Hillary Clinton’s remarks made on March 6, 2003 to Code Pink two weeks before the Iraq War began contradict all of her claims made in her first campaign stop in Iowa this weekend.

From YouTube:

YouTube caption: 2 weeks before war, Code Pink meets with Hillary Clinton.

My transcription of Ms. Clinton’s remarks:

I admire your willingness to speak out on behalf of of the women and children of Iraq. There is a very easy way to prevent anyone from being put into harm’s way, and that is for Saddam Hussein to disarm. And I have absolutely no belief that he will. I have to say that this is something I have followed for more than a decade.

If he was serious about disarming, he would have been much more forthcoming coming. There may be progress, we may be destroying the Samoud missiles, but there is no accounting for the chemical and biological stocks. And I just respectfully disagree about what the proximate cause of any action that may be taken is.

Now I also believe that for now nearly 20 years the principal reason why women and children in Iraq have suffered is because of his leadership. His not only tyrannical and dictatorial leadership, but his reign of terror against women and children. And it is a — it is a very unfortunate situation for the Iraqi people that they have been so horribly misgoverned for so long.

Now, I do think that there are continuing discussions ongoing that I hope can make some further progress building on the success of the missile destruction program. But that has been the first real compliance, and it was only brought about when the inspectors discovered the missiles — they were not revealed — that their length was longer than what had been prescribed [sic] under the resolutions ending the Gulf War.

And the very difficult question for all of us is how does one bring about the disarmament of someone with such a proven track record of a commitment if not an obsession with weapons of mass destruction. And I ended up voting for the resolution after carefully reviewing the information and intelligence that I had available, talking with people whose opinions I trusted, trying to discount political or other factors that I didn’t believe should be in any way a part this decision.

And it is unfortunate that we are at the point of a potential military action to enforce the resolution. That is not my preference, it would be far preferable if we not only had legitimate cooperation from Saddam Hussein and a willingness on his part to disarm and account for his chemical and biological storehouses, but that if we had a much broader alliance and coalition.

But we are in a very difficult position right now. And so I would love to agree with you, but I can’t based on my own understanding and assessment of the situation.

In response to a question from an audience member:

… With respect to whose responsibility it is to disarm Saddam Hussein. I just do not believe that given the attitudes of many people in the world community today that there would be a willingness to take on very difficult problems were it not for the United States leadership.

And I’m talking specifically about what had to be done in Bosnia and Kosovo, where my husband could not get a Security Council Resolution to save the the Kosavar Albanians from ethnic cleansing. And we did it alone as the United States. And we had to do it alone.

It would have been far preferable if the Russians and others had agreed to do it through the United Nations. They would not.

I’m happy that in the face of such horrible suffering we did act. And so I see it somewhat differently, if you’ll forgive me, from my experience and perspective.

I’m agreeing with you a hundred percent that even though I am willing to take a very difficult step for me to say we have to disarm this man. That position in no way supports the disastrous economic policies that this administration is pursuing. In fact I think that this is the height of irresponsibility.

And it would be far preferable to be more patient and more thoughtful and more willing to try to engender support with respect to Iraq. That is a decision that has to be made in the world community.

Here at home this administration is bankrupting our economy, forcing us to make the worst kinds of false choices between national and homeland security, which they don’t fund. And between security and everything else, which they don’t want to fund.

So you have me a hundred percent on that. And it is absolutely wrong — it is wrong that for the first time in American history we have a President who is talking about leading this country to war and wanting to cut taxes at the same time.

That is the height of cruel, arrogant irresponsibility.

Now compare her comments with those reported by her fans at the New York Times:

Clinton Calls on Bush to ‘Extricate’ U.S. From Iraq

January 28, 2007
By PATRICK HEALY

DAVENPORT, Iowa, Jan. 28 — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton called today for President Bush to “extricate our country” from Iraq by the time he leaves office in 2009, and she also said she knew enough about “evil and bad men” to protect the country from its enemies…

One person in the audience pressed Mrs. Clinton on her vote authorizing military action in Iraq in 2002, saying she allowed “the president to go to war,” and asked for specific steps she would take to end the war. She replied by selectively quoting from her speech in 2002 about her vote, saying it was not cast “for pre-emptive war,” but rather as leverage for the president to work diplomatic channels. (She did not mention that she also said at the time that she cast her vote "with conviction.")

