Douglas J. Feith recaps the reasons we went to war in Iraq.

It won't be popular as he avoids rhetoric and accusations, and instead lays out the real timeline and thoughts behind the decision to go to war from an insider's perspective.

Agree or disagree with the reasons all you want, but it is important to stop the BDS and the Bush lied accusations and see the big picture.

A lot of poor commentary has framed the Iraq war as a conflict of "choice" rather than of "necessity." In fact, President George W. Bush chose to remove Saddam Hussein from power because he concluded that doing so was necessary.

President Bush inherited a worrisome Iraq problem from Bill Clinton and from his own father. Saddam had systematically undermined the measures the U.N. Security Council put in place after the Gulf War to contain his regime. In the first months of the Bush presidency, officials debated what to do next.

As a participant in the confidential, top-level administration meetings about Iraq, it was clear to me at the time that, had there been a realistic alternative to war to counter the threat from Saddam, Mr. Bush would have chosen it.

...

The Iraq policy debate remained unresolved when the September 11 attacks occurred. Like all major national security issues, Iraq policy was re-examined in light of our post-9/11 sense of vulnerability and the heightened worries about terrorism and, especially, about the danger that terrorists might obtain WMD from a nation state.

When the president ultimately decided that the Iraqi regime must be ousted by force, he was influenced by five key factors:

1) Saddam was a threat to U.S. interests before 9/11. The Iraqi dictator had started wars against Iran and Kuwait, and had fired missiles at Saudi Arabia and Israel. Unrepentant about the rape of Kuwait, he remained intensely hostile to the U.S. He provided training, funds, safe haven and political support to various types of terrorists. He had developed WMD and used chemical weapons fatally against Iran and Iraqi Kurds. Iraq's official press issued statements praising the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.

Once again, Bush shows he has a good sense of humor.

I blogged this yesterday, and I expected some negative reaction, but not this soon.  The story and reactions have come from around the world, thanks to the power of the internet.  Of note is the Tehran Times in Iran which parroted the original article.

Hmm, what kind of message about unity in America is Brattleboro giving, and what impact could that have on foreign policy?

The Boston Globe has also noticed the story.

The blowback on the story involves something I personally find distasteful: Harassment and threats.

In my original post I chose not to treat the matter in such fashion, I went with scorn, ridicule and derision.  Harassment makes martyrs of the people whose hatred drives them to such ideological foolishness, ridicule and exposure merely shows it as the foolishness it is.

LSU condemns any threats against the officials.  A lot of them are only doing their jobs.

I will post some highlights from several articles

WCAX TV:

Officials in Brattleboro say they have been inundated with threats after word broke about a controversial item that will appear on the Town Meeting Day ballot. It calls for President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to be arrested for war crimes if either of them steps foot in Brattleboro.

Workers at the town offices had to stop answering their phones Monday due to numerous threats. Local and federal authorities say they will prosecute anyone whose messages cross the line and harass town officials.

WPTZ:

Town officials in Brattleboro are being inundated with complaints from across the country about a decision to let voters decide whether arrest warrants should be issued for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Town Clerk Annette Cappy said the "nastiness" of the calls prompted the town office to stop answering its phones Monday.

One message from a Minnesota man said he'd like to see terrorists cut off the heads of some Brattleboro officials.

Tonight was the Presidents final SOTUA.  Some good things, some so so.  I won't overly editorialize it, I will let you make your own call.  Read the text here.

The absolute best line:

Some in Washington argue that letting tax relief expire is not a tax increase. Try explaining that to 116 million American taxpayers who would see their taxes rise by an average of $1,800. Others have said they would personally be happy to pay higher taxes. I welcome their enthusiasm, and I am pleased to report that the IRS accepts both checks and money orders.

Love it.

OK, the highlights:

• Make tax cuts permanent
• Cut spending
• Make earmarks fewer and more transparent
• Help homeowners
• Make health care better with more choices
• No Child Left Behind works, keep it alive
• More free trade
• More entitlements for the jobs lost because of free trade
• Less oil consumption
• More clean energy
• More adult stem cell research
• No cloning
• Judges should follow the constitution
• Congress hates Judges that follow the constitution
• Americans who volunteer rock.
• We need Social Security and Medicare reform
• Secure the border
• Make it easier for illegals to come here legally
• Don't be mean to those illegals already here
• Democracy rocks
• Terrorists suck
• More troops for Afghanistan
• The surge in Iraq is working
• Failure in Iraq would be extremely bad
• Palestine may not be totally hopeless
• Iran sucks
• No new attacks in America since 2001
• FISA helped make that happen
• Genocide sucks
• Poverty sucks
• Disease sucks
• AIDS sucks
• The military rocks
• Veterans rock
• Americans rock
• America rocks

There you have it.

