ROVE PREDICTS GOP WILL HOLD CONGRESS

Rove predicts the Democats will fall short (complete round up here at TAILRANK). And here's how: More GOP voters will turn out and vote against the Dems, then Dems will turn out and vote for the Dems. HERE'S WHY: (1) The GOP GOTV effort is better. For too long the Dems have depended on "Organized" Labor to GOTV, and Labor ain't what it used to be; (2), most people HATE CONGRESS, but like their own representatives.l and (3), there's just a finite number of seats which CAN switch parties, and these low numbers do not favor the Dems.

Bottom-line: If the GOP gets out the vote, then the GOP wins. Heavy voting will be good for the GOP. Proof of this is LIKELY is the fact that voter turnout in primary contests this year - for both parties - were historically LOW; in fact the lowest ever. If Dems were "energized", then the turnout would've been higher. AND ANOTHER THING: Low gas prices and a high stock market - though good for the nation - are bad for the Democrats. Too bad: boo-freakin-hoo.

DEMOCRAT CATCH-PHRASE - "THE COMMON GOOD" - IS CODE FOR HIGHER TAXES AND MORE SOCIALISM, MORE STATISM

DISSECTING LEFTISM: THOSE WHO WILL NOT LEARN FROM HISTORY... We read (YAHOO):

"Ned Lamont uses it in his Connecticut Senate race. President Clinton is scheduled to speak on the idea in Washington this week. Bob Casey Jr., Pennsylvania candidate for Senate, put it in the title of his talk at The Catholic University of America - then repeated the phrase 29 times. The term is "common good," and it's catching on as a way to describe liberal values and reach religious voters who rejected Democrats in the 2004 election. "It's a core value that we think organizes the entire political agenda for progressives," said John Halpin, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress."

What would Hitler have to say about that? We don't need to guess. The term can be translated into German as "Gemeinnutz" and that lovable German-speaking rogue used the term a lot -- as encapsulating what HE stood for: "Gemeinnutz vor Eigennutz!" was one of his great slogans ("Common use before personal use!", literally). And who preceded Hitler in such ideas? Friedrich Engels (Karl Marx's co-author) at one stage ran a publication called Gemeinnuetziges Wochenblatt ("Common-use Weekly"). The Democrats sure make it clear where they fit into history. [Umph added.]

FLASHBACK 2004: NEWSMAX:

Sen. Clinton exposed her socialist agenda during a speech Monday in San Francisco (which the Associated Press dubbed the "leftiest big city on the Left Coast"). But don't take our word for it. We'll go straight to the horse's mouth. "Many of you are well enough off that ... the tax cuts may have helped you. We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you," she said at a fund-raiser for radical Sen. Barbara Boxer. "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good," the former first lady admitted.

Conservatives - and libertarians - think YOU know what is good for YOU, and the State should BUTT OUT! Or, as Reagan always used to say, "You know how to spend your money better than the government knows how to spend YOUR money." And the Bush tax cuts - just like the Reagan tax cuts before them - proved that this moral good is also good for the economy.

Let's NOT turn back the clock by electing Democrat majorities in Congress. GET OUT AND VOTE GOP! But if you WANT to pay more taxes, and if you want to abandon the Iraqis and the Afghanis to al Qaeda, and if you want to treat Israel worse and Hamas and Hizballah better, and if you want to have a higher risk of another 9/11 here - by rolling back the Patriot Act and by curtailing the NSA intercept program,... THEN BY ALL MEANS....VOTE DEMOCRAT!

GORBACHEV: "BORDER FENCE IS LIKE BERLIN WALL"

History's biggest loser is, of course, offering advice to the country that defeated him, and he even has the gall to use Ronald Reagan in his defense. Newsmax:

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev told a group in Texas that the proposed 700-mile U.S.-Mexico border fence reminds him of the Berlin Wall. Construction of the security fence to limit illegal immigration was approved by Congress earlier this month.

According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram, Gorbachev — recalling President Reagan's famous Cold War demand, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" — said America seems to have forgotten its history. "You remember President Reagan standing in Berlin and saying, 'This wall should be torn down'? Now the United States seems to be building almost the Wall of China between itself and this other nation with which it has been associated for many decades and has had cooperation and interaction with," Gorbachev said.

First off, there's one very very very very very very very very VERY big difference between the Berlin Wall and our wall (which we'll probably never build). The Berlin Wall was used to keep an oppressed people from fleeing their country, not to keep people from coming in.

