From the “let’s talk about anything but the War on Terrorâ„¢ debacle” dept.:

American and Canadian officials are downplaying a “graduation video” of Al Qaeda fighters and suicide bombers completing their training at a camp in Afghanistan. You remember Afghanistan. That’s the country where Osama lives. Anyway, these suicide bombers, who are being trained to attack targets in the United States, Canada, Britain, and Germany, are no threat to us. At least that’s what Homeland Security, the State Department, and the White House say. In fact, Tony Snow, White House lying mouthpiece press secretary noted:

It’s not clear exactly what they’re claiming, but we’re reviewing it…. Al-Qaeda is also good at slick propaganda that encourages people to go out and blow themselves up…. They are good at manipulating the press.

I’m sure he quickly added, “Not this press, (gesturing to the White House lap dogs press corps) of course. Some other press…over there (gesturing vaguely in the direction of France)…where press can be manipulated…not like you guys…who can’t be manipulated at all (smiling like the Cheshire Cat)….”

Canada’s Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day was able to reassure Canadians this way:

… They do have a limited ability to travel and get through our border systems…. However, we have to say that no system is perfectly, 100 percent guaranteed to stop anything bad from happening.

Makes one feel proud and safe as a Canadian, eh…?

Meanwhile, General Petraeus, the latest in a line of incompetent Westmoreland clones Iraq Occupation Commanders, announces that the occupation is not really so much an occupation anymore – it’s more like “liberation all over again.” In an interview with Times Online, Petraeus noted that we’ve come full circle in our military relationship with Iraq:

Inevitably, it does not matter how much you were viewed as a liberator, over time you will be seen as an occupier. The interesting dynamic here is that we have been here long enough to become liberators again for certain sectors of the population….

And when asked about whether the surge would end in September, or the Iraq mission anytime in the foreseeable future, Petraeus offered this rosy outlook:

That is a deadline for a report not a deadline for a change in policy, at least not that I am aware of.

And how has Congress been trying to help address the real reason for the Iraq War? Well, they’ve been trying to craft an energy bill to reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil – which is a prime reason we’re in Vietnam Iraq. In fact, President “Bring ’em on” Bush’s Republican allies in the Senate took action just this past week to help the oil companies move us toward energy independence:

Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a $32 billion package of tax breaks for renewable energy that would have been financed mostly by new taxes on major oil companies…. The massive tax measure marked a sharp turn from longtime congressional support of the oil industry to promoting alternative energy development and moving toward energy sources that would help deal with the growing concerns over global warming. But Republicans complained that it was too harsh on the oil industry…. For example, the measure would have rescinded a tax break given oil companies in 2004 that was primarily aimed at helping domestic manufacturing; increased taxes paid under an oil spill liability law; and eliminated existing tax credits involving foreign oil production….

Seem unrelated to the Iraq War? Not really. By blocking funding for alternate, renewable energy source development, the Republicans assure that the Iraq War can be prolonged – the rationale being that we need access to Iraq’s vast oil reserves.

Promoting democracy, my eye. Guaranteeing continued massive oil company profits.

Oh, yeah. There’s a war on.

It’s against us and it’s being waged by our government’s corporate masters….