Cranky's haircut

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

CRANKY CLINTON IS SAID TO HAVE HELD UP TRAFFIC LAST WEEK WHILE GETTING A $600 HAIR CUT.

THE REAL SCANDAL THERE?

THAT SHE PAYS PEOPLE TO CUT HER HAIR AND IT STILL LOOKS LIKE THAT!

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Okay, so US troops are on the ground in Iraq to protect the innocent civilians from these Shi'ite militias?

Nope.

The US military is now hugging and dry humping these forces.


Ali Mamouri (AL-MONITOR) reports:


On March 12, US Consul General Steve Walker visited Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital in Basra to pay his respects to wounded members of the Popular Mobilization Units. The visit marked the first time a US official has publicly met these troops. This is particularly remarkable as until now, the official US position toward the Popular Mobilization Units was negative, and the United States had even demanded that the Iraqi government prevent the forces from taking part in the operations to liberate some areas, such as the city of Ramadi in Anbar, that were freed without their participation by US request.
Walker made it clear that the trip was not just a courtesy visit. Accompanied by TV stations such as the US-based Alhurra, which broadcast the visit and his remarks in Arabic, Walker said, “The US recognizes the important contribution of the Popular Mobilization Units under the command of Prime Minister [Haider al-Abadi], and most of the Popular Mobilization troops came from the south. This is why I would like to express my condolences to the people of Basra and the south who have lost their loved ones or friends in the war against the Islamic State.”
Walker expressed his solidarity with the wounded, who welcomed his visit. He told them, “The US and Iraqi people are very, very proud of you.” 

General Steve Walker is dry humping these Shi'ite forces?

If you're not getting how disgusting this is, you're not familiar with these forces and what they've done to US forces in the not-so-long ago past.


For just one example, we'll drop back to the June 9, 2009 snapshot:



This morning the New York Times' Alissa J. Rubin and Michael Gordon offered "U.S. Frees Suspect in Killing of 5 G.I.'s." Martin Chulov (Guardian) covered the same story, Kim Gamel (AP) reported on it, BBC offered "Kidnap hope after Shia's handover" and Deborah Haynes contributed "Hope for British hostages in Iraq after release of Shia militant" (Times of London). The basics of the story are this. 5 British citizens have been hostages since May 29, 2007. The US military had in their custody Laith al-Khazali. He is a member of Asa'ib al-Haq. He is also accused of murdering five US troops. The US military released him and allegedly did so because his organization was not going to release any of the five British hostages until he was released. This is a big story and the US military is attempting to state this is just diplomacy, has nothing to do with the British hostages and, besides, they just released him to Iraq. Sami al-askari told the New York Times, "This is a very sensitive topic because you know the position that the Iraqi government, the U.S. and British governments, and all the governments do not accept the idea of exchanging hostages for prisoners. So we put it in another format, and we told them that if they want to participate in the political process they cannot do so while they are holding hostages. And we mentioned to the American side that they cannot join the political process and release their hostages while their leaders are behind bars or imprisoned." In other words, a prisoner was traded for hostages and they attempted to not only make the trade but to lie to people about it. At the US State Dept, the tired and bored reporters were unable to even broach the subject. Poor declawed tabbies. Pentagon reporters did press the issue and got the standard line from the department's spokesperson, Bryan Whitman, that the US handed the prisoner to Iraq, the US didn't hand him over to any organization -- terrorist or otherwise. What Iraq did, Whitman wanted the press to know, was what Iraq did. A complete lie that really insults the intelligence of the American people. CNN reminds the five US soldiers killed "were: Capt. Brian S. Freeman, 31, of Temecula, California; 1st Lt. Jacob N. Fritz, 25, of Verdon, Nebraska; Spc. Johnathan B. Chism, 22, of Gonzales, Louisiana; Pfc. Shawn P. Falter, 25, of Cortland, New York; and Pfc. Johnathon M. Millican, 20, of Trafford, Alabama." Those are the five from January 2007 that al-Khazali and his brother Qais al-Khazali are supposed to be responsible for the deaths of. Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Robert H. Reid (AP) states that Jonathan B. Chism's father Danny Chism is outraged over the release and has declared, "They freed them? The American military did? Somebody needs to answer for it."

That's the League of Righteous.

That's who US General Steve Walker 'paid his respects' to.


They killed US soldiers.

And now Walker has, on behalf of the US government and military, 'honored' them with praise.


Why are US forces in Iraq?


To die for an illegitimate government and to hug the very militias that killed other US troops.

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

ON SO MANY THINGS, CRANKY CLINTON IS A LIAR.

SHE CAN ALSO HAVE A WAVE OF PRAGMATISM FROM TIME TO TIME.

ONE SUCH WAVE HAS HER ASKING HER STAFF TO CHECK OUT EVERY "IF ELECTED, I WILL SERVE . . ." TYPE SPEECH EVER GIVEN WITH THE NOTION OF RECRAFTING THEM.

"IF INDICTED, I WILL SERVE THE PEOPLE BY . . ." IS HOW SHE WANTS IT REDONE AS SHE PREPARES FOR THE POSSIBILITY THAT SHE MAY FACE A FEDERAL INDICTMENT.