Second, never ever use Ronald Reagan to defend your viewpoint, Gorby; in fact, don't even utter his name, you're not worthy.

IT'S NOT ABOUT TERRITORY - IT'S ABOUT ISRAEL'S EXISTENCE

Yes, I know, I have talked about this several times before but it bears pointing out again: the dispute between Israel and the Arabs (a term which includes the 'Palestinians') is not about territory or borders. It's about Israel's existence. We got another reminder of that this morning.

A survey by the Al-Mustaqabal Research Institute shows that 64.1% of the 'Palestinians' are not willing to agree to the Saudi initiative, which calls for Israel to leave Judea and Samaria, for a 'Palestinian' state reichlet to be established in Judea and Samaria, and for the Arab world to recongnize Israel's existence (but not its 'right to exist' - contrary to what you see reported in most of the media). Continue reading here...

ISRAEL IS PREPARING A MAJOR INCURSION INTO GAZA

On October 3rd - two weeks ago I posted this:

HAARETZ: ... Egypt threatened Meshal that if an agreement for prisoner release is not reached by the end of Ramadan - the Muslim month of fast that ends October 22 - the Hamas leader would be held responsible for a wide-scale Israeli military attack in the Gaza Strip.

I think this might be a good interim deal - since all deals with jihadists must be considered hudnas. There's lots more to the deal (so RTWT) - and some doubts whether Hamas will even agree to it (since it overtly casts the state of Israel as an entity with rights). Time will tell.

I think the Egyptian timeline is really a DEADLINE from Israel. Stay tuned... [Umph added]

NOW, COMES THIS ITEM FROM THE JPOST:

IDF preparing for large-scale incursion into the Gaza Strip

With Kassams still being fired at the western Negev and Hamas claiming to be building up an army, the IDF has set in motion preparations for a massive ground incursion into the Gaza Strip, one that senior officers in the Southern Command claim will be "larger than ever before."

I think this Gaza incursion - which, like the Lebanese incursion, has the tacit approval of Israel's Arab neighbors (who fear Iran, and its proxies Hizballah and Hamas, more than they fear Israel) - will occur on or around the end of Ramadan - 10/23, exactly as Egypt warmed. And once again, my analysis (and I was the one of only 3 bloggers in the blogsphere to post on it - and one of those linked to me!) was right: IT WAS A DEADLINE FROM ISRAEL. Stay tuned...

LIEBERMAN ON BOLTON: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

NYDAILY NEWS:

"I see no reason not to be for Bolton," Lieberman told a meeting of the Daily News Editorial Board. "Based on his capabilities - and now based on his performance - I believe Bolton is well-qualified," he said. "I think he's been a good negotiator and a good spokesman. He deserves to have a vote. I think he deserves to be confirmed."

JOE IS OBVIOUSLY NOT SUCKING UP TO THE LOONY LEFT. His primary loss has truly liberated him, freed him to simply call'em like he sees'em. BRAVO JOE! (Complete round-up HERE.)

GUATEMALA, VENEZUELA DEADLOCK IN BID FOR U.N. SEAT

Bloomberg:

Guatemala, while continuing to lead Venezuela, failed to win enough support in the United Nations General Assembly to secure a Latin American seat on the Security Council after two days and 22 rounds of voting.

Needing 120 votes, or two-thirds of the 179 member governments that cast ballots, Guatemala received 102 votes and Venezuela got 77 in the General Assembly. Twelve of the UN's 192 countries abstained and one didn't vote in the final round today. "There is no way out as of now,'' Indian Ambassador Nirupam Sen said.

"It can only emerge after a few more rounds and we get really sick of it. There is some discussion on the margins of a compromise candidate.''

As long as Venezuela is kept off the Council, it's one for our side. Not that the U.N. is a good use of our time, but little victories over time...

ARE MUSLIM WOMEN COMMITTING SUICIDE FOR "FAMILY HONOR"?

Did you know that suicides among Muslim women in Sweden are being investigated as a form of honor killing? YES: It looks like the family gives the young lady a choice she cannot refuse...jump off the balcony, or you will be killed.

As long as Muslims tolerate the systematic abuse of women, there should not be much value placed in appeasement or "coexistence" with them in the name of multiculturalism or anything else.

These systematic human rights abuses violate the UN Charter; nations which tolerate them should be sanctioned by the UN or expelled. Swedes must demand a halt to this practice, or join the ranks of shameless dhimmis who are, in effect, accessories to mass murder.

