Shays Sashays*

Somebody please explain... (0.00 / 0)

Shays claimed during the interview that Al Qaeda was imposing Sharia Law.  I thought that the Shiites imposed Sharia, not the Sunnis.  I do not know for sure, but I know somebody out there does.

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by: snorwich @ Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 03:20:46 AM UTC

Both impose Sharia law (4.00 / 1)

Saudi Arabia practices Sharia law, and it's the center of the rabid Sunni Wabbi sect.  Nigeria is also Sunni in its Muslim areas, where Muslims are also trying to impose Sharia law.  The foreign Sunni al Qaeda fighters who took over parts of Baghdad and other Sunni towns did attempt to impose harsh restrictions, such as the veil for women, which is also being forced on women in the Shiite areas in the South.

But it's important to understand what a blatant distortion it is for the Bush administration and Shays to emphasize al Qaeda.  Study after study and virtually every U.S. military pronouncement has stated that foreign fighters constitute a tiny proportion of the combatants arrayed against American and Iraqi government forces.  Indeed, less than 5% of all combatants are foreigners and only a small proportion of them are aligned with al Qaeda.  A recent announcement noted that less than 2% of some 20,000 detainees held by American forces are foreigners.  So it is absurd and dishonest for the American government to term combatants fighting coalition forces as they do as "anti-Iraqi forces."  Virtually all of them are Iraqis themselves.

But that's sneaky Both Ways Shays for you.  He is as slippery as they come.

Too bad that Cohn failed to mention that Shays voted against three withdrawal resolutions this year before reversing himself and coming out for the December '08 timeline- just 48 hours after Jim Himes made his announcement that he had raised more campaign funds than any challenger in the country.  Tens of thousands of dead and wounded Americans won't dissuade Shays from supporting the miserable Bush policy on Iraq.  But the prospect of losing his seat in Congress definitely will.  He'll say and do anything to keep his place in Congress.

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by: thomashooker @ Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 15:10:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Sorry, that should be "Wahabi" sect (0.00 / 0)

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by: thomashooker @ Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 15:11:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

how about a graphic? (0.00 / 0)

I think a graphic timeline tying the sentiment changes be on a par with ctblogger's statement about how videos are worth 10,000 words.  You up for it?

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by: greenpeas @ Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 16:27:50 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thank you very much. (0.00 / 0)

So Shays was telling a lie by omission since the Shiites, our so-called allies, are trying impose Sharia law as well, which is in direct conflict with the vision of candy-throwing and flower bearing masses of freedom lovers in Baghdad that will greet us as liberators.  Ironic how the Confederacy of Dunces gave the Iraqis freedom and they chose to vote for the mullahs.  Another great plan that was not thought all the way through.

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by: snorwich @ Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 23:47:55 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Expertise (4.00 / 1)

It's funny how after 19 trips -- supposedly to make the Congressman an expert of some kind -- Shays still can't tell the difference between Sunnis and Shias.

Perhaps we could have saved the million-plus dollars that've been spending on his fact-finding missions by just purchasing him a deck of flash cards?

–7.25 / –7.28 | http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/tw...

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by: mattw @ Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 00:35:47 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Flash cards! Too funny. (0.00 / 0)

But on a more serious note, I saw some footage from Iraq on the MSM yesterday, and I saw a guy from the 3rd Infantry Division who had a combat patch from the 2nd Infantry Division.  That means he has had at least two tours of duty in a combat zone (two more than most Republicans like adamjschmidt), and I wonder if any of these multi-tour guys has seen Shays more than once.

 I can see it now, a GI telling his buddy "I saw this clueless fuck two years ago in Baghdad and he still doesn't know shit."  Sorry Chris, but 19 or even 20 trips will not earn you a special badge or pin that you can wear on your lapel while you spin the truth for Georgie and Dickie.

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by: snorwich @ Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 02:42:55 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Somebody please explain... (0.00 / 0)

why Chris Shays is so proud that he's taken 19 vacations to Iraq on the public tab?  What did he learn this time around that he missed on the previous 18 trips?

Now MY head hurts.

Connecticut Bob

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by: Bob Adams @ Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 12:23:44 PM UTC

Never seen him angrier than when asked that question (4.00 / 2)

I had gone to a bunch of his townhall meetings this past spring, and when I finally asked a question (at the 5th or 6th meeting), it was "Since your party won't approve the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, and the Democrats aren't producing a timeline that you feel like you can support, what's the taxpayer benefit to each new trip (then at 15, I think) you take to Iraq?" Dude flipped out for ~10 minutes, totally losing his grasp on the other Iraq questions that were asked.

–7.25 / –7.28 | http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/tw...

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by: mattw @ Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 23:43:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Show the Tapes Matt (0.00 / 0)

what are you waiting for?

PS I still love you anyway. Didn't mean to sound so mean.

"I am not a Blogger...But I play one on the internet."

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by: tessa @ Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 22:57:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Currently out of my hands, alas (0.00 / 0)

I dumped video to DVD and those were making the rounds amongst MLN FP people.

–7.25 / –7.28 | http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/tw...

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by: mattw @ Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 23:17:16 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Cohn did a super job (4.00 / 1)

His report might have been titled:
19 Trips to Iraq, and Shays Still Clueless

I was very impressed with Cohn's report. If anyone wants to tell WTNH what a great job Cohn did, here is some general contact info:

WTNH Main Number: (203) 784.8888
General e-mail address:wtnh@wtnh.com

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by: CaptCT @ Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 13:14:49 PM UTC

But where was Jim Himes' response? (0.00 / 0)

Why didn't Cohn bother to get a contrary view from Shays' announced congressional challenger?  How could Cohn have failed to even mention the opposite point of view of Shays' challenger Jim Himes?  Sounds as though he dropped the ball on that score...

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by: thomashooker @ Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 15:01:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Shays Doing Some "Catapulting" For His Boss (0.00 / 0)

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."
-- George Bush, "President Participates in Social Security Conversation in New York," May 24, 20


"If those in charge of our society...can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves." ~~Howard Zinn

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by: lakezoarian @ Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 15:06:28 PM UTC