Cedric's Big Mix

Thursday, September 10, 2015

He feels ignored

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

POOR FADED CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O DESPERATE FOR ATTENTION IS SHOVED OUT OF THE LIMELIGHT BY CRANKY CLINTON AND COL. BERNIE SANDERS.

A FLURRY OF ATTENTION COMES HIS WAY VIA REPORTS THAT HIS MARRIAGE IS ON THE ROCKS AND HE'S FLIRTING WITH CAROLINE KENNEDY.

REACHED FOR COMMENT, BARRY O TOLD THESE REPORTERS, "IT'S JUST NICE TO POSE FOR PICTURES AGAIN, YOU KNOW? IT'S LIKE IF THE CAMERA'S NOT THERE NEITHER AM I."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Starting with the sadly laughable US State Dept where, today, spokesperson John Kirby moderated a press briefing today.

QUESTION: But it seems bizarre that you find Iran’s role in Iraq as kind of positive. I have heard Secretary Kerry saying that whoever kills ISIS is kind of – is positive. And then on the other side, Iran and Assad are kind of the same – different sides of the same coin in --

MR KIRBY: What we’ve said about Iran’s involvement in Iraq is – and nothing’s changed about that, that – and we understand they have concerns, they got a border there, and certainly we’re not unmindful of the fact that they provide some measure of support to some of the Shia militia inside Iraq. But our message has been the same to Iran as it is to every country in the region, and that is: If you’re going to get involved in Iraq, you need to do it through the Government of Iraq and – officially – and don’t do anything that’s going to further inflame or arise sectarian tensions.

Really?

John Kirby said what?

"If you’re going to get involved in Iraq, you need to do it through the Government of Iraq."

Hmm.

No, they didn't say that to "every country in the region."

Sorry, John, you're wrong.

No one said that, for example, to Turkey.

Let's drop back to the July 28th snapshot for an extended memory jog:

The Daily Sabah notes that Turkish F-16 war planes continue bombing northern Iraq.

In related news, the US State Dept noted today, "There is NO Daily Press Briefing."

Of course not.

No way could they send John Kirby back out to face the press after yesterday's embarrassing performance.

For those who missed it, we noted this in Monday's snapshot, Kirby prattled on and on about the rights of the Turkish government.

Yes, it was embarrassing but, as we noted, what about the rights of the Iraqi government?

Kirby created a 'right' where Turkey can bomb any country in the world.

He just didn't recognize Iraq's sovereignty.

Not everyone plays it so stupid.

Haider Al-Abadi ‏@HaiderAlAbadi 14 hours ago

Council of Ministers considers Turkish airstrikes on Iraqi territory a dangerous escalation and a violation of Iraq's sovereignty (1/3)

146 retweets 64 favorites

Haider al-Abadi is the Prime Minister of Iraq.

In the US government's rush to embrace the bombings Turkey is carrying out, they forgot (a) that Iraq's supposed to be an ally and (b) that these bombings had previously outraged Iraqis.

It's a reality we were noting in Saturday's snapshot:

The Turkish government -- probably like many others -- is using the pretext of the Islamic State to attack Iraq.
In doing so, it is violating Iraq's sovereignty yet again.
This didn't work out well before, for any who paid attention.
The Turkish warplanes, announcements swore, killed 'terrorists.' Reality, they bombed farming communities and killed civilians.
This didn't endear them to the Iraqi people.
There was outrage, naturally.

The US government is now scrambling to craft a 'position' on the strikes -- hoping to approve of Turkey's bombings while still pretending to respect Iraq's sovereignty.

And that's why there was no press briefing today.

But there's a good chance that, had the State Dept held a press briefing today, the press would have ignored the issue of Iraq's sovereignty.

The press ignored it in Monday's briefing.

And while we've raised the issue every day (here for Sunday and you can also read Third's "Editorial: Turkey attacks Iraq"), the western press has avoided it.

Now that the prime minister of Iraq has weighed in publicly, the western press may have to cover this aspect of the story.

Or maybe not.

It was maybe not.

