David Corn, thank you for the pleasant interlude. As for (another) reply, maybe you should just go enjoy the unexpected art for me?

Corn is dancing around some obvious truths here that make him look bad.
Posted by: brian at September 16, 2006 11:33 AM

Oh, is it the "truth" that makes him look bad or more likely that "you" intend to?

1. He personally and obviously drew attention to Plame's alleged covert status. He cannot on the one hand draw attention to it and at the same time take great offense at what Novak and the original leakers did in disclosing less specific information that was not the source of significantly publicity.

You want it both ways, you say "Plame's alleged covert status." Which is it? Plame was covert and Corn outed her, or Plame wasn't covert?

If you are claiming the Chicago Tribune is not a "source of significantly (sic) publicity" then YOU are the one with the poor argument. Novak described Plame as a "CIA" "operative" in the Chicago Tribune. Corn questioned whether Novak revealed information about Plame that should not have been revealed publicly (I think he is right about that and so does the Justice Department.) Corn questioned the motive of the leakers for doing so (which we may never learn the truth about because Libby is lying to the Justice Department.) Why bushbots defend Rove, Libby, and Novak's conduct but not Corn's is an interesting question.

2. Even his account of his conversation with Wilson (notice how he says nothing about whether he talked to Plame) represents how Wilson implicitly told him that Plame was working under NOC, when he told Corn about her friends supposedly thinking she worked for an energy company. Anyone in Corn's position listening to Wilson would have concluded she was NOC.

Fred Astaire you aren't. Have you forgotten the fact Corn's conversation with Wilson came after Novak published Plame's name, CIA affiliation and the description of her as an "operative" in the Chicago Tribune? Novak's "reporting" [on the disclosure of classified information from Armitage, which was confirmed by Rove (who was formerly fired for leaking to Novak by Bush 41) after being asked twice by Bill Harlow, CIA to not report on Plame] was the original public disclosure of Plame's status as a CIA operative.

Why were senior White House Officials - all from the White House Iraq Group - and PNAC-affiliated undersecretaries of State sharing classified information with reporters in the first place?

The reporters include Judy Miller NYT, Matt Cooper TIME, Robert Novak Chicago Tribune, Bob Woodward Washington Post. Why were senior officials communicating CLASSIFIED information to reporters? It is because Joe Wilson alleged, in a NYT op-ed, that that rationale for war in Iraq, a Saddam controlled nuclear bomb - including 16 words in the State of the Union address about Saddam seeking yellow cake in Niger - was untrue? Oh Yeah! He was a threat to the President's re-election campaign and he was dealt with as an enemy. What does that mean. The disclosure of Plame's identity was a deliberate shot across the bow of Joe Wilson. The warning shot was observed by other CIA operatives whose intell on Iraq also didn't jibe with the President's claims.

3. Corn's conversation with Wilson further points the blame to Wilson because, if talking about Plame was traitorous and highly damaging to national security as Wilson and Corn have made it out to be, Wilson would and should have done everything possible to persuade Corn not to run the story. [Same applies to the CIA when Novak contacted them.] Instead, Corn became Wilson's cheerleader.

Again, Novakula published it in a national newspaper. Corn was not alone in covering the story from that point forward.

4. Corn's word games about him just raising questions about Plame's purported covert status in a "thought exercise and not an act of disclosure" is intellectually insulting spin. He knew that he effectively was stating that Plame was "covert" and/or "NOC" with his story. He has no alternative now other than to try to play word games to try to defend himself. Comment 53 nails him on the issue.

I know. It sounds like Bennett explaining his "thought exercise" when he stated that if we aborted all the black babies, crime would drop. Back to the point. You conclude Corn should bear responsibility for the loss of this CIA asset when his involvement came after Libby, Rove, Hadley and Armitage leaked Plame's CIA affiliation (which was classified information) to Miller, Rove, and Cooper. And after Novak printed it in the Chicago Tribune include a description of her as an "operative." Hmmm. Seems like Corn"s analysis may have posed the right questions to clarify her status but he certainly wasn"t the one who put her status as a CIA "operative" in play. Our executive branch put it in motion and Rove's right-wing journalist Novakula delivered it to the public.

5. Corn's conduct in his original story reflects that he cared nothing about national security or Plame's supposed covert story (or knew her disclosure was no big deal), and that he just wanted to make a claim that might damage republicans [the same applies to Wilson's conduct all along].

The words "Plame", "CIA" and "operative" in a national newspaper in a column by a right-wing political reporter pretty much does it for me, as far as disclosing CLASSIFIED information is concerned.

6. Has Corn ever said anything critical of Wilson?

Why do you ask? What if he has?

7. Finally, the truth is that Corn was wrong in his assertions of a violation of the law and in the various conspiracy theories he had advanced. He also showed no regard for protection of whatever "covert" information that was to be protected related to Plame. His partisanship has overcome his integrity.

These senior white house officials clearly broke the contract (they signed) that defined how they were to protect CLASSIFIED information. It is also against the law to disclose CLASSIFIED information, which is what Armitage, Rove, Libby, and Hadley did when they told reports that Wilson wife Plame worked at the CIA.

