Democracy for New Mexico

Bush Picks PNAC Member to Head World Bank

Remember the neoCON organization supreme -- Project for the New American Century (PNAC) -- and its infamous letter to President Clinton urging an attack on Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein? Bush's pick to replace that sorry sack of you know what, Paul Wolfowitz, as head of the World Bank is none other than Robert Zoellick, another of the original signatories of the 1999 letter. What a coincidence.

It's easy to see why Bush would want Zoellick in the role since he no doubt shares all that wisdom and integrity exhibited by the other stellar signatories to the PNAC letter: Elliott Abrams, Richard L. Armitage, William J. Bennett, Jeffrey Bergner, John Bolton, Paula Dobriansky, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Kagan, Zalmay Khalilzad, William Kristol, Richard Perle, Peter W. Rodman, Donald Rumsfeld, William Schneider, Jr., Vin Weber, Paul Wolfowitz, R. James Woolsey. A motley Bushie crew indeed.

Zoellick is a former U.S. trade representative who's in love with "free" trade (and the hell with our working class). He also served as a Deputy Secretary of State and and his latest role was as managing director and chairman of the International Advisors department at investment bank Goldman Sachs. During the 2000 presidential election campaign, Zoellick served as a foreign policy advisor to Bush as part of a group, led by Condoleezza Rice, that called itself The Vulcans. Peachy.

Memorial Day Contemplation

A Veteran Speaks of the Forgotten Wounded of Iraq by Ron Kovic: A Vietnam veteran, paralyzed in the war, talks about his own struggles, those that the recently wounded in Iraq face, and how we can break this cycle of violence and begin to move in a different direction. Excerpt:

We who have witnessed the obscenity of war and experienced its horror and terrible consequences have an obligation to rise above our pain and suffering and turn the tragedy of our lives into a triumph. I have come to believe that there is nothing in the lives of human beings more terrifying than war and nothing more important than for those of us who have experienced it to share its awful truth.

We must break this cycle of violence and begin to move in a different direction; war is not the answer, violence is not the solution. A more peaceful world is possible.

I am the living death
The memorial day on wheels
I am your yankee doodle dandy
Your John Wayne come home
Your Fourth of July firecracker
Exploding in the grave.

(More about Ron Kovic here. He recited his poem above at the 1976 Democratic National Convention.)

There is also this from yesterday's Washington Post, entitled "I Lost My Son to a War I Oppose. We Were Both Doing Our Duty," by Andrew J. Bacevich.

Quick Hits

Believe it or not I've decided to do something other than work on this blog this holiday weekend. Like have some good old fashioned fun and relaxation. So I'll just offer a few quick hits and links today before heading out to greener pastures:

• If you haven't yet read them, check out two articles by James Scarantino in this week's Alibi related to the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. One is a compelling interview with Iglesias and the other is a fascinating exposé of Albuquerque attorney Patrick Rogers, including his role in the purge scandal and his connections with the Republican front group, the American Center for Voting Rights. I'll be writing more about these matters after the holiday.
• Health Haussamen has a good piece on State Auditor Hector Balderas and how he's trying to strengthen the office. Balderas, a Democrat, says he's still contemplating entering the CD1 Congressional race against incumbent Rep. Heather Wilson. If so, I think he'd better start moving on it as Martin Heinrich is beginning to build up a head of steam in his effort to be the Dem's candidate.
• Memorial Day started out as Decoration Day, which has its roots in the wake of the American Civil War. After World War I, it became a day of remembrance for all those who had died in the nation's wars. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America organization (IAVA) has put together a resource list of ways you can show your support for veterans this Memorial Day weekend. You can also watch a short film that explains IAVA's critical mission in service of veterans, which you can also support with a donation.
• I watched Charlie Rose's in-depth, hour-long interview with Al Gore last night. Rah! If you missed it, you can watch a video of the show on Rose's website.
• The photos that bookend this post were taken during a sunrise on the Atlantic Ocean at North Carolina's Outer Banks, where Mary Ellen spent time at a family gather this week. Click on the photos for larger versions. I'm glad she got to reconnect with the sea and I'm glad she's back here in the high desert.

