Friday, May 09, 2014

Spin, brothers, spin!

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


HAVING LOST THEIR HGTV SHOW "FLIP IT FORWARD" AMID ACCUSATIONS OF HOMOPHOBIA, DAVID AND JASON BENHAM APPEARED ON CNN TO DECLARE "WE LOVE HOMOSEXUALS."

FEARFUL THAT ATTEMPT DIDN'T TAKE, DAVID AND JASON BENHAM'S SPIN DOCTORS HAVE ASKED THE TWO BROTHERS TO CONSIDER GOING DOWN ON ONE ANOTHER IN PUBLIC OR AT LEAST DECLARING, "WE LOVE COCKS!"



FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Starting in the US where this morning the House Veterans Affairs Committee held a brief business meeting.  The Committee Chair is US House Rep Jeff Miller, US House Rep Mike Michaud is the Ranking Member.


Committee Chair Jeff Miller:  I would like to take care of one item of business this morning.  My hearing a motion for the issuance of a subpoena to the Dept of Veterans Affairs to produce e-mails and other written correspondence related to the investigation of the Phoenix VA Medical Center.  It's unfortunate that we have to come to this decision but we did not do this without some substantial justification.  The last few weeks have been a model of VA stonewalling which precipitated the need for this subpoena.  First on April 24th, our staff was briefed and informed of an alternate wait list and how that list was subsequently destroyed.  We made follow up phone calls to VA OCLA [Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs] beginning on the 28th asking for additional information about the list.  However, we didn't get a response back on the 28th.  So we called back on the 29th and got no response on the 29th.  So we called again on April 30th and spoke directly to Assistant Secretary Joan Mooney but still got no response. Look, this failure to provide information led to my first letter stating that the Committee would pursue a subpoena if we were not provided with the information this Committee had requested.  Yesterday, May 7th, I received a response from VA that does not -- does not -- fully answer the very simple questions that I asked.  Therefore, the time for requests for this matter is over.  Today, we'll vote to issue a subpoena.  It's a historic vote.  This Committee has voted once before to issue a subpoena the first time ever in the history and we worked with VA and actually we did not deliver that subpoena but we got the information that we were asking for.  But I trust the VA will have the good sense to not further delay and ignore the request that this Committee has made. The subpoena will cover e-mails and written correspondence sent since the 9th of April, 2014 at 8:45 a.m. to or from Secretary Eric Shinseki, Dr. Robert Petzel Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Thomas Lynch Assistant Secretary for Health for Clinical Operations and Management, Mr. Will Gunn General Counsel, or any other representative of the Office of General Counsel, Ms. Joan Mooney Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs, Dr. Ron Maurer Director Congressional Liaison Service, and Mr. Aakash Bhatt Congressional Relations Officer or Mr. Michael Huff Congressional Relations Officer. The scope of this subpoena will encompass all e-mails and other written correspondence where these parties discuss the destruction of an alternate wait list regardless of which name it was given and which form in which it was kept.  Pursuant to Rule 11 Clause 2M1B of the House of Representatives in Rule G Clause 3 of this Committee, we have a motion before us that's at the desk and I will ask that the clerk will read the motion.

Clerk: Ranking Member Michaux moves that the Committee authorize the issuance of the subpoena to Eric Shinseki, Secretary of the US Dept of Veterans Affairs for the Dept of Veterans Affairs to produce all e-mails and correspondence sent between April 9, 2014 9:45 a.m. and May 8, 2014 6:00 p.m. which address in whole or in part the destruction or disapearance of an interum wait list with regard to the Carl T. Hagen Medical Affairs VA Center located in Phoenix, Arizona in which Secretary Shinseki, Dr. Robert Petzel Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Thomas Lynch Assistant Secretary for Health for Clinical Operations and Management, Mr. Will Gunn General Counsel, or any other representative of the Office of General Counsel, Ms. Joan Mooney Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs, Dr. Ron Maurer Director Congressional Liaison Service, and Mr. Aakash Bhatt Congressional Relations Officer or Mr. Michael Huff Congressional Relations Officer -- or parties to or referenced within -- e-mails and written correspondence

Chair Jeff Miller:  Members, you've heard the motion.  Do I hear a second?  Motion's been moved and properly seconded.  I will open the floor for the Ranking Member to make a statement and would ask that if any other members have a statement that they be very brief because everybody has a very, very tight schedule this morning.  I understand.  The Ranking Member is recognized.

