f a t c a t politics

BitterSweet Lam

2007-03-19T04:31:00.000-04:00

PurgeGate Irony...

ƒc After all the revelations coming forth in the PurgeGate firings of U.S. Attorneys, I find one aspect most intriguing. All that 'Hard Work' they did to remove them accomplished nothing. Although typical of the Bush Criminal White House and their cronies that can't shoot straight, it is ironic that two days before she resigned, Carol Lam succeeded in doing what her firing was supposed to stop.

Sampson got his panties all twisted up when Lam notified the Justice Dept that she was going to issue warrants for Dusty Foggo concerning the Brent Wilkes investigation. He waved a red flag against her and followed with a list of others to be purged because they were not partisan enough to be part of the Bush/Cheney Crime Family any longer. They started out chosen for their faith in all things Republican and turned traitor by taking down corrupt politicians who just happened to be... Republicans.

Not good for job security in Bush's Amerika...

washingtonpost.com

Prosecutor's Firing Was Urged During Probe []

Lam "sent a notice to the Justice Department saying that there would be two search warrants" in a criminal investigation of defense contractor Brent R. Wilkes and Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, who had just quit as the CIA's top administrator amid questions about his ties to disgraced former GOP congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

The next day, May 11, D. Kyle Sampson, then chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, sent an e-mail message to William Kelley in the White House counsel's office saying that Lam should be removed as quickly as possible ...

The FBI raided Foggo's home and former CIA office on May 12. He was indicted along with Wilkes on fraud and money-laundering charges on Feb. 13 -- two days before Lam left as U.S. attorney.

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Profits of War

2007-03-18T11:56:00.000-04:00

From Cheney With Love...

ƒcMike Luckovich just about has it right in his weekly cartoon. One of the stories that got battered beneath the radar this last week was the story about Halliburton moving its corporate headquarters to Dubai. It is understandable that interest in the sensational is the money maker in the M$M and flashing Abu and Wilson in our face has taken the spotlight.

In the case of Halliburton there are several aspects with this move that are troublesome. The National Security issue centering on their no-bid military support contracts and in depth knowledge of the inner workings of our military being primary. Also quite interestingly is the prospect that their CEO and others would be out of limits to our justice system which would be a convenient way to avoid subpoenas concerning fraud and mismanagement in the government contract works in Iraq.

Nick Anderson's cartoon is an ironic look back in history at the coronation of King George [] and President Cheney. They both ruled in grand style with hardly a whimper from the CON-gress or the mindless masses of Ma and Pa America's huddled in their 'give a $hit' - 'long as it don't affect my life, I don't care' mode. Thanks mainly to the rubber stamp congress their unadulterated spending and killing spree was funded and approved at every step for four years.

It is time for accountability and the New Wave 110th U.S. Congress has the ability and the mandate to stop the NeoCon War Machine. I know I should be patient but it has been a hard struggle since 2004 when I could no longer tollerate the injustices being done to our nation and our constitution. Who will be the last to die for Bush's lies...?

Torture, Treason, Corruption, Lies and Incompetence... . . . Known by their works :: • The Republicans 2000 - 2008

bookmarks ⇒

Tags :: Politics • Culture Of Corruption • Criminality Of Bush • Profits Of War • Bush

The Nuremberg Declaration

2007-03-17T05:18:00.000-04:00

Re-sign and Ratify...

ƒcThe following is the full text of the Nuremberg Declaration delivered to the head of the Documentation Center for the Crimes of the Nazi Party, the group responsible for maintaining Room 600 in the Nuremberg Courthouse where Nazi leaders were tried and convicted of war crimes in 1945 and 1946. The declaration calls on the United States to reverse the decision of the Bush administration and re-sign and ratify the International Criminal Court treaty (Rome statute).

NUREMBERG DECLARATION

on International Criminal Court

The Nuremberg War Trials marked the birth date of a new age in international law -- the creation of an International Tribunal to try war criminals. Mr. Robert Jackson, the Allied Forces' Chief Prosecutor, stated on various occasions in 1945 that, "the U.S. itself will be bound in the future by the rules they are imposing on the German war criminals in Nuremberg today.

Fifty seven years elapsed between the Nuremberg War Trials and the commissioning of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on July 1, 2002. However, the United States, under the presidency of George W. Bush, did not participate in the foundation of the ICC. Instead, the Bush administration threatened the use of military forces in the event that an American national was ever tried before the ICC.

The continued refusal of the United States government to become a party to the ICC is an ongoing violation of the promises made at Nuremberg in 1945. The conduct exhibited by the United States over 61 years constitutes a breach of good faith proclaimed in 1945. A breach of faith that contravenes the moral basis for the Nuremberg War Trials of 1945 and is a lasting obstacle to the efforts of all peaceful nations that believe in the rule of law. Americans are urged to encourage their government to fulfill the promises made by Robert Jackson at Nuremberg in 1945 and become a party to the ICC as soon as practicable.

Declared on the Documentation Center former Nazi Party parade grounds, Nuremberg, Germany, Dec. 7, 2006.

There were six original signers of the declaration and it may be available for signatures by visitors to the Nuremberg Courthouse. We are also soliciting signatures for the Nuremberg Declaration by professionals from various sectors, including current and/or past affiliations. The following sectors are included:

1. Current and former members of legislatures -- national, state/provincial/territorial, local/municipal.
2. Current and former executive government officials -- national, state/provincial, local/municipal, tribal and territorial.(e.g., governors, mayors, county executives).
3. Current and former jurists -- national, state/provincial/territorial, local/municipal.
4. Members of the Fourth Estate, the press/media, publishers, editors, journalists.
5. Officials and faculty of educational institutions.
6. Legal professionals.
7. Members of the clergy/lay leadership.
8. Current and former members of the diplomatic corps.
9. Current and former non-governmental organization (NGO) officials
10. Current and former members of the military.
11. Current and former trade union officials.
12. Current and former business community officials.
13. Current and former intelligence agency and law enforcement officers.
14. Members of the film, art, literature, sports, and entertainment communities.
15. Political party officials.

Signatures can be sent to: wmreditor@waynemadsenreport.com

waynemadsendc@hotmail.com

The current plans are to collect signatures from Nuremberg and from e-mail and present them, along with the Nuremberg Declaration, to the relevant congressional committees with a view to persuade them to initiate the proper legislation to ensure that the United States becomes a full party to the International Criminal Court and agree to hand over for prosecution those American officials who violated the Paris Peace Pact of 1928, the UN Charter, and the Geneva Conventions. The ICC treaty has been ratified by 104 nations, including Afghanistan, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Serbia, South Africa, United Kingdom, and Venezuela. Iraq's Transitional National Government was set to ratify the treaty but reversed course after pressure was exerted by the United States. The following nations are in the process of ratifying the ICC treaty: Chile, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Japan, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Yemen. Israel "de-signed" the ICC treaty at the same time the Bush administration withdrew its signature.

Technorati Cosmos

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Tags :: · Politics · Nuremberg Declaration · International Criminal Court · Criminality Of Bush · Bush War Crimes · Bush

Draining The Swamp

2007-03-16T07:10:00.000-04:00

PurgeGate and Beyond...

ƒc There may be much more serious issues floating to the surface in the swamp due to the PurgeGate being opened. Much more indeed.

Update :: 12:00 pm :: Glenn Greenwald has detailed information [] on this issue as well as a link to another letter to Gone-zales from Senators Feingold, Kennedy and Durbin.

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On the National Journal Report that the Attorney General Advised the President to Shut Down the OPR Investigation of the NSA Program []

Congress and the American public deserve to know whether the Attorney General of the United States acted ethically and appropriately. The President should immediately issue the clearances needed to permit the Office of Professional Responsibility’s NSA investigation to proceed, regardless of whether the Attorney General himself is a target. That investigation should also consider whether the Attorney General conducted himself properly in making his recommendation to the President. Obviously, the Attorney General must recuse himself from any further involvement in this matter.

Feingold, Kennedy and Durbin ask the A.G. in their letter ::

When did you learn that you were the target of the OPR Investigation?

Who advised you that you were the target of the OPR Investigation?

Did you inform President Bush that you were the target of the OPR Investigation?

The Gavel
Chairman Conyers Writes to Attorney General Gonzales []

Conyers Demands More Answers from Attorney General Gonzales

(Washington, DC)- Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales demanding he answer allegations that he may have advised the President to shut down an Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) inquiry into the Administration's domestic wiretapping surveillance program because of his role in the program.

An article posted in today's online version of the National Journal alleges that Gonzales anticipated the inquiry would focus on his role in the wire-tapping project so he advised the President to end it by denying necessary security clearances to investigators.

"It would be an extraordinary abuse of authority if you advised the President on this matter after learning that your own conduct was to be investigated," Conyers wrote. "The decision by the President to shut down the OPR investigation by denying security clearances to key Department personnel was itself extremely unusual, controversial and, in our view, improper. But the issue of your role in advising the President on this question raises what may be even more serious concerns."

EXCLUSIVE: E-Mails Show Rove's Role in U.S. Attorney Firings []

The e-mails also show that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales discussed the idea of firing the attorneys en masse while he was still White House counsel, weeks before he was confirmed as attorney general.

The e-mails directly contradict White House assertions that the notion originated with recently departed White House counsel Harriet Miers, and was her idea alone.

Two independent sources in a position to know have described the contents of the e-mail exchange, which could be released as early as Friday. They put Rove at the epicenter of the imbroglio and raise questions about Gonzales’ explanations of the matter.

Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, Chairwoman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, also comments:

"These emails, if the reports are accurate, are the clearest evidence that the Bush Administration has been lying to the public, the Congress, and perhaps even among its own ranks, about its scheme to purge federal prosecutors. This would be a deliberate attempt to place partisan ideology at the center of the justice system in a way not seen since the Watergate scandal.

"It is time for the Bush Administration to come clean. Who made the decision to fire these U.S. Attorneys, why did they do it, and who orchestrated the attempts to mislead the public on this issue?"

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Tags :: Politics • Draining The Swamp • John Conyers Jr • PurgeGate • Abu Gonzales • Obstruction of Justice • Perjury • Criminality Of Bush • Bush

Gone-zales Under The Bus

2007-03-15T10:57:00.000-04:00

Just a Matter of Time...

ƒc Republicans standing up and calling foul from Abu Gone-ales is really no surprise. There are 21 up for re-election in 2008. More to follow I would suspect, the longer this scandal continues to grow.

