Hillary Clinton says Something Obvious about Iraq. Teapublicans lack the Courage to do Likewise.

Hillary Clinton has finally come out and said something completely obvious and true: she said that her vote to give Gee Dubya authority to invade Iraq was a mistake. And that the Iraq war itself was a mistake. Good on her for stepping up when all of the “Republican” Presidential candidates lacked the intestinal fortitude to acknowledge the facts.

Given that each and every reason for Operation Iraqi Liberation (or OIL, for short) turned out be incorrect at best or a farrago of lies at worst, most people on planet Earth already knew that OIL was a huge f***-up, caused by a motley assortment of deluded fools, greedy crooks, and sociopaths (some of them, like Dickless Cheney, were all of the above). And that the lot of them were “led” by a cowardly, coke-headed, draft-dodging, illegitimate occupant of the White House who was driven primarily by his daddy issues. So it’s not surprising that Ms. Clinton is aware of these facts.

What IS surpising is that her statement is, well, surprising. It is notable. It is seen as a brave, bold move. And that, Gentle Reader, is a very sad thing indeed. A politician stating something obvious, fact-based, and backed by all the available evidence? This has become an unusual event.

Meanwhile, the Teapubbies are unwilling, unable, or just too s***-scared to do likewise. They can’t, or they won’t, tell the truth. It took Jebbie Bush a week to kinda-sorta-maybe-mostly admit that his Eedjit-In-Chief brother f***ed up, ferchrissakes. That got a little press, but not much, because it is what we’ve become used to these days. Cowardly politicos, unwilling to fess up to even the most basic facts for fear of losing votes. Normal American politics.

This is how far America’s “leaders’ have fallen – stating the obvious is too risky for them. Kudos to Hillary Clinton for being an exception to the rule. Maybe she’s not as gutsy as often as, say, Bernie Sanders, but it’s a step in the right direction. And it’s another indicator of which party sucks worse, and which party needs flung out of power on its elephantine ear.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

The Torture Report proves, yet again, that Teapublicans are a load of cowards.

Here it is, if you can stand to read it: the report showed how the Bushistas, PNAC types, and “Republicans” in general shat themselves in terror after 9/11, resulting in idiot wars of choice and manifold panic-driven decisions, including the ones that involved torture.

Cowards they are, as has frequently been written on this very blog. But the Torture Report gives a horrifying view into the consequences of that cowardice, that fear, that wimpiness-concealed-by-bravado that characterizes modern Repubs. In their panic-stricken, fear-blinded, gutless, craven states of “mind”, the Bush/Cheney regime lashed out in a manner that was far beyond normal evil:
* People were tortured.
* People were tortured to death.
* The torture was completely f***ing useless, and in fact caused a lot of damage.
* Innocent people were dragooned and tortured.
* “Republicans” proposed, created and implemented these programs.
* “Republicans” STILL think we should be torturing people.

Since then, the GOP has continued to show its yellow bellies on repeated occasion: by making the Prexy keep Gitmo open (said Gitmo being full of tortured people); by not allowing the tortured people to have fair trials; and by trying to cover the whole sickening mess up, even after the world already knows what we did. Cowards, poltroons, pusillanimous dastards, faint-hearted, lily-livered scaredy-cats: that, friends, is what the GOP is composed of.

And the fact that the majority of American voters recently opted to bring in even more GOP “representatives” means that those voters are, what, themselves, exactly? Ponder that one, peeps.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

“Republicans” are VERY Different from Democrats, Day Two: Repubs Support Terrorists. Dems Do Not.

Another example of why the “no difference between the parties” line is a bunch of bulls***. Dems fight against Terrorists in word and deed, while Teapubbies talk a big game when it comes to law and order: but the Repub walk doesn’t match the talk.

Example Number A, take Cliven Bundy and his Moocher Militia, who violated even more laws than Bin Laden, but still got support from the GOP. In fact, not only do Repubs support Bundy’s sedition, they were lining up to get their pictures taken with him. And after members of the Bundy Bunch murdered some cops, “Republicans” said and did little or nothing  – except, of course, continued support.