Mrs. Clinton also took issue with President Bush’s recent statements that he did not expect to have the troops out of Iraq by the time he leaves office.

“I think it’s the height of irresponsibility and I really resent it — this was his decision to go to war, he went with an ill-conceived plan, an incompetently executed strategy, and we should expect him to extricate our country from this before he leaves office,” the senator said this morning…

Hillary Clinton is a liar.

(And an idiot for talking to Code Pink as if they are a legitimate organization.)

From a mournful Reuters:

Iraqi police commandos flash the victory sign as they return from a battle against gunmen near the holy Shiite city of Najaf.

Iraqi cult leader killed in Najaf battle

Mon Jan 29, 2007 12:14 PM ET

By Khaled Farhan

NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) – The leader of an Iraqi cult who claimed to be the Mahdi, a messiah-like figure in Islam, was killed in a battle on Sunday near Najaf with hundreds of his followers, Iraq’s national security minister said on Monday.

Women and children who joined 600-700 of his "Soldiers of Heaven" on the outskirts of the Shi’ite holy city may be among the casualties, Shirwan al-Waeli told Reuters. All those people not killed were in detention, many of them wounded.

Iraqi troops, backed by U.S. forces, confronted the group after learning it was planning an attack on the Shi’ite clerical establishment in Najaf on Monday.

"One of the signs of the coming of the Mahdi was to be the killing of the Ulema (hierarchy) in Najaf," Waeli said. "This was a perverse claim. No sane person could believe it."

Authorities have been on alert for days as hundreds of thousands of Shi’ite Muslims massed in the area to commemorate Ashura, the highpoint of their religious calendar, amid fears of attacks by Sunni Arab insurgents linked to al Qaeda.

But Sunday’s battle involved a group of a different sort, a cult which Iraqi officials said included both Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims as well as foreigners.

"He claimed to be the Mahdi," Waeli said of the cult’s leader, adding that he had used the full name Mahdi bin Ali bin Ali bin Abi Taleb, claiming descent from the Prophet Mohammad.

He was believed to be a 40-year-old from the nearby Shi’ite city of Diwaniya: "He was killed," Waeli said.

The final death toll, estimated by other Iraqi officials at 300 gunmen, was still being calculated, Waeli said, putting the initial figure at about 200. Searchers were still scouring the area where U.S. tanks, helicopters and jets reinforced Iraqi troops during some 24 hours of fighting.

Though Sunnis and Shi’ites are engaged in an embryonic sectarian civil war in Iraq, there have been instances in Islamic history where groups drawn from both communities have challenged the authority of the existing clerical leadership…

A government statement said the group was planning "a dangerous criminal act" in Najaf.

"An ideologically perverted group … tried to insult an Islamic holy symbol, the Imam Mahdi, and use him as an ideological base to recruit followers," the statement said.

Waeli said the death toll among Iraqi forces was around 10 soldiers and police. Najaf’s police chief was wounded, he said.

Two U.S. soldiers were killed when their attack helicopter came down during the fighting, the U.S. military said. Iraqi officials and witnesses said it appeared to have been shot down.

Some of the fighters wore headbands describing themselves as "Soldiers of Heaven", Iraqi officials said. It was not clear how many women and children were present: "It is very sad to bring families onto the battlefield," Waeli said.

When police first approached the camp and tried to call on the group to leave, their leader replied: "I am the Mahdi and I want you to join me," Waeli said, adding: "Today was supposed to be the day of his coming."

Other Iraqi officials said on Sunday that a man named Ahmed Hassani al-Yemeni, who had been working from an office in Najaf until it was closed down earlier this month, had assembled the group, claiming to be the messenger of the Mahdi…

It’s quite rare for our watchdog media to actually report on some of the craziness behind the news.

Today begins Ashura, which like the festival of Eid al-Adha is another bloodthirsty Muslim holiday:

From Canada’s CBC:

Shias in Iraq mark Ashura festival amid tight security

Iraqi forces were on alert Sunday in the city of Karbala as hundreds of thousands of Shia worshippers gathered for the annual Ashura religious festival.