Ranking Member Mike Michaud: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.  I think we all can agree that quality, safe, accessible health care has always been a priority of this Committee and I believe that has not changed today.  We have over the past years asked the VA for information that has not been forthcoming.  Frustrations remain high among Committee members. The Chairman sent a letter on May 1, 2014 requesting the answers to two questions. The response we received yesterday from VA was, in my view, insufficient.  The subpoena we will authorize today is limited in scope and it  narrowly is constructed in order not to interfere or impede the ongoing IG [Inspector General] investigation.  At the end of the day, we all are waiting for the results of the investigation to be provided to us so that we can be in a position to take action.  We need to fix the problems not only in Phoenix but across the VA system.  I was pleased to hear that the Veterans Administration will complete a nation wide access review to ensure that employees have a full understanding of VA policy and that they will conduct a national face-to-face audit at all the clinics and every VA medical center.  And I understand that Ms. [Ann] Kirkpatrick, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation recently sent a letter calling for VA to undertake a similar action in light of the numerous problems throughout the system.  So I want to thank you very much, Ms. Kirkpatrick.  So with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time. 

Chair Jeff Miller:  Thank you, Mr. Michaud, for your cooperation.  I would ask is there any other member that would like to make a statement?  Very well.  All those in favor of the motion to issue the subpoena will say I.

All Present:  I.

Chair Jeff Miller:  All those opposed will say "No." [Silence.]  The motion carries.  And I am now going to sign the subpoena for the production of e-mails and written correspondence and hereby direct its issuance forthwith.  This concludes our business meeting for today. This meeting is adjourned. 


This is a major move.  The vote was unanimous on the motion.  There was a hearing today, an important one, that followed the above.  We may cover that tomorrow.

However, I promised we would address the issue of the US Ambassador to Iraq when it became verifiable.

Dropping back to the April 23rd snapshot:

On the topic of Stephen Beecroft, Laura Rozen (Backchannel) reports the word is Beecroft will be nominated to be the US Ambassador to Egypt shortly.
That would be a deeply stupid move.  So it's probably going to happen.  If it does, we'll go into how stupid it is.  Until then, we'll just note the rumor.

It's now reported everywhere.

So let's turn to Iraq and the war on women -- the real war, not the faux war, on women.

It's now official, Robert Stephen Beecroft is nominated to be the US Ambassador to Egypt.

The problem with that?

He's the US Ambassador to Iraq currently.

Iraq needs stability and unity and you can't approach it with chaos.  If you approach it with chaos you amplify the ongoing chaos.

When Barack Obama was sworn in as US President, he asked the US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker to remain in the position while he found someone to nominate.

Crocker did.

Barack wasted that opportunity by nominating Chris Hill who was all wrong for the post, whose employment file made clear his problems would make him unfit for the post, whose confirmation hearing was a non-stop embarrassment.

As everyone knows, Hill was manic and tended to crater in the afternoons.  A full day's work was beyond him.  He also had a problem with taste.  For example, the Halloween Party he attended while Ambassador?  Going with a woman -- not his wife -- dressed as Jacqueline Kennedy -- with fake blood -- on the day JFK was shot?  Not tasteful, to put it mildly.  But him dressing as a Secret Service agent to accompany her?

Chris Hill was trash.

Instead of focusing on Iraq, he tended to explode about what a sewer he thought Iraq actually was -- tended to explode in the presence of Iraqis working with the US Embassy in Baghdad.

Way to create an impression, Chris.

He also was more concerned about press coverage -- specifically he had penis envy over the press coverage Gen Ray Odierno received.  Odierno was a press favorite (still is) and that's because he played it straight.  He was unassuming (especially a relief to the press after David Petraeus) and he was focused on the mission.  He made for good copy.

Chris wanted to be a media star so he whined about Odierno's press to the White House repeatedly until the White House asked Ray to please stop speaking to the press because it upset Chris so much.

All this focus on everything but his job led Chris to be a lousy ambassador.

It was Ray Odierno, not Chris Hill, who wondered at the start of 2010, what happens if Nouri al-Maliki doesn't win the election?  What happens if he doesn't win and he refuses to step down?

That's exactly what happened.  Take Odierno to the races with you and let him pick the horse.

But it would be a legitimate concern even if it hadn't ended up coming true.  It was worth considering.

But Chris Hill wouldn't and Chris Hill dismissed it and Chris Hill cut Odierno out of the loop.  After the March 2010 elections, Odierno would speak with then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who would then bring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton into the conversation and the two of them (Gates and Clinton) would go to Barack and tell him he needed to listen to Odierno.

Once he did, Barack realized Chris Hill had to go.

Chris was a huge mistake.  He was Barack's choice.  I don't care for Barack's leadership.  But anyone can make a mistake and, to his credit, Barack was willing to move quickly on this.

Which is how James Jeffrey became the next US Ambassador to Iraq.

Briefly.


Briefly he was the US Ambassador.

Barack's next ambassador to Iraq was Robert Stephen Beecroft.

All of this happened in his first term.


Three different ambassadors for one country.

That goes to incompetence.

That's before you consider that the country is Iraq which has gotten worse and worse in terms of security, in terms of politics, in terms of the treatment of women, in every term you can measure.

From January 2009 to January 2013 -- Barack's first term, Iraq had three different US ambassadors.

In his second term, he's already changing ambassadors again.




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  • Thursday, May 08, 2014

    The death of Springsteen


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

    FAT, OLD AND UGLY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN HUMPED THE LEG OF FADED CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O IN HOLLYWOOD.

    HOW APPROPRIATE THAT THE TIRED WHORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN WOULD BE IN LAH-LAH LAND TO DISGRACE HIMSELF.

    THE FEEBLE OLD MAN WHO ONCE TRIED TO SPEAK FOR THE PEOPLE, PRESUMED TO SPEAK FOR THE PEOPLE, NOW HUMPS THE LEG OF THE MAN WHO LEADS THE DRONE WAR.

    BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN IS A WHORE.  A TRASHY WHORE.

    HIS WORK IS A MOCKERY, HIS NAME IS A DISGRACE.

    ALL THAT'S LEFT FOR HIM IS TO HAVE HIS HIDDEN GAY PAST REVEALED.

    AND THAT'S PROBABLY COMING NEXT.



    FROM THE TCI WIRE:




    Starting with veterans issues, US House Rep Jeff Miller is the Chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.  His office issued the following:




    Chairman Miller Responds to Calls for VA Leadership Changes

    May 5, 2014



    WASHINGTON, D.C.— Following the American Legion’s calls for VA leadership changes, Chairman Miller released the following statement:
    “Make no mistake. There is a crisis of confidence with VA’s top leadership, and the American Legion’s calls for the resignations of the department’s top leaders should be sending shock waves through the White House. I have the utmost respect for Commander Dellinger’s opinion, and while I am going to wait until VA’s inspector general releases its report on the situation in Phoenix before deciding to call for any personnel changes, this much is clear: for nearly a year, we have been pleading with top department leaders and President Obama to take immediate steps to stop the growing pattern of preventable veteran deaths and hold accountable any and all VA employees who have allowed patients to slip through the cracks. In response, we’ve received disturbing silence from the White House and one excuse after another from VA. Right now, President Obama and Sec. Shinseki are faced with a stark choice: take immediate action to help us end the culture of complacency that is engulfing the Veterans Health Administration and compromising patient safety, or explain to the American people and America’s veterans why we should tolerate the status quo.” 

    – Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

    Related
    Chairman Miller letter to President Obama
    May 21, 2013
    What scandal are we talking about this time?  House Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Jeff Miller explained it an April 9th Committee hearing.  From that day's snapshot:


    US House Rep Jeff Miller:  I had hoped that during this hearing, we would be discussing the concrete changes VA had made -- changes that would show beyond a doubt that VA had placed the care our veterans receive first and that VA's commitment to holding any employee who did not completely embody a commitment to excellence through actions appropriate to the employee's failure accountable. Instead, today we are faced with even with more questions and ever mounting evidence that despite the myriad of patient safety incidents that have occurred at VA medical facilities in recent memory, the status quo is still firmly entrenched at VA.  On Monday -- shortly before this public hearing --  VA provided evidence that a total of twenty-three veterans have died due to delays in care at VA medical facilities.  Even with this latest disclosure as to where the deaths occurred, our Committee still don't know when they may have happened beyond VA's stated "most likely between 2010 and 2012."  These particular deaths resulted primarily from delays in gastrointestinal care.  Information on other preventable deaths due to consult delays remains unavailable.   Outside of the VA's consult review, this committee has reviewed at least eighteen preventable deaths that occurred because of mismanagement, improper infection control practices and a whole host -- a whole host --  of other maladies plaguing the VA health care system nationwide.  Yet, the department's stonewall has only grown higher and non-responsive. There is no excuse for these incidents to have ever occurred.  Congress has met every resource request that VA has made and I guarantee that if the department would have approached this committee at any time to tell us that help was needed to ensure that veterans received the care they required, every possible action would have been taken to ensure that VA could adequately care for our veterans.  This is the third full committee hearing that I have held on patient safety  and I am going to save our VA witnesses a little bit of time this morning by telling them what I don't want to hear.  I don't want to hear the rote repetition of  -- and I quote --  "the department is committed to providing the highest quality care, which our veterans have earned and that they deserve.  When incidents occur, we identify, mitigate, and prevent additional risks.  Prompt reviews prevent similar events in the future and hold those persons accountable."  Another thing I don’t want to hear is -- and, again, I quote from numerous VA statements, including a recent press statement --  "while any adverse incident for a veteran within our care is one too many," preventable deaths represent a small fraction of the veterans who seek care from VA every year.  What our veterans have truly "earned and deserve" is not more platitudes and, yes, one adverse incident is indeed one too many.  Look, we all recognize that no medical system is infallible no matter how high the quality standards might be.  But I think we all also recognize that the VA health care system is unique because it has a unique, special obligation not only to its patients -- the men and women who honorably serve our nation in uniform -- but also to  the hard-working taxpayers of the United States of America.
    Monday, the American Legion called for the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki over the latest VA scandal.  Yesterday, Senators John Cornyn and Jerry Moran jointed the call for Shinseki to step down. Matthew Daly (AP) reports Senator Richard Burr (Ranking Member on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee) is also calling for Shinseki to step down.  Last month, Disabled American Veterans issued a call for accountability and quoted DAV Washington Headquarters Executive Director Garry Augustine stating, "We look forward to the results of these investigations, and if there is any evidence of wrongdoing or knowledgeable neglect, those responsible must be held to account." An early leader in the call for accountability, DAV issued the following today:

