Joe Biden (and John Kerry) did a wonderful job of laying out way on issue, after issue, after issue regarding National Security.

Nearly a year ago, the Iraq NIE established that the improvement in Iraq were NOT the result of the Surge &trade

 August 24, 2007 : Yesterday, the National Intelligence Estimate reported "measurable but uneven improvements" in the security situation in Iraq. While the White House has rushed to suggest that the modest gains were the result of escalation, the improvement can more plausibly be the product of Iraqi expectations of a U.S. withdrawal.

        "    "[F]earing a Coalition withdrawal, some tribal elements and Sunni groups probably will continue to seek accommodation with the Coalition to strengthen themselves for a post- Coalition security environment" [...]

Even on the one thing he has supposed been "right" about - McCain is still wrong.

If Romney gets the VP nod, everyone in American needs to spend 10 minutes watching this video.

Time to get back to the business of endlessly pointing out just how wrong John McCain is on foreign policy.

Ya'll remember the SURGE, don't you?  You know the tactic that McMilitary single-handedly forced the Bush Administration into.  He has that much power and creds at The White House, you know.  The man is a walking marvel.

Well, it seems that one of McPander's three people he would call on if he were pResident (and possible Veep shortlister, yeah right) Gen. David Petraeus simply will not say that the progress in Iraq was due solely to the SURGE.  Did Petraeus mention the Anbar Awakening?  Why, yes, children he did.  The one that occurred before the SURGE?  Right again.

Please come along for some pie (in Johnny's face)

Note: I'm the author of the book, Barack Obama: This Improbable Quest (watch my live call-in Sun. Sept. 7 at noon ET on C-SPAN2), but I'm not part of the Obama campaign.

Yesterday, I posted a diary hereon Rick MacArthur's false attacks against Barack Obama. I didn't have time to focus on another one of MacArthur's lies: "if you believe that Obama is going to get us out of Iraq, think again. The people I talk to, the people who know the foreign policy entourage around Obama, particularly Anthony Lake, Samantha Power, these are the conventional Wilsonian liberal interventionists who more or less favored invading Iraq to begin with, or at least they kept their mouths shut, or they might have preferred to do it with more UN cooperation, more European help, and so on and so forth."

Cross posted from Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Before I show you Republican Gordon Smith's new ad, let's just get one thing straight. Gordon Smith voted for the Iraq War. Gordon Smith voted at least five times in support of the Iraq War just last year. No matter how many ads Smith airs trying to fool Oregonians into thinking he's some sort of anti-war hero, his record speaks for itself.

Full disclosure, I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley

Obama needs to jump right on this story and get a comment out today, BEFORE Bush freaks out and tries to "walk this back" just like he did Al Maliki's previous statement:

The AP is reporting today: Iraq's al-Maliki demands 'specific deadline' for all US troops to leave

This was previously mentioned in a diary, but here's the relevant text:

Iraq demands deadline for pullout of all US troops

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Monday no security agreement with the United States could be reached unless it included a "specific deadline" for the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq.

John McCain said in 2003 before the begining of the Iraq war:

"I think it will be brief. I think we will win with a minimum of casualties."

And it's all on video!

This is from an oral history McCain gave in 2003 before the start of the Iraq war. At the end, the interviewer asks McCain his thoughts on the impending Iraq war. [More after the jump]

My experience isn't really unique. It's just like that of many others. I was fed up with Bush/Cheney/Rove, and I couldn't take it anymore. I've come to think that most of Bush's cronies are selfish and greedy. For the past 7 years, Bush has made me angry, and I needed to find a way to channel that feeling. At that moment in time, I was also inspired by Senator Obama. His campaign was running a message of "Respect, Empower, Include." And That's what I needed after being angry with Bush's stupidity.  That's when I decided - I couldn't sit this one out. I had to volunteer and try to make an impact - even though I had little experience in politics. Some of my friends even asked me - Why are you volunteering? Isn't your state - Indiana - a red state? Some people may think we Hoosiers live in a red state, but the thing is - Change is possible if we want it bad enough. And I want change more than anything else. That's why I'm volunteering.  

Tonight we pay tribute to three men who gave their all for their country - Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr., a soldier who died recently in Afghanistan; Sgt. 1st Class George Stanciel, a soldier who died recently in Iraq; and Sgt. Nickolas Lee Hopper, a marine who died nearly a year ago of wounds he received in Iraq but who was mistakenly not formally identified as a casualty of the war in Iraq until last Friday.