The investigator announced at his press conference that his view of the sequence of events and the motives behind them was being obstructed by witnesses to the crime (I Lewis Libby.) If or when the obstruction ends then you may be able to claim the law was not violated by the President's men in disclosing Plame's status as a CIA operative to reporters. Until then, you don't have facts to support the claim.

Those who strive to bring art to the people are truly a blessing!

Thank her for we who appreciate such efforts.

-T

One thing I love about public art is that it involves the community as the accidental audience.

Your wife and her colleagues are trailblazers, providing a guide to who knows what! I commend them!

washingtonpost.com
A Public Art Project With a Little Privacy, Too

By Jonathan Padget
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 13, 2005; C05

When is a Port-a-Potty more than a Port-a-Potty? When it's art, of course.

"Found Sound," a public art project using portable toilets as sound-art listening booths, opens tomorrow at various locations in Northwest Washington. The project features eight sound-art installations -- including five in Port-a-Potties near Goethe-Institut and Numark Gallery downtown, 1515 Arts in Logan Circle, Conner Contemporary Art in Dupont Circle and City Bikes in Adams Morgan. Three installations are indoors at 1515 Arts, Conner and Fusebox.

"They're a little fancier than the beat-up ones you see at a construction site," says "Found Sound" organizer Welmoed Laanstra, adding that she chose Port-a-Potties for their mobility and adaptability, and "not because they're taboo." The booths are wired into nearby buildings and will also have "Found Sound" posters and artist information on them to help them stand out.

MORE HERE

Pope really stepped in it!

Mr. David Corn,

I thought the "W" word was out?

Nice break from all of these moonbats that think calling you a liar is the same as making it true. *sigh*

If they only knew.

Thanks for all of your and your wife's work

Kirk

Bought my copy of Hubris. I particularly like photo on the back cover. Strangely comforting. Can't wait to jump into bed with it.

We should expect all those responsible for this war--politicos, Weekly Standard, American Enterprise, to publicly declare just about anything to avoid responsibility. With this, they are quite capable.

My brother-in-law likes to tell the story of Republican who gets caught stealing--his hand in your pants. His reply, "Oh, I was just giving you some money."

The Plame leak is not unlike the other Bush-Cheney strategies. Coordinated talking points and concepts. To think that they didn't coordinate this leak is preposterous. Everything they did at that time was a well-oiled propaganda machine that was obviously bent on getting Saddam.

"Coordinated talking points and concepts."

No doubt, excellent insight.

capt

"You're confusing product with process. Most people, when they criticize, whether they like it or hate it, they're talking about product. That's not art, that's the result of art. Art, to whatever degree we can get a handle on (I'm not sure that we really can) is a process. It begins in the heart and the mind with the eyes and hands."

~ Jeff Melvoin, Northern Exposure, Fish Story, 1994

*****

I have always thought the above quote was very similar to some of the discussion of quality from "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence".

capt

Re: 9/11 - LEONARD PITTS JR: Maybe Elvis is to blame

Leonard Pitts, Jr.

A former writer for Casey Kasem's radio program "American Top 40," Leonard Pitts, Jr. was a pop music critic hired by The Miami Herald in 1991. By 1994 he was writing about race and current affairs in his own column. Syndicated nationally, he was nominated for a Pulitzer prize, and his 1999 book Becoming Dad: Black Men and the Journey to Fatherhood was a bestseller. After the September 11, 2001 attack on New York and Washington, D. C., Pitt's Herald column, headlined "We'll Go Forward From This Moment" was widely circulated on the Internet and frequently quoted in the press. In the column, Pitt bluntly expressed his anger, defiance and resolve to an unnamed evil terrorist: "You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard."

****

Such insight from a music critic?

Excellent!

capt

Security Was Secondary To Politics In Iraq

In the remaining days of the midterm elections, and to drive up the approval numbers of vulnerable GOP incumbents, the White House will keep the focus on the war on terror, and not on how bad they screwed up Iraq and abandoned Afghanistan.

Democrats need a compelling narrative to blow a hole in this media-fed storyline, and to steer voters focus away from Bush's "vote Democrat and die" meme and towards something that pins the failing war on terror in Iraq squarely on Bush's political decisions, because such a linkage goes directly at his misjudgment and lack of character.

This story will provide that narrative. A Page One in Sunday's Washington Post outlines how the White House turned the Iraqi occupation into a large GOP patronage program, where the only qualification to serve wasn't your expertise and training, but rather your sworn fealty to George W. Bush and his reelection.

Read this and weep
. But every time the Democrats hear Bush challenge their patriotism for opposing him in Iraq, they can hang Iraq directly around his neck, and therefore tell voters that the threats we face have grown because Bush played politics with terrorism and our national security. There are a slew of messaging opportunities from this story, and it can blow a hole in the "stay with me on this or die" narrative that Bush is putting out there, simply by telling voters that he has turned Iraq into a Republican party playground rather than get the right people to secure the country.

If he did this with the biggest foreign policy mistake of the last several decades, why should voters let him continue to have a free hand in fighting the war on terror?