Adding Insult to Injury on the Iraq Betrayal

Total U.S. Troop Deaths: 3,441 (104-April, 90 so far-May)
Total U.S. Troops Wounded: 25,242 (thru 5/10)
Untold Thousands of Iraqis Dead and Mutilated
$94 Billion More War Dollars Appropriated

It's difficult to write anything original about passage of the Iraq Occupation Capitulation Act yesterday. A myriad of passionate responses and pointed analyses dominate Dem sites all over the web. We all know in our hearts what a calculated betrayal this was.

In the House a majority of Dems voted against the capitulation, including Pelosi and Obey, the bill's sponsor. In the Senate, only 10 Dems (and Sanders) voted against the funding bill. Once again way too many Dems chose to protect their political hides from "scary" criticism by the rightwingos, and vote with the Republicans. Some opposition party. They couldn't or wouldn't muster the nerve to vote for what is right -- to protect our troops from further exploitation in a boiling cauldron of bloody chaos. Our own Senator Bingaman is one of them. The only NM member of Congress to vote to end this failed and bloody experiment in 21st century imperialism was Rep. Tom Udall (NM-03). At the moment, he's the only NM member of Congress I respect. The rest are either deluded or lacking honest conviction in my book.

As bad as the vote was, the explanation being offered to the media and the base by Dems is worse -- exhibiting the lowest form of cynical manipulation. As is so often the case, I think David Sirota has it exactly right in this post, which I hope you'll read. His bottom line:

This is what we're dealing with folks. A party that runs to the press to brag about the brilliance of using their majority not to end the war, but to create a situation that makes it seem as if they oppose the war, while actually helping Republicans continue it.

You can check out the roll call votes to see who caved and who didn't:

• Senate
• House

As I'm sure you know by now, Obama and Clinton both ended up voting against the funding bill at the very last possible minute. All during the debate, both of them had indignantly refused to reveal how they would vote. I guess they were each in the process of psyching the other out to make sure their rival didn't get away with a yes vote if they dared to vote no. It's clear what's most important to these two "frontrunners," and it isn't supporting the troops or ending their futile bloodshed. They did nothing to urge their fellow Dems to vote against the cave in.

A number of Dems were very critical of those voting to issue another blank check to Bush while pretending to do otherwise. Go Google Bill Richardson, Russ Feingold, Chris Dodd or John Edwards for starters. And check out what Keith Olbermann had to say about Dems and Repubs alike in his latest Special Comment.

But the fact remains that a large contingent of Dems believes it's safe to pretend to be representing the will of the people while voting primarily to protect themselves from criticism from the right. This despite abundant polling results showing a growing majority of Americans want Congress to stand up against the madness and mean it. When will that fact penetrate their pointy little heads? They'd have to get out of the Beltway Big Donor Bubble long enough to give the real world a chance to seep into their conciousness. Don't hold your breath.

Do something, anything, to express your sorrow and anger publicly this Memorial Day weekend in response to the indefensible continuation of this unjust, illegal, deathly occupation.

Edwards Rejects "War on Terror" Frame

John Edwards gave a major policy speech on foreign relations today in New York. Although, like every Democratic presidential candidate except Kucinich, he advocates increased military spending -- he does come out strongly against Bush's politically useful and calculated framing of a "global war on terror." Like the damaging and deceptive "war on drugs," this construct does nothing to solve the real problems afoot in our world, but works quite well as a fear-making slogan. Click to read an outline of Edwards' remarks or a complete text of his speech. Excerpt:

Moving Beyond the "War on Terror"
“The core of this presidency has been a political doctrine that George Bush calls the ‘Global War on Terror.’ He has used this doctrine like a sledgehammer to justify the worst abuses and biggest mistakes of his administration, from Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, to the war in Iraq. The worst thing about the Global War on Terror approach is that it has backfired—our military has been strained to the breaking point and the threat from terrorism has grown.”