Sununu knew it was time to start distancing himself from his fellow rubber-stampers. By being the first Republican Senator to call for Abu's resignation he is looking to lead the crowd. For an interesting perspective of what he has stood for lately take a look at BlueHampshire's sununu tag and MYDD's Sununu Voting Record which lead you to many details.

A Republican Rep from California has jumped on the bus. This guy Issa is an even more interesting read than Sununu. He had just been celebrating getting Lam fired when all this blew up on the front pages... Next...

Issa: 'Congress was lied to'
Calls for ouster of attorney general if involved in providing false information to lawmakers []

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa said Wednesday he was "outraged" that executive branch officials recently gave a congressional hearing misleading and inaccurate testimony based on information that both the Department of Justice and the White House knew to be untrue.

He said that if Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had any role in false information being given to Congress, "he should not be able to continue in his job."

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Tags :: Politics • PurgeGate • Abu Gonzales • Obstruction of Justice • Perjury • Criminality Of Bush • Bush

PurgeGate

2007-03-13T09:08:00.000-04:00

If a lie is a crime, Bush is a master criminal...

ƒc It's the cover-up, Stupid... Well it's being stupid when you cover-up that is the hallmark of the Bush Administration. The NeoCons who could not shoot straight. The Republicans who sold their soul to the Devil when whitewashing over the first six years of scandals from the Karl Rove Dirty Political Tricks Handbook. Cheney the Co-President constantly doing his "Bagdad Bob" routine for the Faux News 23%ers. The unindicted co-conspirators, The Main Stream Media who fell right in step with the war drums and the lies that started them a thumpin' and turned a blind eye to the logical and rational reasons not to pre-impetively invade nations with sovereigninity ...

PurgeGate is just now developing into a full scale "Katrina" for the little cowboy. The lies and deceit are being lined up one after the other in what will be a domino effect when the tipping point is reached. How many of the neocon-rustler's men will fall eventually is the only question. [] Torquemada Gonzales lied to Congress... He's toast... Torquemada's chief of staff [] D. Kyle Sampson fell on his sword yesterday. He's toast... [] Domenici and Wilson are caught in blatent obstruction of justice. They are toast... And the band played on, PurgeGate :: a catchy tune [] written by Harriet Miers, with a slow tempo to start with but it's pickin' up in the latest stanzas now baby... It's easy to dance to, it's got those little neocon tootsies just a twitchin'... Story Developing ...

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Tags :: Politics • PurgeGate • Abu Gonzales • Harriet Miers • Culture Of Corruption • Criminality Of Bush • Bush

Criminality Of Bush

2007-03-11T10:19:00.000-04:00

Not Just Liberal Conjecture Anymore...

^memeorandum

ƒcThe conviction of I. 'Scooter' Lewis Libby set history on it's proper course in documenting the Criminality of George W. Bush. No longer conjecture or speculation on the part of Liberals, pen has been set to paper and this is just the beginning because he no longer has a congress that is willing to white-wash over his illegalities.

Following less than a week after Rove thru Scooter under the bus, we are informed that the FBI (Federal Bureau of Incompetence) has violated all kinds of laws set up by the Patriot Act. I'm sure the WingNuts are all still in a state of denial, as usual, but should likely see that there are Republicans as well as Democrats expressing outrage at this latest revelation of the Criminality of Bush. Abu Gonzales has caught some much needed flak from some Republicans this week for the firing of the US Attorneys. Republicans Domenici and Wilson have been caught up in a possible obstruction charge in that scandal and face investigations.

It is a sad state of affairs that the rule of law has been replaced by the rule of hubris and incompetence. Instead of making this country safer, Bush has created a mess that even his daddy can't fix this time. It is looking more and more like the little cowboy was right when he said this mess would be waiting for the next administration to clean up. Kinda makes me want to vote Republican just so they, the Republicans who enabled the NeoCons are the ones to shoulder the responsibility for cleaning up what the little cowboy broke... Well... Maybe not... They would probably just continue to screw things up...

washingtonpost.com
Report Details Missteps in Data Collection
By R. Jeffrey Smith []

Over a three-year period ending in 2005, the FBI collected intimate information about the lives of a population roughly the size of Bethesda's -- 52,000 -- and stored it in an intelligence database accessible to about 12,000 federal, state and local law enforcement authorities and to certain foreign governments.

The FBI did so without systematically retaining evidence that its data collection was legal, without ensuring that all the data it obtained matched its needs or requests, without correctly tallying and reporting its efforts to Congress, and without ferreting out all of its abuses and reporting them to an intelligence oversight board.

"We believe," the inspector general's office said in a summary of whether and how often the tool might have jeopardized the privacy of U.S. residents, "that a significant number of NSL-related violations are not being identified or reported by the FBI."

Continue Reading This Article...

New York Times
Justice Department Says F.B.I. Misused Patriot Act
By DAVID JOHNSTON and ERIC LIPTON []

Robert S. Mueller III, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, called a news conference today to accept responsibility for the lapses, and to pledge his best efforts to see that they are not repeated.

"How could this happen?" Mr. Mueller asked rhetorically. "Who is to be held accountable? And the answer to that is, I am to be held accountable."

Details of the inspector general’s report emerged on Thursday, a day ahead of its formal publication, as Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and other officials struggled to tamp down a Congressional uproar over another issue, the ouster of eight United States attorneys.

Mr. Gonzales told Democratic and Republican senators that the Justice Department would drop its opposition to a change in a one-year-old rule for replacing federal prosecutors, senators and Justice Department officials said.

Mr. Gonzales offered the concession at a private meeting on Capitol Hill with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Mr. Gonzales also agreed to let the panel question Justice Department officials involved in the removals, Congressional aides said. The officials would testify voluntarily without subpoena.

Continue Reading This Article...

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Tags :: Politics • Culture Of Corruption • Criminality Of Bush • Patriot Act • NSL • FBI • Bush

Dems Reject Fox

2007-03-10T06:53:00.000-05:00

Just Said NO...

^memeorandum

ƒc By way of memeorandum and Middle Earth Journal we learn that the Nevada Democratic Party and the promoters of the Democratic Primary Debate that was to be aired on Faux have annouuced that it will not happen. I temper my pleasure of this development with the fact that some friends involved in the area explained how the Dems wanted to reach out to Faux viewers in hopes of strengthening their numbers. In a rational world dealing with a ration bona fide news organization, that would have been noble enough reason to pursue this objective. Faux however is not a real news organization and Bush's Amerika is hardly a rational world.

MIDDLE EARTH JOURNAL
Online Pamphleteers
Just say no to Pravda
By Ron []

I have always felt that the Democrats should simply ignore Fox. When Democratic politicians appear on FOX they give it a legitimacy it does not deserve. It's not a news organization but a propaganda organ for the Bush/Cheney administration and neocon lunatics like Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes. Letting FOX host a Democratic debate was just plain stupid.

Huffington Post confirms it's dead and this from an e-mail I received from Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films.

Today, Senator Harry Reid and the NV Democrat Party announced they would drop a FOX-sponsored debate scheduled for August - citing FOX President Roger Ailes remarks last night that compared Barack Obama to Osama Bin Laden as the final straw.

"We hope this sets a precedent for all Democrats - that FOX should be treated as a right-wing misinformation network, not legitimized as a neutral source of news," said Eli Pariser, Executive Director of MoveOn.org Civic Action. "John Edwards, Harry Reid, the Nevada Democratic Party, and grassroots progressives across the nation deserve credit for standing up to Fox's right-wing agenda."

Continue Reading This Article...

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Tags :: Politics • Democrats • Faux News • NeoCons • Bush

National Security Letters

2007-03-09T12:18:00.000-05:00

Ignore Congress... Ignore the Rule Of Law

ƒcGlenn Greenwald notes that the Silent Patriot at Crooks & Liars points to the fact that the possible lawbreaking by the FBI concerning NSL's is rooted in the Signing Statements Bush penned when the Patriot Act was renewed in 2006. So much for accountability from this criminal administration. Will the Dems have the guts to force the issue...? Story Developing...

Glenn Greenwald
The FBI's lawbreaking is tied directly to President Bush

Multiple media outlets are focusing on the unsurprising story that the FBI seems to have been abusing its powers under the Patriot Act to issue so-called "national security letters" (NSLs), whereby the FBI is empowered to obtain a whole array of privacy-infringing records without any sort of judicial oversight or subpoena process. In particular, the FBI has failed to comply with the legal obligations imposed by Congress, when it re-authorized the Patriot Act in early 2006, which required the FBI to report to Congress on the use of these letters.

That the FBI is abusing its NSL power is entirely unsurprising (more on that below), but the real story here -- and it is quite significant -- has not even been mentioned by any of these news reports. The only person (that I've seen) to have noted the most significant aspect of these revelations is Silent Patriot at Crooks & Liars, who very astutely recalls that the NSL reporting requirements imposed by Congress were precisely the provisions which President Bush expressly proclaimed he could ignore when he issued a "signing statement" as part of the enactment of the Patriot Act's renewal into law. Put another way, the law which the FBI has now been found to be violating is the very law which George Bush publicly declared he has the power to ignore.

Continue Reading This Article... -•- Technorati Cosmos

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Tags :: Politics • National Security Letters • Signing Statements • Unitary Executive • Bush

Guess Libby's Pardon Date - Win a T-Shirt

2007-03-07T10:47:00.000-05:00

Just a matter of time...?

^memeorandum

ƒc News from memeorandum, my favorite political news/blog aggrigator. They are gonna offer a free t-shirt to anyone who guesses when bushji pardons scooter. Will he do it? I would not be surprised in the least.

What does he have to lose...? Only the 23 percent club, NeoCon enabling wingnuts extraordinaire still believe in the little cowboy. Besides he already has an administration packed with ex-cons from the WaterGate era. So what is the big deal.

I just hope whoever is in charge when he is removed from office do not even think about a pardon for him.

washingtonpost.com
Guess Libby's Pardon Date, Win a T-Shirt
By Al Kamen []

The verdict is in! Now it's time for the In the Loop Pardon Scooter Contest! Yes, simply pick the date that President Bush will pardon Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who, according to federal sentencing guidelines, is looking at 18 months to three years in the slammer.

Send your entries -- one date only: month, day and year -- to: intheloop@washpost.com. Ten people closest to the pardon date will receive a coveted In the Loop T-shirt. You must include your name and telephone numbers to be eligible. Deadline is March 14, assuming Bush doesn't act before then.

Continue Reading This Article...