Example Letter 2:  we see that Repubs love the Sovereign Citizen terrorists. The Justice Department calls these mutts the most dangerous security threat to our nation, but that doesn’t stop GOP politicos like LePage from including them in their inner circles, or granting them rights to carry weapons that scare the sh** out of law-abiding Americans. Hell, even when they commit terrorist crimes the Repubs don’t do much of anything about it.

Example the Third: always remember, Gentle Reader, Bush and his fellow Repubs allowed Bin Laden to get away with murder – the worst foreign terrorist attack on our soil, thousands dead, and the Tevangelicals said “meh”. They used hs face to whip up the population in a manner that even Goebbels would have envied. But while abusing his face, Repubs kissed his a**. Then, of course, they bitched about Obama, who brought Bin Laden to justice.

There we have it,  another example of the enormous differences between the two political parties.

Remember this when a Raging Righty or Loony Leftie tries to tell you that there is “little or no dfference”: that is a big, fat lie.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Saying “Islamic State” is a lot like saying “The United States of Westboro Baptist”.

Really, c’mon, those terrorist f***wits haven’t yet created a state for themselves, let alone all Moslems; so to use that name gives them a legitimacy they haven’t earned, and insults any Islamic state that actually does exist. It grants the appearance of legitimacy to a load of fringe-dwelling crazies with delusions of grandeur.

It’s like pretending that the inbred loons of the Phelps clan represent all of America.

It’s like calling this teeny tiny little blog “The Über Blog”.

It’s like calling a single rabid, mangy, syphilitic Chihuahua “The Dog”.

Just stop calling them something they don’t deserve, OK? “ISIS” and “ISIL” are bad enough without going the full delusional Monty.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

John McCain, please shut the hell up.

Once again, we breathe a sigh of relief that this idiotic gnome never became President: yesterday, he said he could tell us which Syrian rebel groups would be our allies in the future. Yes. He said it. Listen here if you doubt the Cranky One.

To make such a statement, one would assume he has  an awesome track record when picking partners and predicting outcomes in the Middle East. But alas, he does not:

But to buy into the McCain-knows-best version of the Iraq war, you have to ignore a lot of history. McCain was among the most aggressive proponents of a preemptive strike against Saddam Hussein, cosponsoring the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. He also expressed full faith in the way it would be executed — a war plan conceived and executed by Rumsfeld.
He did call for more troops in Iraq sooner than some, but later than others who made the same argument before the first shots were even fired. And McCain’s support for Rumsfeld only evaporated over time, as it became painfully clear that the war in Iraq was going south.

Senator McCain has pretty much been wrong on the Middle East whenever he opened his mouth on the subject. Here is a short list of applicable quotes. But just as crashing multiple jets failed to damage his Navy career, being totally wrong about Iraq has not hurt his career in the Senate.

This writer wishes reporters would stop asking an obvious nincompoop for his opinion. But since journos aren’t smart enough for that, let’s ask John McCain to STFU. Or else give his staff a big-assed roll of duct tape for McCain’s mouth.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

It’s 9/11. Remember who attacked us. And who let it happen. And who made money from the attacks.

Today is September 11th, and in order to truly honor the memory of those who died at the hands of those terrorist goat-f***ers in Al-Quaida, this writer will forego the usual platitudes, and instead point a big finger at the “Republicans” who sat back and let it happen; and then used those thousands of deaths to further their political ends whilst padding their offshore bank accounts. Think that is inappropriate, nasty, partisan, or lese-majeste? Gentle Reader, you ain’t heard nothing yet.

The 9/11 Commission report said that the Bushistas ignored the threat until after the attacks had occurred. And then, of course, they used the deaths of our fellow citizens to launch a phony war in Iraq and make themselves multi- millionaires. It’s all public record, click the links if you don’t believe it.

In stark contrast to the incompetence, malfeasance, and obfuscation of the “Republicans” stands President Obama. People told him about an imminent terrorist threat, and he quickly got started kicking their mass-murdering asses. And he told the country exactly what he was gonna do: bomb, shoot, and generally kill all of the Shaitan-worshipping thugs in ISIS. That, friends, is how you respond to an attack. Openly, firmly, and honestly.

