BUSH ADMITS TO SOME MISTAKES IN IRAQ

From wire services

WASHINGTON D.C. - In an unexpectedly lengthy and circumspect news conference at the White House today, President Bush admitted that some of the evidence that led the U.S. to go to war in Iraq may have been "embellished" and he announced plans to withdraw the bulk of U.S. troops within the next 12 to 18 months.

What was expected to be a 20-minute news conference that focused primarily on domestic issues, particularly Social Security, turned into a nearly 55-minute encounter than dealt with a wide range of subjects, including some of the most controversial policies of Bush's administration.

In light of news that the Ukraine would be pulling it's troops out of Iraq in the next year, a reporter asked the President if the United States felt confident in scaling back it's military forces in Iraq anytime soon. "Let me answer that by saying that first and foremost, we remain in Iraq to secure democracy and help keep the peace. But I've had talks with Condi, Rumsfeld and our top commanders and I can see a time, over the next 12 to 18 months, where we can begin to give some more of our responsibilities to the local Iraqi army and police and then gradually begin to bring our reservists home. They have fought admirably, they have defended democracy well and they deserve a chance to return home to their families in the near future."

When told that this was in contradiction to recent statements indicating that U.S. troops would be in Iraq for the long haul, President Bush replied that our nation's foreign policy was "evolving," and that it wouldn't be the first time that we've had to adjust after making mistakes in our policy towards Iraq.

"At first we believed there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, we believed that Saddam may have even kept some in Baghdad itself," the President said. "But looking at the evidence more closely we realized that there were flaws and even outright errors in the intelligence. But we had to go forward in Iraq anyway, because people were suffering and we knew that Saddam still posed a threat to the region. That's why after the invasion, we changed the message to more of one about liberation, instead of focusing on the weapons of mass destruction which may or may not have been there."

Elsewhere during the press conference, President Bush also said that it was tougher going on Social Security reform than he thought it would be, especially since "people aren't really buying the numbers on when the program will go insolvent." President Bush said his administration was working on making up new numbers and hoped to have those out by the middle of May.

The President also took time to praise Condoleeza Rice's diplomatic efforts around the globe. Curiously, his comments took on a strangely personal, almost intimate tone. "Condi has been great for America, great for this administration and great for me," the President said somewhat wistfully. "There's no finer woman in this country than Condoleeza Rice and I think she's going to prove to be the best Secretary of State this nation has ever seen, no disrespect meant to what's-his-name from the first term." --

Happy April Fools Day. If only President Bush were really that entertaining and forthright...

Peace.

I WAS WRONG...

The sorry spectacle of the Terri Schiavo case has been played out in the state and Federal courts, in the mainstream media and even on the floor of the U.S. Senate and in the White House for the last two months and it has seemed clear to many progressive writers and commentators that the Bush Administration and the GOP-dominated Senate has been bending over backwards to intervene in what appears to be a clear case of an individual's right to die, or at the very least, to euthanize someone who is in a vegetative state and is never going to get better, someone who had unwittingly become an unconsciable burden to her family and loved ones. How dare our Federal government yield to the whims of the Right t0 Lifers and far religious right on this issue when they should have no legal right to interfere?

The only thing wrong with this synopsis is that it is both right and wrong. The Schiavo case is far more complicated--and more sinister--than that.

"How can this be?", you might reasonably ask. Well, the problem is that--once again--the mainstream media has failed to do its job to report the story in a thorough and balanced fashion. Recent polls indicate that the vast majority of Americans believe that the President and the Federal courts have overstepped their responsibilities in the Schiavo matter. But how many of those polled would change their mind if they knew the following:

--That it has never been definitively determined by medical officials whether or not Terri Schiavo really is in "a persistent vegetative state."

--That Michael Schiavo, Terri's husband, refuses to allow doctors to conduct more tests to determine the exact state of her incapacity.

--That Mr. Schiavo is currently living with another woman, has two kids by this woman and would like to marry her legally, something he can never do as long as Terri is still alive.

--That merely disconnecting Terri's feeding tube, if she is in fact NOT in a persistent vegetative state, may be tantamount to murdering her via cruel and unusual punishment.

These are four indisputable facts from the case. Want to read more? Check out Nat Hentoff's excellent essay in this week's Village Voice. Even if you don't agree with all of his analysis, it was certainly eye-opening to see just how much information has been left out by the mainstream media or spun by Michael Schiavo's lawyer.