    DAV remains deeply concerned about allegations of secret waiting lists, falsification of medical appointment records and the destruction of official documents at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facilities in Phoenix, Arizona and Fort Collins, Colorado.
    DAV is first and foremost concerned about the health and safety of the 9 million enrolled veterans who rely on the VA for some or all of their health care needs, including most of our 1.2 million members.
    Veterans are a unique population with special needs; and it is vitally important that a safe, high-quality and accessible VA health care system be sustained to deliver such care.
    At a time of such serious allegations it is imperative that the VA respond quickly, forcefully and publicly to these reports and answer questions about whether similar problems are threatening other VA facilities or the system as a whole.
    Veterans have a right to know that they can receive quality medical care in a timely manner when they come to VA.
    I am calling on VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to answer not just the public allegations but also some fundamental questions about the entire VA health care system.
    The Secretary must quickly, comprehensively and publicly answer a number of questions that are necessary to give us, all veterans and the American public confidence that the VA health care system can and will provide safe, high-quality care at every facility in the nation.

    VA and its leadership at all levels must be held fully accountable for any failures or wrongdoing that may have occurred or be occurring. America’s heroes deserve nothing less.


    Yesterday, Concerned Veterans for America issued the following:


    Arlington, Va. ­– Concerned Veterans for America today released a new web video, “Demand Accountability,” as part of its ongoing VA Accountability project, which calls for reform of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and supports the VA Management Accountability Act—a bill that gives the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the power to hold managers accountable for their performance—both positively and negatively.
    “Demand Accountability,” which focuses on the VA healthcare system’s culture of dysfunction, highlights the recent news that 40 vets’ deaths have been linked to long wait times for care at the Phoenix VA and points out the large cash bonuses VA administrators around the country received even after overseeing hospitals where severe mismanagement exposed veterans to health risks and in some cases even led to their deaths. The video also calls on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to support the VA Management Accountability Act.
    New Video: Demand Accountability
    Screen shot 2014-05-05 at 4.59.28 PM
    Click here to watch.
    Pete Hegseth, CEO of CVA, issued the following statement:
    “Just yesterday The American Legion called for the resignation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki—action we fully support and called for at CVA a year ago. But replacing Shinseki won’t actually lead to reform unless the next VA secretary is empowered to hold managers and administrators accountable for their poor performance. That’s why the VA Management Accountability Act is so important; it equips VA leaders with the tools necessary for meaningful reform.”
     To schedule a TV interview Pete Hegseth, CEO of CVA, or other CVA experts, please email booking@guestbooker.com.
    For more information, contact Emily Laird at 571.302.0973 or email elaird@cv4a.org.
    ###
    Concerned Veterans for America is a non-partisan, non-profit, 501(c)(4) organization that advocates for policies that will preserve the freedom and liberty we and our families so proudly fought and sacrificed to defend.



    He said the secret list might have been a secret to the Veteran's Administration, but everyone on the Phoenix campus knew about it.
    Burmesch, who worked as a medical support assistant from November 2012 to September 2013, said most support staff just didn't know exactly how the list was being used.

    *A third​ and fourth whistleblower at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System provided more details of the “secret list” allegedly used by managers to make it appear that wait times for veterans were shorter than they actually were. At least 40 veterans died while waiting for care in Phoenix, according to whistleblowers. Three top managers in Phoenix have been placed on leave while the VA’s inspector general investigates.
    *A VA scheduling clerk accused higher-ups in Austin, Texas, and San Antonio of manipulating data in an attempt to hide long wait times to see doctors there, the Austin American-Statesman reported on Wednesday. The employee told the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which protects government whistleblowers, that he and others were “verbally directed by lead clerks, supervisors, and during training” to ensure that wait times at the Austin VA Outpatient Clinic and the North Central Federal Clinic in San Antonio were “as close to zero days as possible," according to the newspaper.



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    Wednesday, May 07, 2014

    He's working?

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

    FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O IS HARD AT WORK . . FUND RAISING FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.  BECAUSE, AFTER ALL, ISN'T THAT WHY HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT?  THOUGH THE ECONOMY REMAINS IN THE TOILET AND HE HAS NO IDEA HOW TO FIX IT OR ANY REAL INTEREST IN FIXING IT, AT LEAST HE WANTS TO TRAVEL THE COUNTRY RAISING MONEY FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

    MEANWHILE, THE PRESS GEARS UP FOR TWO BOOKS THAT ARE SURE TO LESS THAN TELL-ALLS FROM ADMINISTRATION INSIDERS.  FORMER SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY TIMOTHY GIETHNER FAILED AT THE ECONOMY BUT MAY SUCCEED AS THE NEW KITTY KELLY.  LESS SUCCESSFUL WILL BE HILLARY CLINTON WHO'S ALREADY OFFERED ONE BOOK WHICH HAD MUCH MORE INTERESTING THINGS TO COVER THAN THE LAST FIVE OR SIX YEARS.  OH WELL, MAYBE SHE'LL WRITE ABOUT THE DEATH OF SOCKS THE CAT.




    FROM THE TCI WIRE:

    Today, the Kuwait News Agency insists, "Iraqi Minister of Defense Saadoun Al-Dulaimi met Representative of UN Secretary General for Iraq Nickolay Mladebnov on Tuesday to discuss the insurgency in the western governorate of Al-Anbar and other parts of Iraq."

    No.

    That didn't happen.  Stop lying.

    Oh, Mladebnov met with al-Dulaimi.  That's correct.

    But al-Dulaimi is not the Minister of Defense.

    Iraq has no Minister of Defense, stop lying.


    Back in July, 2012, Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) observed, "Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has struggled to forge a lasting power-sharing agreement and has yet to fill key Cabinet positions, including the ministers of defense, interior and national security, while his backers have also shown signs of wobbling support."

    That remains true.

    Grasp that he went through his entire second term without ever nominating anyone to head the three security ministries.

    Grasp that violence was down at the start of his second term.

    Today?

    It's at 2008 or 2007 levels depending upon the outlet.

    So stop whoring.

    Nouri refused to nominate people to head these ministries -- this is a supreme failure that goes to his grave incompetence and how he has failed Iraq.

    Even after violence began to increase, he refused to nominate anyone for the three security posts.

    Why?

    If Parliament confirms a nominee, they hold that post -- whether Nouri wants them to or not.  They can only be removed by a vote in Parliament.

    Nouri refused to nominate people because he wanted control of the security ministries.

    He got control.

    And Iraq is yet again mired in ongoing violence.

    That's on Nouri.

    He should be charged with incompetence and maybe even treason.

    How do you refuse to obey the Constitution?

    And when you refuse to and your refusal drags the country into violence?

    That sounds to me like treason.

    I don't use the 't' word lightly.

    Nouri's failures go to his incompetence and his paranoia is now a threat to the people of Iraq.

    He needs to be removed from office.

    From the prime minister's office to the office of President of Iraq,   Aswat al-Iraq reports, "The Kurdish Union Party nominated today the special physician of President Jalal Talabani and the Governor of Kirkuk to assume Iraqi presidency office": Dr. Najm al-Deen Kareem.

    The who did what?

    The Kurdish Union Party.  A minor player in the KRG (and one that's been angling cabinet positions in the KRG's government).  The two dominant parties in the KRG now are the KDP and Goran.  I don't see why they would back a minor party -- especially one closely associated with the PUK -- Jalal Talabani's party.


    December 2012,  Iraqi President Jalal Talabani suffered a stroke.   The incident took place late on December 17, 2012 following Jalal's argument with Iraq's prime minister and chief thug Nouri al-Maliki (see the December 18, 2012 snapshot).  Jalal was admitted to Baghdad's Medical Center Hospital.    Thursday, December 20, 2012, he was moved to Germany.  He remains in Germany currently.


    His absence from the country has hurt his political party and it has hurt the country so it seems a little strange to think that his "special physician" would be warmly received by the bulk of Kurds.  He is, after all, one of the people repeatedly claiming every six or so weeks for the last every 16 months that Jalal would be returning 'shortly.'

    Dr. Kareem has earned applause for many things.  For example, he denied Nouri's thugs entry into Kirkuk.

    Hawija is in Kirkuk Province.  Nouri wanted to attack the protester but needed to get more forces in during the five-day siege of Hawija.  The problem for him was that Kirkuk forces would not let Nouri's SWAT forces enter. Dr. Najm al-Din Karim discussed this with Shalaw Mohammed (Niqash):






    NIQASH: The incidents in Hawija, where protestors were killed by the Iraqi military, also seems to have seen more Iraqi army forces enter Kirkuk.




    Al-Din Karim: Actually those forces did not come through Kirkuk - they entered Hawija by helicopter. They tried to come through Kirkuk but we prevented them from doing so. I know the Prime Minister disapproved of this – he told me so last time we met.