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Tags :: Politics • Scooter Libby • WingNut • NeoCon • Plame • Bush

Coulter GAYte

2007-03-05T19:05:00.000-05:00

Conservative Homophobia... Hypocritical Values...

ƒc Coulter has finally committed the unforgivable sin. She has let the country know that a lot of the 'conservative' base that she spews her venom to, don't care what she says about libruls. Kinda funny that most of these upstanding conservative bloggers and beltway wannabe pundits had little to say before this latest flap.

Now they band together to [] write a letter condemning her slur that Edwards is a faggot. Where were they when she was calling for the deaths of New York Times personnel and all the other hate speech that she has made famous...? It was OK then because she was pampering to the base and the NeoCon - 'good old boys' network at the top thought that was just fine... My my my... What a difference a Democratic Landslide Election in 06 and the prospect of more to come in 08, will make...

Note :: Had no cable or internet for a couple of days. Health problems and a bad attitude will keep posting at a minimum for a while... Until I can get that good ol' "Kick Bush in the Teeth" attitude back...

bookmarks ⇒

Tags :: Politics • Coulter • WingNut • NeoCon • Conservative • Republican • Homophobia • Bush

Conyers' Subpoena Power

2007-03-02T08:23:00.000-05:00

Finally, Some Substantive Action...

ƒc John Conyers Jr. is the first to wield the power of the subpoena in the 110th Congress. This is no surprise to me. Since the release of the Downing Street Memo, and subsequent revelations of abuse of power, John Conyers has been the most consistent of all the politicians in trying to confront this loose cannon in the White House.

McCLATCHY
WASHINGTON BUREAU

Sources: GOP lawmakers tried to influence federal investigation

WASHINGTON - Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson of New Mexico pressured the U.S. attorney in their state to speed up indictments in a federal corruption investigation that involved at least one former Democratic state senator, according to two people familiar with the contacts.

The alleged involvement of the two Republican lawmakers raises questions about possible violations of House of Representatives and Senate ethics rules and could taint the criminal investigation into the award of an $82 million courthouse contract.

On Thursday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., issued subpoenas to require Iglesias and three other ousted U.S. attorneys to testify before Congress.

Continue Reading This Article... -•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This Article )

U.S. House Of Representatives
Committee On The Judiciary

Chairman :: John Conyers Jr.
Committee Schedule :: March 6 - 8, 2007

March 6, 2007 Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law

Hearing: “H.R. 580, Restoring Checks and Balances in the Confirmation Process of U.S. Attorneys”

March 7, 2007 Full Committee

Hearing: “Protecting the Right to Vote: Election Deception and Irregularities in Recent Federal Elections”

March 8, 2007 (am) Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security

Hearing on: “The McNulty Memorandum's Effect on the Right to Counsel in Corporate Investigations.”

March 8, 2007 (pm) Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property

Hearing: “An Update – Piracy on University Networks”

bookmarks ⇒

Tags :: Politics • Conyers • Congressional Oversight • Subpoena Power • U.S. Attorneys • 110th Congress • Bush

Iraq Leads Condi Follows

2007-02-28T07:41:00.000-05:00

No Choice But To Tag Along, I suspect...

ƒc Has her power become so strong that she has actually convinced "The Decider" that he better get up off his ass and do something or the Middle East and it's oil is going to hell in a hand-basket... I imagine it is more likely that she is having to drag the screaming little cowboy back into reality. It's not very likely that he has made such a rational decision on his own... I may have to quit marking up the side of the newspaper with "NeoCon" every time I see her name... Well... May have to reserve judgment on that one for a while... (visions of mushroom clouds keep poppin' into my mind)

washingtonpost.com U.S. Will Join Talks With Iran And Syria
Rice Announces Policy Shift as Iraq Plans Conferences

The United States agreed yesterday to join high-level talks with Iran and Syria on the future of Iraq, an abrupt shift in policy that opens the door to diplomatic dealings the White House had shunned in recent months despite mounting criticism.

"I would note that the Iraqi government has invited all of its neighbors, including Syria and Iran, to attend both of these regional meetings," Rice told the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Continue Reading This Article... -•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This Article )

She also told this same committee that she didn't know why the Iraqi were not spending the ten billion dollars we gave them for reconstruction. I imagine they look at it like we are the ones who shock-n-awed the place to hell and back so we are the ones who are gonna have to pay for fixin' it... They may have done some research and found out how we treated red people (Native Americans) and decided they shouldn't let brown people get treated the same way. I wonder if Condi got the term "Indian Giver" laid on her... When ya think about it, we have been really big on giving away money in Iraq for the last four years... [Including Arming Al-Queda (you know - the ones who are killin' our people) with help from the Family Saud] That ten billion may be the only money in Iraq that is not buying guns and bullets that end up killin' our folks...

Just about the time you think they have turned the corner on their Idiot-ology, up jumps the devil and they sink to newer and more devious lows... How low can these people get...? Somebody needs to throw the little cowboy a rope... Does Condi have the ass to dig her boot heels into the sands of Mesopotamia and pull them all out of the hole the NeoCons have dug for them...? Story Developing...

bookmarks ⇒

Tags :: Politics • Rice • Iraq • Iran • Syria • Bush

Draft Gore

2007-02-27T10:23:00.000-05:00

Non-Official Grassroots Effort...

ƒc This country needs Al Gore. The grassroots efforts like this and the website Gore 08 are keeping our hopes alive. For some background on why it is still possible for Gore to still run, check out The Politico article that states he can wait until the fall of 2007 before he must really decide. Let's hope for some sanity to return to our national stage with the announcement later this year that he will run for and be elected the next President of these United States of America... Over a thousand people have signed this petition since yesterday... Join us in helping Al decide...

DRAFTGORE.COM

Draft Gore 08

He's eloquent, passionate, relentless, undaunted. The first political figure to oppose the Iraq war, Al Gore is also the lead champion in the fight against global warming, a passionate defender of our Constitution, and an unyielding voice against the Bush Administration's abuse of power.

Given his unmatched experience and leadership on issues of moral imperative, Gore is increasingly seen as Democrats' best bet to win back the White House.

Dear Vice President Gore:

Americans from every corner of our nation are calling on you. Please listen to our plea and run for the Democratic nomination for the presidency of the United States in 2008.

Never before has America needed a leader of your stature, vision and experience more than now. The next presidential election will be the most crucial one in our history, and you are the only Democrat who can unite the country and lead us to victory. And this country -- indeed, the entire world -- cannot afford anything less.

Our nation and the planet itself are entering “a period of consequences,” as you so well stated in “An Inconvenient Truth,” but in more ways than one. We are ruled by a government of the powerful and for the powerful -- a government that tramples our Constitution, wages unjust war in our name, sacrifices our economic future, and puts our very planet on the endangered species list.

America and the world need you now more than ever. Be our candidate. Run for president. And we pledge that we'll be there for you every day until the last vote is counted.

-•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This Petition )

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Tags :: Politics • Al Gore • Election 08 • Democratic Party

Shiite Crescent

2007-02-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

Iran/Contra Redux... Congratulations to Al Gore for winning the Oscar for Best Documentary

ƒc Seems history is repeating itself once again, as I have noted several times on these pages. The instances have been replete and the analogies accurate in so many ways. This latest farce in idiot-ology [Ideology of BushThink - (Yes, I made this term up and will soon list it at Wikipedia)] says they are gonna finesse their way to victory in their Conquest of The Middle East. Those sly devils... I am sure we will hear more of how they plan to dominate The Shiite Crescent...

Digby's reaction to Seymour Hersh's "The Redirection" ::

Hullabaloo
Rube Goldberg Policy Contraption

This is the part that gets me. When Bush brought that war criminal piece of garbage Elliott Abrams back in to the government we all should have known they were going down this road:

The Bush Administration’s reliance on clandestine operations that have not been reported to Congress and its dealings with intermediaries with questionable agendas have recalled, for some in Washington, an earlier chapter in history. Two decades ago, the Reagan Administration attempted to fund the Nicaraguan contras illegally, with the help of secret arms sales to Iran. Saudi money was involved in what became known as the Iran-Contra scandal, and a few of the players back then—notably Prince Bandar and Elliott Abrams—are involved in today’s dealings.

Today we have the DOD equivalent of Brownie running around with boatload of cash making deals with Muslim extremists and Saudi princes, whom the administration has divided up into completely useless designations of "reformer" and extremist." Nobody knows who's talking to who or what agenda they really have. Liberals think up complex plots like this and make them into movies. Republicans steal billions from the taxpayers and actually try to implement their hare-brained schemes.

Continue Reading This Article... -•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This Article )

Source Article :: THE REDIRECTION - Is the Administration’s new policy benefitting our enemies in the war on terrorism? - by Seymour Hersh

Hat Tip to AnyMouse from the Comments to the Post below for the inspiration to create a new Bushism's hyphenated descriptor of the NeoCon MindSet. (Please note capital letters placed appropriately throughout) I am sure coining the term :: Idiot-ology - and the overuse of hyphens, commas, apostrophes and capital letters will assure me a place in history. I am going to flagrantly insist that I made up this term, whether I am actually the first to use it or not. After all, what is a little plagarism amoung liberals... Once again, AnyMouse... Thanks bud... Your fellow Maverick... - fc

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Tags :: Politics • Seymour Hersh • Pentagon • NeoCons • Bush

NeoCons In The Pentagon

2007-02-25T04:57:00.000-05:00

How many and what tell are they doing...?

ƒc We know Rummy is gone but how many and which ones of his NeoCon cronies are left in the Pentagon. A hint comes from the information Cernig at NewsHog posts about the Generals threatening to resign if Bush attacks Iran.

Cernig quotes a bit of info from Seymour Hersh's upcoming article which tells us that another "Office of Special Plans" (Douglas Feith and NeoCon Crew) type unit has been set up under the Office of The Joint Cheifs. If this is the reality and knowing Gen. Pace's stance about Iran, it only seems logical that this new initiative is being forced on them from what would be left of the NeoCon contingency - post Rumsfeld.

Hopefully the wiser heads in the top positions in our military will make it known to the war-monger in chief that his war making days are over...

NEWSHOG

London Times- US Generals Will Revolt Over Iran Attack

A couple of days ago, I posted about Gwynne Dyer's claim that Gen. Peter Pace, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs, was prepared to resign if the White House insisted on war with Iran over threadbare "evidence".

