The most important fact about the photo controversy:

[grantcart]

The debate on who will lead our party and our country continues down a path of mindless trivialities.

We have had advanced discussions on handshakes, on whether the word "hysteria" is inherently sexist, on whether a friend can help suggest words for a speech on . . . well you all get the idea.


Shame on those of us who still refuse to admit that the IWR was a terrible mistake and shame on all of us for being so easily diverted from the more substantive issues in the campaign. Sen. McCain envisions a 100 year occupation of Iraq. He will use force to take out nuclear facilities in Iran. These are the issues that compel us to be Democrats. On this day this is what we should be talking about.

(all news items from today only http://icasualties.org/oif/

- Baghdad - A suicide bomber in a wheelchair killed a senior police officer and his two aides and wounded eight soldiers at a police centre in Samarra, northern Iraq Monday, according to security officials.

-Moreover, the source said a mortar shell fell over a house in Tel Al-Rumman, eastern Mosul, killing three civilians, including a child, and wounding four women -- all belonging to the same family.

-The Turkish General Staff said in a statement posted on its website that 33 PKK militants and eight Turkish soldiers were killed during a ground offensive into northern Iraq on Sunday.

-The latest deaths bring the killed rebels and soldiers to 112 and 15 since Turkey launched a ground incursion into Iraq late Thursday.

-The death toll from Sunday's suicide bomb attack on Iraqi pilgrims heading to a Shi'ite festival south of Baghdad has risen to 63, a health official said on Monday.

-The bomber exploded a suicide vest packed with metal ball bearings in a refreshment tent full of pilgrims heading to the annual Arbain festival, one of Shi'ie Islam's holiest events, in the southern city of Kerbala.

-* BAQUBA - Five Iraqi soldiers, including their commanding officer, were killed when al Qaeda militants ambushed their patrol south of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, said Major-General Abdul Kareem al-Rubaie, leader of Iraqi security forces in Diyala province.

* MOSUL - A boy was killed when insurgents opened fire on a U.S. patrol in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. The boy, who was playing with children in the street, was hit by a stray bullet fired by the insurgents.

BAQUBA - Police found the decomposing bodies of eight women who had been blindfolded, handcuffed and shot in the head, in a grave in a town just north of Baquba, police said.


HERE BELOW LIST OF AMERICAN CASUALTIES IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. I AM SURE THEIR LOVED ONES WILL BE GRATIFIED TO KNOW THAT THE SURGE IS A TACTICAL SUCCESS AND THAT VIOLENCE IS DOWN AND THAT THE IRAQI PARLIMENT HAS DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO RECONCILE AND FORMULATE A DIVISION OF OIL REVENUES AMONGST THE IRAQIS (Which after all was the only real reason to have the surge in the first place).


-24-Feb-2008 2 | US: 2 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
21-Feb-2008 2 | US: 2 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Baghdad Non-hostile - illness
US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Anbar Province Hostile - hostile fire
20-Feb-2008 5 | US: 5 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Captain Nathan R. Raudenbush Busayefi - Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Staff Sergeant Bryant W. Mackey Mosul - Ninawa Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack
US Sergeant Conrad Alvarez Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Corporal Albert Bitton Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Specialist Jr., Micheal B. Matlock Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
17-Feb-2008 2 | US: 2 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Specialist Luke S. Runyan Diyala Province Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
US Specialist Chad D. Groepper Diyala Province Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
14-Feb-2008 1 | US: 1 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Staff Sergeant Javares J. Washington Kuwait City (Camp Buehring) - NA Non-hostile - vehicle accident
10-Feb-2008 1 | US: 1 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Sergeant Corey E. Spates Diyala Province Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
08-Feb-2008 5 | US: 5 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Private 1st Class Jack T. Sweet Jalawlah - Diyala Hostile - hostile fire - explosion
US Specialist Michael T. Manibog Taji - Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Sergeant Timothy P. Martin Taji - Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Staff Sergeant Jerald A. Whisenhunt Taji - Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Sergeant Gary D. Willett Taji - Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
07-Feb-2008 1 | US: 1 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Petty Officer 1st Class Luis A. Souffront Iraq Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
06-Feb-2008 1 | US: 1 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Sergeant Bradley J. Skelton Baghdad (western part) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
05-Feb-2008 4 | US: 4 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Sergeant Timothy R. Van Orman Muqdadiyah (died in Balad) - Babil Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Sergeant John C. Osmolski Muqdadiyah (died in Balad) - Babil Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Specialist Miguel A. Baez Muqdadiyah (died in Balad) - Babil Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Sergeant Rafael Alicearivera Tallil - Dhi Qar Non-hostile - drowning
04-Feb-2008 3 | US: 3 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Specialist Christopher J. West Muqdadiyah (Died in Balad) - Diyala Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Chief Petty Officer Nathan H. Hardy Not reported yet Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
US Chief Petty Officer Michael E. Koch Not reported yet Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
02-Feb-2008 1 | US: 1 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Staff Sergeant Chad A. Barrett Mosul - Ninawa Non-hostile
Total 28 | US: 28 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
Copyright 2003-2007 by iCasualties.org