More on "honor suicides" HERE (SFGATE) and HERE (NYTIMES) and HERE (an article from the WASHPOST - which PREDATES 9/11!).

THE BOTTOM-LINE ON TODAY'S DEMOCRAT PARTY

The doctor is in, and she rips the Left - and the Democrat Party they control - a new one. I agree with her - and I have been a registered Dem for 32 years. Which is why I am a Zell Miller Democrat; IOW: an FDR/Truman/JFK Hawk/"neocon". RTWT.

FRENCH SOCIALIST PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO DEBATE

BBC:

Three candidates vying for the French Socialist Party's nomination in next year's presidential election are to take part in a televised debate. Former Environment Minister Segolene Royal, the front-runner, will face former Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn and ex-PM Laurent Fabius. Thursday's televised debate will be the first of three between the contenders. The Socialists' candidate, to be chosen in November, is likely to face current Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. Mr Sarkozy is the leader of the conservative UMP party.

This strikes me as less than an exercize in futility. It's like midshipmen arguing in an sinking lifeboat as their ship is sinking, too. France is in BIG trouble and returning to the discredited and failed policies of SOCIALISM will only make things worse. Of course, given the idiotic structure of French politics and elections, this may very well happen.

NEXT THEY'LL COLLECT PENNIES IN LITTLE BLUE BOXES

When I was a child, we all had little blue boxes from the Jewish National Fund (JNF). You'd put your pennies in the blue box, and eventually you'd save up enough to plant a tree in Israel. You'd send the money to the JNF and they would plant a tree in Israel and send you a nice certificate saying that you'd planted a tree in Israel.

For many years now, the 'Palestinians' have been trying to adopt the Israeli narrative as their own (in keeping with the Muslim tradition of trying to coopt other religions' holy sites as their own - see the Temple Mount, the Church of the Ascension in Nazareth, and various Hindu sites in India). The latest part of the Israeli narrative that they have adopted is planting trees.

A 'respected' British current affairs magazine, which actually looks like a fairly right-wing magazine based on its table of contents, is now making all of you a special offer. If you take out a one-year subscription to the New Statesman for only 78 British pounds, you can join the Trees for Life Campaign and sponsor the planting of three new olive trees in 'Palestine.'

Continue reading....

CASE CLOSED: NOAA OFFERS PROOF MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING IS TOTAL BS

NOAA (VIA DRUDGE):

The September 2006 temperature for the contiguous United States (based on preliminary data) was 0.7 degrees F (0.4 degrees C) below the 20th century average of 65.4 degrees F (18.6 degrees C).

Er, um... not just cooler than last year, BUT COOLER THAN THE AVERAGE TEMPEATURE FOR THE LAST CENTURY! Well, er, um... if man-made "greenhouse" gases caused global-warming, then this would be IMPOSSIBLE - because man-made gases are steadily increasing but OBVIOUSLY global temeraptures ARE NOT. Case closed.

POPE RECONFIRMS HE WILL VISIT TURKEY

"Reuters" (via PJM):

The Vatican on Monday officially confirmed that Pope Benedict will visit Turkey at the end of November, a trip that had been put into doubt by Muslim anger over controversial comments he made about Islam. ... The main purpose of the visit is to meet in Istanbul -- the former Constantinople -- with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual head of the world's Orthodox Christians. ... But the issue of Christian unity -- although still the main topic of the trip -- has been largely overshadowed by the worldwide controversy that followed his September 12 lecture at Regensburg University in his native Germany.

In the lecture, he quoted 14th-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus who spoke of the Prophet Mohammad's "command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". ... Since the speech, the Pope or Vatican officials have said at least a dozen times that it has been misunderstood. ... Some of the strongest criticism of the speech came from Turkey, where Turkish nationalists and Islamic activists have pushed for the trip to be canceled.

I predict that the Turkish reaction to his visit will be quite mixed - to say the least - and this will reconfirm what most of us Hawks think about the the dire state of Islam today.

This will, in turn, bring more clarity to the GWOT, by exposing the fanaticism of one of the most liberal of secular Muslim states - (which is growing more fanatical each year). This additional clarity might aid Pope Benedict in his main mission: the re-awakening of Catholic Europe (which is literally fading away). TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE.

[ASIDE: How pitiful that 5 short years after 9/11 -- and just 32 months after 3/11 in Madrid, and just 15 months after 7/7 in London -- that much of the world is still in denial about the nature of the enemy and still need re-awakening!

