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"Risen was closer to Feith's Narrative in his story for the New York Times.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-07-30_20:05:19", "killed": false, "user_key": "d87eb5c50756e390b81388d53d3b5c16", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790337": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Risen did a poor job of summarising Feith's narrative.  According to Feith, his key goal, accepted by Rumsfeld and President Bush, was to have a very short occupation -- to turn over governance to the Iraqis in two or three weeks after the fall of Baghdad.  The purpose was to avoid an insurgency or at least to weaken it.  This policy had been a success in Afghanistan when there was quickly a plan to have a \"loya jurga\", a tribal gathering to decide on a new government.  It wasn't long before Hamid Karzai, an \"external\", was installed by the Iraqi tribal governments.<br><br>Feith had designed an interim government arrangement in which some \"externals\" such as Chalabi and others Iraqis who had been outside Iraq, along with \"internals\", would take over governance just long enough to organize a vote for a government that would arrange for an election and the resulting government would write a constitution.<br><br>Armitage (State)  and Tenet (CIA) did not like Chalabi nor did Bremer who replace Jay Garner.  They claimed he would never be acceptable to the internal Iraqis.  (At one time Chalabi had accused the CIA of incompetence).  According to Feith, Armitage, Tenet and Bremer took actions so as to avoid the interim plan for some 14 months which exacerbated the insurgency.  Finally Bush told Bremer he would have to leave and shortened the process, otherwise the Americans might still be sovereign today and the insurgency still flourishing.<br><br>It appears that Armitage, Tenet, and Bremer were wrong as the Iraqis have elected Chalabi and several other \"externals\" to full time positions in the Iraqi government.   Feith strongly believes that the failure to adopt his interim Iraqi government plan was the cause of that insurgency or at least strengthened it appreciably.<br><br>This is what I got from Feith's book.  He claims this history is derived from contemporaneous notes and memoranda.  I have not, as yet, checked them.<br><br>Two other points Feith raised were quite interesting.  He denied the purpose of the Iraq invasion was to introduce democracy into the Middle East although he thought that was an ancillary benefit but would not have, by itself, justified the invasion.  Nor was the invasion for the purpose of revenge against al Qaeda.  He claimed it was to avoid further attacks such as had occurred on 9/11.  These were not necessarily attacks by al-Qaeda.  There was and still is a global network of many terrorist organizations other than al Qaeda and he was concerned that a state terrorist such as Iran, North Korea or Iraq could provide WMD to one or more of these groups.  Why Iraq?  Feith explains that they had tried diplomacy on Iraq and it hadn't work.  They had yet to fully explore diplomacy with Iran and North Korea.   Although no stockpiles of WMD were found, the inspectors showed that Iraq still maintained resources from which WMD could be manufactured in a very short time frame.<br><br>Finally, one more interesting point was the discussion over the interaction between Defense and CIA on whether there were meaningful contacts between Iraq and terrorist groups.  One of Feith's researchers found that CIA was systematically devaluating many contacts between Iraq and terrorist groups because of its analysts preconceptions that a secular government such as that of Saddam Hussein would never collaborate with a religious extremist group -- even against a common enemy.  Defense's people thought that each contact should be evaluated on its own merits and not be watered down or filtered out because of the CIA's preconceptions.  According to Feith, this was a matter of professionalism rather than a question of the administration trying to pressure the CIA to change its views as was leaked to the press by CIA.   I have not yet checked the contemporaneous notes and memoranda on this point either.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-07-30_19:39:49", "killed": false, "user_key": "d87eb5c50756e390b81388d53d3b5c16", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790338": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "It is disheartening to see critics of the Iraq invasion get sucked into yet another diversionary argument by its architects (Feith, etc).  It is of virtually no importance whether these architects intended (conspired?) to install Chalabi as their puppet.  The ONLY importance of Chalabi is that his lies were used to support three implausible claims: (1) that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction; (2) that our invasion would be welcomed; and (3) that Chalabi or someone else could form a government which would allow us to leave quickly.  By getting people to argue about whether their implausible post- invasion plans depended upon a conspiracy to install Chalabi and the supposed paralyzing battle between Defense, State, the White House and the CIA over this conspiracy, we are diverted from understanding that there was no plausible way that a stable government could have been created following the US invasion.  Feith had no such plan; Wolfowitz had no such plan; Rumsfeld had no such plan; Cheney had no such plan; Perle had no such plan; Powell had no such plan; Rice had no such plan; (well you get the point). One or more of the following was bound to occur: (a) civil war between the Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions; (b) partition of the country into two or three pieces; (c) takeover of the country by the Shiite majority, probably aided by Iran; (d) direct takeover of all or part of the country by Iran; (e) an invasion by Turkey to suppress the creation of a hostile Kurdish state on its border.  None of these outcomes were or are better than having Saddam Hussein continue in office.<br><br>There is a reason that Senator McCain, while claiming that the surge was a success, says we have to stay in Iraq for 50 or 100 years. There is a reason why the first President Bush, supported by almost all of his advisors, decided not to take over Iraq and depose Saddam Hussein during the First Gulf War.  There is reason why Senator Clinton (when she thought she was going to be the next president) practically begged the current President Bush to get us out of Iraq before leaving office.  And now, unfortunately, there is a reason why Senator Obama is waffling on his pledge to leave Iraq.  The invasion was a mistake which cannot be easily fixed. There was no way out and there is no way out.  To borrow the title of a recent movie, \"There Will Be Blood\"", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-07-17_13:20:17", "killed": false, "user_key": "7cbc5af64916e6d46c94d3e1c363be3f", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790339": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "The neo-cons were blinded by their faith in ideology and the certainty of their infallibility regardless of the facts or reality.  It's not the first time this has happened and it is a cautionary tale for those who care about effective democratic self-government and functioning republican institutions, which is why we must be careful of those who will develop opinions based on excessive partisanship or ideology.  The greatest evils of human history have been created by simplifications: among them communism, fascism, laissez-faire capitalism and the revealed religions, both secular and sacred, that demand absolute belief without evidence.  That is why most revolutions devolve into oppression and dictatorship.  We were lucky that the American revolution was guided less by ideology than faith in self-government for the general welfare.<br><br>&gt;<br><br>Feith can place a thousand endnotes in his book but if they are selective then they tell more about his desire to avoid accountability than they do about what happened.  For example, he seems to expend a great deal of effort in distancing himself from Chalabi.  The facts that we do have contradict his assertions.  The Office of Special Plans in the Pentagon used information from the dubious Chalabi source \"Curveball\" to skew the case for war.  This included the assertions about rolling biological labs, an al Qaeda-Iraq relationship and WMDs.  Feith states there was no \"conspiracy\" to place Chalabi as head of the government but he was given a key role in the Iraq interim government council under the Coalition Provisional Authority.  (A fact missing from the article).  This was the culmination of many years of seeking to support the Iraqi National Congress (INC), which was Chalabi's group.  Thanks to lobbying by the neo-cons outside of government (which included Perle, Feith and Wolfowitz, among others) the (Republican) Congress passed the Iraq Liberation Act in 1998 which funneled almost $97 million to the INC.  Feith would scapegoat Powell and the CIA but the INC also received $33 million dollars from the State Department between 2000 and September 2003 and $335K a month from the DIA from September 2003 through May 2004--and that is only what has been uncovered by auditors and the GAO.  He was a special guest of First Lady Bush at the 2004 State of the Union Address.  So SOMEONE influential and senior in the Administration was working very hard to finance Chalabi and the INC and all fingers point to his sponsors: the principals at the Project for the New American Century--the neo-cons who drove the case for war based on a belief in American hegemony in the region.  Ockham's Razor, regardless of all of the jesuitical arguments that Feith and his ilk can come up with to try to cloud the issue, tells us that the obvious really is obvious.  Documentary evidence, while the best evidence for determining motivation or establishing a direct relationship in a simple manner, is not the only evidence.  Phone calls, undocumented personal conversations, unwritten orders can all be determined by the historian through cause and effect--what is called circumstantial evidence.  No \"smoking gun\" standard stands against common sense.  Documents can and have been destroyed and altered.  Criminals are convicted every day absent documentary evidence.<br><br>&gt;<br><br>The judgment of history will fall very heavily against this Administration.  The cause and effect of Iraq and the economic effects we are now feeling has yet to be fully realized and the history yet to be assessed.  Despite their assertions to the contrary, historians tend to get things right about an American Administration right.  Few presidents have risen significantly over time.  Even Truman--that favorite of Nixon and Bush apologists--though vilified and unpopular when he left office in 1953, was seen as an above-average president by historians when he left office; one who got the small things wrong but the big things right.  He has risen to near-great in assessment but no one has gone from being considered a failure to rise above an assessment of mediocrity or malfeasance.  I am afraid that this time in our history will be seen as not only one in which we experienced that manner of human frailty, but also an Administration, blinded by faith in the rightness of its cause and ideology, subjected the country to abuse of power and tyranny.  Those who continue to want to paint this as a partisan issue (like Senator Lieberman) and not learn from it damn future generations of Americans to a worse fate.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-07-05_03:08:31", "killed": false, "user_key": "61c94b0de4428e6457eed661bfcdee18", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790340": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Liar, liar pants on fire...I have a couple of questions. What has Israel ever given us, really? The Arab countries are the ones we get the oil from. Why such blind almost fanatical support fior Israel? They even send spies on our country. We caught one(Pollard) and God only knows how mwny more are out there. Why send our young men and women to conduct Israel's war? We criticized the Palestinians and former Iraq and Iran for violations of UN rules but Israel has committed even more violations but it is never mentioned. I could give a hoot about those countries but our government's actions makes our country look like Israel's lapdog, just like Blair looked like Bush's lapdog. What the hell for? Why are a lot of Americans so naive about 911? I couldn't believe at first that our own people and fellow \"Americans\" (they are not worth being called Americans) can do the things they did to us in 911 (by blowing up the World Trade and sendiing a missile into the Pentagon)but they did. Is it too horrible to accept this fact so WE DO NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. Conspiracy? Of course, why not? The ends justifies the means after all. The Constitution was designed to protect us from enemies from WITHIN as from without. What happens when the people supposed to protect us are the very people attacking us, from within. God help us. What happened to our great country that we have allowed such people to exist and do the things they have done and still continuing to do?", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-07-02_22:43:14", "killed": false, "user_key": "40e5b07d49b66b286e4b52f22ff5890f", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790341": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "How do you know what you know? Have you ever been deceived? What about when you thought Che Guevara was a hero of the people? Most of what we think we know about the issues Feith discusses is based on journalists and on the opinions of people who aren", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-24_06:51:57", "killed": false, "user_key": "953ca88a47c1244060ab3b5cb946195a", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790342": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Mr. Feith's book is summarized by him in the Hugh Hewitt show, 60 Minutes, the Daily Show with John Stewart, NPR Morning Edition, PBS Tavis Smiley, This Week in Defense, CSIS Event, and in five videos presented by National Review Online.  You can see these summaries and get the gist of his case at <a href=\"http://waranddecision.com\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://waranddecision.com</a>  He claims the reason the US went to war was this:  \"What the jihadist threat represents, and what 9/11 drove home, is that people who could just bypass our military can come in, in relatively small numbers, and do something as absolutely mind-boggling as destroy the World Trade Center towers, both of them, knock them down, destroy the west side of the Pentagon. And what we were concerned about in the days right after 9/11 is what are the other follow-on attacks that might occur? And what would be the effect on American society if there had been a series of them? It doesn", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-24_01:45:53", "killed": false, "user_key": "d87eb5c50756e390b81388d53d3b5c16", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790343": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Mr. Risen has written a compelling book review on Mr. Fieth's book, \"War and Decision.\"  I haven't read the book yet but will.  From other things that I've read about the book it is heavily referenced with documentation of official papers.<br><br>I was rather surprised at the anti-semitism  and ad hominem attacks on our ally and some of our elected officials in the comments section.  More like the raving of maniac's than considered thought; suited for something like Kos but certainly not for a James Risen review.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-23_17:59:13", "killed": false, "user_key": "d31bd7c5f0ab1fe16f2fef0c84d25990", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790344": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "HELLO GOLD STAR MOTHER.<br><br>Most of us will never really know your pain about the loss of your son, but there are many of us who share your anger and fury.<br><br>Little by little, we will keep on speaking till we finally stop these war criminals.<br><br>Feith and his snivelling, cowardly accomplices and bosses will indeed get their final judgement.<br><br>I have never met you, but I know your son is in Heaven, watching down as you tell the truth.<br><br>Much love and respect from a guy in oz.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-23_06:51:26", "killed": false, "user_key": "587e7bd894b4b4426ee7558b6d683b82", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790345": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "HELLO GOLD STAR MOTHER.<br><br>Most of us will never really know your pain about the loss of your son, but there are many of us who share your anger and fury.<br><br>Little by little, we will keep on speaking till we finally stop these war criminals.<br><br>Feith and his snivelling, cowardly accomplices and bosses will indeed get their final judgement.<br><br>I have never met you, but I know your son is in Heaven, watching down as you tell the truth.<br><br>Much love and respect from a guy in oz.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-23_06:51:26", "killed": false, "user_key": "587e7bd894b4b4426ee7558b6d683b82", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790346": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Poor Doug Feith, the Pentagon team", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-22_22:46:55", "killed": false, "user_key": "ddc76cebdd310cece047766373b784ad", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790347": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Thank you darkwraith for link to your article on Lt. Col. Kwiatkowski. She may not have been able to stop the madness, but she tried her best. What a courageous military officer, considering the treacherous political warzone she was deployed to. I am quite certain that her writings informed and and appalled then inspired many of her colleagues above and below her in the chain of command. There has been no shortage of top brass who have taken a stand against this cabal of neocon lunatics. Soldiers like Kwiatkowski will one day earn their honorable place in history for the efforts they made to stop the madness. I pray that it's true that the current Joint Chiefs Of Staff have made it known to Bush and Cheney that they will not obey any order to attack Iran.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-22_22:00:39", "killed": false, "user_key": "587e7bd894b4b4426ee7558b6d683b82", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790348": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Mr. Feith's reconstruction of history directly contradicts eyewitness narratives from objective, disciplined, trained observers who worked in his shadow and the penumbra cast by the neo-conservative cabal that took charge of the machinery of war in the Office of Special Plans. I cite Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, a career soldier who was right there as Feith demonstrated a fundamental incapacity to understand, much less project, \"good order and discipline\" (in her words), which is as essential to the functionality of military bureaucracy as it is to the war-making engine of battlefield management. Almost exactly three years ago, while mainstream news media were still in the thrall of the criminally incompetent neo-cons in the Pentagon and the White House, I wrote favorably of Kwiatkowski:<br><br><a href=\"http://dark-wraith.com/2005/06/analysis-stone-sand-and-writ-of.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://dark-wraith.com/2005/06/analysis-stone-s...</a><br><br><br><br>To this day, however, the mainstream media allow the construction of history to be generated in a debate among the distended, self-exonerating insiders of the Bush Administration, none of whom have suffered by any measure, as have the Iraqis and the Afghans in the still-hot cauldron of fevered dreams of the pretenders to the throne of Empire now crumbling.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-21_15:53:06", "killed": false, "user_key": "28b8f06033b4e51a9937dd15594f49fb", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790349": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Preemptive, Preventive, or \"Inventive\"?<br><br>This was neither a \"preemptive war\" (an act considered justifiable in the face of an imminent threat) nor did it even rise to the level of an act of \"preventive war\" (launched in anticipation of a future loss of security and indistinct from a war of aggression).  When Israel attacked Iraq's the Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981 it could at least be reasonably argued that they were preventing a possible nuclear strike against them.<br><br>But our specious rationale for attacking Iraq, the hypothetical transfer of imaginary WMD (OMG, did Condi just say \"mushroom cloud\"?) to al-Qaida, was so unlikely as to be laughable.  Saddam was petrified of the REAL and imminent threat he faced from the US and sought to signal his position in one instance by having his own \"international terrorist in residence\" Abu Nidal shot in the head four times in the lead-up the the invasion.  Perhaps this was Saddam's bid to join us in the Global War On Terror?<br><br>Our attack was an unjustified attempt to grab Iraq's oil and establish a new platform for the projection of U.S. power in the Middle East.  Recall that when Bin Ladin demanded that all U.S. forces be recalled from Saudi Arabia, BUSH COMPLIED.  The U.S. requires a ringside seat in the region so long as Israel remains our strategic ally.<br><br>There was no honor in this decision.  This was international larceny disguised as revenge, perpetrated by armchair generals and chicken-hawks whose own personal contempt for our REAL warriors preempted a more sober and cautious approach to such a questionable enterprise.  A pox on them . . .", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-21_07:32:45", "killed": false, "user_key": "84d4aafec814a06450a8ac1d5fad01c0", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790350": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "For some chuckles, read 'Iraq Expert' Perle Shills for Chalabi at Senate Panel<br>by Juan Cole, April 23, 2004: <a href=\"http://www.antiwar.com/cole/?articleid=2368\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.antiwar.com/cole/?articleid=2368</a><br><br>Here's the transcript of the hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee referred to by Cole: <a href=\"http://bulk.resource.org/gpo.gov/hearings/108s/95512.txt\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://bulk.resource.org/gpo.gov/hearings/108s/...</a>", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-20_23:00:30", "killed": false, "user_key": "3bb90eb88813f7d104c5366fa0ec69fb", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790351": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Just for the hell of it, from 11/3/2002, The Guardian, \"Carve-up of Oil Riches Begins\":<br><br>The leader of the London-based Iraqi National Congress, Ahmed Chalabi, has met executives of three US oil multinationals to negotiate the carve-up of Iraq's massive oil reserves post-Saddam.<br><br>Disclosure of the meetings in October in Washington - confirmed by an INC spokesman - comes as Lord Browne, the head of BP, has warned that British oil companies have been squeezed out of post-war Iraq even before the first shot has been fired in any US-led land invasion.<br><br>Confirming the meetings to US journalists, INC spokesman Zaab Sethna said: 'The oil people are naturally nervous. We've had discussions with them, but they're not in the habit of going around talking about them.'<br><br>Next month oil executives will gather at a country retreat near Sandringham to discuss Iraq and the future of the oil market. The conference, hosted by Sheikh Yamani, the former Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia, will feature a former Iraqi head of military intelligence, an ex-Minister and City financiers. Topics for discussion include the country's oil potential, whether it can become as big a supplier as Saudi Arabia, and whether a post-Saddam Iraq might destroy the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.<br><br>Disclosure of talks between the oil executives and the INC - which enjoys the support of Bush administration officials - is bound to exacerbate friction on the UN Security Council between permanent members and veto-holders Russia, France and China, who fear they will be squeezed out of a post-Saddam oil industry in Iraq.<br><br>Although Russia, France and China have existing deals with Iraq, Chalabi has made clear that he would reward the US for removing Saddam with lucrative oil contracts, telling the Washington Post recently: 'American companies will have a big shot at Iraqi oil.'<br><br>Indeed, the issue of who gets their hands on the world's second largest oil reserves has been a major factor driving splits in the Security Council over a new resolution on Iraq.<br><br>[...]", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-20_22:05:59", "killed": false, "user_key": "3bb90eb88813f7d104c5366fa0ec69fb", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790352": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Rummy, Feith, Wolfowitz, and all the other neocon warmongers should have their medical insurance taken away, then their houses foreclosed, then their pensions removed. After their wives divorce them, they should be taken to the Green Zone, made to put on a t shirt and jeans and forced to walk out of the Green Zone into the streets of Baghdad where they will have to survive,on their own mind you, for a year, without aid from any military body. If they makes it through that year, upon their return, before they loses what jobs they had - they will be told \"funding\" dried up, they should be made to testify about their experiences and grilled about the falsehoods, lies, and pathologically screwed up excuses they gave the American people about the war in Iraq from their prison cells. They should be asked why on earth are American taxpayers forced to give trillions of dollars to a war when our own people are homeless or soon to be, have no jobs, no healthcare and are going without everyday. Bush, Cheney, Rice, Woolsey, Perle,Hadley, Wurmser, Natsios, Barlett, and especially Bolton should all be made to do the same thing, Bush to Anbar province, Cheney to Fallujah, and Rummy? well Rummy... let's just throw him to the troops and let them tear him apart. These a**holes should be made to disappear and never be allowed to practice their warmongering politics ever again.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-20_16:53:40", "killed": false, "user_key": "eda57dbc7c0bac3c9b6ca5d4919f7fb2", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790353": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "\"They certainly thought that Chalabi was, if not the most competent Iraqi, at least in the top two or three.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-20_06:18:34", "killed": false, "user_key": "28c56282b7ce6115cc020c206f6900f4", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790354": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "To dallasdem - I couldn't agree with you more!!!!!!", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-20_05:23:51", "killed": false, "user_key": "a414ad3767b3f29461a9f20a53e135d1", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790355": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "It's great to see that this debate is underway.<br><br>The long-term record is going to require some truly epic historian(s) with some unique approaches to their tradecraft.<br><br>I suspect the right analysis is going to require the understanding that multiple objectives were being worked simultaneously, some overtly, some not.  Holistically I doubt whether any one historian will be able to capture this. Ultimately the debate should include the decision to militarize the North American space, and the utilization of the Counterintelligence Field Activity office of the Pentagon in domestic affairs/media. If someone can piece this together, including which journalist were(are) involved,  this historical record will help with the framing  of the \"evildoers\" as well as the \"heroic.\"<br><br>I think the pope is correct when he says that ultimately good will triumph in the end though he may want inquire more thoroughly into why Cardinal George has been upset recently.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-20_05:01:31", "killed": false, "user_key": "eda9f1b05179f957024d1e4a10c7091e", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790356": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "When, oh when, will liberal Jews (Pro-Israeli's) like me and mainstream America wake up to the rule of neo-conservative, pro-Likkud, right wing, Israeli control of our government?  These people are NOT Americans, but pro-Israeli right wing, fundamentalist monsters, like the fundamentalist Muslims and Christians. .  When will liberal, progressive American and Israeli Jews, and all Americans from every race, color and creed, be free?  These people are NOT Americans nor do they care about America.  They live for Israel.  If they were any other ethnic group, they would be suspect.  Until we have stopped our fear of being called anti-Semitic, (the true ethnic group of Palestine and its indigenous peoples), and speak out against the neo-cons of the Christian and Jewish and Muslim and Christian Right wing,  we will NEVER be a free nation.  No other country on Earth has such control over our Government.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-19_22:57:39", "killed": false, "user_key": "5b2e7f9e48266466cab360a4c43ee100", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790357": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "we can anticipate ongoing efforts from the war people to justify their efforts to conduct a focused war in an effort to disguise the larger effort to conduct perpetual war.  gooch has it right, if the war people continue in power we will have war.  mcnamara, had the courage to aknowlege the war he managed in se asia was a mistake, was based on a flawed premise, the domino theory, and that the johnson adm and the pentagon lied about progress intne war.  he also advised that no future war be declared without a robust moral debate.  feith,s efforts lack any moral substance.  it reminds me of kissinger trying to justify prolonging the war in viet nam.  hopefully, more and more of our citizens will be able to see the neocons and their many supportersin the war industry as moral cretins.  jbulette", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-19_22:55:32", "killed": false, "user_key": "6a2f7ecee8d1fd703ff48c569283efb4", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790358": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Looks like washing blood off your hands is a little tougher than you thought, eh Dougie?", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-19_20:36:29", "killed": false, "user_key": "f42f8c51b120a01a41f490414ad490fc", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790359": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "I need to check my voluminous files on Chalabi for the specifics, but I distinctly remember that Chalabi's men were given military training in an Eastern European country before the invasion, and that Chalabi was specially flown into Iraq just days after the invasion, even before Baghdad was taken.<br><br><br><br>Now, that's mighty peculiar behavior unless the intent was for Chalabi to have a very high post in conjunction with Garner.<br><br><br><br>The fly in the ointment, as I remember, is that Chalabi's men started looting so outrageously that this prospect was summarily dismissed.<br><br><br><br>Moreover, as I understand it, Chalabi was allowed to get his hands and retain the files of Saddam Hussein's secret police. Has it been mentioned by the neocons that Chalabi was an important factor in the fatal de-Baathification of Iraq?<br><br><br><br>Among Chalabi's supporters was none other then Dick Cheney, who met with him prior to the 2000 elections. Have the neocon revisionists mentioned this?<br><br>Honestly, their new \"take\" is insupported by evidence which I could dig out in half an hour's time from my files.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-19_19:09:47", "killed": false, "user_key": "53f0817735bf34b78251e47b19e746e4", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790360": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Lo and behold, no sooner do I leave this page than I see: \"Deals With Iraq Are Set To Bring Oil Giants Back\" - <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/world/middleeast/19iraq.html&OQ;=_rQ3D2Q26orefQ3Dslogin&OP;=60888373Q2F%21gXE%21ZzmJQ7BzznR%21RQ5EQ5EY%21Q5EQ3F%21N2%21gzQ7BDZ%21Q5CQ7CZZDXX0Jn%21N2Q7CQ7B0LQ7EfnQ5CD\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.ny...</a><br><br>Only five and a half years past the invasion, the true reason for the war, for the incompetence, for not having \"a plan\" post-invasion, comes to light: It was for the oil.  Duh.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-19_16:26:54", "killed": false, "user_key": "3bb90eb88813f7d104c5366fa0ec69fb", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790361": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "When trying to understand a situation, I think it's generally a good rule of thumb to look at \"what is\" as \"what was intended\".  I don't think that anything has happened during the Bush administration that wasn't intended, and by the two people who controlled the entire show - Bush and Cheney.  I have never believed that the plan was for Iraq to be a functioning, sovereign nation, autonomous of U.S. control.  The insurgency was the excuse to keep troops in Iraq.  It serves several of Bush's and Cheney's goals, chief among them a never ending war for the constant never ending re-election campaign (keep Americans in a chronic state of fear of terrorists) and a toe-hold in the Middle East for the eventual takeover of oil fields and reserves.<br><br>Is the mainstream media ever going to cover what's happening honestly?", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-06-19_14:42:18", "killed": false, "user_key": "3bb90eb88813f7d104c5366fa0ec69fb", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790334": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "Lets see my choice is cranky old John McCain or that energetic young, smart black man Barack Obama?<br><br><br><br>McCain who does not know how to use a computer but is willing to learn if we elect him", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-08-12_07:20:40", "killed": false, "user_key": "be1c2be19f6bd63370c0886276f07705", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}, "1790335": {"up_voted": false, "ip": "", "has_replies": false, "message": "There are a number of things wrong with Feith's post hoc justification of the invasions and explanation of why \"If only they had taken my advise, all would have been well\"  Webrand actually highlights these flaws in his attempted defense of Feith.<br><br>1) The Adminstration SAID it was invading because there were weapons of mass destruction.  It never said it was invading because there were materials from which Iraq could make weapons of mass destruction and give them to our enemies.  Why didn't we say that before the invasion, instead of making this claim only when our public claims proved to be completely and utterly false?<br><br>2) If we invaded because we feared that Saddam was about to give WMD to terrorists, how could the brief invasion now claimed by Feith prevent that?  The reason we had long supported Saddam was that he was surpressing the anti-American Shiite majority.  In the absence of occupying American troops, no government friendly to the US can govern Iraq.  If and when we leave, there will be a terrorist--friendly government (probably allied with Iran) in Iraq.  This government will be motivated to help terrorists.<br><br>3) Consistent with #2, Feith admits that creating a democracy in Iraq was not the goal.  However, contrary to Feith's claim, democracy was not a hoped-for \"ancillary benefit\".  The US has long supported undemocratic governments in Epypt and Saudi Arabia because democratically-elected governments in these countries would be anti-American.  We supported Saddam for this same reason and the Shah of Iran as well. (No one would describe the current Iran as a functioning democracy, but its government is more reflective of popular sentiment than are the governments of most of our allies in the Middle East and much more so than the Shah's brutal dictatorship which we strongly supported for many years.) Since our invasion of Iraq, it is well documented that we have attempted, through a variety of means, to influence the elections in that country in ways which, if some country attempted to do to us, would end diplomatic relations.<br><br>4) Feith and Webrand's argument that a similar plan in Afghanistan was a \"success\" is quite revealing.  Like Iraq, we claimed that we invaded Afghanistran because our \"negotiations\" with their government failed to get us what we wanted--in this case, having Osama bin Laden and the rest of his criminal gang turned over to us.  Of course, these negotiation were preposterous since, despite years of occupation, WE have not been able to capture or kill Osama or most of his followers.  If we couldn't do this over a period of years, how did we expect the Afghanistan government to do so in the short time we gave them?  In good faith negotiations, you ask the other side to do something that they actually have the power to do.<br><br>5)Since our invasion, many (most?) things in Afghanistan has gotten worse.  For example, prior to our invastion, the Taliban had virtually eliminated the poppy/opium business.  Now they have reversed course and are using it to support their insurgency. It is the largest cash crop.  If our invasion of Afghanistan was such a success, then why are we still there and why are both presidential candidates arguing that we have to send more troops? (Obama and others have suggested that we could have succeeded in Afghanistan if only we hadn't pulled resources out in order to invade Iraq.  Whatever its merits, I don't suppose Feith will be making this argument.)<br><br>6) Well there is an answer to all of these questions.  The goal of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq was long-term American control of these countries.  While a brief invasion could not prevent the creation of a terrorist-friendly government in Iraq, long-term occupation might.  Similarly, the surge can be viewed as a success if the goal was to reduce the insurgency to the point that Americans would stop complaining about the loss of American life and put up with the (hopefully reduced) costs of a permanent occupying force.<br><br>7) The Bush Administration has long claimed that we should ignore sentimentaly rhetoric and claims of good intentions and deal with the harsh realities of the world as they really are.  Now that their policies have made all of those realities worse, they are writing books like Feith's in which they beg us to judge them on their good intentions.  They meant well.  Unfortunately, for Feith and his friends, there is little evidence that anyone in the Bush administration meant well.", "is_last_child": false, "can_reply": true, "down_voted": false, "real_date": "2008-08-01_10:10:56", "killed": false, "user_key": "7cbc5af64916e6d46c94d3e1c363be3f", "has_been_anonymized": false, "edited": false, "author_is_moderator": false, "from_request_user": null, "votable": true, "date": "1 year ago", "approved": true, "num_replies": 0, "is_first_child": false, "email": "", "parent_post_id": null, "depth": 0, "points": 0, "author_is_creator": false, "is_realtime": false}}, "integration": {"receiver_url": "", "theme": 1, "reply_position": false, "disqus_logo": false}, "timer": {"timer_url": "http://localhost:8005", "thread_id": "3620861", "user_id": "anonymous", "forum_id": "34441", "hash": 9132032973223212775}, "thread": {"days_alive": 0, "slug": "the_return_of_the_neocons", "paginate": true, "num_pages": 1, "num_posts": 28, "per_page": 50, "total_posts": 28, "realtime_paused": true, "id": 3620861, "queued": false}, "reactions_limit": 10, "context": {"show_reply": true, "use_fb_connect": false, "forum_facebook_key": "", "use_yahoo": false, "subscribed": false, "use_twitter_signin": false, "use_openid": false, "realtime_speed": 5000}, "reactions_start": 0, "settings": {"debug": false, "disqus_url": "http://disqus.com", "media_url": "http://media.disqus.com"}, "media_url": "http://media.disqus.com"};
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/**
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Dsq.FmtStrings = new function() {
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Dsq.CSRF_TOKEN = '4f0bfca82e06c976a1efdd7c783a5fd0';
Dsq.COMMENTS_RE = /(<li.*?id="?dsq-comment-(\d+)"?.*?>)((?:.|\s)*?)(<\/li>)/gim;
Dsq.POST_RE = /(<div.*?id="?dsq-comment-header-(\d+)"?.*?>)((?:.|\s)*?)(<\/div>)\s*(<div.*?class="?dsq-comment-body"?.*?>)((?:.|\s)*)(<\/div>)/gim;
Dsq.POST_BODY_RE = /\s*(<div.*?id="?dsq-comment-message-(\d+)"?.*?>)((?:.|\s)*)(<\/div>)/gim;
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Dsq.MEDIA_POST_RE = /&lt;!--\[(.*?)\]--(?:>|&gt;)/gim;