He may be a lame duck, but never think that stops people from letting their irrational hatred lead them into gross stupidity.

Bush Derangement lives, in Vermont:

Brattleboro to vote on arresting Bush, Cheney

Brattleboro residents will vote at town meeting on whether President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should be indicted and arrested for war crimes, perjury or obstruction of justice if they ever step foot in Vermont.

Sigh.  The same old lie.  The liberals have been preaching this BS Bush lied mantra ceaselessly despite never having shown one single lie.  The rest of it shows they know little of how prisoners of war are actually supposed to be treated.

The Brattleboro Select Board voted 3-2 Friday to put the controversial item on the Town Meeting Day warning.

According to Town Clerk Annette Cappy, organizers of the Bush-Cheney issue gathered enough signatures, and it was up to the Select Board whether Brattleboro voters would consider the issue in March.

Cappy said residents will get to vote on the matter by paper balloting March 4.

Kurt Daims, 54, of Brattleboro, the organizer of the petition drive, said Friday the debate to get the issue on the ballot was a good one. Opposition to the vote focused on whether the town had any power to endorse the matter.

Which it really doesn't.  If he has done something illegal, that's a matter for Congress.  That's in the Constitution and everything.

"It is an advisory thing," said Daims, a retired prototype machinist and stay-at-home dad of three daughters.

Otherwise known as a useless waste of time, and pandering to the nutroots.

So far, Vermont is the only state Bush hasn't visited since he became president in 2001.

I'm sure it's high on his list now...

Daims said the most grievous crime committed by Bush  and Cheney was perjury — lying to Congress and U.S. citizens about the basis of a war in Iraq.

One of my all time favorite TV shows is the 80's and 90's sitcom Roseanne.

Roseanne when it came out could have been a portrait of my life.  At the time I was not well off financially, and was dealing with a lot of stress and unhappiness with laughter and sarcasm.

It was one of the first sitcoms to portray what life for most working class people was like:  A struggle with highs and lows. It also, as Roseanne Barr notes in her DVD commentary, clearly showcases the disconnect in class in America.

But.  One of the things I do struggle with is Roseanne herself, the actress, the comedienne and the activist.

I perused her blog and was shocked at how she can flip from crazy to wacky in no time at all.

Here are some examples from Roseanne World.   WARNING:  EXTREME LANGUAGE AHEAD

On Anne Coulter:

Ann Coulter

She serves a purpose, and a part of that is disturbing. When any woman with opinions speaks up - including Anne (the mouthpiece for Aryan womanhood) - she is the victim of verbal sexual assault. Her genitals and sexuality are gleefully insulted: she has an Adam's apple, she likes getting fucked in the ass... This is wrong in any case, even hers. It demeans all women to do it. She can be debated intelligently, and if she would allow me that, I would be honored to do it, as I think she makes some valid points about the failures of the left in this country.

http://www.roseanneworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5192

A clear thinking, fair rational piece.  Now flip to:

Ann Coulter's Anti-Semitism

The ultimate state of the perfection of Jews: they are all dead.

This is what is actually in the minds of Bush/Cheney and all Christians of the right who run this country, and ironically, are the major supporters of the state of Israel's ride to ruin which is coming very quickly.

Get a friggin life people.

Here is the scene.  Bush comes to town to attend a fund raiser.  The Seahawk's decided to present him with a Jersey with his name and the number 43, as he is the 43rd president.

And the president was thrilled, and Matt Hasselbeck and Mack Strong were thrilled.  The crowd was thrilled.  Everyone was thrilled.  Except the liberal Seattle fans.

Seahawks duo blitzed by Bush backlash

Are you still fans of Matt Hasselbeck and Mack Strong after they visited President Bush last week in Bellevue? Or have their political leanings turned you against them?

The Seahawks quarterback and fullback gave the 43rd president a No. 43 jersey with his name on it at a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser for Rep. Dave Reichert at the Hyatt.

At the time, Hasselbeck called it a thrill and said it was a win-win, this opportunity to meet the president and get out of a team meeting.

But as soon as he saw the picture of the two players with Bush, Gary Wright, the team's vice president of administration, said he was concerned about negative reaction.

Maybe in really red Republican states, it would not have been a big deal. But Washington is a blue state, and deep, deep Democratic blue in King County. So objections were raised, and Hasselbeck heard them and read them. He got nasty voice mails, e-mails and text messages.

"I had no idea," Hasselbeck said.

One guy told him: "I hate you, I'll never wear your jersey, I'll never like the Seahawks again."

"Huh?" Hasselbeck thought. "Seriously?"

No kidding.

As a quarterback, he's used to getting booed. "But this was a whole new level," he said. "I was very surprised how mean (they were)."

