What does Success in Iraq look like?

Barack Obama gave a major foreign policy speech today where he discussed what success in Iraq looks like and said...

George Bush and John McCain don't have a strategy for success in Iraq - they have a strategy for staying in Iraq.

Obama then went on to lay out what success in Iraq looks like...

In fact, true success in Iraq - victory in Iraq - will not take place in a surrender ceremony where an enemy lays down their arms. True success will take place when we leave Iraq to a government that is taking responsibility for its future - a government that prevents sectarian conflict, and ensures that the al Qaeda threat which has been beaten back by our troops does not reemerge. That is an achievable goal if we pursue a comprehensive plan to press the Iraqis stand up.

Expanding the Majority: Hoy Creating an Environment That Encourages Young People to Call Iowa Home

One issue that I have blogged about extensively is Iowa's brain drain. Tim Hoy understands this issue and how it effects rural Iowa. He is running to create an environment that encourages our young generations to view Iowa as a place to call home.

To create an environment that encourages young Iowans to call Iowa home, something must be done about the amount of student loan debt our college graduates accumulate, there must high wage jobs, and there must be ample recreation opportunities in the state (which means we must have clean waterways).

If you want to create this kind of environment in Iowa, please donate to Tim Hoy's campaign.

The 2nd fundraising period ends on Tuesday, July 15th. We have a goal of 15 donors by the 15th and are currently at 10 donors. Since my post asking for donations last Thursday, we have raised $540, but are still short of our goal of 15 donors.

Please help expand the majority in the Iowa House by donating to Tim Hoy or these other great candidates we have featured in the past few months: Elesha Gayman, Eric Palmer, McKinley Bailey, Jerry Sullivan, and Nate Willems.

Oil, Oil, Oil

This video was posted at Iowa Liberal of Matthew Simmons, a leading energy investment banker, discussing the high oil prices on CNBC.

The faces of the announcers while Simmons is talking is priceless. What Simmons is saying is so far out of their understanding that they don't know what to say. Simmons understands the concept of peak oil, while the announcers seem to still believe the earth has an unlimited oil supply.

Simmons flatly says that the price of oil isn't coming down and we should stop going on a witch hunt trying to find out who caused the high oil prices. He says there are no short term solutions. The solution is changing the way we are living to live more locally, limit long distance commuting, growing food locally, and increasing R&D into new technologies.

More on the Red Cross Saying Bush Committed War Crimes

A follow up from my post yesterday...



Crooks and Liars make an excellent point that this isn't some partisan smear job by some crazy leftist group, this is the Red Cross that is saying our president committed war crimes.

It’s something that has certainly been spoken of within the liberal blogosphere. I’ve seen the random bumpersticker or freeway blogger suggest it as well, but it is no longer something that can be written off as a partisan or extremist view. As Countdown guest host Rachel Maddow and George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley discuss on Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross sent a report last year to the CIA saying that the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo was unquestionably torture and the Bush administration officials that approved the treatment are war criminals.

Torture is a War Crime

According to the Red Cross that makes Bush a war criminal.

From Andrew Sullivan...

"Categorically" Torture

That's the Red Cross' analysis of what Bush and Cheney sanctioned in Gitmo, according to Jane Mayer's new book. I've read some summaries of the book's key points but haven't gotten a hold of the galleys yet. But suffice to say: it's as bad as we feared:

The book says Abu Zubaydah told the Red Cross that he had been waterboarded at least 10 times in a single week and as many as three times in a day.

The book also reports that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the chief planner of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, told the Red Cross that he had been kept naked for more than a month and claimed that he had been “kept alternately in suffocating heat and in a painfully cold room.”

The report says the prisoners considered the “most excruciating” of the methods being shackled to the ceiling and being forced to stand for as long as eight hours. Eleven of the 14 prisoners reported prolonged sleep deprivation, the book says, including “bright lights and eardrum-shattering sounds 24 hours a day.”

This is what we know from the history of torture. Some of the least superficially awful techniques - such as the Gestapo-perfected "stress positions" and "hypothermia" - can actually be the worst in terms of suffering. There is no doubt at this point that the president of the United States is a war criminal. The only question is whether he will ever be brought to justice.

John Nichols To Give Keynote Address at Iowa CCI Convention

The Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) is holding their statewide convention on July 18th and 19th. The Nation's John Nichols will be the keynote speaker on the 18th and there will be great workshops on issues such as clean elections, factory farms, and immigration.

This election season, Iowa voters have the opportunity to impact our state and nation. John Nichols, writer for The Nation magazine, as the keynote speaker for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement’s (CCI) Statewide Convention Friday, July 18 at the Hotel Fort Des Moines, will show hundreds of Iowans the potential we have to be a powerful bloc of voters who make a difference with candidates running for office this November. Tickets for the event can be purchased for $15 in advance or for $20 at the door. To purchase tickets, call Iowa CCI at 515-255-0800 or visit www.iowacci.org.

“Nichols is the perfect speaker for our convention this year because he knows voters really can make a pivotal difference in the elections,” said CCI Board President Barb Kalbach. “I am very excited to hear him speak and encourage Iowans to shape the debate around issues that matter most.”

Nichols will also offer a book signing of Tragedy and Farce following his speech for all attendees. In addition to his work at The Nation, Nichols is a pioneering political blogger, a contributing writer for The Progressive and In These Times, the associate editor of the Capitol Times, and his columns have appeared in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune and dozens of other newspapers. He has also authored several books and is the co-founder of Free Press, a national media reform network.

Nichols will speak Friday evening of Iowa CCI’s convention, which will be held July18 & 19 at the Hotel Fort Des Moines. Friday evening features a dinner and program prior to the keynote for convention attendees, as well as a live auction. Saturday includes the launch of an electoral campaign, informative workshops and taking action on key issues.