// TODO: It might be faster to use string methods to find all <li (...) </li> blocks and pass to Dsq.PostHandler manually.
Dsq.CommentsHandler = function(str, head, post_id, content, tail, offset, s) {
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Dsq.PostBodyHandler = function(str, head, post_id, content, tail, offset, s) {
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Dsq.$ = function(element) { return document.getElementById(element); };
Dsq.$b = document.body || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0];


/**
 * Dsq.Debug: Logging functions.
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Dsq.Debug = new function() {this.log=function(s){};this.profile=function(f){if(typeof f == 'function')return f();else return eval(f);};};


/**
 * Dsq.Urls: URL paths
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Dsq.Urls = new function() {
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// Dsq.Urls

/**
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Dsq.Validators = new function() {
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};

/**
 * Dsq.Utils: Generic utility functions.
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Dsq.Utils = new function() {
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			instance.attachEvent("on" + eventName, listenerFn);
		} else {
			throw new Error("Event registration not supported");
		}
		return {
			instance: instance,
			name: eventName,
			listener: listenerFn
		};
	};

	this.removeEventListener = function(event) {
		var instance = event.instance;
		if (instance.removeEventListener) {
			instance.removeEventListener(event.name, event.listener, false);
		} else if (instance.detachEvent) {
			instance.detachEvent("on" + event.name, event.listener);
		}
	};

	this.fixIframesIE = function(id) {
		var disqusThread = Dsq.$(disqus_container_id);
		var iframes = disqusThread.getElementsByTagName('iframe');

		if(id) {
			var container = Dsq.$(id);
		} else {
			var container = Dsq.$('dsq-content');
		}

		for(i = 0; i < iframes.length; i++) {
			if (container) {
				iframes[i].style.width = container.offsetWidth;
			}
		}
	};

	this.getElementsByClassName = function(oElm, strTagName, strClassName) {
	/* Credit: Jonathan Snook [http://www.snook.ca/jonathan], Robert Nyman [http://www.robertnyman.com] */
		var arrElements = (strTagName == "*" && oElm.all)? oElm.all : oElm.getElementsByTagName(strTagName);
		var arrReturnElements = new Array();
		strClassName = strClassName.replace(/\-/g, "\\-");
		var oRegExp = new RegExp("(^|\\s)" + strClassName + "(\\s|$)");
		var oElement;
		for(var i = 0; i < arrElements.length; i++) {
			oElement = arrElements[i];
			if(oRegExp.test(oElement.className)) {
				arrReturnElements.push(oElement);
			}
		}
		return (arrReturnElements);
	};

	this.postToUrl = function(url, post_data, opt_redirect) {
		var form = document.createElement('form');
		var iframe_container = document.createElement('div');
		var id = 'dsq-temp-iframe-' + (new Date()).getTime();

		form.method = 'POST';
		form.action = url;
		if (!opt_redirect) {
			form.target = id;
		}
		iframe_container.innerHTML = '<iframe style="display:none" name="' + id + '" id="' + id + '"></iframe>';

		for(var key in post_data) {
			if(post_data.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
				var input = document.createElement('input');
				input.name = key;
				input.type = 'hidden';
				input.value = post_data[key];

				form.appendChild(input);
			}
		}

		Dsq.$b.appendChild(iframe_container);
		Dsq.$b.appendChild(form);
		form.submit();
	};

	// Strips integer id from id of element in the form ('some-id-###')
	this.extractId = function(e) {
		var chunks = e.id.split('-');
		if(chunks.length <= 1) {
			return 0;
		} else {
			return parseInt(chunks[chunks.length-1]);
		}
	};

	this.getStyle = function(el, styleProp) {
		if(el.currentStyle) {
			var y = el.currentStyle[styleProp];
		} else if(window.getComputedStyle) {
			var y = document.defaultView.getComputedStyle(el, null).getPropertyValue(styleProp);
		}

		if(y == 'transparent' || y == '') {
			this.getStyle(el.parentNode, styleProp);
		} else {
			return y;
		}
	};

	this.execScript = function(url, append_qs, container) {
		var script = document.createElement('script');
		append_qs = typeof append_qs == 'undefined' ? true : append_qs;
		container = container || Dsq.container;

		if(append_qs) {
			var j = (url.indexOf('?') >= 0) ? '&' : '?';
			url += j + (new Date()).getTime();
		}
		script.type = 'text/javascript';
		script.charset = 'UTF-8';
		script.src = url;
		container.appendChild(script);
		return script;
	};

	this.pluralize = function(num, singular, plural) {
		return (num != 1) ? plural || 's' : singular || '';
	};

	this.getRequestParams = function(queryString /* optional */) {
		var pairs, tuple;
		var params = {};

		queryString = queryString || window.location.search.substring(1);
		pairs = queryString.split('&');

		for (var i = 0, pair; pair = pairs[i]; i++) {
			tuple = pair.split('=');
			params[tuple[0]] = (tuple[1] || true);
		}

		return params;
	};

	this.addCssRule = function(selector, styleText, index) {
		var stylesheet;
		index = index || 0;

		if(!this._styleSheet) {
			var styleEl = document.createElement('style');
			document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(styleEl);
			this._styleSheet = styleEl.sheet;
			if(!this._styleSheet) {
				// IE does not like our newly created stylesheet.
				this._styleSheet = document.styleSheets[document.styleSheets.length-1];
			}
		}
		stylesheet = this._styleSheet;

		if(stylesheet.insertRule) {
			var ruleText = selector + ' { ' + styleText + ' }';
			if(index == -1) {
				index = stylesheet.cssRules.length;
			}
			stylesheet.insertRule(ruleText, index);
		} else if(stylesheet.addRule) {
			stylesheet.addRule(selector, styleText, index);
		}
	};

	this.forEachIn = function(obj, callback) {
		for(var key in obj) {
			if(obj.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
				callback(key, obj[key]);
			}
		}
	};

	this._interpolateGlobalContext = {
		// values that get used a lot and are global to the request
		'profile_url': Dsq.Urls.REQUEST_USER_PROFILE,

		'disqus_url': Dsq.jsonData.settings.disqus_url,
		'media_url': Dsq.jsonData.settings.media_url,
		'request_username': Dsq.jsonData.request.username,
		'request_display_username': Dsq.jsonData.request.display_username,
		'forum_name': Dsq.jsonData.forum.name
	};

	this.renderFromContextStack = function(key, contexts) {
		// Returns the first instance of `key` in the array of objects `contexts` or else ''
		for (var i=0; i<contexts.length; i++) {
			if (contexts[i][key] !== undefined) {
				return String(contexts[i][key]);
			}
		}
		throw new Error('key ' + key + ' not found in context');
	};

	var that = this;
	this.interpolate = function(fmt, opt_localContext) {
		// Interpolate `fmt` named-format string with an assumed global context.
		// Based on `interpolate` in django.views.i18n
		var contextStack = [opt_localContext || {}, that._interpolateGlobalContext];
		return fmt.replace(/%\(\w+\)s/g, function(match){
			return that.renderFromContextStack(match.slice(2,-2), contextStack);
		});
	};

	this.stripTags = function(s) {
		// Removes HTML tags from `s`
		return s.replace(/(<([^>]+)>)/g,"");

	};

	this.assert = function(b) {
		if (!b) {
			throw new Error('Assertion error.');
		}
	};

};
// Dsq.Utils

/**
 * Dsq.Popup: Popup helper functions.
 */
Dsq.Popup = new function() {
	this.timeHide = new Array();
	this.timeShow = new Array();
	this.activePopup = {};
	this.profileCache = {};
	this.statusCache = {};

	this.showTimer = function(post_id) {
		// clear the hide timer
		clearTimeout(this.timeHide[post_id]);

		// start the timer
		if(!Dsq.Popup.profileIsOn && !Dsq.Thread.adminIsOn) {
			this.timeShow[post_id] = setTimeout("Dsq.Popup.popProfile(\"" + post_id + "\")", 400);
		}
	};

	this.hideTimer = function(post_id) {
		// clear the show timer
		clearTimeout(this.timeShow[post_id]);
	};

	this.updateProfile = function(username) {
		// Callback from /embed/profile.js
		if (this.statusCache[username]) {
			var statusEl = Dsq.$('dsq-profile-status-' + username);
			statusEl.innerHTML = this.statusCache[username];
			statusEl.style.display = 'block';
		}

		if (this.profileCache[username]) {
			var _cache = this.profileCache[username];

			var _genhtml = function(text) { return '<span><big>' + text + '</big></span>'; };
			var _no_comments = _genhtml(Dsq.FmtStrings.NUMBER_OF_COMMENTS(_cache.comments_count));
			var _no_likes = _genhtml(Dsq.FmtStrings.NUMBER_OF_LIKES(_cache.likes_count));
			var _no_points = _genhtml(Dsq.FmtStrings.NUMBER_OF_POINTS(_cache.points));

			var statsEl = Dsq.$('dsq-popup-profile-user-stats-' + username);
			statsEl.innerHTML = '';

			if (Dsq.jsonData.users[username].registered) {
				statsEl.innerHTML = _no_comments + _no_likes;
			}
			statsEl.innerHTML += _no_points;

			var activeSites = '';
			for (var i = 0; i < _cache.active_sites.length; i++) {
				var site = _cache.active_sites[i];
				activeSites += '<li><a href="' + site.url + '"> \
					<img src="' + site.favicon + '"/ width="16" height="16"/></a>\
					<a href="' + site.url + '">' + site.name + '</a></li>';
			}
			if (activeSites !== '') {
				Dsq.$('dsq-popup-profile-active-sites-' + username).innerHTML = activeSites;
			} else {
				Dsq.$('dsq-popup-profile-active-sites-' + username).innerHTML = 'This site.';
			}

			var moderatedSites = '';
			for (var i = 0; i < _cache.moderated_sites.length; i++) {
				var site = _cache.moderated_sites[i];
				moderatedSites += '<li><a href="' + site.url + '"> \
					<img src="' + site.favicon + '"/ width="16" height="16"/></a>\
					<a href="' + site.url + '">' + site.name + '</a></li>';
			}
			if (moderatedSites !== '') {
				Dsq.$('dsq-popup-profile-moderated-' + username).innerHTML = moderatedSites;
			} else {
				Dsq.$('dsq-popup-profile-moderated-wrapper-' + username).innerHTML = '';
			}
		}

		// Reposition popup after full HTML is rendered
		if(Dsq.Popup.activePopup && Dsq.Popup.activePopup.el) {
			Dsq.Popup.initPopup(Dsq.Popup.activePopup.el, Dsq.Popup.activePopup.id, Dsq.Popup.activePopup.type);
		}

	};

	this.showCookieMsgs = function() {
		var title = '';
		var message = '';
		var numAlerts = 0;

		Dsq.Utils.forEachIn(Dsq.jsonData.cookie_messages, function(k, v) {
			if (!v) return;

			switch(k) {
				// Cookie: Twitter
				case 'post_twitter':
					if (v === 'error') {
						title = 'Twitter Error!';
						message += '<li id="dsq-msg-twitter-error">Oops, we couldn\'t tweet this comment. Please check your <a href="http://disqus.com/account/services">account settings</a>.</li>';
					} else {
						var _msg = v.split(':');
						title = 'Tweeted!';
						message += '<li id="dsq-msg-twitter-success">Your comment was successfully tweeted. <a href="http://twitter.com/' + _msg[0] + '/status/' + _msg[1] + '">Click here to view the tweet</a>.</li>';
					}
					break;
				// Cookie: Unapproved Post
				case 'post_not_approved':
					title = 'Comment awaiting approval by a moderator';
					message += '<li id="dsq-msg-post-not-approved">Your comment must be approved by a moderator before appearing here.</li>';
					break;
				// Cookie: Profile Found
				case 'post_has_profile':
					title = 'Use your existing commenter profile';
					message += '<li id="dsq-msg-post-has-profile">You have just posted your commment as a <span class="dsq-badge-guest">Guest</span>, but you may already have a <span class="logo-disqus">Disqus</span> Profile.<br /><br /><a href="http://disqus.com/claim">Log in and claim this comment!</a></li>';
					break;
				case 'user_created':
					var _data = v.split(':');
					title = 'Profile created!';
					message += '<li id="dsq-msg-user-created">You have just created a <span class="logo-disqus">Disqus</span> Profile, the best way to claim, manage, and track your comments all over the web. \
					<br /><br />A confirmation is being sent to <strong>' + _data[1] + '</strong>. Please check for this email in order to verify your profile. \
					<ul class="dsq-list-tick"> \
						<li>Your username is <strong>' + _data[0] +'</strong>. <a href="http://disqus.com/people/' + _data[0] + '/" target="_blank">Click here to view your public profile</a>.</li> \
						<li>Be sure to set your profile picture, as well as connect your <span class="dsq-badge-facebook">Facebook</span> and <span class="dsq-badge-twitter">Twitter</span> accounts. <a href="http://disqus.com/account/" target="_blank">Click here for account settings</a>.</li> \
					</ul> \
					</li>'
					break;
				default:
					break;
			}
			numAlerts++;
		});

		if(numAlerts > 1) {
			message = '<ul class="dsq-list-bluebullet">' + message;
			message += '</ul>';
			title = 'Thanks for posting!';
		}
		if(numAlerts > 0) {
			if(typeof(disqus_cookie_msgs) == 'function') {
				disqus_cookie_msgs(message, title);
			} else {
				Dsq.Popup.popModal(message, title);
			}
		}
	};

	this.helpBadges = function(post_id) {
		var html = ' \
			<ul class="dsq-popup-help"> \
				<li><span class="dsq-badge dsq-badge-verified">Verified</span> has a <span class="logo-disqus">Disqus</span> Profile with a confirmed email address.</li> \
				<li><span class="dsq-badge dsq-badge-registered">Registered</span> has a <span class="logo-disqus">Disqus</span> Profile, but has not yet confirmed his or her email address.</li> \
				<li><span class="dsq-badge dsq-badge-guest">Guest</span> is not logged in with any account and has not claimed his or her comments.</li> \
				<li class="dsq-help-otheraccts">Other accounts</li> \
				<li><span class="dsq-badge dsq-badge-facebook">Facebook</span> is using his or her Facebook profile via Facebook Connect.</li> \
				<li><span class="dsq-badge dsq-badge-twitter">Twitter</span> is using his or her Twitter profile via Twitter Sign-in.</li> \
				<li><span class="dsq-badge dsq-badge-openid">OpenID</span> is using his or her OpenID.</li> \
			</ul> \
		';

		this.popModal(html, 'Help: Types of Commenters', post_id);
		return;
	};

	this.permalink = function(post_id) {
		var header = 'Link to this comment';
		var body = '<strong>You are anchored to</strong>:<br />' + document.location.protocol + '//' + document.location.host + document.location.pathname + document.location.search + '#comment-' + post_id;

		this.popModal(body, header, post_id);
	};

	this.login = function(header, body) {
		var h = header || 'Login or Register';
		var b = body || '';
		b += Dsq.Templates.frameLogin({id: 'dsq-popup-login'});
		b += '</iframe>'; // HACK: Sometimes there is something funky with the IFRAME SRC that causes no end tag
		this.popModal(b, h, null, true, 'dsq-popup-login');
	};

	this.blacklist = function(id) {
		var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[id];
		var userData = Dsq.jsonData['users'][_meta.user_key];
		var title = 'Add to Blacklist';
		var message = ' \
		Adding this person to the blacklist will block him or her from commenting on this site. Check the following types that you would like to add to the blacklist:'
		+ (userData['registered'] ?
			'<div class="dsq-blacklist-option"> \
				<input id="dsq-blacklist-username" type="checkbox" checked> \
				<label for="dsq-blacklist-username"><strong>Username</strong>: ' + userData['username'] + '</label> \
			</div>'
			: '')
		+ (_meta.email ?
			'<div class="dsq-blacklist-option"> \
				<input id="dsq-blacklist-email" type="checkbox" checked> \
				<label for="dsq-blacklist-email"><strong>Email address</strong>: ' + _meta.email + '</label> \
			</div>'
			: '')
		+ '<div class="dsq-blacklist-option"> \
			<input id="dsq-blacklist-ip" type="checkbox" onclick="Dsq.$(\'dsq-blacklist-ip-warning\').style.display=\'block\'"> \
			<label for="dsq-blacklist-ip"><strong>IP address</strong>: ' + _meta.ip + '</label> \
		</div> \
		';

		message += ' \
			<p id="dsq-blacklist-ip-warning" style="display:none">	\
				Note: Blocking this person\'s IP address may also unintentionally prevent others, who share his/her IP address, from commenting on this site. \
				This may include people who are sharing the same computer, living in the same house, or using the same Internet provider. Only block an IP address as a last resort. \
			</p> \
		';

		message += ' \
			<p style="text-align:center"><button onclick="Dsq.Post.blockUser(' + id + '); this.disabled=true; this.innerHTML=\'Just one moment...\'">Add to Blacklist</button></p> \
		';

		Dsq.Popup.popModal(message, title);
	};

	this.remoteAccountSettings = function() {
		var body = '';
		// Set up IFrame.
		var params = {};
		var base_url = 'http://disqus.com/forums/washingtonindependent/_auth/embed/remote_settings/';
		var attributes = {id: 'dsq-popup-account-settings'};
		if (typeof disqus_frame_theme != 'undefined') {
			params['theme'] = disqus_frame_theme;
		}

		body = Dsq.Templates._frameGeneric(base_url, params, attributes);
		this.popModal(body, 'Account Settings', null, true, 'dsq-popup-account-settings');
	};

	this.popModal = function(message, title, post_id, use_listener, extra_classes) {
		var container = document.createElement('div');
		var header, body;

		Dsq.Popup._closePopup(null, true);

		if(typeof(title) == 'undefined') { title = ''; }
		if(typeof(use_listener) == 'undefined') { use_listener = true; }

		if(post_id) {
			container.id = 'dsq-popup-message-' + post_id;
		} else {
			container.id = 'dsq-popup-message';
		}

		header = title;
		body = message;

		container.innerHTML = Dsq.Templates.popupModal(header, body);
		Dsq.Popup.initPopup(container, post_id, 'message', extra_classes);
		if(use_listener) {
			Dsq.Popup.popupListener = Dsq.Utils.addEventListener(document, 'mouseup', Dsq.Popup._closePopup);
		}
	};

	this.popAlert = this.popModal;

	this.loading = function(post_id) {
		var title = Dsq.Strings.JUST_A_MOMENT;
		var body = '<div style="text-align:center; padding: 5px 0 10px 0"><img src="http://media.disqus.com/images/loading.gif" alt="" /></div>'
		Dsq.Popup.lightbox(body, title, post_id);
	};

	this.lightbox = function(message, title, post_id) {
		// Wraps Dsq.Popup.popModal

		var overlay = document.createElement('div');
		overlay.id = 'dsq-overlay';
		overlay.className = 'dsq-overlay';
		Dsq.$b.appendChild(overlay);
		
		Dsq.Popup.popModal(message, title, post_id, false, 'dsq-lightbox');
	};

	this.popProfile = function(post_id, userKey) {
		var post = Dsq.jsonData['posts'][post_id];
		if (post && post.has_been_anonymized) {
			Dsq.Popup.popModal('This message was anonymized by its previous owner.', 'Anonymized', post_id);
			return;
		}

		if(post_id) {
			userKey = Dsq.jsonData['posts'][post_id].user_key;	
		}
		var userData = Dsq.jsonData['users'][userKey];
		var elId = 'dsq-popup-profile-' + userKey;
		var container = document.createElement('div');

		if(this.activePopup.el) {
			this._closePopup(null, true);
			if(this.activePopup.linkClicked) {
				this.activePopup.linkClicked = false;
				return;
			}
		}

		container.id = elId;
		container.innerHTML = Dsq.Templates.popupProfile(userKey);

		this.initPopup(container, post_id, 'profile');
		this.popupListener = Dsq.Utils.addEventListener(document, 'mouseup', this._closePopup);

		if(!this.profileCache[userKey]) {
			Dsq.Utils.execScript('http://disqus.com/embed/profile.js'
				+ '?username=' + userKey
				+ '&anon=' + (userData['registered'] ? 0 : 1)
				+ '&f=' + Dsq.jsonData['request'].forum);
		} else {
			this.updateProfile(userKey);
		}
	};

	this._closePopup = function(e, force) {
		var activePopup = Dsq.Popup.activePopup.el;
		var id = Dsq.Popup.activePopup.id;
		var link = 'dsq-avatar-' + id; // HACK: Specific to profile toggle target

		// HACK: This event should be gone if there is no active popup.
		if(!activePopup) {
			return;
		}
		if(force || !Dsq.Popup.isClicked(e, activePopup.id)) {
			// TODO: This is breaking iE?
			if(Dsq.Popup.popupListener) {
				Dsq.Utils.removeEventListener(Dsq.Popup.popupListener);
			}
			
			// Kill overlay
			var overlay = Dsq.$('dsq-overlay');
			if(overlay) { Dsq.Utils.deleteNode(overlay); }
			
			try {
				Dsq.Utils.deleteNode(activePopup);
			} catch(e) {
				// HACK: IE6 throws an error when using deleteNode() with a node containing a <table> in the html.
				activePopup.parentNode.removeChild(activePopup);
			}
			Dsq.Popup.activePopup = {};
		}

		if(!force && Dsq.Popup.isClicked(e, link)) {
 			Dsq.Popup.activePopup.linkClicked = true;
		}

	};

	this.initPopup = function(popup, post_id, type, extra_classes) {
		popup.className = 'dsq-popup dsq-popup-' + type + ' ' + (extra_classes ? extra_classes : '');
		if(Dsq.Utils.ie6 || Dsq.Utils.ie7) {
			// HACK: We can't modify the body before it's ready, so we need
			//       to use an IE-safe "DOMReady" workaround before loading
			//       our popup.
			Dsq.Utils.execOnReady(function() {Dsq.$b.appendChild(popup); });
		} else {
			Dsq.$b.appendChild(popup);
		}

		popup.style.display = 'block';

		var xPos = (Dsq.Utils.getWindowSize()[0] - popup.offsetWidth) / 2;
		var yPos = (Dsq.Utils.getWindowSize()[1] - popup.offsetHeight) / 2;

		if(Dsq.Utils.ie6) {
			yPos += Dsq.Utils.getScrollPos()[1];
		}

		popup.style.left = xPos + 'px';
		popup.style.top = yPos + 'px';

		Dsq.Popup.activePopup = {
			'el' : popup,
			'id' : post_id,
			'type': type,
			'linkClicked' : false
		};
	};

	this.isClicked = function(e, id) {
		var t = e.target || e.srcElement;
		while(t && t.parentNode) {
			if(t.id == id) {
				return true;
			}

			t = t.parentNode;
		}
		return false;
	};
};
// Dsq.Popup

/**
 * Dsq.Templates
 */
Dsq.Templates = new function() {
	/*
	 * Counter keeping track of the number of posts iterated over.
	 */
	this.postLoopCounter = 0;
	this.filters = {};
	this.addPostContainer = 'dsq-post-add';
	this.textareaContainer = 'dsq-post-add';

	this.registerTemplate = function(name, func) {
		this['$$_' + name] = func;

		if(typeof DsqLocal.Filters != 'undefined'
		&& typeof DsqLocal.Filters[name] == 'function') {
			// Push filters to this.filters to unify code.
			this.filters[name] = this.filters[name] || [];
			this.filters[name].push(DsqLocal.Filters[name]);
		}

		this[name] = function() {
			var ret;

			if(typeof DsqLocal.Templates != 'undefined'
			&& typeof DsqLocal.Templates[name] == 'function') {
				ret = DsqLocal.Templates[name].apply(this, arguments);
			}

			if(ret === undefined) {
				ret = this['$$_' + name].apply(this, arguments);
			}

			if(this.filters[name]) {
				var args = [ret];

				args.push.apply(args, arguments);
				for(var i = 0; i < this.filters[name].length; i++) {
					ret = this.filters[name][i].apply(this, args);
				}
			}

			return ret;
		};
	};

	this.registerFilter = function(name, func) {
		this.filters[name] = this.filters[name] || [];
		this.filters[name].push(func);
	};

	/**
	 * Dsq.Templates.Filters
	 */
	this.Filters = new function() {
		this.commentContainer = function(post_id, s) {
			var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id];
			var classes = [];
			if(Dsq.jsonData.request.page > 1) {
				classes.push('dsq-append');
			}

			//
			// Extra classes used for custom themes
			//

			if(_meta.depth) {
				classes.push('dsq-comment-child', 'dsq-depth-' + _meta.depth, 'dsq-parent-is-' + _meta.parent_post_id);
			}


			//

			if(_meta.author_is_creator) {
				// TODO: We need to deprecate the "special" class since it is not properly prefixed.
				classes.push('special', 'dsq-special');
			}
			if(_meta.author_is_moderator) {
				classes.push('dsq-moderator');
			}
			classes.push(['dsq-odd', 'dsq-even'][Dsq.Templates.postLoopCounter % 2]);

			s = s.substring(0, s.lastIndexOf('>'));
			return s + ' class="dsq-comment ' + classes.join(' ') + '" style="margin-left:' + _meta.depth*30 + 'px">';
		};

		this.commentContent = function(post_id, s) {
			var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id];
			if (_meta.killed) {
				return '<em>Comment removed.</em>';
			} else if (!_meta.approved) {
				return '<em>This comment was flagged for review.</em>';
			}

			s = s.replace(Dsq.MEDIA_POST_RE, Dsq.MediaPostHandler);
			return s;
		};
	};

	//
	// Thread
	//
	// TODO: These need to be stripped of all Django template tags.

	this.authPost = function() {
		if (!Dsq.jsonData.context.show_reply) {
			return '';
		}
		var result = [];
		result = result.concat([
				'<div id="dsq-auth"',
						Dsq.jsonData.integration.reply_position ? 'class="dsq-auth-bottom"' : '',
						'>',
					'<div class="dsq-by">',
						'<a href="http://disqus.com" target="_blank">',
							(Dsq.jsonData.integration.disqus_logo ?
								Dsq.Utils.interpolate('<img src="%(media_url)s/images/embed/by-disqus.png" alt="discussion by DISQUS">') :
								Dsq.Utils.interpolate('<img src="%(media_url)s/images/embed/dsq-button-120x19.png" alt="discussion by DISQUS">')
							),
						'</a>',
					'</div>',
					'<div class="dsq-auth-header">',
						'<h3 id="dsq-add-new-comment" class="dsq-h3-addcomment">',
								Dsq.Strings.ADD_NEW_COMMENT,
						'</h3>',
						'<div id="dsq-login">',
						(!Dsq.jsonData.request.is_authenticated && Dsq.jsonData.forum.allow_anon_post
								? '<p class="dsq-login-message" id="dsq-login-message">You are commenting as a <a class="dsq-help" title="Click for more information" href="#" onclick="Dsq.Popup.helpBadges(); return false">Guest</a>. You may log into:</p>'
								: '')
		]);
		if (!Dsq.jsonData.request.is_authenticated) {
			result = result.concat([
							Dsq.Utils.interpolate(
								'<a id="dsq-login-toggle" href="%(disqus_url)s%(login_url)s?next=article:%(thread_id)s" onclick="Dsq.Popup.login(); return false"><img class="dsq-login-icon" src="%(media_url)s/images/dsq-profile-btn.png" title="%(log_into)s" alt="%(log_into)s"/></a>',
								{login_url: Dsq.Urls.LOGIN, thread_id: Dsq.jsonData.thread.id, log_into: Dsq.Strings.LOG_INTO_DISQUS}
								),
							'&nbsp; ',
							(Dsq.jsonData.context.use_fb_connect ?
								'<div id="dsq-fbc-login" onlogin="DisqusFbcParentController.onLogin()" size="medium" background="light" length="short" style="display:inline; margin-right:7px"></div>' :
								''
							),
							(Dsq.jsonData.context.use_twitter_signin ?
								Dsq.Utils.interpolate(
									'<div id="dsq-twitter-login" class="dsq-twitter-login" onclick="Dsq.Twitter.startTwitterConnect();" style="display:inline; cursor: pointer"><img src="%(media_url)s/images/twitter-signin-short.png" style="margin-right:7px" /></div>', {}) : ''),
							(Dsq.jsonData.context.use_openid ?
								Dsq.Utils.interpolate(
									'<div id="dsq-openid-login" class="dsq-openid-login" onclick="Dsq.OpenID.requestURL();" style="display:inline; cursor:pointer;"><img src="%(media_url)s/images/openid-login-button.png"/></div>', {}
								) : '')
			]);
		}
		result = result.concat([
						'</div>', // dsq-login
					'</div>', // dsq-auth-header
					'<div id="dsq-authenticated" class="dsq-authenticated" ',
						Dsq.jsonData.request.is_authenticated ? 'style="display:block"' : '',
						'>',
						'<div class="dsq-authenticated-pic">',
								Dsq.Utils.interpolate('<a href="%(url)s" title="%(request_display_username)s">' +
																			'<img class="dsq-post-avatar" src="%(avatar_url)s" alt="" /></a>',
																			{avatar_url: Dsq.Urls.REQUEST_USER_AVATAR,
																			url: (Dsq.jsonData.request.is_remote
																					 ? Dsq.jsonData.request.url
																					 : Dsq.jsonData.settings.disqus_url + Dsq.Urls.REQUEST_USER_PROFILE) }),
						'</div>',
						'<div class="dsq-authenticated-info">',
							'<ul>',
								'<li>',
									(Dsq.jsonData.request.is_remote
										? Dsq.FmtStrings.LOGGED_IN_AS(
												Dsq.Utils.interpolate('<a href="%(url)s" title="%(request_display_username)s">%(request_display_username)s</a>', {url:Dsq.jsonData.request.url})
										  )
										: Dsq.FmtStrings.LOGGED_IN_AS(
												Dsq.Utils.interpolate('<a href="%(disqus_url)s%(profile_url)s" title="%(request_display_username)s">%(request_display_username)s</a>')
											)
									),
								'</li>',
								'<li class="logout">',
									(!Dsq.jsonData.request.is_remote
										? Dsq.Utils.interpolate('<img class="dsq-login-icon" src="%(media_url)s/images/dsqicon12.png" alt="%(logged_in_as)s"/>&nbsp',
											{logged_in_as: Dsq.FmtStrings.LOGGED_IN_AS(Dsq.jsonData.request.display_username)})
										: ''),