"NOTHING," CRANKY TOLD THESE REPORTERS, "WILL KEEP ME OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

There is no legitimate government in Iraq nor any legal one.

Where are the elections?

Per the Constitution, they should have taken place over a year ago.

Where are the elections?

And how can Barack justify sending US troops into the failed state of Iraq when it doesn't even have a government?


At the very least, he should have made any troops being sent in, any aid -- weapons or dollars conditional upon free and fair elections.

Iraq is a failed state.

The US troops are in Iraq to prop up the illegitimate government of Iraq.

In what world is this acceptable?

In the United States, elections are not postponed.

9/11 did not result in a loss of elections nor, for that matter, did the American Civil War.


What is Iraq's excuse?


As we asked in yesterday's snapshot, where are the elections?


We know where US troops are -- in Iraq with more to be deployed shortly.

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"Cranky translated 'I'm just a girl!'"

Cranky translated 'I'm just a girl!'

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

"HE'S TOO MEAN!!!" WHINES CRANKY CLINTON OF HER RIVAL FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS.

HE'S TOO MEAN SO CRANKY HAS DECLARED SHE WILL NOT DEBATE WITH HIM UNTIL HE AGREES TO HER TERMS.

IF ELECTED PRESIDENT, WOULD CRANKY CLINTON THEN WHINE THAT SHE COULDN'T SPEAK TO VLADIMIR PUTIN BECAUSE HE WAS TOO MEAN?  TO ANGELA MERKEL BECAUSE SHE MADE A CRACK ABOUT CRANKY'S WEIGHT?


WHERE DOES IT END?


FROM THE TCI WIRE:

While the bombing has become a daily feature, at the US State Dept today, something different emerged.  In the midst of spokesperson John Kirby's daily nonsense, a participant refused to play along.




QUESTION: Yes. The Iraqi prime minister, Mr. Al-Abadi, has been pushing ahead for reform in its government, and he claims to reshuffle his own cabinet. I was curious about your position on these claims about Abadi has been trying to accomplish.


MR KIRBY: What you call claims I think are, in fact – you almost – it makes it sounds like he’s doing something wrong here. Prime Minister Abadi is --


QUESTION: (Inaudible.)


MR KIRBY: Prime Minister Abadi is trying to make necessary political reforms in his country and he has moved some officials around, and that’s the obligation, that’s the responsibility; those are the choices that a prime minister has to make. We continue to support his efforts to improve governance in Iraq and to enact appropriate reforms to try to facilitate that process.


QUESTION: But bringing what he calls technocrats into his cabinet at this moment would definitely make a lot of people angry because he is going to exclude a lot of party appointed into his government. How would you react to that?


MR KIRBY: Again, these are decisions that he has to make and his government has to make and the Iraqi people have to make, and those are internal decisions that we aren’t going to involve ourselves in each individual appointment that he makes. These are internal matters for Iraq to speak to and for him to speak to. In general, we support his efforts at reform and we support his efforts at trying to get a government in place – and keep a government in place – that can be responsive to the needs of the Iraqi people and can help them deal with the very real threat inside their own country represented by [the Islamic State].


QUESTION: So wait, wait. So this – the position of the U.S. is that you’re not going to interfere in the president – or the leader of a country, his choices for cabinet, but you will interfere in who the – or you will choose who should be the leader of the country, but once your selected person is in power, they can have whoever they want in the cabinet? Is that basically what --


MR KIRBY: Well, it was the Iraqi people that --


QUESTION: After you guys --


MR KIRBY: -- put Prime Minister Abadi in the position he’s in.


QUESTION: After the U.S. pulled the rug out from under --

MR KIRBY: We’re not – we don’t involve ourselves in the internal decisions of an electorate like that.

QUESTION: Except in Syria.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

QUESTION: And --

MR KIRBY: No.

QUESTION: No?

MR KIRBY: How is that – I’m not sure I follow how we’re doing that in Syria.

Yeah.


John Kirby's not just an embarrassment, he's a damn liar.

In 2010, following the March elections and an eight month political stalemate, the US government gave Nouri al-Maliki a second term (even though he lost the 2010 election) via The Erbil Agreement.

In 2014, the US appointed/backed Haider al-Abadi to replace Nouri.


Reality: the Iraqi people did not vote on Haider.

Bigger reality:  Iraq is over two years later on national elections.

Is no one ever supposed to notice that?

John Kirby's lie brings attention to that reality.

Where are the national elections which should have taken place already?

Where are they, John Kirby?

More reality, what Haider's trying to do with the Cabinet?  It's not in the Constitution.

Strange how Kirby and company back the Constitution -- except when they don't.

Any observer of Iraq needs to be asking: Where are the national elections.

Every member of Parliament?

Their term has expired.

They were elected in the 2010 elections.

Where are the national elections?



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"THIS JUST IN! CRANKY CLINTON LOSES HER GRIP!"
"Cranky Clinton is certain"

Cranky Clinton is certain

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

THE FBI IS GEARING UP TO BEGIN INTERVIEWING PEOPLE IN CRANKY CLINTON'S INNER CIRCLE.

