Read this, and remember - this is America

My National Security Letter Gag Order

- rob 6:51 PM - [PermaLink] -

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The defense department gets the memo: Congress is now interested in making sure war money goes to soldiers and not scum buckets. It only took 4 years (well actually in only took getting the GOP out of power).

Defense Vows Crackdown on Fraud in Iraq

Auditors last month told Congress that about $10 billion has been squandered by the U.S. government on Iraq reconstruction aid because of contractor overcharges and unsupported expenses.

The U.S. has appropriated more than $38 billion for Iraq relief and reconstruction, including some money for security forces and economic programs, according to the latest quarterly report from the special inspector general, released in January.

- rob 6:41 PM - [PermaLink] -

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The US attorney scandal is going to open up a can of all sorts of nasty worms.

Each worm is going to catch another rotted fish (they rot from the head down don't cha know):

Was Carol Lam Targeting The White House Prior To Her Firing?

The media reports this morning that among Lam’s politically powerful targets were former CIA official Kyle “Dusty” Foggo and then-House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA). But there is evidence to believe that the White House may also have been on Lam’s target list. Here are the connections:

– Washington D.C. defense contractor Mitchell Wade pled guilty last February to paying then-California Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham more than $1 million in bribes.

– Wade’s company MZM Inc. received its first federal contract from the White House. The contract, which ran from July 15 to August 15, 2002, stipulated that Wade be paid $140,000 to “provide office furniture and computers for Vice President Dick Cheney.”

– Two weeks later, on August 30, 2002, Wade purchased a yacht for $140,000 for Duke Cunningham. The boat’s name was later changed to the “Duke-Stir.” Said one party to the sale: “I knew then that somebody was going to go to jail for that…Duke looked at the boat, and Wade bought it — all in one day. Then they got on the boat and floated away.”

– According to Cunningham’s sentencing memorandum, the purchase price of the boat had been negotiated through a third-party earlier that summer, around the same time the White House contract was signed.

- rob 6:39 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Another hundred billion plus for the deficit - President Snafu's topacco favor comes back up to the light of day.

Prosecutor Says Bush Appointees Interfered With Tobacco Case

The leader of the Justice Department team that prosecuted a landmark lawsuit against tobacco companies said yesterday that Bush administration political appointees repeatedly ordered her to take steps that weakened the government's racketeering case.

Sharon Y. Eubanks said Bush loyalists in Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's office began micromanaging the team's strategy in the final weeks of the 2005 trial, to the detriment of the government's claim that the industry had conspired to lie to U.S. smokers.
...
News reports on the strategy changes at the time caused an uproar in Congress and sparked an inquiry by the Justice Department. Government witnesses said they had been asked to change testimony, and one expert withdrew from the case. Government lawyers also announced that they were scaling back a proposed penalty against the industry from $130 billion to $10 billion.

How much is that - assume there is 250 million Americans - that is $480 taken away from each and every one of you. Every man. woman, and child in the US.

- rob 6:32 PM - [PermaLink] -

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I just got an email from John Edwards:

As you may have heard, yesterday we found out that Elizabeth's breast cancer is back, but confined mainly to her bones. Although this isn't the news we wanted to hear, we are very optimistic. Having been through many struggles together in the past, we know that the key is to keep your head up, keep moving and be strong. And that's exactly what we intend to do.

Elizabeth and I have been married for nearly 30 years and we will be in this every step of the way together. We will keep a positive attitude and always look for the silver lining—that's what we do.

Although the cancer is no longer curable, it is treatable, and many patients in similar circumstances have lived full, energetic lives. We expect nothing less for Elizabeth. She expects to do all the things next week that she did last week.

Our campaign goes on and it goes on strongly. We are so proud of the campaign we are running—a campaign based on ideas and reaching out to people. This campaign is not about me or Elizabeth—it's about all the people we have met these past few years and people like them all across America and the world—people worried about feeding and clothing their kids; people without health care; people facing hardships overseas.

Both of us are committed to this campaign. We're committed to this cause and we're committed to changing this country we love so much.

- rob 6:27 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Wha...? You mean... you mean... Presidents actually can make good decisions...?

President Bush Addresses Resignations of U.S. Attorneys

Q If today's offer from Mr. Fielding is your best and final offer on this, are you going to go to the mat in protecting the principle that you talked about? And why not, since you say nothing wrong was done by your staff, why not just clear the air and let Karl Rove and other senior aides testify in public, under oath? There's been a precedent for previous administrations doing that.

THE PRESIDENT: Some have, some haven't. My choice is to make sure that I safeguard the ability for Presidents to get good decisions.

Hell with safequarding - I'd be happy if that after seven years he actually was able to make a good decision.

Maybe if we did hear the advice he was getting we could shout game show style:

"no no no! Door number 3!"

- rob 4:01 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Horribly sad.
Completely disgusting.
Four years.

Daily Kos: Four Years

- rob 7:51 PM - [PermaLink] -

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