General Discussion

Who told Judy about Valerie PLAME?
by katerina [Subscribe]
Sun Oct 16, 2005 at 02:43:08 AM PDT
After reading the two NYT articles about Judy Miller's involvement in the Plame Leak investigation, I came away with one significant question:

Who was Judith Miller's real source as to the identity of Valerie Plame as an undercover CIA operative?

Miller's putative source was Scooter Libby, but Miller claims Libby didn't provide her with Valerie Plame's name or undercover status. If Judy's telling the truth about that (and while the article in the NYT indicates that wagering on Judy's truthfulness may be a sucker bet), then who did?

Did Judy Meet Cheney?
by georgia10 [Subscribe]
Sun Oct 16, 2005 at 07:03:02 AM PDT
Of all the analyzing of Judith Miller's account of her interactions with the Bush administration, one aspect of her piece has received little attention: her explanation of Libby's letter.

As she admits, Fitzgerald asked whether the letter was meant to shape her testimony. Miller said no, instead offering up this explanation:

When I was last before the grand jury, Mr. Fitzgerald posed a series of questions about a letter I received in jail last month from Mr. Libby. The letter, two pages long, encouraged me to testify. "Your reporting, and you, are missed," it begins.

Aspens Turning, Leads to Cheney?
by teresahill [Subscribe]
Sat Oct 15, 2005 at 10:49:00 PM PDT
Finally, Judith Miller gives us her take on the creepy "Aspens turning" line in Scooter Libby's letter to her, telling her it was okay to testify.
This from her account in Sunday's NYT :

"Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning," Mr. Libby wrote. "They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them."

How did I interpret that? Mr. Fitzgerald asked.

In answer, I told the grand jury about my last encounter with Mr. Libby. It came in August 2003, shortly after I attended a conference on national security issues held in Aspen, Colo. After the conference, I traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyo. At a rodeo one afternoon, a man in jeans, a cowboy hat and sunglasses approached me. He asked me how the Aspen conference had gone. I had no idea who he was.

Let's Get Ready with some AMMO
by NYBri [Subscribe]
Sat Oct 15, 2005 at 12:10:55 PM PDT
Next week, or shortly thereafter, Patrick Fitzgerald will very likely pass out some indictments. Among the charges included in those party invitations may be perjury, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, espionage...just to name a few.

Basically, all these charges have one very important thing in common: they are violations of federal law. Let me repeat: VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW.

Remember how important that single fact was for the wingnuts during the Clinton impeachment trial? As I recall, they had plenty to say about lying and perjury and how it wasn't about sex but about respect for the law. MAJOR talking point that they all repeated ad nausium.

Al Kamen of the Washington Post, in his In The Loop column, writes about an email he received from the arch-conservative Heritage Foundation warning of, get this, the perils of "top down" nation building:

POWER GRAB: Pentagon Says Militarization of US Disaster Relief " Inevitable "
by kingubu
Thu Oct 13, 2005 at 01:48:33 AM PDT

Recall earlier this month during Bush's snoozer of a press conference that he slipped in a little bombshell about the possiblity of using the US military to enforce quarantines in case of an outbreak of Avian Flu:

The policy decisions for a president in dealing with an avian flu outbreak are difficult.

One example: If we had an outbreak somewhere in the United States, do we not then quarantine that part of the country? And how do you, then, enforce a quarantine?

What Two Thousand Looks Like

Watch this video.

"The truth is, the administration's mishandling of the war in Iraq has made us less safe, and Iraq risks becoming what it was not before the war: a training ground for terrorists...
We cannot continue to stay the course, we must change the course. The American people and our brave men and women in Iraq deserve better.

If you already have an account, you can login here.

* Special prosecutor Fitzgerald's investigation of the Plame outing\n* DeLay's indictment for money laundering\n* Arrest of the Bush administration's senior OMB procurement official, David Safavian for obstructing the Abramoff investigation.\n* Insider trading charges against Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist\n* \n

September; DEAD FOR BUSH'S LIES;
At least 873 Iraqis killed in violence this month. That excludes "suspected insurgents".

11 American Contractor Deaths

1 State Department Employee

At least 174 soldiers seriously wounded

Coalition Deaths:
49 US
3 Brits

This is where they were from:

State
Pennsylvania 8 15.4%
California 6 11.5%
Texas 4 7.7%
Florida 4 7.7%
New York 4 7.7%
Georgia 3 5.8%
England 3 5.8%
Alaska 2 3.8%
Arizona 2 3.8%
Kentucky 2 3.8%
Washington 2 3.8%
Wisconsin 2 3.8%
Ohio 2 3.8%
Massachusetts 1 1.9%
Montana 1 1.9%
New Jersey 1 1.9%

Analysis: Can Patrick Fitzgerald Indict Bush and Cheney?
by DC Pol Sci [Subscribe]
Sun Oct 2nd, 2005 at 11:14:45 PDT
If Patrick Fitzgerald is indeed either contemplating the indictment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney or contemplating naming them as unindicted co-conspirators in the plot to out Valerie Wilson as a CIA agent, we are entering uncharted legal waters. The one example history presents us, that of Watergate, differs in a very important respect: Leon Jaworski, the Watergate special prosecutor, had a House Judiciary Committee that was willing to take action and provide a remedy in the form of impeachment. Since the current House Judiciary Committee is obviously not so inclined, Fitzgerald is essentially faced with three options: 1) Indict Bush and Cheney and provoke a constitutional crisis on the question of whether a sitting President is indictable; 2) Name Bush and Cheney as unindicted co-conspirators and watch them get off scot free, to be tried only in the court of public opinion; or 3) Do nothing and let them get off without even public criticism.