It commemorates the killing of the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, Imam Hussein, in the 7th century.

Under Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, the festival was outlawed. Now, it draws huge numbers of Shias from Iraq and other countries, but also requires heightened security.

At least 8,000 police will be on duty in Karbala, where security authorities have warned hotel owners not to accept any non-Iraqi Arabs or Iraqis without identity documents and to inform authorities about suspicious individuals, said police spokesman Abdul Rahman Mishawi.

Ashura has in the past been marred with outbreaks of Shia-Sunni violence across the Muslim world. In 2004 and 2005, suicide bombings by al-Qaeda in Iraq killed at least 230 people during the ceremonies in Karbala…

The 10-day Ashura mourning period culminates on Tuesday with processions and ceremonies at the city’s sacred shrine, the burial ground of Hussein. His death in 680 AD, during a battle in Karbala for leadership of the Islamic faith, was a key historical event in the ongoing sectarian rift between Sunnis and Shias in Iraq.

Shias regard Hussein and his family as direct descendants of the Prophet, a view that has for centuries put them at odds with Sunni Muslims.

Before the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, the minority Sunnis were in control in Iraq, but the majority Shias gained control after the U.S.-led invasion.

So you see, it’s all George Bush’s fault.

Still, it wouldn’t be so bad if they just stuck to mutilating themselves. But they don’t:

And we wonder why these people are so violent.

From a despondent Reuters:

Iraqi soldiers take up positions at Zarqa, 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Najaf, Iraq, Sunday Jan. 28, 2007.

US, Iraqi forces kill 250 in Najaf

Jan 29, 2007

NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) – U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 250 gunmen in a fierce battle involving U.S. tanks and helicopters on the outskirts of the Shi’ite holy city of Najaf on Sunday, a senior Iraqi police officer said.

The day-long battle was continuing after nightfall, Colonel Ali Nomas told Reuters, as tens of thousands of pilgrims converged on the nearby city of Kerbala for the climax of the Ashura commemorations.

A U.S. helicopter was shot down in the fighting, Iraq security sources said. The U.S. military declined comment. A Reuters reporter saw a helicopter come down trailing smoke.

Shi’ite political sources said the gunmen appeared to be both Sunni Arabs and Shi’ites loyal to a cleric called Ahmed Hassani….

Funny how Reuters went out of their way to claim that the gunmen are both Sunni and Shiites.

I suspect that is untrue, since Najaf is the center of Shiite political power in Iraq.

But Reuters wouldn’t want to make it seem like the surge might be having an effect against Muqtada al-Sadr’s "Mahdi Army."

From the joyous staff at Iran’s FARS News:

Kerry signs an autograph for Iran’s former President Seyed Mohammad Khatami.

Kerry Backs Up Iran’s N. Rights

14:36 | 2007-01-28

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency) – Former US presidential nominee John Kerry voiced full support for the Islamic Republic’s right to use civilian nuclear technology on the basis of the rules and regulations of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NTP).

Addressing a world Economic Forum meeting in Davos Switzerland on Saturday, Kerry also strongly rejected West’s demanded prerequisites for the resumption of nuclear talks with Iran.

Kerry, whose remarks followed a speech by Iran’s former President Seyed Mohammad Khatami, stated his support for Khatami’s views, and said Americans find out – only when they are outside their country – that the world is different from what they imagine.

"We should give up pessimism and pick up a realistic view," he said, and further stressed the need for the US to change its policies towards the world countries and issues.

The US politician also approved of Khatami’s views about increased tension and violence in the world, and concluded, "As Mr. Khatami said, violence increased in the region after the occupation of Afghanistan, Iraq and Bin Ladenism."

Earlier in the same meeting, former Iranian President Seyed Mohammad Khatami said that violence and terror have roots outside Iraq, and stressed that anyone willing to help to the settlement of the Middle-East problem should first prove his impartiality.

Noting the undesirable equations formed in the Middle-East, Khatami said, "If we intend to establish security in the world, then we should form an equation which serves democracy, stability and development."

Describing the world’s indifference in the face of the Palestinian crisis as a catastrophe, he asked, "Why should the existence of a nation be ignored and why shouldn’t a legal government like Hamas which has ascended to power through democratic elections be recognized?"

