It’s still war, no matter what you call it

Nicole, the sweet progressive pixie who coined the name “Bomby McSmarmypants” (my new favorite name), reports the following:

I’m so proud
This allegedly happened on Saturday:
The abd al-Kerim family didn’t have a chance. American soldiers opened fire on their car with no warning and at close quarters. They killed the father and three of the children, one of them only eight years old. Now only the mother, Anwar, and a 13-year-old daughter are alive to tell how the bullets tore through the windscreen and how they screamed for the Americans to stop.
Go read the whole article. For once, Bomby, you’re right — life really is returning to normal for Iraqi citizens. Congratulations.
[Link via Dennis.]

Soldiers, civilians… people are still dying every day, long after “Bomby” declared victory. Remember? That political stage show wherein our war hero president dressed in a stylish flight suit to impress us and make us think that he himself flew sorties against the crack Iraq fighter squadrons?

If you’re nostalgic for that farce, just stop by your local Kay-Bee toys and pick up a souvenir: a Dubya Doll, complete with flight suit. Sara forwards the following petition to ask KayBee to stop carrying this distasteful product:

We, the undersigned, vow to boycott KB Toys until and unless the toy marketed as “Elite Force Aviator: George W. Bush – U.S. President and Naval Aviator – 12″ Action Figure” is removed from their inventory.

With REAL military personnel dying almost daily in Iraq, we find it disgraceful that KB Toys would seek to capitalize on the very real human toll caused by Bush’s war, while promoting the very false notion that George W. Bush is or ever was a fighter pilot.

We find this toy as disgraceful as Bush’s performance on the aircraft carrier on May 1, 2003, when he wore a uniform he hadn’t earned, claimed a victory he hadn’t won, and delayed the return home of troops whose respect he doesn’t deserve.

We are, in short, thoroughly disgusted.

Notes:

the ‘toy’ in question is currently displayed on the KB Toys website:
http://www.kbtoys.com
on
this page

more information about Bush’s dubious stint in the Texas National Guard can be found at these fine websites:
http://www.awolbush.com
http://www.talion.com/georgebush.html
http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/3671

The Washington Post features an article on this flap:

The company recommends that only those 14 and older use the Bush doll, which it says is an “adult collectible item” and emphatically not a toy. It may, in fact, pose a choking hazard for the president’s Democratic opponents.

Dana Milbank also gives this amusing tidbit:

Oceans Apart:

“The war in Iraq might in fact have impeded the war against al Qaeda.”
— Report of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, July 31

“10 Ways the Liberation of Iraq Supports the War on Terror.”
— White House fact sheet, Aug. 8