As evidence were these responses to Angelo Bruscas' blog posting on seattlepi.com:

"How dare Hasselbeck declare Bush an honorary Seahawk," wrote one. "Who is Matt speaking for? Bush is no Seahawk. He is the worst president of my lifetime, and I'm almost 60. Shame on you, Matt."

I cannot recall when I have seen a story make such a wave in the blogsphere.  Memeorandum has almost the entire page dedicated to tracking the various takes on this.

For those living on the moon, President Bush has granted Clemency to "Scooter" Libby, the staffer convicted of lying in the Plame leak investigation.  This means that his conviction stands, as does his fine and probation, but his prison sentence is commuted.

Just when things looked darkest for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, when prison seemed all but certain, President Bush wiped away the former White House aide's 2 1/2-year sentence in the CIA leak case.

Bush's move came Monday, just five hours after a federal appeals panel ruled that Libby could not delay his prison term. His prospects for an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court seemed bleak. The former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, Libby was just waiting for a date to surrender.

I admit my feelings are mixed.  First of all, the trial of Scooter was a sham and a joke.  Period. As I said at the time:

Scooter Libby Thoughts

Overall, I think he got hosed.  The more I read of the trial the more concerned I get that he is just the scapegoat.

For all the gloating liberals, a reminder.  He did not get nailed for leaking Valarie Plame's identity, the not so covert CIA babe.  Armitage did that, and faces no charges because revealing her identity was not a crime.  Please give it a rest.

Note:  I recognize that the criminality of leaking Plame is again in question, this was written before that CIA report.  Of course it bears note that Armitage is still uncharged....

In fact Fitzgerald knew from day one who leaked the name, yet he fished for a sucker to take the rap for months.  He searched for months for a person who he knew didn't exist that committed a crime that wasn't a crime.  A waste.

I won't deconstruct it, others will do a much better job.

What I will do is post one excerpt the illustrates that the President does have a realistic view of the enemy we face, and the larger threat it represents.  Emphass added. Via Michelle Malkin

In the minds of the terrorists, this war began well before September 11th, and will not end until their radical vision is fulfilled. And these past five years have given us a much clearer view of the nature of this enemy. Al Qaeda and its followers are Sunni extremists, possessed by hatred and commanded by a harsh and narrow ideology. Take almost any principle of civilization, and their goal is the opposite. They preach with threats ... instruct with bullets and bombs ... and promise paradise for the murder of the innocent.

Our enemies are quite explicit about their intentions. They want to overthrow moderate governments, and establish safe havens from which to plan and carry out new attacks on our country. By killing and terrorizing Americans, they want to force our country to retreat from the world and abandon the cause of liberty. They would then be free to impose their will and spread their totalitarian ideology. Listen to this warning from the late terrorist Zarqawi: “We will sacrifice our blood and bodies to put an end to your dreams, and what is coming is even worse.” And Osama bin Laden declared: “Death is better than living on this Earth with the unbelievers among us.”

These men are not given to idle words, and they are just one camp in the Islamist radical movement. In recent times, it has also become clear that we face an escalating danger from Shia extremists who are just as hostile to America, and are also determined to dominate the Middle East. Many are known to take direction from the regime in Iran, which is funding and arming terrorists like Hezbollah – a group second only to al Qaeda in the American lives it has taken.

It is easy to dismiss the politicians as cold and unfeeling.   Out of touch.  It is not always the case, however. 

One thing I have always admired about Bush was his humanity.  He has never been afraid to let his emotions show.  Remember Ashley Faulkner?  There is a reason the photo and story went viral.  It was because people see his sincerity.

Yes I know the DU and KOS will label both of these stories "the crocodile tears of the killer" of some nutrooty label, but I disagree. 

I think he has the weight of 3000 deaths or more on his shoulders and he feels it.

And as he gave the Medal of Honor to the family of a Marine killed in Iraq, I think his emotions are honest and real.

Maybe I am misguided, but that's how I feel.

Like my friend Sister Toldjah, I want to honor the life and sacrifice of a hero, a Marine who literally threw himself on a grenade.

Tears Are Shed at the White House for a Marine’s Bravery in Iraq

In April 2004, Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, an ordinary recruit from a small town in upstate New York, did something extraordinary: he threw himself on a grenade to shield two men in his unit as they battled insurgents on a road in Iraq.

On Thursday, President Bush gave Corporal Dunham, who was 22 when he died, the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award, presenting it to his mother and father in a somber East Room ceremony attended by his relatives and friends.

In an interview on Tuesday, as she was preparing to make the six-hour trip to Washington for the ceremony, Corporal Dunham’s mother, Debra, said she wished her son could “receive it himself.” “But we will receive it for him, and he will be watching us do that,” she said.