"Decades of...conflict"

Sounds like what John McCain said about the war in Iraq, right?

Wrong.

The Army's Vice Chief of Staff, speaking Friday at a departure ceremony for soldiers from Ft Drum, NY, said:

"We're in a long war... decades..."

It got worse from there.

I posted a diaryyesterday about my (admittedly tiny) part in trying to end the war, and I'm wondering.......

What do you think you accomplished by protesting and getting arrested on the 5th anniversary of the war?

Please take the poll, and tell us your story in the comments.

(Update: I changed the title to make it more "inclusive")

I'm one of those persons that never bought anything Bush was selling, right from the start. I just "knew" he was a snake oil salesman, interested only in his own agenda, following some radical path that had nothing to do with the good of the country. I didn't buy his domestic policy, couldn't accept his foreign policy, was disgusted by his sneering approach to everything - even his posturing after 9/11 seemed the bravado of a scared little man, nothing like the honor of the office he held. Everything about him seemed to me basically a lie, and him nothing but a fraud.

So what did I do about it?

Most of us know that Barak Obama has been groomed since he entered
politics; groomed to run on the local level, groomed to run for the
Senate, groomed to run for President. Well I thought he was being
pushed too far, too fast, and that he would eventually have a good
chance at a run for the Presidency, someday - just not this year. Oh,
I followed events in his career; a press conference here, a media
article there, and my impression remained the same - he's a good man,
but he's not ready, not yet. When he announced, I thought it
was a rush job, born of desperation; I thought the Democratic Party
probably needed another candidate to promote, and he seemed like a
good pick IMO - just not this year. Maybe in four years, when he'd
have weathered some more national politics, fought some more battles,
gained some experience - I mean, he was so NEW to the national scene,
the Republicans would just rip him apart before he even had a chance!
No, I didn't want him to run, just yet.

More after the break.

NEW ORLEANS - Thousands more bedraggled refugees were bused and airlifted to salvation Saturday, leaving the heart of New Orleans to the dead and dying, the elderly and frail stranded too many days without food, water or medical care. No one knows how many were killed by Hurricane Katrina's floods and how many more succumbed waiting to be rescued. But the bodies are everywhere: hidden in attics, floating among the ruined city, crumpled on wheelchairs, abandoned on highways. And the dying goes on -- at the convention center and an airport triage center, where bodies were kept in a refrigerated truck.    Yahoo

Brittany opened her eyes this morning, apparently in response to voices, and she looked up and down! We all know what a great indicator this is, and it gives us all so much more hope that she is fighting her way out of the coma. Her vitals are strong, although she is still unresponsive to poke or tickle.  We have a long road ahead of us, but this is the first, real, positive step.

What a wonderful, amazing child.

(more)

We have no prognosis yet; they have to wait for the trauma and swelling on her brain to subside before they can tell us what her chances are, and what she might be facing; it just doesn't look good, no matter how they spin it.

May I ask for prayers and well-wishes? We are all exhausted and emotionally drained, and much in need of spirit-lifting. The kids are only 6 and 8, and they are the center of my universe. It's breaking my heart to stand there, holding her hand and talking to her still, small battered body, and I don't think I can be the brave one much longer. (Update in the extended)

It should be required reading.

The Republicans are poised to act, and they are determined to win this one. Josh outlines a way we can approach this issue as a rallying point, to unite as an effective opposition party, and perhaps even upset their plan. It deserves a hearing, because whether or not we agree about changing the current program, it is about to happen, and we may not be able to prevent it.

But the Republican plan cannot work.

It needs music, which is why I'm giving it away - I was hearing Dylan in my head, singing "a hard rain's a-gonna fall" as the musical inspiration when I wrote it, if that helps.

Anyway; I freely give these lyrics to anyone who wants to use them for any purpose whatsoever, with no limit. You don't even have to credit me. Don't care how anyone uses it - just want to pass it along.
JL 12/04

Is he just trying to influence the election by making these claims, or is he warning us and suggesting that we are clueless about what's going on in our own country?

In an attempt to find an accurate transcript, I located 3 translations of the portion released so far:

1. al Jazeera - ALJ - translator not listed, "unedited".
   
2. CNN - CNN - translator: CNN senior editor for Arab affairs Octavia Nasr.
   
3. Drudge - DRU - translator not listed; includes commentary not found in others.