									(!Dsq.jsonData.request.is_remote
										? Dsq.Utils.interpolate('<a href="%(disqus_url)s%(logout_url)s?ctkn=%(csrf_token)s" title="%(logout_from_disqus)s">',
											{logout_url: Dsq.Urls.LOGOUT, csrf_token: Dsq.CSRF_TOKEN, logout_from_disqus: Dsq.FmtStrings.LOGOUT_FROM('DISQUS')})
										: ((Dsq.jsonData.request.remote_domain == 'twitter')
												? Dsq.Utils.interpolate('using Twitter (<a href="%(disqus_url)s%(logout_url)s?ctkn=%(csrf_token)s" title="Logout">Logout</a>)',
												 {logout_url: Dsq.Urls.LOGOUT, csrf_token: Dsq.CSRF_TOKEN})
												: ((Dsq.jsonData.request.remote_domain == 'openid')
													 ? Dsq.Utils.interpolate('using OpenID (<a href="%(disqus_url)s%(logout_url)s?ctkn=%(csrf_token)s" title="Logout">Logout</a>)',
													 {logout_url: Dsq.Urls.LOGOUT, csrf_token: Dsq.CSRF_TOKEN})
													 : ''
													)
											)
									),

									(!Dsq.jsonData.request.is_remote ? Dsq.FmtStrings.LOGOUT_FROM('<span class="logo-disqus">DISQUS</span>') : ''),
									'</a>',
								'</li>',
							'</ul>',
						'</div>',
					'</div>'
		]);
		if (Dsq.jsonData.context.use_fb_connect) {
			result = result.concat([
					'<div id="dsq-fbc-authenticated" class="dsq-authenticated">',
						'<div id="dsq-fbc-profilepic" class="dsq-authenticated-pic" uid="loggedinuser" type="FB.XFBML.ProfilePic" size="square" facebook-logo="true"></div>',
						'<div class="dsq-authenticated-info">',
							'<ul>',
								'<li>',
									'Logged in as <span id="dsq-fbc-name" uid="loggedinuser" type="FB.XFBML.Name" linked="true" useyou="false"></span>',
								'</li>',
								'<li class="logout">using Facebook Connect <a href="#" onclick="javascript:DisqusFbcParentController.logout();return false;">(Logout)</a></li>',
							'</ul>',
						'</div>',
					'</div>'
			]);
		}
		result = result.concat([
				'</div>', // dsq-auth
				'<div id="dsq-toolbar-items">',
				'</div>'
		]);
		result = result.concat([
					//
					//
					//
				((!Dsq.jsonData.forum.allow_anon_post && !Dsq.jsonData.request.is_authenticated) ?
					// Needs to be translated:
					('<p id="dsq-no-anon-msg">Required: Please log into <span class="logo-disqus">Disqus</span> ' +
					(Dsq.jsonData.context.use_fb_connect ? 'or connect with Facebook ' : '') +
					(Dsq.jsonData.context.use_twitter_signin ? 'or sign in with Twitter ' : '') +
					(Dsq.jsonData.context.use_openid ? 'or sign in using OpenID ' : '') +
					Dsq.Utils.interpolate('to comment on <strong>%(forum_name)s</strong>.</p>')) :
					''
				),
				'<div id="dsq-post-add"></div>',
				'<div style="margin:10px 0">',
				((Dsq.jsonData.forum.use_media) ?
						'<a href="#" id="dsq-media-link" onclick="Dsq.Post.showMenu(this, false, \'media\'); return false">' + Dsq.Strings.USE_MEDIA + ' <small>&#9660;</small></a>' :
						''),
				'</div>'
		]);
		return result.join('');
	};


	this.header = function() {

		var html = '\<h3 id="dsq-comments-count" class="dsq-h3-commentcount">\
	 Showing <span id="dsq-num-posts">28</span> of <span id="dsq-total-posts">28</span> Comments\
	 &nbsp;\
	 <span class="dsq-item-feed">\
	 <a href="http://disqus.com/forums/washingtonindependent/the_return_of_the_neocons/latest.rss"><img src="http://media.disqus.com/images/embed/bullet-feed.png"></a>\
	 </span>\
	 </h3>\
	 <div id="dsq-options" style="margin:15px 0">\
	 <span class="dsq-item-sort">\
	 Sort by\
	 <select id="dsq-sort-select" onchange="Dsq.Thread.sortBy(this.value);">\
	 <option value="hot" selected="selected">Popular now</option>\
	 <option value="best" >Best Rating</option>\
	 <option value="newest" >Newest first</option>\
	 <option value="oldest" >Oldest first</option>\
	 </select>\
	 &nbsp;\
	 </span>\
	 <span class="dsq-item-cp"><a href="http://disqus.com/forums/washingtonindependent/the_return_of_the_neocons/">Community Page</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>\
	 <span class="dsq-item-subscribe">\
	 <img src="http://media.disqus.com/images/embed/email.png" style="width:12px;height:12px;vertical-align:middle">\
	 <span id="dsq-subscribe">\
	 <a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Thread.subscribe(1); return false">Subscribe by email</a>\
	 </span>\
	 </span>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-alerts">\
	 </div>\
		';

		
			html = Dsq.Templates.authPost() + html;
		

		
		if (Dsq.jsonData.request.is_moderator) { 
			html = ' \
			<div class="dsq-alert-message dsq-upgrade-message"> \
				<strong>Disqus upgrade available.</strong> Hi ' + Dsq.jsonData.request.display_username + ', this message is being displayed to you because you are a moderator of this site. <a href="#" onclick="Dsq.$(\'dsq-upgrade-message\').style.display=\'block\';this.style.display=\'none\';return false">Click here for details.</a> \
				<div style="display:none; margin-top:10px;" id="dsq-upgrade-message"> \
					A new theme is available with added features. <a href="http://disqus.com/comments/settings/' + Dsq.jsonData.forum.url + '/?p=customize">To change your theme, click here</a> and choose the theme Narcissus. \
					If you do not upgrade, you are missing out on features such as: real-time commenting, new sign-in integrations, and an upgrade interface. \
					<strong>This message will automatically go away in one week.</strong> \
				</div> \
			</div> \
			' + html; 
		}
		return html;
	};

	this.footer = function() {
		var html = Dsq.Templates.pagination();

		

		html += Dsq.Templates.reactions();

		

		return html;
	};

	this.pagination = function() {
		var html = '';
		
		if (Dsq.$('dsq-pagination')) { Dsq.$('dsq-pagination').innerHTML = ''; }
		if (!Dsq.jsonData.thread.paginate) { return ''; }

		//
		// TODO: num_paginator still uses the template tag for pagination, 
		// 		while append_paginator does it all in JavaScript.
		//		This should all be in JavaScript.
		//

		if (Dsq.jsonData.thread.num_pages > 1 && Dsq.jsonData.request.page < Dsq.jsonData.thread.num_pages) {
			html = ' \<a class="dsq-paginate-append-text" href="#" onclick="Dsq.Thread.paginate(Dsq.jsonData.request.page + 1, this); return false">Show more comments...</a>\
	 <button class="dsq-button-small dsq-paginate-append-button" onclick="Dsq.Thread.paginate(Dsq.jsonData.request.page + 1, this);">Load more comments</button>\
			';
		}
		
		if (Dsq.$('dsq-pagination')) {
			Dsq.$('dsq-pagination').innerHTML = html;
			return '';
		} else {
			return '<div id="dsq-pagination" class="dsq-pagination">' + html + '</div>';
		}
	};

	this.trackbacks = function() {
		var html = '';

		if(typeof DsqLocal != 'undefined' && DsqLocal.trackback_url && DsqLocal.trackbacks) {
			var trackbacks = DsqLocal.trackbacks;
			var trackback_url = DsqLocal.trackback_url;
		} else {
			var trackbacks = [
			
			
			];
			var trackback_url = 'http://disqus.com/forums/washingtonindependent/the_return_of_the_neocons/trackback/';
		}

		html += '<div class="dsq-item-trackback">Trackback URL&nbsp;&nbsp;<input class="dsq-trackback-url" onclick="this.select()" readonly="true" value="' + trackback_url + '"></div>';

		if(trackbacks.length) {
			html += '<ul id="dsq-references">'
			for(var i = 0; i < trackbacks.length; i++) {
				var trackback = trackbacks[i];
				html += '<li><cite><a href="' + trackback.author_url + '" rel="nofollow">' + trackback.author_name + '</a></cite> \
						<p class="dsq-meta">' + trackback.date + '</p> \
						<p class="dsq-content">' + trackback.excerpt + '</p></li>';
			}
			html += '</ul>';
			html = '<h3 class="dsq-h3-trackbacks">Trackbacks</h3>' + html;
		}

		return html;
	}

	this.showRetweets = function(id, limit, element_id /* Optional */) {
		var source, html = '';

		for (var i = 0, reaction; reaction = Dsq.jsonData.reactions[i]; i++) {
			if (reaction.id === id) {
				source = reaction.retweets;
			}
		}

		if (source) {
			if (limit === 0) {
				limit = source.length;
			}

			for (var j = 0; j < limit; j++) {
				var rt = source[j];
				html += '<a href="' + rt.url + '">' + rt.author_name + '</a>'	+ ((j === (limit - 1)) ? '.' : ', ');
			}
		}

		if (element_id === undefined) {
			return html;
		}

		var element = document.getElementById(element_id);
		element.innerHTML = html;
		return element;
	};

	this.showMoreReactions = function(reactions, has_more, start, limit) {
		var link = document.getElementById('dsq-show-more-reactions');
		var container = link.parentNode;
		container.removeChild(link);

		for (var i = 0, reaction; reaction = reactions[i]; i++) {
			var el = Dsq.Templates.generateReactionHTML(reaction);
			if (el) {
				container.innerHTML += el;
			}
		}

		if (has_more) {
			var d = Dsq.jsonData.settings.disqus_url;
			var f = Dsq.jsonData.forum.url;
			var t = Dsq.jsonData.thread.id;
			var s = start;
			var l = limit;

			var handler = 'Dsq.Utils.execScript(\'' + d + '/forums/' + f + '/more_reactions.js?t=' + t + '&s=' + s + '&l=' + l + '\', true); return false;';
			container.innerHTML += '<li id="dsq-show-more-reactions"><a href="#" onclick="' + handler + '">Show more reactions</a></li>';
		}
	};

	this.generateReactionHTML = function(reaction) {
		if (reaction.body === null || reaction.body == '') {
			return;
		}

		if (reaction.author_name === '') {
			reaction.author_name = '&nbsp;';
		}

		if (reaction.url === '') {
			reaction.url = reaction.get_service_url;
		}

		/* Reaction HTML begins */
		var item = '<li class="dsq-reaction" id="dsq-reaction-' + reaction.id + '">'
			+ '<div class="dsq-reaction-header">'
			+ '<div class="dsq-header-avatar">';

		if (reaction.author_url && reaction.author_url !== '') {
			item += '<a target="_blank" href="' + reaction.author_url +'">';
		} else {
			item += '<a target="_blank" href="#" onclick="return false;">';
		}

		if (reaction.avatar_url && reaction.avatar_url !== '') {
			item += '<img src="' + reaction.avatar_url + '"/>';
		} else {
			item += '<img src="' + Dsq.jsonData.media_url + '/images/noavatar32.png"/>';
		}

		var service_icon = (reaction.get_service_name == 'trackback' || reaction.get_service_name == 'pingback' ? 'rss' : reaction.get_service_name.replace(' ', ''));
		item += '<img class="dsq-service-icon" src="' + Dsq.jsonData.media_url + '/images/reactions/services/' + service_icon + '.png"/>'
			+ '</a></div>'
			+ '<cite><span>' + reaction.author_name + '</span></cite>'
			+ '<span class="dsq-header-meta"><a class="dsq-header-time">' + reaction.date_created + '</a></span>'
			+ '</div><div class="dsq-reaction-body">'
			+ '<div class="dsq-reaction-message">' + reaction.body + '</div>'
			+ '<div class="dsq-reaction-footer">From <a class="dsq-service-name" target="_blank" href="' + reaction.url + '">' + reaction.get_service_name + '</a> '
			+ 'via ' + (reaction.source == 'backtype' ? '<a href="http://backtype.com/">BackType</a>' : '<a href="' + reaction.source_url + '">UberVU</a>')
			+ (Dsq.jsonData.request.is_moderator || Dsq.jsonData.request.is_global_moderator ? '&nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;<a class="dsq-hide-reaction" href="#" onclick="Dsq.Reaction.hide(' + reaction.id + '); return false;">Hide</a>' : '') + '</div></div>';

		if(reaction.retweets) {
			var num_retweets = reaction.retweets.length;
			if (num_retweets > 0) {
				item += '<div class="dsq-reaction-retweets">';
				if (num_retweets == 1) {
					item += 'One more retweet from <a href="' + reaction.retweets[0].url + '">'  + reaction.retweets[0].author_name + '</a>';
				} else {
					item += (num_retweets + ' more retweets from ');

					item += '<span id="dsq-reaction-retweets-' + reaction.id + '">';
					var n_tweets = (num_retweets > 15) ? 15 : num_retweets;
					item += Dsq.Templates.showRetweets(reaction.id, n_tweets);

					if (n_tweets != num_retweets) {
						item += '</span> <a onclick="Dsq.Templates.showRetweets(' + reaction.id + ', 0, \'dsq-reaction-retweets-' + reaction.id + '\');'
							+ 'this.parentNode.removeChild(this); return false;" href="#">Show all</a>';
					}
				}
				item += '</div>';
			}
		}

		item += '</li>'; /* Reaction HTML ends */
		return item;
	};

	this.reactions = function() {
		var html, reaction;

		if (Dsq.jsonData.reactions === undefined || Dsq.jsonData.reactions.length === 0) {
			return '';
		}

		html = '';
		for (var i = 0; reaction = Dsq.jsonData.reactions[i]; i++) {
			var item = Dsq.Templates.generateReactionHTML(reaction);
			if (item) {
				html += item;
			}
		}

		if (Dsq.jsonData.has_more_reactions) {
			var d = Dsq.jsonData.settings.disqus_url;
			var f = Dsq.jsonData.forum.url;
			var t = Dsq.jsonData.thread.id;
			var s = Dsq.jsonData.reactions_start;
			var l = Dsq.jsonData.reactions_limit;

			var handler = 'Dsq.Utils.execScript(\'' + d + '/forums/' + f + '/more_reactions.js?t=' + t + '&s=' + s + '&l=' + l + '\', true); return false;';
			html += '<li id="dsq-show-more-reactions"><a href="#" onclick="' + handler + '">Show more reactions</a></li>';
		}

		return '<h3 class="dsq-h3-reactions">Reactions</h3><ul id="dsq-reactions" class="dsq-reactions">' + html + '</ul>';
	};
	
	this.missingPermissions = function() {
		return '';
	};

	//
	// Post
	//

	this.prependPost = function(post_id) {
		var html = '<div id="comment-' + post_id + '"></div>';
		return html;
	};

	this.appendPost = function(post_id) {
		var html = '<div id="dsq-comment-reply-' + post_id + '"></div>';
		return html;
	};

	this.postPrependHeader = function(post_id) {
		var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id];
		var userData = Dsq.jsonData['users'][_meta.user_key];

		var _includeServices = function() {
			var userServices = Dsq.Post.getUserServices(null, post_id);
			var html = '';
			var hiddenThreshold = 3; // Define # of services to show before stuffing them in hidden div

			for(var i = 0; i < userServices.length; i++) {
				html +=
				(i == hiddenThreshold
					? '<li id="dsq-drop-hidden-' + post_id +'" class="dsq-drop-hidden"><ul>'
					: '')
				+ '<li class="dsq-drop-services"> \
					<a class="dsq-service-' + userServices[i].name.toLowerCase() + '" href="' + userServices[i].url + '" target="_blank"> \
						<img src="' + Dsq.jsonData.media_url + '/images/embed/services/' + userServices[i].name.toLowerCase() + '.png" alt="' + userServices[i].name.toLowerCase() + '">'
					+ userServices[i].name
					+ '</a> \
				</li>';
			}

			if(i >= hiddenThreshold) {
				html += '</ul></li> \
				<li id="dsq-drop-more-' + post_id + '" class="dsq-drop-more"><a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Post.dropProfileMore(this, '+ post_id + '); return false"><small>&#9660;</small></a></li> \
				';
			}
			return html;
		};

		return ' \
			<div class="dsq-header-avatar" id="dsq-header-avatar-' + post_id + '" onmouseover="Dsq.Post.dropProfile(' + post_id + ')"> \
				<a id="dsq-avatar-' + post_id + '" class="dsq-avatar" href="' + userData.url + '" onclick="Dsq.Popup.popProfile(' + post_id + '); return false;">'
			+ (Dsq.jsonData.forum.show_avatar
				? '<img src="' + Dsq.jsonData.users[_meta.user_key].avatar + '" alt="" />'
				: '')
			+ '</a>'
			+ '</div> \
		';
	};

	this.postAppendHeader = function(post_id) {
		var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id];

		return ''
			+ (_meta.author_is_moderator
				? '<img class="dsq-mod-star" src="http://media.disqus.com/images/bullet-star.png" title="Moderator" alt="" />'
				: '')
			+ '<span class="dsq-header-meta"> \
				<a id="dsq-time-' + post_id + '" class="dsq-header-time" href="#comment-' + post_id + '" title="Permalink">' + _meta.date + '</a> \
			</span>';
	};

	this.preBody = function(post_id) {
		return '';
	}

	this.postBody = function(post_id) {
		// TODO: Deprecate flagging conditional
		var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id];
		return ''
			+ (_meta.edited
				? '<p class="dsq-editedtxt">(Edited by a moderator)</p>'
				: '')
			;
	};

	this.postFooter = function(post_id) {
		// TODO: Use media should be conditional
		var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id];
		if(_meta.killed) { return ''; }

		return ' \
			<div class="dsq-comment-footer" id="dsq-comment-footer-' + post_id + '"> \
				<div id="dsq-points-' + post_id + '" class="dsq-likedtxt">'
				+ (_meta.points
					? _meta.points + Dsq.Utils.pluralize(_meta.points, ' person', ' people') + ' liked this comment.'
					: '')
				+ '</div>'
				+ '<ul class="dsq-comment-options dsq-list-style">'
				+ (_meta.votable
					? '<li class="dsq-list-first dsq-rate" id="dsq-rate-cont-' + post_id + '">'
					+ (!_meta.up_voted
						? '<a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Post.rate(this, ' + post_id + ', 1); return false;">Like</a>'
						: 'You liked this.') + '</li>'
					: '')
				+ '<li class="dsq-report' + (!_meta.votable ? ' dsq-list-first' : '') + '" id="dsq-post-report-' + post_id + '"><a href="#" class="dsq-post-report" onclick="Dsq.Post.report(' + post_id + ', false); return false;">Report</a></li> \
				</ul> \
				<ul class="dsq-list-style">'
				+ (_meta.can_reply
					? '<li class="dsq-list-first"><a href="#" id="dsq-reply-link-' + post_id +'" onclick="Dsq.Post.toggleReply(this, ' + post_id +'); return false;">Reply</a></li>'
					: '')
				+ (_meta.can_reply && !_meta.has_replies && _meta.from_request_user
					? '<li id="dsq-edit-el-' + post_id + '"><a id="dsq-edit-link-' + post_id + '" href="#" onclick="Dsq.Post.edit(this, ' + post_id + '); return false;">Edit</a></li>'
					: '')
				+ '<li class="' + (!_meta.can_reply ? 'dsq-list-first' : '') + '" id="dsq-more-el-' + post_id + '"><a id="dsq-more-link-' + post_id + '" href="#" onclick="Dsq.Post.showMenu(this, ' + post_id + ', \'more\'); return false">More <small>&#9660;</small></a></li>'
				+ (Dsq.jsonData.forum.use_media
					? '<li id="dsq-media-el-' + post_id +'" style="display:none"><a id="dsq-media-link-' + post_id + '" href="#" onclick="Dsq.Post.showMenu(this, ' + post_id + ', \'media\'); return false">Use Media <small>&#9660;</small></a></li>'
					: '')
				+ '</ul>'
				+ '<div id="dsq-reply-bar-' + post_id + '" class="dsq-reply-bar" style="display:none"> \
						<div id="dsq-reply-bar-items-' + post_id + '" class="dsq-reply-bar-items"> \
						</div> \
						<div id="dsq-reply-bar-auth-' + post_id + '" class="dsq-reply-bar-auth"> \
							 \
								 \
								 	<a href="#" class="dsq-help dsq-reply-req-opt" title="You are commenting as a Guest. You may choose to log into an existing DISQUS Profile, your Facebook, Twitter or OpenID account to comment on The Washington Independent" onclick="Dsq.Popup.helpBadges(); return false">Optional:</a> \
								 \
								<img class="dsq-login-icon" src="http://media.disqus.com/images/dsq-favicon-16x16.png" alt="" /> \
								<a id="dsq-reply-login-' + post_id + '" href="http://disqus.com/profile/login/?next=article:3620861" onclick="Dsq.Popup.login(); return false">Login</a> \
								 \
								 \
								 \
							 \
						</div> \
					</div> \
					<div id="dsq-reply-' + post_id + '"></div> \
			</div> \
		';
	};

