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| 5/23 |
| 2007/5/14-16 [Politics/Foreign/MiddleEast/Iraq, Politics/Domestic/911] UID:46631 Activity:high |
5/14 I hear there are soldiers captured in Iraq by Al Qaeda. But Barbara
Boxer and Nancy Pelosi tell me that Al Qaeda isn't in Iraq, and that
the war in Iraq has nothing to do with the war on terroism. How can
that be?
\_ Al Qaeda out-sourced the jobs to Iraq amid rising health-care costs
and growing influences from labor unions in Afghanistan.
\_ Few jobs are harder than being a strike breaker in Afghanistan.
The last I heard the strike breakers went on strike due to low
wages and poor health care plans.
\_ What else do the voices in your head tell you?
\_ Which part do you think are voices in my head?
\_ You have a URL where Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi tell you
this right?
\_ Here's Pelosi:
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Pelosi_Its_sad_Bush_blaming_Iraqi_1128.html
http://urltea.com/k25 (rawstory.com)
\_ But wait, you said Pelosi told you that there were
no Al Qaeda in Iraq, but she says that they are there.
Are you hallucinating again?
\_ House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told
reporters on Wednesday that she feels it is "sad"
that President Bush continues to blame Iraqi
insurgent violence on al Qaeda.
"My thoughts on the president's representations are
well-known," Pelosi said. "The 9/11 Commission
dismissed that notion a long time ago and I feel sad
that the president is resorting to it again."
\_ "What proportion of the Sunni resistance do you
think al Qaeda in Iraq is responsible for? It's
a handy tag, but in reality is it 10 percent,
50 percent of what we would loosely call Sunni
resistance or insurgency?" -Pelosi
You really have a reading comprehension problem.
\_ No, that was the question a reporter asked the
spokesman. I think you have the problem.
\_ Fair enough, but you still haven't given
me a quote where Pelosi denies the
existence of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
\_ Try reading.
\_ I read the article, it says we
shouldn't blame the violence on
Al Queda because most of it is
sectarian. How is it possible to
interpret Pelosi's statement
and come out with "there is no Al
Queda" in Iraq? Show us your balloon
animal twisting skills ...
And Boxer:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/21/lkl.01.html
\_ Where exactly does she say that there are no Al Qaeda
in Iraq?
\_ "I think the reason so many of us feel strongly that
we need to change what's going on in Iraq is, we need to
free up some resources to get back to getting al Qaeda.
You know, the other side keeps saying the war on terror
is the war in Iraq. Not true."
we need to change what's going on in Iraq is, we need
to free up some resources to get back to getting al
Qaeda. You know, the other side keeps saying the war
on terror is the war in Iraq. Not true."
\_ that doesn't say there are no al qaeda in Iraq.
\_ I think fuckers have kidnapped our soldiers. Do I think it's
"al-queda"?
\_ I think fuckers have kidnapped our soldiers. Do I think it's "al-queda"?
Doubt it. Al-Queda would have thought a less stupid name than
"Al-queda in Iraq". It's probably Shiites or Sunnis who ALREADY
LIVED IN IRAQ WHO HATED EACH OTHER FOR DECADES BUT SADDAM KEPT
THEM QUIET. fuck.
THEM QUIET. fuck. I wish the Mormon Necro-Bot would lay waste
to the Sunni Triangle.
\_ Saddam didn't 'keep them quiet'. He butchered them but you knew
that, trollboy.
\_ If the difference between Al Qaeda and Al Qaeda in Iraq confuses
you, you probably missed the variable declarations. Research harder. |
| 5/23 |
|
| www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Pelosi_Its_sad_Bush_blaming_Iraqi_1128.html House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters on Wednesday that she feels it is "sad" that President Bush continues to blame Iraqi insurgent violence on al Qaeda. "My thoughts on the president's representations are well-known," Pelosi said. "The 9/11 Commission dismissed that notion a long time ago and I feel sad that the president is resorting to it again." During a joint press conference with the president of Estonia, Bush was asked by a reporter if he worried that calling the situation in Iraq "a civil war would make it difficult to argue that we're fighting the central front of the war on terror there." Bush responded that "there's all kinds of speculation about what may be or not happening." "There's a lot of sectarian violence taking place, fomented, in my opinion, because of these attacks by al Qaeda, causing people to seek reprisal," Bush said. "And we will work with the Maliki government to defeat these elements." Pelosi's statement also followed a press briefing in Baghdad earlier today, where a US military spokesman was unable to state clearly what role al Qaeda plays in Iraq violence. Displaying a series of slides and charts, the spokesman for the multinational forces in Iraq claimed that "since October of 2004, we have now killed or captured over 7,000 al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists." According to Major General William Caldwell, because Iraq still has a "government moving forward" with "institutions in place," and because al Qaeda in Iraq seeks "anarchy" instead of power, the current situation should not be considered a "civil war." "We don't see an organization out there that's looking to assume the control of this country, but rather just to create anarchy, to create death, to create destruction, and that's in fact what we're combatting right now," Caldwell said. A reporter argued that "all of those things that you've just outlined as measures of success, functioning institutions, all of those things still fit within every academic and every strategic think tank's definition of civil war anyway," but Caldwell resisted multiple entreaties to define what he considered a "civil war." "Well, what I would tell you, Michael -- again, I can only back to -- if in fact all the governmental functions are still functioning, and we don't see an organization out there that's trying to overthrow and assume control of the government, we don't see two viable entities out there like that, what we see is a entity out there that's been duly elected, representative of the people, that's got plenty of challenges in trying to work through all their difficulties but moving forward nonetheless, and we see another entity that wants to do nothing but create division amongst the people, to create anarchy, to create casualties, to separate them," Caldwell said. A journalist asked the spokesman, "You keep saying al Qaeda in Iraq. What proportion of the Sunni resistance do you think al Qaeda in Iraq is responsible for? It's a handy tag, but in reality is it 10 percent, 50 percent of what we would loosely call Sunni resistance or insurgency?" "We also, you know, look at that also very closely, try to identify exactly what percentage it is," he said. "What we do know is that al Qaeda in Iraq are the most well-funded, produce the most sensational attacks than any element out there. |
