The Real War

Some disturbing clips of a Baghdad journalist's return to his home town. (h/t Raw Story.)

Video Clips from Iraq

Crooks 'n Liars found this revealng post of YouTube clips from Iraq. Won't see this stuff on the teevee.

What a Surprise

Seems the CIA was protecting recently captured Serbian war criminal Rodovan Karadzic for years. Boy, would I like to know why. According to the report, the deal was that he'd have informal protection and immunity from arrest as long as he stayed out of Serbian political affairs. But he jess couldn't hep hissef:

"Karadzic, indicted for genocide and war crimes, was under the US protection until 2000, when the CIA intercepted his telephone conversation that clearly proved he personally chaired a meeting of his old political party," the daily quoted a "well-informed US intelligence source" as saying.

I guess there wasn't a Politicians Anonymous in Serbia....

Tying up Loose Ends

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the gov't claims that a guy you've never heard of, a Mr. Bruce E. Ivins, a scientist with anthrax-access at Fort Detrick, Maryland, where we knew the Ames strain of anthrax used in the post-9/11 anthrax attacks* came from, committed suicide right before being charged with being behind such attacks. Allegedly, Mr. Ivins was depressed for the last month or so before his death. His alleged method of suicide was a combination of "prescription Tylenol and codeine."

Our astute AP reporter neglected to mention that:

1. The first wave of attacks targeted media outlets. Why?
2. The second wave targeted two Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D., S. Dakota) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D., Vermont), both of whom were carefully examining the pending Patriot Act and expressing the unlikelihood that they would pass it.

Our astute reporter then failed to ask:

1. When Ivins' brother "sang like a canary" to the Feds, what did he say?
2. What would Ivins' motive have been? Does anyone know or claim to know?
3. What would Ivins have been trying to accomplish?
4. Why, if Ivins did it, did he perform the alleged attacks so soon after 9/11? Did he merely take advantage of the situation? (If so, see #3).
5. Could Ivins, if guilty, have been subcontracting for another entity? (If so, see #2.)

There's far more to the story than this, all of which has long ago been reported. Randi Rhodes has them here, in case any actual journalists care to read the background information necessary to doing their fucking jobs. And, no, I didn't get the above ideas from her. Two of the most important articles in her list are likely this and this. Let's just say money, Dick Cheney, Saudi Arabia, and some intelligence folks appear to've been involved.

*Bububut there haven't been any terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11! Oh, wait....

UPDATE: Brad Friedman has a long post on the coverage of today's story.

It's a Class War, Stupid

The single best article I've ever read on the state of the country and how our presidential campaigns never address it. A must read.