	//
	// Iframes
	//

	this._makeAttributes = function(attributes) {
		// Makes a tag attributes string out of an object.
		// Caller is responsible for making sure nothing needs to be escaped.
		var result = [];
		for (key in attributes) {
			result.push(' ' + key + '="' + attributes[key] + '"');
		}
		result = result.join('');
		return result;
	};

	this._frameGeneric = function(base_url, params, attributes) {
		if(typeof(disqus_callback_params) == 'undefined') {
			disqus_callback_params = '';
		}

		var default_params = {
			// TODO: These should be moved to Dsq.jsonData.
			'f'				: 'washingtonindependent',
			't'				: 'the_return_of_the_neocons',
			// Do we need encodeURIComponent here?
			'ifrs'			: encodeURIComponent(disqus_iframe_css),
			'to_redirect'	: encodeURIComponent(window.location),
			'cbp'			: disqus_callback_params,
			'ff'			: Dsq.Thread.ff,
			'fc'			: Dsq.Thread.fc,
			'ac'			: Dsq.Thread.ac,
			'default_text'	: disqus_default_text
		};

		base_url += '?' + (new Date()).getTime();
		// Add params to default_params.
		if(params) {
			for(var key in params) {
				if(params.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
					default_params[key] = encodeURIComponent(params[key]);
				}
			}
		}
		// Build querystring.
		for(var key in default_params) {
			if(default_params[key] && default_params.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
				base_url += '&' + key + '=' + default_params[key];
			}
		}

		return [
			'<iframe marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" hspace="0" vspace="0" frameborder="0"',
			(' allowtransparency="true" src="' + base_url + '"'),
			this._makeAttributes(attributes),
			'</iframe>'].join('');
	};

	this.frameLogin = function(opt_attributes) {
		var params = {};
		var base_url = 'http://disqus.com/embed/login.html';
		var attributes = opt_attributes || {};
		attributes['class'] = 'dsq-post-login';

		if(typeof disqus_frame_theme != 'undefined') {
			params['theme'] = disqus_frame_theme;
		}
		return this._frameGeneric(base_url, params, attributes);
	};

	this.frameReply = function(post_id, extra_params, attributes) {
		// Returns the HTML for a reply iframe. Called by Dsq.Iframes.setReplyIframeToContainer
		var _meta = (typeof post_id != 'undefined') ? Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id] : false;
		var base_url = Dsq.Urls.REPLY;
		var params = {
			'def_email'		: disqus_def_email,
			'def_name'		: disqus_def_name
		};
		if(extra_params) {
			for(var key in extra_params) {
				if(extra_params.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
					params[key] = extra_params[key];
				}
			}
		}
		if(_meta) {
			params['parent_post'] = post_id;
		}
		if(typeof disqus_per_page != 'undefined') {
			params['per_page'] = disqus_per_page;
		}
		if(typeof disqus_frame_theme != 'undefined') {
			params['theme'] = disqus_frame_theme;
		}
		if(Dsq.jsonData.request.is_authenticated) {
			attributes['class'] += '-authenticated';
		}
		return this._frameGeneric(base_url, params, attributes);
	};

	this.frameEdit = function(post_id) {
		var _meta = (typeof post_id != 'undefined') ? Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id] : false;
		var base_url = 'http://disqus.com/embed/edit.html';
		var params = {
			'p' : post_id
		};
		return this._frameGeneric(base_url, params, {'class': 'dsq-post-edit', 'name': 'dsq-edit_' + post_id + '-frame'});
	};

	//
	// Menus
	//

	this.menuMore = function(post_id) {
		// TODO: "Remove post" button should hide menu.
		var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id];
		var userData = Dsq.jsonData['users'][_meta.user_key];
		return ' \
			<li><a href="#comment-' + post_id + '" onclick="Dsq.Popup.permalink(' + post_id + ')">Link</a></li> \
			<li><a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Popup.popProfile(' + post_id + '); return false;">Profile</a></li>'
	+ (Dsq.jsonData.request.is_moderator || Dsq.jsonData.request.is_global_moderator
		? '	<li class="dsq-menu-sep"></li>' + (_meta.email ? '<li class="dsq-admin-email">' + _meta.email + '</li>' : '')
		+ '	<li class="dsq-admin-ip">' + _meta.ip + '</li> \
			<li class="dsq-menu-sep"></li>'
		+ (Dsq.jsonData.request.moderator_can_edit
			? ' <li class="dsq-admin-edit"><a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Post.edit(this, ' + post_id + '); return false;">Edit Comment</a></li>'
			: '')
		+ ' <li class="dsq-remove"><a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Post.removePost(' + post_id + ', 1); return false;">Remove Comment</a></li> \
			<li class="dsq-report-spam"><a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Post.reportSpam(' + post_id + '); return false;">Mark Spam</a></li> \
			<li class="dsq-block-user"><a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Popup.blacklist(' + post_id + '); return false">Block User</a></li>'
		: '');
	};

	this.menuMedia = function(post_id) {
		return ' \
			<li><a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Post.toggleMediaReply(this, ' + post_id + ', \'seesmic\'); return false;">Record video</a></li> \
		';
	};

	this.dropProfile = function(post_id) {
		var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id];
		var userData = Dsq.jsonData['users'][_meta.user_key];

		var _includeServices = function() {
			var userServices = Dsq.Post.getUserServices(null, post_id);
			var html = '';
			var hiddenThreshold = 3; // Define # of services to show before stuffing them in hidden div

			for(var i = 0; i < userServices.length; i++) {
				html +=
				(i == hiddenThreshold
					? '<li id="dsq-drop-hidden-' + post_id +'" class="dsq-drop-hidden"><ul>'
					: '')
				+ '<li class="dsq-drop-services"> \
					<a class="dsq-service-' + userServices[i].name.toLowerCase() + '" href="' + userServices[i].url + '" target="_blank"> \
						<img src="' + Dsq.jsonData.media_url + '/images/embed/services/' + userServices[i].name.toLowerCase() + '.png" alt="' + userServices[i].name.toLowerCase() + '">'
					+ userServices[i].name
					+ '</a> \
				</li>';
			}

			if(i >= hiddenThreshold) {
				html += '</ul></li> \
				<li id="dsq-drop-more-' + post_id + '" class="dsq-drop-more"><a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Post.dropProfileMore(this, '+ post_id + '); return false"><small>&#9660;</small></a></li> \
				';
			}
			return html;
		};


		var menu = '<li class="dsq-drop-showlnk"><a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Popup.popProfile(' + post_id + '); return false;">Expand &#8663;</a></li>';
		var pointsMessage = '';
		if (userData['registered']) {
			pointsMessage = 'with ' + userData['points'] + ' points (more points are better).';
		}

		if (userData['is_remote']) {
			var domain = userData['remote_domain_name'];
			menu += '<li class="dsq-drop-badge" title="' + userData['display_name'] + ' is a ' + domain + ' user ' + pointsMessage + '" onclick="Dsq.Popup.helpBadges()">';
			menu += '<span class="dsq-badge-' + domain.toLowerCase() + '">' + domain + '</span></li>';
		} else if (userData['registered']) {
			if (userData['verified']) {
				menu += '<li class="dsq-drop-badge" title="' + userData['display_name'] + ' has a verified commenter profile ' + pointsMessage + '" onclick="Dsq.Popup.helpBadges()">';
				menu += '<span class="dsq-badge-verified">Verified</span></li>';
			} else {
				menu += '<li class="dsq-drop-badge" title="' + userData['display_name'] + ' has a registered, but unverified, commenter profile ' + pointsMessage + '" onclick="Dsq.Popup.helpBadges()">';
				menu += '<span class="dsq-badge-registered">Registered</span></li>';
			}
		} else {
			menu += '<li class="dsq-drop-badge" title="' + userData['display_name'] + ' has not claimed this commenter profile." onclick="Dsq.Popup.helpBadges()"><span class="dsq-badge-guest">Guest</span></li>';
		}

		menu += _includeServices();
		return menu;
	};

	//
	// Popups
	//

	this._popupGeneric = function(content) {
		return ' \
		<div class="dsq-popup-content"> \
			<div class="dsq-popup-top"></div> \
			<div class="dsq-popup-body" class="clearfix"> \
				<div class="dsq-popup-body-padding"> \
					<div class="dsq-popup-header"> \
						<a class="dsq-close-link" href="#" onclick="Dsq.Popup._closePopup(null, true); return false"><img src="http://media.disqus.com/images/modal-close.png" alt="" /></a>'
						+ content['header']
					+ '</div>'
					+ content['body']
					+ '<div class="powered-by"><a href="http://disqus.com/comments/">Powered by <img src="http://media.disqus.com/images/embed/disqus-logo.png" alt="Disqus Comments" style="margin-bottom:-5px" /></a></div> \
				</div> <!-- padding --> \
			</div> <!-- body --> \
			<div class="dsq-popup-bottom"></div> \
		</div> \
		';
	};

	this.popupProfile = function(user_key) {
		var userServices = Dsq.Post.getUserServices(user_key, null);
		var userData = Dsq.jsonData['users'][user_key];
		var headerHtml = '';
		var bodyHtml = '';
		var content = {};

		var _includeServices = function() {
			var html = '';
			for(var i = 0; i < userServices.length; i++) {
				html +=
				(i == 0
					? '<h4>Connections</h4><ul>'
					: '')
				+ '<li> \
					<img src="' + Dsq.jsonData.media_url + '/images/embed/services/' + userServices[i].name.toLowerCase() + '.png" alt="' + userServices[i].name.toLowerCase() + '" title="' + userServices[i].name.toLowerCase() + '" /> \
					<a class="dsq-service-' + userServices[i].name.toLowerCase() + '" href="' + userServices[i].url + '" target="_blank">'
					+ userServices[i].name
					+ '</a> \
				</li>'
				+ (i+1 == userServices.length ? '</ul>' : '');
			}
			return html;
		};

		headerHtml = ' \
			<table> \
				<tr> \
					<td> \
						<a class="dsq-profile-userurl" href="' + userData.url + '"><img class="dsq-popup-profile-avatar" src="' + userData['avatar'] + '" alt="" /></a> \
					</td> \
					<td> \
						<div class="dsq-popup-profile-user"> \
							<h3>' + userData['display_name'] + '</h3> \
							<div class="dsq-popup-profile-user-stats" id="dsq-popup-profile-user-stats-' + user_key + '">Loading...</div> \
						</div> \
					</td> \
				</tr> \
			</table> \
		';

		bodyHtml = ' \
			<div class="dsq-popup-profile-state"> \
				This is a&nbsp;<span class="'
					+ (userData['registered']
						? (userData['verified']
							? ' dsq-badge-verified'
							: (userData['is_remote']
								? ' dsq-badge-' + userData['remote_domain_name'].toLowerCase()
								: ' dsq-badge-registered')
							)
							: ' dsq-badge-guest') + '">'
			+ (userData['registered']
				? (userData['verified']
					? 'Verified'
					: (userData['is_remote']
						 ? userData['remote_domain_name']
						 : 'Registered')
					)
				: 'Guest')
			+ '</span>&nbsp;commenter profile.'
			+ '&nbsp;<a class="dsq-profile-userurl" href="' + userData.url + '"><strong>View more comments </strong></a>'
			+ (!userData['points']
				? '<p class="dsq-popup-notice">If this is you, <a href="http://disqus.com/profile" target="_blank">claim it now</a> to manage your comments.</p>'
				: '')
			+ ((userData['registered'] && !userData['verified'] && (Dsq.jsonData.request.username && (Dsq.jsonData.request.username == userData['username'])) && !userData['is_remote'])
				? '<p class="dsq-popup-notice"><strong>Alert</strong>: You have not verified this account. <a href="http://disqus.com/verify">Verify it now.</a></p>'
				: '')
			+ '</div> \
			<div id="dsq-profile-status-' + user_key + '" class="dsq-popup-profile-status" style="display:none"></div> \
			<div class="dsq-popup-profile-snapshot"> \
				<table> \
					<tr> \
						<td> \
							<div id="dsq-popup-profile-active-sites-wrapper-' + user_key + '"> \
								<h4>Most active sites</h4> \
								<ul id="dsq-popup-profile-active-sites-' + user_key + '"> \
									<li>Loading...</li> \
								</ul> \
							</div> \
						</td> \
						<td>'
							+ _includeServices()
							+ '<div id="dsq-popup-profile-moderated-wrapper-' + user_key + '"> \
								<h4>Moderator of</h4> \
								<ul id="dsq-popup-profile-moderated-' + user_key + '"> \
									<li>Loading...</li> \
								</ul> \
							</div> \
						</td> \
					</tr> \
				</table> \
			</div> \
			';

		content = {
			'header': headerHtml,
			'body': bodyHtml
		};

		return this._popupGeneric(content);
	};

	this.popupReblog = function() {
		var headerHtml = '';
		var bodyHtml = '';
		var content = {};

		headerHtml = ' \
			<cite><span>Reblog this comment</span></cite> \
		';

		bodyHtml = ' \
			<div id="dsq-reblog-form" class="dsq-reblog-form"> \
			</div> \
		';

		content = {
			'header': headerHtml,
			'body': bodyHtml
		};

		return this._popupGeneric(content);
	};

	this.popupModal = function(title, message) {
		var headerHtml = '';
		var bodyHtml = '';
		var content = {};

		headerHtml = ' \
			<h3>' + title + '</h3> \
		';

		bodyHtml = message;

		content = {
			'header': headerHtml,
			'body': bodyHtml
		};

		return this._popupGeneric(content);
	};

	this.alertContent = function(name, post_id) {
		var alert = {
			'post_not_approved': {
				'title': 'Comment awaiting approval by a moderator',
				'message': 'Thanks for posting. Your comment must be approved by a moderator before appearing here.'
			},
			'post_has_profile': {
				'title': 'Use your existing commenter profile',
				'message': 'You have just posted your commment as a <span class="dsq-badge dsq-badge-guest">Guest</span>, but you may already have a <span class="dsq-badge dsq-badge-registered">Registered</span> commenter profile.<br /><br /><a href="http://disqus.com/claim">Log in and claim this comment!</a>'
			}
		};
		return alert[name] || false;
	};

	//
	// Actions
	//

	this.voted = function(post_id, points, vote) {
		// Update number of points
		Dsq.$('dsq-points-' + post_id).innerHTML = points + Dsq.Utils.pluralize(points, ' person', ' people') + ' liked this comment.';

		// Update link text
		if(vote) {
			Dsq.$('dsq-rate-cont-' + post_id).innerHTML = 'You liked this.';
		}
	};

	this.subscribed = function(status) {
		var title, message;

		if(status) {
			title = 'Subscribed!';
			message = 'You have subscribed to this comment thread. New comments will be sent directly to your email inbox, where you may read and respond by email.';
			Dsq.$('dsq-subscribe').innerHTML = ' \
				<a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Thread.subscribe(0); return false">Unsubscribe</a> \
			';
		} else {
			title = 'Unsubscribed';
			message = 'You have unsubscribed to this comment thread. New comments will no longer be sent to your email inbox.';
			Dsq.$('dsq-subscribe').innerHTML = ' \
				<a href="#" onclick="Dsq.Thread.subscribe(1); return false">Subscribe by email</a> \
			';
		}

		Dsq.Popup.popModal(message, title);

	};
	
	this.highlighted = function() {
		Dsq.Popup.popModal('This comment has been highlighted.', 'Highlighted comment');
	};

	//
	// Media
	//

	this.mediaSeesmic = function(id, thumb) {
		return ' \
			<div id="dsq-seesmic-' + id + '_preview" class="dsq-seesmic-preview"><a href="http://www.seesmic.com/video/' + id + '" target="_blank" class="see_link">&nbsp;</a> \
				<div style="display:block;width:160px; height:120px; border:none; background-image:url(http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/' + thumb + ')"> \
					<div id="dsq-seesmic-' + id + '_hide" class="seePlayOverlay" style="display:none;"><img onclick="see_play_video(\'' + id + '\',false)" src="http://media.disqus.com/images/seesmic/stopOverlay.png" width="50" height="50" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; padding-top: 30px; padding-left: 50px" alt="" /></div> \
					<div id="dsq-seesmic-' + id + '_show" class="seePlayOverlay"><img onclick="see_play_video(\'' + id + '\',true)" src="http://media.disqus.com/images/seesmic/playOverlay.png" width="50" height="50" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; border:none; padding-top: 30px; padding-left: 50px" alt="" /></div> \
				</div> \
			</div> \
			<div id="' + id + '_content" style="display:block; width:100%; padding-top:5px"></div> \
		';
	};

	//
	// Callbacks
	//

	this.postComment_onSuccess = function(parent_post_id) {
		// Increment post count
		var num_posts = Dsq.$('dsq-num-posts');
		var total_posts = Dsq.$('dsq-total-posts');
		
		if (num_posts) { 
			num_posts.innerHTML = parseInt(num_posts.innerHTML) + 1;
		}
		if (total_posts) { 
			total_posts.innerHTML = parseInt(total_posts.innerHTML) + 1;
		}
	};
};
// Dsq.Templates


/**
 * Dsq.Post
 */
Dsq.Post = new function() {
	this.openedMenu = {};
	this.menuEventListener = null;
	this.stateReplyToggled = {};
	this.stateEditToggled = {};
	this.stateRecordLink = {};

	/**
	 * Inserts a new post into the document.
	 *
	 * @param after_id {Number}	Insert a post before specified id.  If after_id
	 *							evaluates to false, then post in the front.  If
	 *							after_id is -1, post at the end.
	 */
	this.insert = function(after_id, id, message, author) {
		// Skeleton template from thread_posts.html.
		var skeleton = ' \
			<li id="dsq-comment-%(id)s"> \
				<div id="dsq-comment-header-%(id)s" class="dsq-comment-header"> \
					<cite id="dsq-cite-%(id)s" class="dsq-comment-cite"> \
						<a id="dsq-author-user-%(id)s" href="%(author_url)s" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">%(author_name)s</a> \
					</cite> \
				</div> \
				<div id="dsq-comment-body-%(id)s" class="dsq-comment-body"> \
					<div id="dsq-comment-message-%(id)s" class="dsq-comment-message">%(message)s</div> \
				</div> \
			</li> \
		';
		var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[id];
		var _user_meta = Dsq.jsonData.users[_meta.user_key];
		var markup = Dsq.Utils.interpolate(skeleton, {
			id: id,
			message: message,
			author_url: _user_meta.blog,
			author_name: _user_meta.display_name
		});
		var div = document.createElement('div');
		markup = markup.replace(Dsq.COMMENTS_RE, Dsq.CommentsHandler);
		div.innerHTML = markup;

		if (after_id === -1) {
			Dsq.$('dsq-comments').appendChild(div);
		} else if (!after_id) {
			Dsq.$('dsq-comments').insertBefore(div, Dsq.$('dsq-comments').firstChild);
		} else if (Dsq.$('dsq-comment-' + after_id)) {
			// Get next node after "after_id", so we can insert before it.
			// If "after_id" is the last comment, the target node is the
			// last node.
			