“The convention is a great experience,” said CCI Executive Director Hugh Espey . “It’s high energy and fun, it brings together members from all across the state, it's energizing, and true to CCI fashion, it's all geared around getting action on our issues.”

The registration fee of $120 includes family admission for the full convention, lodging at the Hotel Fort Des Moines, three meals made with family farm and local foods, as well as tickets to the keynote address. Workshops will cover the election season, local vs. industrial foods, the foreclosure crisis, factory farms and the environment, ethanol and biofuels, immigration reform and much more.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement is an organization of thousands of people from all walks of life who talk, act and get things done on issues that matter most. CCI has been tackling tough issues and getting things done for more than 30 years.

Expanding the Majority: Tim Hoy HD-44

The end of the second filing deadline is coming up on Tuesday, July 15th. We are featuring Tim Hoy in House District 44 on the Iowa Blogs Expanding the Majority Act Blue page.

The race in House District 44 is one of the top pick up opportunities for Democrats to expand their majority in the House. It is an open seat formerly held by Polly Granzow. Running on the Democratic side is Tim Hoy. Tim was narrowly defeated by Granzow in 2006 by a mere 255 votes.

House District 44 covers all of Hardin County, Western Marshall County, and piece of Franklin County. Tim grew up in Hardin County and currently owns and operates the Ahoy Soda Fountain and Pharmacy in Eldora. He served on the city council and as mayor in Eldora.

Back in May, 7 people donated to the Iowa Blogs Expanding the Majority Act Blue page. Hopefully, we can get a total of 15 donations by the 15th.

Please consider donating to Tim Hoy and other great candidates today and help expand the Democratic majority in the Iowa House.

McCain's Uncomfortable Position on Birth Control

Carly Fiorina, a McCain surrogate, said early this week that if is unfair that insurance companies cover prescriptions for Viagra, but not for birth control.

So the question was posed to McCain. His answer was filled with rolling of his eyes, an uncomfortable pause, and no comment...



See, McCain has voted against requiring insurance companies to cover prescription birth control.

He knows the Rightwing Dobson clan would be surely be upset if he was in favor of this. However, McCain knows that if he wants to appear moderate and attract women voters who were former Clinton supporters, he needs to be in favor of this.

Some things to Remember about Offshore Drilling

This diary at Daily Kos discusses an upcoming vote on offshore drilling.

They outline some things to remember about offshore drilling...

• Oil companies already hold over 7,000 leases for offshore drilling that stretch over 68 million acres.
• US Oil Production peaked in 1974 and no amount of drilling will reverse that trend or eliminate imports of oil.
• Drilling close to US shores has been the source of environmental disaster and that drilling the areas proposed this time threatens both scenic and environmentally sensitive areas.
• Drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge won't affect oil prices at all in the short term, and will have very little impact in the long term.

US Declines in Broadband Penetration Rankings

From Mother Jones...

Broadband penetration rankings, in 2001:

1. South Korea
2. Canada
3. Sweden
4. United States
5. Belgium
5. Denmark
7. Netherlands
8. Iceland
9. Austria
10. Germany
11. Japan
12. Switzerland
13. Norway
14. Finland
15. Spain

Broadband penetration rankings, in 2007:

1. Denmark
2. Netherlands
3. Iceland
4. Norway
5. Switzerland
6. Finland
7. South Korea
8. Sweden
9. Luxembourg
10. Canada
11. United Kingdom
12. Belgium
13. France
14. Germany
15. United States

Broadband penetration is a huge asset for economic development, especially in rural areas like Iowa.

When governments are trying to attract companies to locate in the area they should invest in infrastructure such as high speed broadband. It would benefit those companies and spark entrepreneurship among individuals living in the rural areas.

Marshalltown Coal Plant Could Cause Significant Increase in Rates

From Plains Justice...

An independent financial expert testifying for a coalition of Iowa clean energy, environment, farm and public health organizations says that Alliant Energy's proposed Marshalltown coal plant will be the most expensive in the country and gouge ratepayers for decades to come.

Soon, the Iowa Utilities Board will determine the rates that Alliant subsidiary Interstate Power and Light (IPL) can earn on its proposed Sutherland 4 power plant in Marshalltown. According to Thomas Sanzillo, IPL hasn't addressed four major risks sufficiently: the cost of construction, weak demand, likely regulation of greenhouse gases in the near future, and the rising price of coal.

"The company has decided to place the risk for this plant squarely on the ratepayers. This is costly for Iowans, and in the long-term risky for shareholders," Sanzillo said. He is a former First Deputy Comptroller for New York State who has reviewed the management and operation of the New York Power Authority and the Long Island Power Authority and supervised New York State's $150 billion public investment fund.

"IPL's plan could double the cost of electricity consumers pay to keep the Marshalltown plant solvent." Sanzillo said. "This does not mean the monthly household bill doubles. It does mean a stiff monthly increase. This is not the time to build a coal plant. There are just too many risks and the plant is not needed."

Voting on the FISA Bill

The Senate has voted on the key amendments to the FISA and they have failed.

Dodd's amendment to strip Title II--the immunity provisions fails 32-66.
Specter's amendment to limit retroactive immunity fails, 37-61.
Bingaman's amendment that would delay the immunity until an Inspector General's report is completed fails 42-56.

If you are as upset as I am about our elected officials deciding to protect telecom companies over the constitution, help fight back against these actions. Blue America has been leading the way to fight for our rights and to elect new candidates that will uphold the constitution.

George Washington University Law proffessor Jonathan Turley discusses the FISA bill on last night's Countdown.