“Principals OK’d Harsh Attacks”
At the time, the Principals Committee included Vice President Cheney, former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
As the national security adviser, Rice chaired the meetings, which took place in the White House Situation Room and were typically attended by most of the principals or their deputies.
Of them, Cheney (VP) and Rice (Sec. of State) still hold an office; and Tenet is still head of the CIA.
Then-National Security Advisor Rice, sources said, was decisive. Despite growing policy concerns — shared by Powell — that the program was harming the image of the United States abroad, sources say she did not back down, telling the CIA: “This is your baby. Go do it.”
*cue dramatic music*
The Iraq Invasion is five years old…and, apparently, it was still worth it to attack a country that had nothing to do with what happened in the US six and a half years ago; it was worth the loss of nearly 4000 US soldiers and thousands of innocent civilians; it was worth removing someone from power* who did not pose a threat to the US at all. Apparently, according to GWB, the over half-trillion dollars spent on the invasion was money well-spent. (I imagine some people in the world *cough*NOLA*cough* would debate that.)
* I don’t think anyone doubts the late Sadaam Hussein was a craptastic dictator (how the US could support him gassing Kurds in the late 1980s is beyond my comprehension, however), least of all me. However! Should the US troops and the coalition have been the ones to yank the fella from power? Personally, I say no.
* * * * *
In other news, Lieberman backs McCain. I agree with the gang from Crooks and Liars:
The Independent Senator from Connecticut leaves out the real reason he supports McCain — he’s a warmonger and wants to stay in Iraq for 100 years and bomb-bomb-bomb Iran, just like Joe. McCain is not a reformer anymore, the Maverick is dead and gone. Lieberman is part of the McSurge triplets currently stumping for McCain in Iraq, I think the GOP will gladly extend an invitation to him for his service to the party.
On the upside, Obama’s speech on race in the US today was freakin’ brilliant.
Fidel Castro resigns; his brother Raul takes over reign of Cuba.
Let’s see what happens. It probably won’t be much; but…you never know.
» Requiem For A Polaroid
My parents have owned a OneStep (of the SX-70 variety…the one with the rainbow stripe) since before I was born. There were/are many a Polaroid photo in old photo albums; and my dad has one of me when I was a baby in his bedroom.
The first Polaroid camera I bought and used was an I-Zone, sometime in the earlier part of this decade. I loved using that thing, up until I took my last shot with it in the summer of 2006. That same year, Polaroid discontinued the original SX-70/Time Zero film. In response, Unsaleable — in a collaborative effort with a Polaroid factory in the Netherlands — released SX-70 Blend film. While it wasn’t, and isn’t, the same as the original, it’s given SX-70 fans much joy; and it gave me an excuse to get out my parents’ OneStep and try shooting that. Last summer, I bought an old Spectra off eBay; using that has been fantastic.
Lord knows how much fun will be left to be had now. With the discontinuation of Polaroid’s instant cameras (the only one I know of left being the One600), will the extinction of all Polaroid film be far behind? Will Fujifilm step in and make their own alternative integral films, as they’ve done with pack film?
On the other hand, Polanoid and Polanoir, as well as the various Polaroid-themed groups on Flickr, have done a pretty good job of keeping instant photography alive, methinks.
As for me…
Pakistan Opposition Leader Bhutto Killed. Said opposition leader was a woman; and she was recently under house arrest.
I like was Lis had to say in her entry about this…
(BTW, it always amazes me the number of countries that have had a woman in one of the highest positions in the land, like England or Pakistan or India or Israel, all of which have had female prime ministers, and Germany, which has had a female chancellor…and the US is still wetting itself over Nancy Pelosi becoming Speaker of the House and Hillary running for president. When male candidates or other political beasts say they wouldn’t know how to deal with a woman as president, I have to question THEIR fitness for politics, because they’ll have to deal with women in high positions OUTSIDE the US.)
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