Now, the London Sunday Times has a report which says it may well be more than just Pace, co-written by the interesting partnership of Michael Smith (who broke the Downing Street Memo story and is widely regarded as the British intelligence community's spokesman in the UK press) and Sarah Baxter (a well-connected pro-American insider in US military and diplomatic circles oft-quoted by neocon pundits).

I suggested back when Pace first broke with the until-then White House line on Iran that he might have been one of Sy Hersh's sources for his report that the Pentagon's generals were revolting over White House plans to use tactical nukes in any Iran strike. Now, Hersh is in the news again with a forthcoming story about alleged US contingency plans for an attack:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Despite the Bush administration's insistence it has no plans to go to war with Iran, a Pentagon panel has been created to plan a bombing attack that could be implemented within 24 hours of getting the go-ahead from President George W. Bush, The New Yorker magazine reported in its latest issue.

The special planning group was established within the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in recent months, according to an unidentified former U.S. intelligence official cited in the article by investigative reporter Seymour Hersh in the March 4 issue.

Continue Reading This Article... -•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This Article )

Update :: THE REDIRECTION - Is the Administration’s new policy benefitting our enemies in the war on terrorism? - by Seymour Hersh

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Tags :: Politics • Pentagon • NeoCons • Bush

Freeze Out Fox News

2007-02-21T18:12:00.001-05:00

Gimme One Good Reason...

ƒc Faux News is a farse... It is not news, it is propoganda. What are the Dems in Nevada thinking...? They are not going to get a fair deal from the NeoCon Mouthpieces at Faux News. Faux News watchers are not going to vote Democratic and they know it. Sign this letter to Nevada Democratic Party Leaders and tell them to say NO-TO-FOX...

[blogpac.org]

Tell Democrats to Freeze Out Fox News

The Nevada Democratic Party is working with Fox News Channel to host a debate with all the Democratic Party presidential candidates in August. This is, to put it mildly, insane. Fox News is a partisan Republican propaganda outlet, not a news station, and it is irresponsible for any candidate or party official to lend it the immense credibility of a presidential forum. It would be better to do this on MSNBC, CNN, C-Span, or just stream it on the Internet where progressive blogs can carry it.

I understand that the Nevada Democratic Party has decided to allow Fox News to televise the Democratic presidential debate on August 14, 2007 in Reno. I believe this is a mistake and I hope you will reconsider supporting this decision.

It is obvious to Democratic primary voters that Fox News is openly hostile to the Democratic Party with its exclusive line-up of conservative voices and conservative slant in its news. It's highly unlikely that its partisan audience will be persuaded to vote for Democrats nor should Democratic partisans be forced to patronize such a hostile news network to see its candidates debate one another.

More importantly, Fox News may choose to follow the example it set in a previous presidential debate when it cut away from the debate before it even finished to immediately offer a negative spin from their commentator in the studio, William Bennett. The audience had no time to absorb any positive message they may have received before they were inundated with a harshly partisan Republican spin on the entire Democratic field. They also put up a banner behind the candidates reading “Democrat Candidate Debate” instead of “Democratic Candidate Debate,” asked loaded questions, and produced vicious post-debate news “reports.” This did nothing to serve the Democratic candidates or the Democratic Party as a whole, and it certainly wasn’t “unfiltered.”

If Fox news were the only outlet available that would be one thing. But many outlets exist which would be thrilled to give the Democratic candidates a platform and a chance to make their case to the television audience without partisan Republican spin. I would urge you to retract your support for this counterproductive agreement and seek another news network to host this important event.

-•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This Petition )

The Petition Site has another petition in the same vein as this one...

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Tags :: Politics • Democratic Presidential Debate • Fox News • Bush

Wounded From Iraq :: Neglected

2007-02-18T14:02:00.000-05:00

This Must be the true Bizarro World of George Bush...

Update :: The Army started repairs to Building 18 yesterday after this story by Dana Priest and Ann Hull. Way to Go Ladies...

ƒc History has come full circle once again in Bush's Bizarro World. Wounded, criple and crazy all at the hands of a system that is overwhelmed. We only have to think back to Katrina to realize how out of control this administration can be. Now we get a glimse of the nightmare world that many Vietnam Vets went through in much the same kind of system. This is very sad note in our 21st Century Bush's Amerika...

washingtonpost.com Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration At Army's Top Medical Facility
By Dana Priest and Anne Hull
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, February 18, 2007; Page A01

Behind the door of Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan's room, part of the wall is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold. When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole. The entire building, constructed between the world wars, often smells like greasy carry-out. Signs of neglect are everywhere: mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses.

This is the world of Building 18, not the kind of place where Duncan expected to recover when he was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center from Iraq last February with a broken neck and a shredded left ear, nearly dead from blood loss. But the old lodge, just outside the gates of the hospital and five miles up the road from the White House, has housed hundreds of maimed soldiers recuperating from injuries suffered in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Continue Reading This Article... -•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This Article )

± Click To Expand Quotes From Other Blogs about this issue ::

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Tags :: Politics • Military • Wounded Vets • Bush

Senate White Flags

2007-02-18T06:29:00.000-05:00

The Senate's Republicans... NO-TO-BUSH

ƒc We have compiled a list of Republican in the House who have stood up and said NO-TO-BUSH. We now have a list in the Senate that have done so also.

As John Murtha has stated and re(d)-stated several times over that this is not the vote that counts. The one that counts is the first one to start taking power from the megalomaniac in the White House.

We will only see America turning a corner when Congress truely and not just symbolically says ::

B U S H

A point all the WingNuts keep forgetting is stated by Instaputz regarding the attacks on Murtha. So quickly do they foget after a nationally voted mandate for change that the real American Body Politic also says ::

B U S H

The Senate's White Flag Republicans

John Warner (Virginia)
Norm Coleman (Minnesota)
Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania)
Chuck Hagel (Nebraska)
Gordon Smith (Oregon)
Susan Collins (Maine)
Olympia Snowe (Maine)

The true tests of the Republicans willing to stand up for America will start to take place when the legislation in binding. Then and only then will the truth to power be raised proudly back to the rule of law. The majority of the people of this great nation have spoken. It is time for Congress to do it's job and return to the people the power to set the course. For six long years a small wingnut minority has run rampant without control. It is time to start taking the first real legislative steps to take that control back... Now...

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Tags :: Politics • Electronic Voting • Senate • 110th Congress • Bush • White Flag Republicans

Ban Paperless Ballots

2007-02-17T12:11:00.000-05:00

Bolster Voter Confidence...

ƒc It is imperative that we support changes like this to ensure our democracy survives...

MoveOn.ORG
Political Action

Ban Paperless Ballots

A new bill in Congress would ban paperless voting. It's got enough support to pass, but time is short. This week, the Democratic leadership is deciding what Congress will take up next. If they don't put voting on the agenda, there simply won't be time to make the change by the 2008 presidential election. Sign this petition to ask the Democratic leaders in Congress to ban paperless voting before it's too late.

"Congress must ban paperless voting in time for the 2008 election. As voters, we support Rep. Rush Holt's paper ballots bill."

TO: (Your senators and representative)
FROM: (Your name and email)
SUBJECT: Ban paperless voting

Dear Senators and Representative,

(Your personal note)

Congress must ban paperless voting in time for the 2008 election. As voters, we support Rep. Rush Holt's paper ballots bill.

-•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This )

MoveOn :: Holt Reintroduces Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act

Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act :: H.R.811 :: Thomas.loc.gov

"Senator wants District 13 answers," SarasotaHerald-Tribune, February 8, 2007

"Holt Reintroduces Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act," VoteTrust USA, February 6, 2007

"An Important Election Safeguard," NewYork Times, June 10, 2005

"A Vote We Can Believe In," WashingtonPost, October 10, 2006

"A Warning in Florida," Roll Call,December 6, 2006

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Tags :: Politics • Electronic Voting • H.R.811 • 110th Congress • Bush • MoveOn.org

White Flag Republicans

2007-02-17T00:11:00.000-05:00

Surrender Monkeys...

ƒc Hugh Hewitt at Townhall is truely disappointed in the White Flag Republican Surrender Pachyderms that voted with the Democrats on the non-binding resolution against the surge. He is not going to contribute to the RNCC this year because they support the WFR's... That's a good deal... If these are your reps, please contact them and let them know you appreciate their vote...

White Flag Republicans

Michael Castle
Howard Coble
Tom Davis
John 'Jimmy' Duncan
Philip English Wayne Gilchrest
Bob Inglis
Tim Johnson
Walter Jones
Ric Keller
Mark Kirk
Steven LaTourette
Ron Paul
Thomas Petri
Jim Ramstad
Fred Upton
James Walsh

Names are linked to their Contact Pages -•- http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Democrats.com and Instaputz are also talking about this... -•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This Site )

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Tags :: Politics • White Flag Republicans • 110th Congress • Bush • War Of Terror

Congressional Progressive Caucus

2007-02-16T12:12:00.000-05:00

71 Members Strong...

ƒc The largest of all Democratic Caucus' :: The Congressional Progressive Caucus. Seven new members in the 110th Congress... All 71 members have signed a resolution to permanantly end funding for Bush's War Of Terror in Iraq... They are on the record for putting a stop to flag draped aluminum caskets flying back in to Bush's Amerika under the cover of darkness... Who will be the last to die for Bush's Lies...?

Co-Chairs -•- Hon. Barbara Lee -•- Hon. Lynn Woolsey

Neil Abercrombie
Tammy Baldwin
Xavier Becerra
Madeleine Bordallo
Robert Brady
Corrine Brown
Sherrod Brown
Michael Capuano
Julia Carson
Donna Christensen
Yvette Clarke
William “Lacy” Clay
Emanuel Cleaver
Steve Cohen
John Conyers
Elijah Cummings
Danny Davis
Peter DeFazio
Rosa DeLauro
Keith Ellison
Lane Evans
Sam Farr
Chaska Fattah
Bob Filner
Barney Frank
Raul Grijalva
Luis Gutierrez
John Hall
Phil Hare
Maurice Hinchey
Mazie Hirono
Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Sheila Jackson-Lee
Hank Johnson
Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Marcy Kaptur
Carolyn Kilpatrick
Dennis Kucinich
Tom Lantos
Barbara Lee
John Lewis
David Loebsack
Carolyn Maloney
Ed Markey
Jim McDermott
James McGovern
George Miller
Gwen Moore
Jerrold Nadler
Eleanor Holmes-Norton
Ed Pastor
Donald Payne
Charles Rangel
Bobby Rush
Bernie Sanders (Senate)
Jan Schakowsky
Jose Serrano
Louis Slaughter
Hilda Solis
Pete Stark
Bennie Thompson
John Tierney
Tom Udall
Nydia Velazquez
Maxine Waters
Diane Watson
Mel Watt
Henry Waxman
Peter Welch
Lynn Woolsey

Names are hotlinked to house.gov websites -•- blue links indicate my favorite congress critters

-•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This Site )

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Tags :: Politics • Congressional Progressive Caucus • 110th Congress • Bush • War Of Terror

Murtha at MoveCongress.org

2007-02-15T20:36:00.000-05:00

A Realistic Set of First Steps...