Listen to me, don't walk that street
There's always an end to it
Come and be free, you know who I am
We're just living people

We won't have a thing
So we got nothing to lose
We can all be free
Maybe not with words
Maybe not with a look
But with your mind
-- "Maybe Not," written by Chan Marshall (also known as Cat Power), first appears on Cat's You Are Free.

And today John Kirby was insisting that, "If you’re going to get involved in Iraq, you need to do it through the Government of Iraq" -- but that was never the policy for Turkey.

The US government gladly ignored Turkey violating Iraq's sovereignty and gladly ignored it again today.

AFP reports, "Turkish forces crossed into northern Iraq to pursue Kurdish militants Tuesday after the deadliest rebel attacks in years left dozens dead as the decades long conflict escalated. Thirteen Turkish police were killed Tuesday in a new attack by Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants as violence in the east threatened to spiral out of control."

Turkey's allowed to repeatedly violate Iraq's sovereignty and even when Iraq's leaders -- including the prime minister object -- the US government just looks the other way.

If Mexico was bombing parts of California or Texas and launching ground raids, you better believe this same US government would be screaming its head off about national sovereignty being violated.

There's also the harm that these raids can cause in the battle against the Islamic State. AP observes, "The operations however, threaten to complicate the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq. The PKK, which maintains bases in northern Iraq, has fought against the extremist militants in Iraq alongside Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces which are allied with the United States."

But State Dept spokesperson John Kirby just pretends nothing is happening.

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"Why Cranky picked MSNBC"

Sunday, September 06, 2015

Why Cranky picked MSNBC

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

IN A BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX EXCLUSIVE -- MUST CREDIT BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- CRANKY CLINTON HAS EXCLUSIVELY REVEALED WHY SHE CHOSE TO SIT DOWN WITH ANDREA MITCHELL ON FRIDAY TO TALK ABOUT HER E-MAIL SCANDAL.

"NO ONE WATCHES MSNBC," CRANKY EXPLAINED, "AND WHAT HAPPENS IS THE MORE PEOPLE THAT SEE ME, THE MORE PEOPLE THAT DON'T LIKE ME. SO GOING ON ANDREA'S SHOW THAT NO ONE WATCHES WAS THE BEST WAY TO GET MY STORY OUT. NO ONE WOULD SEE ME BUT ALL THE NEWSPAPERS WOULD WRITE ABOUT IT."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Hannah Allam, the joke of all US reporters covering Iraq returns to the topic.

For those late to the public embarrassment, Hannah not only writes for McClatchy but operates a little-read Twitter feed. Yet she grandstands publicly, for years now, about Iraqi refugees at various events -- how they need help and attention.

But she never writes or Tweets about the topic.

She's become a useless joke.

At this point, the human punchline returns to the topic of Iraq to scribble:

Iraq’s ability to fight Islamic State extremists who control roughly a third of the country is hampered by a financial crisis that’s left the Baghdad government operating “hand to mouth,” Iraqi Ambassador Lukman Faily warned this week.
The inability to pay salaries on time to the soldiers and militiamen fighting the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has hurt morale and hindered progress in operations to retake key hubs that were captured by the jihadists, Faily said in an interview Thursday. And belt-tightening measures such as consolidating government ministries threaten to exacerbate ethnic and sectarian tensions by upsetting the delicate power-sharing quota system that’s been in place since the U.S.-led occupation authority took charge following the invasion of 2003.
“This goes back to not making your support conditional,” he added, referring to Iraqi officials’ frustration with the Obama administration’s reluctance to bail them out last year unless Baghdad first made reforms to address the corruption and ingrained sectarianism that softened the ground for the extremist takeover of Mosul in the north and most of Anbar province in the west.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/nation-world/article34194438.html#storylink=cpy

Is that what it goes back to?

Oh, Faily thinks the whole world is as stupid as he is -- or Hannah is.

She then talks to Iraq Oil Report where, no surprise, it's Nouri's fault.

Unlike Iraq Oil Report, we've slammed Nouri al-Maliki since the summer of 2006. We were never taken in by the thug. Iraq Oil Report had to wait until he was out of power to really slam him (2014).

They're cowards. The world is full of cowards.

We still slam Nouri for his actions today.

For his actions.

Nouri hasn't been prime minister since August of last year. Haider al-Abadi is prime minister.

If there are budget woes now, that's on Haider.