There are still fools around the world who think the Prexy is weak, indecisive, or naive. To those idiots, we present four words:
Osama
Bin
Laden’s
Dead.
He died because Obama had the smarts and the testicular fortitude to pursue the mutt and kill his ass. The Bushies didn’t care enough to catch the motherf***er, which helped Al-Quaida grow stronger and prosper by showing the world that America would not punish those who attack us. But the Dems in the White House DID care, justice WAS rendered, and today Al-Quaida is a shattered remnant of the jihadi collossus it once was. Punishing criminals works a lot better than rewarding them.

We can best honor the victims of crimes by rendering justice on the criminals, and preventing future crimes. To the first point, not all of the criminals of 9/11 have been brought to justice yet, but Obama has made a good start. And to the second, he is doing things differently than his predecessor, thus helping to prevent a recurrence of 9/11.

Not to say that Obama’s actions are without risk. They carry enormous potential for blowback and unintended consequences. But doing nothing failed in 2001, and failed earlier this year as well. Terrorists will commit acts of terror whether men of good will do nothing, or do something. It’s what terrorists do. At least killing them, taking their money, and destroying their assets slows them down. (Again, see what has happened to Al-Quaida since PBO took office.)

The Bushies have the blood of innocents on their hands and in their wallets. Never forget, Gentle Reader. Because if we forget, it’ll happen again. Good luck to President Obama and all the brave people who fight for us every day. And bad cess to those who attack us, abandon us, and use tragedy to manipulate us.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Putin is a scumbucket. That does NOT mean we should go to war.

Russia is (again) invading a sovereign nation. Just as in Georgia, they sent lots of Russians into part of the Ukraine, and now claim these Russians are in “danger” and in need of “protection” from the other country. A patently transparent way of expanding Russian territory via military force.

And of course, the War Cheerleaders amongst the Right Wingnuts are urging Obama to follow the lead of Bush the Lesser, because, well, maybe sending troops in to stop a motherf***er will work this time. But anyway, freedom. And money for the arms merchants, of course.

Too many Americans (and foreign leaders) think Obama is weak and/or as dumb as the Bushistas, who got played like a violin during the Georgia adventure. If we have seen anything during the current Prexy’s tenure, it is the exact opposite: he is smart and cautious, perhaps too willing to believe in the goodness of others, but not soft. (Anybody who really thinks that Chicago lawyers are wimps hasn’t encountered one.)

We aren’t going to war over Pooty-Pants’ invasion of a foreign country. We aren’t because our Prexy is smart, our Secretary of State is a combat veteran, our nation wouldn’t support it, and the international community still doesn’t trust us after 8 years of Bush II.

In the end, what Putin is doing today is what Shrubya did when he chose to lie us into Iraq. Nobody believes Putin, and it’s not just because he is such a motherf***er; it’s because Putin and Gee Dub are two sides of the same imperialistic coin. And that currency has lost more value than a Mt. Gix Bitcoin, due to Georgia and Iraq.

We did not intervene in Syria, even though their leader is at least as big a scumbucket as Vladimir. Nor have we sent troops to many other motherf***er-owned-and-operated countries. We have other tools that we can use, and sometimes they work better than just randomly counter-invading sovereign nations.

Plus, both Russia and America have proven that starting off by rolling in with tanks and machine-gunning the locals is not a good way to do business. It might seem like a good idea to scumbucket leaders who have big eyes and want a territory to match, but it always ends badly.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Never Hire a Hothead (Chris Christie Edition)

New Jersey’s Governor is a vengeful, rage-filled bully with a room-temperature emotional IQ. All of these negative characteristics are on full display as the Bridgegate scandal unfolds. For those readers who aren’t familiar with it: Christie had his minions close parts of a vital bridge on order to get payback when a Democratic mayor did not endorse the Repub Guv’s recent reelection bid. He deliberately and knowingly endangered people, property, lives and livelihoods, wasted many taxpayer dollars and cost hundreds of businesses many thousands of dollars, all because he had a temper tantrum. His lackeys are being subpoenaed by the state, and are (when they can be found) testifying to just that effect.

