So now some in the anti-Hillary crowd are attacking her for not condemning the actions of some of her supporters in Nevada.

Great.

Back in 2004, the right-wing attacked Wes Clark for not condemning the words of one of his supporters, namely Michael Moore.

Not so very long ago, John Edwards was attacked for not strongly enough condemning the words written by some of his staffers before he even hired them.

Is this a great country, or what?

In secret talks in Helsinki, Finland last weekend, influential Sunni and Shia leaders from Iraq agreed to a set of principles reminiscent of those which set in motion the road to the historic Good Friday Agreement ("GFA" aka "Belfast Agreement") of 1998.  The "Helsinki Agreement" is far shorter and much less detailed than the GFA, but it is an important beginning in which opposing leaders recognize that further peaceful discussions must take place in order to bring an end to the conflict.

Last April, Tim Russert asked Utah Senator Orrin Hatch if he would accept a Bush appointment as Attorney General.  After the customary smokescreens, Senator Hatch said:
   

Well, I’ve irritated the chairman of the committee just this morning. It’d be really tough for me to get confirmed, I’m sure. But the fact is, of course, anybody would serve this country. I would serve this country any way I could. But, but they’re not going to pick me. But the point is, you know, it’s up to the president.

That's an interesting excess of buts - but it's pretty clear that Sen. Hatch would 'graciously and humbly' accept such a chance to serve his country.  Of course there are some questions that such a nomination would raise.  First, and foremost, would a Hatch nomination well serve Bush/Cheney and the Republican party?

 

Did anyone else wonder why Michael Moore's excellent film, "SiCKO", played in so few movie theaters?

I mean, it seemed to me like it wasn't playing in nearly as many theaters as did "Fahrenheit 9/11", for example.

Sure, I figured that somehow the health insurance industry had gotten to the film distributor - but I don't remember seeing any stories which might support that theory... until now, that is (much more of that sicko story below).

Now before all of you skip below, I imagine some of you are thinking "So what else is new?"  And I suppose my honest answer is, "Probably not much," because I've seen this sort of thing happen to good films before.  And because of my personal interests, I've seen this sort of suppression mainly of Irish films and/or films dealing with Ireland's relationship with England.

Over at Securing America, Wes Clark has just requested that we call our Senators now to ask them to support the Webb-Hagel Readiness Amendment.

Peter Granato, Iraq War Veteran and Veterans Outreach Coordinator, VoteVets.org says:

Our nation's troops need your help, right now!

This week, the Senate will consider an amendment offered by military veterans Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) that puts on paper one of the greatest things we can do to support the troops and the military -- guaranteeing them proper time on the homefront, to improve our readiness.

Call your Senator at 202-224-3121 and tell them to support the Webb-Hagel Readiness Amendment.

There's a new video up over at  http://www.stopiranwar.com/

It is aimed at helping people to think about the consequences of an attack on Iran.  Obviously, in addition to killing and injuring many Iranians, it will destroy much of the conventional Iranian military capability, and it is likely to destroy much of their nuclear capability as well.  That ought to be enough reason for many people to try to stop it from happening.  However, many other people may think those outcomes to be positive.  So, this video is focussed more heavily on what effect such an attack would have on our troops in Iraq.   That's something that seems to matter to most Americans these days.  Here's a partial transcript:

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK:

With every passing day that the administration won't talk to Iran, we come closer to an Iranian nuclear weapon, and the time at which the decision must be made whether or not the administration will use its military option.... what's it going to be like for the troops on the ground in Iraq? Let's ask Jon Soltz.

You are going to be asked to sign a very important petition at http://www.stopiranwar.com/ in just a bit, but first let me give you some background.

Have you given any thought to how significant it is that Wes Clark recently took the time to seek our opinions and answer our questions concerning whether war with Iran is inevitable?

http://www.dailykos.com/...

I believe some in the Administration have seen this confrontation as inevitable - or have sought it - since late 2001. At that time a Pentagon general held up to me a Defense memorandum which he described as a five year road map to the conflict.  But surely we have learned by now that, particularly in this region, force and the threats of force should be the last, last, last resort.

"Senator Clinton is locking up New York fund-raisers."

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Well, I suppose that comes as no surprise to anyone. She isn't exactly a favorite daughter, but she is a New York Senator. Still, it strikes me as kind of odd that wealthy fund raisers are jumping on her bandwagon this early. Don't get me wrong. I think Hillary Clinton has many fine qualities. For example, I think she could develop into a really excellent Senator some day. Possibly even become the first female Majority Leader. For some reason, though, it looks like her severely challenged Presidential bid is already being backed by some wealthy and influential fund raisers in New York.

There’s that "surge" word again....  So, before I get to my major point, let me begin at the proverbial beginning of my inspiration for this diary entry.

Now, be honest.  Regardless of who your favorite Presidential candidate might be, weren’t you really delighted when Wes Clark recommended a "smart surge" of diplomacy in his recent article* opposing George Bush’s proposed military surge in Iraq?  I certainly was, for several reasons.
 
First of all, I firmly believe that withdrawal from Iraq without a plan is no better than invasion of Iraq without a plan. In other words, we need a plan, people.  We really do.   Arrogance and ignorance have gotten us where we are today. Wes Clark understands that there are many other governments and many millions of people with a stake in what will happen next. He also realizes that we certainly do not have all the answers, including the best answers to the questions as to when and how we should bring our troops home. His call for vastly increased regional diplomacy is not just noble. It is virtually essential to the restoration of our lost credibility in international affairs.

Have you seen Cool Onion's diaries about the proposed new US/UK Extradition Treaty?  If not, you should read them immediately.  Your personal liberty and fundamental civil rights are at stake.  John Ashcroft, George Bush and Tony Blair have come up with a scheme to cancel all Constitutional guarantees to due process, and to enable the Bush Administration to seize you and send you to a British prison without even informing you of the evidence against you.

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