“We need a post-Bush, post-9/11, post-Iraq American military that is mission-focused on protecting Americans from 21st century threats, not misused for discredited ideological pursuits. We need to recognize that we have far more powerful weapons available to us than just bombs, and we need to bring them to bear. We need to reengage the world with the full weight of our moral leadership.”

“What we need is not more slogans but a comprehensive strategy to deal with the complex challenge of both delivering justice and being just. Not hard power. Not soft power. Smart power.”

Wouldn't it be refreshing -- and effective -- if we started approaching problems as complex situations that require wise and nuanced long-term strategies instead of labeling each as another "war" on something? To me, what these "war on whatever" assaults do is create more chaos, fear and hysteria so that huge sums of money can be pumped into the hands of special interests. Oh, the DEA and Halliburton and arms merchants love all the "wars on whatever." Then again, they don't have to keep paying for them for generations as the real causes of the problems are left to fester. What a merry-go-round for well connected war profiteers and corporatists.

Feingold Calls It "A Collapse for Democrats"

Go read his diary on Daily Kos. Quote:

First Americans had to put up with a Republican Congress that did nothing, and now we are faced with a Democratic Congress that is giving the President exactly what he wants – continuing his failed policy and leaving our troops stuck in the middle of a civil war.  Some strategy.  We can’t back down when the stakes are so high. I know you’ll keep ratcheting up the pressure, and that’s exactly what we need right now. Now is the time to be pulling out all the stops to end the war. [emphasis mine]

Edwards Campaign Offers End the War T-Shirts and Free Bumperstickers

(Click on image for larger version.)

I like it. The John Edwards campaign is offering a free "Support the Troops - End the War" bumpersticker to anyone who asks. For $20, you can get both the bumpersticker and a t-shirt with the same message. Click to order. They're also encouraging people to take action during the Memorial Day weekend to help end the war, and suggest 10 things you can do. Visit this page for more info. I think EVERY Democratic presidential candidate should be doing something like this, don't you? (And much more, of course.)

Bingaman Votes No on Feingold-Reid Iraq War Amendment

Talk about disappointing. Despite being one of the Senators with enough sanity to vote against granting Bush the power to invade Iraq, Sen. Jeff Bingaman now seems reluctant to do anything meaningful to end the violent and futile fiasco in Iraq. Today, he joined with 18 other Dems (see below) to vote against cloture on the Feingold-Reid amendment, which would require that a redeployment of troops be completed by March 2008, when war funding would end. A total of 29 Democratic Senators voted to support it.

The proposed amendment was to the Water Resources Development Act, not to the supplemental funding bill for the war. The amendment cloture vote was viewed as a test vote to show support for changing course in Iraq. Although only 11 Dem Senators originally signed on as cosponsors, a majority of Dem Senators voted to support it. The plan is to use the show of support in negotiating what will be in the actual supplemental bill to fund the troops , which is due to be negotiated by a House-Senate conference committee next week. What's hopeful is that all of the Dem Senators who are running for president voted for the amendment, essentially going on record as being supportive of a strategy to tie war funding to bringing the troops home. This will be useful in the negotiations on the supplemental funding bill, which Reid and Pelosi have pledged will continue through the usual Memorial Day recess if necessary.

Sen. Feingold noted the growing support for the amendment in his statement after today's vote:

“Today the Senate took another step toward acknowledging the will of the American people, who want to end this misguided mission in Iraq. A majority of Senate Democrats are on the record clearly stating that the President’s Iraq policy is a failure and that we need to take real action to change course. Keeping 150,000 American troops in the middle of an Iraqi civil war both hurts our national security and impedes the ability to reach a political solution in Iraq. We must continue to ratchet up the pressure on the President and supporters of this irresponsible war to safely redeploy our troops from Iraq so we can refocus on those who attacked us on 9/11.”

Senator Feingold originally introduced the Feingold-Reid legislation on April 10th to safely redeploy the troops by March 31, 2008 after which funding for the war would end. With 29 Senators supporting the Feingold-Reid amendment today, the support for changing course in Iraq has grown considerably since thirteen Senators voted in favor of the Feingold-Kerry amendment to the Defense Authorization bill last June, which only set a date certain for redeployment. In August 2005, Feingold became the first Senator to propose the idea of a timetable for redeployment from Iraq.

