Bush chickens roost over shattered Iraq

We anti war critics have been predicting the collapse of Iraq for a decade now. As the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIS) marches across Iraq, gobbling up the second largest city Mosul, and controlling the western third of the country, the US trained Iraq soldiers are shedding their uniforms faster than you can say "shock and awe." The war party, headed up by Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham are demanding renewed military intervention by the president and blaming the entire Iraqi collapse on his pull out of Iraq in 2011.

Bunk.

The American public was sick of a decade of senseless, criminal war President George W. Bush launched against Iraq in 2003, would have preferred it never been fought, and lamented Obama's excruciatingly slow three year pull out. Several trillion dollars squandered, hundreds of thousands dead including 4,489 GI's and millions injured or displaced is not enough for the virulent warmongers McCain and Graham. McCain in particular sounds delusional or mentally challenged when he says we won in Iraq until Obama pulled out. What he conveniently or possibly medically forgets is that the Iraqis kicked us out because we wouldn't accept their demand to hold US soldiers accountable for atrocities they have a tendency to commit when defiling Iraqi territory. Both McCain and Graham, rabid proponents of Bush's criminal war, are working hard to erase their responsibility for the senseless bloodletting by calling it a just cause and noble victory being lost by a president who simply doesn't share their lust for war, war and more war. The only force that can keep Obama from giving into their crazed demands is the American People, who rose up and prevented, through public opinion, the senseless bombing of Syrian forces that would have killed hundreds, if not thousands of innocents, and achieved nothing. We should let Iraq's best new buddy Iran, who we gifted Iraq with by toppling Saddam Hussein, pull their Shi'ite chestnuts out of the fire being torched by the Sunni militants. Iran's elite Qud force is already being deployed in Tikrit, Karbala and Najaf. Since the war party still lusts for war with Iran, allowing Tehran to save Iraq in not an option. The congressional war lovers, abetted by their fellow sociopaths and war profiteers in the media, the military and the munitions makers will get their way unless WE push back. Our message is simple: We've killed enough.

Brat victory sure to pull Roskam further right

 

There was good news and bad for career right wing politician Peter Roskam in Dave Brat's stunning Tea Party victory over House GOP Majority Leader Eric Cantor (VA-7) yesterday. As House GOP Chief Deputy Whip, Roskam is likely to move up at least one position from his current No.4 spot. That's the good news.

The bad news is that Roskam, as well as every GOP leader, must pause to see the danger in Tea Party extremist Brat knocking off a fellow GOP powerhouse like Cantor. Brat's extremism in reflected in his single issue fanaticism demonizing the undocumented, and by extension all Latinos, in hammering away at Cantor's efforts to bring the GOP into the mainstream on immigration reform. Like crazed ideological Communists, there is no compromise, no moderation and no statesmanship in Brat's twisted nation view. Brat, a Virginia economics professor, disgraced his profession by opposing extending the debt ceiling and re-opening the government shut down last year with Roskam's help. Folks like Cantor and Roskam support Tea Party policies but are reserved in their public comments to mask their extremism. Roskam votes against every sensible job creation measure, opposes women's reproductive freedom, ignores LGBT issues like the plague they are to the right, opposes unemployment insurance benefits for the long term unemployed and loves the current poverty level minimum wage which keeps wealth rolling into his wealthy base. Roskam on climate change? It's the XL Pipeline and 'Drlll, Baby, Drill'. Roskam feigns moderation on immigration reform, claiming the issue is too big to legislate in one oversized chunk. His solution? Take a baby chunk by constructing a gigantic fence across our southern border. Brat loves that stuff but is too craven and vocal in his extremism for the likes of Roskam, Boehner and McCarthy, the three GOP House leaders still standing. And Roskam is no fool when it comes to pandering to the Tea Party fanatics. He saw what happened to Sandy Pihos, the relatively moderate six term Illinois legislator in Roskam's Sixth, smacked out of office in the March Primary by Tea Party Patriot and anti government champion Peter Breen. As Roskam moves up in the House GOP leadership he's sure to tilt further rightward, if that's possible, to fend off a Dave Brat clone emerging in the Illinois Sixth to paint Roskam as a traitorous moderate.

Get your popcorn and soda pop, pull up a chair, and enjoy the emerging civil war in the House GOP, initiated by Dave Brat's Fort Sumter. Just don't expect to see any critical problem solving in the 114th House sessions. That is something for statesmen, a concept that has been banned from the Tea Party Manifesto.

Concealed weapon leads to senseless death

Joseph Wilcox, 31, didn't need to die in the horrific anti government terrorist incident in Las Vegas Sunday. The two Las Vegas cops had no such option as they were gunned down simply because they were the first convenient target for the murderous duo who later killed themselves after their short, bloody 'revolution' against authority ended. But civilian Wilcox, carrying a legal concealed weapon, felt brave enough to play cop and confronted guntoter Jared Miller in the Walmart across the street from the cop killer scene. Not a trained cop, Wilcox rushed past Jared's wife and crime partner Amanda, who shot him to death as he confronted Jared.  That dramatically illustrates the danger of conceal carry. Wilcox died but the bloodbath could have been worse if he opened fire on Miller and shot some truly innocent bystanders instead. Carrying a concealed weapon may make one feel safer, but the odds are it will more likely be used to one's detriment rather than one's benefit, and the detriment of the public as well.

Rauner campaigning to be Gov. 'Next Question'

Has Illinois ever had a major party candidate for governor more obtuse and less candid than Bruce Rauner? During both the Primary and now in the Big Show, Rauner dodges the tough questions. His interviews with reporters go something like this

Reporter: Mr. Rauner, as governor will you support a legislative attempt to rescind gay marriage?
Rauner: Next question.

Reporter: As an opponent of Medicaid expansion in Illinois, will you support its elimination?
Rauner: Time to move on.

Reporter: Can you tell us what critical services to the needy you will cut to reduce taxes on you wealthy base?
Rauner: My spending cuts will be revealed when it's appropriate.

Candidate Rauner is likely not a crook, but when it comes to straight talk, his is about as crooked as it gets.