REACHED FOR COMMENT, CRANKY PROJECTED CONFIDENCE AND INSISTED, "I WILL GET THROUGH THIS.  I WILL GET THE NOMINATION OF MY PARTY FOR PRESIDENT AND I WILL GET THROUGH THIS JUST AS SURE AS I WON WASHINGTON STATE."

TOLD THAT SHE HAD LOST WASHINGTON, CRANKY SHOOK HER HEAD AND DECLARED, "JUST AS SURE AS I JUST WON THE STATE OF HAWAII."

TOLD SHE HAD ALSO LOST HAWAII TO SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS, CRANKY INSISTED, "WELL, JUST AS SURE AS I AM THAT I WON ALASKA."

TOLD THAT SHE LOST ALASKA AS WELL, CRANKY TURNED RABID, BIT THE HEAD OFF A SMALL CHILD, SPROUTED WINGS, HORNS AND A TAIL AND FLEW OFF.


FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Meanwhile,  "The secretary and I both believe that there will be an increase to the U.S. forces in Iraq in the coming weeks."


This announcement was made by Gen Joseph Dunford at the press briefing he and Secretary of Defense Ash Cater held on Friday.



Q: The Marines this week in their support of the Iraqi offensive operation, is this something we will see more of, do you think, as time goes on in the fight to get to Mosul? And is -- can you talk about the accelerants that the secretary has talked about before and whether this is a key part of what you want to see the military do more of in Iraq over the next several months?


GEN. DUNFORD: I mean, Lita, we've talked I guess now for some months about setting the conditions for success in Mosul and -- and facilitating the Iraqi forces and staging around Mosul to begin to isolate Mosul, and as the Iraqis have announced, that has begun. These Marines that were there, the artillery battery that were there were in direct support of that. We put the -- we put the battery there to support the Americans that are there advising the Iraqi forces and also in a position to provide support to the Iraqi forces.

And from my perspective, this is no different than aviation fires we've been delivering. This happens to be surface fires -- (inaudible) -- artillery. But certainly no different conceptually than the fire support we've been providing to the Iraqis all along.

And with regard to further accelerants, the secretary and I do expect that there'll be increased capabilities provided to the Iraqis to set the conditions for their operations in Mosul. Those decisions haven't been made yet, but we certainly -- we certainly do expect more of the kinds of things that we saw in Ramadi, albeit a bit different tailored for operations in Mosul. But it's -- but again, the primary force fighting in Mosul will be Iraqi security forces and we'll be in a position to provide advise, assist and enabling capabilities to make them successful.

Q: It appears to be part of a -- more of a ground combat role than we've seen before.

GEN. DUNFORD: No, it's not. I mean, we have -- we have -- we have surface fires in Al Asad and other places, as an example, and we've used those in the past. And so this is not a fundamental shift in our approach to supporting the Iraqi forces. This happens to be what was the most appropriate tool that the commander assessed needed to be in that particular location.
[. . .]
Q: But General Dunford, we've just heard this week that there are actually 5,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq. Why is the Pentagon and senior military leadership reluctant to say that it's more than 3,800?

GEN. DUNFORD: We're not reluctant, Jennifer. What we track is the number that are in our force management level. That's 3,800. But this is nothing that's inconsistent with what's been going on for the last 15 years in terms of people that are in and out on temporary duty less than a certain period of time, people that are in direct support of the embassy. Those have -- those have not been counted. In other words, there's a consistency in the way we've been counting people that's been going on for the last 15 years.

And at any given time, we have 3,800 directly in support of the mission. When units rotate, for example, we don't double-count those numbers, so if there's a unit of 200 that's being replaced by a unit of 200 and they both happen to be on the ground at the same time, we don't count that as 400, we haven't in the past 15 years, because that hasn't -- that hasn't counted against our force management level.

So the accounting of our people has been consistent. We're not denying that there's more people than 3,800; I think you got the numbers from us. But in terms of what we count in the mission, and that's in accordance with the direction that we've been given, the 3,800 is what's against the mission.

SEC. CARTER: Jim.

Q: (Off-mic.)

GEN. DUNFORD: No, I didn't say 5,000 was accurate, I said 3,800 was the force management level and there's some number above that on any given day as a result of people that support the embassy, people at a TDY and people in other categories that don't count against that 3,800.

SEC. CARTER: Jim?

Q: I'd like to follow up, if I could, on Lita's questions about the Marines and that fire base. Unlike the previous U.S. military combat positions and fire support, this is an independent base, these are U.S. military only. And by all indications, they are not just defensive, but in this latest movement by Iraqi forces, they provided fire support for offensive operations against ISIS. So why is this not the first footprint of a U.S. combat ground operation there in Iraq?

GEN. DUNFORD: Jim, the reason they're in a different base is simply a function of geometry. They're designed to support forces in an area called Makhmur. The artillery can't be co-located with the ground forces in Makhmur and provide effective fire support, so this position was selected because of the geometry necessary to support that particular location.

And with regard to providing support to Iraqi offensive capability, once again, I mean, to me, there's no inconsistency between what this artillery unit did and what our aviation support is doing every single day. I don't draw a distinction with it. In other words, we've said that we're providing enabling support to include combined arms capability to Iraqi forces as they conduct operations, which is exactly what this artillery unit was doing.