Not one Republican voted for cloture on Feingold-Reid. Despite growing criticism of Bush's handling of the war coming from moderate Repubs, apparently no-one is yet "secure" enough to represent their constituents' views on Iraq with a vote demanding a real change in course. Instead of putting our troops first, they appear content, at least for now, to continue bowing to the stubborn and politically cynical stance of BushCo on the war. Meanwhile, our troops keep dying in what has obviously become a futile horror show.

The 18 Dem Senators who sided with the cowardly Repubs and voted against cloture on the Feingold-Reid amendment:

Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Tester (D-MT)
Webb (D-VA)

Clearly, Reid has his hands full trying to convince both these Dems and the reticent moderate Repubs to vote according to the will of the majority of the American people on the war in Iraq. Even at this late stage. Unfortunately, cowardice and inertia are still rampant in the U.S. Senate despite the deplorable ground conditions in Iraq, the urging of former Iraq commanders for a change and the growing pressure from citizens to bring our troops home.

Let Sen. Bingaman Know Your Views
You might want to contact Bingaman's office to urge him to support an end to this war by voting for a deadline in funding and bringing the troops home. You might also ask him why he failed to vote for cloture on the Feingold-Reid amendment, and who he thinks he's representing in voting against a decisive change in course:

Sen. Jeff Bingaman
Washington Office:  (202) 224-5521 or Tollfree (in NM) 1-800-443-8658
Other Offices: Click for contact info
Email: senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov
Click for E-Form

Retired Iraq Commanders Criticize Heather Wilson

You may have already seen these unprecedented VoteVets.org ads online or on TV, but I wanted to include them here as well because they're so powerful, unprecedented and timely. All three of them are scheduled to run in battleground districts where Repub members of Congress, including Heather Wilson in NM-01, are being challenged for their refusal to face the realities on the ground in Iraq and break with Bush on the war.

Retired Major General John Batiste, commander of the First Infantry Division in Iraq from August 2002 to June 2005

As noted in a on New Mexico FBIHOP, Wilson was the only New Mexico member of Congress to refuse to be interviewed recently by the Albuquerque Tribune about her views on Iraq. The Tribune notes that Rep. Wilson "declared her opposition to a surge of troops to Baghdad after a post-Christmas visit to Iraq. But once Congress convened she has voted at every opportunity to support Bush's policy."

Heather Wilson -- still saying one thing and doing another. She's long claimed she's "moderate" and "independent," but votes for the Bush agenda almost 90 percent of the time. Now, our troops in Iraq are facing accelerating casualties and are mired in the midst of a dangerous and chaotic civil war thanks to Bush's stubbornly misguided "surge" policy. Yet Heather won't tell us where she stands or why -- and she keeps voting to let Bush continue his failed strategy uncontested. Why is she so afraid to confront Bush?

Former second commander in Iraq, Major General (ret.) Paul D. Eaton, who was also the first commander of the Iraqi army in Iraq.

Iraq War vets and former NATO Supreme Commander, General Wesley Clark, add their voices to the surging criticism within the military community of Bush's failed strategies.

Want to keep these ads and others like them on the air, and have them aired nationwide? Donate to VoteVets.org. If we don't, who will?

Iraq War Casualties:

• U.S. Troop Deaths: 3401
• Total U.S. Troops Wounded: 24,314
• Total Iraqi Deaths and Wounded: Incalcuable

Show Me the Money: Federal Budget

Check out this incredible graphic that can be manipulated to focus in on various aspects of how taxpayer money will be spent according to Bush's requested FY 208 budget. Hit your Shift key to zoom in and your Ctrl key to zoom out. You can click on and drag the image to see all its parts. One major point to notice: Of the $1075 billion in discretionary spending, 67% or $717 billion, is targeted for military/national security spending. That national debt is projected at $9.600 trillion. The poster is also available for purchase in case you want to make yourself sick on a regular basis.