ƒc Murtha talks about his position on the Iraq War with candor and realism. Something missing when most politicians open their mouth. Well worth the time to listen to what he has to say...

Tom Andrews of MoveCongress Interviews Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) on the Iraq War.

24 min 24 sec - Feb 14, 2007

Google Video -•- MoveCongress.org

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Tags :: Politics • Iraq • Murtha • MoveCongress.org • Bush

Murtha's Plan

2007-02-15T04:20:00.000-05:00

A Thousand Paper Cuts...

ƒc It's about time someone came up with a workable solution to the madness that is George W. Bush. I think John Murtha is just the person to do it. When push comes to shove, just take the ability of the war-mongers to 'stop-loss' the troops there already, approve no money for new troops to be added along with the other ideas that Murtha is proposing. Without bullet proof filibuster breaking votes in either houses, this is the only rational way to go as Booman concludes...

MOVECONGRESS.org
CHAIRMAN JACK MURTHA TO OUTLINE COMMITTEE STRATEGY ON BUSH’S IRAQ FUNDING REQUEST

THURSDAY, FEB. 15th AT 11:00 AM EST
Join Us!

On Thursday, Congressman Jack Murtha, chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, will outline new details of his strategy to use the president's Iraq funding request to begin the redeployment of troops from Iraq. The Defense Subcommittee has begun consideration of the president’s $93 billion supplemental appropriations request for Iraq. Action on the request will be the first opportunity for the new Congress to exercise its "power-of-the-purse." Chairman Murtha discusses his strategy in an online briefing with former Congressman Tom Andrews (D-ME), the National Director of the Win Without War coalition, sponsor of MoveCongress.org.

Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This )

The POLITICO
House Democrats' New Strategy: Force Slow End to War

Murtha's Plan

Restrict the deployment of troops to Iraq unless they meet certain levels adequate manpower, equipment and training to succeed in combat.

Limit the time and number of deployments by soldiers, Marines and National Guard units to Iraq, making it tougher for Pentagon officials to find the troops to replace units that are scheduled to rotate out of the country.

Additional funding restrictions are also being considered by Murtha, such as prohibiting the creation of U.S. military bases inside Iraq.

Dismantling the notorious Abu Ghraib prison.

Closing the American detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"What we have staked out is a campaign to stop the war without cutting off funding" for the troops, said Tom Mazzie of Americans Against Escalation of the War in Iraq. "We call it the 'readiness strategy.'"
Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This )

EARTHtimes.org
Rep. Murtha Partners With MoveOn Against Troop Escalation in Iraq

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman John Murtha will deliver a videotaped message to tens of thousands of MoveOn members across the country this Thursday night in an effort to help block President Bush's attempt to escalate his failed policy in Iraq.

These events are held in coordination with Americans Against Escalation in Iraq (AAEI). AAEI includes ::

Service Employees International Union • MoveOn.org Political Action • VoteVets.org • Center for American Progress Action Fund • USAction • Win Without War • Campaign for America's Future • Progressive States Network • Campus Progress • TrueMajority • Working Assets • United States Student Association

Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This )

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Tags :: Politics • Iraq • Murtha • Americans Against Escalation in Iraq • Bush

The Resolution

2007-02-14T09:51:00.000-05:00

House's Resolution Against the Surge

ƒcThe Moderate Voice has a copy of the resolution before the House... Let's see if I got this straight... Bush was given a mandate in Nov 2006 to put a halt to his madness but he of course ignores it. The Congress that was elected in this mandate take a week to debate a resolution that means nothing to a madman. To him it is just like our Constitution... Just another piece of paper. A small worthless waste of time while more people die in Iraq. Brilliant... Who will be the last to die for Bush's Lies...?

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Disapproving of the decision of the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That—

(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and

(2) Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

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Tags :: Politics • Iraq • Surge • The Resolution • Bush

Restore Habeas Corpus

2007-02-13T03:46:00.000-05:00

Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007

ƒc Blue Jersey has news of Bob Menendez wishing to rectify his vote on the Military Commissions Act that he voted for last year. He will co-sponsor the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 penned by Chris Dodd. Menendez caught a lot of heat from the netroots for his vote and eventually said he would revisit his decision this year if re-elected. I am still of the opinion he should never have voted for it but that is null/void now. At least he is as good as his word and will work now to rectify the situation...

Restore-Habeas.org

On Tuesday, February 13th, I plan on re-introducing the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007. The bill will restore Habeas Corpus protections to detainees, bar information acquired through torture from being introduced as evidence in trials, and limit presidential authority to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions.

Please take a moment to watch the video about the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007, sign on as a citizen co-sponsor, and forward the bill to your personal networks. While you and I are acutely aware of the damage President Bush has done to our country's national reputation, too many of our family, friends and neighbors have no idea how far this Administration has gone.

-•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This )
Note :: Dodd says the text of the Bill should be available some time today at his website :: "Restore-Habeas.org"

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Tags :: Politics • Habeas Corpus • Military Commissions Act • Bush

Proof of Iran in Iraq

2007-02-12T09:57:00.000-05:00

War With Iran Is Inevitable...!!!

ƒàτçàτ ρòÌìτìçš exçÌušìve...

ƒcƒàτçàτ ρòÌìτìçš has obtained exclusive classified pictorial proof that Iran is supplying Weapons of Mass Destruction to Iraq. My anymouse sources tell the fatcat that these are the actual photos that the pResident was presented with in his latest briefing by his puppetmasters. As any fool with one eye and half sense can plainly see (written in plain english... for jeebus' sake) the mullahs personally made these WMD and practically hand delivered them to the terrUSts. Of course now the only question in sane people's minds is just how long are we gonna have to wait before Bushji pushes the button... I say :: Nuke Them SOB's... Today...!!!

Call Your Congress Wimps Today !!!

Ask them why we don't hear the bombs dropping yet...!!!

Tell them to Save PBS & NPR while ya got 'um on tha phone...

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Tags :: Politics • Iran • Bush Snark • WingNuts • Bush

Save PBS and NPR Again

2007-02-09T09:42:00.000-05:00

Bush Trying To Snuff Big Bird... Again...!!!

370,017 emails sent in first 36 hours...
Keep It up and Pass this on...

ƒc Big Bird is going to go the same way as SpongeBob if we do not act now. Bush is still trying to play to the base, you know, the 23%ers that hate America because of our freedom. It is imperative that we stay vigilant in our efforts to control what these low-life WingNut SOB's are trying to slip in under the radar...

MoveOn.ORG
Civic Action

Save NPR and PBS once and for all

President Bush just proposed drastic cuts to NPR and PBS. We've stopped similar cuts in the past, but enough is enough: With the new Congress, we can make sure this never happens again. Sign this petition to Congress.

"Congress must save NPR and PBS once and for all. Congress should guarantee permanent funding and independence from partisan meddling."

TO: (Your senators and representative)
FROM: (Your name and email)
SUBJECT: Save NPR and PBS once and for all

Dear Senators and Representative,

(Your personal note)

Congress must save NPR and PBS once and for all. Congress should guarantee permanent funding and independence from partisan meddling.

-•- Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This )

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Tags :: Politics • PBS • NPR • WingNuts • Bush

Contractor Sunshine Act

2007-02-07T11:45:00.000-05:00

War Contractors Exposed To The Light...

ƒcThis is something that should have been done as soon as Rummy created his lean mean military machine. How many contractors and who they are and the necessity for them in the first place. Of course we know that the War Profiteers would look bad if all this information was made available voluntarily.

If the lawmakers listed as co-sponsors are your reps, please contact them and thank them. If this issue is as important to you as it should be, contact your reps and tell them to help get this bill passed...

The Hill
Legislation to require White House disclosure of military contracting

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), a House Intelligence Committee member, introduced legislation requiring the Bush administration to disclose to what degree it relies on private military contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“For too long, the Bush administration has relied on guns-for-hire to carry out inherently governmental functions,” Schakowsky said. “Contractors have operated under a veil of secrecy, without a public debate about the nature and scope of their operations.”

Require the departments of Defense, State, and the Interior and the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide Congress with descriptions of both contractual work performed in Iraq and Afghanistan and task orders in excess of $5 million.

Agencies also would have to report the number of contractors and subcontractors employed in Iraq and Afghanistan and the total costs of contracts there.

Agencies would have to inform Congress about the number of wounded and killed contractors as well as disciplinary actions taken by the U.S. government against contractors who break the law.

The legislation has 16 co-sponsors, among them Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the Financial Services Committee, Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and David Price (D-N.C.), chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee.

Continue Reading This Article... - • - Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This )

Other Sites Covering War Contractors and Transparent Government ::

PeaceOps.org • Dallas Morning News • Public Integrity.org • Global Integrity.org • Common Dreams • Kmareka.com • POGO :: Contractor Oversight

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Tags :: Politics • Contractor Sunshine Act • War Profiteers • Transparent Government • Bush

Presidential Records Act

2007-02-06T04:53:00.000-05:00

What Bush Changed...

ƒc Most people are aware that Bush changed the Presidential Records Act of 1978 to allow him to seal Poppy's records. The information in his and Reagan's papers could be very telling about the true nature of their administrations. It was general knowledge that the Iran-Contra papers from Ronnie Raygun's reign were to be declassified and released after the 12 years mandated by this law.

Where we did not fill in the blanks well enough was why this would be so important. A few weeks after 9-11 Bush re-wrote the Records Act to kill info about some of the NeoCon Felons of the Reagan Iran-Contra Affair who he was in the process of appointing to high level positions in his administration.

Of course he was covering his own ass for his hijacking of our country and our Constitution as well. He was being the Fixer as well as the Decider. More likely it was Dick Cheney, David Addington, Sparky Gonzales and the NeoCons (Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Pearle, Abrams, etc...) who laid down the law to him and Bush just signed on the dotted line.