    He was right to refuse entry.  In 2013, Nouri's method of 'communicating' with protesters was already well known.  He'd denounce them as "terrorists," his people would follow the protesters to their homes, his people would arrest the protesters and they'd wound or kill the protesters.


     January 7th, Nouri's forces assaulted four protesters in Mosul,  January 24th,  Nouri's forces sent two protesters (and one reporter) to the hospital,  and March 8th, Nouri's force fired on protesters in Mosul killing three.


    All of that and more appeared to be a trial run for what was coming, the April 23rd massacre of a peaceful sit-in in Hawija which resulted from  Nouri's federal forces storming in.  Alsumaria noted Kirkuk's Department of Health (Hawija is in Kirkuk)  announced 50 activists have died and 110 were injured in the assault.   AFP reported the death toll rose to 53 dead.  UNICEF noted that the dead included 8 children (twelve more were injured).

    The doctor was more than right to stand up to Nouri.

    But he's not the only high profile Kurdish politician to do so.  Yes, KRG President Massoud Barzani has stood up to Nouri but that's true of pretty much all the Kurdish politicians except for Hoshyar Zebari.  The embarrassing Minister of Foreign Affairs is practically Nouri's lapdog.

    Nouri has many lapdogs -- including US President Barack Obama.  I believe that's a first, for a puppet to make their controller a lapdog.


    Al-Monitor runs an interview the outlet Azzaman did with the chief of the US Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq, Lt Gen Michael Bednarek.  Excerpt.

    Azzaman:  How do you follow up on the developments in Iraq?


    Bednarek:  We are following up on the situation in Iraq, and on the Iraqi efforts to fight terrorism. We are cooperating in this field by communicating with the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. Lately, we supplied Iraq with the necessary weapons to counter terrorism.
    Since the eruption of the security problem and its aggravated ramifications in December 2013, and late January 2014 in Anbar, the US government has assisted the Iraqi armed forces, through the Iraqi federal government, by providing information and arms to resolve the battle against terrorism and enable Iraq to counter this grave danger. Since Jan. 17, 2014, the US has sent 14 million shells and rounds. The munitions consist of rifle rounds and Hellfire missiles. The US has also delivered nearly 7,000 pieces of weapons, namely rifles, rockets and rocket launchers. All of these shipments were sent to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and armed terrorist groups, and they came in response to the Iraqi government’s demands to urgently fight terrorism.
    The latest shipment of weapons arrived on April 23, and we have shipped 800 cannon rounds. The next shipment consists of 99 Hellfire rockets and 1,000 tank rounds. Regardless of the amount and type of weapons, the US is still committed to its obligations in the US-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement. It is a clear evidence to the partnership with Iraq, because we do not have any other ally that receives such a significant support in the security and defense sector.




    Yes, the blood is on the White House which has pleaded for Nouri to receive weapons and shares 'intel' with him.


    What does that mean?  Barack's a butcher -- assisting a War Criminal which, in fact, makes him a War Criminal.

    The ethically challenged administration has looked the other way for over four months now as Nouri has bombed the homes of civilians in Falluja. Today's targets?  NINA notes 2 civilians dead and three more injured from the shelling of an apartment complex.  We're not done yet.  NINA notes that the bombing of the residential neighborhoods in north and south Falluja left 5 civilians dead ("including women and children") with ten more wounded.

    This is being carried out with US weapons and US 'intel.'  These War Crimes are on the orders of Nouri al-Maliki who Barack Obama made prime minister in 2010 even though Nouri lost the elections.



    In other violence, National Iraqi News Agency reports the Ministry of the Interior announced 3 suspects were killed in Falluja, Joint Special Operations Command announced they killed 3 suspects and set a fuel tank on fire (the fuel tank, no doubt, looked suspicious), a Baghdad motorcycle drive-by left 1 person dead, 2 civilians were injured in a Falluja battle, a Latifiyah roadside bombing left 1 commander of the regiment of army 17th band dead and eleven serving under him were injured, 2 Jurfis-Sakhar roadside bombings left 3 Iraqi soldiers dead and six more injured, a Taji sticky bombing left 1 police member dead, the military killed four suspects in Kisik, a Mosul bombing left 1 police member and two civilians wounded, a Hit suicide bomber left 3 Iraqi soldiers dead and four more injured, a Ramadi suicide car bomber took his own life and the life of 1 Iraqi soldier with four police members injured, nd a Mosul roadside bombing left three police members injured.



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  • Tuesday, May 06, 2014

    All this and a dead aunt that looked like Tim Meadows!

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


    FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O ROAMS THE HALLS OF THE WHITE HOUSE OF HORRORS THESE DAYS WHIMPERING, WHITE HOUSE PLUS-SIZE SPOKESMODEL JAY CARNEY REVEALS EXCLUSIVELY TO THESE REPORTERS.


    HIS LOW POLL NUMBERS HAVE NOT HELPED, CARNEY STATES.

