My neighbor, referring to my earlier blog, correctly informs me that "Arabs" do not include Iranis. I looked it up, and Arabia is a "peninsula SW Asia ab. 1400 mi (2253 km) long and 1250 mi (2012 km) wide including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Persian Gulf States; in early times divided into Arabia Petraea ("Rocky Arabia," the NW part); Arabia Deserta ("Desert Arabia," the N part); and Arabia Felix ("Fertile Arabia," the main part but by some geographers restricted to Yemen). Iran, formerly Persia, is a country SW Asia bordering in N on Caspian Sea and in S on Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman; an Islamic republic since 1979, formerly an empire. I stand corrected. Thanks Chris! Now if we could only convince the Pentagon ...

- Michael 7:55 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Many Troops Dissatisfied, Iraq Poll Finds

A broad survey of U.S. troops in Iraq by a Pentagon-funded newspaper found that half of those questioned described their unit's morale as low and their training as insufficient, and said they do not plan to reenlist.

The survey, conducted by the Stars and Stripes newspaper, also recorded about a third of the respondents complaining that their mission lacks clear definition and characterizing the war in Iraq as of little or no value. Fully 40 percent said the jobs they were doing had little or nothing to do with their training.

The findings, drawn from 1,935 questionnaires presented to U.S. service members throughout Iraq, conflict with statements by military commanders and Bush administration officials that portray the deployed troops as high-spirited and generally well-prepared.

The Stars and Stripes is just a pinko commie rag I tell you! Everything is fine. Everything is great. Even the Republican Senators who came to visit Iraq say everything is peachy; the Democratic Senators couldn't go, unfortunately, because there were no planes available, but trust me, they'd say everything was peachy too.

Oh and the Republican went to Kuwait every night because the, um, food was better. It has nothing to do with security.

Here is a great wrap up of all of this.

- rob 4:20 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Sept. 11 Panel Votes to Subpoena FAA

WASHINGTON - The independent commission studying the Sept. 11 attacks has voted to subpoena the Federal Aviation Administration, ordering the agency to hand over documents for the investigation.

The 10-member commission said it had learned through interviews that the agency had not turned over tapes, statements, reports and other documents "highly material to our inquiry."

One commission member said the documents relate in part to lingering questions over how, and how quickly, the FAA notified U.S. air defenses about hijacked planes on Sept. 11, 2001.

Yet another sign that this administration just wants the commission to disappear. The administration doesn't want to learn from their mistakes. One because there were mistakes, and two, they "don't make mistakes."

- rob 3:59 PM - [PermaLink] -

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George Bush's America

Keeping dissent invisible

Oct. 16, 2003 | PHILADELPHIA -- When Bill Neel learned that President George W. Bush was making a Labor Day campaign visit to Pittsburgh last year to support local congressional candidates, the retired Pittsburgh steelworker decided that he would be on hand to protest the president's economic policies. Neel and his sister made a hand-lettered sign reading "The Bushes must love the poor -- they've made so many of us," and headed for a road where the motorcade would pass on the way from the airport to a Carpenters' Union training center.

Neel never got to display his sign for President Bush to see, though. As he stood among milling groups of Bush supporters, he was approached by a local police detective, who told him and his sister that because they were protesting, they had to move to a "free-speech area," on orders of the U.S. Secret Service.

"He pointed out a relatively remote baseball diamond that was enclosed in a chain-link fence," Neel recalled in an interview with Salon. "I could see these people behind the fence, with their faces up against it, and their hands on the wire." (The ACLU posted photos of the demonstrators and supporters at that event on its Web site.) "It looked more like a concentration camp than a free-speech area to me, so I said, 'I'm not going in there. I thought the whole country was a free-speech area.'" The detective asked Neel, 66, to go to the area six or eight times, and when he politely refused, he handcuffed and arrested the retired steelworker on a charge of disorderly conduct. (It's a Salon article, so you'll have to watch on ad if you want to read the whole piece).

Let's be clear here, the Secret Service does not put supporters behind chain linked fences, thus this is not a security concern. Assassins sent to kill Bush would not be holding posters that say "we think Bush sleeps with the whores of Babylon;" they would probably be holding something that would not draw attention. So either the Secret Service is incompetent (which I do not believe they are); or they are acting under political pressure.