Of course, one problem is that the Right to Lifers have jumped on this case as a cause celebre and they have been twisting its implications to suit their political agenda. Also, if a person doesn't leave a living will or some kind of clear legal document as to their intentions if they should become incapacitated, then they will become prey to anybody in their family who may want to disrespect or misinterpret their intentions for whatever selfish reasons. Terri Schiavo doesn't deserve this fate of course (none of us does), but this is one of those areas where the law is woefully lacking. Modern medicine continues to be way ahead of legal precedent. And Terri Schiavo can't tell us what she wants, so mouthpieces on both sides that don't have her best interests at heart are speaking for her.

Maybe this is not a case that is suitable for the Federal government to intervene in. It certainly stands as counter to what Republicans have always claimed as their preference for individual rights and smaller government. But before we assume this is just a basic civil rights issue and that Terri Schiavo should be allowed to die, ask yourself the following question:

Is it euthanasia or is it murder?

I admit that I was wrong because I didn't have all the facts. If only the media would get around to reporting the whole story, more of us could make an informed opinion.

Peace...

25 THINGS THAT BREAK MY HEART

I've been a long time in the wilderness with a lot on my mind. Here's my list of 25 Things That Break My Heart:

1. The sound of children crying out of loneliness, pain or discomfort.

2. When my girlfriend cries.

3. When politicians shamelessly grandstand at the expense of our freedom and a person's individual choice (see the Schiavo case).

4. Lost puppies and kittens.

5. Anybody I know who suffered a brain trauma or a disease like Alzheimers, when you can remember the person they were as compared to who they are now.

6. When people blame teachers for the declining quality of the public schools while they hop into their SUV's and drop their kids off at a private school in the suburbs.

7. Oil spills.

8. When I read a poem by Pablo Neruda and realize I will never, ever, write a poem that good.

9. Teenagers raising babies.

10. The realization that almost everything George Orwell and Aldous Huxley wrote about the future has, or soon will, become horrifyingly true.

11. The knowledge that George W. Bush is our President.

12. (from 11) The fact that at least 50 percent of the United States is not only not horrified by that fact, but actually thinks it's a good idea.

13. When long friendships end for no good reason.

14. Knowing that Africa is the richest continent on Earth but that colonialism, racism and tribalism have left it the most impoverished continent on Earth for over 200 years.

15. When a team in any sport makes a thrilling comeback only too fall justthisshort at the end.

16. Seeing little girls, six and younger, enrolled in beauty pageants.

17. Knowing that in much of the Muslim world, women are treated as second or third class citizens.

18. Knowing that in these "liberalized, free" United States we've never had a female president and women make 68 cents for every dollar a man is paid.

19. Pedophiles who molest again and again and again. If they can't be cured, why are they allowed to live in society?

20. Seeing young men and women going off to Iraq, knowing that 1 in 5 will suffer some permanent psychological scarring, 1 in 10 will be seriously wounded and 1 in 1000 will probably be killed.

21. Knowing that the administration that sent these people into harm's way continues to cut their benefits when they return, find ways to extend their tours of duty while there and fails to provide adequate protection and armament in the field.

22. Watching one insipid reality or "celebrity documentary" show after another premiere on the tube while writers and performers with real talent suffer in obscurity and never get their shot.

23. Every other story that came out of the December 26 tsunami (the one thing for which my birthday will now probably be forever known).

24. Looking at that part of the skyline where the World Trade Center used to be.

25. Willful ignorance.

What breaks your heart? Write in with some suggestions...

Peace.

IT'S THE OIL, STUPID

Oh Sure, We're Not Going To Attack Iran...

As the Iraqi insurgency continues on, killing dozens more every day, sinking our troops even further into quagmire despite the recently hailed Iraqi elections, it is important to remember the real reason the U.S., led by Dubya and his neocon-men, were hell bent for leather to go into Iraq in the first place--not W.M.D's, nor regime change, but oil and a misguided sense of loyalty to Israel. Yes, the same Israel that spied on us in the 1950's and used that stolen intelligence to form the basis for the nuclear weapons program that they now "may or may not have". (Oh the rich ironies...the United States would never invade Israel to deter their nuclear weapons program and we KNOW they have the weapons since we tacitly and sometimes directly helped them develop it.)

For a terrific analysis of the current foreign policy in the Middle East, as well as a possible preview of horrors to come, please do yourself a favor and check out this dispatch from Ray McGovern, a former CIA officer and presidential advisor who lays out exactly what it is that Dubya and his handlers have in mind for the next four years and beyond. It's why "Peace Now" should be more than a slogan and why nothing less than our children's future is at stake.