    BUT NEITHER HAS THE PERCEPTION THAT "HE'S JUST A CHEAP WHORE WHO WILL SAY ANYTHING," ACCORDING TO CARNEY WHO POINTS OUT THAT BARRY O FAILED TO ATTEND THE AFRICAN FUNERAL OF ZEITUNI ONYANGO OR EVEN MAKE A POINT TO VISIT HER REMAINS IN BOSTON BEFORE SHE WAS SHIPPED OVERSEAS.

    AUNT ZEITUNI, AS THE PRESS DUBBED HER, WAS THE RELATIVE WHO LOOKED LIKE TIM MEADOWS AND NOW, CARNEY REVEALED, WITH BOUNCE AIRING "THE LADIES MAN" NEAR CONSTANTLY, BARRY O CAN USUALLY BE HEARD WAILING, "WHY!  WHY!"

    EVEN MORE TROUBLING TO BARRY O IS THAT OREGON STATE HAS FIRED HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW CRAIG ROBINSON.

    "IT'S NOT THE RUMORS OF WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE BASEMENT MEN'S ROOM AT THE MAIN LIBRARY," CARNEY REVEALS.  "IT'S THAT HERE THE O IS, HE'S PRESIDENT STILL, AND YET HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW CAN BE FIRED.  IT REALLY GETS ACROSS TO HIM WHAT A LAME DUCK HE HAS BECOME."



    FROM THE TCI WIRE:




    Barack Obama's administration continues its effort to circumvent oversight and accountability. The American Legion is calling for the resignations of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, VA's Dr. Robert Petzel and the VA's Allison Hickey.






    In front of local media and a live Internet audience, American Legion National Commander Daniel M. Dellinger today called for the resignations of Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, Under Secretary of Health Robert Petzel and Under Secretary of Benefits Allison Hickey.
    Dellinger cited poor oversight and failed leadership as the reason for calling for the resignations – something The American Legion hasn’t done regarding a public official in more than 30 years.
    “Gen. Eric Shinseki has served his country well,” Dellinger said. “His patriotism and sacrifice for this nation are above reproach. However, his record as the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs tells a different story. The existing leadership has exhibited a pattern of bureaucratic incompetence and failed leadership that has been amplified in recent weeks.”
    Dellinger pointed to allegations from multiple whistleblowers of a secret waiting list at the Phoenix VA Health Care System that may have resulted in the death of approximately 40 veterans, that VA previously had acknowledged that 23 veterans throughout the health-care system have died as a result of delayed care in recent years, and a the findings of an investigation by VA’s Office of Medical Inspector that clerks at the VA clinic in Fort Collins, Colo., were instructed last year how to falsify appointment records so it appeared the small staff of doctors was seeing patients within the agency's goal of 14 days, according to the investigation.
    “These disturbing reports are part of what appear to be a pattern of scandals that has infected the entire system,” said Dellinger, noting issues that have come up in Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Augusta, Ga. “Those problems need addressed at the highest level – starting with new leadership. The existing leadership has exhibited a pattern of bureaucratic incompetence and failed leadership that has been amplified in recent weeks.”
    Dellinger said that the failure to disclose safety information or to cover up mistakes is unforgivable – as is fostering a culture of nondisclosure. “VA leadership has demonstrated its incompetence through preventable deaths of veterans, long wait times for medical care, a benefits claims backlog numbering in excess of 596,000, and the awarding of bonuses to senior executives who have overseen such operations,” he said. “Some veterans have waited years to have their claims decided. That same leadership has failed to provide answers to why these issues continue to occur.”
    Dellinger said that while errors and lapses can occur in any system, “The American Legion expects when such errors and lapses are discovered, that they are dealt with swiftly and that the responsible parties are held accountable. This has not happened at the Department of Veterans Affairs. There needs to be a change, and that change needs to occur at the top. “
    When asked by media what the Legion would do if the trio didn’t resign, Dellinger said a draft of the request was being sent to the White House. “This is a very serious situation,” he said. “The administration needs to take steps now. It’s long overdue. Whenever you’re talking about a patient’s life – a veteran’s life – in jeopardy, it’s always serious.”


    Dellinger also wrote an op-ed piece calling for the resignations. Read it here


    Though Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has not yet expressed an opinion on the call for a resignation, Gregg Zoroya (USA Today) quotes IAVA's CEO Paul Rieckhoff stating,  "What everyone agrees is that there’s been a failure of leadership and accountability and oversight."