I loathe Nouri al-Maliki. He's a thug and belongs in prison.

I'm comfortable slamming him for anything he's done.

But today's budget woes are not Nouri's problems.

Past corruption is Nouri's problem.

Not today's corruption.

Here's some basic reality that was too much for Hannah, the World Bank ranks 185 countries based on GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Iraq comes in at 75 while Madagascar is ranked 173.

The most recent numbers for Madagascar's GDP is $22 billion in US dollars.

That would be a country closer to struggling.

Iraq?

Saif Hameed (Reuters) reported last January, "Iraq's parliament approved a budget worth 119 trillion Iraqi dinars ($105 billion) on Thursday, made possible by improved ties between Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish region, but contrained by plunging global oil prices."

The price of oil fluctuates, that's nothing new. As this week wound down, it was $46.75 per barrel at one point. As Hameed noted in his January report, the budget approved was based on a $50 per barrel price.

The price per barrel only dropped below $50 at the end of July. It had been above $50 per barrel since the start of the year with it being nearly $70 mid-April. Barring any economic disaster, oil will average a price per barrel of greater than $50 for the year.

In the meantime, the CIA estimates 37 million Iraqis in Iraq.

In what world can a $105 billion yearly budget not guarantee the protection and security of 37 million people?

That's the question that idiots and liars like Hannah have ignored year after year.

The hard questions, the ones journalists are supposed to ask, have gone ignored under Nouri al-Maliki.

Now that he's out, Iraq Oil Report can criticize him to Hannah but, here's the thing, now that he's out of power, he's no longer responsible for the ongoing corruption.

McClatchy Newspapers did little to nothing for Iraq.

When they bought Knight-Ridder, they thought they could buy Knight-Ridder's pre-Iraq War reporting image.

But only idiots (hey, Lambert) fell for it.

McClatchy existed before the Iraq War started.

It did not expose the lies leading to war. That was Knight-Ridder.

Buying Knight-Ridder and then absorbing it in the summer of 2006 did not make McClatchy a truth teller in 2002 and 2003 when it, like the New York Times and so many other outlets, just parroted what Bully Boy Bush, Dick Cheney and others said.

In all her time 'reporting' on Iraq for McClatchy, Hannah never wrote one story that mattered.

That tells you a great deal about Hannah and about McClatchy.

Today, she writes an idiotic piece about Iraq struggling with finances but fails to tell you their 2015 budget, fails to tell you the population -- we're talking about 37 million people and a 105 billion dollar budget.

There's no extreme math skills needed to see this problem.

But apparently, Hannah lacks whatever skills are necessary to point out this basic problem.

Those skills might include honesty because she's never come off as very honest to me.

When you have a corrupt government and US reporters fail to report on the corruption, I'm failing to understand how a reporter like Hannah can be characterized as anything but corrupt herself.

All Iraq News reports, "The Supreme Religious Authority called for pursuing the top corrupted officials as a basic step towards reforms." Press TV adds:

"One of the essential steps for reform is to hunt the big heads among the corrupt and hold them accountable, to retrieve all the stolen money," Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in a sermon delivered by his representative Ayatollah Ahmad al-Safi in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala on Friday.

He added people "have long suffered from corruption" and they want "this mission to be implemented without procrastination and delay".

His call would have more power if amplified by the world press. Instead, 'reporters' like Hannah Allem provide cover for the corruption and the corrupt.

What the Hannahs of the world do 'report' is the statements of people like Haider claiming that they will do this or that.

Report it as fact and with no follow up.

Leave it to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to point out what the press refuses: Iraqi officials making statements to the media are not enough, actual actions are needed.

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"Food for thought"

Thursday, September 03, 2015

Food for thought

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

"MAMA HASN'T EVEN STOPPED BAKING," SNORTED CRANKY CLINTON TO THESE REPORTERS LATE LAST NIGHT.

SHE WAS RESPONDING TO RUMORS OF HER IMPENDING DEMISE WITH SOME INSISTING STICK A FORK IN HER, SHE'S DONE.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

As September starts, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq announces at least 1325 violent deaths for the month of August in Iraq:

Baghdad, 1 September 2015 – According to casualty figures released today by UNAMI, a total of 1,325 Iraqis were killed and another 1,811 were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in August 2015*.

