LIE OF THE WEEK: 12-29-2006

State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey on the Ethiopian army's invasion of Somalia in support of the "transitional government":

"What we'd like to see happen as soon as possible is arrangements take place between the Islamic Courts Union and Transitional Federal Government for a ceasefire."

THE TRUTH: When will we ever learn that meddling in the affairs of other countries leads to more problems than we can predict or handle? Have we forgotten that the root of all of our problems in Iraq and Iran was the CIA-instigated overthrow of the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953, which led to the popular 1979 revolution to overthrow the US-backed oppressive regime of the Shah, which led to our strengthening Saddam Hussein as a regional power to fight Iran during the 1980's, which led to our current conflict in Iraq? Have we forgotten that our support of some extremist groups fighting the Soviets in the 1970's and 1980's in Afghanistan is what gave those groups the funding they needed to spread their message across the world? (Note: I am not saying that most of the forces fighting the Soviets were extremists, but the CIA supported all of them without considering the consequences). It's clear that the Bush administration has been supportive of the Ethiopian actions in Somalia and to claim that we are for a ceasefire and peace is just plainly not true.

LIE OF THE WEEK: 12-22-2006

A White House Spokesman on President Bush signing a bill denying aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian government:

"This legislation reflects our continued concern over the failure of the current government to renounce violence and terror, recognize Israel and respect its previous agreements and obligations."

THE TRUTH: Though it is correct to push for the renunciation of violence and terror, the Bush administration has the least credibility of any government in the world in demanding that a newly-elected government continue to respect the agreements and obligations of its predecessor. The first actions of this administration were to renounce the Kyoto Agreement regarding global warming and to dissolve the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, much to the detriment of any focus on fighting terrorism which may have prevented the tragedy of 9/11. Is it not the definition of hypocrisy to not practice what you preach?

LIE OF THE WEEK: 12-15-2006

White House Spokesman Tony Snow on delaying the change in his Iraq policy until next year:

“You would expect and desire a commander in chief, in looking at a situation, to examine military concerns, security concerns, diplomatic concerns, internal political concerns within Iraq, regional ramifications, how you get people to work in concert with one another,” Mr. Snow said. “It is enormously complex.”

Mr. Snow said the president continues to get the best advice possible. “And so, as he considers the options, he’s not going to get rushed on it,” Mr. Snow said. “He wants to make sure it’s done right.”

THE TRUTH: It's clear by the President's reactions to the recent assessments of the Iraq Study Group, members of Congress, the leadership of the US Military, and some foreign leaders that he is not happy with any of them because they don't tell him to do what he is already planning to do. Rather than stalling and trying to discredit all of these sources, it's time for our President to stop the needless deaths and injuries of our brave soldiers and innocent Iraqis and to accept the failure of his overall strategy and tactics. He needs to stop taking the advice of those who have already proven to have failed and to turn to the highly useful Iraq Study Group's advice and accept it as a whole. This bipartisan group has generated some of the best ideas coming out of Washington in a long time and the President needs them to salvage the mess he seems so insistent upon maintaining while hoping for an impossible outcome with his current policies.

LIE OF THE WEEK: 12-08-2006

National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley on the need for a change in strategy for the Iraq policy:

"We have not failed in Iraq," Hadley said as he made the talk show rounds. "We will fail in Iraq if we pull out our troops before we're in a position to help the Iraqis succeed."

He added: "The president understands that we need to have a way forward in Iraq that is more successful."

THE TRUTH: It's clear that the administration has absolutely failed in Iraq as of today. It's not a a matter of needing to be "more successful." This is why the American people voted for change in the 2006 elections, despite the endless lies, propaganda, and spin being fed to them by our government and it's political allies. We need a completely new policy and it will be our American military and the Iraqi population who will continue to suffer if the arrogance of the policy makers in this administration continues to prevent them from reversing course and accepting the excellent advice provided to them by the Iraq Study Group and even by their own new Secretary of Defence.

LIE OF THE WEEK: 12-01-2006

Incoming House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes on his new position:

"For the first time in about six years, there's going to be some checks and balances. We will see true oversight, real consequences."

THE TRUTH: It would great if what he said were really the case, because Rep. Reyes' past history has been all about self-interest. The case with the most public attention was that of International Microwave Corp, which the government awarded a contract in 1999 worth hundreds of millions of dollars to install cameras on the US-Mexican border at the behest of Rep. Reyes. Of course, his daughter and son working for that company and benefiting greatly from that deal was not any indication of corruption according to Rep. Reyes, not to mention the fact that it was a waste of taxpayer money because the system they delivered failed miserably without anyone being held to account. Let's hope that Congressman Reyes spends more time on the committee focused on protecting America through good intelligence than on trying to find sweetheart deals for other relatives and friends.