Confessions of a Former Dittohead: The Right-Wing Reasoning Chip

Understanding the Conditioned Reflex

i've long been advocating that those capable of reason step across the line into the wild red yonder. folks have seen me recommend frequent visits to the freeple zone or to hold the nose and ponder knee-jerk ranting of rush, et al.

for good liberal reason, i think they've realized.

for one thing, it's an inherent requirement of our kind to reach out to the less fortunate. it's a more deeply-seated motive, however, that says go and understand what drives those unable to understand themselves. it's become essential to the health of our nation that the reality-based community give up newtonian reflex as strategy and to use our natural advantage, the capacity for independent thought so distinct from the herding reflex of wingers.

'liberal' or 'educated elite' or 'academics'...just consider what stands as an 'epithet' to a knee-jerker. it makes sense that blind faith in village idiots is the hallmark of their worst as it comes from brain-envy! in this sense, rush may actually serve the country since he sets a heavy anchor for a demographic lacking other direction.

just consider the chaotic potential of twenty million sheeple suddenly absent the shared brain!

long preface to my point: in understanding the denialists, the 'create your own reality just by thinking it over and over' flock, we may not be able to establish a capacity for independent thought but we may -- through knowing how they're conditioned -- to at least replace the rush-rant stimulus of their reflex with something less likely to drive them (and us) off the cliff.

i've been so pleased, therefore, with the Confessions of a Former Dittohead series advisorjim's blessed us with since he replaced the defective chip! it's exactly the recipe i've been advocating but having less tendency to produce nausea since there's no risk of 'getting some of it on you'.

beyond the significance of his message, he delivers with great style and humor and i've been even happier with response of my fellow lefties: since he published the first Confessional, his diaries of experience as a one-time sheeple have educated millions who'd not have stepped near freerepublic or listened to a hannity-hurl!! the diary series is linked below, couched among the month and half record of his diaries and comments consistently placing in the dkos top 25 every week since!!

so not only is advisorjim delivering but our comrades-in-brain are receiving! i've regained faith that we'll soon be able to put a driver back in the seat whose actions are directed by forces greater than the strings of a marionette!

Read, learn, and act locally!

