Monday, July 30, 2007

The Gonzo Train Wreck

Special thanks to Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo for this compilation on the Gonzales scandal:

Back to Top

Friday, July 27, 2007

Jon Stuart on YouTube Debate

Hell of a note when the most serious take on the news is a comedy show.


Back to Top

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Call for Special Prosecutor - Gonzales Perjury

Four Democratic Senators announce a call for a special prosecutor to investigate sworn lies told by Gonzales.

Back to Top

Faux News

Special thanks to Daly Kos for collecting these images from Fox News.

Did you know Specter is now a Democrat?


And that the jury found Libby Not Guilty?


And that Foley was a Democrat too?


And that Chafee is a Democrat and Whitehouse is a Republican?

And we still wonder why a majority of Fox News viewers still believe Iraq launched the 9/11 attacks?
Back to Top

Monday, July 23, 2007

Bush Played into bin Laden's Hands


Bush fell into trap set by bin Laden. Read about it in the LA Times:
"Osama bin Laden's plan was to get the U.S. to overreact and overreach itself. With the invasion of Iraq, Bush fell slap-bang into that trap."
Back to Top

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Bush Bamboozler on al--Qaeda in Iraq

The Washington Post notes Bush's attempt to link Iraq to 9/11.
"In his speech, Bush once again conflated two organizations, al-Qaeda in Iraq and the international network led by Osama bin Laden, saying that the same group that attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, is responsible for much of the violence in Iraq. While the Iraq militants are inspired by bin Laden, intelligence analysts say the Iraqi group is composed overwhelmingly of Iraqis and does not take direction from bin Laden."
Back to Top

Fox Bamboozles Viewers



Read the caption from the Fox News graphic above and tell us. How many voted to reject the measure?
Senate Rejects Measure to Bring Troops Home

By a 52-47 vote, the Senate on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have started bringing troops home within 120 days of passage.
Was it 52 senators who opposed the measure? Or was it 47?
Back to Top

Monday, July 16, 2007

"Democrat Party"?

Interesting discussion here of the "democrat party" vs the "Democratic Party" locution.
Back to Top

War Is Illegal - Richard Perle

War hawk, Richard Perle admits Bush's war is illegal.


"International lawyers and anti-war campaigners reacted with astonishment yesterday after the influential Pentagon hawk Richard Perle conceded that the invasion of Iraq had been illegal."



 http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1089158,00.html


Back to Top

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Gonzo: Bush's Stay-out-jail-free Card

We thought the clock was winding down on Alberto Gonzales. That there was a sort of "death watch" going on as we wondered when he would resign. Things have changed, though. Now it seems that no matter how bad it gets, no matter how many lies he's caught telling, that there is nothing Alberto can do that will move Bush to fire him. Bush seems dead set on defying reason, logic, and standards of good governance. Who is surprised?

The common knowledge now is that Bush keeps Gonzales on board because it's his "stay out of jail" card for his staff and perhaps even for himself. Every time Gonzales appears before the committee it's a train wreck of even more epic scale than the train wreck before. Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo has compiled an excellent video summary of the proceedings. Be sure to check it out.

By the way, some of you may recall that I predicted in December of 2000 that there is no outrage too bold for this gang.
Back to Top

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Bush: Iraq Attacked Us on 9/11

Bush can't help but lie. It's apparently his nature. Will anyone in the press call him on it? I doubt it.
''The same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq were the ones who attacked us in America on September the 11th, and that's why what happens in Iraq matters to the security here at home.''
Back to Top

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Bush WH in Panic Mode


A very wise old international union official once told me that the republicans are simply incapable of governing. This report from ABC seems to confirm that sage bit of wisdom.




"ABC News has been told the White House is in "panic mode" over the recent defections of Republican senators on the president's stay-the-course policy in Iraq.

Senior Bush administration officials are deep in discussion about how to find a compromise that will "appease Democrats and keep wobbly Republicans onboard," a senior White House official told ABC News. "
Back to Top

Powell Warned Bush about Nam - I Mean about Iraq


Powell tried to warn Bush about going into Iraq. Bush refused to listen.
Back to Top

DOJ Veteran Speaks Out

This appeared in the Denver Post on July 5, 2007.
"As a longtime attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, I can honestly say that I have never been as ashamed of the department and government that I serve as I am at this time.

The public record now plainly demonstrates that both the DOJ and the government as a whole have been thoroughly politicized in a manner that is inappropriate, unethical and indeed unlawful. The unconscionable commutation of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's sentence, the misuse of warrantless investigative powers under the Patriot Act and the deplorable treatment of U.S. attorneys all point to an unmistakable pattern of abuse.

