• Laura Flanders was guest hosting as Thom was participating in the Air America Cruise.
• Guest: Lou Dubose, former editor of the Texas Observer, co author with Molly Ivins of "Bushwhacked".
• Guest: Jonathan Steele, Guardian, author of "Defeat: Why They Lost Iraq".

Topics, guests, upcoming events, quotes, links to articles, audio clips, books & bumper music.

Thursday 28 February '08 National show

• Laura Flanders was guest hosting as Thom was participating in the Air America Cruise.
• Article: Postcards From Ohio, JoAnn Wypijewski. In town after town sense of desperation.
• Article: Despite Nafta Attacks, Clinton and Obama Haven’t Been Free Trade Foes.
• Clip:
  "Arizona: And, by the way, I am unembarrassed to tell you -- I'm not embarrassed to tell you that I did not watch the Democrat debate last night. But I am told that Senator Obama made the statement that if al-Qaida came back to Iraq after he withdraws, after the American troops are withdrawn, then he would send military troops back if al-Qaida established a base in Iraq. I have some news: al-Qaida is in Iraq, al-Qaida -- it's called al-Qaida in Iraq. And, my friends, they wouldn't -- if we left, they wouldn't be establishing a base. They wouldn't be establishing a base. They'd be taking a country. And I'm not going to allow that to happen, my friends. I will not surrender. I will not surrender to al-Qaida."
  Senator John McCain.
• Clip:
  "But I have some news for John McCain. And that is that there was no such thing as al-Qaida in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq."
  Senator Barack Obama.
• General Casey's testimony yesterday about the volunteer army.
• We're in the last stretch of the primaries. Harold M. Ickes is rustling up superdelegates for Hillary - a sign of desperation. Hillary has surrounded herself with the Democratic old guard.
• Guest: Lou Dubose, former editor of the Texas Observer, co author with Molly Ivins of "Bushwhacked". He's in Austin, Texas. There are signs of Obama fatigue. Flat event. One event was full of people he did not recognize; usually he knows half. The Texas primary voting system. The Democratic Party has been dead a long time. Works for boots on the ground. Few people have voted in a primary before. The diversity of Texas.
• Video: Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early.
• Ellen Ratner of Talk Radio News. Press conference. Bush said it would be unfair to punish the Telecom companies. The government told Telecom companies it was legal. Quest refused. He said the litigation process could lead to disclosure about surveillance, roadmap for al Qaeda etc. Bernanke said the economy is not like the early 70s when it was rougher. Chris Dodd said the situation is serious if not perilous. Foreign relations meeting on Pakistan, Joe Biden chaired it; he's just back from there. The recommendation was to triple non-military aid. Barbara Boxer went after Negraponte, 70% funds misspent. Musharraf troops are not hunting Osama bin Laden. Project on government oversight group attacked Inspector Generals - they lack subpoena power, must get secretary's permission to publish.
• Article: Clinton, Obama, Insurance.
• Guest: Jonathan Steele, Guardian, author of "Defeat: Why They Lost Iraq".
  "The central message of this book is that the invasion of Iraq took no account of Iraq's nature or history, or of the depth of Arab resentment that would doom any western occupation. Even the vast majority of Iraqis who were glad to see the end of Saddam were driven into resistance by Washington's refusal to set a time limit on the occupation and by the excessively violent and provocative behaviour of the occupiers.

  Jonathan Steele made eight extended visits to Iraq during the war. His first-hand reporting of events, such as a terrifying experience of being kidnapped by unknown gunmen, underpins the analysis that makes up the larger part of the book. He shows real understanding of the social and psychological aspects of the Iraqi reaction to occupation - for example the tradition of revenge killing, a major factor which is always airbrushed out by coalition spokesmen.

  "