:

And despite the summer heat, our Iraqi partners, with your support, your intrepid support, pressed ahead with the fight, cleared one town after another, dealing ISIL a series of blows. And just this week, they again demonstrated their strong will to fight in maneuvering north up the Tigris River valley to seize the strategically important Qayyarah West airfield.
Just as you have excelled here in Iraq in support of ISF, our special operators and air crews are also enabling local and capable and motivated forces in Syria to take the fight to ISIL there. After seizing Shaddadi, which is a crucial road juncture between Mosul and Raqqah, our Syrian partners have now surrounded Manbij city. This is also significant. Manbij is one of the last junctions connecting Raqqah to the outside world and one that served as a transit point for external plotters attacking our allies and threatening our homeland.
Simply put, we've been moving out in a deliberate fashion with our local partners in both Iraq and Syria to implement our campaign plan. And with these consequential results behind us, you will now embark on the next major steps of the campaign to collapse ISIL control over Mosul here in Iraq, and Raqqah in Syria. That's one of the primary reasons for my visit today, to confer with our commanders, Prime Minister Abadi, President Barzani, Minister of Defense Obaidi, on what needs to be done next to achieve those objectives.
And I'm pleased to report today in that connection that we agreed for the United States to bolster the Iraqi efforts to isolate and pressure Mosul by deploying 560 additional troops in support of the ISF and especially at the Qayyarah West airfield.
This contingent will help the Iraqis establish a logistical springboard for their offensive in Mosul, which Prime Minister Abadi reaffirmed to me that he wants to accomplish this year. At every step in this campaign, we've generated and seized additional opportunities to hasten ISIL's lasting defeat. And with these additional U.S. forces I'm describing today, we'll bring unique capabilities to the campaign and provide critical support to Iraqi forces at a key moment in the fight.

As we set the stage for Mosul, we must simultaneously continue to go after ISIL in Syria. There, we will enable local partners to isolate and press -- pressure Raqqah once Manbij city is seized. Our efforts will include continuing to find local forces, training their leaders, and enabling them to take the fight to ISIL.

560 more US troops being sent into Iraq.

Despite Barack's promises to the contrary.

The last time I saw Richard was Detroit in '68
And he told me all romantics meet the same fate someday
Cynical and drunk and boring someone in some dark café
You laugh he said you think you're immune
Go look at your eyes they're full of moon
You like roses and kisses and pretty men to tell you
All those pretty lies pretty lies
When you gonna realize they're only pretty lies
Only pretty lies just pretty lies
-- "The Last Time I Saw Richard," written by Joni Mitchell, first appears on her album BLUE

Pretty lies.

And ugly liars.

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Monday, July 11, 2016

Clinton defines her own brand of feminism

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

RESPONDING TO A CRITICAL REPORT POINTING OUT HOW, AS SECRETARY OF STATE, SHE REFUSED TO HELP IRAQI WOMEN, CRANKY CLINTON TOLD THESE REPORTERS THAT "FEMINISM IS ALL ABOUT ME. WHAT'S GOOD FOR HILLARY DIANE CLINTON IS GOOD FOR WOMEN."

SHE FURTHER ELABORATED, "WHEN I LIFT MY BOAT, IT LIFTS ALL THE BOATS OF ALL WOMEN. NO, IT DOESN'T. AND THAT MAKES THEM SOUND LIKE BOAT PEOPLE SO LET ME START OVER BEFORE VIETNAM BECOMES AN ISSUE IN MY CAMPAIGN. WHEN I LIFT MY BOAT, I ELEVATE MYSELF. AND THAT ALLOWS ME TO BE WORSHIPED AS SOMEONE LIKE MYSELF SHOULD BE. AND IF I'M WORSHIPED, IT TEACHES WOMEN TO FOLLOW MY LEAD AND EMULATE ME AND MAYBE SOME DAY THEY CAN BE WORSHIPED TOO."

"FEMINISM," SHE FINISHED, "REALLY IS THE BELIEF THAT I AM OWED THE PRESIDENCY.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

The War Hawk Hillary Clinton is always in the news. Ben Norton (SALON) reports:

A 2011 email to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shows how the U.S. pressured Iraq’s new allied government to increase oil production in order “to pay the greatest dividends.”

U.S. State Department officials stressed that “Iraq is potentially one of the largest oil producers in the world,” but lamented that it was not meeting its full potential.

