As you see. And I never bluster, but pop heads like zits, in those instances where they only contain pus.

Marichiko, whatever her virtues may be, is older than I am, which is old enough to know better -- and she doesn't.

I didn't make any claims about intelligence, just about open-mindedness. There are perfectly rational intellectuals who believe that the world is less than 6000 years old.

There appears to be other factors that recently changed George Jr's attitude. We heard it in comments about learning humility. Forgot the exact text, but he almost apologized for the "Bring it on" statement and then moved on to express how he needed to become more mature.

But I think there are some other factors here. Some of Cheney's responses lately may be put him at loggerhead with Karl Rove. George Jr may not be taking orders from Cheney anymore. I also got a very distinct impression that Laura laid into him about his cowboy attitudes. I think maybe his low popularity ratings finally got Laura to tell George off - to get him to take stock of his attitude.

And finally, I believe Condi Rice is getting educated by State Department veterans and world leaders. This too would be influencing how George Jr reacts. Condi is saying things she would have never said three and four years ago.

Of course underlying all this are the lowest popularity polls in recent history. It's hard to believe that Richard Nixon all but openly tried to pervert this nation's government and still did not have such low numbers. Apparently that may have finally caused George Jr to take a realistic world perspective.

I don't know what kind of company you work for -- my boss' boss does sign for the 50-cent purchases. Actually, most of the time, he vetos them. Bastard. :rar:

UG is married, I am on the market.

But I do like him, in a way that cannot be used against him in a divorce proceeding, AFAIK.

Stock brokers are crying that interest rates are too high; will create recession. Fools. Recession in inevitable due to an administration that spends money on wars, tax cuts, a corporate welfare like the top man was an alcoholic. Too much money overseas. Unacceptable trade imbalances. But worst of all, a government so fiscally irresponsible as to not even put the Mission Accomplished war in the budget - because you might really see those costs. Top 10 PBGC (government) rescues of corporations and their dates. Notice who is doing most of it - and larger *rescues* are coming: But it has only started. A government that does believe deficits don't matter. Financial responsiblity is for the foolish? From CBSMarketWatch of 20 Jun 2006 are some interesting quotes: Remember this is the same president who wanted to change Social Security on some myth that SS has problems. In reality, the only problem with SS is that George Jr's administration takes money out of SS to pay for things like a Mission Accomplished War, and leaves no IOU.

Why then was he not concerned about a far more serious problem - PBGC? The solution was simple if performed years ago. Require PBGC corporations to fully fund their pension funds. But then GM would have to admit financal problems long before those problems became worse. Its easier when a public believes myths of WMDs; to also pretend a PBGC problem does not exist. Then when resulting recessionary forces strike, others will be blamed. Mental midget is not so dumb; is he? He knows who remains in denial - and it's not the president.

Perfectly rational? No, sir. "Not clinically insane" is about as far as I can go. "Uninformed" is another adjective that comes to mind.

From the Washington Post of 24 July 2006: Actions by the 4th ID were on paper (the short term perspective) some of the best in Iraq. However the article demonstrates why the 4th ID may have done more than any other unit to create the insurgency. Also called a 'big dic' attitude.

Officially, the insurgency probably started 7 Aug 2003 with a bombing of the Jordanian Embassy. Recently, the civil war may be defined when Sunnis entered a Shi'ite town, lined up all the residents, and massacred them. Currently about 3000 Iraqis are being murdered this way - more the instability directly traceable to an American that even insisted there was no looting.

This was how Lebanon's civil war started. This is but again what America created by violating basic military doctrine from 500 BC. We disbanded the police and army because Bremmer and White House extremists did not even understand basic military science principles. But then where was the president when basic military doctrine was being taugh to his National Guard unit?

This and following Washington Post articles cite confidential military studies that demontrate why we are losing a "Mission Accomplished" war. I will not even attempt to highlight this article because it contains numerous fundamental points that every citizen should understand - some concepts having been posted previously even in The Cellar.

Military experts now say we will probably need at least 100,000 troops in Iraq even 10 to 15 years from now. Deja vue Vietnam.