---

1. Dkos attack politics: chip busting (Diaries, Diary)posted by mikepridmore on 03/12/2005 18:43:34 EDT2 comments (2 new) Rank: 0.00
2. Newsie's Week In Reviewsies: Clinton Steals the Show; Dubya Flounders (Diaries, Diary)posted by Newsie8200 on 03/12/2005 13:09:16 EDT2 comments (2 new) Rank: 0.00
3. Top 25 recommended diaries - Mar 10, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 03/11/2005 11:25:26 EDT3 comments (3 new) Rank: 0.00
4. Evil too great to fight (Diaries, Diary)posted by thereisnospoon on 03/11/2005 06:10:09 EDT8 comments (8 new) Rank: 0.00
5. This Week in Fascism 03-10-05 [Time to do Something] (Diaries, Diary)posted by Tomtech on 03/10/2005 22:56:42 EDT7 comments (7 new) Rank: 0.00
6. How many new vs. lifelong Dems are here? (poll) (Diaries, Diary)posted by chantedor on 03/09/2005 12:38:11 EDT18 comments (18 new) Rank: 0.00
7. Top 25 recommended diaries - Mar 7, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 03/08/2005 12:13:15 EDT12 comments (12 new) Rank: 0.00
8. John Perkins & Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (Diaries, Diary)posted by profmarcus on 03/08/2005 11:31:44 EDT7 comments (7 new) Rank: 0.00
9. Today's 17 Best-Rated Comments, so far (Diaries, Diary)posted by social democrat on 03/08/2005 00:38:30 EDT2 comments (2 new) Rank: 0.00
10. Political Deprogramming Website: An idea whose time has come (Diaries, Diary)posted by librarianman on 03/07/2005 23:02:45 EDT5 comments (5 new) Rank: 0.00
11. Stress Reduction edition of Poetry Monday (Diaries, Diary)posted by Steven D on 03/07/2005 22:23:48 EDT12 comments (12 new) Rank: 0.00
12. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: The Right-Wing Reasoning Chip (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 03/07/2005 19:04:53 EDT371 comments (0 new) Rank: 0.00
13. This Week in Fascism 03-06-05 [Major Announcement] (Diaries, Diary)posted by Tomtech on 03/07/2005 00:47:19 EDT52 comments (52 new) Rank: 0.00
14. Most highly ranked comments 2/26/2005 - 3/4/2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 03/06/2005 16:52:19 EDT12 comments (12 new) Rank: 0.00
15. Newsie's Week In Reviewsies: Republicans Lie About Social Security (Diaries, Diary)posted by Newsie8200 on 03/06/2005 15:45:55 EDT4 comments (4 new) Rank: 0.00
16. Most Recommended Diaries 2/26/2005 - 3/4/2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 03/06/2005 13:53:25 EDT9 comments (9 new) Rank: 0.00
17. Secret Bush Directive Gives C.I.A. Wide Rendition Powers (NYT Sun) (Diaries, dKos)posted by SusanHu on 03/06/2005 01:57:29 EDT20 comments (20 new) Rank: 0.00
18. Top 25 recommended diaries - Mar 3, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 03/05/2005 14:29:16 EDT3 comments (3 new) Rank: 0.00
19. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: Alan Greenspan-A Model of Consistency (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 03/04/2005 18:18:51 EDT20 comments (20 new) Rank: 0.00
20. Marginal comments and signal-to-noise: recouping from a flame war (Diaries, dKos)posted by Aaron on 03/04/2005 13:28:56 EDT7 comments (7 new) Rank: 0.00
21. Top 25 recommended diaries - Mar 3, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 03/04/2005 12:02:53 EDT8 comments (8 new) Rank: 0.00
22. Meta Meta Diary (Diaries, Diary)posted by Ugluks Flea on 03/04/2005 10:47:03 EDT3 comments (3 new) Rank: 0.00
23. We've grown weak as a party, forever 2nd place. (Diaries, Diary)posted by jammin90mph on 03/04/2005 10:26:36 EDT13 comments (13 new) Rank: 0.00
24. This Week in Fascism 03-03-05 [Advise Requested] (Diaries, Diary)posted by Tomtech on 03/04/2005 00:46:51 EDT14 comments (14 new) Rank: 0.00
25. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: The Weak Faith of the Religious Right (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 03/03/2005 16:11:51 EDT263 comments (263 new) Rank: 0.00
26. Bush's own "Vince Foster" story (Diaries, Diary)posted by lawnorder on 03/03/2005 02:24:43 EDT8 comments (8 new) Rank: 0.00
27. The Pathology of the Corporation. (w/poll) (Diaries, Diary)posted by skrymir on 03/02/2005 13:28:56 EDT13 comments (13 new) Rank: 0.00
28. Top 25 recommended diaries - Mar 1, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 03/02/2005 11:33:20 EDT5 comments (5 new) Rank: 0.00
29. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: The Abortion Story (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 03/01/2005 12:47:24 EDT263 comments (263 new) Rank: 0.00
30. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 28, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 03/01/2005 11:20:15 EDT1 comment (1 new) Rank: 0.00
31. Putin to Bush: You Fired Dan Rather didn't you? (Diaries, Diary)posted by Magorn on 02/28/2005 15:59:34 EDT123 comments (123 new) Rank: 0.00
32. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: Beating the Gay Drumhead (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/28/2005 13:55:49 EDT126 comments (34 new) Rank: 0.00
33. When I Was Young (Diaries, Diary)posted by GDoyle on 02/28/2005 01:55:28 EDT7 comments (7 new) Rank: 0.00
