My Way News:
"WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge ordered the Bush administration on Thursday to release documents about its warrantless surveillance program or spell out what it is withholding, a setback to efforts to keep the program under wraps."
It ain't over 'til it's over, sayeth the Yogi.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
CBS News | Senate, White House 'Fix' Spy Program | February 16, 2006 18:04:52
CBS News | Senate, White House 'Fix' Spy Program | February 16, 2006 18:04:52
Oh, really? I didn't know it was "broken." As in the law. As in the way it was at the time this Administration broke it. Oh, well. There's always November.
Oh, really? I didn't know it was "broken." As in the law. As in the way it was at the time this Administration broke it. Oh, well. There's always November.
More On Cheney And Declassification
firedoglake: 02/12/2006 - 02/18/2006
So, it would appear I was right that Darth can't just willy-nilly "declassify" whatever he wants for whatever reason he may have. This could get very hot indeed. Go, Fitz, go!
So, it would appear I was right that Darth can't just willy-nilly "declassify" whatever he wants for whatever reason he may have. This could get very hot indeed. Go, Fitz, go!
Cheney's Plamegate Defense?
Daily Kos: State of the Nation
The link above is an excellent analysis of the Plame-gate affair from the point of view of Libby's defense and possibly Cheney's defense as well. Shrub and Darth changed the law effective as of March 2003 so that they could get away with outing a CIA covert without necessarily breaking the law. It smells and it's not right and it was done to help make the case for a disastrous and unnecessary war. As far as I'm concerned, that's the real crime and this hanky-panky around the CIA "leak" case is just the tip of the iceberg.
C'mon, Fitz! Do the needful and nail these slimeballs!
The link above is an excellent analysis of the Plame-gate affair from the point of view of Libby's defense and possibly Cheney's defense as well. Shrub and Darth changed the law effective as of March 2003 so that they could get away with outing a CIA covert without necessarily breaking the law. It smells and it's not right and it was done to help make the case for a disastrous and unnecessary war. As far as I'm concerned, that's the real crime and this hanky-panky around the CIA "leak" case is just the tip of the iceberg.
C'mon, Fitz! Do the needful and nail these slimeballs!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Cheney says he has OK to declassify info -- Page 1 -- TimesUnion.com
Cheney says he has OK to declassify info -- Page 1 -- TimesUnion.com:
"An authorization defense in the CIA leak case would mean that 'much of what Libby was trying to do was aid and protect his boss Cheney,' Ray suggested. The downside to employing such a approach is that it 'almost comes with a defense that I did it.'"
Cheney says an executive order gave him permission to declassify whatever he wanted to. So, it was okay for Cheney to reveal Plame's identity because he and Shrub said it was okay? Shouldn't somebody else, say maybe a trained intelligence officer or the Senate Intelligence Committee for instance, have a say in what is and is not classified? Cheney can't be trusted with a gun, let alone national security. This bites!
"An authorization defense in the CIA leak case would mean that 'much of what Libby was trying to do was aid and protect his boss Cheney,' Ray suggested. The downside to employing such a approach is that it 'almost comes with a defense that I did it.'"
Cheney says an executive order gave him permission to declassify whatever he wanted to. So, it was okay for Cheney to reveal Plame's identity because he and Shrub said it was okay? Shouldn't somebody else, say maybe a trained intelligence officer or the Senate Intelligence Committee for instance, have a say in what is and is not classified? Cheney can't be trusted with a gun, let alone national security. This bites!
Raging Grannies In Albany, NY
Women protest war -- Page 1 -- TimesUnion.com:
"COLONIE A small group of grandmothers protested at the U.S. military recruitment office in Colonie Center Tuesday afternoon after they were barred from entering the office to enlist as a statement against the Iraq War."
"COLONIE A small group of grandmothers protested at the U.S. military recruitment office in Colonie Center Tuesday afternoon after they were barred from entering the office to enlist as a statement against the Iraq War."
CBS News | GOP Grills Rice On Middle East | February 15, 2006 16:35:02
CBS News | GOP Grills Rice On Middle East | February 15, 2006 16:35:02
Now there's a headline I wan't expecting to see. Poor Condo. Time for new shoes again?
Now there's a headline I wan't expecting to see. Poor Condo. Time for new shoes again?
Ohio Board Undoes Stand on Evolution - New York Times
Ohio Board Undoes Stand on Evolution - New York Times:
"COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 14 — The Ohio Board of Education voted 11 to 4 Tuesday to toss out a mandate that 10th-grade biology classes include critical analysis of evolution and an accompanying model lesson plan, dealing the intelligent design movement its second serious defeat in two months."
It must have been hard for them, but facts are facts and beliefs are beliefs.
"COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 14 — The Ohio Board of Education voted 11 to 4 Tuesday to toss out a mandate that 10th-grade biology classes include critical analysis of evolution and an accompanying model lesson plan, dealing the intelligent design movement its second serious defeat in two months."
It must have been hard for them, but facts are facts and beliefs are beliefs.
Maybe He Was Too Distracted By This
My Way News:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney said on Wednesday he may be called as a witness in the case of his former aide Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, who faces perjury and other charges in the leak of a CIA operative's identity.
Cheney refused to comment on reports that he directed Libby to use classified material to discredit a critic of the Bush administration's Iraq war effort, saying: 'It's nothing I can talk about.'
[...]
Cheney's name has surfaced in other court documents as well. According to an appeals court decision made public this month, "the vice president informed Libby 'in an off sort of curiosity sort of fashion'" that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA one month before her identity was made public.
CBS News | Rove Pushed Cheney To Talk | February 15, 2006 21:04:46
CBS News | Rove Pushed Cheney To Talk | February 15, 2006 21:04:46
So, Dick wouldn't have said anything at all? It took a "political crisis" and Rove's big foot up his ass?
So, Dick wouldn't have said anything at all? It took a "political crisis" and Rove's big foot up his ass?
Saddam Tried To Warn Us?!
My Way News:
Remember that before Desert Storm, Saddam thought of himself as an ally to the U.S. Afterward, he may have been grateful that we didn't go all the way and unseat him then. I suppose there is a chance he tried to warn us. Maybe he wanted us to know that if/when it happened, it wasn't his fault. That would make his warnings, and the response or lack of one from leaders here, another chink in the rationale for invasion.
NEW YORK (AP) - Saddam Hussein told aides in the mid-1990s that he warned the United States it could be hit by a terrorist attack, ABC News reported Wednesday, citing 12 hours of tapes the network obtained of the former Iraqi dictator's talks with his Cabinet.I don't know what to make of this, other than to say somebody's got some 'splainin' to do. I suppose it could have gone under the same heading as the PDB with the title: Bin Laden Determined To Attack On U.S. Soil. That is, yeah, yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before....
One of Saddam's son-in-laws also explained how Iraq hid its biological weapons programs from U.N. inspectors, according to the tapes from August 1995.
The coming terrorist attack Saddam predicted could involve weapons of mass destruction.
'Terrorism is coming. I told the Americans,' Saddam is heard saying, adding he 'told the British as well.'
'In the future, what would prevent a booby trapped car causing a nuclear explosion in Washington or a germ or a chemical one?' Saddam said.
But he insisted Iraq would never launch such an attack. 'This story is coming, but not from Iraq,' he said.
Remember that before Desert Storm, Saddam thought of himself as an ally to the U.S. Afterward, he may have been grateful that we didn't go all the way and unseat him then. I suppose there is a chance he tried to warn us. Maybe he wanted us to know that if/when it happened, it wasn't his fault. That would make his warnings, and the response or lack of one from leaders here, another chink in the rationale for invasion.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Hunter Shot by Cheney Has Heart Attack - Yahoo! News
Hunter Shot by Cheney Has Heart Attack - Yahoo! News:
"CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - The 78-year-old lawyer who was shot by Vice President
Dick Cheney in a hunting accident has some birdshot lodged in his heart and he had a 'minor heart attack,' a hospital official said Tuesday."
So, being "sprayed" or "peppered" with birdshot means you end up with some in some very vital organs? Sounds like he was shot to me. What's next? "Hunter shot by Cheney kinda' dies?" Don't get me wrong; I hope the poor man survives and recovers. I just find it somewhat disingenuous of the press to use language that attempts to soften or play down the more violent or recriminating aspects of the story.
"CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - The 78-year-old lawyer who was shot by Vice President
Dick Cheney in a hunting accident has some birdshot lodged in his heart and he had a 'minor heart attack,' a hospital official said Tuesday."
So, being "sprayed" or "peppered" with birdshot means you end up with some in some very vital organs? Sounds like he was shot to me. What's next? "Hunter shot by Cheney kinda' dies?" Don't get me wrong; I hope the poor man survives and recovers. I just find it somewhat disingenuous of the press to use language that attempts to soften or play down the more violent or recriminating aspects of the story.
Harvard Study: Some Children Left Behind
My Way News:
BOSTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind education policy has in some cases benefited white middle-class children over blacks and other minorities in poorer regions, a Harvard University study showed on Tuesday.
Political compromises forged between some states and the federal government have allowed schools in some predominantly white districts to dodge penalties faced by regions with larger ethnic minority populations, the study said.
Abramoff and Rove
My Way News:
Three former business associates of Abramoff, who worked with the lobbyist in various roles between 2001 and 2004, told The Associated Press that Abramoff routinely mentioned Rove when talking about his influence inside the White House.Say it ain't so, Karl! Say it ain't so! (I just love it when you lie like a rug!)
