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02/14/2005: Iraqi War Plan...US Budget
I was watching live feed of the C-Span coverage of hearings by the Senate of the Joints Chiefs of Staff of the Army about the Iraq War. The apparent purpose of this hearing was to attempt to get information get an idea about the Military's plans re: maintenance of U.S. troop level through out the coming year; the additional bazzillion dollars to be requested (Approx 4 Billion dollars per day at current troop levels) during Fiscal year 2006; and when..OH..when anyone at the Joint Chief's of Staff can guess, predict, reasonably calculate, assess and determine when the Itroops will be suficiently trained to replace our U.S. troops.
One interesting side-bar note occurred during the remarks by Senator James Inhofe (R-Okalahoma) speaking about Al Zarkawi's current presence in Iraq and the current notion that the former Baathist insurgents might be coordinating with these bin Laden & Al Qaeda associates. Inhofe made the remark that (loose quote here...I'm not working from a direct transcript), "it troubled him that people would say there was "not a connection" between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda or Osama bin laden." The Disconnect in this statement, and No One even commented on it, is not whether some Al Qaeda or Al Zarkawi operatives are working together NOW or since the destruction of Iraq's infrastructure and army, but the clear (and erroneous) impression meant to be conveyed that Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda had a "working operational relationship" PRIOR to our invasion that justifies the "fighting global terrorism" blanket objective as one of the underlying justifications for the Iraq War (WMD's notwithstanding.)
This is just more of the bald-faced distortions made ad naeseum by the GOP, President, Vice President and Team Bush. As Bay Buchannan (CNN guest Cross-Fire Hostess) is so fond of remarking, "Perception IS Reality," (at least to her simpleminded kind...to me its more like: Reality is Reality, Bay) and this oft-touted trash is the Reality they wish to become embedded in the perception of the Mass-Consciousness of the American people.
Karen on 02.14.05 @ 05:07 AM CST