Q: Well, we have all indications that this is a pretty permanent position right now; that after a short period of time, U.S. Army personnel are going to replace the 26 MEU Marine there. And it still has all indications that the U.S. military is directly involved in the ground operations of -- with the U.S. -- with the Iraqi.

SEC. CARTER: Yes, maybe very quickly just say, even since last week now, as the Iraqis have started to consolidate their positions, the situation on the ground has changed in terms of where the Iraqis are in the relationship to the support, the defense of support they're providing to our artillery unit that's there. So that's already changed, you know, through the course of the week.

But in all honesty, I just cannot see this being inconsistent with everything that we've been doing over the last several months.

SEC. CARTER: And let me just add to that, what we'll be doing in coming months. This is our approach to eliminating ISIL from Mosul. The Iraqi Security Forces are the ones who are carrying out the assault, the envelopment, the assault, but we're helping them.

That's our -- that's been our approach and we'll continue to do that. Started in Ramadi, we'll continue to going up to Mosul. Carla?

Q: When do you anticipate seeing U.S. American ground forces closer to the front lines as the battle towards Mosul looms?

GEN. DUNFORD: Jim, one thing that I probably just need to clarify, this position is behind what is known as the forward line of troops for the peshmerga and Kurds. So it's by no means out in front on its own.

And secondly, what I would say about your question about the future is we have a series of recommendations that we will be discussing with the president in the coming weeks to further enable our support for the Iraqi security forces.

So again, the secretary and I both believe that there will be an increase to the U.S. forces in Iraq in the coming weeks. But that decision hasn't been made.

Nor -- you know, you alluded to decisions that have already been made about Army units replacing the Marine units. All that is pre-decision. There's been no decisions made about what's going to happen to this particular position in the future.

But it is going to be decided in the context of the broader issue that the secretary will bring to the president again, focused on what it is we need to do to maintain a minimum money campaign and what specifically do we need to do to enable operations in Mosul.


 "The secretary and I both believe that there will be an increase to the U.S. forces in Iraq in the coming weeks."


So much for Barack Obama's promise of no boots on the ground and of no US troops in combat.

Like every other promise, it was just another lie.


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 BLUE


Lies and more lies from Barack.


And lies have consequences.


On the 13th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, March, 19, 2016, another US service member died in Iraq.




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

CRANKY CLINTON GETS THE MESSAGE: WASHINGTON AND ALASKA ARE TWO STATES THAT DON'T LIKE HER, THAT REALLY DON'T LIKE HER.

HAVING LOST BOTH TO SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS TODAY, CRANKY HAS TO FACE REALITY: SHE IS NOT LIKABLE ENOUGH.




FROM THE TCI WIRE:



AL JAZEERA reports that the Islamic State sent 10 suicide bombers to attack Ein el-Assad base today resulting in 8 of the bombers being killed by Iraqi forces, 2 of the bombers blowing themselves up and "at least 18 soldiers" being killed.  GULF NEWS explains, "Al Assad airbase, located about 180 kilometres northwest of Baghdad in Anbar province, is one of the largest military installations in the country."


Meanwhile,  "The secretary and I both believe that there will be an increase to the U.S. forces in Iraq in the coming weeks."


This announcement was made by Gen Joseph Dunford at the press briefing he and Secretary of Defense Ash Cater held on Friday.



Q: The Marines this week in their support of the Iraqi offensive operation, is this something we will see more of, do you think, as time goes on in the fight to get to Mosul? And is -- can you talk about the accelerants that the secretary has talked about before and whether this is a key part of what you want to see the military do more of in Iraq over the next several months?


GEN. DUNFORD: I mean, Lita, we've talked I guess now for some months about setting the conditions for success in Mosul and -- and facilitating the Iraqi forces and staging around Mosul to begin to isolate Mosul, and as the Iraqis have announced, that has begun. These Marines that were there, the artillery battery that were there were in direct support of that. We put the -- we put the battery there to support the Americans that are there advising the Iraqi forces and also in a position to provide support to the Iraqi forces.

And from my perspective, this is no different than aviation fires we've been delivering. This happens to be surface fires -- (inaudible) -- artillery. But certainly no different conceptually than the fire support we've been providing to the Iraqis all along.

And with regard to further accelerants, the secretary and I do expect that there'll be increased capabilities provided to the Iraqis to set the conditions for their operations in Mosul. Those decisions haven't been made yet, but we certainly -- we certainly do expect more of the kinds of things that we saw in Ramadi, albeit a bit different tailored for operations in Mosul. But it's -- but again, the primary force fighting in Mosul will be Iraqi security forces and we'll be in a position to provide advise, assist and enabling capabilities to make them successful.

Q: It appears to be part of a -- more of a ground combat role than we've seen before.

GEN. DUNFORD: No, it's not. I mean, we have -- we have -- we have surface fires in Al Asad and other places, as an example, and we've used those in the past. And so this is not a fundamental shift in our approach to supporting the Iraqi forces. This happens to be what was the most appropriate tool that the commander assessed needed to be in that particular location.
[. . .]
Q: But General Dunford, we've just heard this week that there are actually 5,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq. Why is the Pentagon and senior military leadership reluctant to say that it's more than 3,800?