The info from the article below fills in the blanks. What pisses me off is that this law was written because of Nixon and his illegal cabal of White House crooks and here it is an even bigger criminal just washes it away with the stroke of a pen. If allowed to continue his Reign of Terror, Bush will have done more harm to our country than any other President in American History and a hell of a lot more damage than Bin Laden or any terrorist could ever do. He must be removed from his throne and the sooner the better...

Dallas News.com
SMU pressed to fight Bush's secrecy
Historians ask school to reject presidential library unless Bush voids privacy order

By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON – Archivists and historians are urging Southern Methodist University to reject the Bush presidential library unless the administration reverses an executive order that gives former presidents and their heirs the right to keep White House papers secret in perpetuity.

In November 2001, a little more than a month after terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and two months before the 12-year clock would have run out for Reagan-era records, Mr. Bush changed the rules. Former chief executives, starting with President Reagan, could block release of any records for any reason and any length of time.

Within a month, watchdog group Public Citizen had gone to federal court in Washington. The American Historical Association joined the lawsuit, along with the Organization of American Historians, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the American Political Science Association.

Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University – another plaintiff in the lawsuit – noted that although the Reagan library released more than 4 million pages in the 1990s, it declassified fewer than 4,000 pages since Mr. Bush signed the order.

"The net effect of the Bush order has been to throw sand in the already rusty gears of the presidential libraries," Mr. Blanton said by e-mail. "It's not just our history at stake, it's how and whether we will ever be able to hold our presidents accountable."

± Click To Expand What Bush Changed in The Presidential Records Act...

Congress passed the Presidential Records Act in 1978 after the Watergate scandal so that former presidents couldn't keep full control of their papers, as Richard Nixon had tried to do in 1974. Its provisions:

Presidential records were formally declared government property, not private property.

The National Archives was assigned to make those records available to the public as soon as practicable.

To balance the public right to know and the legitimate need for secrecy, records involving confidential policy advice would be withheld for 12 years.

Records involving national security, trade secrets and personal privacy could remain sealed longer.

What Bush changed

President Bush signed an executive order Nov. 1, 2001, that limited the 1978 law. The order treats presidential privilege as a property right that legally can be bequeathed to heirs – a concept legal scholars deem extraordinary, since privilege attaches to the office, not the individual occupying it. The order includes:

Former presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan, would have the authority to block access to their records, in any policy area, for as long as they wished.

A current president could block release of a former president's records.

A former president could "designate a representative" who could continue to assert a presidential privilege after the former president dies, with no time limit.

"In the absence of any designated representative after the former president's death or disability, the family of the former president may designate a representative."

Continue Reading This Article... - • - Technorati Cosmos ( Blogs Who Link To This )

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Tags :: Politics • Presidential Records Act • Transparent Government • Bush

Transparent Government

2007-02-05T09:28:00.000-05:00

Tester & Gillibrand

ƒc This is one of the best ideas to come from the new crop of politicos elected in Nov. 2006. To say that Jon Tester is an atypical politician is an understatement. The haircut and the cowboy boots are just the tip of the iceberg when taking note of the unconventional ways he has initiated his representation of the people of Montana.

Listing a detailed daily calendar of events he has scheduled is a novel and much needed breath of fresh air. Gillibrand is following in the same path with details of 'official business' schedules but not listing personal meetings. Either way they are showing that governance can be transparent. If this would only rub off on some of the other politicians in D.C. ...

washingtonpost.com
Capitol's Newcomers Try a Little Openness
In the Name of Transparency, Two Hill Freshmen Make Their Daily Schedules Public

In a culture where lawmakers spend hours in closed-door meetings, and their activities out of the public eye are considered proprietary, Tester is a trailblazer bent on opening up the inner workings of his office. His radical practice comes after irate voters in November tossed out longtime incumbents implicated in lobbying scandals and as public interest groups clamor for more transparency in the way Congress does business.

Every session with lobbyists, constituents and other lawmakers is conscientiously recorded, including names, affiliations and the duration of the meeting.

Tester.gov • Gillibrand.gov

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Tags :: Politics • 110th Congress • Transparent Government

Top Ten GOP Sound Bites

2007-02-03T05:40:00.000-05:00

'Embolden The Enemy' Edition

ƒc I thought this would be handy for the WingNuts to help them keep up with the latest and greatest talking points at the top of the charts. Brought to you by the RNC, Bushji The Magnificunt, Dick 'The Shooter' Cheney and the little seen but still in power - Karl 'The Architect' Rove and assundry other NeoCon MouthPieces...

BushB o a r d
at Perrspectives

Week Ending Jan 31, 2007

TOP TEN GOP Sound Bites

RANK	TITLE	ALBUM
1	Embolden The Enemy	Iraq Remix
2	Surge	Iraq Remix
3	San Francisco Values	Electile Dysfunction
4	Mixed Messages (to the Troops)	Iraq Remix
5	(Democrats) Pamper the Terrorists	Geneva Convention Blues
6	New Way Forward	Iraq Remix
7	Culture Of Life	Life Support
8	Terrorist Surveillance Program	This Is Wire Tap
9	Cut and Run (No Surrender)	Iraq Remix
10	Criminalization of Politics	Justice DeLay'd

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Tags :: Politics • Surge • Iraq • GOP Sound Bites • RNC Tslking Points • Bush

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

2007-02-02T16:46:00.000-05:00

Bad News... It's A Train...

ƒc Worse News :: Bush don't care... Sad...

TPMMUCKRACKER.COM NIE: The Surge Can't Work
Wow, this is grim. According to the just-released Key Judgments (pdf file at dni.gov) of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, political reconciliation is likely a bridge too far over the next year and a half.

...even if violence is diminished, given the current winner-take-all attitude and sectarian animosities infecting the political scene, Iraqi leaders will be hard pressed to achieve sustained political reconciliation in the time frame of this Estimate.

About Iran. This must have been one of the most controversial elements of the estimate: Iraq's neighbors are "not likely to be a major driver of violence or the prospects for stability because of the self-sustaining character of Iraq's internal sectarian dynamics." There's the expected qualifications that Iran and Syria are up to no good, but this is the major point. In other words, no matter how much Bush wants to lay the blame for the disintegration of Iraq on the meddlesome interference of Iran and Syria, the U.S.-sponsored political process itself -- indeed, the new, U.S.-midwifed Iraqi political order -- itself sows the seeds for the country's destruction. Apparently Bush could attack Iran to his heart's content, and Iraq would still remain inflamed.

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± Click To Expand More Articles About :: The New National Iintelligence Estimate...

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Tags :: Politics • Surge • Iraq • NIE • Bush

Conyers :: Signing Statements

2007-02-02T09:05:00.000-05:00

Accountability... Finally...

ƒc John Conyers is on the case of the Imperial Presidency and our Unitary Executive. Good Deal!!! About Time...

CONYERSBLOG
Signing Statement Hearing

Our hearing today is on presidential signing statements. So far, the Bush White House has issued nearly 150 signing statements challenging over 1,100 provisions of law.

More than all previous presidents combined.

What does this mean? We don’t know. When the White House issues a signing statement indicating they do not feel bound by an Act of Congress, we don’t know if they have actually acted to violate that law.

The signing statement surely indicates intent to ignore laws and contempt for Congress and the constitution, but the administration has never had to explain the extent to which it has acted upon these signing statements.

Our hearing this morning will ask these questions and convey forcefully the message from Congress that we no longer give license to the Bush White House to ignore the constitution and govern in secret.

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Is Bush Violating the Law?

When the Boston Globe's Charlie Savage first wrote about Bush's use of these stealthy statements more than a year ago, neither the Washington press corps nor the Republican-controlled Congress expressed any enthusiasm about getting to the bottom of this important Constitutional riddle.

"Conyers said the president has no power 'to ignore duly enacted laws he has negotiated with Congress and signed.'

House panel will probe president's use of bill-signing statements

Democrats and some Republican lawmakers have accused Bush of conducting an imperial presidency by using bill signing statements to declare that he'll interpret legislative provisions his way and will feel free to ignore some terms.

"That conduct threatens to deprive the American people of one of the basic rights of democracy - the right to elect representatives who determine what the law is, subject only to the president's veto," Conyers said as he opened a hearing on signing statements. "That does not mean having a president sign those laws, but then say that he is free to carry them out or not, as only he sees fit."

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Tags :: Politics • Imperial President • Unitary Executive • Signing Statements • Bush

Congress' War Powers

2007-01-31T09:20:00.000-05:00

Republican Hypocrites

ƒc Glenn Greenwald provides evidence that the Repubs had plenty of authority to stop Clinton in Somalia and force the withdrawal of troops. They ammended the AUMF (Authorization to Use Military Force) to set a timetable to force that withdrawal. Must have slipped McCain's mind along with several other powerful Repubs that did not mince words about their power to stop Clinton. How easily they forget when it is their War Criminal Hero in the White House...

Unclaimed Territory
Republicans and Congress' war powers -- then and now

Back in September, when Chris Wallace falsely accused Bill Clinton of emboldening the Terrorists by prematurely cutting-and-running from Somalia (a favorite right-wing meme), it was documented here (as Clinton himself pointed out to Wallace) that it was actually Republican Senators who forced Clinton to withdraw troops by imposing troop withdrawal deadlines on him and threatening further restrictions on his ability to keep troops there. But if one goes back and reviews that debate, it is quite striking that Republicans back then certainly did not seem to believe that Congress lacked the ability to restrict the President's power to deploy troops. They argued exactly the opposite - that they had that power -- and they used it to force Clinton out of Somalia (all excerpts are available here, by searching "Somalia):

Sen. John McCain - October 19,1993

Dates certain, Mr. President, are not the criteria here. What is the criteria and what should be the criteria is our immediate, orderly withdrawal from Somalia. And if we do not do that and other Americans die, other Americans are wounded, other Americans are captured because we stay too long--longer than necessary--then I would say that the responsibilities for that lie with the Congress of the United States who did not exercise their authority under the Constitution of the United States and mandate that they be brought home quickly and safely as possible. . . .

± Click To Expand More Quotes From The Republicans in 1993...

Sen Strom Thurmond (R-SC) - October 5, 1993

It is past time for the Congress to come to grips with this sorry spectacle and force the administration to find a way out of the quagmire

Sen. Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID), October 5

It is time for the Senate of the United States to get on with the debate, to get on with the vote, and to get the American troops home.

Sen. Jesse Helms - October 6, 1993 (R-NC)

Mr. President, the United States has no constitutional authority, as I see it, to sacrifice U.S. soldiers ...