The number of civilians killed was 585 (including 20 civilian police and casualty figures in Anbar), and the number of civilians injured was 1,103 (including 44 civilian police and casualty figures in Anbar).
A further 740 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (including Peshmerga, SWAT and militias fighting alongside the Iraqi Army / Not including casualties from Anbar Operations) were killed and 708 were injured.
“With the steadily increasing number of casualties, internally displaced persons, and the alarming rate of Iraqis fleeing war, persecution and poverty to seek refuge abroad, the successful implementation of the government reform plan will be paramount to restore order, legality and social justice in the country and renew confidence in the fair participation of all in the society”, SRSG Kubis said, acknowledging the immense sacrifices Iraqi civilians and security forces continue to make in the ongoing war against terrorism.
Baghdad was the worst affected Governorate with 1,069 civilian casualties (318 killed, 751 injured). Diyala suffered 108 killed and 162 injured; Ninewa 69 killed and 3 injured; Salah al-Din 23 killed and 13 injured and Kirkuk 17 killed and 15 injured.
According to information obtained by UNAMI from the Health Directorate in Anbar, the Governorate suffered a total of 187 civilian casualties (39 killed and 148 injured).
*CAVEATS: In general, UNAMI has been hindered in effectively verifying casualties in conflict areas. Figures for casualties from Anbar Governorate are provided by the Health Directorate and are noted below. Casualty figures obtained from the Anbar Health Directorate might not fully reflect the real number of casualties in those areas due to the increased volatility of the situation on the ground and the disruption of services. In some cases, UNAMI could only partially verify certain incidents. UNAMI has also received, without being able to verify, reports of large numbers of casualties along with unknown numbers of persons who have died from secondary effects of violence after having fled their homes due to exposure to the elements, lack of water, food, medicines and health care. For these reasons, the figures reported have to be considered as the absolute minimum.

This is an undercount. It's always been an undercount.

In the past, we've noted Anitwar.com.

Not interested anymore.

Not because Justin Raimondo is the equivalent of wet-pantied, squealing little girl at a Beatles concert when it comes to Barack Obama. (They call themselves Antiwar and 'libertarian' but any time Barack pulls a fake ass 'peace' move, Raimondo's hands go straight down his pants as he begins moaning.)

This is because they're liars and I don't like liars.

Back in 2014, we raised the issue of Margaret Griffis tossing "militants" onto any deaths because some official did. We'd hoped that would change this year.

Not only did it not change but when it turned out that so-called 'militants' were actually innocent civilians, Antiwar.com didn't go back and change the propaganda and lies they'd offered.

This is no different than be outraged that the New York Times spread propaganda to sell and continue the illegal war in Iraq.

This is no different than expressing dismay that its then-reporter Judith Miller took dictation from government sources instead of doing actual reporting.

When civilians are killed by governments and governments try to wall paper over those deaths by pretending the dead were 'militants' or 'terrorists,'

Those who help them reach that goal -- intentionally or due to their own blatant stupidity -- are no better than the government liars.

I've tried to be nice about it, but I'm sick of it now.

One of the worst War Crimes of the illegal war was the murder and gang-rape of Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi who was gang-raped while her parents and younger sister were murdered. This was done by US soldiers who were sure they could get away with it because the violence would be blamed on, yes, 'militants' and 'terrorists' and, yes, they almost got away with it.

We covered what happened here. We covered the Article 32 hearing, the plea deals, the civilian prosecution of Steven D. Green, Abeer's family reacting to the verdict on Green and so much more.

By contrast, I think Antiwar.com offered three pieces on this War Crime.

They really weren't interested which goes to the hatred of women which you'll find at Antiwar.com -- one of those sites infamous for multitudes of men writing and blogging and the occasional token woman.

They weren't interested in Abeer.

And they're not interested in Iraqis.

They really do reek of the isolationist slur or stereotype that so many War Hawks try to pin on them -- and they have no one to blame for that but themselves.

As I've repeatedly noted over the years, I'm part of a peace movement, not an anti-war movement. That crowd has trouble grasping what to hold on to but they can tell you in three seconds everything they're against.