GEN. DUNFORD: We're not reluctant, Jennifer. What we track is the number that are in our force management level. That's 3,800. But this is nothing that's inconsistent with what's been going on for the last 15 years in terms of people that are in and out on temporary duty less than a certain period of time, people that are in direct support of the embassy. Those have -- those have not been counted. In other words, there's a consistency in the way we've been counting people that's been going on for the last 15 years.

And at any given time, we have 3,800 directly in support of the mission. When units rotate, for example, we don't double-count those numbers, so if there's a unit of 200 that's being replaced by a unit of 200 and they both happen to be on the ground at the same time, we don't count that as 400, we haven't in the past 15 years, because that hasn't -- that hasn't counted against our force management level.

So the accounting of our people has been consistent. We're not denying that there's more people than 3,800; I think you got the numbers from us. But in terms of what we count in the mission, and that's in accordance with the direction that we've been given, the 3,800 is what's against the mission.

SEC. CARTER: Jim.

Q: (Off-mic.)

GEN. DUNFORD: No, I didn't say 5,000 was accurate, I said 3,800 was the force management level and there's some number above that on any given day as a result of people that support the embassy, people at a TDY and people in other categories that don't count against that 3,800.

SEC. CARTER: Jim?

Q: I'd like to follow up, if I could, on Lita's questions about the Marines and that fire base. Unlike the previous U.S. military combat positions and fire support, this is an independent base, these are U.S. military only. And by all indications, they are not just defensive, but in this latest movement by Iraqi forces, they provided fire support for offensive operations against ISIS. So why is this not the first footprint of a U.S. combat ground operation there in Iraq?

GEN. DUNFORD: Jim, the reason they're in a different base is simply a function of geometry. They're designed to support forces in an area called Makhmur. The artillery can't be co-located with the ground forces in Makhmur and provide effective fire support, so this position was selected because of the geometry necessary to support that particular location.

And with regard to providing support to Iraqi offensive capability, once again, I mean, to me, there's no inconsistency between what this artillery unit did and what our aviation support is doing every single day. I don't draw a distinction with it. In other words, we've said that we're providing enabling support to include combined arms capability to Iraqi forces as they conduct operations, which is exactly what this artillery unit was doing.

Q: Well, we have all indications that this is a pretty permanent position right now; that after a short period of time, U.S. Army personnel are going to replace the 26 MEU Marine there. And it still has all indications that the U.S. military is directly involved in the ground operations of -- with the U.S. -- with the Iraqi.

SEC. CARTER: Yes, maybe very quickly just say, even since last week now, as the Iraqis have started to consolidate their positions, the situation on the ground has changed in terms of where the Iraqis are in the relationship to the support, the defense of support they're providing to our artillery unit that's there. So that's already changed, you know, through the course of the week.

But in all honesty, I just cannot see this being inconsistent with everything that we've been doing over the last several months.

SEC. CARTER: And let me just add to that, what we'll be doing in coming months. This is our approach to eliminating ISIL from Mosul. The Iraqi Security Forces are the ones who are carrying out the assault, the envelopment, the assault, but we're helping them.

That's our -- that's been our approach and we'll continue to do that. Started in Ramadi, we'll continue to going up to Mosul. Carla?

Q: When do you anticipate seeing U.S. American ground forces closer to the front lines as the battle towards Mosul looms?

GEN. DUNFORD: Jim, one thing that I probably just need to clarify, this position is behind what is known as the forward line of troops for the peshmerga and Kurds. So it's by no means out in front on its own.

And secondly, what I would say about your question about the future is we have a series of recommendations that we will be discussing with the president in the coming weeks to further enable our support for the Iraqi security forces.

So again, the secretary and I both believe that there will be an increase to the U.S. forces in Iraq in the coming weeks. But that decision hasn't been made.

Nor -- you know, you alluded to decisions that have already been made about Army units replacing the Marine units. All that is pre-decision. There's been no decisions made about what's going to happen to this particular position in the future.

But it is going to be decided in the context of the broader issue that the secretary will bring to the president again, focused on what it is we need to do to maintain a minimum money campaign and what specifically do we need to do to enable operations in Mosul.


 "The secretary and I both believe that there will be an increase to the U.S. forces in Iraq in the coming weeks."


So much for Barack Obama's promise of no boots on the ground and of no US troops in combat.

Like every other promise, it was just another lie.


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 BLUE


Lies and more lies from Barack.


And lies have consequences.


On the 13th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, March, 19, 2016, another US service member died in Iraq.



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"Cranky Clinton's proud"

Cranky Clinton's proud

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

IT'S OFFICIAL, CRANKY CLINTON CAUSES WAR AND IMPOTENCE.

REACHED FOR COMMENT BY THESE REPORTERS, CRANKY ADMITTED SHE WAS BORN WITH THE POWER TO SHRIVEL ANY AND ALL ERECTIONS, HOWEVER HER ABILITY TO CAUSE WAR WAS SOMETHING SHE REALLY HAD TO WORK AT.