When Clinton was President and a protestor yelled out something against him he said "you're intitled to you opinion." In Bush's America that would get you arrested. I am not exaggerating.

This isn't new security because of 9/11. Just check out this article from June, 2001: Protesters kept at a distance; three arrested

TAMPA -- People who parked in the assigned lots and walked to Legends Field to see President Bush probably didn't see many protest signs.

That's because the 150 or so protesters were kept in a cordoned-off "First Amendment zone" about a half-mile away, at the corner of Dale Mabry Highway and Tampa Bay Boulevard.
...

Janis Marie Lentz, 55, of New Port Richey, Mauricio Rosas, 37, of Tampa, and Sonja Haught, 59, of Clearwater, were each charged with trespassing after warning, police said. Haught also was charged with disorderly conduct because police say she tried to resist arrest.

Walter Sorenson, 81, of New Port Richey was knocked down after police shoved one of the arrested women, he said. He suffered a cut on his head.

Sorenson said he was carrying an anti-Bush sign too, but put it in his pocket when told to.

"I asked them (security) how come everyone else could wave Bush signs and we couldn't have our signs," Sorenson said. "They said, "You don't make the rules. We make the rules.'

Bush does not want to live in a democracy, at least not while he is in charge. Dissent, Discussion, Debate, all to him are annoyances that he, as king, does not need to be exposed too. He does not realize these are the foundations of a very society.

Bush does not read papers, does not see the protestors, considers debate as dissent and demands an almost sycophantic loyalty. Can this man lead or just bark orders?

- rob 3:44 PM - [PermaLink] -

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The Truth Laid Bear: The New Weblog Showcase

We're 707! (out of 1299).

We're also trending up, by November I say we'll be in the top 500! (Wow, big dreams).

For your does of cynicism and depression always remember: This Century Sucks!

Thank you.

- rob 9:37 AM - [PermaLink] -

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Did E-Vote Firm Patch Election?

Hey Maryland! Are you reading this?

Now a former worker in Diebold's Georgia warehouse says the company installed patches on its machines before the state's 2002 gubernatorial election that were never certified by independent testing authorities or cleared with Georgia election officials.

If the charges are true, Diebold could be in violation of federal and state election-certification rules. The charges also raise questions about the integrity of the Georgia election results and any other election that uses patched Diebold systems that have not been re-certified.

According to Rob Behler, an engineer hired as a contractor to work in Diebold's Georgia warehouse last year, the Diebold systems had major functioning problems.

Behler said 25 to 30 percent of the machines in one shipment to the warehouse either crashed upon booting or had problems with their real-time clocks, causing the systems to register the date inaccurately then boot improperly or freeze up altogether.

"They did not meet what I would deem standard operation," he said.

Behler said Diebold provided warehouse workers with at least three patches to apply to the systems before state officials began logic and accuracy testing on them. Behler said one patch was applied to machines when he came to the warehouse in June, a second patch was applied in July and a third in August after he left the warehouse.
...

According to Harris, this scenario is particularly worrisome in light of what happened in the Georgia gubernatorial race, which ended in a major upset that defied all polls and put a Republican in the governor's seat for the first time in more than 130 years.

Republican candidate Sonny Perdue managed to unseat Democratic incumbent Roy Barnes with only 51 percent of the vote. It was the first time an incumbent governor had not won his second term since Georgia law allowed back-to-back terms in 1978.

- rob 3:10 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Halliburton Allegedly Overcharges in Iraq

WASHINGTON -- Two Democratic lawmakers say Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, Halliburton, is gouging U.S. taxpayers while importing gasoline into Iraq. The Houston-based company contends it is paying the best price possible.

Reps. Henry Waxman of California and John Dingell of Michigan complained to the Bush administration that Halliburton's KBR subsidiary is billing the Army between $1.62 and $1.70 per gallon, while the average price for Middle East gasoline is 71 cents.

They also complained that Iraqis are charged between 4 cents and 15 cents at the pump for the imported gasoline.