The sole constitutional authority to declare war rests, according to our Founding Fathers, right here in the Congress of the United States, and not on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY) - October 6

What I cannot continue to support is the continuing endangerment of Americans in the service of a policy that remains absolutely mysterious and totally muddled.

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Tags :: Politics • Islamic Republic Of Iraq • Somalia • Troop Withdrawal • Congressional War Powers • Bush

Iran Rising

2007-01-30T07:03:00.000-05:00

Thank You... Mr. Bush...

ƒc The very thing the NeoCons went to war for has backfired in their face. They invaded Iraq to have strategic control of the Middle East and an easy time of invading Iran.

Their objective :: Reduce Iran's influence over the extremists throughout the M.E. The outcome of their folly :: Iran has been given immensely more power than they had before. All it has cost them is the supply of guns, ammo and IED's to the radicals, something they were already doing. They just upped the ante a little more since Bush created the perfect environs for the breeding grounds for terrorism in Bush's Islamic Republic of Iraq.

washingtonpost.com
With Iran Ascendant, U.S. Is Seen at Fault
Arab Allies in Region Feeling Pressure

"The United States is the first to be blamed for the rise of Iranian influence in the Middle East," said Khaled al-Dakhil, a Saudi writer and academic. "There is one thing important about the ascendance of Iran here. It does not reflect a real change in Iranian capabilities, economic or political. It's more a reflection of the failures on the part of the U.S. and its Arab allies in the region."

"Iran's supporters are widespread -- they're in Iraq, they're in Afghanistan, they're everywhere. And you know, the American soldiers in the Middle East are hostages of Iran, in the situation where a war is imposed on it. They're literally in the hands of the Iranians," said Najaf Ali Mirzai, a former Iranian diplomat in Beirut who heads the Civilization Center for Iranian-Arab Studies. "The Iranians can target them wherever, and Patriot missiles aren't going to defend them and neither is anything else."

"Iran would suffer," he added, "but America would suffer more."

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Tags :: Politics • Islamic Republic Of Iraq • Iran • Middle East • Bush

Bank Of Iran :: Bagdad Division

2007-01-29T04:21:00.000-05:00

Dollars for Euros...?

ƒc I'm sure this is exactly what Bush and the NeoCons had in mind when they cooked up the scheme to attack Iraq. Actually in their world, Iraq was supposed to be a U.S. friendly staging point to control the Middle East. As it turns out by creating The Islamic Republic Of Iraq, Bush endowed them with their own sovereigninity, which is a slap in the face to everything he had hoped for.

Sovreigninity is hard work but they look like they are quite capable of playing out the cards that Bush has dealt them. Too bad he was such a blind fool in not taking seriously the warnings that this might happen, along with the other miriad of things that have since transpired. Such a stupid man...

INTERNATIONAL
Herald Tribune

Iranian reveals plan to expand role in Iraq

BAGHDAD: Iran's ambassador to Baghdad outlined an ambitious plan on Sunday to greatly expand its economic and military ties with Iraq - including an Iranian national bank branch in the heart of the capital

The ambassador, Hassan Kazemi Qumi, said Iran was prepared to offer Iraqi forces training, equipment and advisers for what he called "the security fight." In the economic area, Qumi said, Iran was ready to assume major responsibility for the reconstruction of Iraq, an area of notable failure on the part of the United States since American-led forces overthrew Saddam Hussein in the invasion nearly four years ago.

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Tags :: Politics • Islamic Republic Of Iraq • Iran • Middle East • Bush

Faux News

2007-01-28T07:43:00.000-05:00

To Air 'Path To 9-11' Deleted Scenes

ƒc Faux News must be getting desperate to stir the faithful wingnuts. With all the Republicans turning (flopping) on Bushji and even some of the NeoCons spewing bile as to what Bush didn't do enough of when he had the chance, times must be getting hard... Real Hard... roflmao...

Media Matters
FOR AMERICA

Fox News to air deleted, false scenes from ABC's The Path to 9/11

According to a January 26 Los Angeles Times article, Fox News will rebroadcast "footage from ABC's controversial miniseries 'The Path to 9/11' that was edited out of the docudrama amid criticism that it inaccurately portrayed the Clinton administration's response to the terrorism threat."

As Media Matters for America documented, The Path to 9/11, the two-part miniseries that aired on ABC on September 10-11, 2006, contained inaccurate scenes that maligned the Clinton administration's counterterrorism efforts and bolstered the Bush administration's. The Path to 9/11 drew sharp criticism from former Clinton administration officials, journalists, and conservatives who noted that significant parts of the "docudrama's" content were not supported by the 9-11 Commission's findings, despite the claims of ABC and writer Cyrus Nowrasteh that the film was largely based on the commission's report.

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Tags :: Politics • 9/11 • Path To 9/11 • Faux News • Bush

Jan 27th 2007 Pics

2007-01-27T16:42:00.000-05:00

Anti War Protest :: Washington D.C.

ƒc AP estimated around 100,000 but it looks much larger than that to me. They drastically under-stated the total on Sept. 24th 2005 also... I hope Brad and everyone had a good time promoting the urgent cause of getting our troops out of the Iraqmire...

Yahoo :: Tens of thousands demand Iraq withdrawal
Toronto Star :: Thousands in D.C. protest Iraq war
Jerusalem Post :: US war protesters hope to bring troops home
El Paso Times :: Protesters demand withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq
KABC TV - LA :: Anti-War Protesters, Sheehan To March Downtown
N.H. :: N.H. protesters head to D.C. for anti-war march
USA Today :: War opponents say rally will start sustained movement to bring troops home
Crooks and Liars :: Politics.TV Videos of the Rally

Sean Penn - Eve Ensler - Jane Fonda
Just for the WingNuts :)

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Tags :: Politics • War Protest • Iraq War • Bush

D.C. :: Jan 27th 2007

2007-01-26T11:14:00.000-05:00

Anti War Protest ...

ƒc More info on this at United For Peace or my post at NeoAlertz

New York Times
Groups Head to Capital to Step Up Antiwar Drive

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 — Tens of thousands of demonstrators are set to arrive in the capital this weekend for a major antiwar march, staging the first of several protests intended to persuade the new Democratic-controlled Congress to do more than simply speak against President Bush’s Iraq policy.

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq (Google Search), a coalition of labor unions, MoveOn.org and other groups that have traditionally rallied against wars, has raised $1.5 million since it was formed two weeks ago. The group is singling out Republicans and Democrats who have spoken out against the war, but who have so far declined to pledge support for a resolution denouncing Mr. Bush’s plan to increase the number of troops.

± Click To Expand More Quotes From This And Other Articles...

Next week, the group intends to fly Iraq veterans to the home states of Republican senators who serve on the Foreign Relations Committee and voted Wednesday against the resolution condemning the administration plan, including Senators Norm Coleman of Minnesota and John E. Sununu of New Hampshire. Television advertisements are scheduled to be shown in some of the same states in an effort to apply pressure before the Senate vote on the resolution in early February.

“The face of antiwar is not what it was in the ’70s,” said Jon Soltz, a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who is the chairman of a group called VoteVets.

If members of Congress are slowly finding their voice opposing the administration’s Iraq plan, aides to lawmakers say, it is in no small part because of the face-to-face lobbying campaign that is a central piece of the strategy employed by Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. The group plans to spend up to $9 million, said its spokesman, Brad Woodhouse, which they expect to raise through Internet solicitations and individual donations.

Kuwait News Agency
New coalition, Americans Against Escalation in Iraq

Tom Andrews, national director of Win Without War and a former U.S. congressman from Maine, said the Bush speech on Wednesday night was fueling a surge of anti-war sentiment and activism.

"From the outset, the Bush administration's Iraq policy has been rooted in denial and deception and carried out with a lethal combination of arrogance, ignorance and incompetence," Andrews said. "When you find yourself in a hole, the first principle is to stop digging. Well, our nation is in a mighty hole, but last night the President told the nation that he believes that the answer is to dig even faster." Andrews noted that eight congressional Republicans, members of Bush's own political party, released a letter to Bush on Thursday saying they opposed his plan for escalation in Iraq, and "there will be more." The coalition demands that Congress do more than pass non-binding resolutions opposing a troop surge in Iraq, but instead exercise the power of the purse and cut off funding for the Iraq war, Andrews said.

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq includes the Service Employees International Union, the MoveOn.org Political Action group, Center for American Progress Action Fund, USAction, Win Without War, Vote Vets, Campaign for America's Future and the United States Student Association.

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Tags :: Politics • War Protest • Iraq War • Bush

Surge Preview :: Haifa Street

2007-01-25T05:05:00.000-05:00

More Whack-A-Mole...

ƒc This is what our people are dying for and how the incompetence of Bush's "Plan" is getting them killed. Attacking a section of Baghdad that they know they can't hold even if they manage to clear it temporarily. Repeating failed tactics with the false hope that they will work this time... Stay the course... Same old same old...

This is a terrible position Bush has put our people in. One that is not going to change considering the Iraqi Army is composed of mainly Shi'a who are not going to attack other Shi'a.

It is a hellava mess Bush has made out of his Islamic Republic of Iraq... Pull our people back to the borders and then completely out. Let them have their eternal war, courtesy of George W. Bush. We don't have to allow a failed policy to continue. It is up to Congress to stop Bush... Now...

chron.com
An ominous preview on Baghdad's Haifa Street

On Wednesday, as American and Iraqi troops poured in, the street showed why it is such a sensitive gauge of an urban conflict marked by front lines that melt into confusion, enemies with no clear identity and allies who vanish or don't show up.

± Click To Expand More Quotes From This Article...

In a miniature version of the troop increase that the United States hopes will secure the city, American soldiers and armored vehicles raced onto Haifa Street before dawn to dislodge Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias who have been battling for a stretch of ragged slums and mostly abandoned high rises. But as the sun rose, many of the Iraqi army units who were supposed to do the actual searches of the buildings did not arrive on time, forcing the Americans to start the job on their own.

When the Iraqi units did show up, it was with the air of a class outing, cheering and laughing as the Americans blew locks off doors with shotguns. As the morning wore on and the troops came under fire from all directions, another apparent flaw in this strategy became clear as empty apartments became lairs for gunmen who flitted from window to window and killed at least one U.S. soldier, with a shot to the head.

Whether the gunfire was coming from Sunni or Shiite insurgents or militia fighters or some of the Iraqi soldiers who had disappeared into the cityscape, no one could say.

