Clipmarks | masbury's clips

Feith: Moral high ground is for "assholes"

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:24:27 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: ensured Gitmos would not get Geneva protections from torture

Clip Source: tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com

Not only did Feith play a major hand in promoting the myth of Iraq's ties to Al Qaeda before the invasion of Iraq, but he also played a major role in developing the interrogation policy for Guantanamo Bay.

Feith boasted to Sands that back in 2002, he "was really a player" in ensuring that Gitmo detainees would not receive Geneva protections. But when Sands asked him "whether, in the end, he was at all concerned that the Geneva decision might have diminished America’s moral authority," Feith got nasty:

He was not. “The problem with moral authority,” he said, was “people who should know better, like yourself, siding with the assholes, to put it crudely.”

Iranian who brokered Iraq peace is on terrorist watch list

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:19:39 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: We really do need to be talking to these guys

Clip Source: www.motherjones.com

Oops:

Brig. Gen. Qassem Suleimani, who helped U.S.-backed Iraqi leaders negotiate a deal with radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr to stop the fighting in Iraq's largely Shiite south, is named on U.S. Treasury Department and U.N. Security Council watch lists for alleged involvement in terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear and missile technology...

Suleimani, about whom little is known publicly, commands the elite Quds (Jerusalem) force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. U.S. officials allege that the force is responsible for sending sophisticated roadside bombs, known as explosively formed projectiles, and other weaponry that Iran's Shiite allies in Iraq sometimes have used to kill U.S. troops...

Iraqi lawmakers said that Suleimani had participated in weekend meetings in the Iranian holy city of Qom that resulted in Sadr ordering his followers to draw back after nearly a week of clashes with government troops.

More background here.

Tags: foreign policy, iraq, iran

The ethanol effect: When alt fuels go bad

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:43:16 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Excellent graphic analysis of why corn-based ethanol is "too good to be true"

Clip Source: www.motherjones.com

"everything about ethanol is good, good, good," crows Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, echoing the conventional wisdom that corn-based ethanol will help us kick the oil habit, line the pockets of farmers, and usher in a new era of guilt-free motoring. But despite the wishes of Iowans (and the candidates courting them) the "dot-corn bubble" is too good to be true.

Click the thumbnail below to see the larger image

Tags: corn, ethanol, environment, politics

[CORN-based] Ethanol bad for environment

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:39:31 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: 110 gal of gasoline needed for each acre of corn; this is dangerous talk here in Iowa!

Clip Source: www.motherjones.com

Time's cover story this week debunks the idea that ethanol holds the promise of clean energy. But that's old news, right? Back in November, Mother Jones' "The Ethanol Effect" broke down America's newest cash crop, kernel by kernel. It reveals that growing one acre of corn requires 110 gallons of gasoline, and that ethanol's net energy output is far less than that of conventional fuel. Check out all the raw numbers here.

Tags: environment, politics

McCain Sunni-Shia mixup not first time

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:35:45 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: At least 3 other incidents; "For a man who has staked his entire campaign on Iraq and his understanding of foreign policy, this is bizarre."

Clip Source: www.motherjones.com

The blogosphere poked some fun a couple days ago when McCain said dominantly Shiite Iran was aiding dominantly Sunni al Qaeda and had to be corrected by his traveling buddy Joe Lieberman.

He made the same assertion last month, and said it on the radio on March 17. And to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the war, he sent out a statement (likely written by his staff) that appears to repeat the claim.

The McCain campaign's explanation is that McCain "misspoke"

But what's the actual explanation? McCain can't possibly be so ignorant of foreign affairs that he thinks Iran and al Qaeda are in bed together, can he? After this many years in the Senate? Perhaps he was having a series of what my parents call "senior moments."

For a man who has staked his entire campaign on Iraq and his understanding of foreign policy, this is bizarre.

Tags: mccain, iraq, politics

McCain Econ Advisers linked to subprime crisis

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:04:58 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Champions of deregulation and aggressive corporate behavior

Clip Source: www.democracynow.org

McCain Economic Advisers Under Scrutiny

McCain is coming under new scrutiny today for having economic advisers linked to aggressive corporate behavior and financial deregulation. McCain adviser and former Senator Phil Gramm is a vice-chair of the UBS investment bank. On Tuesday, UBS announced losses of billions of dollars because of investments tied to the US subprime mortgage crisis. In the 1990s, Gramm chaired the Senate Banking Committee, where he led efforts to deregulate the financial industry. His efforts culminated in the 1999 repeal of the Glass-Steagall law separating regulation of commercial and investment banks. Another key McCain adviser, Carly Fiorina, is the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard. She was ousted three years ago and linked to spying efforts to uncover the source of a boardroom leak.

Tags: mccain, economy, politics

Oil Execs called to account for huge salaries, tax breaks

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:00:30 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Received $18billion in corporate welfare while profits highest ever. Republicans made the real welfare state.

Clip Source: www.democracynow.org

Oil Execs Asked to Justify Huge Profits at Congressional Hearing

The executives of the five biggest oil companies—Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, ConocoPhilips and Chevron—were called to testify at a congressional hearing on Tuesday. Lawmakers took them to task for making enormous profits but investing next to nothing in renewable sources of energy. They were also called to justify why they got $18 billion in tax breaks last year when their profits had hit $123 billion and oil prices had reached runaway highs. We speak with Steve Kretzmann of Oil Change International. [includes rush transcript]

Tags: economy, politics