In the course of its tenure since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has turned the entire government (and the DOJ in particular) into a veritable Augean stable on issues such as civil rights, civil liberties, international law and basic human rights, as well as criminal prosecution and federal employment and contracting practices. It has systematically undermined the rule of law in the name of fighting terrorism, and it has sought to insulate its actions from legislative or judicial scrutiny and accountability by invoking national security at every turn, engaging in persistent fearmongering, routinely impugning the integrity and/or patriotism of its critics, and protecting its own lawbreakers. This is neither normal government conduct nor "politics as usual," but a national disgrace of a magnitude unseen since the days of Watergate - which, in fact, I believe it eclipses.

In more than a quarter of a century at the DOJ, I have never before seen such consistent and marked disrespect on the part of the highest ranking government policymakers for both law and ethics. It is especially unheard of for U.S. attorneys to be targeted and removed on the basis of pressure and complaints from political figures dissatisfied with their handling of politically sensitive investigations and their unwillingness to "play ball." Enough information has already been disclosed to support the conclusion that this is exactly what happened here, at least in the case of former U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias of New Mexico (and quite possibly in several others as well). Law enforcement is not supposed to be a political team sport, and prosecutorial independence and integrity are not "performance problems."

In his long-awaited but uninformative testimony concerning the extraordinary firings of U.S. attorneys, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales did not allay these concerns. Indeed, he faced a no-win situation. If he testified falsely regarding his alleged lack of recollection and lack of involvement, he perjured himself and lied to both Congress and the American people. On the other hand, if he told the truth, he clearly has been derelict in the performance of his duties and is not up to the job. Either way, his fitness to serve is now in doubt.

Tellingly, in his congressional testimony, D. Kyle Sampson (the junior aide to whom the attorney general delegated vast authority) expressed the view that the distinction between "performance" considerations and "political" considerations was "largely artificial." This attitude, however, is precisely the problem. The administration that Sampson served has elided the distinction between government performance and politics to an unparalleled extent (just as it has blurred the boundaries between the White House counsel's office and the attorney general's office). And it is no answer to say that U.S. attorneys are political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the president. The point that is lost on those who make this argument is that U.S. attorneys must not serve partisan purposes or advance a partisan agenda - which has nothing to do with requiring them to promote an administration's legitimate policy priorities.

As usual, the administration has attempted to minimize the significance of its malfeasance and misfeasance, reciting its now-customary "mistakes were made" mantra, accepting purely abstract responsibility without consequences for its actions, and making hollow vows to do better. However, the DOJ Inspector General's Patriot Act report (which would not even have existed if the administration had not been forced to grudgingly accept a very modest legislative reporting requirement, instead of being allowed to operate in its preferred secrecy), the White House-DOJ e-mails, and now the Libby commutation merely highlight yet again the lawlessness, incompetence and dishonesty of the present executive branch leadership.

They also underscore Congress' lack of wisdom in blindly trusting the administration, largely rubber-stamping its legislative proposals, and essentially abandoning the congressional oversight function for most of the last six years. These are, after all, the same leaders who brought us the WMD fiasco, the unnecessary and disastrous Iraq war, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, warrantless domestic NSA surveillance, the Valerie Wilson leak, the arrest of Brandon Mayfield, and the Katrina response failure. The last thing they deserve is trust.

The sweeping, judicially unchecked powers granted under the Patriot Act should neither have been created in the first place nor permanently renewed thereafter, and the Act - which also contributed to the ongoing contretemps regarding the replacement of U.S. attorneys, by changing the appointment process to invite political abuse - should be substantially modified, if not scrapped outright. And real, rather than symbolic, responsibility should be assigned for the manifold abuses. The public trust has been flagrantly violated, and meaningful accountability is long overdue. Officials who have brought into disrepute both the Department of Justice and the administration of justice as a whole should finally have to answer for it - and the misdeeds at issue involve not merely garden-variety misconduct, but multiple "high crimes and misdemeanors," including war crimes and crimes against humanity.

I realize that this constitutionally protected statement subjects me to a substantial risk of unlawful reprisal from extremely ruthless people who have repeatedly taken such action in the past. But I am confident that I am speaking on behalf of countless thousands of honorable public servants, at Justice and elsewhere, who take their responsibilities seriously and share these views. And some things must be said, whatever the risk.

The views presented in this essay are not representative of the Department of Justice or its employees but are instead the personal views of its author.

John S. Koppel has been a civil appellate attorney with the Department of Justice since 1981. "
Back to Top

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Speaking of Picking

Since we're on the subject of picking and grinning.