"Respecting people’s votes and views, repatriation of the refugees and restoration of public rights set the only solution to the Middle-East crisis," the former Iranian president added.

He said anyone willing to help to the settlement of the ongoing crisis in the Middle-East should substantiate his impartiality. "And any plan for the region must be based on justice, partnership of all regional and Muslim states and restoration of the Palestinians’ rights."

Referring to Iraq, he said that the present catastrophe in that country is the result of violence and terror which has foreign roots, and stated that the religious conflicts in Iraq are a phenomenon created by foreign elements.

"The United States is still dreaming of conquering Iraq," Khatami said, mentioning that the United States’ attitude and the US administration’s dismissal of the Baker-Hamilton report show that Washington has not yet comprehended the realities dominating Iraq…

Remember that Kerry championed the "nuclear freeze" movement in the United States. Indeed, it was the "nuclear freeze" issue that got him elected to the Senate:

Enlarge

In Kerry’s first Senate speech he introduced a “a bill to provide for a comprehensive bilateral and verifiable freeze between the United States and the Soviet Union on the testing, production, and deployment of nuclear weapons systems.”

However Kerry was unable to get even one co-sponsor and the bill never made it to the Senate floor for a vote.

Of course the only nuclear capabilities Kerry has only ever sought to limit are ours. Certainly not those of a country run by a madman who wants to destroy Western Civilization.

John Kerry has always been a traitor to this country.

From the newswires:

With the Capitol as a backdrop, demonstrators listen to the speakers during a protest against the war in Iraq on the National Mall on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007, in Washington.

Actress and anti-war advocate Jane Fonda, right, listens [along with professional protesters Gail Murphy and Media Benjamin] as Eve Ensler addresses a crowd of protesters at the U.S. Navy Memorial as they participate in a women’s peace rally to voice their opposition to the war in Iraq, Saturday Jan. 27, 2007 in Washington.

Actress Jane Fonda speaks at an anti-Iraq war protest on the National Mall Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007 in Washington.

Actress Jane Fonda, right, smiles with Eve Ensler, author of ‘The Vagina Monologues,’ center, at the U.S. Navy Memorial as they participate in a protest against the war in Iraq, Saturday Jan. 27, 2007, in Washington. Actor Sean Penn can be seen at left.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, center, who is running for the Democratic presidential for a second time, speaks at protest against the war in Iraq on the National Mall on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007 in Washington.

Iraq war protesters march 5 January 2007 in Washington, DC. Thousands of people are expected to gather in Washington to protest the Iraq war and hear speeches by Jane Fonda and other veteran anti-war activists.

Demonstrators walk past the Capitol during a protest against the war in Iraq on the National Mall Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007 in Washington.

Actor Sean Penn, center, joins [professional protester Medea Benjamin] as they march past the U.S. Supreme Court during a march to protest the war in Iraq, Saturday Jan. 27, 2007, in Washington.

Jesse Jackson, Susan Sarandon, with sunglasses, Tim Robbins and other event speakers march with a banner past the Capitol during a march to protest the war in Iraq on the National Mall on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007, in Washington.

Actors and anti-war demonstrators Susan Sarandon (L) and Sean Penn stand together as they listen to speeches while thousands of protesters gathered on the National Mall to rally against the war in Iraq in Washington, January 27, 2007.

Alice, an anarchist from North Carolina, tries to shake hands with Capitol Police officers as they guard the Capitol during a protest against the war in Iraq Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007 in Washington.

Protesters dance during a demonstration against the war in Iraq on the National Mall on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007, in Washington. Protesters demanded a withdrawal of U.S. troops in a demonstration Saturday that drew tens of thousands and brought Jane Fonda back to the streets.

"Tens of thousands"? That must be Million Man Math. Apparently Medea Benjamin’s paid stooge, Cindy Sheehan didn’t even bother to show up.

But note, as usual, the artful angles and tight cropping the photographers employ to misrepresent the situation.

By the way, our watchdog media also fail to report that Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin of Code Pink plan to take over House and Senate offices on February 5th, if they don’t get their way.

Just another minor detail not worth mentioning.

Continue…

From those lovers of peace at the Associated Press:

Julie Ide of McClean, Va., picks out a sign before the start of an Iraq war protest on the National Mall on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007, in Washington.