"Although Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the world, the U.S. taxpayer is, in effect, subsidizing over 90 percent of the cost of gasoline sold in Iraq," the lawmakers said in the latest Democratic attacks against the Houston company that received a no-bid contract.

The charges cover the purchase and transportation of the petroleum from Kuwait and other countries.

Halliburton, originally hired to extinguish oil fires, has received the expanded role of restoring Iraq's oil industry. The company has been paid $1.4 billion through September for its work.

- rob 1:39 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Iraq War Swells Al Qaeda's Ranks, Report Says

LONDON (Reuters) - War in Iraq has swollen the ranks of al Qaeda and galvanized the Islamic militant group's will, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said on Wednesday in its annual report.

The 2003-2004 edition of the British-based think-tank's annual bible for defense analysts, The Military Balance, said Washington's assertions after the Iraq conflict that it had turned the corner in the war on terror were "over-confident."

The report, widely considered an authoritative text on the military capabilities of states and militant groups worldwide, could prove fodder for critics of the U.S.-British invasion and of the reconstruction effort that has followed in Iraq.

But Bush said it would stop terrorism. Did Bush lie?

Washington must impose security in Iraq to prevent the country from "ripening into a cause celebre for radical Islamic terrorists," it concluded. "Nation-building" in Iraq was paramount and might require more troops than initially planned.

Alas, Bush didn't lie when he said he was against nation building when he was running for office.

- rob 1:34 PM - [PermaLink] -

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My god's bigger than your god.
My god's bigger than yours
My god's bigger cause he'a got the US Army
My god's bigger then yours

Top terrorist hunter’s divisive views

During a January church speech in Daytona, Fla., Boykin recalled a Muslim fighter in Somalia who bragged on television the Americans would never get him because his God, Allah, would protect him: “Well, you know what I knew, that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol.”

The Somali was captured, and Boykin said he told the man: “Mr. Atto, you underestimated our God.” Emphasis Mine.

backstory: A highly decorated general who is one of the leaders of a secretive new Pentagon unit formed to coordinate intelligence on terrorists and help hunt down Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and other high-profile targets has a history of outspoken and divisive views on religion — Islam in particular, NBC News has learned.

HE’S A HIGHLY decorated officer, twice wounded in combat — a warrior’s warrior.

The former commander of Army Special Forces, Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin has led or been part of almost every recent U.S. military operation, from the ill-fated attempt to rescue hostages in Iran to Grenada, Panama, Colombia, Somalia.

This summer, Boykin was promoted to deputy undersecretary of defense, with a new mission for which many say he is uniquely qualified: to aggressively combine intelligence with special operations and hunt down so-called high-value terrorist targets including bin Laden and Saddam.

But that new assignment may be complicated by controversial views Boykin — an evangelical Christian — has expressed in dozens of speeches at churches and prayer breakfasts around the country. In a half-dozen video and audiotapes obtained by NBC News, Boykin says America’s true enemy is not bin Laden.

Boy I bet your wondering now... is it Bush... is it Saddam... close it starts with an S. It's Satan. Ohhhh, the man in red, the scary guy with horns. You know, this guy:



No seriously, the guy can believe what every he wants, and what he says in church is his business. But their is a PR aspect to fighting terrorism, and the Bush administration really does need to realize that. Boykin does: "Boykin tells NBC News that, given his new assignment, he is curtailing such speeches in the future. He says, “I don’t want … to be misconstrued. I don’t want to come across as a right-wing radical.”

- rob 1:06 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Bush the effective Leader.

Bush orders officials to stop the leaks

WASHINGTON - Concerned about the appearance of disarray and feuding within his administration as well as growing resistance to his policies in Iraq, President Bush - living up to his recent declaration that he is in charge - told his top officials to "stop the leaks" to the media, or else.

News of Bush's order leaked almost immediately.

Bush told his senior aides Tuesday that he "didn't want to see any stories" quoting unnamed administration officials in the media anymore, and that if he did, there would be consequences, said a senior administration official who asked that his name not be used.

If an ineffective fraud of a President shouts in his office, does he make a sound?

Thanks to Atrios for the link.

- rob 12:46 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Fears of more US electoral chaos after flaws are discovered in ballot computers

The British are scared about the validity of our voting machines.

Join the club.

- rob 2:58 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Ex-Aide: Powell Misled Americans

(CBS) The person responsible for analyzing the Iraqi weapons threat for Colin Powell says the Secretary of State misinformed Americans during his speech at the U.N. last winter.

Greg Thielmann tells Correspondent Scott Pelley that at the time of Powell’s speech, Iraq didn’t pose an imminent threat to anyone – not even its own neighbors. “…I think my conclusion [about Powell’s speech] now is that it’s probably one of the low points in his long distinguished service to the nation,” says Thielmann.

Pelley’s report will be broadcast on 60 Minutes II, Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Thielmann also tells Pelley that he believes the decision to go to war was made first and then the intelligence was interpreted to fit that conclusion. “…The main problem was that the senior administration officials have what I call faith-based intelligence,” says Thielmann.

Captain Louis Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!

- rob 2:55 PM - [PermaLink] -

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'Meetup' mobilizes local Clark campaign

Price believes there is a deep pool of potential Clark voters locally, in part because Clark voiced early opposition to the war in Iraq and in part because his military background should appeal to the large military presence here.

Indeed, six men at one table last night were sailors assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln, the aircraft carrier on which President Bush landed as it returned to San Diego after a 10-month deployment to the Middle East.

"I was on the flight deck when Bush landed," said one sailor, who did not want his name printed. "It was a slap in the face."

- rob 2:51 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Church and State

Russian chapel razed after gay 'marriage'

Hey its their church, let them do that. I'm against prejudices but if you join a church you are joining into that church's prejudices, and they all have them. You can fight the prejudices from within but don't act surprised that they have them. Some are extreme ("you are gay, you will go to hell" "you are a Jew, you will go to Hell" "You are a Muslim, you will go to hell" "you are not a Muslim, you will go to hell") and can easily be mocked ("you have eaten shellfish, you will go to hell") but having Bush declare this week "Marriage Protection Week" and state that "Marriage is a union between a man and a woman" is not okay.

Bush is not leading a church he is (unfortunately) leading a country. What is he protecting? Is he protecting the sanctity of his brother's marriage in which Neil couldn't even remember how many women he slept with during business trips? Marriage is a hybrid religious/state institution in America where the government recognizes a church union as a legal union. Suddenly Bush is declaring what a marriage is? Doesn't he have better things to do? No he so believes in the sanctity of marriage that he is using it as political bait. In 2004 he will be so desperate of votes that he'll make marriage between gays a campaign issue. Its genius really, he could be shooting hillbilly heroin with Saddam and he'd still get the homophobe vote (bigger then you think).

I won't even go into the odd timing that the Marriage Protection Week starts on the anniversery of Matthew Shepard being killed (but do note that on the anniversary of Roe V. Wade Bush declared it "National Sanctity of Life Day.").

Those who think Islamic terrorists are the problem forget that there are Christians here that are pretty close to that themselves. Whether Pat Robertson declaring that we should put a nuke in the state department HQ (see postings from yesterday below) to the frendily Baptist Rev. Fred Phelps who wants to put a monument up to celebrate the beating of Matthew Shepard. Of course there is also the good Christian Eric Rudolph who kills abortion doctors and places bombs at the Atlanta Olympics (pretty much does mean he's a terrorist doesn't he).

Sometimes I hear people say "where is the outcry from respected Muslim religious leaders against terrorism." Well first I think, there might be, but when was the last time a respected Muslim religious leader on television, but then I think, well, where was the outcry from Pat Robertson about Rev. Phelps? I mean Robertson ran for President in the Republican party. You know he'll be seen with Bush as fundraisers in the south next year. Well Robertson and Phelps pretty much hold the same believes. After 9/11 Falwell declared the World Trade Center fell because God had lifted his veil of protection from the United States because, among other sins, we allowed homosexuality to be considered "okay." Robertson agreed. So does Phelps, why he came to NYC and his followers proudly showed their "Thank God for 9/11" posters.

I once told a friend I was worried about all the powers that had been granted Ashcroft under The unPatriotic Act. He said "don't worry, Aschroft is a good Christian." Okay but how do you define a good Christian? Is Phelps a good Christian (he's a Reverend)? Is Robertson a good Christian? Is Eric Rudolph a good Christian? A lot of people seem to think "yes."

That is why church and state should not meet. Religious definitions are too loose (what with the only true judge being... well... God). It'd rather have an Attorney General who was a good Attorney General, even if he/she was a pagan.

Sorry, what was the topic of this post again?

- rob 2:49 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Bush: Job Ratings

Still going down. Waking up to reality is a slow and difficult process but Americans are doing it. Let's see if the media does too.

- rob 1:44 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Wilson adds ammo to hit war credibility gap

Just as former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's story that Bushies blew his CIA wife's cover to get back at his criticism of the war in Iraq was getting old, he has stumbled on new ammo to hit the administration's credibility. Wilson tells us he plans to circulate the text of a briefing by analyst Sam Gardiner that suggests the White House and Pentagon made up or distorted over 50 war stories. You know some tall tales, like the Pvt. Jessica Lynch story. But there's more, says Gardiner, a war gamer who has taught at the National War College. Like how defense officials said the first Iraqi unit marines encountered, the 51st Mechanized Infantry Division, had surrendered four days before it actually did. And he says Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard Myers gave bad or deliberately incomplete info on several topics. Sure, propaganda has always been used in war to deceive and demoralize the enemy. But these guys went way overboard, Gardiner says.

You can read the report as a pdf (linked from the above page), or click here for pages 1-10 and the last 6 pages as html (thanks to Google)

- rob 1:23 PM - [PermaLink] -

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The Soviet Republic of Texas

The map Republicans have produced is a remarkable feat of gerrymandering. The 19th District, once confined to the western side of the state, now snakes halfway across it to scavenge voters from the current district of Democratic Rep. Charles Stenholm. Beneath it now sprawls the once-compact 11th District of Democratic Rep. Chet Edwards, which has been completely redrawn to help a friend of George W. Bush get elected to Congress. The south of the state now looks like a pinstripe suit, with narrow districts snaking from north to south in order to pack Hispanic-majority voters in just a few districts, including a new one. Dallas liberal Martin Frost, meanwhile, suddenly has a new district, 63 percent of whose voters are Republican. The goal here is not subtle. As Republican state Rep. Phil King, who helped draw the map, put it to the Austin American Statesman, "I would suspect that [any Democrat] who is not in a minority district would have a very competitive race."

The current Texas House delegation includes 17 Democrats and 15 Republicans. This balance, no doubt, is a residue of a time when Democrats were more powerful in the state than they are today and reflects deliberate incumbent protection by past legislatures. It also, however, reflects the fact that some Democratic members have effectively represented their increasingly conservative districts and remained popular. The pernicious effect of partisan redistricting in general is the weakening of the center with the creation of "safe" seats for both parties -- which encourages the election of people considerably to the left or right of the state's political center of gravity. Do Texans really want a polarized delegation of 22 conservative Republicans and 10 liberal Democrats, as the current plan envisions? Do they really want a state with a white party and a minority party? Republican politicians are engineering it that way, whatever voters may want. For redistricting -- quite the inverse of elections -- is a process in which politicians get to choose their voters. It is a process that a healthy democracy would seek to reform.

The House has become a "home" to the politically insane. Seats now our almost party appointments by which ever party is the majority in the balkanized district. If you want examples of evil Democrats or evil Republicans the House is a one stop shop.

After getting rid of Bush & making valid accounting possible on voting machines possible, reforming the structure of the House should be Clark or Dean's number 3.

- rob 1:15 PM - [PermaLink] -

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In case you missed it yesterday.

The Top Ten Conservative Idiots, No. 130 - Democratic Underground

Obviously it is rather Rush focused, but you can't forget Bush supporter Pat Robertson's amazing performance last week:

4. Pat Robertson
Here's a follow-up to the recent Rush Limbaugh/Donovan McNabb story which was too late to make it into the Top Ten last week. It turns out that - guess what? - Pat Robertson has come out with a staunch defense of Rush's comments (Rush said that quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because he's black - see Idiots 129). So what's Pat's angle? Unsurprisingly, he's taken Rush's ball and run with it into an even uglier area. The Racist Reverend tried to demonstrate that black people do benefit from "social concern" by comparing McNabb to actor Morgan Freeman: "He started off playing a chauffeur in 'Driving Miss Daisy,' and then they elevated him to head of the CIA and then they elevated him to President and in his last role they made him God. I just wonder, isn't Rush Limbaugh right to question the fact, is he that good an actor or not?" Um, reality check, Pat. Morgan Freeman is an actor. He's hasn't actually been promoted from chauffeur to God. You know? It's all, like, an illusion. Of course, the implication here is that as far as Pat Robertson is concerned, black people should stick to playing chauffeurs and let white people deal with the business of playing God. Incidentally, in between playing a chauffeur and God, Morgan Freeman also played, among other things, the roles of a slave ("Amistad"), a slave ("Glory"), a murderer ("The Shawshank Redemption"), and, oh look, a murderer ("Nurse Betty"). Presumably Pat considers these to be more appropriate roles for the three-time-Oscar-nominated actor.
...

9. Pat Robertson (again)
One appearance on the list just wasn't good enough for Mad Pat Roberston this week. Not long after his Morgan Freeman comments, Pat was back on the 700 Club bemoaning those awful traitors over at the State Department. What the State Department has done to incur the wrath of Pat isn't entirely clear (it's run by a black person, perhaps?) but whatever it is, he's not messing around. While interviewing Joel Mowbray, author of the new book, Dangerous Diplomacy: How the State Department Endangers America's Security, Pat said, "When you get through, you say, 'If I could just get a nuclear device inside Foggy Bottom, I think that's the answer,' and you say, 'We've got to blow that thing up.'" Oddly enough, Mowbray never actually says that in his book. But Pat may be projecting here - back in June the Rabid Reverend suggested that "Maybe we need a very small nuke thrown off on Foggy Bottom to shake things up like Newt Gingrich wants to do." Now, I'm not sure where in the teachings of Jesus it says that the way to deal with one's enemies is to blow them up with a nuclear bomb - not only that, but nuking the State Department sounds awfully un-American to me. Perhaps if Pat is serious about this plan he should get in touch with someone who shares his beliefs but has more experience in this kind of work, someone like, I dunno, Osama bin Laden.

- rob 1:10 PM - [PermaLink] -

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This Modern World: Holy Blown Batcover!

Brilliant. Spoiler: "Senior officials have informed me that BATMAN is really millionaire Bruce Wayne! And you have to ask -- how much credibility does a millionaire playboy really have?"

- rob 12:22 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Probe Focuses on Month Before Leak to Reporters

The officials wanted to convince the reporters that he [Wilson] had benefited from nepotism in being chosen for the mission.

This administration knows nepostism.

A funny site's take on this:

Plame Leak Was First Step In War On Nepotism

In an abrupt turnaround, the Bush Administration has taken credit for the Plame leak and now claims that it was "the first step in the brutal war against nepotism." The leakers were instantly identified by the White House as Karl Rove, Lewis Libby, and Elliot Abrams.

President Bush is to address the nation tonight to explain that "we will take no prisoners, turn a blind eye toward no one, leave no family member behind, in our fight to protect America from this terrible scourge." President Bush, who was given a Major League baseball team, two oil companies, a governorship and a presidency by virtue of his relation to the other President Bush, will say that "destroying the cover of an undercover CIA agent was a small price to pay" if it means the elimination of nepotism "which threatens the moral purity of our entire nation."