In the email, which was released by the State Department in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, they outline plans “to help move the country in the right direction” — that is to say, to increase Iraq’s oil production by at least 150 percent in the next five years, with the help of “oil contracts with international companies.”
[. . .]
The email to Sec. Clinton shows that, while oil was certainly not the only factor behind the invasion of Iraq, it was a top priority for the U.S. government.

Anti-war protesters frequently accused the U.S. and its allies in the U.K. and elsewhere of spilling blood for control of natural resources. “No blood for oil” was one of the most popular chants in protests against the war.

The e-mail may make many recall then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 2011 speech.

As David Sirota and Andrew Perez (IBT) reported last September:

When then-U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton voted to authorize the war against Iraq in 2002, she justified her support of the invasion as a way to protect America’s national security. But less than a decade later, as secretary of state, Clinton promoted the war-torn country as a place where American corporations could make big money.
“It's time for the United States to start thinking of Iraq as a business opportunity," she said in a 2011 speech.

The quote was included in an email released by the State Department on Wednesday that specifically mentioned JPMorgan and Exxon Mobil. JPMorgan was selected by the U.S. government to run a key import-export bank in Iraq and in 2013 announced plans to expand its operations in the country. Exxon Mobil signed a deal to redevelop Iraqi oil fields. JPMorgan has collectively paid the Clintons and the Clinton Foundation at least $450,000 for speeches, and Exxon Mobil has donated over $1 million to the family’s foundation.

Trashy Hillary Clinton could pimp Iraq as a business opportunity.

But the alleged 'feminist' couldn't and wouldn't do a damn thing for Iraqi women.

This is most obvious in the e-mails WikiLeaks published this week.

Melanne Verveer e-mails Hillary on December 11, 2011:

We attempted to raise the issue of women's participation in the Iraq government, in their economy and more broadly when Biden was just in Baghdad. Jeff Feltman was trying to get it into the conversations there.
You will recall the comments of the Iraqi who participated in the NGO meeting with you in Doha about how the door has been closed to women in the government. We have had many discussions with impressive Iraqi women over the last couple years, and to a person they describe their fate as worse now than years ago. Yet without them it will be even harder for Iraq to move forward. To that end, we have been working with post on a action plan along the lines of the National Action Plan on women, peace and security, you will launch next week.
I hope you will find a way to raise the "women's issue" in your discussion tom'w.

And what does the 'great feminist' of all time, the woman with the highest cabinet position in the administration respond:

I raised women's issue w Maliki and Zebari. Can't say either of them seemed interested. But, we'll keep trying -- as always!

What a brave feminist Hillary I'm It For Myself Clinton is.

Verveer, at the time she e-mailed Hillary, was the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. She had previously, in the 90s, served as First Lady Hillary's Chief of staff, and, in 2001, she and Hillary created the Vital Voices Global Parternship.

Hillary never used her platform as Secretary of State to publicly encourage Nouri al-Maliki or Hoshyar Zebari (her Iraqi equivalent at the time, Foreign Minister). Nor did she use her platform to publicly shame either man.

She did, however, use her platform to repeatedly praise Zebari -- a man whose actions never warranted much praise at all.

Well, Verveer mentions an upcoming event, right?

To that end, we have been working with post on a action plan along the lines of the National Action Plan on women, peace and security, you will launch next week.

That's a reference to Hillary's December 19, 2011 speech entitled "Remarks on Women, Peace, and Security."

In that speech, she name checks Ireland, Liberia, Egypt, Senegal, Darfur, Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Chile, Kosovo, Yemen and Nepal.

But she never mentions Iraq.

In her approximately 4,500 word speech, she never once mentions Iraq.

Helping the women of Iraq didn't, she believed, help her.

And like so many faux feminists, What's In It For Me Hillary has always defined her own self-interest as feminism.

All week long, I felt awful for not having time to read the WikiLeaks e-mail release. I was convinced that anything of value would have long ago been mined.

What I forgot was that, of course, the larger corporate press doesn't care about Iraq and that's only more the case when it comes to Iraqi women.

So, no surprise, we're the only site to note that Hillary Clinton betrayed Iraqi women repeatedly as Secretary of State and that one e-mail exchange makes that exceedingly clear.

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Cedric's Big Mix