34. I'm not what I didn't used to not be. (Diaries, Diary)posted by pyrrho on 02/27/2005 23:40:18 EDT40 comments (40 new) Rank: 0.00
35. Most Recommended Diaries 2/19/2005 - 2/25/2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/27/2005 14:32:16 EDT6 comments (6 new) Rank: 0.00
36. Drug Prohibition: It's the Economy, Stupid. (Diaries, Diary)posted by nephalim on 02/26/2005 18:35:10 EDT75 comments (75 new) Rank: 0.00
37. Newsie's Week In Reviewsies: The Chicken Has No Lips Edition (Diaries, Diary)posted by Newsie8200 on 02/26/2005 13:28:52 EDT9 comments (9 new) Rank: 0.00
38. Iraq TV: The reality of torture by Iraqi police (Diaries, Diary)posted by SanJoseLady on 02/25/2005 23:24:09 EDT0 comments (0 new) Rank: 0.00
39. How To Take Power, Step 2, Friend Partiot Project (Diaries, Diary)posted by starvin on 02/24/2005 23:20:21 EDT15 comments (15 new) Rank: 0.00
40. Full Ali Abi Story (Diaries, Diary)posted by jakal on 02/24/2005 20:33:08 EDT2 comments (2 new) Rank: 0.00
41. Does anyone see the ghost of Office of Strategic Influence here? (Diaries, Diary)posted by casualworker on 02/24/2005 11:57:11 EDT4 comments (4 new) Rank: 0.00
42. BREAKING: Gannon in my Bedroom!!! (Diaries, Diary)posted by gnat on 02/24/2005 00:48:49 EDT13 comments (13 new) Rank: 0.00
43. Fighting Indoctrination (Diaries, Diary)posted by CrazyModerate on 02/24/2005 00:06:06 EDT7 comments (7 new) Rank: 0.00
44. Dear Former Dittohead (Diaries, Diary)posted by elveta on 02/23/2005 23:34:11 EDT26 comments (26 new) Rank: 0.00
45. HHS Secretary Spellings to Call for War on Animation (Diaries, Diary)posted by tiponeill on 02/23/2005 00:44:48 EDT7 comments (7 new) Rank: 0.00
46. U.S. Citizen "Ghost Detainee" Accused of Bush Assassination Plot, But ... (Diaries, Diary)posted by SusanHu on 02/22/2005 14:44:46 EDT127 comments (127 new) Rank: 0.00
47. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 21, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/22/2005 09:40:05 EDT1 comment (1 new) Rank: 0.00
48. CNN ANCHOR DARYN KAGAN SEXING RUSH LIMBAUGH (Diaries, Diary)posted by Newdemo12 on 02/21/2005 20:42:29 EDT24 comments (24 new) Rank: 0.00
49. Are We the Real Axis of Evil? Whistleblower Exposes US Crimes Against the World (Diaries, Diary)posted by TocqueDeville on 02/21/2005 18:37:07 EDT150 comments (108 new) Rank: 0.00
50. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: The Evolution of a Wedge Issue (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/21/2005 17:27:59 EDT125 comments (125 new) Rank: 0.00
51. Most Recommended Diaries 2/12/2005 - 2/18/2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/20/2005 12:46:00 EDT5 comments (5 new) Rank: 0.00
52. Take a sneak peak at a campaign website (Diaries, Diary)posted by ttagaris on 02/20/2005 03:03:06 EDT32 comments (32 new) Rank: 0.00
53. Newsie's Week In Reviewsies: Almost Gannon-Free Edition (Diaries, Diary)posted by Newsie8200 on 02/19/2005 15:41:13 EDT14 comments (14 new) Rank: 0.00
54. Torture Unmakes the World (Diaries, Diary)posted by lorraine on 02/18/2005 15:09:59 EDT4 comments (4 new) Rank: 0.00
55. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 17, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/18/2005 11:30:58 EDT5 comments (5 new) Rank: 0.00
56. Confessions of a closet snob (Diaries, Diary)posted by Devilstower on 02/18/2005 05:56:36 EDT11 comments (11 new) Rank: 0.00
57. This Week in Fascism" 02-17-05 [I need your help!] (Diaries, Diary)posted by Tomtech on 02/17/2005 22:34:40 EDT75 comments (75 new) Rank: 0.00
58. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: The Expanding Mushroom Cloud of Democracy (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/17/2005 18:14:36 EDT113 comments (113 new) Rank: 0.00
59. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 15, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/16/2005 11:59:33 EDT4 comments (4 new) Rank: 0.00
60. Today's 17 Best-Rated Comments, so far (Diaries, Diary)posted by social democrat on 02/15/2005 16:35:52 EDT10 comments (10 new) Rank: 0.00
61. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 14, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/15/2005 12:36:12 EDT11 comments (11 new) Rank: 0.00
62. Confessional of a Former Dittohead: The Soft Racism of Personal Responsibility (Diaries, dKos)posted by advisorjim on 02/15/2005 12:18:19 EDT170 comments (170 new) Rank: 0.00
63. Today's 17 Best-Rated Comments, so far (Diaries, Diary)posted by social democrat on 02/14/2005 18:06:16 EDT11 comments (11 new) Rank: 0.00
64. What did James Watt Really Say? (Diaries, Diary)posted by gothamite on 02/14/2005 13:53:50 EDT2 comments (2 new) Rank: 0.00
65. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: ...And Knowing Is Half the Battle (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/14/2005 13:15:25 EDT122 comments (122 new) Rank: 0.00
66. Most Recommended Diaries 2/5/2005 - 2/11/2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/13/2005 22:45:54 EDT3 comments (3 new) Rank: 0.00
67. U.S. Torture Gulags: "I want to die" (Diaries, dKos)posted by SusanHu on 02/13/2005 07:34:33 EDT72 comments (72 new) Rank: 0.00
68. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 11, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/12/2005 12:05:48 EDT3 comments (3 new) Rank: 0.00
69. Another Glaring Omission by Bushco (Diaries, Diary)posted by Inverted on 02/12/2005 03:23:42 EDT170 comments (170 new) Rank: 0.00
70. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: To the Pitchfork Wielding and Torch Bearing Kossaks (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/11/2005 18:43:17 EDT18 comments (18 new) Rank: 0.00
71. Good to see Reagan in the news again (Diaries, Diary)posted by goplies on 02/11/2005 17:37:16 EDT1 comment (1 new) Rank: 0.00
72. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 10, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/11/2005 12:29:34 EDT11 comments (11 new) Rank: 0.00
73. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: Love Story (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/10/2005 22:12:32 EDT122 comments (98 new) Rank: 0.00
74. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 8, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/10/2005 13:28:02 EDT12 comments (12 new) Rank: 0.00
75. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: Why We Hated Clinton...So Very, Very Much (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/09/2005 14:13:01 EDT178 comments (178 new) Rank: 0.00
76. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 8, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/09/2005 12:32:05 EDT9 comments (9 new) Rank: 0.00
77. Why dailyKos is Worse than Heroin (Diaries, Diary)posted by gnat on 02/08/2005 19:51:16 EDT92 comments (92 new) Rank: 0.00
78. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 7, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/08/2005 13:05:04 EDT7 comments (7 new) Rank: 0.00
79. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: Beating the Dead Horse. (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/08/2005 12:12:59 EDT13 comments (13 new) Rank: 0.00
80. Bribery Based Initiatives (Diaries, Diary)posted by dhonig on 02/08/2005 12:08:18 EDT4 comments (4 new) Rank: 0.00
81. Outsourcing Torture: Secret History (FBI v. CIA) (Diaries, Diary)posted by SusanHu on 02/08/2005 11:41:21 EDT42 comments (42 new) Rank: 0.00
82. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: The Whole Made Up Social Security Thing (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/07/2005 15:06:20 EDT113 comments (113 new) Rank: 0.00
83. This Week in Fascism 02-06-05 (Diaries, Diary)posted by Tomtech on 02/07/2005 01:51:08 EDT13 comments (13 new) Rank: 0.00
84. Most Recommended Diaries 1/29/2005 - 2/5/2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/06/2005 14:58:54 EDT13 comments (13 new) Rank: 0.00
85. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 3, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/04/2005 11:27:59 EDT3 comments (3 new) Rank: 0.00
86. Cheers and Jeers: Rum and Coke FRIDAY! (Diaries, Diary)posted by Bill in Portland Maine on 02/04/2005 11:02:36 EDT480 comments (480 new) Rank: 0.00
87. Today's 17 Best-Rated Comments, so far (Diaries, Diary)posted by social democrat on 02/03/2005 16:37:35 EDT4 comments (4 new) Rank: 0.00
88. someone should respond to an attack of dailykos (Diaries, Diary)posted by virginia4kerry on 02/03/2005 13:46:57 EDT3 comments (3 new) Rank: 0.00
89. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 2, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/03/2005 13:16:35 EDT1 comment (1 new) Rank: 0.00
90. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: Why We Hated Sean Hannity (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/03/2005 12:15:50 EDT103 comments (103 new) Rank: 0.00
91. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: Firing AK-47s in the Glass House (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/03/2005 01:53:34 EDT111 comments (111 new) Rank: 0.00
92. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: Rush Limbaugh--Hypocrite (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/02/2005 19:28:18 EDT52 comments (52 new) Rank: 0.00
93. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: Watching Them Make Sausage (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/02/2005 16:24:31 EDT117 comments (117 new) Rank: 0.00
94. Top 25 recommended diaries - Feb 1, 2005 (Diaries, Diary)posted by jotter on 02/02/2005 16:20:26 EDT1 comment (0 new) Rank: 0.00
95. Does My Dittohead Conversion Tactic Stand A Chance? (Diaries, Diary)posted by dmauer on 02/02/2005 14:59:32 EDT20 comments (20 new) Rank: 0.00
96. Confessions of a Former Dittohead: How to Annoy a Conservative (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/01/2005 17:25:45 EDT282 comments (56 new) Rank: 0.00
97. Today's 17 Best-Rated Comments, so far (Diaries, Diary)posted by social democrat on 02/01/2005 16:59:14 EDT3 comments (3 new) Rank: 0.00
98. Confessions of a Former Dittohead (Diaries, Diary)posted by advisorjim on 02/01/2005 12:15:41 EDT271 comments (10 new) Rank: 0.00