(I think this is due to the fact that most of Europe, and most of America's Left, are stuck in "the quagmire of post modernism" (Tm) - an ideology taught at every major university, an ideology which has brainwashed several generations into believing the West is a menace to humanity and the environment, and that the USA is the chief menace since WW1.)]

The Left Worries About "The Christian Taliban" While A Real Regime Of Religious Fanatics Threatens

The Left isn't much worried about the threat of Islamofascism. They mock the very notion of a worldwide Jihad to establish Islamic rule. But, there is one thing the Left is worried about; the Christian Taliban:

It is true that we are at war right now. Not just a traditional war of guns and tanks, but a cultural war is afoot as well. When President Bush said "they hate us for our freedom," I think he could have been talking about this enemy, the Christian Right. Strong statement, eh?

I had to get your attention, because I believe the Christian Right is a bigger threat to decent Americans than radical Islam. In fact, to many, the Christian Right is known as the American Taliban. I think that is a fair description.

I am amused and nauseated at the same time. Let me show you what a real fantical religious regime sounds like:

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad says that when he delivered his speech at the UN General Assembly in September, he felt there was a light around him and that the attention of the world leaders in the audience was unblinkingly focused upon him. The claim has caused a stir in Iran, as a transcript and video recording of Ahmadinejad's comments have been published on an Iranian website, baztab.com. There are also reports that a CD showing Ahmadinejad making the comments also has been widely distributed in Iran. Is the Iranian president claiming to be divinely inspired?

Prague, 29 November 2005 (RFE/RL) -- According the report by baztab.com, President Ahmadinejad made the comments in a meeting with one of Iran's leading clerics, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli.

Ahmadinejad said that someone present at the UN told him that a light surrounded him while he was delivering his speech to the General Assembly. The Iranian president added that he also sensed it. "He said when you began with the words 'in the name of God,' I saw that you became surrounded by a light until the end [of the speech]," Ahmadinejad appears to say in the video. "I felt it myself, too. I felt that all of a sudden the atmosphere changed there, and for 27-28 minutes all the leaders did not blink."

Ahmadinejad adds that he is not exaggerating. "I am not exaggerating when I say they did not blink; it's not an exaggeration, because I was looking," he says. "They were astonished as if a hand held them there and made them sit. It had opened their eyes and ears for the message of the Islamic Republic."

Any questions?

Reliapundit adds: Exactly Pastorius, and - as if to drive your point home - Ahmadinejad made ANOTHER fantical religious outburst today, not unlike that made by his ally Hugo Chavez at the UN - (BBC):

According to the Iranian media, Mr Ahmadinejad said he had inspirational links to God, and went on to say that if you were a true believer, God would show you miracles. Then the Iranian president said Mr Bush was similar to him. According to Mr Ahmadinejad, the US president also receives inspiration - but it is from Satan.
He repeated: "Satan inspires Mr Bush."

The Left is in deep denial - about the bankruptcy of their own ideology, and about the real danger presented by islamofascism.

NOKO'S NUKE TEST CONFIRMED. WHEN WILL THEY CONFIRM THAT IRANIANS WERE PRESENT?

MSNBC (via LGF):

Air samples gathered last week contain radioactive materials that confirm that North Korea conducted an underground nuclear explosion, National Intelligence Director John Negroponte’s office said Monday.

By the end of July, the US confirmed that Iranians were present for the July 4th missile tests. So I ask, WERE THE IRANIANS THERE FOR THE NUKE BOMB TEST, TOO? I expect we will find out in another two weeks, or so. If they were, this would be FINAL PROOF that the "axis of evil" is not merely an oft debated rehotrical flourish, but the simple truth.

VENEZUELA STUMBLES IN BID FOR U.N. SEAT

From the Financial Times:

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez on Monday appeared headed for a personal political defeat at the hands of US-backed Guatemala in his long-held goal to win a temporary seat at the United Nations Security Council.

Guatemala, which has never before held a non-permanent seat on the Security Council, beat Venezuela by 109 votes to 76 in a first round of voting at the General Assembly, and extended its lead to 114 votes versus 74 in the second round, and 116-70 in the third.

But in a fourth vote, Guatemala slipped back to 110 votes, while Venezuela rose back up to 75. Further rounds of voting were postponed until the afternoon.

While Guatemala had not yet garnered the two-thirds of votes it needed to win, as of Monday mid-day in New York, its larger-than-expected lead was a serious blow to the Venezuelan government.

