Bush Flips, Flops on Foreign Control of U.S. Troops

During his 2004 State of the Union Address, former Texas Governor George W. Bush stridently refused to place U.S. troops under the control of foreign entities such as the United Nations. “America will never seek a permission slip,” he said in a clear reference to France and other members of the Security Council, “to defend the security of our people.”

Somehow no one seems to have noticed that Bush has not only ceded control of U.S. forces to a foreign nation, but one led by one of the world’s most unstable nations. That’s right: we’re talking about Iraq.

Ever since Paul Bremer fled in the dark of night and the Coalition Provision Authority was dissolved, the interim, unelected regime of President Allawi has–according to U.S. officials–been in charge of military activities against the rising resistance throughout Iraq.

On August 24, the Washington Post reported:

Iraqi soldiers backed by U.S. forces began patrolling the streets of Najaf on Tuesday, establishing their presence as part of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi’s pledge that the new Iraqi army would take the lead in defeating militiamen loyal to a rebellious Shiite cleric.

Iraqi officers described their operations as having a more prominent role than was described by local U.S. commanders.

“We are not supporting the U.S. Army, we are here to evacuate the shrine of the outlaws,” said Lt. Haider Hussein, a platoon commander of an Iraqi army anti-riot battalion operating in the area, as is an Iraqi commando battalion training for a possible final assault on the mosque.

“The U.S. Army is supporting us,” Hussein said, “because we don’t have new weapons to use in this battle.”

One could argue, if one were an unrepentent defender of Gov. Bush, that since the Iraqi regime is nothing more than a puppet dictatorship installed by the CIA, that the U.S. is merely commanding its own troops via Allawi’s Iraqi middlemen. The trouble with that is that, as Bush claimed on August 9, “Prime Minister Allawi is now in charge of the country.”

Bush Sues to Stop All 527s? Not Really

Even devoted news junkies couldn’t be faulted for falling for the delusion that former Texas Governor George W. Bush plans to join Senator John McCain in lawsuits meant to bring an end to all Section 527-related political lobbying organizations.

Yesterday’s USA Today, for example, wrote this:

President Bush (news – web sites) plans to join Arizona Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) in a court battle aimed at stopping political ads by outside groups, which have attacked Bush as well as John Kerry (news – web sites)’s Vietnam War record.

The New York Times put it this way:

President Bush [sic] said yesterday that he would team with Senator John McCain to force a crackdown on independent groups that run political attack advertisements.

You would have to dig quite a bit to find out, however, that Bush has no intention of suing ALL 527s. In fact, as the Times buried the real story down in paragraph 8:

Lawyers for Mr. Bush said Thursday that they were drafting two lawsuits. One, they said, is intended to expedite their complaint before the Federal Election Commission that Moveon.org, the Media Fund and America Coming Together, liberal groups running ads against the president, were illegally coordinating with Mr. Kerry. The other lawsuit, they said, would seek tighter restrictions on the groups’ activities.

In other words, Bush and McCain are ONLY planning to sue liberal 527s. They have complained about (in Bush’s case) all 527s and (in McCain’s case) the notorious Kerry-bashing Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads, but when it comes to putting their legal fees where their mouths are–well, that’s just not happening.

Once again, the Bushies’ shuck-and-jive act is playing the media for fools.

USA Today joined most other organizations in failing to note the fact that ONLY MoveOn.org and America Coming Together were to be targeted by Bush and Senator McCain.

Cops Gone Wild, NYC

So I’m waiting for the light to change so I can cross the street. Three women are standing next to me gossipping. A NYPD van screeches up to the curb and a female cop yells out the window with a tone of panic: “Clear the corner! You can’t block the corner!”

This went down at the corner of West 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. It’s Harlem’s Main Street, and there is a vibrant street scene there. People are constantly hanging out, hawking stuff, wolfwhistling, what have you. Blocking the corner? Who the hell ever heard of such a concept before?

Pre-RNC, the NYPD is spinning its wheels, fingering triggers itchily, worried sick because there are no plans whatsoever for dealing with whatever may go down.

Pre-Convention Blog

After an inexcusable period of slackerdom, I’m firing up the for the upcoming Necropublican National Convention here in New York. I’ll be attending all the festivities, inside and outside Madison Square Garden, and will post here regularly to describe what’s going on.

Manhattan, always empty of wealthy white people who flee to the Hamptons in late August, is even ghostlier than usual. The city transportation infrastructure has become an armed camp. Every subway platform harbors small men with huge automatic rifles. Third World-style military police checkpoints have sprung up on the Triborough Bridge and other crossings. Republican delegates who traveled here early to do a little shopping and sightseeing have started to appear on streets and buses. Yesterday a cute blonde with a Bush button smiled at me on the subway, perhaps hoping to explore urbanized sexuality. In the spirit of the anti-RNC resistance, I said: “Bush? Ewwwwww!” and left the train. Yes, things are already turning ugly.

Incredibly, there will be march on Sunday, beginning at noon. Protesters are being instructed to turn up on lower Seventh Avenue near 14th Street in the West Village. The march will proceed north on 7th (which is just wrong to me, as a former taxi driver–traffic goes south only) past the convention site–which will not have opened for business until the next day. Where they go from there, nobody knows. Many marchers will likely head into the logical debouchement point, Central Park. But the city Parks Department has refused to issue a permit for a rally there and police are promising arrests if anyone attempts one. With luck Sunday’s march will be a peaceful one, but Mayor Bloomberg’s pigheadedness may prevent that laudable goal from coming to pass. Even if turnout is modest–say 100,000–where will all of those people go afterwards? Worst of all, there are literally no provisions for officially-sanctioned rallies and marches during the RNC itself. Since the police will have no idea where trouble might begin, they’ll be nervous and jittery–and the opportunity for chaos will be infinite.