Those were ideological differences.

I bit my tongue.

When Antiwar.com knows that civilians were killed and that they reported those deaths as deaths of 'militants'? When they know that and they don't correct it or follow up on it?

Not only does Justin Raimondo have no high horse to ride but we have no use for them.

Mistakes are one thing -- we all make them -- intentionally lying is another.

Their embrace of Nouri al-Maliki?

We largely looked the other way.

But that's typical of the immaturity they've demonstrated repeatedly over the years while pretending to be the leading light of 'anti war' thinking.

You'll notice that even now, especially now?, with Nouri a public disgrace, they don't address their ridiculous support of Nouri -- a position that seems as laughable as the pro-Stalin Americans of yesteryear.

But thing is, it was always laughable.

We called Nouri out in real time and we called him out repeatedly.

The abuses he's now infamous for?

We called them out while they were taking place.

Antiwar.com wall papered over those in order to keep their pro-Nouri stance.

We have no more use for Antiwar.com and the reason is that they don't respect Iraqis enough to stop repeating unverifiable claims that the dead are 'militants' or 'terrorists.'

It's not a minor point.

If they truly were antiwar, they would grasp that not only is it not a minor point but that what they are doing perpetuates war because it provides cover for the deaths of civilians.

"Watch Donald Trump Completely Contradict Himself . . ."

Oh, it's time to gas bag and pretend you reported, is it?

Yes, a US presidential election is only 15 or so months away which means it's time for Mother Jones to start pretending they're covering real issues.

And first stop: Iraq.

The little twerps spend forever trying to figure out how to shame the GOP and call it 'reporting' before arriving at useless crap like that Donald Trump nonsense we'll note but not link to.

If they're truly worried about someone contradicting themselves on Iraq, they'd be noting Hillary Clinton as well. They don't.

Now in 2008, they slaughtered her -- especially David Corn.

That's when they were pimping Barack.

Since he can't run and Hillary's the desired candidate of big money, Mother Jones is pimping her now.

They call it 'reporting' but they're really just thugs sent out to destroy for their corporate masters.

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"A possible explanation?"

Tuesday, September 01, 2015

A possible explanation?

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

CRANKY CLINTON'S GETTING TESTY WHEN FORCED TO TALK E-MAILS.

REACHED FOR COMMENT BY THESE REPORTERS, THE BIG DAWG HIMSELF ATTEMPTED TO DEFEND HIS WIFE AND INSISTED THAT SHE WASN'T GETTING TESTY ABOUT HIDING THINGS.

"YOU GOT TO REALIZE, SHE'S A GRANDMA -- YOU'VE SEEN HER RIGHT? SHE'S OLD, SHE'S ELDERLY. WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ON HER FACE IS THE FACE OF A CONFUSED, ELDERLY WOMAN WHO JUST DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HOW E-MAILS EVEN WORK. SHE CAN'T USE THE FAX MACHINE. SHE CAN'T USE ANY MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT, REALLY? TOOK HER YEARS O MASTER THE VIBRATOR. TRUST ME."

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Starting with this:

John Kerry ‏@JohnKerry 3 hours ago

#GLACIER reinforced that all must #ActOnClimate; it is our collective responsibility. http://state.gov/glacier

68 retweets 90 favorites

John Kerry retweeted

I'm sorry, sweetheart, which Disney princess are you?

I kind of thought you were Secretary of State.

But to be that, you'd need to be doing something on Iraq.

You haven't.

But you think you have time for Climate Change so you must be a Disney princess, right?

I happen to believe in global warming.

And that the issue needs to be addressed.

But, John Kerry, your plate is full.

And after a year of US taxpayers footing the bill for billions more on Iraq, you should be Tweeting about Iraq and focusing on Iraq.

If that's too much for you, maybe you should apply at Disney?

As a Vietnam veteran, you'd benefit because Disney believes in hiring veterans.

But if you want to be Secretary of State, it's past time you started focusing on Iraq.

Your lack of leadership is evident at the State Dept.

