"The Hicks Fix"

By Phoebe in Sydney

Well, I think the first thing Congress should do is repeal the Military Commissions Act. I’m very disturbed that a number of people who are looking at the highest office in the land have supported an act which advertently or inadvertently authorizes the admission into evidence of information gained through torture. That's not the America that I believe in. And the America that I believe in doesn't detain people indefinitely without charges.
Wes Clark, Democracy Now Interview, Mar 2, 2007

Remarks on Restoring America's Alliances

By Wesley K. Clark

November 20, 2003
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
NEW YORK, NY

AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY

Tom Rinaldo wrote (The Netroots' Greatest Challenge):

"A call to action has been sounded. The real
struggle to stop a war with Iran is upon us, and
we, the netroots have a critical role to play...

"We are passionate, we are determined, but our
numbers are small, so what can the Netroots really
do... We can and must breakout of our introspective
net boxes and carry this challenge onto a wider
political playing field...

"...This issue has to go mainstream and it has to
go there fast. StopIranWar.com is our best vehicle
to get there.

"Islamic evolutions"

By Dan Juma

CAVEAT: I'm not a Muslim myself, so don't expect me to necessarily defend it. I'm just trying explain it

Islam and its divisions

It is important to remember that Islam has not usually converted people by force but by persuasion. Although there has been forced conversion in the history of Islam, it is the exception rather than the rule, and has been condemned by most Islamic lawyers. However, it is not only the philosophical arguments and Sufic experiences of Islam that have converted people to the religion. The extra tax on non-Muslims, the jizya, has been an economic incentive for followers of other religions to convert to Islam. But the philosophic and experiential aspects of Islam have been important attractions of the religion and are therefore important in attracting people to it. In sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia in particular, Islamic rule spread more by peaceful persuasion and conversion of existing dynasties than by conquest.

Washington Post editorial 2/7/07 excerpts:

Saudi Arabia's Diplomacy

"One consequence of the Bush administration's
recent decision to divide the Middle East between
"extremists" and "moderates" was to marginalize
U.S. diplomacy in the region. The administration
refuses to talk to the "extremists" -- Iran,
Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas -- but those
governments and groups are at the center of every
major conflict from Iraq to the Gaza strip. Now
one of the administration's "moderate" allies,
Saudi Arabia, has stepped into the vacuum. The

This brilliant article by Professor (and former CIA analyst) Chalmers Johnson ought to be required reading for anyone who cares about the United States and the values upon which she was founded.  His core thesis is that it is not possible for a state to be both a democracy and an empire; the prerequisites for each are irreconcilable with the other.

"David Hicks: Nothing but an Echo"

By Phoebe in Sydney

At one point, tears welled in his eyes as he leafed through a book of photographs he had brought of the conflict in Kosovo. He displayed pictures of a Serb soldier kicking a woman lying on the street and of a 5-day-old baby who had died of exposure in the mountains, where her family had fled.
"This is the pornography of violence," he said.

USA Today article about Wes Clark, Oct 2003.

“Pornography exists for the lonesome, the ugly, the fearful – it’s made for the losers.” Rita Mae Brown

The General proved again with his appearances on the Fox show and various radio shows that HE IS WAY AHEAD OF THE GAME. The man is brilliant.
When America needs leadership--reach for the Stars--**** four of them.

Jackson in Ohio4Clark08

1. "I'm not running to bash George Bush. A lot of Americans really love him. They love what he represents, a man who's overcome adversity in his life from alcoholism and pulled his marriage back together and — and moved forward. But I'm running because I think this country must have better leadership in moving forward." Wesley K. Clark, reported in The New York Post (24 November 2003)

2. "This administration's preemptive doctrine is CAUSING North Korea and Iran to ACCELERATE their nuclear weapons development. Now there are some of us who aren't in Washington right now, but I'd like to ask all those who are...lets see some leadership in the United States Congress. Let's see you take apart that doctrine of preemption NOW. I don't think we can wait until November 2004 to change the administration on this threat. We're marching into another military campaign in the Middle East. We need to stop it." Wesley K. Clark, 2004 Primary Debate

3. “If we wait for threats to fully materialize, we will have waited too long….the war on terror will not be won on the defensive. We must take the battle to the enemy, disrupt his plans, and confront the worst threats before they emerge. In the world we have entered, the only path to safety is the path of action. And this nation will act…. …our security will require all Americans to… be ready for preemptive action when necessary to defend our liberty and to defend our lives….We are in a conflict between good and evil, and America will call evil by its name.” George W. Bush, June 1, 2002

According to the Boston Globe, Mitt Romney "...suggested sending five more brigades to Baghdad and an additional two regiments to the Al-Anbar province." Governor Romney seems to think that this will be enough to protect Iraqi civilians from terrorist attacks in those areas. He said, "Our military mission, for the first time, must include securing the civilian population from violence and terror."

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/01/romney_backs_bu.html

This illustrates just how poorly Governor Romney understands terrorist attacks. There is simply no way that a surge of that size can protect Iraqi civilians from terrorist attacks.