(Editor's note: This letter was submitted by DaveW to afterdowningstreet.org.)

President Bush's initial reasons for invading Iraq have proven to be false. His administration promised that weapons of mass destruction would be found. None were found. Administration claims that the Iraq regime aided the September 11 terrorism have also remained unsubstantiated.

1. Do you believe the Bush administration misled the American people on its motives for invading Iraq?

2. If so, do you believe Congress should initiate impeachment proceedings against George W Bush?

Sept. 16
Going After the Little Guys

The U.S. Defense Department is taking another run at law schools that have refused to let military recruiters visit their campuses because of the Pentagon’s stance on gay servicemen and women. But so far, the only institutions the department has singled out for possible loss of federal funds are three independent law schools. One other law school that has barred military recruiters — Yale’s — is shielded from Pentagon retribution by a court’s injunction, while Harvard’s law school, which last fall declared its intention to bar military recruiters, seems to have been left alone so far.

Shuster's Shtick
Scandals, Corruption, & Lies. Oh My!
By Scott Shuster
September 16, 2005

It must’ve been a long hot summer for George W. Bush, plagued with so many detrimental events that made his approval ratings plummet. Now that the summer is over, I thought it would be a good time to review and ‘summer-ize’ what happened in the name of neo-conservative governance.

What I found particularly ironic was that each time a scandal broke out and made George & Co. look bad; they got bailed out… by another scandal! No really – when was the last time you heard about the Downing Street Memos? Not since the Valerie Plame/Karl Rove scandal dominated the headlines. And when was the last time you heard about Val & Karl?

LINK TO ORIGINAL

by Bob Fertik

On Wednesday, Republicans had their chance to save George Bush from impeachment.

And, as Steve Cobble describes, they threw it away.

Since the Downing Street Minutes were published on May, progressives have demanded to know whether the central allegation of those Minutes was true: that the pre-war intelligence and facts were being fixed around Bush's policy of invading Iraq, whether or not Iraq had any WMD's or any connection to 9/11.

Some great quotes from Richard Cohen in his 9/15/05 editorial in the Wash Post:

• ..the George Bush we have come to know sorely lacks a rearview mirror.
• Actually, I find myself feeling a bit sorry for Bush. The man must be perplexed about why he is being held accountable for a natural disaster and not for one wholly of his making. The war in Iraq, after all, is entirely his doing -- everything from its inception to its execution, which have both been inexcusable examples of incompetence.
• Why should we believe that Bush will take names and boot buttocks about Katrina when he has not done so over Iraq?
• Anyone in Congress who thinks this administration is capable of really investigating itself has learned nothing from the past four years.
• Bush will not acknowledge mistakes because, probably, he doesn't think he makes them.

(More below)

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Casualties in Iraq
The Human Cost of Occupation
Edited by Michael Ewens :: Contact American Military Casualties in Iraq

Date Total In Combat

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 1896 1509
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03) (the list) 1759 1401
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 1429 1205
Since Handover (6/29/04): 1030 876
Since Election (1/31/05): 464 403
American Wounded Official Estimated
Total Wounded: 14362 15000 - 42500
Latest Fatality September 11th, 2005
Page last updated 09/11/05 12:25 pm EDT
US Military Deaths by Month

LINK TO ORIGINAL

LINK TO ORIGINAL

I thought it would be nice to mark today, September 11, 2005, with a short test.

Here's the first question: what is this?

What did you guess? Did you say "That's the last moments of the lives of thousands of people"? Or "That's a hideous act of mass murder"? Or "That's the beginning of a lifetime of suffering for everyone who loved someone who died at the World Trade Center"?

Wrong! The right answer is: that is an ENORMOUS OPPORTUNITY:

"Reconstruction" of NOLA = "Reconstruction" of Iraq?
By Murshed Zaheed
Posted on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 12:21:08 PM EST

So the "Shaw Group" lands two $100 million contracts for NOLA reconstruction. Apparently this company is client of Allbaugh (according to TPM). The contract is same as controversial Halliburton contract in Iraq (Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity) whereby company just bills govt as it goes with profit determined as percentage of costs (gives company incentive to increases costs):

BATON ROUGE, La., Sep 08, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Shaw Group Inc. (SGR) today that is has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to aid in the recovery and rebuilding efforts. Shaw will provide supervision, equipment, materials, labor, logistics, and all means necessary to provide the Corps of Engineers an immediate response for construction contract capability. The contract will provide construction and related services including program planning, scheduling, design, engineering, transportation, construction management, and quality control. Under this contract, Shaw has received its first task of pumping floodwater from the city of New Orleans out and over the levees. Shaw is using temporary pumps and is repairing and restarting the existing pump stations. The $100 million contract has a base period of one-year, with an additional one-year option. Shaw announced earlier today a $100 million ID/IQ contract award by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide support services in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, including housing assistance for displaced residents.