			// var append_post_id = Dsq.Templates.appendPost(after_id).replace('<div id="','').replace('"></div>', '');
			var append_post_id = 'dsq-append-post-' + after_id;
			var node = Dsq.$(append_post_id);
			while (node = node.nextSibling) {
				if (!node || node.nodeType == 1) { // 1 == Node.ELEMENT_NODE
					break;
				}
			}
			if (!node) {
				node = Dsq.$(append_post_id);
			}
			node.parentNode.insertBefore(div, node);
		}
	};

	this.incrementPostCount = function() {
		
		var num_posts = Dsq.$('dsq-num-posts');
		var total_posts = Dsq.$('dsq-total-posts');

		if (num_posts) {
			num_posts.innerHTML = parseInt(num_posts.innerHTML, 10) + 1;
		}
		if (total_posts) {
			total_posts.innerHTML = parseInt(total_posts.innerHTML, 10) + 1;
		}
	}
	
	this.outlineComment = function(post_id) {
		Dsq.$('dsq-comment-' + post_id).className += ' dsq-comment-outline';
		setTimeout("(function () { Dsq.Post.clearOutlineComment(" + post_id + ") })()", 3000);
	};
	
	this.clearOutlineComment = function(post_id) {
		Dsq.$('dsq-comment-' + post_id).className = Dsq.$('dsq-comment-' + post_id).className.replace('dsq-comment-outline', '');
	};

	this.showMenu = function(el, id, name) {
		var anchorPos = Dsq.Utils.findPos(el);
		var menu = document.createElement('ul');

		if(this.openedMenu) {
			if(this.openedMenu.linkClicked) {
				this.openedMenu.linkClicked = false;
				return;
			}
		}

		switch(name) {
			case 'more':
				menu.innerHTML = Dsq.Templates.menuMore(id);
				break;
			case 'media':
				menu.innerHTML = Dsq.Templates.menuMedia(id);
				break;
			default:
				break;
		}

		// Add menu to document body
		menu.id = 'dsq-menu-' + id;
		menu.className = 'dsq-menu';
		Dsq.$b.appendChild(menu);

		// Position and show
		anchorPos[1] += 15;
		menu.style.left = anchorPos[0] + 'px';
		menu.style.top = anchorPos[1] + 'px';
		menu.style.display = 'block';

		// Set global reference
		this.openedMenu = {
			'el' : menu,
			'id' : id,
			'name' : name,
			'linkClicked' : false
		};

		// Set listener
		this.menuEventListener = Dsq.Utils.addEventListener(document, 'mouseup', this._hideMenu);
	};

	this._hideMenu = function(e) {
		var el = e.target || e.srcElement;
		var openedMenu = Dsq.Post.openedMenu.el;
		var id = Dsq.Post.openedMenu.id;

		if(!id) {
			var link = 'dsq-' + Dsq.Post.openedMenu.name + '-link';
		} else {
			var link = 'dsq-' + Dsq.Post.openedMenu.name + '-link-' + id;
		}

		if(!openedMenu) {
			return;
		}

		if(!Dsq.Popup.isClicked(e, openedMenu.id)) {
			openedMenu.style.display = 'none';
			Dsq.Utils.removeEventListener(Dsq.Post.menuEventListener);
			Dsq.Utils.deleteNode(openedMenu);

		} else {
			// Hide the menu if a link was clicked inside the menu.  We can't
			// completely remove the menu until the onclick event on the link
			// fires, but the menuEventListener will prevent multiple menus
			// from polluting the DOM.
			if(el && typeof el.href != 'undefined') {
				openedMenu.style.display = 'none';
				Dsq.Post.openedMenu.el = null;
			}
		}

		if(Dsq.Popup.isClicked(e, link)) {
 			Dsq.Post.openedMenu.linkClicked = true;
		}
	};


	this.getUserServices = function(user_key, id) {
		if(!user_key && id) {
			var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[id];
			user_key = _meta.user_key;
		}
		var userData = Dsq.jsonData['users'][user_key];
		var userServices = [];

		// Keep a full list of supported services. This is the order they will display in the drop-profile.
		// Each service must have a corresponding case in _buildServiceUrl()
		var supportedServices = ['blog', 'twitter', 'facebook', 'tumblr'];

		function _buildServiceUrl(serviceName) {
			var data = userData[serviceName];
			var services = {
				blog:		function(d) { return d; },
				twitter:	function(d) { return d; },
				facebook:	function(d) { return d; },
				tumblr:		function(d) { return 'http://' + d + '.tumblr.com'; }
			};
			return services[serviceName](data);
		}

		for(var i = 0; i < supportedServices.length; i++) {
			if(userData[supportedServices[i]]) {
				var serviceUrl = _buildServiceUrl(supportedServices[i]);
				userServices.push({'name' : supportedServices[i], 'url' : serviceUrl});
			}
		}
		return userServices;
	}

	this.dropProfile = function(id) {
		var dp = Dsq.$('dsq-drop-profile-' + id);

		// IE6 needs JS to display/hide. All other browsers use CSS.
		if(dp) {
			if(Dsq.Utils.ie6) dp.style.display = (dp.style.display == 'inline') ? 'none' : 'inline';
			return false;
		} else {
			dp = document.createElement('ul');
		}

		dp.id = 'dsq-drop-profile-' + id;
		dp.className = 'dsq-drop-profile';

		if(Dsq.Utils.ie6) { dp.style.display = 'inline'; }

		var container = Dsq.$('dsq-header-avatar-' + id);
		dp.innerHTML = Dsq.Templates.dropProfile(id);
		container.appendChild(dp);
	};

	this.dropProfileMore = function(el, id) {
		var hiddenItems = Dsq.$('dsq-drop-hidden-' + id);

		hiddenItems.style.display = 'inline';
		el.parentNode.style.display = 'none';
	};

	this._updateReplyLinks = function(el, id) {
		// Update "reply / cancel" links based on state.
		var displayDict = {};

		if(id) {
			if(this.stateReplyToggled[id]) {
				el.innerHTML = 'Cancel';
				displayDict['media'] = 'inline';
				displayDict['edit'] = 'none';
			} else {
				el.innerHTML = 'Reply';
				displayDict['media'] = 'none';
				displayDict['edit'] = 'inline';
			}
		}

		for(var key in displayDict) {
			if(displayDict.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
				var	linkEl = Dsq.$('dsq-' + key + '-el-' + id),
					spacer = Dsq.$('dsq-' + key + '-spacer-' + id);

				if(linkEl) {
					linkEl.style.display = displayDict[key];
					if(spacer) spacer.style.display = displayDict[key];
				}
			}
		}
	};

	this._updateMediaLinks = function(el, id) {
		// Update "use media / cancel" links based on state.
		var appendId = (id) ? ('-' + id) : '';
		var link = Dsq.$('dsq-media-link' + appendId);

		if(this.stateRecordLink[id]) {
			link.innerHTML = 'Cancel Media';
			link.onclick = function() { Dsq.Post.toggleMediaReply(link, id); return false; };
		} else {
			link.innerHTML = 'Use Media <small>&#9660;</small>';
			link.onclick = function() { Dsq.Post.showMenu(link, id, 'media'); return false; };
		}
	};

	this.toggleReply = function(el, id) {
		// Create reply IFrame
		if (window.disqus_use_postmessage) {
			if (!this.stateReplyToggled[id]) {
				Dsq.$('dsq-reply-' + id).style.display = 'block';
				Dsq.$('dsq-reply-bar-' + id).style.display = 'block';
				// Create IFrame if it doesn't exist.
				if (!Dsq.frames['reply_' + id]) {
					var _meta = Dsq.jsonData.posts[id];
					Dsq.frames['reply_' + id] = new Dsq.ReplyFrame(Dsq.$('dsq-reply-frame-' + id), id);
					Dsq.frames['reply_' + id].init();
					Dsq.frames['reply_' + id].setState(id, _meta.depth);
				}
			} else {
				Dsq.$('dsq-reply-' + id).style.display = 'none';
				Dsq.$('dsq-reply-bar-' + id).style.display = 'none';
			}
		} else {
			// DEPRECATED
			if(!this.stateReplyToggled[id]) {
				// Reply toolbar
				Dsq.$('dsq-reply-bar-' + id).style.display = 'block';
				Dsq.Iframes.showReplyIframeInContainerIfAllowed(Dsq.$('dsq-reply-' + id), id);
			} else {
				Dsq.$('dsq-reply-bar-' + id).style.display = 'none';
				Dsq.Iframes.hideAllInContainer(Dsq.$('dsq-reply-' + id));
				if(this.stateRecordLink[id]) {
					// HACK: Cancel media before canceling self.
					this.toggleMediaReply(Dsq.$('dsq-media-link-' + id), id);
				}
			}
		}

		this.stateReplyToggled[id] = !this.stateReplyToggled[id];
		this._updateReplyLinks(el, id);

		if(Dsq.Utils.ie) { Dsq.Utils.fixIframesIE('dsq-reply-' + id); }

		Dsq.Events.fire(Dsq.Events.REPLY_IFRAME_TOGGLED, {
			postId: id,
			opened: this.stateReplyToggled[id]
		});
	};

	this.toggleMediaReply = function(el, id, xtype) {
		id = id || 0;
		if(id) {
			var container = Dsq.$('dsq-reply-' + id);
		} else {
			var container = Dsq.$('dsq-post-add');
		}

		if(!this.stateRecordLink[id]) {
			Dsq.Iframes.showReplyIframeInContainer(container, id, {xtype:xtype}, 'dsq-post-video');
		} else {
			Dsq.Iframes.showReplyIframeInContainer(container, id);
		}
		this.stateRecordLink[id] = !this.stateRecordLink[id];
		this._updateMediaLinks(el, id);

		if(Dsq.Utils.ie) { Dsq.Utils.fixIframesIE(); }
	};

	this.edit = function(el, id) {
		Dsq.$('dsq-comment-message-' + id).innerHTML = Dsq.Templates.frameEdit(id);
		el.parentNode.style.display = 'none';
		if(Dsq.Utils.ie) { Dsq.Utils.fixIframesIE('dsq-comment-message-' + id); }
	};

    this.rate = function(el, id, vote) {
		if(Dsq.jsonData.request.is_authenticated || Dsq.jsonData.forum.allow_anon_votes) {
			if(vote == 1) {
                Dsq.$('dsq-rate-cont-' + id).innerHTML = '<img src="http://media.disqus.com/images/loading-small.gif">';
            }

            Dsq.Utils.execScript('http://disqus.com/forums/washingtonindependent/vote.js'
                + '?post_id='    + id
                + '&vote='        + vote);

		} else {
			Dsq.Popup.login(Dsq.Strings.TO_RATE_PLEASE_LOG_IN);
		}
    };

	this.report = function(id, confirmed) {
		if(confirmed) {
			Dsq.Utils.postToUrl('http://disqus.com/forums/washingtonindependent/the_return_of_the_neocons/post_report/', {'post_id': id});
			Dsq.Popup.popModal('Thank you. This comment has been flagged for moderator attention.', 'Successfully flagged');
			Dsq.Utils.deleteNode(Dsq.$('dsq-post-report-' + id));
		} else {
			var title = Dsq.Strings.FLAG_INAPPROPRIATE_COMMENT;
			var message = Dsq.Strings.ARE_YOU_SURE_YOU_WOULD_LIKE_TO_REPORT_THIS_COMMENT_TO_A_MODERATOR + '? \
			<br /><br /> \
			<button onclick="Dsq.Popup._closePopup(null, true)"><strong>' + Dsq.Strings.NO + '</strong>, ' + Dsq.Strings.NEVER_MIND + '</button>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<button onclick="Dsq.Post.report(' + id + ', true);"><strong>' + Dsq.Strings.YES + '</strong>, ' + Dsq.Strings.FLAG_INAPPROPRIATE_COMMENT + '</button><br /><br />'
			+ Dsq.Strings.THIS_WILL_FLAG_COMMENTS_FOR_MODERATORS_TO_TAKE_ACTION + '. \
			';

			Dsq.Popup.popModal(message, title, id);
		}
	};



	this.showAlert = function(id, msg) {
		var msgEl = Dsq.$('dsq-comment-message-' + id);
		var alert = '<div class="dsq-comment-alert">' + msg + '</div>';

		msgEl.innerHTML = alert + msgEl.innerHTML;
	};

};
// Dsq.Post


/**
 * Dsq.Thread
 */
Dsq.Thread = new function() {
	this.fc = null;
	this.ff = null;
	this.ac = null;

	
	this.adminIsOn = false;

	
	
	

	this.hlComment = null;
	this.hlCommentClass = null;

	this.getNextComment = function(el) {
		var start_id = el.id;
		while(el = el.nextSibling) {
			if(el.id && el.id.indexOf('dsq-comment-') != -1 && el.id != start_id) {
				return el;
			}
		}
		return null;
	};

	this.getActiveCommentId = function() {
		if (document.URL.indexOf('#comment-') >= 0) {
			var anchor = document.URL.slice(document.URL.indexOf('#') + 1);
			return anchor.replace('comment-', '');
		}
		return null;
	};

	this.highlightAnchor = function() {
		var i = this.getActiveCommentId();
		if (i == null) return false;
		var id = 'dsq-comment-' + i;
		var hash = window.location.hash;

		// Toggle the hash incase the comment isn't available when the page loads
		// for WebKit-based browsers.
		if (Dsq.Utils.webkit) {
			window.location.hash = '';
			window.location.hash = hash;
		}

		this.hlComment = Dsq.$(id);
		// Adding this conditional guard pending #289
		if (!this.hlComment) {
			return;
		}
		this.hlCommentClass = this.hlComment.className;
		this.hlComment.className += ' dsq-hl-anchor';

		setTimeout("Dsq.Thread.highlightClear()", 3000);
	};

	this.highlightClear = function() {
		if (!this.hlComment) {
			return;
		}
		this.hlComment.className = this.hlCommentClass;
	};

	this.login = function(toggle) {
		// toggle id is #dsq-reply-login-[id]
		var postId;
		if(toggle.id.indexOf('dsq-reply-login') != -1) {
			postId = toggle.id.slice(16);
			var container = Dsq.$('dsq-reply-' + postId);
		} else {
			var container = Dsq.$('dsq-post-add');
		}

		if(toggle) {
			if(toggle.className == 'dsq-login-active') {
				Dsq.Iframes.showReplyIframeInContainerIfAllowed(container, postId);
				toggle.className = '';
			} else {
				Dsq.Iframes.showLoginIframeInContainer(container, postId);
				toggle.className = 'dsq-login-active';
			}
		} else {
			Dsq.Iframes.showLoginIframeInContainer(container, postId);
		}

		if(Dsq.Utils.ie) { Dsq.Utils.fixIframesIE(); }
	};


	this.paginate = function(page, el_clicked, per_page) {
		// Use extra_params to pass any override parameters that we need to persist.
		var extra_params = '';

		// "Per page" can either be overriden by providing it as an argument
		// (per-call) or setting the disqus_per_page override variable (global).
		if(typeof per_page == 'undefined') {
			per_page = null;
		}
		if(typeof disqus_per_page != 'undefined' && per_page === null) {
			per_page = disqus_per_page;
		}

		if(typeof disqus_sort != 'undefined') {
			extra_params += '&sort=' + disqus_sort;
		}
		if(per_page !== null) {
			extra_params += '&per_page=' + per_page;
		}

		Dsq.$('dsq-pagination').innerHTML += '<img src="http://media.disqus.com/images/loading-small.gif">';
		
		if(el_clicked) {
			el_clicked.style.display = 'none';
		}
		
		Dsq.Utils.execScript('http://disqus.com/forums/washingtonindependent/thread.js'
			+ '?slug='	+ 'the_return_of_the_neocons'
			+ '&p='		+ page
			+ extra_params);
	};

	this.sortBy = function(sort) {
		var disqus_script = document.createElement('script');
		var disqus_date = new Date();

		if (location.hash != '') {
			location.hash = '#disqus_thread';
		}

		if(typeof(disqus_url) == 'undefined') {
			disqus_url = disqus_href;
		}
		disqus_script.type = 'text/javascript';
		disqus_script.src = 'http://disqus.com/forums/washingtonindependent/thread.js'
			+ '?slug='	+ 'the_return_of_the_neocons'
			+ '&sort='	+ sort
			+ '&title='
			+ '&'		+ disqus_date.getTime();

		Dsq.$('dsq-comments').innerHTML = '<img src="http://media.disqus.com/images/loading.gif">';
		Dsq.container.appendChild(disqus_script);
	};

	this.subscribe = function(status, email) {
		// `status` is an int -- 1 to subscribe, 0 to unsubscribe
		if(Dsq.jsonData.request.is_authenticated || email) {
			// If authenticated user OR anonymous email provided

			if(email) {
				Dsq.Popup._closePopup(null, true);
			}

			Dsq.Utils.execScript('http://disqus.com/forums/washingtonindependent/subscribe.js'
				+'?status=' 	+ status
				+ '&slug='		+ 'the_return_of_the_neocons'
				+ '&email=' 	+ encodeURIComponent(email));

		} else if(!email) {
			// If anonymous user and no email has been provided yet, prompt for email

			var title = 'Subscribe to this comment thread';
			var message = ' \
				New comments will be sent directly to your email inbox! \
				<div class="dsq-subscribe-submit"> \
					<p><strong>Enter your email address below.</strong></p> \
					<input type="text" id="dsq-subscribe-email"> \
					<button onclick="Dsq.Thread.subscribe(1, Dsq.$(\'dsq-subscribe-email\').value)">Subscribe</button> \
				</div> \
			';

			Dsq.Popup.popModal(message, title);
		}
	};

	this.showSettings = function() {
		if (!Dsq.jsonData.request.is_moderator) {
			return;
		}

		/* The form has to be re-designed when more options will come out. */
		var html = 'Automatically close comments after <input size="3" id="dsq-thread-days-alive" value="' + Dsq.jsonData.thread.days_alive + '" type="text" /> days. Existing comments will still be displayed.<br /><br />(Using 0 days will disable this feature)<br /><br />'
								 + '<button onclick="Dsq.Thread.updateDaysAlive();" class="dsq-button-small"><span>Save</span></button>'
								 + '<span id="dsq-thread-settings-status" class="dsq-options-status"></span>';
		Dsq.Popup.popModal(html, 'Settings');
	};

	this.updateDaysAlive = function() {
		var days = Dsq.$('dsq-thread-days-alive').value;
		var status = Dsq.$('dsq-thread-settings-status');
		Dsq.Utils.postToUrl('http://disqus.com/forums/washingtonindependent/update_days_alive.js', {days:days,thread:Dsq.jsonData.thread.id});
		status.innerHTML = 'Saved!';
		window.setTimeout(function() { status.innerHTML = ''; }, 1000);
	};
};
// Dsq.Thread

Dsq.Events = function() {
	var obj = {};

	// Private
	var handlers = {};
	var getHandlers = function(event) {
		if (handlers[event] === undefined) {
			handlers[event] = [];
		}
		return handlers[event];
	};

	// Public
	// Value keys : postId, node, xtype
	obj.REPLY_IFRAME_CREATED = 1;
	// Value keys : postId, opened
	obj.REPLY_IFRAME_TOGGLED = 2;
	obj.fire = function(event, opt_value) {
		if (!event) {
			throw new Error('Unknown event');
		}
		var value = opt_value || {};
		for (var i=0; i<getHandlers(event).length; i++) {
			getHandlers(event)[i](value);
		}
	};
	obj.addHandler = function(event, callback) {
		getHandlers(event).push(callback);
	};

	return obj;
}();

/**
 * Dsq.Realtime
 */
Dsq.Realtime = new function() {
	var initialized = false;
	var interval = null;
	var last_checked = Dsq.jsonData.request.timestamp;
	var new_posts = [];
	var ongoing_request = false;
	var prev_script = null;

	function updateNewPostCount() {
		Dsq.$('dsq-realtime-alert').style.display = new_posts.length ? 'block' : 'none';

		Dsq.$('dsq-realtime-queued').innerHTML = new_posts.length
		+ ' new '
		+ Dsq.Utils.pluralize(new_posts.length, 'comment', 'comments')
		+ Dsq.Utils.pluralize(new_posts.length, ' was', ' were')
		+ ' just posted.';

		Dsq.$('dsq-realtime-show').innerHTML = '(' + Dsq.Strings.SHOW + ')';
	}

	function insertNewPosts() {
		var post_id = null;
		var after_id = Dsq.$('dsq-sort-select').value === 'oldest' ? -1 : null;

		for (var i=0; i<new_posts.length; i++) {
			post_id = new_posts[i];
			Dsq.Post.insert(after_id, post_id, Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id].message);
			Dsq.Post.incrementPostCount();
			Dsq.Post.outlineComment(post_id);
		}
		new_posts = [];
	}

	this.enableInterval = function() {
		interval = setInterval(Dsq.Realtime.check, Dsq.jsonData.context.realtime_speed);
		Dsq.$('dsq-realtime-status').innerHTML = Dsq.Strings.ENABLED;
		Dsq.$('dsq-realtime-toggle').innerHTML = '(' + Dsq.Strings.PAUSE + ')';
	}

	this.disableInterval = function() {
		if (interval) {
			clearInterval(interval);
			interval = null;
		}
		Dsq.$('dsq-realtime-status').innerHTML = Dsq.Strings.PAUSED;
		Dsq.$('dsq-realtime-toggle').innerHTML = '(' + Dsq.Strings.RESUME + ')';
	}

	this.toggleInterval = function() {
		if (!interval) {
			Dsq.Realtime.enableInterval();
		} else {
			Dsq.Realtime.disableInterval();
		}
		return false;
	}

	this.initialize = function() {
		if (!initialized) {
			initialized = true;
			Dsq.$('dsq-realtime-toggle').onclick = this.toggleInterval;
			if (!Dsq.jsonData.forum.streaming_realtime) {
				Dsq.$('dsq-realtime-show').onclick = this.show;
				updateNewPostCount();
			}
			if (Dsq.jsonData.thread.realtime_paused) {
				Dsq.Realtime.disableInterval();
			} else {
				Dsq.Realtime.enableInterval();
			}
		}
	}

	this.show = function() {
		insertNewPosts();
		updateNewPostCount();
		return false;
	}

	this.check = function() {
		if (!ongoing_request && Dsq.jsonData.realtime_enabled) {
			if (prev_script) {
				prev_script.parentNode.removeChild(prev_script);
			}
			ongoing_request = true;
			prev_script = Dsq.Utils.execScript('http://disqus.com/forums/3620861/realtime.js?timestamp=' + last_checked);
		}
	};

	this.update = function(timestamp, posts, users) {
		ongoing_request = false;
		last_checked = timestamp;

		if (users) {
			for (var user_id in users) {
				if (users.hasOwnProperty(user_id)) {
					if (!Dsq.jsonData.users[user_id]) {
						Dsq.jsonData.users[user_id] = users[user_id];
					}
				}
			}
		}

		if (posts) {
			for (var post_id in posts) {
				if (posts.hasOwnProperty(post_id)) {
					if (!Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id]) {
						Dsq.jsonData.posts[post_id] = posts[post_id];
						new_posts.push(post_id);
					}
				}
			}

			if (Dsq.jsonData.forum.streaming_realtime) {
				insertNewPosts();
			} else {
				updateNewPostCount();
			}
		}
	};