    Meanwhile Marie Harf disgraced herself and her Department at today's State Dept press briefing:


    And I would -- again, we talked a little bit about this on Friday, but I'm just going to read a little bit of quote for you from House Republican leader John Boehner. This is a quote from 2007 about a previous attempt to subpoena a Secretary of State. This was a subpoena to get information about prewar intelligence in Iraq. You’ll remember, I think, 4,500 Americans died in Iraq. This is the quote from John Boehner. Let me just read a little bit for you.  Quote, "This partisan show trial is a waste of time and taxpayer dollars. By subpoenaing the Secretary of State, Democrats have revealed how beholden they are to leftwing activist groups while stealing the Secretary’s time away from critical diplomatic missions." It goes on. But Chairman Issa also opposed that subpoena for Secretary Rice. So what we would say is you don't get to have different rules for different administrations. And as Lindsey Graham this weekend said on a Sunday show, we shouldn’t play politics with Benghazi. Clearly, I think what we’re seeing now can be called nothing but that.

    Clearly, what the country is seeing is a partisan hack.

    I cannot believe this nonsense.

    Marie never mentions the dead,does she?

    This is about the September 12, 2012 attack in Benghazi which left four Americans dead: Tyrone Woods, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith and US Ambassador Chris Stevens.

    What happened sent a chill through the US diplomatic community.

    And yet Marie can't explore that.  She's a hack, a political appointee, who will leave the State Dept with this administration.  But the American women and men who have made their career serving in the diplomatic service will remain and they're being betrayed by the political hacks in their own department.

    She barked, she screeched, she did everything but her damn job.  She's an embarrassment to the Dept and if there was any sense of maturity and accountability in leadership at the State Dept, Marie Harf would be informed that she needed to seek other employment.

    She's an idiot to being with who needs her cheat notebook to comment on nearly every topic and has to flip through it in one briefing after another.  How uniformed are you, Marie?

    Let's go through Marie's latest nonsense.

    And I would -- again, we talked a little bit about this on Friday, but I'm just going to read a little bit of quote for you from House Republican leader John Boehner. 

    Why are you going to read a quote from Boehner?

    Do you think it will sway many people?

    I've never been a fan of the man so why would I slap my forehead now and exclaim, "Boehner's making sense!"?

    I wouldn't.

    This is a quote from 2007 about a previous attempt to subpoena a Secretary of State. 

    Actually, it's not.

    And when you stand at that podium, you need to know your facts.

    Condi Rice was not subpoenaed because she was Secretary of State.  The subpoena covered her time as National Security Advisor.

    How stupid is Marie Harf or is she just that much of a cheap liar?

    This was a subpoena to get information about prewar intelligence in Iraq.

    That subpoena was to get information regarding Bully Boy Bush's claim in the 2003 State of the Union address that, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

    That's what Condi was being subpoenaed about.  It had nothing to do with the State Dept.  Colin Powell was the Secretary of State when Bully Boy Bush told that lie.  Colin wasn't subpoenaed.

    From the April 25, 2007 snapshot:





    In semi-related news, US Secretary of State and Anger Condi Rice has a subpoena with her name on it from the US House Judiciary Committee.  CBS News and AP report that she will be asked to testify (presumably under oath) about the lies that Iraq "was seeking uranium from Africa." On a 21-10 vote, the committee agreed to compell Rice's testimony.

    What was at stake here?  That the remarks were wrong?  No.

    As Time magazine noted July 9, 2003, four years before the subpoena, "So, the White House is not contesting the fact that the President made a false claim -- merely whether he, or those who prepared his speech, knew at the time that it was false. "

    Marie then feels the need to offer:

    You’ll remember, I think, 4,500 Americans died in Iraq. 


    You think?

    You're a government spokesperson and you can't get the figure right on an issue of grave importance to the country?

    Recognize this?  "The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4489."  It appears here at least twice a week and has throughout Barack's presidency.  We had used a website's statistics.  We dropped due to e-mails about how the number and the number went down and they never offered an explanation or a footnote.  I'm being kind and not noting the website by name.  So while Bully Boy Bush was still in office, I was informed that the Defense Dept had a running tally.  That's what the link goes to in this sentence: "The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4489."  Is Marie too stupid to know that or is working a computer just too much for her?

    Who knows but we've already gone over one key point: US soldiers who die in wars?  They're trained for combat.  They're considered heroic not because of their haircuts or the uniform.  They're considered heroic because these men and women go into combat zones prepared to fight and knowing one likely outcome is death.

    The diplomatic corps?  They're not trained in combat.  The death of a soldier in combat is tragic.  It is not, however, shocking.  War means death.

    That Marie can't understand the difference between soldiers and diplomats does not speak well of her comprehension abilities.

    It should also be noted that this woman never sees fit to raise the issue of Iraq.  But now she wants to?

    Kerry's State Dept is an embarrassment on this issue when contrasted with Hillary's State Dept which did regular briefings on Iraq -- and has covered for War Crimes wants to trot the American dead but can't even take the time to find out the number.  Talk about lazy.  Maybe Marie Harf should sign that next paycheck over to the American taxpayers since she's clearly struggling to do the most basic work she's paid to do.




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