From the Washington Post of 23 July 2006:
Some here in the Cellar insisted that Iraqis welcomed Americans. When that Saddam statue was brought down, those in denial refused to acknowledge a damning fact - almost no Iraqis in the street because Americans were not welcome. The fact did not jib with their propaganda. So they falsely insist the majority of Iraqis still feared to be in the streets. Instead they believed the George Jr / Rush Limbaugh lies. Few Iraqis were in that plaza pulling down Saddam's statue because: How deep is denial of reality then as it remains today within the mental midget president? How easy do we recruit for the insurgency? We even tortured and called that good. Some in the Cellar even deny anything wrong with toture. Deja vue. We now see what torture caused - another problem directly traceable to the George Jr administration that openly advocates both torture and extraordinary rendition. These are crimes worthy of impeachment. Deja Vue Vietnam. I was posting it how long ago? Long before we 'Pearl Harbored' Iraq. Anyone want to acknowledge how predictable this all was because someone first learned history - ie read the Pentagon Papers?

Is Iraq in civil war? Priniciples from previous civil wars to define when that war started now exist in Iraq. Only time will tell whether Iraq gets worse because we invaded iraq as Israel invaded Lebanon. An invasion justified by lies at the highest level of government, without a strategic objective, and therefore has no exit strategy. Deja vue Vietnam.

The insurgency dwindles as it is hit, but it is replaced with sectarian violence which kills many more people. This is the civil war that Michael Yon predicted... not very pretty.

Clearly we are winning hearts and minds in Afghanistan - every night. From the Washington Post of 8 Aug 2006: Saddam could provide electricity 24 hours every day in Iraq with antiquated infrastructure and while under a decade long embargo. Taliban could provide electricity 24 hours in Afghanistan. George Jr administration - after five years of 'reconstructiion' - those hours of electricity have dropped from 24 to only five hours.

Just another way to recruit centrists into the ranks of extremists - also called nationalists. No wonder so many American troops must stay another four months in Baghdad - where we are winning the war - just like in Vietnam.

Not only did we not bring in enough troops and do virtually no reconstruction. We cannot even provide enough kilowatts. But kilowatts are so easily produced even with antiquated equipment. Saddam could do it. Taliban could do it. God's chosen president could not?

From EE Times of 31 July 2006

Ending the Neocon Nightmare

Ideologically misguided??:eyebrow: You won't find the ideology coming from Israel, they just finally hit their braking point. Would you really prefer to see Israel forced to retreat and the whole process to begin all over? If they did that all that would happen would be that Hezbollah would be screaming about how powerful and great they are to have defeated the Israeli infidels. That entire 20 mile region should be turned into an uninhabitable wasteland, a proper retribution for all these years of bombings. Next time a group of terrorists starts getting any ideas about strapping on the explosives again all Israel needs to do is run some photos of the devastation on the news with the caption "think hard first".

That ideology is called "Zionism".

Perhaps three-quarters of Israelis and Palestinians are eager for peace and compromise, while a quarter on each side – often fueled by extreme religious zeal – wants a complete victory over the other. Radical Palestinians want to destroy Israel, while radical Israelis demand control over the entire West Bank, through either continued occupation or even (according to a tiny minority) a forcible removal of the Palestinian population.

Every time when peace appears to be close at hand, radicals on one side of the conflict or the other provoke an explosion to derail it. Sometimes this involves overt conflict between moderates and radicals within one side, such as when an Israeli religious zealot assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin when peace negotiations were making progress. Sometimes this involves a terrorist attack by radical Palestinians against Israeli civilians, in the hope of provoking an exaggerated violent response from Israel that breaks the process of trust building among moderates on both sides.

Both sides should agree to the pre-1967 boundaries in principle, and then swap small land parcels and definitions of control (especially regarding Jerusalem) in slight and mutually convenient deviations from the 1967 boundaries.

In other words, quibbling over details should come after both sides agree on the principle of respect for the pre-1967 borders, which are recognized by key countries throughout the region and around the world, and are enshrined in numerous UN resolutions.

N-Ireland somehow found a way out of the quigmire. Not by bombing Ireland or the UK, but by negotiation, even if that means that one need to talk to (former) terrorists..