From Friday's snapshot:

#IRAQ شمرية العراق ‏@moonnor27 6 hours ago

shia militiaman Abu Azrael crimes burned sunni man in #Iraq this man backed by Iran & Iraq goverment @KenRoth @hrw

173 retweets 31 favorites

Rami ‏@RamiAlLolah 13 hours ago

He is an icon! This is how the Western media promotes his sectarian crimes & hatred in #Iraq against the Sunnis #ISIS

67 retweets 36 favorites

Rami ‏@RamiAlLolah 13 hours ago

Horrific #video! Sectarian violations gone too far in #Iraq. Shiite militants hangs; burns & cuts Sunnis apart.. https://youtu.be/U0AaI5BXl6s

56 retweets 21 favorites

As noted, this thug is treated by the western media as something heroic -- a Rambo.

It's that sort of whoring by the press that allows so many around the world to never grasp what's going on in Iraq or how things got to the point they are now.

Clear enough, right?

And the story received attention from the media all weekend.

Despite that attention . . .

When the issue was raised to State Dept spokesperson Mark Toner at today's press briefing, he pleaded ignorance.

QUESTION: I want your reaction for a video that circulated over the internet of a celebrated Shia militia in Iraq, whose, like, his graphic pictures are seen basically burning an ISIS member and slicing off his flesh. I wanted to know whether the United States has a position on the anti-ISIS forces taking basically what seems to be from ISIS playbook in fighting the ISIS fighters?

MR TONER: Sorry, so you’re speaking to a video that shows --

QUESTION: Of a very famous militia man named as the Rambo of Iraq in Western press. He’s seen basically in the video like desecrating the body of an ISIS fighter. Is it okay for anti-ISIS forces to practice --

MR TONER: I mean, we wouldn’t – I’m not aware of this actual incident that you’re speaking about. But the desecration of any --

QUESTION: But in general, you are not --

MR TONER: In general, no, we don’t support --

QUESTION: Against ISIS. Against ISIS.

MR TONER: Regardless of who it is, we don’t support the desecration of bodies of fallen enemy or anyone, frankly.

Again, Princess John, you're not doing your job and it's effecting those working under you.

For Toner to go into a briefing on Monday and not know about a major Iraq story that broke on the previous Friday and was covered all weekend in the press goes to John Kerry's lackadaisical -- I'll get there when I get there -- attitude about Iraq.

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Sunday, August 30, 2015

They drift away from her

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

JOE BIDEN WAS GREETED LIKE A ROCK STAR IN DELAWARE.

THE VICE PRESIDENT RUNS LIKE A BIG DOG WHILE CRANKY CLINTON "HAS LOST ONE THIRD OF HER SUPPORT IN IOWA SINCE MAY."

REACHED FOR COMMENT, CRANKY SNARLED, "AMERICA DOESN'T ELECT ROCK STARS! IF THEY DID STEVEN TYLER WOULD BE A FORMER PRESIDENT, NOT RONALD REAGAN!"

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Turning to US politics, Scott Walker is the governor of Wisconsin. Supposedly, he's seeking the Republican Party's 2016 presidential nomination.

Supposedly, because I've never seen such a crap ass campaign and we covered Jill Stein's idiotic run in 2012.

Walker's in the news because he gave a "major foreign policy speech."

And you can find that out at NBC News, CBS News, etc.

You just can't really find it at his campaign website.

They're helpful enough to tell you how you can watch the now past speech "live" and they even offer five bulletin points from it.

Here's a clue for Scott Walker's campaign, come into the 21st century.

If you give a major speech, post it on your campaign website, you damn fool.

If you don't, why did you give it?

What a moron.

And that "moron" is due to his idiotic campaign website.

We long ago noted at Third, ten years ago?, that your website was your online office. You need to run it effectively.

Bill Barrow (AP) reports:

Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker is calling for U.S. forces in Iraq to engage in direct combat to defeat "radical Islamic terrorists" in the Middle East.
Yet even as the Wisconsin governor predicts a "generational struggle," he continues to avoid calling for additional ground troops beyond the roughly 3,200 military security personnel, trainers and advisers now deployed.

Is that an accurate portrayal of Walker's view?

I have no idea.

He and his campaign were too stupid to post a transcript of the speech online.

Some partisan outlets (Vox, to name one) are treating the above position sketched out by Barrow as outrageous.