    I remember the summer leading up to the Iraq war.  I watched the Sunday talking heads and listened carefully to the military guests that were on.  The consensus was that Iraq was not a direct threat to us and didn't have weapons of mass destruction.  It made sense according to what I thought, but having the military guests on my side gave me comfort.  Little did I know how far this administration would go.
    As we headed into August that year I read about the strategies about how you don't launch new products in August but instead wait for September.  Sure enough, I remember Condeleeza Rice and others coming out with new statements each week taking a different direction each time to explain and justify the impending war with Iraq.  
    I heard colleagues and friends picking up the talking points, "Well, we can't keep waiting on those weapons inspectors" and "911 really scared me."  Then there was Colin Powell sent to put a trusted face on our government's lies.  It was chilling.  It never should have happened.  All the correct information was there and anyone saying in Congress that they didn't know at the time either wasn't working very hard or is lying.

Many people believe that Jeff Merkley, Senate candidate from Oregon, is one of the most progressive candidates on the ballot anywhere this year.  He opposed the invasion of Iraq, supports the Reponsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, supports unions and workers, supports fair trade, is very green, and opposed FISA.  Jeff on the Issues

Down the line on issue after issue, he takes a strong progressive stand.  And when he wins, he will replace a Republican senator, Gordon Smith.  We get more and BETTER Democrats when Merkley wins.

So we've decided to do a weekly roundup on Sunday evenings regarding news of the Merkley campaign.  I'll do the first one, and each Sunday there will be a different author.

Come around after the fold, join our community, and hear the news.

August 25, 2004

Lance Corporal Arredondo served as Fire Team Leader during the Battalion's attack into the old cith of Najaf. As the Platoon attacked to clear a four-story hotel, it was heavily engaged by enemy machine gun and sniper fire from three different directions. Lance Corporal Arredondo returned fire exposing himself to great risk to ensure the members of his team were safe. After fearlessly exchanging fire with the enemy snipers for more than three hours, Lance Corporal Arredondo fell mortally wounded as he moved through the rooms to inspect the Marines' defensive position.

4 years ago my friends Carlos and Melida Arredondo received the news that their son, Alex who was 20 yrs old, had died while serving his second tour in Iraq. It was Carlos birthday, it is his birthday today.

Happy Birthday my friend. Life is a precious gift with moments that should be enjoyed. I’m sorry the joy of your birth will always remind me of the death of your child. A young man I never met but who has changed my life in so very many ways.

Remembering Dondo below the fold

I know this is a long diary, but I hope you will read it, because I know many of you have been through this....and maybe many more of us, like me, need to know what it feels like when it hits closer to home.

MASHPEE — Daniel McGuire was a Boy Scout, Paul Conlon a poet.

McGuire was known for his roles in school plays, Conlon for his catchphrases and Mohawk haircuts.

McGuire was a Marine, Conlon an Army soldier.

But both were sons of Mashpee, and this week, Mashpee brought them home.

On Aug. 14, Pfc. McGuire, 19, was killed in the Anbar province of Iraq when the post he was guarding was attacked by enemy forces.

The next day, Pfc. Conlon, 21, was killed in the Wardak province of Afghanistan when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device then sustained small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire.

This diary is not a conspiracy theory, I repeat, not a conspiracy theory. Rather, it is an analysis of the NIST's final report on what caused the collapse of WTC7. And while some people say that its time to move on to other things, I disagree because NIST is presenting a brand new hypothesis, and it deserves some critical analysis. Also, the timing is suspect, coming out right before the Democratic primary so people would forget about it. Well, I say let's not forget.

After reading the NIST press release and final report, the explanation of how a chain reaction total collapse was started by the failure of one floor girder seems both a wild guess and absurd on its face.

NIST press release

NIST Final Report on the Collapse of World Trade Center Building 7

By Donna Smith, American SiCKO
National Co-Chair, PDA Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign
Communications specialist, California Nurses Association

DENVER -- Code Pink's Medea Benjamin and I placed a $50 bet with each other moments ago in front of the Mercury Cafe in Denver.  Col. Anne Wright was in the wings as was SiCKO Larry Smith to witness.  The bet?  Out of Iraq first or guaranteed, publicly funded, privately delivered healthcare?  The bet's on.

We're both here to make our voices heard during the DNC's convention.  And we were so glad to see one another yet we keep up on one another's activties via the Web.

Medea and I first met last year as SiCKO debuted in Atlanta at the U.S. Social Forum.  Then the Code Pinkers in DC embraced Larry and I with housing and deep support when we traveled to DC for our first annual healthcare justice week vigil in Sept 2007.  She lifted me, and she showed me how commitment and action can and do make a difference.

Joe Biden voted for the AUMF against Iraq.  Some people cannot forgive such a big mistake by members of Congress.  Some people on this site actually have made the case that Congressman can also be guilty of war crimes for their vote.  

This is my defense of Joe Biden, and other members of Congress who gave the President authorization to invade Iraq.  

In the face of widespread public disenchantment with the war in Iraq, "Support Our Troops" car stickers and banners defiantly proclaim a fierce sense of patriotism. So why don’t these supportive folks rally behind other national security figures? But when’s the last time you saw a "Support Our Diplomats" sticker or "Support Our Peace Corps" banner?        

This is a serious disconnect in America.