Thousands in capital to protest Iraq war

By LARRY MARGASAK

WASHINGTON – Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters, energized by fresh congressional skepticism about the war in Iraq, were demanding a withdrawal of U.S. troops in a demonstration Saturday featuring a handful of celebrities such as Jane Fonda and Susan Sarandon.

"We see many things that we feel helpless about," said Barbara Struna, 59, of Brewster, Mass. "But this is like a united force. This is something I can do."

Struna, a mother of five who runs an art gallery, made a two-day bus trip with her 17-year-old daughter, Anna, to the nation’s capital to represent what she said was middle America’s opposition to President Bush’s war policy.

Her daughter, a high school senior, said she has as many as 20 friends who have been to Iraq. "My generation is the one that is going to have to pay for this," she said.

She held a sign that said, "Heck of a job, Bushie," mocking Bush’s words of encouragement to his disaster relief chief, Michael Brown, amid criticism of the government’s immediate response to Hurricane Katrina in the summer of 2005.

Other demonstrators on a clear, sunny day carried signs to the National Mall that said "Make hip-hop not War," "The surge is a lie," and "Clean water speaks louder than bombs."

As protesters streamed to the Mall, Bush reaffirmed his commitment to the troop increase in a phone conversation Saturday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a day when one or two rockets struck the heavily fortified Green Zone, home of the Iraqi government, thousands of Americans and the U.S. and British embassies.

Bush was in Washington for the weekend. He is often is out of town during big protest days. On Monday, for instance, he called anti-abortion marchers on the phone from Camp David.

United for Peace and Justice, a coalition group sponsoring the protest, said there has been intense interest in the rally since Bush announced he was sending 21,500 additional troops to supplement the 130,000 in Iraq. He termed the increase a "surge" in troops.

The group said its Internet site received more than 5 million hits this month, including 650,000 on Wednesday — the day leaders held a media briefing about the protest.

The rally was scheduled as congressional opposition to the war is building. The Senate is considering nonbinding resolutions that would state opposition to Bush sending the extra forces to Iraq.

Frank Houde, 72, of Albany, N.Y., was a career Air Force pilot who served in Vietnam. Houde did not carry a sign, but said that his protest was on his hat, which said "Veterans for peace."

"The fact is war doesn’t work," he said. "Iraq is not going to work. The war was started for reasons that turned out to be false."

Houde, retired from the antique restoration business, said he was never upset by protests at home while he was in Vietnam.

"I knew most were protesting on principle," he said. "It was a democratic process."

Houde said he came to this protest to be counted and added, "You can’t sit in the middle of the stink of war for a year and not be affected by it. We changed the balance of power in Congress."

He said that since the new Democratic Congress is now starting to listen to those opposing the war, the timing of the protest "isn’t an accident."

Scheduled speakers in addition to Fonda and Sarandon included Danny Glover, Tim Robbins, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy and several members of Congress who oppose the war.

Fonda was a lightning rod in the Vietnam era for her outspoken opposition to that war, earning the derisive nickname "Hanoi Jane" from conservatives for traveling to North Vietnam during the height of that conflict 35 years ago. She has avoided anti-Iraq war appearances until now.

A small group of active-duty military troops planned to attend the protest. A Defense Department spokeswoman said members of the Armed Forces can speak out, subject to several restrictions. They must not do so in uniform, and they must make clear that they do not speak on behalf of their military unit, their service or the Defense Department, unless authorized to do so.

In typical fashion most of the stories leading up to this "protest" predicted a turnout of hundreds of thousands of demonstrators.

A small sampling:

Thousands Expected in Washington to Protest War in Iraq HULIQ, NC - 27 minutes ago Event organizers say Saturday’s rally could draw hundreds of thousands of people. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and Hollywood actors Jane Fonda and …

Local residents joining anti-war demonstration NorthJersey.com, NJ - 3 hours ago Organizers of an anti-war protest in Washington, DC, are expecting hundreds of thousands of people nationwide to march today against the Bush …

Though discharged, Marine still fights battle against war Brattleboro Reformer, VT - 4 hours ago According to United For Peace and Justice, an anti-war coalition of 1400 organizations, the protest could draw hundreds of thousands of demonstrators. …