Ooh I get it 'global war, MORE Terrorism'

or was it global war FOR terrorism>?

who cares, we've lit a fire in the minds of men

Militants Scour Europe for Iraq Fighters

Sun Mar 6, 5:27 AM ET

By DAVID RISING, Associated Press Writer

BERLIN - Islamic terror groups are becoming increasingly active in Germany and coordinating with militants across Europe to recruit fighters to join the insurgency in Iraq (news - web sites), equipping them with fake passports, money and medical supplies, security officials say.

One of the best examples of the cross-continent cooperation involves an Algerian man arrested in Germany and now on trial in Italy for allegedly helping Muslims from Somalia, Egypt, Iraq and Morocco recruit some 200 militants from around Europe to fight in Iraq.

Many in Germany's Islamic communities have shown sympathy for Muslims fighting jihad, or holy war, in places like Chechnya (news - web sites) or Bosnia, but authorities say a growing number of sympathizers are taking an active role themselves since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

"The war in Iraq has somehow mobilized this scene so that people who before just had some sort of contact or sympathies with extremist groups now think they have to do something," Manfred Murck, deputy head of the Hamburg government agency that tracks extremists, told The Associated Press.

"It's a main topic that brings people to action that they otherwise might not have taken. In past years they were talking about jihad, but not doing anything."

"By our efforts, we have lit a fire, as well — a fire in the minds of men," he said. "It warms those who feel its power. It burns those who fight its progress. And one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world."

-- George W. Bush

"The big threat is that they will eventually come back to European countries and they will come back with an image, with a reputation as heroes who fought the unbelievers, as it was in the war against the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan," he said.

"If they do, they come back from Iraq trained, they know how to fight, they know how to do an ambush, how to make a bomb, and so on, and intelligence is afraid of these developments."

Saddam capture a fake

AlterNet: Peek: Blog

Compassionate Corporatives Banking on Bankruptcy

how long will it take for them to kill it?

March 9, 2005
Bankruptcy Bill Set for Passage; Victory for Bush
By STEPHEN LABATON

WASHINGTON, March 8 - The Senate assured final passage of the first major overhaul of the nation's bankruptcy laws in 27 years on Tuesday, when it took two votes that cleared the remaining political obstacles to a measure that the nation's credit and retail industries have sought for years.

The bill would disqualify many families from taking advantage of the more generous provisions of the current bankruptcy code that permit them to extinguish their debts for a "fresh start." It would also impose significant new costs on those seeking bankruptcy protection and give lenders and businesses new legal tools for recovering debts.

when you own the companies that have already outsourced avg joe's good jobs cause you've already globalized to newly freed markets in the Middle East,

when you're CEO of the companies that file four times the 'junk lawsuits' than average joe does

“We think lawsuit abuse is a serious problem in this country," proclaimed Dick Cheney while debating John Edwards in early October. The"runaway lawsuits" theme is repeated at almost every Bush/Cheney campaign stop.

Knowing the record of his own company, I can't help wondering whether Cheney is like an alcoholic seeking help, for during his five-year reign as CEO, Halliburton and its subsidiaries filed more than 150 separate court actions (documented by Halliburton Watch). Those lawsuits pursued injunctions, evictions, and attempted to collect alleged debts from other corporations and individuals, sometimes for as little as $1,500.