The “NY Hates W” T-Shirts Are Here!

Mine arrived in the mail yesterday, and they look awesome. Any self-respecting New Yorker needs this parody of the famous “I Love NY” shirt of the 1970s. Go to www.agitproperties.com to get yours in time for the RNC.

“Crash the Party” Update

If you’re planning to attend the hottest party in New York on the last night of the RNC (Thursday, Sept. 2), the fun won’t be at Madison Square Garden, where Piehole will be accepting his party’s nomination to run for the office he stole in the first place. The fabulous $75-per-person Kerry fundraiser “Crash the Party” will be THE place to be, and you can be there, and hang out with yours truly in the bargain (not to mention pick up a copy or two of my books). Details are in the original post below, but if you’re coming please reserve your ticket NOW. Admission will be cut off when capacity is reached.

Those who cannot attend but wish to be there in spirit (hi out-of-towner Bush haters!) may pay just $25 to attend virtually. Send a 300 dpi full-size photo of yourself (head shot would be best) to chet@rall.com along with your name and a brief message, and you’ll go on the Wall of Honor at the bash. And don’t worry–we’ll tear it all down before HomeSec gets a look.

P.S. I need someone to sit at a table to sell my books at the party. If you’re interested in volunteering for a good cause, you’ll get free admission, not to mention as many of my books as you can carry home. Email me at chet@rall.com if you’re reliable, presentable and cool.

Right-Wing Spin (What a Shocker)

An alert reader sends the following:

I just thought you might be interested to know that you column available

this week is being quoted in a Conservative New Hampshire news letter called

the Union Leader. Their article can also be accessed from the Republican

National Committee website as part of their research information for

delegates. Reporter Bernadette Malone has turned your off-hand refferral to

rumors pf prostitutes attempting to spread STDs into an active part of the

protests and over all conspiracy of Democrates and “Republican-haters.”

Instead of saying STDs she says AIDS and then later refers to protesters as

“AIDS-spreaders.” I can’t wait until this hyphenated neo-con jargon begun by

Bush goes out of style. So yeah, I thought that was nice and that you might

be interested to know how your words are being used.

Indeed, there is a major difference between what I wrote and what the right-wing Manchster Union-Leader (a daily newspaper, not a newsletter) said I wrote:

I wrote:

Rejecting ex-mayor Ed Koch’s call to “make nice” with the party that used the deaths of 2,801 New Yorkers–most of them Democrats–for everything from tax cuts for the rich to building concentration camps at Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib to invading Iraq (news – web sites) to enrich Dick Cheney (news – web sites) and his fellow Halliburton execs, some groups are encouraging liberal-minded New Yorkers to volunteer for the city’s squad of official greeters. Creatively altered maps of streets and subways will be handed out to button-clad stupid white men. Other saboteurs wearing fake RNC T-shirts will direct them to parts of town where Bush’s policies have hit hardest. Rumor has it that prostitutes suffering from sexually transmitted diseases will discourage the use of condoms with Republican customers.

Bernadette Malone of the Union-Leader said I wrote:

They plan on throwing pies and Lord knows what else at Republican visitors to the city. Prostitutes with AIDS plan to seduce Republican visitors, and discourage the use of condoms, according to liberal journalist Ted Rall.

Of course, they could have simply quoted me. But that wouldn’t have been quite so incendiary.

Air America, 8:30 am

I’ll be on Morning Sedition on Air America tomorrow morning, Thursday August 26th, at 8:30 am East Coast time. Check your local listings or stream it online.

NYC Fundraiser for John Kerry

I’ll be there with bells on, toons on the video monitor and books and T-shirts to sell!

“Crash the Party”

A fundraiser to benefit the Kerry-Edwards campaign

Thursday, September 2, 2004

New York City

Between orange alerts and heartlanders in straw hats, there are loads

of reasons to blow town during the Republican National Convention.

But here’s an incentive to stick around …

On Thursday, September 2nd on the East Side of Manhattan, we are

inviting supporters of regime change in the U.S.A. and their friends

to join us for cocktails, conversation, and controversy in support of

the team that wants to lead America in a new direction — John Kerry

and John Edwards.

By any measure, the highlight of the evening will be George W. Bush’s

acceptance of the Grand Old Party nomination, carried live on 25

screens through the miracle of television. Listen respectfully as our

president recites his accomplishments on the economy, world peace and

the environment … or, you could express your true feelings. (The

conventioneers at the Garden will wonder what that dull roar coming

from the East could be.)

Fueling our enthusiasm will be open bar (beer, wine, and liquor) and

light hors d’oeuvres, accelerated by the soon-to-be-infamous Bushisms

drinking game!

Attendance is limited, so reserve immediately!

CRASH THE PARTY

At

Proof

239 Third Avenue between 19th and 20th Streets

Manhattan

8 p.m. The party starts

10 p.m. W takes the podium

Admission:

$85 at the door

$75 in advance (Paypal to crashtheparty@mindspring.com)

All proceeds of this event go to support the Kerry-Edwards election

campaign!

Presented with the support of the New York State Democratic Committee.

Contributions to this event are not tax-deductible.

RSVP and further information, please email

crashtheparty@mindspring.com.

“N Y Hates W” T-Shirts Available Now!

The invasion is coming! Be prepared!

By popular demand the Ted Rall-designed “N Y Hates W” T-shirts are available for ordering! If you already contacted me via email, you will hear from Agitproperties regarding payment and shipping information.

Everyone else should click on Agitproperties.com. If you get your order in within the next few days, you’ll receive your shirts in time for next week’s RNC festivities.

The shirt is high quality and available in all the usual sizes. Order yours today and greet the Republicans in style!