}();

// DEPRECATED
Dsq.Iframes = function() {
	// Different style of object from the above. Hoping to switch to this for some reason.
	var obj = {};

	// Private
	var showIframeInContainer = function(container, id, markup) {
		// Look through container for iframes, hiding them, except show one that matches id
		// If none of them matched id, create a new iframe using markup and insert it.
		// Returns the iframe node if and only if it was newly created.
		var found = false;
		for (var i=0; i<container.childNodes.length; i++) {
			var child = container.childNodes[i];
			if (child.nodeName == 'IFRAME') {
				if (child.id == id) {
					child.style.display = 'block';
					found = true;
				} else {
					child.style.display = 'none';
				}
			}
		}
		if (found) {
			return;
		}
		// The iframe wasn't found, so construct it and add it to the container.
		// Don't use innerHTML because it might reload iframes
		var div = document.createElement('div');
		div.innerHTML = markup;
		var iframe = div.childNodes[0];
		div.removeChild(iframe);
		container.appendChild(iframe);
		return iframe;
	};

	// Public
	obj.makeReplyIframeId = function(opt_postId, opt_xtype) {
		var id = 'dsq-post-add-iframe';
		if (opt_xtype) {
			id += '-' + opt_xtype;
		}
		if (opt_postId) {
			id += '-' + opt_postId;
		}
		return id;
	};
	obj.makeLoginIframeId = function(opt_postId) {
		if (!opt_postId) {
			return 'dsq-login-iframe';
		}
		return 'dsq-login-iframe-' + opt_postId;
	};
	obj.makeReplyIframeName = function(opt_postId, opt_xtype) {
		var name = 'dsq-reply-frame';
		if (opt_xtype) {
			name += '-' + opt_xtype;
		}
		if (opt_postId) {
			name += '-' + opt_postId;
		}
		return name;
	};
	obj.showReplyIframeInContainer = function(container, opt_postId, opt_extraParams, opt_className) {
		// Construct the id so we can check if it's already present.
		// Hide any other iframes we find, and show this one if it's found.
		var params = opt_extraParams || {};
		// use xtype in the id and name so we can distinguish media replies from text replies:
		var id = Dsq.Iframes.makeReplyIframeId(opt_postId, params.xtype);
		var name = Dsq.Iframes.makeReplyIframeName(opt_postId, params.xtype);
		var attributes = {
			'id': id,
			'name': name,
			'class': opt_className || 'dsq-post-reply'
			};
		var markup = Dsq.Templates.frameReply(opt_postId, opt_extraParams, attributes);
		var iframe = showIframeInContainer(container, id, markup);
		// It was newly created
		if (iframe) {
			Dsq.Events.fire(Dsq.Events.REPLY_IFRAME_CREATED, {
				postId: opt_postId,
				node: iframe,
				xtype: params.xtype
			});
		}
	};
	obj.showLoginIframeInContainer = function(container, opt_postId) {
		var id = Dsq.Iframes.makeLoginIframeId(opt_postId);
		var markup = Dsq.Templates.frameLogin({id: id});
		showIframeInContainer(container, id, markup);
	};
	obj.showReplyIframeInContainerIfAllowed = function(container, opt_postId) {
		if (Dsq.jsonData.context.show_reply) {
			obj.showReplyIframeInContainer(container, opt_postId);
		} else {
			obj.hideAllInContainer(container);
		}
	};
	obj.hideAllInContainer = function(container) {
		for (var i=0; i<container.childNodes.length; i++) {
			var child = container.childNodes[i];
			if (child.nodeName == 'IFRAME') {
				child.style.display = 'none';
			}
		}
	};

	return obj;
}();

Dsq.Twitter = new function() {
	var that = this;

	this.startTwitterConnect = function() {
		var popupParams = 'location=0,status=0,width=800,height=400';
		that._twitterWindow = window.open(Dsq.jsonData.settings.disqus_url + '/_ax/twitter/begin/', 'twitterWindow', popupParams);
		that._twitterInterval = window.setInterval(that.completeTwitterConnect, 1000);
	};

	this.completeTwitterConnect = function() {
		if (that._twitterWindow.closed) {
			window.clearInterval(that._twitterInterval);
			window.location.reload();
		}
	};
};

Dsq.Yahoo = new function() {
	var that = this;

	this.startYahooConnect = function() {
		var popupParams = 'location=0,status=0,width=800,height=400';
		that._yahooWindow = window.open(Dsq.jsonData.settings.disqus_url + '/_ax/yahoo/begin/', 'yahooWindow', popupParams);
		that._yahooInterval = window.setInterval(that.completeYahooConnect, 1000);
	};

	this.completeYahooConnect = function() {
		if (that._yahooWindow.closed) {
			window.clearInterval(that._yahooInterval);
			window.location.reload();
		}
	};
};

Dsq.OpenID = new function() {
	var that = this;

	this.requestURL = function() {
		var message = '<table class="dsq-openid-form"><tr><td style="vertical-align:top;" rowspan="2"><img src="' + Dsq.jsonData.settings.media_url + '/images/openid-icon-100x100.png" /></td>';
		message += '<td><label for="dsq-openid-url">OpenID URL:</label></td><td><input type="text" id="dsq-openid-url" /></td></tr>';
		message += '<tr><td><label for="dsq-openid-username">Display name:</label></td><td><input type="text" id="dsq-openid-username" /></td></tr>';
		message += '<tr><td class="dsq-openid-submit" colspan="3"><input type="button" value="Sign in" onclick="Dsq.OpenID.startConnect();" /></td></tr>';
		message += "</table>";

		Dsq.Popup.popModal(message, 'Sign in using OpenID');
	};

	this.startConnect = function() {
		var isblank = function(str) {
			return /^\s*$/.test(str);
		};

		var openid_url = Dsq.$('dsq-openid-url').value;
		var username = Dsq.$('dsq-openid-username').value;

		if (isblank(openid_url)) {
			return;
		}

		var popupParams = 'location=0,status=0,width=800,height=500';
		var url = Dsq.jsonData.settings.disqus_url + '/_ax/openid/begin/' + '?url=' + encodeURIComponent(openid_url) + '&username=' + encodeURIComponent(username);
		that._openidWindow = window.open(url, 'openidWindow', popupParams);
		that._openidInterval = window.setInterval(that.completeConnect, 1000);
	};

	this.completeConnect = function() {
		if (that._openidWindow.closed) {
			window.clearInterval(that._openidInterval);
			window.location.reload();
		}
	};
};

Dsq.Reaction = new function() {
	var that = this;

	this.hide = function(id) {
		Dsq.Utils.execScript('http://disqus.com/forums/washingtonindependent/hidereaction.js?' + 'reaction_id=' + id);
	};

	this.reportMissingReactions = function() {
		if (!Dsq.jsonData.request.is_moderator || !Dsq.jsonData.forum.reactions_enabled) {
			return;
		}

		if (Dsq.jsonData.thread.queued) {
			Dsq.Popup.popModal('Your report has been received. The system will automatically search for new reactions; if any are found, they will be displayed on this comment thread.<br/><br/>Thank&nbsp;you.',
												 'Reported missing reactions');
			return;
		}

		Dsq.Utils.execScript(Dsq.jsonData.settings.disqus_url + '/forums/washingtonindependent/queueurl.js');
	};
};

Dsq.CNN = function() {
	var obj = {};

	obj.authenticate = function() {
		var url = Dsq.jsonData.settings.disqus_url + "/saml/cnn/try/";
		Dsq.Utils.postToUrl(url, {'target': document.location}, true);
	};

	return obj;
}();


if(Dsq.Utils.ie6) {
	(function() {
		DSQ_HEADER_AVATAR_RE = /<div class="dsq-header-avatar"(.*?)>/gim;
		Dsq.Templates.registerFilter('postPrependHeader', function(html, post_id) {
			// Add "onmouseout" for dsq-header-avatar for dropProfile
			// functionality since IE6 cannot use :hover.
			function _headerAvatarReplace(content, inner, _unused, html) {
				return '<div class="dsq-header-avatar" '
					+ inner
					+ ' onmouseout="Dsq.Post.dropProfile(' + post_id + ')">';
			}
			html = html.replace(DSQ_HEADER_AVATAR_RE, _headerAvatarReplace);
			return html;
		});
	})();
}









(function() {
	//
	// Load theme.  This overrides the base templates with template functions
	// from the respective themes.
	//
	if (Dsq.jsonData.integration.theme == 4) {
		var theme = 'narcissus';
		// HACK: Set variable on window to use post message.
		window.disqus_use_postmessage = true;

		
		for(var prop in Dsq.Themes[theme]) {
			if(Dsq.Themes[theme] && Dsq.Themes[theme].hasOwnProperty(prop)) {
				Dsq.Templates[prop] = Dsq.Themes[theme][prop];
			}
		}
		
		for(var prop in Dsq.Post) {
			if(Dsq.Themes[theme] && Dsq.Themes[theme].hasOwnProperty(prop)) {
				Dsq.Post[prop] = Dsq.Themes[theme][prop];
			}
		}
	}

	//
	// Register templates.  This must be done after all themes are loaded.
	//
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('authPost', Dsq.Templates.authPost);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('header', Dsq.Templates.header);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('footer', Dsq.Templates.footer);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('trackbacks', Dsq.Templates.trackbacks);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('reactions', Dsq.Templates.reactions);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('prependPost', Dsq.Templates.prependPost);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('appendPost', Dsq.Templates.appendPost);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('postPrependHeader', Dsq.Templates.postPrependHeader);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('postAppendHeader', Dsq.Templates.postAppendHeader);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('preBody', Dsq.Templates.preBody);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('postBody', Dsq.Templates.postBody);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('postFooter', Dsq.Templates.postFooter);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('_popupGeneric', Dsq.Templates._popupGeneric);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('voted', Dsq.Templates.voted);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('popupProfile', Dsq.Templates.popupProfile);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('postBox', Dsq.Templates.postBox);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('pagination', Dsq.Templates.pagination);
	Dsq.Templates.registerTemplate('postComment_onSuccess', Dsq.Templates.postComment_onSuccess);

})();