But Halliburton is just part of a larger pattern. A recent study by Public Citizen indicates that the 7 million U.S. corporations file four times as many lawsuits as the 281 million individual Americans, so corporations are 160 times as likely to sue as an average person.

and take the biggest awards

National Law Journal reported that eight of the year's 10 largest awards to date involved corporations suing each other.

and when the idiots who narrowed the margin needed for you to resteal the office actually thought they were opting for 'moral values' as they bent over for the ballot

So far, Earle has obtained indictments against eight corporations, in addition to the three people close to Tom DeLay. The charges include multiple counts of money laundering and the illegal use of corporate contributions.

while the 'believin' CEO plays coy verbal footsy with a Faux reporter-cum-prestitute

when it comes to considering just these itty-bitty little things, why should you ever DOUBT that Americans would not be fools?!! again...

"We are a compassionate nation but we should not be fools," said Senator Orrin G. Hatch, a Utah Republican who has fought for the measure for eight years. "We want to give our neighbors who get in over their heads a chance to get out of their financial troubles. But for some it is a way to avoid personal responsibility. There is something inherently unfair about denying full restitution to creditors."

who the hell needs a fresh start anyhow, the idiots?!?!? nuh-unHHn, the idiot-in-chief has already shepherded the flock:

"We'll All Be Dead"

we're living out the reality version of 24, one more episode of the saga known as the death throes of America. stayed tuned to the Comfortably Numb Broadcast Network and you'll be just fine!

US Civilization in Death Throes: Iraq Intel Committee to Avoid Blame

Probe of Iraq intelligence won't assign blame: Commission keeps focus on policy issues

Stewart M. Powell, Hearst Newspapers

Sunday, February 6, 2005

Coup 2004 continued, GOP sits on 4 reports til reelection is a done deal. then the machine takes care of repercussions.

In this version of the "October Surprise", Vice Chair Lee Hamilton ensured that Goerge Bush was washed clean of responsibility.

The focus of the commission will be on the future. We’re not interested in trying to assess blame, we do not consider that part of the commission’s responsibility.

"Everybody feels it will be better off if this hits the fan after the election,"

In other words, the coup takes advantage of the governmental structure itself, as well as the bureaucratic nature of modern governments. There is an established hierarchy, an accepted chain of command, and standard procedures that are followed when instructions come down this pipeline. So long as the instructions come from the appropriate source or level of authority, they will almost always be followed even if from a new, and illegitimate, holder of that authority.

Washington -- The White House-ordered inquiry into the intelligence failures about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction won't blame individual officials for the errors that contributed to President Bush's decision to start the war almost two years ago.

Instead, the nine-member commission will emphasize how the United States should deal with future threats, according to commission spokesman Laurence McQuillan.

Critics of the White House investigation say this approach is a prescription for a whitewash -- avoiding accountability by failing to delve into who was behind the wrong intelligence assessments that lie at the heart of the controversy over whether the invasion of Iraq was necessary to protect the United States and whether it was worth the lives of more than 1,400 GIs and the cost to taxpayers of more than $300 billion.

The commission, led by former Sen. Charles Robb, D-Va., and federal appeals court Judge Laurence Silberman, faces a March 31 deadline to complete its report to Bush. A version of the report is expected to be made public.

"The commission's job is to assess the massive effort to collect intelligence about weapons of mass destruction to make sure it is as reliable and efficient as possible," McQuillan said. "The commission wants to look into shortcomings, find specific reasons for any intelligence failures and provide recommendations on how to fix it. The commission's job is not to figure out who was to blame for Iraq intelligence."

The Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction may identify some government positions by title but not individuals by name, McQuillan said.

The panel includes Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Yale President Richard Levin; former Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Charles Vest; former Pentagon officials Henry Rowen and Walter Slocombe; former Deputy CIA Director William Studeman; and former federal appeals court Judge Patricia Wald.

Joseph Cirincione, a weapons-proliferation expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who wrote "WMD in Iraq: Evidence and Implications," said the White House is focusing on institutional problems rather than individual culpability.

"The administration is protecting itself by narrowing the inquiry to avoid any investigation of any administration official when we need to understand the causes of one of the greatest intelligence failures in U.S. history," said Cirincione. "If you want to change the way a bureaucracy works, hold people accountable the way that the military and corporations do."

