Instahoglets 22nd Mar. 06

Instahoglets - punchposts, snark and some "news less travelled".

Stranger at Blah3 takes on the news that traumatized and mentally ill soldiers are being sent back for more tours in Iraq and notes that it only makes reports of atrocities and massacres of civilians by small numbers of US troops more plausible. I've got another observation - these soldiers will be coming home to stay one day and the Bush administration hasn't got much (anything) for them in the way of help. In fact they give the troops an anti-malarial proven to turn depression and anxiety into full blown psychosis. Will "going postal" be replaced by "going Fallujah?"

Johann Hari has what he describes as a "melancholic mea culpa" as he joins the growing crowd of neocons and war supporters admitting they were wrong about the invasion of Iraq. He says:

The lamest defence I could offer – one used by many supporters of the war as they slam into reverse gear – is that I still support the principle of invasion, it’s just the Bush administration screwed it up. But as one anti-war friend snapped at me when I mooted this argument, “Yeah, who would ever have thought that supporting George Bush in the illegal invasion of an Arab country would go wrong?”

Whereas Greg Palast argues that Bush didn't bungle the invasion - he got exactly what he wanted:

Three bucks a gallon in the States (and a quid a litre in Britain) means colossal profits for Big Oil, and that makes Dick's ticker go pitty-pat with joy. The top oily-gopolists, the five largest oil companies, pulled in $113 billion in profit in 2005 -- compared to a piddly $34 billion in 2002 before Operation Iraqi Liberation. In other words, it's been a good war for Big Oil.

And Ahmed Chalabi, amazingly enough (snort), blames the entire mess on Paul Bremmer. He also says the idea that Rummie screwed up bigtime is a "big fiction". Like someone who was paid so very much money for his made-up intelligence about WMD's is ever going to blame the people who paid him - Bush and Rumsfeld...

For those of you who have been following the ongoing "IED's from Iran" claim and it's various fallings by the wayside, I've got some handy background from the archives of Global Guerillas as they take an in depth look at the IED marketplace in Iraq. Also, "Anything They Say" blog agrees with General Pace and looks at why Iran has no motive whatsoever to foment Iraq to the point of civil war.

And while we're thinking about how arms and explosives get into the hands of terrorists, how about this? Thousands of automatic pistols intended for the Iraqi police, and with the approval of the British Government, have ended up arming Al Qaeda militants in Iraq. I kid you not! The owner of one of the UK arms firms involved said "Because Iraq is in such a mess, there must be kit flying all over place. Everyone must be at it."

Via Pickled Politics - Neo-Nazi soccer hooligans are threatening a massacre of Moslems at this summer's World Cup in Germany:

"We are united. For the first time we are talking and planning together, with the English, the Germans, the Dutch, the Spanish, everyone with the same objective. At the World Cup there will be a massacre,"

Don't expect Malkin and her Jawa reporting brethren to be horrified if it happens. They will probably find a way to blame the Moslem fans.

Dirk Kempthorne is the new nominee as Interior Secretary. He is replacing the previous incumbent at a time when the department is under an Abramoff cloud. It's a pity then, that Dirk seems to be your common-or-garden corrupt Republican too. Huckleberries Online back in August reported that the Governor has a habit of paying personal expenses from campaign funds and bouncing checks to his hairdresser. No wonder the White House is telling him to keep his mouth shut in public until the confirmation hearings.

How dumb do you have to be to write to Nader.Org calling them “the strength and soul of the Democratic Party,” along with other “local leaders.” and asking them to fill out a questionnaire on the future direction of the Democrats? Someone at Howard Dean's office should be getting a rocket around now. I'm not even beginning to be convinced that the Dems would be any more competent in office than the Repugs.

Amd on that theme comes this:

If that bluest of elite blue institutions—the Congressional leadership of the Democratic Party—doesn’t want to censure an opposition-party President for his defiance of Congress’ own lawmaking, well, then what could it possibly want?

A new study tells you how to spot a baby conservative (hat tip, Kat):

Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative. No extra snark required with this one!