SICKOFITRADLZ: Who's the dirty bird?

Eric Zuesse (Information Clearing House) has a great article, this is the opening:

Former US President Barack Obama is now in severe legal jeopardy, because the Russiagate investigation has turned 180 degrees; and he, instead of the current President, Donald Trump, is in its cross-hairs.
The biggest crime that a US President can commit is to try to defeat American democracy (the Constitutional functioning of the US Government) itself, either by working with foreign powers to take it over, or else by working internally within America to sabotage democracy for his or her own personal reasons. Either way, it’s treason (crime that is intended to, and does, endanger the continued functioning of the Constitution itself*), and Mr. Obama is now being actively investigated, as possibly having done this. The Russiagate investigation, which had formerly focused against the current US President, has reversed direction and now targets the prior President. Although he, of course, cannot be removed from office (since he is no longer in office), he is liable under criminal laws, the same as any other American would be, if he committed any crime while he was in office.

A December 17th order by the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) Court severely condemned the performance by the FBI under Obama, for having obtained, on 19 October 2016 (even prior to the US Presidential election), from that Court, under false pretenses, an authorization for the FBI to commence investigating Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign, as being possibly in collusion with Russia’s Government. The Court’s ruling said:

In order to appreciate the seriousness of that misconduct and its implications, it is useful to understand certain procedural and substantive requirements that apply to the government’s conduct of electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes. Title I of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA ), codified as amended at 50 USC. 1801-1813, governs such electronic surveillance. It requires the government to apply for and receive an order from the FISC approving a proposed electronic surveillance. When deciding whether to grant such an application, a FISC judge must determine among other things, whether it provides probable cause to believe that the proposed surveillance target is a “foreign power” or an agent a foreign power. …

The government has a heightened duty of candor to the FISC in ex parte proceedings, that is, ones in which the government does not face an adverse party, such as proceedings on electronic surveillance applications. The FISC expects the government to comply with its heightened duty of candor in ex parte proceedings at all times. Candor is fundamental to this Court’s effective operation. …

On December 9, 2019, the government filed, with the FISC, public and classified versions of the OIG Report. … It documents troubling instances in which FBI personnel provided information to NSD[National Security Division of the Department of Justice] which was unsupported or contradicted by information in their possession. It also describes several instances in which FBI personnel withheld from NSD information in their possession which was detrimental to their case for believing that Mr. [Carter] Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power. …On December 18th, Martha McCallum, of Fox News, interviewed US Attorney General Bill Barr, and asked him (at 7:00 in the video) how high up in the FBI the blame for this (possible treason) goes:

MACCALLUM: Were you surprised that he [Obama’s FBI Director James Comey] seemed to give himself such a distance from the entire operation?
“JAMES COMEY: As the director sitting on top of an organization of 38,000 people you can’t run an investigation that’s seven layers below you. You have to leave it to the career professionals to do.”
MACCALLUM: Do you believe that?
BARR: No, I think that the — one of the problems with what happened was precisely that they pulled the investigation up to the executive floors, and it was run and bird dogged by a very small group of very high level officials. And the idea that this was seven layers below him is simply not true.
The current (Trump) A.G. there called the former (Obama) FBI Director a liar on that.

If Comey gets heat for this possibly lie-based FBI investigation of the US Presidential nominee from the opposite Party of the sitting US President (Comey’s own boss, Obama), then protecting himself could become Comey’s top motivation; and, in that condition, protecting his former boss might become only a secondary concern for him.
That's the opening, read the whole thing.

And note this Tweet:

Toxic Sludge Retweeted

‏ @NilsMelzer

Prosecutors & judge say @xychelsea «can end her jail term at any time by agreeing to testify».
Well, that’s exactly how torture works: you can end the pain & suffering anytime, you just have to confess/testify/cooperate!

12 replies140 retweets195 likes

Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Thursday, January 2, 2019. A distraction from a flunky?

Two days after the US Embassy in Baghdad is stormed, Queen Useless slithers out from her rock to the pages of USA TODAY. Yes, Wendy Sherman who has never had anything to say about Iraq is now an expert because she was part of the people working on the Iran deal in the Obama administration. Queen Piss Wendy wants you to know:

It is President Donald Trump’s failed policy toward Iran that has brought us to this combustible moment.

Iraq is a tough country under any circumstances, made more so after the 2003 U.S. invasion that upended the Middle East and cost so much in U.S. lives and treasure. But Iraq also created strange bedfellows. The U.S. troops worked alongside Iraqi and Iranian militia to destroy a common enemy, the Islamic State group. And even as the United States was confronting Iran over its nuclear program and malign behavior elsewhere, we maintained an uneasy coexistence in Iraq, where Tehran holds considerable sway.

Noticing a lot of Iran in the above? It only gets worse as you read along. Wendy can't talk Iraq because she's just too stupid so she talks Iran over and over and pretends she's writing about Iraq. Some will be fooled by the whore. Hopefully, some will catch how she's distracting.