Dsq.container.className = "clearfix";
Dsq.container.innerHTML = ' \
<ul id="dsq-comments">\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790361">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790361" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790361" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790361">gooch</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790361" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790361" class="dsq-comment-message">When trying to understand a situation, I think it\'s generally a good rule of thumb to look at "what is" as "what was intended".  I don\'t think that anything has happened during the Bush administration that wasn\'t intended, and by the two people who controlled the entire show - Bush and Cheney.  I have never believed that the plan was for Iraq to be a functioning, sovereign nation, autonomous of U.S. control.  The insurgency was the excuse to keep troops in Iraq.  It serves several of Bush\'s and Cheney\'s goals, chief among them a never ending war for the constant never ending re-election campaign (keep Americans in a chronic state of fear of terrorists) and a toe-hold in the Middle East for the eventual takeover of oil fields and reserves.<br><br>Is the mainstream media ever going to cover what\'s happening honestly?</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790360">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790360" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790360" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790360">gooch</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790360" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790360" class="dsq-comment-message">Lo and behold, no sooner do I leave this page than I see: "Deals With Iraq Are Set To Bring Oil Giants Back" - <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/world/middleeast/19iraq.html&OQ;=_rQ3D2Q26orefQ3Dslogin&OP;=60888373Q2F%21gXE%21ZzmJQ7BzznR%21RQ5EQ5EY%21Q5EQ3F%21N2%21gzQ7BDZ%21Q5CQ7CZZDXX0Jn%21N2Q7CQ7B0LQ7EfnQ5CD" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.ny...</a><br><br>Only five and a half years past the invasion, the true reason for the war, for the incompetence, for not having "a plan" post-invasion, comes to light: It was for the oil.  Duh.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790359">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790359" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790359" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790359">mariangela</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790359" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790359" class="dsq-comment-message">I need to check my voluminous files on Chalabi for the specifics, but I distinctly remember that Chalabi\'s men were given military training in an Eastern European country before the invasion, and that Chalabi was specially flown into Iraq just days after the invasion, even before Baghdad was taken.<br><br><br><br>Now, that\'s mighty peculiar behavior unless the intent was for Chalabi to have a very high post in conjunction with Garner.<br><br><br><br>The fly in the ointment, as I remember, is that Chalabi\'s men started looting so outrageously that this prospect was summarily dismissed.<br><br><br><br>Moreover, as I understand it, Chalabi was allowed to get his hands and retain the files of Saddam Hussein\'s secret police. Has it been mentioned by the neocons that Chalabi was an important factor in the fatal de-Baathification of Iraq?<br><br><br><br>Among Chalabi\'s supporters was none other then Dick Cheney, who met with him prior to the 2000 elections. Have the neocon revisionists mentioned this?<br><br>Honestly, their new "take" is insupported by evidence which I could dig out in half an hour\'s time from my files.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790358">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790358" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790358" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790358">htessay</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790358" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790358" class="dsq-comment-message">Looks like washing blood off your hands is a little tougher than you thought, eh Dougie?</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790357">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790357" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790357" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790357">jbulette</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790357" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790357" class="dsq-comment-message">we can anticipate ongoing efforts from the war people to justify their efforts to conduct a focused war in an effort to disguise the larger effort to conduct perpetual war.  gooch has it right, if the war people continue in power we will have war.  mcnamara, had the courage to aknowlege the war he managed in se asia was a mistake, was based on a flawed premise, the domino theory, and that the johnson adm and the pentagon lied about progress intne war.  he also advised that no future war be declared without a robust moral debate.  feith,s efforts lack any moral substance.  it reminds me of kissinger trying to justify prolonging the war in viet nam.  hopefully, more and more of our citizens will be able to see the neocons and their many supportersin the war industry as moral cretins.  jbulette</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790356">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790356" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790356" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790356">dallasdem</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790356" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790356" class="dsq-comment-message">When, oh when, will liberal Jews (Pro-Israeli\'s) like me and mainstream America wake up to the rule of neo-conservative, pro-Likkud, right wing, Israeli control of our government?  These people are NOT Americans, but pro-Israeli right wing, fundamentalist monsters, like the fundamentalist Muslims and Christians. .  When will liberal, progressive American and Israeli Jews, and all Americans from every race, color and creed, be free?  These people are NOT Americans nor do they care about America.  They live for Israel.  If they were any other ethnic group, they would be suspect.  Until we have stopped our fear of being called anti-Semitic, (the true ethnic group of Palestine and its indigenous peoples), and speak out against the neo-cons of the Christian and Jewish and Muslim and Christian Right wing,  we will NEVER be a free nation.  No other country on Earth has such control over our Government.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790355">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790355" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790355" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790355">poeticjustice</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790355" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790355" class="dsq-comment-message">It\'s great to see that this debate is underway.<br><br>The long-term record is going to require some truly epic historian(s) with some unique approaches to their tradecraft.<br><br>I suspect the right analysis is going to require the understanding that multiple objectives were being worked simultaneously, some overtly, some not.  Holistically I doubt whether any one historian will be able to capture this. Ultimately the debate should include the decision to militarize the North American space, and the utilization of the Counterintelligence Field Activity office of the Pentagon in domestic affairs/media. If someone can piece this together, including which journalist were(are) involved,  this historical record will help with the framing  of the "evildoers" as well as the "heroic."<br><br>I think the pope is correct when he says that ultimately good will triumph in the end though he may want inquire more thoroughly into why Cardinal George has been upset recently.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790354">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790354" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790354" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790354">kathykathy</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790354" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790354" class="dsq-comment-message">To dallasdem - I couldn\'t agree with you more!!!!!!</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790353">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790353" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790353" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790353">billinchicago</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790353" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790353" class="dsq-comment-message">"They certainly thought that Chalabi was, if not the most competent Iraqi, at least in the top two or three.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790352">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790352" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790352" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790352">betz55</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790352" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790352" class="dsq-comment-message">Rummy, Feith, Wolfowitz, and all the other neocon warmongers should have their medical insurance taken away, then their houses foreclosed, then their pensions removed. After their wives divorce them, they should be taken to the Green Zone, made to put on a t shirt and jeans and forced to walk out of the Green Zone into the streets of Baghdad where they will have to survive,on their own mind you, for a year, without aid from any military body. If they makes it through that year, upon their return, before they loses what jobs they had - they will be told "funding" dried up, they should be made to testify about their experiences and grilled about the falsehoods, lies, and pathologically screwed up excuses they gave the American people about the war in Iraq from their prison cells. They should be asked why on earth are American taxpayers forced to give trillions of dollars to a war when our own people are homeless or soon to be, have no jobs, no healthcare and are going without everyday. Bush, Cheney, Rice, Woolsey, Perle,Hadley, Wurmser, Natsios, Barlett, and especially Bolton should all be made to do the same thing, Bush to Anbar province, Cheney to Fallujah, and Rummy? well Rummy... let\'s just throw him to the troops and let them tear him apart. These a**holes should be made to disappear and never be allowed to practice their warmongering politics ever again.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790351">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790351" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790351" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790351">gooch</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790351" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790351" class="dsq-comment-message">Just for the hell of it, from 11/3/2002, The Guardian, "Carve-up of Oil Riches Begins":<br><br>The leader of the London-based Iraqi National Congress, Ahmed Chalabi, has met executives of three US oil multinationals to negotiate the carve-up of Iraq\'s massive oil reserves post-Saddam.<br><br>Disclosure of the meetings in October in Washington - confirmed by an INC spokesman - comes as Lord Browne, the head of BP, has warned that British oil companies have been squeezed out of post-war Iraq even before the first shot has been fired in any US-led land invasion.<br><br>Confirming the meetings to US journalists, INC spokesman Zaab Sethna said: \'The oil people are naturally nervous. We\'ve had discussions with them, but they\'re not in the habit of going around talking about them.\'<br><br>Next month oil executives will gather at a country retreat near Sandringham to discuss Iraq and the future of the oil market. The conference, hosted by Sheikh Yamani, the former Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia, will feature a former Iraqi head of military intelligence, an ex-Minister and City financiers. Topics for discussion include the country\'s oil potential, whether it can become as big a supplier as Saudi Arabia, and whether a post-Saddam Iraq might destroy the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.<br><br>Disclosure of talks between the oil executives and the INC - which enjoys the support of Bush administration officials - is bound to exacerbate friction on the UN Security Council between permanent members and veto-holders Russia, France and China, who fear they will be squeezed out of a post-Saddam oil industry in Iraq.<br><br>Although Russia, France and China have existing deals with Iraq, Chalabi has made clear that he would reward the US for removing Saddam with lucrative oil contracts, telling the Washington Post recently: \'American companies will have a big shot at Iraqi oil.\'<br><br>Indeed, the issue of who gets their hands on the world\'s second largest oil reserves has been a major factor driving splits in the Security Council over a new resolution on Iraq.<br><br>[...]</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790350">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790350" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790350" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790350">gooch</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790350" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790350" class="dsq-comment-message">For some chuckles, read \'Iraq Expert\' Perle Shills for Chalabi at Senate Panel<br>by Juan Cole, April 23, 2004: <a href="http://www.antiwar.com/cole/?articleid=2368" rel="nofollow">http://www.antiwar.com/cole/?articleid=2368</a><br><br>Here\'s the transcript of the hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee referred to by Cole: <a href="http://bulk.resource.org/gpo.gov/hearings/108s/95512.txt" rel="nofollow">http://bulk.resource.org/gpo.gov/hearings/108s/...</a></div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790349">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790349" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790349" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790349">sunzooomspark</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790349" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790349" class="dsq-comment-message">Preemptive, Preventive, or "Inventive"?<br><br>This was neither a "preemptive war" (an act considered justifiable in the face of an imminent threat) nor did it even rise to the level of an act of "preventive war" (launched in anticipation of a future loss of security and indistinct from a war of aggression).  When Israel attacked Iraq\'s the Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981 it could at least be reasonably argued that they were preventing a possible nuclear strike against them.<br><br>But our specious rationale for attacking Iraq, the hypothetical transfer of imaginary WMD (OMG, did Condi just say "mushroom cloud"?) to al-Qaida, was so unlikely as to be laughable.  Saddam was petrified of the REAL and imminent threat he faced from the US and sought to signal his position in one instance by having his own "international terrorist in residence" Abu Nidal shot in the head four times in the lead-up the the invasion.  Perhaps this was Saddam\'s bid to join us in the Global War On Terror?<br><br>Our attack was an unjustified attempt to grab Iraq\'s oil and establish a new platform for the projection of U.S. power in the Middle East.  Recall that when Bin Ladin demanded that all U.S. forces be recalled from Saudi Arabia, BUSH COMPLIED.  The U.S. requires a ringside seat in the region so long as Israel remains our strategic ally.<br><br>There was no honor in this decision.  This was international larceny disguised as revenge, perpetrated by armchair generals and chicken-hawks whose own personal contempt for our REAL warriors preempted a more sober and cautious approach to such a questionable enterprise.  A pox on them . . .</div>\
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	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790348">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790348" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790348" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790348">darkwraith</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790348" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790348" class="dsq-comment-message">Mr. Feith\'s reconstruction of history directly contradicts eyewitness narratives from objective, disciplined, trained observers who worked in his shadow and the penumbra cast by the neo-conservative cabal that took charge of the machinery of war in the Office of Special Plans. I cite Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, a career soldier who was right there as Feith demonstrated a fundamental incapacity to understand, much less project, "good order and discipline" (in her words), which is as essential to the functionality of military bureaucracy as it is to the war-making engine of battlefield management. Almost exactly three years ago, while mainstream news media were still in the thrall of the criminally incompetent neo-cons in the Pentagon and the White House, I wrote favorably of Kwiatkowski:<br><br><a href="http://dark-wraith.com/2005/06/analysis-stone-sand-and-writ-of.html" rel="nofollow">http://dark-wraith.com/2005/06/analysis-stone-s...</a><br><br><br><br>To this day, however, the mainstream media allow the construction of history to be generated in a debate among the distended, self-exonerating insiders of the Bush Administration, none of whom have suffered by any measure, as have the Iraqis and the Afghans in the still-hot cauldron of fevered dreams of the pretenders to the throne of Empire now crumbling.</div>\
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	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790347">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790347" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790347" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790347">guyfromoz</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790347" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790347" class="dsq-comment-message">Thank you darkwraith for link to your article on Lt. Col. Kwiatkowski. She may not have been able to stop the madness, but she tried her best. What a courageous military officer, considering the treacherous political warzone she was deployed to. I am quite certain that her writings informed and and appalled then inspired many of her colleagues above and below her in the chain of command. There has been no shortage of top brass who have taken a stand against this cabal of neocon lunatics. Soldiers like Kwiatkowski will one day earn their honorable place in history for the efforts they made to stop the madness. I pray that it\'s true that the current Joint Chiefs Of Staff have made it known to Bush and Cheney that they will not obey any order to attack Iran.</div>\
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	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790346">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790346" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790346" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790346">goldstarmom</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790346" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790346" class="dsq-comment-message">Poor Doug Feith, the Pentagon team</div>\
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	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790344">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790344" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790344" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790344">guyfromoz</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790344" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790344" class="dsq-comment-message">HELLO GOLD STAR MOTHER.<br><br>Most of us will never really know your pain about the loss of your son, but there are many of us who share your anger and fury.<br><br>Little by little, we will keep on speaking till we finally stop these war criminals.<br><br>Feith and his snivelling, cowardly accomplices and bosses will indeed get their final judgement.<br><br>I have never met you, but I know your son is in Heaven, watching down as you tell the truth.<br><br>Much love and respect from a guy in oz.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790345">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790345" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790345" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790345">guyfromoz</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790345" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790345" class="dsq-comment-message">HELLO GOLD STAR MOTHER.<br><br>Most of us will never really know your pain about the loss of your son, but there are many of us who share your anger and fury.<br><br>Little by little, we will keep on speaking till we finally stop these war criminals.<br><br>Feith and his snivelling, cowardly accomplices and bosses will indeed get their final judgement.<br><br>I have never met you, but I know your son is in Heaven, watching down as you tell the truth.<br><br>Much love and respect from a guy in oz.</div>\
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	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790343">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790343" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790343" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790343">ronnor</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790343" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790343" class="dsq-comment-message">Mr. Risen has written a compelling book review on Mr. Fieth\'s book, "War and Decision."  I haven\'t read the book yet but will.  From other things that I\'ve read about the book it is heavily referenced with documentation of official papers.<br><br>I was rather surprised at the anti-semitism  and ad hominem attacks on our ally and some of our elected officials in the comments section.  More like the raving of maniac\'s than considered thought; suited for something like Kos but certainly not for a James Risen review.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790342">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790342" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790342" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790342">webrand</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790342" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790342" class="dsq-comment-message">Mr. Feith\'s book is summarized by him in the Hugh Hewitt show, 60 Minutes, the Daily Show with John Stewart, NPR Morning Edition, PBS Tavis Smiley, This Week in Defense, CSIS Event, and in five videos presented by National Review Online.  You can see these summaries and get the gist of his case at <a href="http://waranddecision.com" rel="nofollow">http://waranddecision.com</a>  He claims the reason the US went to war was this:  "What the jihadist threat represents, and what 9/11 drove home, is that people who could just bypass our military can come in, in relatively small numbers, and do something as absolutely mind-boggling as destroy the World Trade Center towers, both of them, knock them down, destroy the west side of the Pentagon. And what we were concerned about in the days right after 9/11 is what are the other follow-on attacks that might occur? And what would be the effect on American society if there had been a series of them? It doesn</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790341">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790341" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790341" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790341">yournamehere</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790341" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790341" class="dsq-comment-message">How do you know what you know? Have you ever been deceived? What about when you thought Che Guevara was a hero of the people? Most of what we think we know about the issues Feith discusses is based on journalists and on the opinions of people who aren</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790340">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790340" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790340" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790340">jamesbloom</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790340" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790340" class="dsq-comment-message">Liar, liar pants on fire...I have a couple of questions. What has Israel ever given us, really? The Arab countries are the ones we get the oil from. Why such blind almost fanatical support fior Israel? They even send spies on our country. We caught one(Pollard) and God only knows how mwny more are out there. Why send our young men and women to conduct Israel\'s war? We criticized the Palestinians and former Iraq and Iran for violations of UN rules but Israel has committed even more violations but it is never mentioned. I could give a hoot about those countries but our government\'s actions makes our country look like Israel\'s lapdog, just like Blair looked like Bush\'s lapdog. What the hell for? Why are a lot of Americans so naive about 911? I couldn\'t believe at first that our own people and fellow "Americans" (they are not worth being called Americans) can do the things they did to us in 911 (by blowing up the World Trade and sendiing a missile into the Pentagon)but they did. Is it too horrible to accept this fact so WE DO NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. Conspiracy? Of course, why not? The ends justifies the means after all. The Constitution was designed to protect us from enemies from WITHIN as from without. What happens when the people supposed to protect us are the very people attacking us, from within. God help us. What happened to our great country that we have allowed such people to exist and do the things they have done and still continuing to do?</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790339">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790339" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790339" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790339">oldnavyguy</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790339" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790339" class="dsq-comment-message">The neo-cons were blinded by their faith in ideology and the certainty of their infallibility regardless of the facts or reality.  It\'s not the first time this has happened and it is a cautionary tale for those who care about effective democratic self-government and functioning republican institutions, which is why we must be careful of those who will develop opinions based on excessive partisanship or ideology.  The greatest evils of human history have been created by simplifications: among them communism, fascism, laissez-faire capitalism and the revealed religions, both secular and sacred, that demand absolute belief without evidence.  That is why most revolutions devolve into oppression and dictatorship.  We were lucky that the American revolution was guided less by ideology than faith in self-government for the general welfare.<br><br>&gt;<br><br>Feith can place a thousand endnotes in his book but if they are selective then they tell more about his desire to avoid accountability than they do about what happened.  For example, he seems to expend a great deal of effort in distancing himself from Chalabi.  The facts that we do have contradict his assertions.  The Office of Special Plans in the Pentagon used information from the dubious Chalabi source "Curveball" to skew the case for war.  This included the assertions about rolling biological labs, an al Qaeda-Iraq relationship and WMDs.  Feith states there was no "conspiracy" to place Chalabi as head of the government but he was given a key role in the Iraq interim government council under the Coalition Provisional Authority.  (A fact missing from the article).  This was the culmination of many years of seeking to support the Iraqi National Congress (INC), which was Chalabi\'s group.  Thanks to lobbying by the neo-cons outside of government (which included Perle, Feith and Wolfowitz, among others) the (Republican) Congress passed the Iraq Liberation Act in 1998 which funneled almost $97 million to the INC.  Feith would scapegoat Powell and the CIA but the INC also received $33 million dollars from the State Department between 2000 and September 2003 and $335K a month from the DIA from September 2003 through May 2004--and that is only what has been uncovered by auditors and the GAO.  He was a special guest of First Lady Bush at the 2004 State of the Union Address.  So SOMEONE influential and senior in the Administration was working very hard to finance Chalabi and the INC and all fingers point to his sponsors: the principals at the Project for the New American Century--the neo-cons who drove the case for war based on a belief in American hegemony in the region.  Ockham\'s Razor, regardless of all of the jesuitical arguments that Feith and his ilk can come up with to try to cloud the issue, tells us that the obvious really is obvious.  Documentary evidence, while the best evidence for determining motivation or establishing a direct relationship in a simple manner, is not the only evidence.  Phone calls, undocumented personal conversations, unwritten orders can all be determined by the historian through cause and effect--what is called circumstantial evidence.  No "smoking gun" standard stands against common sense.  Documents can and have been destroyed and altered.  Criminals are convicted every day absent documentary evidence.<br><br>&gt;<br><br>The judgment of history will fall very heavily against this Administration.  The cause and effect of Iraq and the economic effects we are now feeling has yet to be fully realized and the history yet to be assessed.  Despite their assertions to the contrary, historians tend to get things right about an American Administration right.  Few presidents have risen significantly over time.  Even Truman--that favorite of Nixon and Bush apologists--though vilified and unpopular when he left office in 1953, was seen as an above-average president by historians when he left office; one who got the small things wrong but the big things right.  He has risen to near-great in assessment but no one has gone from being considered a failure to rise above an assessment of mediocrity or malfeasance.  I am afraid that this time in our history will be seen as not only one in which we experienced that manner of human frailty, but also an Administration, blinded by faith in the rightness of its cause and ideology, subjected the country to abuse of power and tyranny.  Those who continue to want to paint this as a partisan issue (like Senator Lieberman) and not learn from it damn future generations of Americans to a worse fate.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790338">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790338" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790338" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790338">groucho</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790338" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790338" class="dsq-comment-message">It is disheartening to see critics of the Iraq invasion get sucked into yet another diversionary argument by its architects (Feith, etc).  It is of virtually no importance whether these architects intended (conspired?) to install Chalabi as their puppet.  The ONLY importance of Chalabi is that his lies were used to support three implausible claims: (1) that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction; (2) that our invasion would be welcomed; and (3) that Chalabi or someone else could form a government which would allow us to leave quickly.  By getting people to argue about whether their implausible post- invasion plans depended upon a conspiracy to install Chalabi and the supposed paralyzing battle between Defense, State, the White House and the CIA over this conspiracy, we are diverted from understanding that there was no plausible way that a stable government could have been created following the US invasion.  Feith had no such plan; Wolfowitz had no such plan; Rumsfeld had no such plan; Cheney had no such plan; Perle had no such plan; Powell had no such plan; Rice had no such plan; (well you get the point). One or more of the following was bound to occur: (a) civil war between the Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions; (b) partition of the country into two or three pieces; (c) takeover of the country by the Shiite majority, probably aided by Iran; (d) direct takeover of all or part of the country by Iran; (e) an invasion by Turkey to suppress the creation of a hostile Kurdish state on its border.  None of these outcomes were or are better than having Saddam Hussein continue in office.<br><br>There is a reason that Senator McCain, while claiming that the surge was a success, says we have to stay in Iraq for 50 or 100 years. There is a reason why the first President Bush, supported by almost all of his advisors, decided not to take over Iraq and depose Saddam Hussein during the First Gulf War.  There is reason why Senator Clinton (when she thought she was going to be the next president) practically begged the current President Bush to get us out of Iraq before leaving office.  And now, unfortunately, there is a reason why Senator Obama is waffling on his pledge to leave Iraq.  The invasion was a mistake which cannot be easily fixed. There was no way out and there is no way out.  To borrow the title of a recent movie, "There Will Be Blood"</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790337">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790337" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790337" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790337">webrand</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790337" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790337" class="dsq-comment-message">Risen did a poor job of summarising Feith\'s narrative.  According to Feith, his key goal, accepted by Rumsfeld and President Bush, was to have a very short occupation -- to turn over governance to the Iraqis in two or three weeks after the fall of Baghdad.  The purpose was to avoid an insurgency or at least to weaken it.  This policy had been a success in Afghanistan when there was quickly a plan to have a "loya jurga", a tribal gathering to decide on a new government.  It wasn\'t long before Hamid Karzai, an "external", was installed by the Iraqi tribal governments.<br><br>Feith had designed an interim government arrangement in which some "externals" such as Chalabi and others Iraqis who had been outside Iraq, along with "internals", would take over governance just long enough to organize a vote for a government that would arrange for an election and the resulting government would write a constitution.<br><br>Armitage (State)  and Tenet (CIA) did not like Chalabi nor did Bremer who replace Jay Garner.  They claimed he would never be acceptable to the internal Iraqis.  (At one time Chalabi had accused the CIA of incompetence).  According to Feith, Armitage, Tenet and Bremer took actions so as to avoid the interim plan for some 14 months which exacerbated the insurgency.  Finally Bush told Bremer he would have to leave and shortened the process, otherwise the Americans might still be sovereign today and the insurgency still flourishing.<br><br>It appears that Armitage, Tenet, and Bremer were wrong as the Iraqis have elected Chalabi and several other "externals" to full time positions in the Iraqi government.   Feith strongly believes that the failure to adopt his interim Iraqi government plan was the cause of that insurgency or at least strengthened it appreciably.<br><br>This is what I got from Feith\'s book.  He claims this history is derived from contemporaneous notes and memoranda.  I have not, as yet, checked them.<br><br>Two other points Feith raised were quite interesting.  He denied the purpose of the Iraq invasion was to introduce democracy into the Middle East although he thought that was an ancillary benefit but would not have, by itself, justified the invasion.  Nor was the invasion for the purpose of revenge against al Qaeda.  He claimed it was to avoid further attacks such as had occurred on 9/11.  These were not necessarily attacks by al-Qaeda.  There was and still is a global network of many terrorist organizations other than al Qaeda and he was concerned that a state terrorist such as Iran, North Korea or Iraq could provide WMD to one or more of these groups.  Why Iraq?  Feith explains that they had tried diplomacy on Iraq and it hadn\'t work.  They had yet to fully explore diplomacy with Iran and North Korea.   Although no stockpiles of WMD were found, the inspectors showed that Iraq still maintained resources from which WMD could be manufactured in a very short time frame.<br><br>Finally, one more interesting point was the discussion over the interaction between Defense and CIA on whether there were meaningful contacts between Iraq and terrorist groups.  One of Feith\'s researchers found that CIA was systematically devaluating many contacts between Iraq and terrorist groups because of its analysts preconceptions that a secular government such as that of Saddam Hussein would never collaborate with a religious extremist group -- even against a common enemy.  Defense\'s people thought that each contact should be evaluated on its own merits and not be watered down or filtered out because of the CIA\'s preconceptions.  According to Feith, this was a matter of professionalism rather than a question of the administration trying to pressure the CIA to change its views as was leaked to the press by CIA.   I have not yet checked the contemporaneous notes and memoranda on this point either.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790336">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790336" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790336" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790336">webrand</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790336" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790336" class="dsq-comment-message">Risen was closer to Feith\'s Narrative in his story for the New York Times.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790335">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790335" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790335" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790335">groucho</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790335" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790335" class="dsq-comment-message">There are a number of things wrong with Feith\'s post hoc justification of the invasions and explanation of why "If only they had taken my advise, all would have been well"  Webrand actually highlights these flaws in his attempted defense of Feith.<br><br>1) The Adminstration SAID it was invading because there were weapons of mass destruction.  It never said it was invading because there were materials from which Iraq could make weapons of mass destruction and give them to our enemies.  Why didn\'t we say that before the invasion, instead of making this claim only when our public claims proved to be completely and utterly false?<br><br>2) If we invaded because we feared that Saddam was about to give WMD to terrorists, how could the brief invasion now claimed by Feith prevent that?  The reason we had long supported Saddam was that he was surpressing the anti-American Shiite majority.  In the absence of occupying American troops, no government friendly to the US can govern Iraq.  If and when we leave, there will be a terrorist--friendly government (probably allied with Iran) in Iraq.  This government will be motivated to help terrorists.<br><br>3) Consistent with #2, Feith admits that creating a democracy in Iraq was not the goal.  However, contrary to Feith\'s claim, democracy was not a hoped-for "ancillary benefit".  The US has long supported undemocratic governments in Epypt and Saudi Arabia because democratically-elected governments in these countries would be anti-American.  We supported Saddam for this same reason and the Shah of Iran as well. (No one would describe the current Iran as a functioning democracy, but its government is more reflective of popular sentiment than are the governments of most of our allies in the Middle East and much more so than the Shah\'s brutal dictatorship which we strongly supported for many years.) Since our invasion of Iraq, it is well documented that we have attempted, through a variety of means, to influence the elections in that country in ways which, if some country attempted to do to us, would end diplomatic relations.<br><br>4) Feith and Webrand\'s argument that a similar plan in Afghanistan was a "success" is quite revealing.  Like Iraq, we claimed that we invaded Afghanistran because our "negotiations" with their government failed to get us what we wanted--in this case, having Osama bin Laden and the rest of his criminal gang turned over to us.  Of course, these negotiation were preposterous since, despite years of occupation, WE have not been able to capture or kill Osama or most of his followers.  If we couldn\'t do this over a period of years, how did we expect the Afghanistan government to do so in the short time we gave them?  In good faith negotiations, you ask the other side to do something that they actually have the power to do.<br><br>5)Since our invasion, many (most?) things in Afghanistan has gotten worse.  For example, prior to our invastion, the Taliban had virtually eliminated the poppy/opium business.  Now they have reversed course and are using it to support their insurgency. It is the largest cash crop.  If our invasion of Afghanistan was such a success, then why are we still there and why are both presidential candidates arguing that we have to send more troops? (Obama and others have suggested that we could have succeeded in Afghanistan if only we hadn\'t pulled resources out in order to invade Iraq.  Whatever its merits, I don\'t suppose Feith will be making this argument.)<br><br>6) Well there is an answer to all of these questions.  The goal of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq was long-term American control of these countries.  While a brief invasion could not prevent the creation of a terrorist-friendly government in Iraq, long-term occupation might.  Similarly, the surge can be viewed as a success if the goal was to reduce the insurgency to the point that Americans would stop complaining about the loss of American life and put up with the (hopefully reduced) costs of a permanent occupying force.<br><br>7) The Bush Administration has long claimed that we should ignore sentimentaly rhetoric and claims of good intentions and deal with the harsh realities of the world as they really are.  Now that their policies have made all of those realities worse, they are writing books like Feith\'s in which they beg us to judge them on their good intentions.  They meant well.  Unfortunately, for Feith and his friends, there is little evidence that anyone in the Bush administration meant well.</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 <li id="dsq-comment-1790334">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-header-1790334" class="dsq-comment-header">\
	 <cite id="dsq-cite-1790334" class="dsq-comment-cite">\
	 <span id="dsq-author-user-1790334">kwaayesnama</span>\
	 </cite>\
	 </div>\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-body-1790334" class="dsq-comment-body">\
	 <div id="dsq-comment-message-1790334" class="dsq-comment-message">Lets see my choice is cranky old John McCain or that energetic young, smart black man Barack Obama?<br><br><br><br>McCain who does not know how to use a computer but is willing to learn if we elect him</div>\
	 </div>\
	 </li>\
	 </ul>\
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