Despite the bloviating by the CiC about 'time horizons,' the Iraqi government and the US appear to have come closer to an agreement on withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. First is a pullout from the cities by June 30, 2009 and a complete withdrawal by 2011. I'm guessing that the 2011 is for 'combat troops' and that US troops will remain in Iraq for training, ISF combat support, counter-terrorism operations, and defending US assets in the country.

U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have finished a draft agreement that would see American troops removed from Iraqi cities by June 30, an Iraqi official said Wednesday. But the draft has not been approved by the Cabinet and some members have expressed opposition.

The official, who was involved in the protracted negotiations, said the agreement calls for U.S. troops to fully leave the country by the end of 2011.

He said a compromise was reached on the contentious issue of immunity for American troops from prosecution under Iraqi laws, but he did not give details. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not supposed to release the information. ...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...

My lovely girlfriend and I were fortunate enough to attend the 50th Annual Chicago Air and Water Show yesterday, and I would like to dedicate this diary to admiration, respect, and gratitude for all of the brave men and women of our Armed Services.

The air show put on by the U.S. Navy in Chicago yesterday was truly a sight to behold..more on the flip.

Good news: Pressure from Rep. Waxman to enforce Dr. Kaye Whitley's subpoena to testify on how the DOD is preventing and responding to incidents of sexual assault in the military have paid off: after first blocking her from attending a House committee's hearing, the Pentagon is allowing Whitley to testify. Bad news: the DOD continues to ignore a very specific responsibility they have been tasked with in order to fully address this issue.

I expect that people find it hard to deal with emotionally sensitive issues. I may even expect that many people would want to shield themselves from it.

But I won't tolerate elected and appointed officials who run and hide when they not only have the power to do something about it, they have the explicit responsibility of doing something about it.

(Note: this has been diaried by smash artist and by nathanrudy, but both those diaries scrolled off the list. This brutal fact should be given much broader play, IMO. - o.h.)

John McCain says he supports the troops. Too bad they don't support him.

This is an outrage. Our military often travel with extra gear; and are now being asked to pay up front for the baggage, as they head to war zones

I say: Bull. For what they are doing for our country it should be free.

I got another one of those ridiculous bogus viral chain emails  today. It got me so riled up I actually drafted a response. It's tough getting a mail like this from this person - as she is actually a very kind and loving person who lives in the burbs of upstate NY.
I'm sure many here would be much more effective skewering this trash, but I just needed to spout off.
I haven't sent it yet, and I'm posting it as a Diary just to let it "simmer" for a while.

The original mail below the fold, followed by my rant.

He's about twenty and walking his girlfriend's dog at 6:00 a.m. where she lives in a 425 square foot apartment in a marginal neighborhood in Houston.  Wearing his combat gear and so I am wondering how he feels.

Turns out that he's in the guard but may have to go back to Iraq again within the next year.  He's seen my Obama sticker on the car, and maybe I need to tread carefully.

Last week Fox News ran a story about how things were going so well in Fallujah that they've opened their first KFC franchise to keep the locals hooked up with quality Fried Chicken...

I think this is a huge deal and am surprised I cannot find a diary already about it (apologies if it has already been covered and missed it, but I did a search first.)

On Sunday McCain said the following:

"If I had been told by the Pentagon that I couldn’t visit those troops, and I was there and wanted to be there, I guarantee you, there would have been a seismic event," McCain told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview to air Sunday on "This Week".

Here's the link. http://blogs.abcnews.com/...

There are currently two recommended diaries extremely excited over what they describe as a "smackdown" of McCain.  

Well I, for one, ain't buying that the Washington Post article is very good.  

Donation Link: Over $1,100 raised!!!

The end of the month is approaching (technically tomorrow. Obama took it to McCain with donations last month, despite earlier media reports that he would not. Let the media show America the support Senator Obama has when he outraises McCain.

This weekend showed us that McCain will do anything and say anything to get elected, resorting to the typical tactics of the right wing.

Diaries/media have pointed out that there was a bounce after his trip abroad and he will be focusing on the economy now. However, some ill conceived polls show otherwise and a McCain advantage. Some who are not familiar with polling do not recognize the flaws in those polls and they may be swayed.

Let's give Senator Obama the financial means to fight the smears and to get this man elected into office!!!

Any donations help, whether it is $5, $10, or more.

Here's a link where you can donate:

Donation Link: Over $1,100 raised!!!