One problem in Iraq, right now, goes to the militias (plural, Wendy) being folded into the Iraqi army. That's got nothing to do with Donald Trump. It does have everything to do with Barack Obama but you'll never tell that truth will you?

Another problem, the popular unrest? It also goes to Barack.

The Iraqi people are not represented by the government. This is not a new issue.

Iraq has been ruled by US appointed exiles who fled Iraq and only returned after the US-led invasion. They have destroyed the country and that probably was why the US backed them to begin with -- keep the Iraqi people off balance, they can't object to the theft of their treasures.

In 2010, despite violence, despite threats, the Iraqi people went to the polls in March and voted. They voted thug Nouri out of office. Bully Boy Bush had installed thug Nouri in the spring of 2006 and he was installed over others because the CIA assessment was that with Nouri's paranoia issues, he'd be easy to manipulate.

The Iraqi people voted him out in March of 2010. How'd he end up with a second term in November of 2010, Wendy?

Nouri refused to step down creating the political stalemate that lasted over eight months.

Instead of standing for democracy as many (including Gen Ray Odierno) advised, Barack and Joe decided to overturn the Iraqi people's vote and give Nouri a second term.

Election interference? Not Barack and Joe!

They were behind the US-negotiated Erbil Agreement that gave the loser Nouri a second term. And Joe then went to Iraq to sell it and in his usual stupidity Joe tried to lecture the Iraqi leaders about the IRA -- Irish Republican Army -- because, well, of course Joe would have a long winded story that had nothing to do with the topic.

Maybe he just should have told them about Cornpop?

The protests today stem from the fact that Iraq has been denied self-rule -- even when they vote their leaders out of office, the US government overrules them.

Want to talk about that, Wendy? Of course, you don't. Whores don't deal in honesty.

"Iran nuclear deal was solid progress," Wendy wants to insist as though that has anything to do with the conversation at hand. Whores.

She's a whore stroking her War On and bound and determined that no US troops will leave Iraq.

Kata'ib Hezbollah, she tells us, "want the 5,000 American troops out of the country. But perhaps even Pompeo understands that a longer term challenge remains, and thus his change of travel plans. Trump has repeatedly said he wants to withdraw American troops from just about everywhere. However, a withdrawal from Iraq at this moment only serves Iran’s desire to exert greater control over Iraq. To much of the world, it would signal U.S. disengagement and weakness -- not strength."

If whores were forced to tell the truth, the world would be better off. If the garbage that is USA TODAY would fact check their opinion columnists, the world would be better off.

Kata'ib Hezbollah wants US troops out of Iraq? Yes, and the Iraqi people do as well.

The Iraqi people? As usual, a whore like Wendy leaves them and their needs out of the picture.

She can whine for paragraphs about her Iran deal -- and she does -- but heaven forbid she use a paragraph to address the needs of the Iraqi people. They'll do what she tells them to, apparently.

And that, after all, is how we've arrived at this point. Whores like Wendy who are going to tell another country what to do. Whores like Wendy who will risk the lives of the children of America so that the Iraqi people can be bossed around.

And whores like Wendy will then pass off the terror they inflict as 'liberation' and 'democracy.'

There's no reason for US troops to be in Iraq.

Wendy Whore wants to blame Donald Trump. His crime, as she notes, is that he "has repeatedly said he wants to withdraw American troops from just about everywhere."

Bullies like Wendy Whore use the presence of US troops to intimidate, to blackmail, to coerce.

How fitting that Wendy Whore served under 'reporting for duty' John Kerry. The toy soldier of the State Dept who never believed in diplomacy and thought he was actually Secretary of Defense.

Grasp that the US Embassy in Baghdad is the most fortified US embassy in the world. Grasp that it was supposedly impenetrable. Turns out, not really. That's why the US Ambassador was evacuated from it this week.

This reality should lead people to ponder the mission -- forever undefined -- and the continued presence of US troops.

Wendy Whore doesn't want anyone to ask questions. She certainly doesn't want anyone to say, "Hey, Wendy Whore, you were part of the State Dept so why aren't you writing a column about diplomacy instead of insisting that US troops must be on the ground in Iraq?"

Wendy Whore really hopes you don't make that connection.

She's a tiny-minded 'warrior' who wants to send our children to physically fight battles that her soft, cushy ass will never take part in.

Wendy Whore is a cancer on democracy.

Kata'ib Hezbollah was defined as a terrorist organization by the Obama administration July 2, 2009 so, Wendy Whore, where were the objections when they were made a part of the Iraqi military? That happened under Barack. Many objected -- we objected here -- and it wasn't an issue to Barack or any of his underlings -- not even Wendy Whore. Now the chickens come home to roost, to quote Barack's one-time pastor, and Wendy Whore thinks she can show up and pretend like this whole bloody history didn't take place.

Wendy Whore, your bravado is embarrassing.