Back to Top

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Play It, Chet!

Sometimes the flag-waving gets a bit tedious. As a matter of fact, I'm sick of it. I'd much rather we have a spirited debate of ideas than a shouting match arguing who is and who is not waving the flag.

True patriots who REALLY love this country are those who stand up and demand accountability and integrity from our public officials. True patriots stand up for what is right; waving a flag and putting a "We support our troops" bumper sticker on the old Honda may SEEM "right"; but it is more like an empty gesture; a surrender to platitudes and shallow thinking.

True patriots invite scrutiny of their views in the market place of ideas as opposed to a bandwagon jingoism where those who don't jump on the wagon and start in with the singing of the march tunes are branded as unpatriotic.

With that being said. Let's enjoy this ass-kicking bit of musical patriotism by a true American artist.

Back to Top

Leak Potentially Horrific

Bush officials admit the leak of Plame's identity could potentially reveal other agency secrets beyond her identity.
"The leak of a CIA operative's name has also exposed the identity of a CIA front company, potentially expanding the damage caused by the original disclosure, Bush administration officials said yesterday.

The company's identity, Brewster-Jennings & Associates, became public because it appeared in Federal Election Commission records on a form filled out in 1999 by Valerie Plame, the case officer at the center of the controversy, when she contributed $1,000 to Al Gore's presidential primary campaign.

After the name of the company was broadcast yesterday, administration officials confirmed that it was a CIA front. They said the obscure and possibly defunct firm was listed as Plame's employer on her W-2 tax forms in 1999 when she was working undercover for the CIA."
Back to Top

No Doubt: Plame Was Covert


This unclassifed document from the CIA lays to rest the matter of Plame's status as a covert operative.



"On 1 January 2002, Valerie Wilson was working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an operations officer in the Directorate of Operations (DO). She was assigned to the Counterproliferation Division (CPD) at CIA Headquarters, where she served as the Chief of a CPD component with responsibility for weapons proliferation issues related to Iraq.

While assigned to CPD, Ms. Wilson engaged in Temporary Duty (TDY) travel overseas on official business. She traveled at least seven times to more than ten countries. When traveling overseas, Ms. Wilson always traveled under a cover identity--sometimes in true name and sometimes in alias--but always using cover--whether official or non-official cover (NOC)--with no ostensible relationship to the CIA.

At the time of the initial unauthorized disclosure in the media of Ms. Wilson's employment relationship with the CIA on 14 July 2003, Ms. Wilson was a covert CIA employee for whom the CIA was taking affirmative measures to conceal her intelligence relationship to the United States."
Back to Top

Cheney Directed Leaks of Classified Info

As reported by Murray Waas in the April 14, 2006 National Journal, Cheney instructed Libby to leak the classified information to the press. And by July 12, Libby was already in his THIRD conversation with Judith Miller regarding Plame's CIA employment.
"Vice President Dick Cheney directed his then-chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, on July 12, 2003 to leak to the media portions of a then-highly classified CIA report that Cheney hoped would undermine the credibility of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, a critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policy, according to Libby's grand jury testimony in the CIA leak case and sources who have read the classified report."
All signs point to Cheney as being the master puppeteer in this sordid affair.
Back to Top

Monday, July 2, 2007

Bush Action Unusual

Bush deviated from his usual practice of submitting commutations for review by career lawyers at DOJ. From the Washington Post:
"For the first time in his presidency, Bush commuted a sentence without running requests through lawyers at the Justice Department, White House officials said."
And then there is this from the Miami Herald:
"Bush ignored the usual process for commutations, which calls for the Justice Department to review the case after the felon reports to prison. The department's guidelines say that commuting a sentence is 'an extraordinary remedy that is rarely granted.'"
Back to Top

Bush Opposed Intervening before he Favored It

Bush then:
"Bush wrote in his autobiography that it was not his job to 'replace the verdict of a jury unless there are new facts or evidence of which a jury was unaware, or evidence that the trial was somehow unfair.'"
Back to Top

Bush Says His Action "not appropriate"

Bush said that it would be inappropriate; and then did it anyway.
"I have said throughout this process that it would not be appropriate to comment or intervene in this case until Mr. Libby's appeals have been exhausted."
Back to Top

Libby on Rich's Pardon

Some of you may recall the rightwinger outrage at President Clinton's pardon of Mark Rich. Many of you probably aren't aware, though, of who worked hard to try to get Rich off the hook. And even fewer of you are probably aware that Congressman Waxman forced Scooter Libby to testify under oath that he agreed with Clinton's reasoning, and that Mark Rich should have never been prosecuted in the first place.
Back to Top