Ooo, that's gotta hurt! Watch this space for updates.

DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS: WHO SUPPORTS ISRAEL MORE?

When I was growing up in the US, it was almost gospel that if you were Jewish you voted Democratic. The Democrats were the party that supported Israel (Harry Truman recognized the Jewish state over many objections) and the separation of church and state, while the Republicans were the party that was 'too Christian,' and was also considered to be less interested in Israel, or worse. Not to mention that most Jews agreed with the Democrats on most other 'social issues.'

Over the last 25-30 years, that has started to change, as parts of the 'liberal agenda' on social issues became more widely accepted, as many Jews came to believe that Republican economic policies (Reaganomics and its progeny) were better suited for them personally than was the welfare state, and as the two parties started to compete for the pro-Israel vote. As an American Jew to whom support for Israel was issue number one, I voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980 (and would have voted for Richard Nixon in 1972 if I'd had the right to vote then), because I felt that the Democratic candidate that year (Dhimmi Carter and George McGovern, respectively) was not pro-Israel, and would have sold this country down the river had they been given the opportunity. For the record, I still lived in the US then.

But until very recently Jews who voted Republican usually did so quietly on their own and usually did so due to special circumstances (a particular candidate on the Democratic side with whom they were disenchanted). Outside of the ultra-Orthodox community, Jews were often embarassed to admit it if they voted Republican. And most Jews were registered Democrats regardless of what lever they pulled in the elections. Most Jews who made political contributions contributed only to Democratic causes. No one ever openly questioned whether the Democratic party as a party supported Israel; it was taboo to even raise the issue. Some people would like to keep it that way.

In the last eight years, the Democratic party has veered sharply to the left. Organizations like MoveOn.org and blogs like DailyKos and Huffington Post are only a small part of a radicalization of the Democratic party that includes the rise to prominence of the likes of Cindy Sheehan and Al Sharpton. The radical left has gained a strong influence on the party - the only time that comes to mind in which the radical influence on the Democratic party was anywhere near as strong is the late 1960's. The Internet has spread that radical mindset through the core of the Democratic party. (If you question that statement, follow some of the links above). Much of the Jewish community - especially the 'organized' Jewish community for whom the Democratic party has always been a comfortable place - is trying to pretend that the Democractic party is still the party of Lyndon Johnson and Scoop Jackson (for whom I campaigned in 1976). But it's not.

For me personally, this came home with the defeat of Senator Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary in Connecticut by radical leftist Ned Lamont. Although I have voted Republican several times, I have never felt as uncomfortable with the Democratic party as I have felt since that primary. Jimmy Carter could be dismissed as a bitter one-term President. Lamont's ideological hold on the Democratic party (along with that of George Soros and Michael Moore and others) cannot be dismissed.

Through a series of ads in Jewish newspapers, an organization called the Republican Jewish Coalition is trying to make the Jewish community confront reality. I am reproducing some of the ads in this post.... Continue reading....

REID SHOULD RESIGN FROM DEMOCRAT LEADERSHIP IMMEDIATELY

According to Glenn: "HARRY REID ON THE HOT SEAT".

I say: that hot seat should not be the seat of the Minority Leader: REID VIOLATED SENATE ETHICS. HIS BLATANT ARROGANCE TO AN AP REPORTER INVESTIGATING HIS VIOLATION IS UNFORGIVABLE. STONEWALLING IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

REID SHOULD RESIGN AS MINORITY LEADER. THE DEMOCRAT CAUCUS SHOULD DEMAND IT.

OR IS THIS CORRUPT AND ARROGANT MAN THE BEST THE SENATE DEMOCRATS HAVE TO OFFER?

US Lost More Soldiers Under Bill Clinton Than We Have In Iraq

America lost an average of 938 soldiers per year under Clinton. In Iraq, we have lost an average of 789 soldiers per year. From Gateway Pundit:

Before Americans hand the keys of government over to the Bush-haters and allow:

* Osama to make another fatwa tape on how weak the Americans are for running from Iraq

* Speaker Pelosi to follow through with the 9-11 Commission's recommendations after she voted them down in 2004

* Liberal democrats to spit on our soldiers as they drag them from Iraq

* Total chaos and death if Iraq is left to the militias

* Democrats to rewrite the books on this historic military campaign

It is, of course, a tragedy to lose the soldiers we have lost in Iraq. We ought to be thankful to them and their families for the sacrifices they were willing to make in the cause of freedom. But, the Left blows the numbers out of proportion to reality. In World War II we lost over 400,000 soldiers. In Vietnam we lost approximately 47,000 soldiers. In Iraq, we have lost 2,755 men in total.