Donation Link: Over $1,100 raised!!!

If it turns out the military really is the sole protector of my liberties, I'm going to have to make some other arrangement after they read this.

A cousin of mine was kind enough to forward a now-viral email--enhanced with some supporting commentary of my cousin's own--exposing Barack Obama as a hypocrite and fraud. It seems I have been greatly mislead by TV footage of the candidate in the middle east greeting ecstatic throngs of US service people. The truth is that Obama has been rude and distant, snubbing the troops in his haste to butter up the generals and the media. Everywhere, he has left shocked and insulted soldiers in his wake--it's clearly documented here.

I watched the news footage again on You Tube. The ingeniously doctored images of a beaming Obama against a backdrop of cheering service people look unassailably authentic. Is there no limit to what they can do with special effects these days?

We are often badgered and bullied by the right into not criticising our own troops or leaders, while pressured to view those leaders and troops on the opposing side as purely evil. This is a child-like view of the world

My Son Gabe's Obama Donation Link

The end of the month is approaching. Obama took it to McCain with donations last month, despite earlier media reports that he would not. Let the media show America the support Senator Obama has when he outraises McCain.

This weekend showed us that McCain will do anything and say anything to get elected, resorting to the typical tactics of the right wing.

Diaries/media have pointed out that there was a bounce after his trip abroad and he will be focusing on the economy now. However, some ill conceived polls show otherwise and a McCain advanatge. Some who are not familiar with polling do not recognize the flaws in those polls.

Let's give Senator Obama the financial means to fight the smears and to get this man elected into office!!!

Look at Tuesdays polls: Our Past Diary

Here's a link where you can donate:

My Son Gabe's Obama Donation Link

My Son Gabe's Obama Donation Link

    John McCain snears at Barack Obama after Barack Obama visits U.S. troops in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.  We've seen the very real images of Barack Obama visiting with the troops, telling them we appreciate their heroic service and sacrifice, telling them that we are united behind them even if we disagree about policy.  We know that Obama has visited wounded soldiers privately, forbidding the presence of cameras or reporters.  And we've seen that for many of these service members, Barack's support means something.
    John McCain spits on them when he disrespects Barack Obama's effort to honor and support our troops.  John McCain disrespects the troops who were glad to meet Obama, who felt supported, honored, inspired to meet Obama.  John McCain doesn't respect the troops who found Barack Obama's efforts to be meaningful to them.  Whether he means it or not, John McCain spits on the troops when he dismisses what they care about, what they find meaningful.

This just in from TPM:

Here's another reason why it's so critical that the media report accurately on the McCain attacks on Obama's canceled troop visit: The McCain camp's efforts to make sure this keeps boiling away as a major campaign issue are only just getting started.

The McCain campaign has just ratcheted up the rhetoric on this "controversy" with yet another misleading statement, this one in the name of Chief Warrant Officer (4th class) Michael J. Durant:

My Son Gabe's Obama Donation Link

The end of the month is approaching. Obama took it to McCain with donations last month, despite earlier media reports that he would not.

This weekend showed us that McCain will do anything and say anything to get elected, resorting to the typical tactics of the right wing.

Diaries/media have pointed out that there was a bounce after his trip abroad and he will be focusing on the economy now. Let's give Senator Obama the financial means to fight the smears and to get this man elected into office!!!

Here's a link where you can donate:

My Son Gabe's Obama Donation Link

My Son Gabe's Obama Donation Link

My Son Gabe's Obama Donation Link

 I want to start by saying that my father is a disabiled vet, from the Vietnam aera. He saved bravely for eight year, and join even after the war was all but lost to make a difference. He believe what he was told that this was a war to stop USSR and China. That it wasn't what we have found out, to be nothing more a civil war that we as a nation got sucked into it.
     I have taken him the VA to get health care. There is one in the city that we live in, and we have asked on more than I have fingers and toes to have his treatment moved here. Yet they will not move it, and are having him drive ninety to two and half hours to two different sets of VA doctors in cities that are half the state away.
  So it is with that I got to really thinking about the Right and how they have since as long as I can remember wrapped themselves with the troops saying how they are they love the troops and left doesn't. I know where that comes from, it comes from Jane Fonda, and the hippies that belittled the troops when they came home after their tours in 'Nam. It is at that point that right again, much like they did with white southern voters, made a wage that is just now breaking.