John Prados, author of "Hoodwinked: The Documents that Reveal How Bush Sold Us a War," said the focus on prospective threats rather than errant Iraq intelligence amounts to "a classic bait and switch."

"It is perfectly reasonable for a presidential commission to offer guidance on future collection of intelligence for counter-proliferation purposes, but to make that the main focus is to switch from the public's understanding of the purpose of the investigation," Prados said.

The WMD commission's report is expected to echo last summer's report by the five-member British government commission that exonerated British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

"No single individual was to blame," concluded Robin Butler, the retired senior British civil servant and Whitehall insider who served five British prime ministers. "There was no deliberate attempt on the part of the government to mislead. It was a weakness on the part of all those who were involved."

The Senate Intelligence Committee's unanimous, bipartisan assessment of prewar intelligence in Iraq last July also avoided naming names in favor of blaming "group think" for erroneous conclusions about Iraqi weapons.

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the House and Senate might not have authorized going to war in Iraq had lawmakers known that crucial intelligence findings were so "flawed" and their assessments so "wrong."

Bush named the first members of the WMD panel last Feb. 6 amid a mounting election-year furor over the absence of suspected weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Bush announced the U.S. invasion on March 19, 2003, as an effort "to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger" posed by "weapons of mass murder."

Yet no chemical or biological weapons, or the active nuclear weapons development program, cited by Bush administration officials as justifications for the invasion, have been discovered.

"We are determined to figure out why," Bush said last February as he named the WMD inquiry after chief weapons inspector David Kay reported that no weapons had been found.

Critics claim Bush never wanted the commission to pinpoint individual blame because that could besmirch officials as high as Vice President Dick Cheney as well as trigger recriminations and bureaucratic retaliation.

The White House "clearly does not want to hold people accountable," Cirincione said, adding: "In order to protect the president, they protect everybody and nobody is at fault."

Prados said: "To point fingers at this point runs the risk of an outraged intelligence specialist leaking more evidence that they had been under White House pressure on Iraq."

Many of the officials who might have been blamed already have left the federal government. CIA Director George Tenet, who reportedly told Bush the case for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was "a slam dunk," resigned last July shortly before the Senate Intelligence Committee's scathing assessment.

Deputy CIA Director John McLaughlin and a number of senior intelligence veterans in top posts also have stepped down.

The WMD commission's decision to avoid casting blame parallels the approach adopted by the independent inquiry into the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The 10-member, bipartisan National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States ended its 17-month inquiry last July with a riveting 585-page narrative of the attacks and extensive recommendations about how to improve intelligence for the future.

"Our aim has not been to assign individual blame," the report said. "Our aim has been to provide the fullest possible account of the events surrounding 9/11 and to identify lessons learned."

The approach contrasts sharply with military-style accountability meted out by U.S. authorities in response to the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Within 10 days of the Japanese attack, Navy Secretary Frank Knox had relieved Navy Adm. Husband E. Kimmel and Army Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short of their respective commands in Pearl Harbor.

A five-member panel appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt and led by Supreme Court Justice Owen Roberts advised the White House seven weeks after the attack that the local commanders failed to take "appropriate measures of defense required by the imminence of hostilities," concluding, "These errors of judgment were the effective causes of the success of the attack."

David Flitner Jr., author of "The Politics of Presidential Commissions," says panels that avoid naming names and instead approach controversies more broadly have paved the way for changes ever since President George Washington dispatched a commission to look into the western Pennsylvania farmers' grievances about the federal excise tax on spirits that triggered the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794.

"History suggests we not count (commissions) out before they've even begun their unique journey across the American political landscape," Flitner contended.

Presidential scholar W. Craig Bledsoe, now provost at Lipscomb University in Nashville, said chief executives often are accused of appointing commissions to "avoid confronting an issue, to delay action or to divert public attention."

But Bledsoe says research into more than 200 presidential commissions shows that "most presidents heed and act favorably on the reports they receive from their commissions."

McQuillan, spokesman for the WMD commission, said commissioners hope their findings will help implement the most sweeping overhaul of the nation's intelligence apparatus since 1947 signed into law by Bush on Dec. 17.

"The law sets the stage for change," said McQuillan. "The hard part will be implementing the overhaul, and the commission report will offer information that could be useful."