Adding to the scrutiny, the Feds are asking just what the Mouth that Roared was up to. From the article:

In a letter to Port Authority Board Chairman David Sampson, Rockefeller wrote: “Unwarranted lane closures with no public notice can have serious ramifications on interstate commerce and safety in the region, and as the Committee with oversight responsibility of the Port Authority, I continue to have serious concerns about the actions of this agency. The gravity of this situation demands a comprehensive investigation. It also exacerbates my concerns with the governance and previous oversight of the Port Authority.”
Rockefeller also wrote to US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx Monday urging that the federal agency open its own inquiry into the Port Authority.

And this emotional infant, who thinks only of ignoring, abusing, mocking or intimidating those who don’t bow and scrape before him, who put an entire region at risk of calamity if a disaster or terrorist attack had occurred during these ill-advised closures… This hotheaded son of two strangers wants to be the President of the United States. The one person in the world who can launch a nuclear attack on his own. That is NOT a good idea, Cranky Nation.

We allowed an immature, spoiled, petulant, willfully pig-ignorant hothead to run this country before: his name was George W. Bush. Remember how well that worked out? Billions of dollars stolen and wasted, crimes committed, thousands of lives lost, all because America sat back and let him have free reign to unleash his temper tantrums upon a world that didn’t need or deserve them.

It’s bad enough that the voters of New Jersey got conned into electing Chris Christie again. But let’s stop there. We don’t need another vengeful, impetuous, angry idiot in the White House.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Yes, Ralph Nader is still an A**hole.

Nader is a millionaire dilletante arsewipe who took lots of money and assistance from the “Republicans”, deliberately damaged the Democrats, and alternately admitted it and lied about it repeatedly in 2000 and 2004. He hoped ( and said so) that Bush would defeat Gore and Kerry, and worked to make that happen.

Never mind the many thousands who would suffer or die as a result of his actions: Nader wanted a Bush presidency that would be so bad, so destructive, so injurious to the populace that Nader’s own political fortunes would be enhanced. And he got the cataclysm he wanted. In fact, we all got that cataclysm, even though the rest of us didn’t want it (because WE suffered, while his wealthy, privileged a** suffered not one bit). Of course, he didn’t get the political throne he coveted, and thank God for such small favors: but the damage he wrought via the illegal and illegitimate Bush “Presidency” remains with us to this day.

And when he is challenged on his idiotic, un-American, Left-betraying, Right-enabling actions? Why, his response boils down to “I’m right, and you’re wrong.” Pretty much the same thing that the Naderoids (differing from hemorrhoids only in the type of a**hole they are attached to) say, in the main. And if you bring up the facts that are contained within the above hyperlinks? He and his Naderbots either ignore them, embrace them, or deny them, depending on their mood at the time.

And this, Gentle Reader, is the crux of his a**holitude: it’s not that he did stupid s***; it’s not that the stupid s*** he did helped to cause such death, destruction, and exacerbated the economic injustices that plague our society; it’s that he looks at the havoc he enabled the Bushistsas to wreak upon the planet, and STILL says that he was right to do what he did.

Actually, a**hole isn’t a strong enough word for him or his supporters. But it’ll do for getting along with.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Sunshine Week, Day Two: Off the Books

One trick politicians use to bamboozle the taxpaying public is to take certain expenses “off the books”. The numbers are then not added to the “on the books” total. This allows the lying bounders to pretend that they are wasting less of our hard-earned than they actually are.

Regrettably, this plays into a very common psychological trait of humans: if we don’t see it over here, we kinda sorta forget it’s really right there. Rather like setting your watch or alarm clock five minutes fast to make sure you aren’t running late (full disclosure: Mr. Blunt and Cranky does this).

We bring this up today to remind everyone about the origins of the federal budget deficit. It is a favored rhetorical technique of politicos to select certain portions of the truth to create better lies. This example: the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were, during the Reign O’ The Shrub, kept off the books. This allowed the administration to claim that the budget deficit was lower than it really was.

When Obama came in, he put the wars on the books, which appeared to add hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit: of course, it did no such thing. The actual deficit was unchanged by this rare act of transparency. But the politicians have used it as a cudgel ever since by claiming that Obama raised the deficit yadayadayada.

Gentle Readers, watch out for this little shell game when your “representatives” give you an “accounting” of how they are “managing” your money. On or off the books, we still have to pay their bills eventually.

Mr. B & C