Many of the Iraqi units that showed up late never seemed to take the task seriously, searching haphazardly, breaking dishes and rifling through personal CD collections in the apartments. Eventually the Americans realized that the Iraqis were searching no more than half of the apartments; at one point the Iraqis completely disappeared.

Then the gunfire began. It would come from high rises across the street, from behind trash piles and sandbags in alleys and from so many other directions that the soldiers began to worry that the Iraqi soldiers were firing at them.

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Tags :: Politics • Iraq • Surge • Bush

They Work For US

2007-01-24T05:14:00.000-05:00

We won’t let them forget it!...

ƒc Besides Jim Webb's SOTU response (If he does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way. :: esoterically.net has entire transcript) the information about this new effort to watch the Dems is the best news I have heard in a while. There is no more relevant activist duty that we should task ourselves to than this iniative. You may not be completely aware of the Blue Dog Dems or the conservative, corporatistic interests they serve. You should be. Very aware...

There are already several "Democrats" (in the mold of LIEberman) on their watch list at Working For US PAC. Some of the Republicans from Ohio vote more in the interest of the common people than some of these "Dems" do. They all (politico snake oil salesmen) need to be watched with an eagle eye. These people will add just another tool with which we work the repairs needed to George Bush's Amerika...

WORKING FOR US PAC
Democrats who vote against the interests of their constituents better find another day job

Over the last several years many Democrats in Congress have abandoned basic progressive values and voted against the best interests of their constituents.

And that's why we've formed Working for Us PAC -- to help whip Democrats who stray back in line.

We expect our members of Congress to always be working for us - America's families. We're here to make sure they do.
The list of our issues represent real progressive values:

a living wage for all workers

more domestic jobs

retirement security

sound corporate governance

access to affordable health care

keeping jobs here instead of shipping them overseas

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Tags :: Politics • Democrats • Blue Dogs • Bush

Sate of the Onion

2007-01-22T17:54:00.000-05:00

Peel Back Another Layer...

ƒc Just like peeling a layer of skin off an onion, each new day reveals a new look at the arrogance, lies and corruption that is George W. Bush's State of the Union. Not since Nixon have more people dissaproved of our president. With good reason...

We can expect more of the same from the little cowboy's speech tomorrow night. Even as we see extensive cosmetic changes in personnel, the bubble is still quite intact. It feeds still the corporatistic fascism and hubris that is the lifeblood of the narcissistic megalomaniac and it will not go away even after he has been removed from power...

How many more must die for Bush's lies...?

Who's son or daughter, wife or husband will be the last to die for Bush's lies...?

Take a stand... Make your voices heard... Sign the Petitions at NeoAlertz and Anti War Politics. Contact your lawmakers today...

Update :: CBS Poll: Bush Approval Rating At New Low
On Eve Of State Of Union, President's Approval Rating Falls To 28%, A New Low

ABC News / Washington Post Poll
Approve	Disapprove	Catagory
33%	65%	Job Performance
29%	71%	Headed In Wrong Direction
34%	64%	Iraq War a Mistake
28%	72%	Military Has Been Harmed By Bush
30%	70%	Bush Has No Clear Plan For Iraq
52%	48%	Withdraw Troops From Iraq
55%	45%	Block Plan For Surge
57%	27%	Follow The Democrats Lead

Rating Today	Highest Rating	Bush Personal Attributes
42%	65%	Bush Can't Be Trusted In A Crisis
45%	75%	Is A Strong Leader
44%	65%	Made The Country Safer
40%	71%	Is Honest and Trustworthy
36%	49%	Listens To Other Viewpoints
32%	61%	Understands Your Problems

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Tags :: Politics • State of the Union • Bush Poll Numbers • Bush

Hillary's In

2007-01-21T06:31:00.000-05:00

In To Win... Win It All...

ƒc BWHAahahaha.... Future Madam President...

MAKE HISTORY!

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Tags :: Politics • Hillary • Democratic Party • In To Win

Democrat's 100 Hours

2007-01-19T09:07:00.000-05:00

House Passes Them All...

ƒc They actually did what they said they would do. That is amazing. We have to be positive about it because the Senate passed the radical Ethics Reform Legislation setting up a veto proof margin in both houses of Congress... Way To Go Nancy Pelosi... Stay on their Ass, Harry Reid... - ƒc

Associated Press
House wraps up legislative marathon

WASHINGTON - Democrats, still riding high from their election sweep, were also celebrating successes with House completion of their "100 Hour" legislative blitz and Senate passage of major ethics and lobbying reform.

Rules of the House of Representatives - Passed: 280-152 ( Vote Count )

9/11Commission Recommendations Act - Passed: 299-128 ( Vote Count )

Fair Minimum Wage Act - Passed: 315-116 ( Vote Count )

Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act - Passed: 253-174 ( Vote Count )

Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act - Passed: 255-170 ( Vote Count )

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Associated Press
Senate passes Democrats' ethics bill

The bill, passed 96-2

Bar lawmakers from accepting gifts and travel and lodging paid for by lobbyists.

Extend from one to two years the time a former member must wait before he can engage in lobbying activities.

Deny pensions to lawmakers convicted of serious crimes.

Require more reporting by lobbyists on their activities.

Require public disclosure of those home-state projects.

Require senators hitching rides on private jets to pay full charter rates rather than the current practice of paying the far cheaper equivalent of a first class ticket.

Require reporting by lobbyists who obtain small donations from clients and then "bundle" them into larger contributions to politicians.

Prevent spouses of sitting members from lobbying the Senate.

The Senate, on a 55-43 vote, approved an amendment pushed by Sen. Robert Bennett (news, bio, voting record), R-Utah, to strip a provision requiring reporting of "grass-roots" lobbying.
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Tags :: Politics • 100 Hours • Democratic Party • Bush

Bush's Secrets

2007-01-18T20:53:00.000-05:00

Bush's Disgraces...

ƒc Nothing much new here but an ever increasing list of things the little cowboy has swept from public sight. TPM Muckracker has developed a page to follow the trail that Bush has hidden. Hat Tip to The Carpetbagger Report (Pentagon keeps info on Iraqi troops under wraps) for his contributions and the link to the TPM page. - ƒc

TPMMUCKRACKER.COM
Bush Admin: What You Don't Know Can't Hurt Us

Just how many different ways has the Bush Administration tried to hide once-public information sources from the public record? Help us count the ways.

In March, the administration announced it would no longer produce the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, which identifies which programs best assist low-income families, while also tracking health insurance coverage and child support.

In 2005, after a government report showed an increase in terrorism around the world, the administration announced it would stop publishing its annual report on international terrorism.

After the Bureau of Labor Statistics uncovered discouraging data about factory closings in the U.S., the administration announced it would stop publishing information about factory closings.

When an annual report called “Budget Information for States” showed the federal government shortchanging states in the midst of fiscal crises, Bush’s Office of Management and Budget announced it was discontinuing the report, which some said was the only source for comprehensive data on state funding from the federal government.

When Bush’s Department of Education found that charter schools were underperforming, the administration said it would sharply cut back on the information it collects about charter schools.

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Tags :: Politics • Secrets • Bush

Ethics Reform

2007-01-18T16:39:00.000-05:00

No Wonder The Repubs Killed It...

ƒc It makes me wonder if the Dems were really serious. What the House passed was added to or mirrored by the list below. It is impressive to think that something of this nature can be enacted. There are always loopholes but some of these proposals are so major that they effect a whole order of magnitude worth of difference... - ƒc

washingtonpost.com
Republicans Halt Ethics Legislation

The bill matched the rule changes approved earlier this month in the House, banning meals, trips and gifts from lobbyists.

Force lobbyists to publicly divulge the small campaign contributions they collect from clients and "bundle" into large contributions.

Lavish gatherings thrown by lobbyists and corporate interests at party conventions would have been banned.

And interest groups would have had to reveal the money they spend on campaigns to rally voters for or against legislation.

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Tags :: Politics • Ethics Reform • Culture Of Corruption • Republicans • Bush

White Flag Republicans
Michael Castle Howard Coble Tom Davis John 'Jimmy' Duncan Philip English	Wayne Gilchrest Bob Inglis Tim Johnson Walter Jones Ric Keller Mark Kirk	Steven LaTourette Ron Paul Thomas Petri Jim Ramstad Fred Upton James Walsh
Names are linked to their Contact Pages -•- http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Co-Chairs -•- Hon. Barbara Lee -•- Hon. Lynn Woolsey
Neil Abercrombie Tammy Baldwin Xavier Becerra Madeleine Bordallo Robert Brady Corrine Brown Sherrod Brown Michael Capuano Julia Carson Donna Christensen Yvette Clarke William “Lacy” Clay Emanuel Cleaver Steve Cohen John Conyers Elijah Cummings Danny Davis	Peter DeFazio Rosa DeLauro Keith Ellison Lane Evans Sam Farr Chaska Fattah Bob Filner Barney Frank Raul Grijalva Luis Gutierrez John Hall Phil Hare Maurice Hinchey Mazie Hirono Jesse Jackson, Jr. Sheila Jackson-Lee Hank Johnson	Stephanie Tubbs Jones Marcy Kaptur Carolyn Kilpatrick Dennis Kucinich Tom Lantos Barbara Lee John Lewis David Loebsack Carolyn Maloney Ed Markey Jim McDermott James McGovern George Miller Gwen Moore Jerrold Nadler Eleanor Holmes-Norton Ed Pastor Donald Payne	Charles Rangel Bobby Rush Bernie Sanders (Senate) Jan Schakowsky Jose Serrano Louis Slaughter Hilda Solis Pete Stark Bennie Thompson John Tierney Tom Udall Nydia Velazquez Maxine Waters Diane Watson Mel Watt Henry Waxman Peter Welch Lynn Woolsey
Names are hotlinked to house.gov websites -•- blue links indicate my favorite congress critters

March 6, 2007	Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
Hearing: “H.R. 580, Restoring Checks and Balances in the Confirmation Process of U.S. Attorneys”
March 7, 2007	Full Committee
Hearing: “Protecting the Right to Vote: Election Deception and Irregularities in Recent Federal Elections”
March 8, 2007 (am)	Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
Hearing on: “The McNulty Memorandum's Effect on the Right to Counsel in Corporate Investigations.”
March 8, 2007 (pm)	Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property
Hearing: “An Update – Piracy on University Networks”

The Senate's White Flag Republicans
John Warner (Virginia) Norm Coleman (Minnesota) Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania)	Chuck Hagel (Nebraska) Gordon Smith (Oregon) Susan Collins (Maine) Olympia Snowe (Maine)