But this is US President Barack Obama's position -- though they never call him out.

He's the one who's put over 3,200 US military personnel in Iraq.

And this is close to the 3,500 to 4,000 he wanted to leave in Iraq after December 2011.

And their being in combat?

That's what he told the New York Times when he was first running for the Democratic Party's 2008 presidential nomination -- that after starting a withdrawal, if things went bad in Iraq, he was fine with sending troops back into Iraq.

Oh, is this news to you?

It's because the New York Times failed to report it.

They did a fluffy, frou-frou report based on an extensive interview with Barack. We took the transcript of the interview and wrote the reality at Third in November 4, 2007's "NYT: 'Barack Obama Will Keep Troops In Iraq':"

Presidential candidate and US Senator Barack Obama who is perceived as an 'anti-war' candidate by some announced that he would not commit to a withdrawal, declared that he was comfortable sending US troops back into Iraq after a withdrawal started and lacked clarity on exactly what a withdrawal under a President Obama would mean.

Declaring that "there are no good options in Iraq," Senator Obama went on to explain that even with his 16 month plan for withdrawal, he would continue to keep US troops in Iraq, agreeing that he would "leave behind residual force" even after what he is billing as a "troop withdrawal."

"Even something as simple as protecting our embassy is going to be dependent on what is the security environment in Baghdad. If there is some sense of security, then that means one level of force. If you continue to have significant sectarian conflict, that means another, but this is an area where Senator Clinton and I do have a significant contrast," Senator Obama offered contrasting himself with his chief opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination. "I do think it is important for us not only to protect our embassy, but also to engage in counter-terrorism activities. We’ve seen progress against AQI [Al Qaeda in Iraq], but they are a resilient group and there’s the possibility that they might try to set up new bases. I think that we should have some strike capability. But that is a very narrow mission, that we get in the business of counter terrorism as opposed to counter insurgency and even on the training and logistics front, what I have said is, if we have not seen progress politically, then our training approach should be greatly circumscribed or eliminated."

The Senator insisted, "I want to be absolutely clear about this, because this has come up in a series of debates: I will remove all our combat troops, we will have troops there to protect our embassies and our civilian forces and we will engage in counter terrorism activities. How large that force is, whether it’s located inside Iraq or as an over the horizon force is going to depend on what our military situation is."

The positon of the majority of Americans in poll after poll is that all US troops need to be brought home by 2008. Senator Obama's strategy calls for bringing some troops home, should he be elected president, in his first sixteen months; however, he is not, by his own words, an advocate of a "Out of Iraq" strategy.

While maintaining that he would remove all combat troops in sixteen months he did agree that the forces left behind to fight "terrorists" would be performing "a combat function."

He also spoke of deployment, and presumably bases, "in places like Kuwait" in order "to strike at terrorist targets successfully."

Returning the topic of leaving US forces in Iraq even after what he's billed as a "withdrawal," the Senator delcared, "As commander in chief, I’m not going to leave trainers unprotected. In our counterterrorism efforts, I’m not going to have a situation where our efforts can’t be successful. We will structure those forces so they can be successful. We would still have human intelligence capabilities on the ground. Some of them would be civilian, as opposed to military, some would be operating out of our bases as well as our signal intelligence.

The senator also admitted that he was comfortable with sending troops back into Iraq after what he's terming a "withdrawal" though he wanted to split hairs on what constituted "armed force."

Again, if that's news to you, take it up with the New York Times which had the above quotations and chose not to run with them. As we said at the end of the above:

That's the story they could have written based upon the interview conducted by Michael Gordon and Jeff Zeleny. As C.I. noted in Friday's "Iraq snapshot," the interview the reporters conducted hit harder than the sop they wrote up on it that ran on Friday's front page of the paper.

Walker's position is not significantly different from Barack's. (And, for the record, I don't support either's position on Iraq.)

And for those really harping on Walker's position that US forces should be in combat, they already are. Those bombs dropped from US war planes?

That's combat.

In addition, Wael Grace (Al Mada) reported this week on what the people of Nineveh Province were seeing: US forces joining Iraqi forces in combat.

The residents say this is not 'consulting' or 'advising' but that US forces are actually taking part in on the ground combat.

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