V.M.#Trump2020 ‏ @Vixstress 2 minutes ago

US Embassy in Baghdad fire damage seen in new photos following militants' attack 

Iraqi Badr Corps Chief Who Led Today’s Raid On US Embassy In Baghdad — Was Once Invited To White House By Barack Obama statedepartmentwatch.org/2020/01/01/ira… via @State Department Watch

‏ @Bob69151886

US embassy in Baghdad 

ASHARQ AL-AWSAT reports:

The United States authorized the deployment of an infantry battalion from the Immediate Response Force (IRF) of the 82nd Airborne Division to the US Central Command area of operations in response to recent events near the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, announced Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.

In a statement, Esper indicated that approximately 750 soldiers will deploy to the region immediately and additional forces from the IRF are prepared to deploy over the next several days.

Greg Myre and Larry Kaplow (NPR) offer:

Since early October, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been protesting against their government. Many are young citizens seeking real representation in a political system dominated by sectarian parties with corrupt leaders. They decry the stagnant economy. And they rally against foreign influence — namely Iran. Some demonstrators burned down an Iranian Consulate in southern Iraq in November.
Those protesters are not the same as the militia members and supporters who attacked the U.S. Embassy. In fact, the Iranian-backed militias have opposed and even opened fire on the popular protests. Hundreds have been killed since October.
Iraqi security forces appeared to go easier on the militias on Tuesday, letting them into the Green Zone. The Iraqi government forces have opened fired on the other protesters attempting the same thing.

One result of last week’s U.S. airstrikes against the militia was this: Whereas many Iraqis had focused their anger on Iran, the airstrikes helped shift that anger back at the U.S. The airstrikes were widely condemned throughout Iraqi politics and made America look like it was once again a foreign power meddling in their affairs.

That last paragraph? Yeah, the Condi Rice effect. When you don't know how to leave well enough alone so you end up blowing your advantage. Zoe Drewett (UK MIRROR) notes:

Clashes continued on Wednesday when demonstrators hurled stones while US forces fired tear gas. But the demonstrators finally ended their siege after commanders of the Popular Mobilization Force (PMF), of which Kataeb Hezbollah is a member, asked its supporters to stand down. It said in a statement: ‘You delivered your message.’

Emma Sky (THE NATIONAL) observes:

So far, over 521 Iraqi protesters have been killed by sniper shots to the heart and gas canisters to the head fired by Iraqi security forces and pro-Iranian Shia militias. Around 21,000 have been wounded.
The outcome of this confrontation will have consequences not only for the Iraqi people but also for the region.
To date, the protests, now in their fourth month, have brought about the resignation of the prime minister, the passing by parliament of a new election law, and the torching of Iranian consulates and buildings of pro-Iranian groups.

The contest between Iraq’s people and its politicians is likely to come to a head in 2020. And while the first round may have been won by the people – there is no guarantee that they will triumph in the end.
In the largest grassroots mobilisation since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, young Iraqis have taken to the streets of Baghdad and southern cities to express their frustration at government corruption, poor public services, unemployment and Iranian interference. The protesters were initially young men from the deprived Baghdad neighbourhood of Sadr City. However, following the violent response of the Iraqi government and Iranian-backed militias, they were joined by students, civil society groups and middle-class professionals. Through the organisation of food, security, media, music and murals – and with the participation of women – the protesters are creating the sort of society they wish to live in, and building a new sense of citizenship and belonging from the bottom up.

The demonstrators are calling for not only a change of politicians but also for the replacement of the political system which they hold responsible for keeping the country in a cycle of repression and insurgency. Introduced by the US-led coalition, the post-2003 order was supposed to ensure pluralism but instead institutionalised sectarianism with positions allocated according to quotas, muhassassa. The system evolved into a kleptocracy in which Iraq’s political elites divide up the country’s oil wealth between them, with ministries serving as fiefdoms to provide patronage to those connected to parties and militias. Large contracts are awarded to companies that are close to the politicians – and fraud results in poor delivery of basic services.

Search in vain for Wendy Whore addressing any of the above issues. But USA TODAY serves her up as a valid voice.

Doug Silliman is a former US Ambassador to Iraq and he spoke with Mary Louise Kelly on NPR's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED yesterday. And he notes that it was the host country's duty to protect the embassy and that they failed to do so.

Some rush in with stupidity. We once had such high hopes for Chris Murphy. Once. The Senator's stupidity knows no bounds.

‏Verified account @ChrisMurphyCT

Really hard to overstate how badly Trump has bungled things in the Middle East. One of the only good things going - anti-Iran street protests in Iraq - have now morphed into anti-U.S. protests thanks to Trump's mishandling of Iran policy. 

993 replies3,261 retweets7,469 likes

These are two different sets of protesters. It's really stupid to condense them into one group. It's also insulting to those real protesters who have risked their lives for months to demand freedom.

Chris Murphy should really try to inform himself before speaking.

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