Here's a little known fact, the casualty rate suffered by French policemen in the continuous street fighting with Muslim "youths" is over three times higher than the casualty rate of American forces in Iraq (from the French paper Le Figaro):

"Violent acts are rising in an exponential proportion", says a speaker from the Police. "If this tendency continues, we will have 15% of the policemen hurt in a year".

They are suffering a higher number of casualties than Americans are in Iraq. The total number of casualties in Iraq per year is approximately 6,800, which represents about 4.5% of total American forces.

The Left is in charge over in France, and they have incredibly high casualty rates. The Left was in charge with Clinton in office, and we had high casualty rates. Conservatives are in charge under Bush, AND WE ARE AT WAR, and we have comparatively low casualty rates.

Now, do you really want to put the Democrats back in charge?

IRAN CO-OPTING HAMAS WITH SYRIA'S HELP AND EGYPT'S APPROVAL; OLMERT-PERETZ-LIVNI GOVERNMENT SILENT

DEBKAfile is reporting that Iran, aided by Syria and its 'guest' Khaled Meshaal, has entered into military accords with Hamas that are designed to bring Hamas up to Hezbullah's military standards and to turn Gaza into a second front for Israel, on a par with Lebanon. Egypt's tacit consent will allow arms to be shipped through Egypt to Gaza. Meanwhile, Ehud Olmert, Amir Comrade Peretz and Tzippi Livni continue to play their fiddles....

Continue reading here.

REP. MURTHA BLASTS GOP FOR NAME-CALLING

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rep. John Murtha, a decorated Marine veteran who favors withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, wrote an essay for Sunday's Washington Post blasting Republicans for referring to him and other Iraq war opponents as "Defeatocrats."

Okay Mr. Murtha, you want to talk about "name-calling" then let's talk about it. How about calling a group of Marines "murderers" before they had their day in court, AND accusing them of a "cover-up" before any of the evidence was even available? HOW'S THAT FOR NAME-CALLING?! And yet, the AP in their story has the cojones to call Murtha a "military hawk." Yeah, and I'm Buck Rogers.

OLD LEFTIST LIE RECYCLED BY AP: "BUSH CHANGING REASONS FOR IRAQ WAR"

HERE'S THE EXACT AP HEADLINE: "Bush keeps revising war justification" AND THIS IS THE LEAD PARAGRAGH:

Initially, the rationale was specific: to stop Saddam Hussein from using what Bush claimed were the Iraqi leader's weapons of mass destruction or from selling them to al-Qaida or other terrorist groups.

THESE ARE SIMPLY LIES, AND THE ARTICLE IS AN UNADULTERATED PIECE OF LEFTIST PROPAGANDA.

Anyone who reads the speech Bush gave in September 2002 - (given before UNSCR #1441 was even introduced, and SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE WAR) - or who reads the UNSCR #1441 (UNANIMOUSLY PASSED by the UNSC), OR WHO READS THE CONGRESSIONAL BILL AUTHORIZING THE WAR - (which passed overwhelmingly) - will see that ALL THESE REASONS WERE COMPLETELY SPELLED OUT FROM THE VERY START. YUP: From the very start there were more than TWO dozen reasons Bush said Saddam was a threat and why regime change was important. Heck: it had been official USA policy UNDER CLINTON!

FACT: BUSH USED 27 REASONS TO JUSTIFY ATTACKING SADDAM --- BEFORE ATTACKING HIM! EXCERPT:

If it seems that there have been quite a few rationales for going to war in Iraq, that’s because there have been quite a few – 27, in fact, all floated between Sept. 12, 2001, and Oct. 11, 2002, according to a new study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

ALL AP is proving - once again - is that they are a Left-wing dominated propaganda organization carrying water for the Democrat Party. AND THEY ARE LYING SCUM.

(BTW: This LIE is as big as the LIE that 650,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the war since 2003 - another example of the Left using LIES and PROPAGANDA to try to effect the election. They do it so much and so often that we should stop calling it an October SURPRISE! It's typical behavior from them. REMEMBER RATHERGATE?!?! Sheesh.)

[More proof UNSCR was violated - and war legal and justified AND NECESSARY on that basis alone - HERE.]

UPDATE: 12 HOURS later and POWER LINE agrees - (without giving you ALL the links and documentation which proves it!).