| urltea.com/k25 -> www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Pelosi_Its_sad_Bush_blaming_Iraqi_1128.html House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters on Wednesday that she feels it is "sad" that President Bush continues to blame Iraqi insurgent violence on al Qaeda. "My thoughts on the president's representations are well-known," Pelosi said. "The 9/11 Commission dismissed that notion a long time ago and I feel sad that the president is resorting to it again." During a joint press conference with the president of Estonia, Bush was asked by a reporter if he worried that calling the situation in Iraq "a civil war would make it difficult to argue that we're fighting the central front of the war on terror there." Bush responded that "there's all kinds of speculation about what may be or not happening." "There's a lot of sectarian violence taking place, fomented, in my opinion, because of these attacks by al Qaeda, causing people to seek reprisal," Bush said. "And we will work with the Maliki government to defeat these elements." Pelosi's statement also followed a press briefing in Baghdad earlier today, where a US military spokesman was unable to state clearly what role al Qaeda plays in Iraq violence. Displaying a series of slides and charts, the spokesman for the multinational forces in Iraq claimed that "since October of 2004, we have now killed or captured over 7,000 al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists." According to Major General William Caldwell, because Iraq still has a "government moving forward" with "institutions in place," and because al Qaeda in Iraq seeks "anarchy" instead of power, the current situation should not be considered a "civil war." "We don't see an organization out there that's looking to assume the control of this country, but rather just to create anarchy, to create death, to create destruction, and that's in fact what we're combatting right now," Caldwell said. A reporter argued that "all of those things that you've just outlined as measures of success, functioning institutions, all of those things still fit within every academic and every strategic think tank's definition of civil war anyway," but Caldwell resisted multiple entreaties to define what he considered a "civil war." "Well, what I would tell you, Michael -- again, I can only back to -- if in fact all the governmental functions are still functioning, and we don't see an organization out there that's trying to overthrow and assume control of the government, we don't see two viable entities out there like that, what we see is a entity out there that's been duly elected, representative of the people, that's got plenty of challenges in trying to work through all their difficulties but moving forward nonetheless, and we see another entity that wants to do nothing but create division amongst the people, to create anarchy, to create casualties, to separate them," Caldwell said. A journalist asked the spokesman, "You keep saying al Qaeda in Iraq. What proportion of the Sunni resistance do you think al Qaeda in Iraq is responsible for? It's a handy tag, but in reality is it 10 percent, 50 percent of what we would loosely call Sunni resistance or insurgency?" "We also, you know, look at that also very closely, try to identify exactly what percentage it is," he said. "What we do know is that al Qaeda in Iraq are the most well-funded, produce the most sensational attacks than any element out there. |
| transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/21/lkl.01.html Return to Transcripts main page CNN LARRY KING LIVE Interview with Nine Democratic Women of the Senate Aired June 21, 2006 - 21:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. Earlier today here in Washington, the nine Democratic women of the United States Senate issued a challenge to the Republican leadership. Nine important issues they say the Senate can and should take specific action on right now. All nine of these honorable gentlewomen are with us tonight. They are Senator Barbara Boxer of California, Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, Senator Patty Murray of Washington, and Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. But let's discuss first the most foremost issue, the two things going on in the Senate right now. DIANNE FEINSTEIN , CALIFORNIA: Well, I'm a supporter and a co-sponsor of the Levin amendment. What the Levin amendment essentially does is say that we've been in Iraq for three years and three months, that the time has come for us to do what we said we were going to do last year, which was to begin a redeployment of forces and to ask the president by the end of the year to present a program with some timelines for the remainder of the operation. DEBBIE STABENOW , MICHIGAN: No, actually, I agree with Senator Feinstein. I was in Iraq over Memorial Day weekend, and listening to the Iraqis themselves, the new prime minister, al-Maliki, has said within 18 months that they believe they can take over their own security. It's time for us to send a message that we want them to step up so our brave men and women can step back. KING: Senator Boxer, 54 percent polled today, a couple days ago, says we should get out. Totally against the war in the United States as opposed to 38 percent for. BARBARA BOXER , CALIFORNIA: Well, it tells me that the Democrats are on the right track by all of us saying the status quo is not working. Now, we may differ in, you know, the exact strategy, but I think Dianne has laid it out, Debbie has followed forth. I think if you ask each of us, we have our own views on exactly how, but I think we represent the American people, the Democrats do, and I think when you see the vote tomorrow, we don't know what it will be, I predict a very strong vote for both of these alternatives and I think it will send a message that we are saying to the Republican majority, it's time to change the status quo in Iraq. KING: Senator Clinton, what about those pundits who are saying that you have a chance now, the Democrats, to be united in something and if you all stood together in something you'd have a better chance in November? HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON , NEW YORK: Larry, I think that the Democrats are doing the country a great service by having this debate. It's the Republicans who are all blindly following the president and refusing to ask questions, even conducting the most minimal kind of congressional oversight. I'm very proud that the Democratic Party is once again listening to the concerns of the people and listening to the concerns of our men and women in uniform. We need a plan and we need a plan that will lead us to victory, both for our own benefit and for the benefit of the Iraqis. KING: Senator Mikulski, would it be better if you all were uniform on that plan? We're united on the goal that this is a year of transition so that the Iraqis can stand up, so that we can stand down. We believe that the Iraqi people have now chosen a government, they're going to now form a government, and it's time then for us to have a phased way of withdrawing. Stunts and slogans are not a policy for bringing our troops back home and letting the Iraqis act like the sovereign people they want to be. PATTY MURRAY , WASHINGTON: I think what you hear Democrats doing on the floor of the United States Senate tonight is asking the questions that the American people are asking all of us. What is going to be the way we can declare success and bring it home? When is my husband or my wife or my son or my brother or my daughter finally going to come home and not get sent back again? We're asking those questions rather than the other side, which is merely saying, same thing that they did yesterday and two months ago and three years ago. KING: And Senator Landrieu, that's better than united saying out now? MARY LANDRIEU , LOUISIANA: Well, as we've expressed, the Democrats have a united plan for transition. You can't put a price tag on a life, but people are starting to say at home, where are our priorities in terms of domestic investments and supporting our troops in a real way, not in a war that has no course and no end? BLANCHE LINCOLN , ARKANSAS: I think these ladies have done it well in that we are united on a year of transition and that we can't just stay the course. The American people don't want us to just stay the course. They want some solid plans of what we're going to do and redeployment in moving forward. MIKULSKI: I think the Iraqis don't want us to stay the course. The Iraqi foreign minister in the newspaper said we're ready for you to leave by 2008. KING: Senator Clinton, were you shocked that you were booed the other day at some conclave by Democrats when you said... KING: But these were your people, Senator Clinton, booing you. We have a party that truly reflects the range of opinions in America. And I know that people disagree with me on whether we should set a time certain, a deadline. But I think the overwhelming majority of Americans and certainly of Democrats are saying, you know, our party is asking the hard questions, and that's what needs to happen. This is the first time that I can recall, just looking at our history, where we've had a Congress that has been absolutely supine. And it's very troubling to me because the Congress is supposed to be a check and balance on the executive. And boy, if there's ever been a president that needed a check and balance, it's this one. MARIA CANTWELL , WASHINGTON: I think it's very important given the amount of resources the United States and the loss of life and the impact on our military, that the United States play a larger role in saying where is the international community? You know, we've had former President Clinton and former President Bush go around the globe raising funds for tsunami relief, for Katrina relief. I'm fine -- send them to the Middle East and ask the countries to pledge support for the new Iraqi government so it can stand up and we can bring our troops home. We've had less oil, less water, less electricity than before the war. And it's time that we build international support with the ideas that the United States believes in and get the rest of the neighborhood in the Arab community to support the new Iraqi regime. When we come back, we'll get to the checklist proposed today by these nine Democratic -- the nine Democratic women senators of the United States Senate. And the only way we can begin to get that is to elect a Democratic Congress that can hold this administration accountable and ask the hard questions and chart the new course that we need. So today we challenge the Republican Congress to pass the stem cell bill this summer. We have an e-mail question from Marilyn of Naperville, Indiana. She asks, "Why aren't our representatives and senators screaming from the rooftops of the Capitol about the brutal and vicious killing of two brave, young soldiers in Iraq?" This is hard to understand, how people act this way, how they torture, how they brutalize. And I think that's one more reason why we have to really take a look at where we're going and how we define victory, because what we're doing increasingly is putting our military in the middle of what is a vicious sectarian dispute where people go out, pick out if you're Sunni you get shot in the middle of the head. And this is going on to the tune where 90,000 families have left their own country for fear of bloodshed. And my greatest worry is that the American men and women in our... |