One said he was present when Abramoff took a call from Rove's office to confirm a White House meeting had been approved between Malaysia's prime minister and Bush in May 2002. Abramoff was being paid by Malaysia for helping it in Washington, according to evidence the Senate has made public.
All three associates would describe the Abramoff comments only on condition of anonymity, citing the ongoing investigation of Abramoff's work and fears that speaking out could affect their current businesses. At least one said he had been interviewed by the FBI.
CBS News | U.N. Report: U.S. Tortures Detainees | February 13, 2006 23:04:53
CBS News | U.N. Report: U.S. Tortures Detainees | February 13, 2006 23:04:53:
'In their view, the legal regime applied to these detainees seriously undermines the rule of law and a number of fundamental universally recognized human rights, which are the essence of democratic societies,' the report said.What?! I could have sworn I heard Shrub and Condo say that the U.S. doesn't do torture! Evidently, people who work for the U.S. do torture.
The report's findings were based on interviews with former detainees, public documents, media reports, lawyers, and a questionnaire filled out by U.S. officials.
Many of the allegations have been made before, but the document is the first such accounting from the U.N. rapporteurs, who are charged by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights to investigate rights concerns around the world.
CBS News | Katrina: Gov't Failure, Private Fraud | February 14, 2006 02:35:13
CBS News | Katrina: Gov't Failure, Private Fraud | February 14, 2006 02:35:13:
"(CBS/AP) As a congressional report blamed government-wide ineptitude for mishandling the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, a government accounting report called out misspending on hurricane efforts and the Justice Department announced widespread hurricane-related fraud.
"
They couldn't white-wash this debacle. Chertoff will probably take the fall at this point, because, Lord knows, the Shrub can do no wrong!
"(CBS/AP) As a congressional report blamed government-wide ineptitude for mishandling the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, a government accounting report called out misspending on hurricane efforts and the Justice Department announced widespread hurricane-related fraud.
"
They couldn't white-wash this debacle. Chertoff will probably take the fall at this point, because, Lord knows, the Shrub can do no wrong!
U.S. Has Royalty Plan to Give Windfall to Oil Companies - New York Times
U.S. Has Royalty Plan to Give Windfall to Oil Companies - New York Times:
"New projections, buried in the Interior Department's just-published budget plan, anticipate that the government will let companies pump about $65 billion worth of oil and natural gas from federal territory over the next five years without paying any royalties to the government."
But forget about the poor and needy, the uneducated, or the elderly. It's the oil companies that need aid, obviously!
"New projections, buried in the Interior Department's just-published budget plan, anticipate that the government will let companies pump about $65 billion worth of oil and natural gas from federal territory over the next five years without paying any royalties to the government."
But forget about the poor and needy, the uneducated, or the elderly. It's the oil companies that need aid, obviously!
CBS News | Cheney Cited For Breaking Hunting Law | February 14, 2006 10:34:30
CBS News | Cheney Cited For Breaking Hunting Law | February 14, 2006 10:34:30:
Quote
'Good news, ladies and gentlemen, we have finally located weapons of mass destruction: It's Dick Cheney.'
David Letterman
Monday, February 13, 2006
Well, Well!
My Way News:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald should investigate Vice President Dick Cheney and others in the CIA leak probe if they authorized an aide to give secret information to reporters, Democratic and Republican senators said Sunday.It's getting hotter and hotter in the White House these days. No, no, don't touch that thermostat, we like it this way.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., called the leak of intelligence information 'inappropriate' if it is true that unnamed 'superiors' instructed Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, to divulge the material on Iraq.
Sen. George Allen, R-Va., said a full investigation is necessary.
'I don't think anybody should be releasing classified information, period, whether in the Congress, executive branch or some underling in some bureaucracy,' said Allen, who appeared with Reed on 'Fox News Sunday.'
CBS News | Reporting Lag In Cheney Shooting | February 13, 2006 12:58:30
CBS News | Reporting Lag In Cheney Shooting | February 13, 2006 12:58:30:
So, what do you think? Old habits die hard? This is the most secretive White House ever. They can't even get the mundane information out in a timely manner. Still, the article mentions that there was a third hunter who was not identified (?), and that bit about the SS not letting the local police interview Cheney, is bothersome, isn't it?
(CBS/AP) Questions are being raised about why it took the Bush administration a full day to disclose the news that Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a companion on a weekend hunting trip.
The incident occurred Saturday but was not reported publicly by the vice president's office for nearly 24 hours.
[...]
CBS News White House correspondent Peter Maer reports Texas authorities are complaining that the Secret Service barred them from speaking to Cheney after the incident. Kenedy County Texas Sheriffs Lt. Juan Guzman said deputies first learned of the shooting when an ambulance was called.
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