The 14 Biggest Lies of 2011

When I saw that headline on the Foreign Policy magazine website, I just had to read the entire article, written by David Rothkopf. You can read it yourself here. These are my favorites:

“The war in Iraq is finally over after 9 years.” For us, and for the moment, maybe. I can't help thinking about Colin Powell's Pottery Barn warning - "if you break it, you've bought it."

“America’s mission in Iraq was a success.” I can't do much better than Mr Rothkopf's summary: "The place is divided, undemocratic, heavily influenced by Iran, corrupt, and our invasion cost $1 trillion, thousands of U.S. lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and our national reputation. Look in the dictionary next to fiasco. There’s a little picture of a dude in a flight jacket standing on a carrier deck in front of a 'Mission Accomplished' banner."

“Pakistan is America’s ally.” Read all about it in Jeffrey Goldberg and Marc Armbinder's article The Ally from Hell.

A tie between “Republicans are the problem” and “Democrats are the problem.” As Mr Rothkopf points out, the real problem is money. He goes on to say, "The system is so resolutely corrupt that recent scandals have only resulted in more money flowing into the system and past reforms being undone." And you've heard me complain enough about how the Supreme Court sold our government to big business and the wealthy.

"Cutting the taxes of millionaires helps creates U.S. jobs.” This one is so obviously laughable that it really shouldn't be taking up space on the list that could be used by a more worthy lie. Of course, if you're a millionaire ... or a Republican ... or a millionaire Republican ... it makes perfect sense. Good luck getting Real People to believe it.

And, finally, my personal favorite:

“Only 9 percent of Americans approve of Congress.” This is an obvious howler ... nobody could possibly believe that so many Americans approve of this embarrassing clown show that has made our government a laughingstock and squandered whatever was left of our international standing after our deadly escapade in Iraq.

Here's what you really need for Christmas ...

Read the whole article, then be sure to cast your votes ... again, if necessary ... for the Ass Clown of the Year Award. At the moment, the top vote-getters are:

Saudi Arabia, with 34 votes;

The GOP, with 31 votes; and,

Congress, with 30 votes.

Let your voice be heard - balloting closes at 11:59 PM on December 30th.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo