In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
Pothole watch.
After Bush indicated that maybe he's not the man we thought he was during his speech at Vandy's med center yesterday:
(I want to thank my friend, Senator Bill Frist, for joining us today. (Applause.) You're doing a heck of a job. You cut your teeth here, right? That's where you started practicing? That's good. He married a Texas girl, I want you to know. (Laughter.) Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me.)
He went on with his usual stand-up routine:
I know the mayor is here. Mr. Mayor, I appreciate you coming. Thanks for being here. (Applause.) Fill the potholes, that's the only advice I can give you. (Laughter and applause.) I'm sure you are.
What *is* it with that pothole joke...??
- B 2:03 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Sorry Diebold. Americans want to: Count Every Vote
Sign the petition
We must act now to ensure that our voting systems produce accurate and verifiable results. Some states are planning to use machines that will not allow voters to verify their choices. This means that any flaws in the machine or software will never be caught -- and no recount will be possible.
And the head of the largest e-voting machine company -- who is a major contributor to George Bush and has promised to deliver Ohio to him -- asks that we just trust him.
Today we call on Congress and the states to require any electronic voting machine used in this election to produce a paper trail -- one that allows voters to verify their choices and officials to conduct recounts.
- rob 12:46 PM - [PermaLink] -
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I'd like to say sorry to all my fans out there in the blog world for disappearing for a little, visits from the parents to see the grandbaby tend to turn life into a black hole, sucking time, energy and gravity into an unrelenting vortex. So, back to politics....
There's an old (slightly) article by John Zogby, who says that the election is John Kerry's to lose. I really like Zogby's polls. He consistently turns out fairly reliable poll numbers and pushes things on poll methodology to result in more accurate polling. For instance, he understands that the changing dynamic of persons who use only a cell phone rather than having a land line have resulted in an increase in the unreliability of the polling data.
Being that Zogby wrote this piece about 3 weeks ago, and now reading it, I think that if anything has changed at all it's been a swing in Kerry's favor. One of the most critical things Zogby says is the following:
The President’s problem is further compounded by the fact that he is now at the mercy of situations that are out of his control.
I think that's going to be Chimp's main problem. The bad news out of Iraq isn't going to go away overnight. No matter what policy decisions he makes now. The waiting game on supply-side economics is only beginning to bear fruit now (if you believe in supply-side at all) and all he can do is wait more on the economy. He's set himself up as the president who will protect us from terrorists, but he can't ensure that every terrorist attack will be stopped. As time goes on, the facade that is his administration cracks more....
- B 12:44 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Krugman: To Tell the Truth
Some news organizations, including The New York Times, are currently engaged in self-criticism over the run-up to the Iraq war. They are asking, as they should, why poorly documented claims of a dire threat received prominent, uncritical coverage, while contrary evidence was either ignored or played down.
But it's not just Iraq, and it's not just The Times. Many journalists seem to be having regrets about the broader context in which Iraq coverage was embedded: a climate in which the press wasn't willing to report negative information about George Bush.
...
Moderate and liberal journalists, both reporters and commentators, often bend over backward to say nice things about conservatives. Not long ago, many commentators who are now caustic Bush critics seemed desperate to differentiate themselves from "irrational Bush haters" who were neither haters nor irrational — and whose critiques look pretty mild in the light of recent revelations.
And some journalists just couldn't bring themselves to believe that the president of the United States was being dishonest about such grave matters.
Finally, let's not overlook the role of intimidation. After 9/11, if you were thinking of saying anything negative about the president, you had to be prepared for an avalanche of hate mail. You had to expect right-wing pundits and publications to do all they could to ruin your reputation, and you had to worry about being denied access to the sort of insider information that is the basis of many journalistic careers.
The Bush administration, knowing all this, played the press like a fiddle. But has that era come to an end?
A new Pew survey finds 55 percent of journalists in the national media believing that the press has not been critical enough of Mr. Bush, compared with only 8 percent who believe that it has been too critical. More important, journalists seem to be acting on that belief.
- rob 12:39 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Trucks made to drive without cargo in dangerous areas of Iraq
WASHINGTON - (KRT) - Empty flatbed trucks crisscrossed Iraq more than 100 times as their drivers and the soldiers who guarded them dodged bullets, bricks and homemade bombs.
Twelve current and former truckers who regularly made the 300-mile re-supply run from Camp Cedar in southern Iraq to Camp Anaconda near Baghdad told Knight Ridder that they risked their lives driving empty trucks while their employer, a subsidiary of Halliburton Inc., billed the government for hauling what they derisively called "sailboat fuel."
Defense Department records show that Kellogg Brown and Root, a Halliburton subsidiary, has been paid $327 million for "theater transportation" of war materiel and supplies for U.S. forces in Iraq and is earmarked to be paid $230 million more. The convoys are a lifeline for U.S. troops in Iraq hauling tires for Humvees, Army boots, filing cabinets, tools, engine parts and even an unmanned Predator reconnaissance plane.
KBR's contract with the Defense Department allows the company to pass on the cost of the transportation and add 1 percent to 3 percent for profit, but neither KBR nor the U.S. Army Field Support Command in Rock Island, Ill., which oversees the contract, was able to provide cost estimates for the empty trucks. Trucking experts estimate that each round trip costs taxpayers thousands of dollars.
Well this might sound like war profiteering at its worst, but these guys go way back with Cheney, so they're all right by me, and besides the republicans purposefully eliminated any punishments for war profiteering from the $87 billion appropriations bill for Iraq, because, you know.... um, because, um.... Well you know, war profiteers tend to suppurt the GOP so that portion of the bill was obviously just 'politics at its worst' and that we didn't have time for that because 'we are at war.'
WASHINGTON (Friday, Oct. 31) – The final version of the $87 billion spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan is missing provisions the Senate had passed to penalize war profiteers who defraud American taxpayers. House negotiators on the package refused to accept the Senate provisions.
This is the MBA President's War, he was going to run the nation like a business. Why have a war without profit?
- rob 12:35 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Remember when the pundits said "now the grown-ups are in charge"- Thursday, May 27, 2004 -
Ashcroft Assailed on Terror Warning
But what they meant to say was "now the pathetic primadonna scaredy cats are in charge."
With FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III by his side, Ashcroft said at a news conference two days ago that "credible intelligence, from multiple sources, indicates that al Qaeda plans to attempt an attack on the United States in the next few months. . . . This disturbing intelligence indicates al Qaeda's specific intention is to hit the U.S. hard." He added that the information has been "corroborated on a variety of levels."
Under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and Bush administration rules, only the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can publicly issue threat warnings, and they must be approved in a complex interagency process involving the White House. Administration officials sympathetic to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said he was not informed Ashcroft was going to characterize the threat in that way -- an assertion that Justice officials deny.
Earlier Wednesday, Ridge appeared on five news shows saying that although the prospect of a terrorist attack is significant, Americans should "go about living their lives and enjoying living in this country," as he said on CBS.
...
FBI spokeswoman Donna Spiser said that the purpose of the news conference was to build public awareness about what the FBI is doing to try to stop terrorist plots.
Oh. It was for PR. Well then, thanks for scaring us all. Let's all read widdle Ashcroft the story of the Secretary of Justice who cried "terrorists!" just once too often.
- rob 12:24 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Happy Days!
Happy Days!
Washington's Chalabi nightmare
One more headache for the besieged Bush administration: The FBI is now interrogating the neocon cronies of Ahmed Chalabi.
It's a Salon article, just watch the ad to get to the article, it's worth the few seconds.
At a well-appointed conservative think tank in downtown Washington and across the Potomac River at the Pentagon, FBI agents have begun paying quiet calls on prominent neoconservatives, who are being interviewed in an investigation of potential espionage, according to intelligence sources. Who gave Ahmed Chalabi classified information about the plans of the U.S. government and military?
These were the assholes who declared any American who protest against the war a traitor who was some how adding the enemy when they were just warning the country the war would damage this nation. Well, the protesters were not only right that the war would only damage our nation, and it turns out some of the new-cons are outright traitors!
The article ends wonderfully:
Washington, which was just weeks ago in the grip of neoconservative orthodoxy and absolute belief in Bush's inevitability and righteousness, is now in the throes of agonizing events and being ripped apart by investigations. Things fall apart; all that was hidden is revealed; all sacred exposed as profane: the military, loyal and lumbering, betrayed and embittered; the general in the field, Lt. Gen. Sanchez, disgraced and cashiered; and the most respected retired generals training their artillery on those who have ill-used the troops, still dying in the field; the intelligence agencies, a nautilus of chambers, abused and angry, its retired operatives plying their craft with the press corps, seeping dangerous truths; the press, hesitatingly and wobbly, investigating its own falsehoods; the neocons, publicly redoubling their passionate intensity, defending their hero and deceiver Chalabi, privately squabbling, anxiously awaiting the footsteps of FBI agents; Colin Powell, once the most acclaimed man in America, embarked on an endless quest to restore his reputation, damaged above all by his failure of nerve; everyone in the line of fire motioning toward the chain of command, spiraling upward and sideways, until the finger pointing in a phalanx is directed at the hollow crown.
Freaking Beautiful.
I don't want Bush to lose in November, I want to see many of his people behind bars. We are talking about people who have committed treason (sharing secrets with Iranian spies, outed CIA agents and a CIA front company) broken laws (ignoring the Geneva convention, using federal funds for propoganda, knowingly provided congress with false information, misappropriated funds to study the Iraqi war when the money was earmarked for Afganistan), and weakened our national security (sent millions of dollars in aide to the Taliban in the first three quarters of 2001, prematurely ended some operations in Afganistan the were getting results so as to help plan for the coming war with Iraq, refused to grant permission to kill a known terrorist and destroy a terrorist training camp [because it was located in Kurdish controlled Iraq and acknowleding that would undercut his reasons for war with Iraq]). These are conjecture or conspiracy. Every crime I just listed is an established fact. Let the crumbling of this pathetic house of cards begin!
- rob 4:50 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Oh and Phunkster A let me know that Get Your War On has been updated again.
Sample:
- rob 2:07 PM - [PermaLink] -
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President Gore Speaks Out!
George W. Bush promised us a foreign policy with humility. Instead, he has brought us humiliation in the eyes of the world.
He promised to "restore honor and integrity to the White House." Instead, he has brought deep dishonor to our country and built a durable reputation as the most dishonest President since Richard Nixon.
Honor? He decided not to honor the Geneva Convention. Just as he would not honor the United Nations, international treaties, the opinions of our allies, the role of Congress and the courts, or what Jefferson described as "a decent respect for the opinion of mankind." He did not honor the advice, experience and judgment of our military leaders in designing his invasion of Iraq. And now he will not honor our fallen dead by attending any funerals or even by permitting photos of their flag-draped coffins.
How did we get from September 12th , 2001, when a leading French newspaper ran a giant headline with the words "We Are All Americans Now" and when we had the good will and empathy of all the world -- to the horror that we all felt in witnessing the pictures of torture in Abu Ghraib.
Please read the whole speech. He's on fire!
- rob 1:54 PM - [PermaLink] -
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US Ignoring the Geneva Convention?
Bush's leadership destroying a nation in just a few years?
nah, Sex is what Americans really care about when it comes to News:
Internet sex scandal rocks US Congress, Washington establishment
Jessica Cutler, 24 -- who has become better known in Washington circles by her nom de plume, "Washingtonienne" -- was dismissed last week from her job as an entry-level aide to Republican Senator Mike DeWine.
Her jauntily written Internet diary includes lurid descriptions of sexual encounters on Capitol Hill and other venues in official Washington -- some allegedly involving prominent, but unnamed, paramours.
The tawdry accounts, which have become "must-reads" in Washington, include descriptions of sexual favors for money, which she says she grants to supplement her paltry paycheck.
Even the Washington Post was excited about some sex coming back into politics, it is a fond remembrance of happier days of peace and prosperity and Washington sex scandals: The Hill's Sex Diarist Reveals All (Well, Some)
Wonkette broke the story, so here's her interview with Ms. Cutler: Wonkette spoke to Washingtonienne
And for those who are really interested: The Washingtonienne Archive
Thanks to the Phunksters for all the links.
- rob 1:52 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Unitarian Update: It's a Religion again in Texas
Denison church's tax-exempt status granted
AUSTIN _ Reversing an earlier decision, state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn announced Monday that a Unitarian church in Denison would get its tax-exempt status after all.
The decision came after the Star-Telegram reported on May 18 that the comptroller's office had ruled the Red River Unitarian Universalist Church was not a religious organization for tax purposes.
The status was denied, the state said, because the church "does not have one system of belief."
Stunned church officials said it was the first time in U.S. history that any state had denied tax exempt status to the Unitarians because of their religious philosophy. Father-and-son presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams are among past adherents of the Unitarian church. Emphasis mine.
Update: When the 120 member congregation of the Denison Unitarian Church heard the news, 27 praised Jesus, 23 acknowledged that God is wise, 17 declared that Allah is Good, 13 paticipated in a chant, 9 promised Gaia an offering (though 4 of those insisted the spelling should be Gaea), 7 went looking for some peyote, 5 went back to their dungeons and dragons game, 2 argued of who would win in a fist fight: Picard or Kirk, and the rest said "whatever."
- rob 1:43 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Wow, I step out (our in my case strep out) for a couple of days and the world changes.- Wednesday, May 26, 2004 -
Last time I updated this site, Bush was winning in the war against terror and by having a war in Iraq he's moved all the world's (save Madrid and other places) terrorism to Iraq (and the Iraqi's thought the war was about liberty, nah they were just terrorist bait). Now just a few days later:
Intelligence Indicates Al Qaeda Planning Attack, Ashcroft Says
Saying that law enforcement authorities have "credible intelligence from multiple sources" that Al Qaeda "intends to attempt an attack on the United States in the next few months," Attorney General John Ashcroft today issued a call for the public's help in stopping terrorists.
Mr. Ashcroft, appearing with Director Robert S. Mueller III of the F.B.I., said the terrorist plans may be nearly complete, but acknowledged that officials do not have intelligence on where or when any attacks could occur.
We're staying yellow though. Our Orange Alert t-shirt still not current.
This on the back of the horrible and not surprising news (TCS has been saying it all along but what do we know we're not GOP subsudized pundits): Al-Qaeda Boosted by Iraq War, Warns Think-Tank
LONDON (Reuters) – Al-Qaeda has more than 18,000 militants ready to strike and the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq has accelerated recruitment to the ranks of Osama bin Laden's network, a leading London think-tank said on Tuesday.
Al-Qaeda's finances were in good order, its "middle managers" provided expertise to militants around the globe and bin Laden's drawing power was as strong as ever, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said.
Maybe saving a mere $12 million by rejecting IRS's request fo 80 more criminal investigators to disrupt the finances of Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations wasn't a good idea? (huh George? You think? No, seriously, do you Think?)
Anyway the articles goes on with more happy proof of Bush's war on terrorism being a glorious success:
It warned in its annual Strategic Survey that Al-Qaeda would keep trying to develop plans for attacks in North America and Europe and that the network ideally wanted to use weapons of mass destruction.
"Meanwhile, soft targets encompassing Americans, Europeans and Israelis, and aiding the insurgency in Iraq, will do," the institute said.
- rob 1:41 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Word of the Day- Monday, May 24, 2004 -
An e-mail bud sent me the following:
I don't know if any of you use MyYahoo, a customizable homepage that
streams news, weather, comics, tv schedules, etc. In addition to all
that, at the bottom of my MyYahoo, I have chosen to receive a "word
of the day." Over the past few weeks, it is very clear that these
words and example sentences have not been published at random from a
dictionary's database.
today:
authoritarian
DEFINITION: (adjective) favoring or demanding blind obedience to
leaders
EXAMPLE: Despite Americans' belief in democracy, the American
government has supported authoritarian regimes in other countries.
SYNONYMS: absolute, domineering, dictatorial
yesterday:
obdurate
DEFINITION: (adjective) unwilling to change; stubborn, inflexible
EXAMPLE: Despite the many pleas he received, the governor was
obdurate in his refusal to grant clemency to the convicted murderer.
SYNONYMS: adamant, firm, relentless
Here's mine:
pretzel
DEFINITION: (noun) a brittle or chewy glazed usu. salted slender bread often
shaped like a loose knot
EXAMPLE: Despite Americans' belief in democracy, the American president
likes to choke on a pretzel from time to time, then appear the next day
covered with cuts and bruises on every part of his face.
SYNONYMS: alcoholic, aberration, brazen lie
Not only has Bush expanded modern English, he's turned old nouns into new verbs and worn-out adjectives into adverbs you never even knew existed:
EXAMPLE:
Last night I got totally pretzeled.
Did you see him pretzel that guy?
He failed the pretzelyzer.
The president appeared flushed and pretzelly, his face covered in bruises.
Pretzel this.
With pretzels, the bill comes to three hundred and forty dollars.
According to our best intelligence, Saddam was on the verge of developing biological pretzels.
Pretzel up people.
Shocking and disturbing photographs of naked prisoners forced to pretzel one another in front of guards.
The dogs were unpretzeled.
He pretzels more than any U.S. president in history.
It was simply a pretzel-hunting trip.
Just because we can't find any pretzels doesn't mean they don't exist. Remember that.
I am not a pretzel.
- Michael 3:28 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Gen. Zinni: 'They've Screwed Up'
CBS) Retired General Anthony Zinni is one of the most respected and outspoken military leaders of the past two decades.
From 1997 to 2000, he was commander-in-chief of the United States Central Command, in charge of all American troops in the Middle East. That was the same job held by Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf before him, and Gen. Tommy Franks after.
Following his retirement from the Marine Corps, the Bush administration thought so highly of Zinni that it appointed him to one of its highest diplomatic posts -- special envoy to the Middle East.
But Zinni broke ranks with the administration over the war in Iraq, and now, in his harshest criticism yet, he says senior officials at the Pentagon are guilty of dereliction of duty -- and that the time has come for heads to roll.
- rob 1:33 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Job Posting: Young? Vote Republican? Then we need you in Iraq.
In Iraq, the Job Opportunity of a Lifetime
BAGHDAD -- It was after nightfall when they finally found their offices at Saddam Hussein's Republican Palace -- 11 jet-lagged, sweaty, idealistic volunteers who had come to help Iraq along the road to democracy.
When the U.S. government went looking for people to help rebuild Iraq, they had responded to the call. They supported the war effort and President Bush. Many had strong Republican credentials. They were in their twenties or early thirties and had no foreign service experience. On that first day, Oct. 1, they knew so little about how things worked that they waited hours at the airport for a ride that was never coming. They finally discovered the shuttle bus out of the airport but got off at the wrong stop.
...
They had been hired to perform a low-level task: collecting and organizing statistics, surveys and wish lists from the Iraqi ministries for a report that would be presented to potential donors at the end of the month. But as suicide bombs and rocket attacks became almost daily occurrences, more and more senior staffers defected. In short order, six of the new young hires found themselves managing the country's $13 billion budget, making decisions affecting millions of Iraqis.
...
Army Reserve Sgt. Glenn Corliss, who worked with the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, said staffers were so inexperienced and rotated out so quickly it was difficult for them to act on anything. In November many state-owned factories had been shut down for want of electricity, a potentially explosive problem because it left thousands jobless. Corliss had found private firms willing to invest in portable generators for the most critical factories. All they wanted was a letter of credit saying that they would be paid for their services. No one in the budget office would make a decision on it for months and Corliss finally gave up in March when he returned to the United States. "I wanted to pull their heads off oftentimes," Corliss said.
...
"There were a lot of people who, being political science majors, didn't know what an income statement was, who were asking the impossible. . . . That was giving us ulcers, quite frankly," he said.
What do you put on a resume? "participated in the distruction of a nation, and read spreadsheets."
- rob 1:32 PM - [PermaLink] -
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It's Monday:
The Top Ten Conservative Idiots, No. 157
4. Gary Tripp
Bill Nevins was recently fired from the largest public high school in New Mexico. Why? Because he foolishly decided to help organize a school poetry club. Yeah, yeah, I know that organizing a school poetry club wasn't always a criminal offense in freedom-loving America, but remember - we're now living in the Century of the Wingnut. See, it turns out that one of Bill Nevins' students wrote a poem that criticized the war in Iraq and the Bush administration, which, in the Century of the Wingnut, is a crime apparently comparable to ritual Satanic child abuse. When Rio Rancho's military liaison officer heard the poem he complained to Principal Gary Tripp, who promptly suspended Bill Nevins and then fired him. The complaint? "Disrespectful speech." That's right - there were no obscenities nor incitements to violence in the poem, it was simply "disrespectful." But that's not all - Tripp then went on to ban the poetry club and classes in poetry. He also ordered the student's mother - who happens to be a teacher at Rio Rancho - to destroy her daughter's poetry. The mother refused, and now her job has been threatened too. But that's not all either! Tripp discovered that some art students had created satirical posters in class which criticized George W. Bush and promptly had the posters torn down, then refused to renew the contracts of art teachers who refused to participate in the destruction. Finally, at a school event Tripp apparently read a poem of his own which instructed those who disagreed with him to "Shut your faces." I do hope Gary Tripp's students have learned a valuable lesson from this incident - there's absolutely no place for dissent (or critical thinking) in the Century of the Wingnut. Heck, let's go shoot some poets! Who's with me?
- rob 1:24 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Bush: The company he keeps
Incompetence Central Continues its Mission
Chalabi handed US secrets over to Iran
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi faced accusations that he passed classified US intelligence to Iran as the United States faced strong criticism from the Iraqi Governing Council over a raid on Chalabi's home.
CBS television, quoting senior US officials, said the former Pentagon favourite personally handed Iranian intelligence officers sensitive information that could "get Americans killed."
It quoted the officials as saying that the evidence against Chalabi was "rock solid."
Versus say "slam dunk" which is what the evidence that Iraq had WMDs was. Let's say Chalabi did this (and I wouldn't be surprised), then who in the Pentagon/CIA/White House gave him sensitive information that could "get Americans killed." Yet another act of treason by someone in the current administration.
U.S. fooled by Iraq agency it funded
Chalabi group's information bogus
WASHINGTON -- The Defense Intelligence Agency has concluded that a U.S.-funded arm of Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress has been used for years by Iranian intelligence to pass disinformation to the United States and to collect highly sensitive American secrets, according to intelligence sources.
"Iranian intelligence has been manipulating the United States through Chalabi by furnishing through his Information Collection Program information to provoke the United States into getting rid of Saddam Hussein," said an intelligence source who was briefed on the DIA's conclusions, which were based on a review of thousands of internal documents.
The ICP also "kept the Iranians informed about what we were doing" by passing classified U.S. documents and other sensitive information, he said. The ICP has received millions of dollars from the U.S. government over several years.
An administration official confirmed that "highly classified information had been provided (to the Iranians) through that channel."
The Defense Department this week halted payment of $340,000 a month to Chalabi's program. Chalabi had long been the favorite of the Pentagon's civilian leadership.
I thought the grown-ups were in charge. Instead America is taken by a two bit scam artist. Thanks for bringing integrity back to the White House.
Here's again is Tom the Dancing Bug finding some humor in it all:
- rob 1:17 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Links from Buzzflash
They even lie about the weather!!!
Yahoo! News - Top Stories Photos - Reuters
Bush suffered minor abrasions after falling off a mountain bike while cycling on his Texas ranch on Saturday, the White House said. The 57-year-old Republican president had cycled 16 miles (25 km) of a 17-mile (27-km) afternoon bike course when he toppled over while riding downhill on what the White House described as soil loosened by recent rainfall. 'He had minor abrasions and scratches on his chin, upper lip, his nose, right hand and both knees,' White House spokesman Trent Duffy told reporters.
But what was the Precipitation in Waco, near Crawford all last week? Zero. Zip. Nada.
Nothing is wrong with saying "he fell of his bike." But unable to admit any fault we learn it was the top soil's fault. And its Chalabi's fault for us getting into war. And its Clinton's fault the 9/11 happened. And its the war on terror's fault that we have huge deficits. And its 9/11's fault that the recession just keeps dragging on. What a little cry baby.
- rob 1:03 PM - [PermaLink] -
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'Fahrenheit 9/11' Wins Palme D'Or Award at Cannes
When this movie opens in the United States. Please see it on the first weekend. If the Box Office numbers are huge the media will not be able to ignore the actual facts of the film, and it will send a clear signal to the world that Bush is not America's choosen leader.
- rob 12:56 PM - [PermaLink] -
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The Bush Administration thought it was a gay wedding?
Videotape shows revelers at celebration
Survivors of May 19 airstrike cast doubt on U.S. account
The videotape obtained Sunday by Associated Press Television News captures a wedding party that survivors say was later attacked by U.S. planes early Wednesday, killing up to 45 people. The dead included the cameraman, Yasser Shawkat Abdullah, hired to record the festivities, which ended Tuesday night before the planes struck.
The U.S. military says it is investigating the attack, which took place in the village of Mogr el-Deeb about five miles from the Syrian border, but that all evidence so far indicates the target was a safehouse for foreign fighters.
“There was no evidence of a wedding: no decorations, no musical instruments found, no large quantities of food or leftover servings one would expect from a wedding celebration,” Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said Saturday. “There may have been some kind of celebration. Bad people have celebrations, too.”
The artifacts of celebration
But video that APTN shot a day after the attack shows fragments of musical instruments, pots and pans and brightly colored beddings used for celebrations, scattered around the bombed out tent.
...
An AP reporter and photographer, who interviewed more than a dozen survivors a day after the bombing, were able to identify many of them on the wedding party video — which runs for several hours.
And the US excuse for being caught in yet another lie?
Again: Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said Saturday. “There may have been some kind of celebration. Bad people have celebrations, too."
There wasn't a celebration, no wait, okay, there was, but all the people were bad. bad bad people. people that might work for the Bush Administration.
- rob 12:54 PM - [PermaLink] -
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Some More Site Mottos
"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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