- rob 3:54 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Thanks to The Hamster

As of yesterday, the Bush administration still hadn't found the source of the White House leak that outed a woman as a CIA operative. To recap, here are the things President Bush can't find: The source of the leak, weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin laden, the link between Saddam and Osama bin laden, the guy who sent the anthrax through the mail, and his butt with two hands and a flash light. —Tina Fey

In a recent press conference Donald Rumsfeld said that he had no idea that the U.S. was reorganizing the leadership structure in Iraq and that nobody had consulted him. Rumsfeld was furious and said, 'I'm tired of being treated like President Bush. —Conan O'Brien

- rob 3:45 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Leak of CIA officers leaves trail of damage

Plame, the wife of former ambassador and Bush critic Joseph Wilson, was a member of a small elite-within-an-elite, a CIA employee operating under "nonofficial cover," in her case as an energy analyst, with little or no protection from the U.S. government if she got caught.

Training agents such as Plame, 40, costs millions of dollars and requires the time-consuming establishment of elaborate fictions, called "legends," including in this case the creation of a CIA front company that helped lend plausibility to her trips overseas.

Compounding the damage, the front company, Brewster-Jennings & Associates, whose name has been reported previously, apparently also was used by other CIA officers whose work now could be at risk, according to Vince Cannistraro, formerly the agency's chief of counterterrorism operations and analysis.

Now, Plame's career as a covert operations officer in the CIA's Directorate of Operations is over. Those she dealt with - whether on business or not - may be in danger. The DO is conducting an extensive damage assessment.

And Plame's exposure may make it harder for American spies to convince foreigners to share important secrets with them, U.S. intelligence officials said.

Bush partisans tend to downplay the leak's damage, saying Plame's true job was widely known in Washington, if unspoken. And, they say, she had moved from the DO, the CIA's covert arm, to an analysis job.

But intelligence professionals, infuriated over the breach and what they see as the Bush administration's misuse of intelligence on Iraq, vehemently disagree.

Larry Johnson - a former CIA and State Department official who was a 1985 classmate of Plame's in the CIA's case officer-training program at Camp Peary, Va., known as "the Farm" - predicted that when the CIA's internal damage assessment is finished, "at the end of the day, (the harm) will be huge and some people potentially may have lost their lives."

Too bad the Bush Administration is sooooo big that the traitor who revealed the name can't be found, but don't worry Bush is going to get Osama dead or alive.

- rob 3:43 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Is this how you defend a just war?
Is this how democracy works?
Can we spell fraud?

Newspapers sent same letter signed by different soldiers

WASHINGTON — Letters from hometown soldiers describing their successes rebuilding Iraq have been appearing in newspapers across the country as U.S. public opinion on the mission sours.

But many of them are the same form letter.
...

It's not clear who wrote the letter or organized sending it to soldiers' hometown papers. If they are part of an organized effort to sway public opinion, it could raise ethical questions for the military, whose officers are trained to refrain from partisan politics.
...

Sgt. Shawn Grueser of Poca, W.Va., said he spoke to a military public affairs officer about his accomplishments in Iraq for what he thought was a news release to be sent to his hometown paper in Charleston, W.Va. The 2nd Battalion soldier said he did not sign any letter.

Although Grueser said he agrees with the letter's sentiments, he was uncomfortable that a letter with his signature did not contain his own words. "It makes it look like you cheated on a test, and everybody got the same grade," Grueser said.

Hey you know what is really good for freedom? Making the army a partisan agency. All these neo-cons sat together in a think tank but never actually bothered to think.

- rob 9:31 AM - [PermaLink] -

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"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American people."
- Teddy Roosevelt



"Government has a final responsibility for the well-being of its citizenship. If private cooperative endeavor fails to provide work for willing hands and relief for the unfortunate, those suffering hardship from no fault of their own have a right to call upon the Government for aid; and a government worthy of its name must make fitting response."
 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt



"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and Constitutions, but laws must and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
- Thomas Jefferson



"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home."

"All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree."
- James Madison



"I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, in human liberty as the source of national action, in the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of our invention and our ideas. It is, I believe, the faith in our fellow citizens as individuals and as people that lies at the heart of the liberal faith. For liberalism is not so much a party creed or set of fixed platform promises as it is an attitude of mind and heart, a faith in man's ability through the experiences of his reason and judgment to increase for himself and his fellow men the amount of justice and freedom and brotherhood which all human life deserves."
- John F. Kennedy



"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are [a] few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

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"There's nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed by what's right with America." - Bill Clinton.