"AND I'M PROUD OF BOTH,'' SHE INSISTED.  "BUT MAYBE A LITTLE PROUDER OF MY ABILITY TO CAUSE WAR SINCE IT UPSETS SO MANY MORE PEOPLE."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:



Larisa Epatko (THE NEWSHOUR) explains, "About 2 million people lived in Iraq’s second largest city before the Islamic State, or ISIL, siege in June 2014. Since then, some residents, including Yazidis, Turkmen and other ethnic and religious minorities have fled to other parts of the country."
The ASSOCIATED PRESS notes, "It was not immediately clear how long such a complex and taxing offensive would take."

1. Press TV Breaking ‏@BREAKING_PTV 20h20 hours ago

   Iraqi army starts Mosul offensive, liberates several villages #BreakingNews #Iraq

   

   38 retweets 18 likes

While Iran's PRESS TV is rah-rah, others are a bit more down to earth.  For example, CBS NEWS offers:


Indeed, a senior U.S. military official told CBS News that Thursday's advance was a "small operation to liberate some villages near Makhmour and push the foreign line of troops west." A commander of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces characterized the operation in the same way. 

And Jane Onyanga-Omara and Jim Michaels (USA TODAY) provide this clarity:

Still, the Iraqi ground operations are preliminary and Iraqi forces are still about 75 miles away from Mosul.
Iraq's military has yet to assemble enough trained forces needed to seize the city, a complex operation that will exceed anything Iraqi forces have accomplished since the country's military collapsed in the face of an Islamic State onslaught two years ago.


Jason Ditz (ANTIWAR.COM) sees something more than liberating Mosul as the point of the current operation focusing on Makhmour:

The Makhmur District is also a key to holding oil fields around Kirkuk, and the ISIS offensive is seen by many analysts as part of an effort to ultimately regain control over those lucrative oil fields, and have been “outgunning” the thousands of Iraqi troops in the area.
Whether they’re trying to save Iraqi ground troops who still can’t stand up to ISIS, or save oil fields, however, the latest escalation puts US troops even further in harm’s way, and has put the war even further afield from the “no boots on the ground” affair initially promised by the Obama Administration.


The "no boots on the ground" promise is now forgotten.


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Oops! She's caught again!

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

CRANKY CLINTON HAS BEEN CAUGHT IN YET ANOTHER LIE.

THIS TIME SHE'S BEEN CAUGHT LYING ABOUT WHEN SHE STARTED USING A NON-GOVERNMENT E-MAIL AND THE E-MAIL THAT PROVES IT ALSO PROVES SHE WAS WARNED ABOUT USING SUCH AN E-MAIL ACCOUNT.

REACHED FOR COMMENT, CRANKY CLINTON SCOFFED, "THE TRUTH DOESN'T MATTER.  I'M CRANKY CLINTON.  I OFFED VINCE FOSTER, I GOT AWAY WITH WHITEWATER, I CHEATED ON MY TAXES AND EVEN KICKED A DOG.  THEY NEVER MANAGE TO TAKE ME DOWN.  NEVER!"

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

In the ongoing Iraq War, the US government continues dropping bombs on Iraq.  Yesterday, the US Defense Dept announced/boasted/claimed:




Strikes in Iraq
Rocket artillery and attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 17 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL front end loader, an ISIL machine gun position, and an ISIL bed down location.

-- Near Haditha, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL staging areas.

-- Near Kirkuk, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL supply cache.

-- Near Kisik, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and three ISIL assembly areas.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL headquarters, an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area and an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL used bridge section.

-- Near Ramadi, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle and an ISIL front end loader.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun position and an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Hit, two strikes destroyed an ISIL staging area and an ISIL supply cache.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.



These bombings have been taking place daily since August 2014.  They've accomplished nothing.  Which is a good time to note THE DAILY BEAST'S Nancy A. Youssef's Tweet:

Nancy Youssef, نانسى ‏@nancyayoussef 8h8 hours ago

Overheard at the Pentagon: "The generals use the same playbook for every war. ...Strike from the air, send in SF, train locals." #Iraq

31 retweets 23 likes

One size fits all?


That might explain why the US has been unable to end any of the wars it started -- the Iraq War continues, the Afghanistan War continues and the Libyan War continues.


The US government is far too quick to go to war but when they do go they attempt the same cookie cutter pattern despite the lack of positive results.

Barack Obama said, when campaigning for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 2008, that he wanted to change the mindset.

Apparently, that desire -- like his desire to end the Iraq War -- faded shortly after he was sworn in as president during his first term.



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

SHORT AND FAT BUT SHE STILL MANAGED TO CON MILLIONS OF AMERICANS.

REACHED FOR COMMENT THIS EVENING BY THESE REPORTERS, CRANKY CLINTON EXPLAINED THE SECRET OF HER SUCCESS.

"LIE," SHE EXPLAINED.  "LIE FREQUENTLY.  LIE OFTEN.  LIE BOLDLY.  JUST LIE.  IF YOU LIE, YOU WILL BE BELIEVED.  TRUST ME.  OR DON'T.  MAYBE I'M LYING.  CAN YOU TELL?  OF COURSE YOU CAN'T.  BECAUSE I AM THE BEST LIAR IN THE WORLD."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

So what might a Hillary Clinton presidency look like on the evening news?