War protest set Saturday in DC Chicago Tribune, IL - Jan 26, 2007 Groups say they have chartered hundreds of buses and expect tens of thousands of people–some organizers said hundreds of thousands–to descend on the …

SATURDAY PEACE MARCH GLOBAL Free Market News Network, FL - Jan 25, 2007 Hundreds of thousands of Americans will march to their capital city Washington DC on Saturday 27 January. People round the world – let’s join the march with …

Peace activists to march in Washington Reno Gazette Journal, NV - Jan 25, 2007 "They expect hundreds of thousands of people at this march," said Stiller, a counselor at Sparks Middle School. "People from all over the country are …

Now the AP is talking about "thousands." (Of course they will blame the low numbers on the weather or the phase of the moon or something else, just like they always do.)

But note the photographs. Apparently war protesters are late risers.

Still, isn’t it odd how the AP couldn’t get photographs of the protesters mentioned in the articles along with their very clever signs?

She held a sign that said, "Heck of a job, Bushie," mocking Bush’s words of encouragement to his disaster relief chief, Michael Brown, amid criticism of the government’s immediate response to Hurricane Katrina in the summer of 2005.

Mr. Bush has prevented another terrorist attack against the United States for five and a half years. He has also liberated more than 50 million people in two countries and given them representative democracies.

What has Ms. Struna done?

From ABC’s Blotter:

ABC News Exclusive: Murder in a Teapot

January 26, 2007

Brian Ross and Maddy Sauer Report:

British officials say police have cracked the murder-by-poison case of former spy Alexander Litvinenko, including the discovery of a "hot" teapot at London’s Millennium Hotel with an off-the-charts reading for Polonium-210, the radioactive material used in the killing.

Click here for slideshow of the Litvinenko investigation.

A senior official tells ABC News the "hot" teapot remained in use at the hotel for several weeks after Litvinenko’s death before being tested in the second week of December. The official said investigators were embarrassed at the oversight.

The official says investigators have concluded, based on forensic evidence and intelligence reports, that the murder was a "state-sponsored" assassination orchestrated by Russian security services.

Officials say Russian FSB intelligence considered the murder to have been badly bungled because it took more than one attempt to administer the poison. The Russian officials did not expect the source of the poisoning to be discovered, according to intelligence reports.

Russian officials continue to deny any involvement in the murder and have said they would deny any extradition requests for suspects in the case.

Sources say police intend to seek charges against a former Russian spy, Andrei Lugovoi, who met with Litvinenko on Nov. 1, the day officials believe the lethal dose was administered in the Millennium Hotel teapot.

Lugovoi steadfastly denied any involvement in the murder at a Moscow news conference and at a session with Scotland Yard detectives. Russian security police were present when the British questioned Lugovoi, and British officials do not think they received honest answers from him.

British health officials say some 128 people were discovered to have had "probable contact" with Polonium-210, including at least eight hotel staff members and one guest.

None of these individuals has yet displayed symptoms of radiation poisoning, and only 13 individuals of the 128 tested at a level for which there is any known long-term health concern, officials said.

The Millennium Hotel has closed the Pine Bar and other areas where Litvinenko and Lugovoi met on Nov. 1, although the hotel says the remaining public areas "have been officially declared safe" and are open to the public.

Of course given the Blotter’s track record, one should take this with a grain of salt.

By the way, in all the coverage of this assassination I have never seen it mentioned that Polonium-210 was discovered by Marie Currie.

Why is that?

From our friends at the New York Post:

US troops patrol Karbala during the night. Four of five US soldiers killed by insurgents in a raid in the southern shrine city of Karbala were kidnapped and executed by men wearing “American-looking uniforms,” the military has revealed. The January 20 attack had been “well rehearsed” by the insurgents, who got past Iraqi checkpoints in “a convoy consisting of at least five sport utility vehicles (SUVs),” a military statement said.

ATROCITY IN KARBALA

January 27, 2007 — Those who insist so loudly on following Geneva Conventions rules regarding captured terrorists need to take a long, hard look at the latest atrocity in Iraq, news of which broke yesterday.

Four U.S. soldiers, one of them a New Yorker, were captured – and promptly murdered – last Saturday in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles from Baghdad, officials confirmed.