National Guard, the Gulf Coast and the War in Iraq

by Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson, Military Families Speak Out
by Nancy Lessin, Military Families Speak Out

"Stay at home and serve your country" was the slogan used to attract men and women into service to their communities and their country in the National Guard. The promise to the men and women of the Guard was also a promise to citizens of the various states that they would have a force available to them in time of emergency.

One weekend a month, two weeks each year, those who signed up to serve in the state militia known as the National Guard trained to protect Country and Constitution and to provide aid in times of local emergencies such as forest fires, floods, hurricanes, blizzards, and civil unrest. National Guard soldiers have specifically been trained to assist in emergencies such as the one that Hurricane Katrina brought to the Gulf Coast on August 28-29, 2005.

September 11, 2005
A Bitter Anniversary
There's a ceremony taking place this morning at Ground Zero: a commemoration of the fallen of September 11th. For the families of the victims of the attack on the World Trade Center, the arrival of this day will always be the cause of profound anguish. I wonder, however, if it’s possible that there will come a time for the rest of us, both here in New York and across America, when this day will become less an occasion of grief and anger, and more a day of thoughtful reflection?

So long as Osama Bin Laden and his lieutenants remain free, this day must remind us of our unfinished business. Treachery cannot be allowed to go unpunished. We owe it to our dead to see that justice is done. In a very real sense, by focusing United States' efforts on occupying Iraq, rather than dismantling al Qaeda, President Bush has only exacerbated the pain and suffering of New Yorkers.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

Power to the victims of New Orleans

With the poor gone, developers are planning to gentrify the city
Naomi Klein
Friday September 9, 2005
The Guardian
(Editor's note: Will the rebuilding of New Orleans be handled like the rebuilding of Iraq? If so...then the poor, blacks, and minorities will be fighting the rich and powerful for their natural resources, just like the poor are fighting in Iraq for theirs.)

On September 4, six days after Katrina hit, I saw the first glimmer of hope. "The people of New Orleans will not go quietly into the night, scattering across this country to become homeless in countless other cities while federal relief funds are funnelled into rebuilding casinos, hotels, chemical plants. We will not stand idly by while this disaster is used as an opportunity to replace our homes with newly built mansions and condos in a gentrified New Orleans."

Democratic Underground
Posted by GaYellowDawg

It's not about blame. It's about responsibility. Let us not forget that the first of the inalienable rights listed by the Declaration of Independence is the right to life, and it is the primary responsibility of the American government to safeguard American lives. When American lives are in danger, it is the responsibility of government to act, not to cut cakes, strum guitars, buy a house, attend a baseball game, or cut a swath through Manhattan's finest shops.

While George Bush was eating cake with John McCain, rats were eating American corpses in American cities. While George Bush was strumming a dissonant chord with a country singer, a dissonant, desperate cry for help went unheeded from American voices in American cities. While Dick Cheney was closing on a posh new house, floodwaters were closing in on many more American houses, and, even worse, their owners. While Donald Rumsfeld was enjoying a game in an American baseball stadium, American citizens were dying in an American football stadium. While Condoleeza Rice was delightedly prancing through Manhattan shops in search of shoes, American citizens were desperately sloshing through New Orleans buildings in search of drinkable water. The largest natural disaster in modern American history is no time for absentee government, but that's what we got.

The Real Costs of a Culture of Greed

By Robert Scheer, AlterNet. Posted September 6, 2005.

What the world has witnessed this past week is an image of poverty and social disarray that tears away the affluent mask of the United States.

Instead of the much-celebrated American can-do machine that promises to bring freedom and prosperity to less fortunate people abroad, we have seen a callous official incompetence that puts even Third World rulers to shame. The well-reported litany of mistakes by the Bush administration in failing to prevent and respond to Katrina's destruction grew longer with each hour's grim revelation from the streets of an apocalyptic New Orleans.

Ordeal of a Whistleblower

By Evelyn Pringle, AlterNet. Posted September 7, 2005.

With the recent demotion of the woman who dared speak out, the list of lies about Halliburton's no-bid Iraq reconstruction contracts grows even longer.

In October 2004, Bunnatine Greenhouse, a top military official responsible for making sure the Army Corps of Engineers complies with contracting rules, came forward and revealed that top Pentagon officials showed improper favoritism to Halliburton when awarding military contracts.

The allegations made by this official were first reported by Time magazine.

from waynemadsenreport.com

Bush on the Gulf Coast in his role as Slim Witless, the yodeling moron. At least Saddam Hussein didn't play the guitar while he killed his own people.
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