Is it just me, or are things Really This Bad?

[Jacobin]

Gleaned from various articles and posters, this appears to be the new alignment in the neo-con's brilliant Middle East power play:

1. Maliki signs comprehensive defense and trade agreement with Iran. (Shiia Faction)



2. Maliki snubs Bush* in Jordan as WH leaks memo blasting
Maliki for Iraq’s problems, and Bush* and Maliki begin the
Death Dance.


3. Saudi princes summon Cheney to let him know they will join
the war to support the Sunnis (Sunni Faction)


4. Saudis also threaten to flood the world markets with oil
to destroy Iran’s ability to fund Iraq civil war on behalf
of Shiia.

5. India and China have in the past year firmed up their
energy deals with Iran, including substantial investments.

6. Bush* and the U.S. are now basically inert, irrelevant,
and at best an annoyance as Bush* refuses to discuss Iraq
with Iran....We are sidelined in the debacle, with only
our troops getting killed and maimed and our treasury
depleted, without a stake in the outcome that is
meaningful, or over which we have any control. This,
despite the Consigliore’s Commission requiring
discussions and inclusion of Iran and Syria.

The tide is turning and the abject depths of the blunder of invading Iraq are beginning to show.

What am I missing?

[marmar]

1. Bad and bound to get much worse...

We'll be bearing this cross for decades to come.

[yellerpup]

2. The river found its way around the rock.

Bound to happen if you do nothing.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. the sauds can't crank their pump much higher.

they will not flood the market. Furthermore, it is not the oil supply that most affects the retail price, but the refinery capacity. (and ours has been deliberately cut by Big Oil)

Furthermore, Iran and Saudi Arabia are talking to each other about similar goals and needs. Namely, both hate and fear ultra-extremists. Both see a failed Iraq as trouble for them domestically. Both do not trust the US.

[napi21]

5. Can you explain to e, if gas prices are controlled by refinery

capacity,why is the price of gas UP in all European contries too? My son lives in Italy, and travels quite a bit to several other countries in Europe. I thought the same as you, and said "Hey, our prices are getting as bad as your have been!" He said, yea, maybe what they were, but ours have gone up A LOT TOO!

[HereSince1628]

9. Now falling sufficiently to inspire the possibility of a new refinery.

The story appeared in the msm last week, IIRC.

Who knows if it will happen :shrug:

[MannyGoldstein]

4. You Forgot The Treachery of the Jew

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2827552&mesg_id=2827552

[Jacobin]

6. I forgot that I have said unpleasant things about

the Likud Party and Israel, and that that is simply not permitted.

To tell you the truth, as an atheist, I don't have a dog in the Phantom Spaghetti Monster In The Sky fight. However, I have learned that it is impermissible to criticize anything that Gawd's Country does and I shall refrain from doing so forever more.

Happy now?

[Hardrada]

8. Gawd's Country! Excellent.

That's about it, isn't it?

[aquart]

12. No.

Atheism doesn't work as an excuse for me.

[endarkenment]

15. Just smash the egg before it hatches. nt.

[Gwerlain]

21. I think that's the...

GIANT Phantom Spaghetti Monster in the Sky. Unless you want to get into a fight with the ones who think you have to have the GIANT part in order to be sufficiently respectful. May you be touched by his noodly appendage.

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. What does that have to do with the OP's thread?

or do you just like to push people's buttons with red herrings?

[leftchick]

19. I chose B

"push people's buttons".

[MannyGoldstein]

25. Well, Since You Asked...

The OP had a laundry list of fucked up things. I pointed to a post where "zionists" are being accused of infiltrating our government to do nefarious stuff. I think that post, and the rise in anti-semitism it indicates, is another fucked-up thing. Your mileage may vary.

[applegrove]

7. Just so long as Rummy has nothing to do with anything.. it will get better.

How could it get worse?

[Jackpine Radical]

10. Last I checked, FReeperville has the solution, if we would only listen:

Nuke 'em all.

(Actually, I never go to FReeperville. I just have this solution on the word of various wingnuts I hear from.)

[cassiepriam]

11. Like the US troops who set fire to the family they raped and murdered.

Just destroy it all, leave no evidence.

The repug way.

[CJCRANE]

13. Apart from the obvious

the big problem with that is that the oil would stop flowing, modern civilization would grind to a halt and most of us would starve to death.

[Jacobin]

16. I've heard exactly the same thing.

They say that with a really angry look on their faces. I ask them, "why do you want to kill all the Iraqis? I thought you were trying to liberate them from Saddam." They look frustrated and change the subject.

When freepers are frustrated, bad things can happen.

[Jackpine Radical]

28. And of course, they're frustrated most of the time.

For obvious reasons.

Although I'm given to understrand that Ann Coulter does have a deep and meaningful relationship with her finger.

[Tatiana]

14. Just wait until China starts calling in all the $$$ we owe them!

Civil war? At this point that sounds like the least dangerous result of this Iraq mess. We have totally destabilized the region and have contributed to some very horrendous alliances in the Middle East. This will have global consequences.

We are totally F-ed.

[Gwerlain]

22. China's got one ball, and Russia's got the other. n/t

[Tatiana]

23. Which means we're SCREWED!

Or is that "screwn?"

This is so depressing.

[jannyk]

17. Only a couple of things

Al Sadr suspending Iraqi government because Maliki was to meet with Bush. And they haven't met yet - so who's winning this game of bluff.

And Al Sadr apparently hooking up with Hezbollah for training purposes.

[Jacobin]

26. Yep. Missed that one, and its important

Al Sadr is part of the Shiite Faction, no? Is Hezbollah Shiite? I am trying to get this straight, since the media will never discuss it in any depth and it will obviously be important as things unfold, utterly beyond our control

[jannyk]

27. Yeah , I'm trying to keep it all straight too - today

I feel like my head is exploding. The implications of all this crap are horrendous.

[Gwerlain]

20. I am trying to decide whether we are watching...

the formation of the United Arab Republic, Iran + Iraq. I really think and have since they started that that was what was going to happen.

The depth of the blunder has been clear since the revelation of Abu Ghraib. The consequences are what's now becoming obvious to everyone- but to my mind, they were obvious on Day One.

And if they were after oil, they totally blew it.

[Disturbed]

24. ''if they were after oil''

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.....