Two of the slain soldiers were found handcuffed together in the back of a vehicle.

Soldiers die in combat, of course.

But the murder of disarmed and helpless troops – killing POWs, in effect – is what’s at issue here.

The killers traveled in vehicles used by U.S. government convoys, wore U.S. combat fatigues, had American weapons and spoke English. That got them past an army checkpoint and into a U.S. compound – where they opened fire with grenades and rifles.

Among those killed was Pfc. Shawn Falter, 25, of Homer in northern Westchester. Officials confirmed that he was killed last Saturday after being ambushed in Karbala, but didn’t name the two victims of the atrocity.

The murder of helpless captives is a stark reminder of the barbaric nature of the enemy that American-led forces face in Iraq.

Indeed, it puts into perspective the complaints about U.S. "atrocities" committed against prisoners at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.

Frankly, complaints about degrading photos and alleged desecration of the Koran can’t hold a candle to the savage abduction and execution-style murders of brave soldiers.

Those who have led the outcry over what they hysterically decry as U.S. "war crimes" in Iraq have a particular obligation to speak out against genuine atrocities of the kind committed by these terrorist insurgents.

Their failure to do so will only serve to confirm their actual motive: not to hold America to the highest moral standard, but to undermine the U.S. effort and ensure a Vietnam-style defeat in Iraq.

Yes, the "holy city of Karbala." And holy man Muqtada al-Sadr.

And the holy religion of Islam.

From Code Pink’s website:

Occupation Project

In the beginning of February 2007, the White House will most likely submit a new supplemental spending bill to Congress, and CODEPINK will join with Voices for Creative Nonviolence to launch Occupation Project, a campaign of sustained nonviolent civil disobedience to end war funding.

The campaign begins on February 5, 2007 with occupations at the offices of Representatives and Senators who refuse to pledge to vote against additional war funding. See list of Key Dates here!

Kathy Kelly, currently in Amman, Jordan writes:

"Although we have paltry financial means compared to the weapons makers who wield so much influence on Capitol Hill, we do have resources. We have our bodies. We have our determination. We have our compassion for Iraqi people and for U.S. soldiers… Now is the time for seriously strategizing about the best ways, in our hometowns, to engage in sustained civil disobedience at the offices of elected representatives, demanding that they vote against the supplemental spending bill."

Of course like every other one of their overly hyped events, this one will amount to nothing. At best they will get some more photos of Medea Benjamin (née Susan) and Cindy Sheehan being manhandled by the police.

But why aren’t these people in jail? They have broken innumerable laws, including traveling illegally to Cuba. And yet they are still at large.

They are nothing short of domestic terrorists. And yet their operations are all taxpayer supported.

Are we at war or not?

From a disappointed Reuters:

President George W. Bush walks to the stage before delivering remarks at Galatasaray University in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, June 29, 2004.

Report: 7 jailed for being part of Bush plot

January 26, 2007

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Reuters) — A Turkish court jailed seven Islamism militants [sic] for being part of an armed gang that plotted to kill U.S. President George W. Bush during a 2004 NATO summit, a news agency said on Friday.

The seven men were sentenced for being members of Ansar al-Islam, a radical group believed to have links to al Qaeda, and not specifically for conspiring to assassinate Bush, the private Dogan News agency reported.

The gang was captured after police in the western Turkish city of Bursa, backed by intelligence agents, launched an operation against them in April 2004 ahead of the NATO summit held in Istanbul in June of that year.

In searches of the defendants’ homes and offices, police found explosives and other bomb-making materials in addition to pistols and rifles.

During questioning, the men admitted to planning to carry out a suicide bombing against Bush.

Alpaslan Toprak was jailed for 12-1/2 years for being an armed gang leader, while six other defendants were sentenced to six years three months in prison for membership of the group.

Another 13 defendants were acquitted.

Turkish demonstrators protesting the arrival of President Bush to Istanbul on June 27, 2004.

What terrorism?

These were just "Islamism militants."

From MEMRI:

Anti-American Animated Film on Iranian TV

This animated film was aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on January 21, 2007.

You have to see this clip to appreciate just how removed the Iranian leaders are from reality. And how they are willing to lie about anything.

But when you think about it, our media basically tells us the same thing.