Andrea Mitchell:  Good evening, I'm Andrea Mitchell and this is NBC NIGHTLY NEWS WITH LESTER HOLT.  Lester is off tonight.  Our top story?  Former president Bill Clinton refuses to vacate the White House.  First up, we go to NBC analyst and host of MEET THE PRESS Chuck Todd. Chuck?

Chuck Todd: Andrea, they're calling it 14 Days of Do-Nothing.

Andrea Mitchell: Who's calling it that, Chuck?

Chuck Todd: Just me, so far, but I'm really hoping this catchs on.   It was 14 days ago that the world learned of Bill Clinton's affair with actress Bernadette Troy.  The scandal continues because of the inaction on the part of the White House and, today, Ms. Troy's announcement today that she will be selling copies of a sex tape with First Gentleman Bill Clinton.

Andrea Mitchell:  Now is this 'alleged sex tape' or has anyone actually viewed it?

Chuck Todd:  Thus far, no one has viewed it.  At midnight, it will begin selling and streaming at iTunes and Amazon.  

Andrea Mitchell:  And there has been no response as of yet to the announcement or the affair.  Thank you, Chuck.  We'll come back to Chuck later in the program but for now we go to NBC News correspondent Michelle Kosinski who was at the White House earlier today when President Hillary Clinton was joined by UK Prime Minister David Cameron to address the issue of Iran's nuclear program.  But the only questions were about Bernadette Troy.  Michelle?

Michelle Kosinski:  You are correct on that, Andrea.  Finally facing a group of reporters, President Clinton was on the White House lawn this afternoon.  The press was told that she would speak and then Mr. Cameron would make a few remarks.  There would be no questions.  Someone, Andrea, forgot we have a free press.

Footage of President Hillary Clinton and David Cameron standing at a podium. 

President Hillary Clinton: And so it is for this reason that we are giving Iran an ultmatium.  They have until midnight --

Reporter 1:  What about the sex tape!

Reporter 2:  Have you seen the sex tape, Madam President!

Reporter 3:  Are you and the First Gentleman sharing the same bedroom still!

Reporter 4:  Do you forgive him?

Michelle Kosinski:  President Clinton's remarks on Iran were a footnote to today's event.  Clearly, America wants to know what is going on.  More to the point, they want an answer to that lonely cry: "Do you forgive him?"  Back to you, Andrea.  

Andrea Mitchell: Thank you, Michelle, for that report.  To grasp what it all means, we go back to NBC news analyst Chuck Todd.  Chuck, you heard Michelle's report.  What do you make of it?

Chuck Todd:  Clearly on Day 14 of Do-Nothing, the American people want answers.  They need answers.  Remember, this is not the first time Bill Clinton has cheated on the president.  But this is the first time it's happened -- or known to have happened -- since Hillary Clinton was sworn in as president.  

Andrea Mitchell:  And what does it mean exactly?

Chuck Todd: Exactly?  My sources say that this was more than just a Lewinski -- much more.  There was penetration --

Andrea Mitchell: No, Chuck, what does it mean for the country?

Chuck Todd: I think what the American people are asking is, "Do you forgive him?"  Does President Clinton forgive her husband Bill?

Andrea Mitchell: Thank you for breaking that down, Chuck.  We now go to entertainment correspondent and TODAY SHOW host Savannah Guthrie.  Savannah, the whole country still wants to know who Bernadine Troy is?


Savannah Guthrie:  Well, Andrea, Bernadette Troy in Meadville, Pennsylvania in 1988 and went on to a notable career with an episode of DONNY!, a background player on BEST TIME EVER WITH NEIL PATRICK HARRIS! and contributions to many other shows that ended with an exclamation point.  Troy is possibly most recognized for her work with Tom Beregon on infomercials.

Andrea Mitchell: So she is acclaimed in her field?

Savannah Guthrie:  Yes, that is correct.  One observer said, and I'm quoting, "Bernadette is like a young Charo or Joey Heatheron before the drugs."


Chuck Todd: I said that!  Andrea, I said that.


Andrea Mitchell:  NBC News analyst Chuck Todd.  Chuck, I understand that you are now being cited as an expert on this topic?


Chuck Todd:  Yes, Andrea that is correct.  Now --


Andrea Mitchell:  Excuse me, Chuck, we have Richard Engel standing by.  NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel.  Richard, are you there?


Richard Engel: Yes, Andrea, I am there or, rather, I am here in downtown Baghdad where protests are breaking out across the region and the root cause of it may be the latest affair of former president Bill Clinton.  In Tehran, the protesters carried signs stating "YANKEE DEVIL WATCH WHERE YOU POKE THAT THING" while in Damascus some signs proclaimed, "YANKEE DEVIL STOP YOUR FORNICATION."

Andrea Mitchell: And, Richard, I understand that some foreign governments are watching this situation very closely.  

Richard Engel:  Well in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, leader Kim Jong Un has said that President Hillary Clinton has been bloodied on the world stage insisting that her paralysis on the issue of her marriage is reflective of her larger failure to act on the world stage.  He declared today, and I quote, "Yankee devil Hillary is weak and now is the time to destroy the United States."

Andrea Mitchell:  Chuck, analysis?


Chuck Todd:  It would appear President Clinton is being seen as a, quote, "Yankee devil."