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. How about blaming bush for the Iraq war for a change?

[grantcart]

2. The question of who was responsible for the war

is a lot more meaningful than a discussion about who was responsible for the photograph.

My comment that I think you are reacting too was not however aimed at who was responsible for the war but about those who at this point in time cannot say that the IWR was a mistake ( I supported Edwards and he voted for the IWR). I suspect that you disagree and might want to argue that. That would be a meaningful debate on a substantive issue.

What is not explicitly said in the OP is that I am being critical of the Obama campaign and Obama supporters here. They are responsible for taking control of the debate. If the campaign drifts into trivialities it is the responsibility of the candidates to bring it back into focus. As the campaign is being pulled into the bushes it is Obama's and his supporter's responsibility to bring us back onto the highway. He is our party's future leader. He is our next president.

[yourguide]

5. Grant I completely understand your point

However what is going on here today is not trivial, you have one candidate that has stooped to a level so low that people are outraged.

I never, ever, ever thought I would see a dem do this.

Your points are well noted, and as always, your post is very well written and thoughtful. What happened here today though is a "now moment" that is so inflammatory there are many here who will not be able to vote for HRC.

The issue is leadership, we are talking about leadership today even though many of us are screaming about a small but significant detail of it. Do we want a leader who will use these sorts of tactics, who among us will defend these tactics? Etc.

I understand, but there are many here who see this is the sort of fear mongering helped get us into this war, although today's incident is small compared to what is happening in Iraq right now, it is a significant issue.

[grantcart]

7. My point is that one candidate may or may not have done that

I don't care. Sen Obama has to take hold of the narrative. If they did do it don't let them hijack the campaign. Sen. Obama is the next leader of our party, the next president of the country, take this mess and move it to higher ground (which is what he has been doing for months). I think we are in agreement. By the comments I made about continuing to excuse the IWR I think you can imagine how difficult to me for me to vote for her.

Sen. Obama be the president I think you will be and take us out of the trivialities.

[yourguide]

8. But Senator Obama

is not running the narrative on this board.

in fact aside from both candidates issuing their statements, that's been it on the subjec from both campaigns.

it's us who are talking about it here.

You are a great writer Grant and I really enjoy reading your posts.


I cant wait until we can all move on from this.

[grantcart]

9. you are too kind

[northernsoul]

3. He couldn't have done it without his congressional enablers like HRC

Sorry, but the congressional records don't lie - she gave George W. Bush a fifth of whiskey and the keys to the family car and won't admit it was a wrong decision after he wrapped the car around a tree.

[grantcart]

4. She didn't give it to Bush . . They did, and there were alot of them

I think she may be the only one who thinks that what they did was still some how justifiable

[mahina]

6. K&R, thank you Grantcart.

[grantcart]

10. tks