Andrea Mitchell:  Insight!  We'll be right back after these commercial messages.

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"THIS JUST IN! CAUGHT LYING AGAIN!"

"She's a liar and senile"

She's a liar and senile

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

CRANKY CLINTON CAN'T STOP LYING.

SHE'S BEEN CAUGHT AGAIN SAYING SHE DID NOT KNOW WHERE BERNIE SANDERS WAS WHEN SHE WAS LEADING HER LOSING BATTLE ON HEALTHCARE.

TURNS OUT, HE WAS RIGHT BEHIND HER.

SO SHE'S A LIAR AND SENILE.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:




Oh, how the US government manipulates information.

Wednesday, Cheryl Pellerin with DOD News or Propaganda, wrote the following:


Leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant who are captured by the Expeditionary Targeting Force and held for questioning will be detained by the force only for short periods of time and the detention will be coordinated with Iraqi authorities, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told defense reporters here that ETF missions, first announced in October, are conducting operations as part of the coalition fight there against ISIL.

“One of the missions that we anticipate they will do is to capture a small number of ISIL leaders,” Davis said. “The detention of these [leaders] we anticipate will be very short-term [and] coordinated with Iraqi authorities.”


Well that's interesting where did it come from?

It came from the Defense Dept trying to seize the narrative.

Wednesday morning, they were still concerned that the US press might actually actually get off their lazy and useless asses and do their damn job.

The Defense Dept should never have sweated it because the US press never does their job.



Tuesday the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing which we covered in Tuesday's Iraq snapshot, "Magical Bernie trumps Tired Hillary" and in Thursday's Iraq snapshot.


Three generals testified before the Committee, Gen Lloyd Austin (CENTCOM),  Gen Joseph Vogel (Special Operations Command) and Gen David Rodriguez (US Africa Command).  The Chair of the Committee is Senator John McCain, the Ranking Member is Senator Jack Reed.

What had the Defense Dept sweating bullets was the following exchange from that hearing.



Senator Kelly Ayotte:  I wanted to follow up on an important question.  Both General Rodriquez and General Votel, this is something I've actually asked both your predecessors about and my concern is if we capture Ayman al-Zawahiri or Baghdadi -- [Abu Bakr] al-Baghdadi tomorrow where will we detain these individuals under long term law of war detention -- most importantly to interrogate them to find out all that we need to know about al Qaeda and ISIS?  And as I asked your predecessor going back to 2011, I asked -- I asked General [Carter] Hamm, your predecessor in AFRICOM, what would happen if tomorrow we captured a member of al Qaeda in Africa?  And you know what he told me?  He said I'm going to need some lawyerly help on answering that one.  I also asked the same of Admiral  [William] McRaven, your predecessor, General Votel.  And he said to me that it would be very helpful if there was actually a facility that was designated for long term, law of war detention and interrogation.  So I guess my question to both of you is tomorrow, if we capture these individuals, given the phenomenal work that the men and women who serve underneath you do ever day, where are we going to interrogate them?  Do you know that?  Do you know what you would do with them?  Especially if you wanted to have a long term interrogation of them?  


Gen Joseph Votel:  Senator, in my experiences, we've looked at operations where we're actually going to detains somebody we have had a plan in place before we actually conducted the operation for how we were going to potentially detain them and what their legal disposition would be -- whether that was back in the US courts --

Senator Kelly Ayotte:  No, General, we just recently captured someone in ISIS and as I understand it, they're not being -- they're being held short term and then they're going to be turned back to the Kurds.  So what about long term detention?  You would agree that long term interrogation is quite helpful, for example, in gathering the information that we needed to get [Osama] bin Laden.  That's what worries me

Gen Joseph Votel:  I --

Senator Kelly Ayotte: What do we do in a long term setting?  Do we know?

Gen Joseph Votel:  I--I would agree that there is a requirement for long term detention, Senator.

Senator Kelly Ayotte: And do we know where that would be now?



Gen Joseph Votel:  I-I don't know that.  That is a politica -- a policy decision that I think is being debated.

Senator Kelly Ayotte:  I think it's a policy decision that has basically never been made under this administration.  It's one that has been left up in the air which means it's left up in the air in a way I think undermines our national security interest.


So a captured member of the Islamic State can't be held and will be turned back over to the Kurds.


You'd think the CBS EVENING NEWS would open with that news or NBC NIGHTLY NEWS or . . .

No one wanted to touch it.

The news was, for those who can't catch it, in Iraq a member of the Islamic State was captured, the US briefly interrogated him and would now be handing him back to the Kurds.  This was due to not having a facility and this did not seem, to Gen Joseph Vogel, to be the appropriate thing to do.

You can disagree with him, agree with him or have no opinion on what should be done.

But it is news.

And news is what we're supposed to debate and discuss in a democracy in order to be informed citizens participating in our self-governance.


The day after the hearing, THE NEW YORK TIMES, for example, was front-paging 'news' like "Fasting Diets Are Gaining Acceptance" by Anahad O'Connor.

You know who does the most fasting in America?

The extreme poor.

It's not 'trendy' or 'buzz worthy,' so it doesn't make it onto the front page of THE NEW YORK TIMES -- or inside.


Nor does news that really matters like the Tuesday Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.



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