*****end of clip*****

I get the feeling too many DINO's and true believers that call themselves progressives and democrats to ever make a substantial challenge to the obvious.

"Why should voters let him continue to have a free hand in fighting the war on terror?" - well because it is too late to challenge the last stolen election and too early to promote Jeb for the next.

Maybe we just get what we deserve and that would be darn little, eh?

capt

Carol, that was some very sad commentary. He picks out all the strawmen and gives them a few whacks. He didn't say anything that hasn't already been said. One thing these "debunkers" all have in common is their amazing ability to skirt facts and ridicule people who disagree. Did you look at the photos I left on the previous thread? I suppose not.

New Clues in the Plame Mystery

A well-placed conservative source has added an important clue to the mystery of the Bush administration's "outing" of CIA officer Valerie Plame after her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, became one of the first Establishment figures to accuse George W. Bush of having "twisted" intelligence to justify the Iraq War.

The source, who knows both White House political adviser Karl Rove and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, told me that the two men are much closer than many Washington insiders understand, that they developed a friendship and a working relationship when Bush was recruiting Colin Powell to be Secretary of State.

In those negotiations, Armitage stood in for Powell and Rove represented Bush –†and after that, the two men provided a back channel for sensitive information to pass between the White House and the State Department, the source said.

The significance of this detail is that it undermines the current "conventional wisdom" among Washington pundits that Armitage acted alone and innocently in July 2003 when he disclosed Plame's covert identity to right-wing columnist Robert Novak, who then got Rove to serve as a secondary source confirming the information from Armitage.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Like they did not "cook-up" the idea of Armitage being just a gossip? If anybody can put stock in the lies offered by Bob Novak it was not just a little whoop's in passing. Too bad there are so many liars. Makes it hard to pull the weeds so to speak.

capt

Capt, maybe you should be the only one to post articles or state your opinions. Everyone else's contributions just don't measure up.

Price of gas: To your pump price add an estimated $1.74 for the "external social costs". (Ought to be added in at the pump, IMHO.)

Saladin, no, I didn't look at the pictures. Two reasons, one is my lousy dial-up and the second reason is I've had it with all the 9/11 arguing on this blog. I believe it simply couldn't have been pulled off and Arabs plowed those planes into buildings. Until someone confesses I'll stick with that.

COMMUNICATING THE PRINCIPLES OF PREVENTION & PROTECTION IN THE WAR ON TERROR

The overwhelming amount of language in this document is intended to create a lexicon for explaining the policy of "preemption" and the "War in Iraq."

However, you will not find any instance in which we suggest that you use the actual word "preemption," or the phrase "The War in Iraq" to communicate your policies to the American public. To do so is to undermine your message from the start. Preemption may be the right policy, and Iraq the right place to start. But those are not the right words to use.

Your efforts are about "the principles of prevention and protection" in the greater "War on Terror."

Please do not underestimate the importance of these rhetorical nuances. Let us understand the stark reality of public opinion which provides the context for this language research. Like it or not, the situation in Iraq is the poster-child for the War on Terror. It is today’s ground zero. You must develop a better way to talk about Iraq in the greater context of the War on Terror. Here are the five essential message points:

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

It does not matter one bit who spews these talking points these are the Frank Luntz GOP deceptions. Everybody should study this well.

Every person who says these things are carrying water for the neocons. It should be a crime.

capt

"Capt, maybe you should be the only one to post articles or state your opinions. Everyone else's contributions just don't measure up."

Um, I think I said excellent? Should I not like the writer because I do not agree with the article?

I have enjoyed Pitts since when he wrote for Casey Casem and Pitts has since written Pulitzer Prize winning work.

Do you think excellent is a bad thing?

I have no clue what the rest of your post is about. Read past my posts if they bug you, I have no other advice.

Measure up? What do you mean?

capt

carol, my dial-up is running at 24 kbps, the pictures come up pretty fast. BTW, I've never claimed Arabs didn't ram planes into those buildings, I just know that isn't why they collapsed. But, if you know different, so be it.

The Bush doctrine of ignorance

The conventional wisdom has it that John F. Kennedy was the first television president.

Meaning not that he was president when the medium began to impact the nation - that distinction goes to Dwight Eisenhower - but that he was the first to understand its potential and exploit its power. The signature illustration is the famous debate with Richard Nixon. People who watched it on television felt the handsome, vigorous Democrat trounced the ailing, haggard Republican. Curiously enough, many of those who only heard the debate on radio gave the edge to Nixon.

Forty-six years later, I submit to you that we are undergoing a similarly seismic moment in presidential communication: George W. Bush is the first Information Age president.

Like Kennedy, he arrived a little late; he was not in office when information access became the currency of daily life. Yet, he was the first president to understand the potential and exploit the power of that development. Unfortunately, he does so to our detriment. While Kennedy used television to expand presidential influence, Bush has controlled information toward a more dubious end: the curtailment of that great threat to imperial power, the informed electorate.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

This is a recent piece from an excellent writer.

I do not agree with Mr. David Corn on everything he writes, that does not make him a bad writer or poor communicator.

capt

It's really quite amazing how all those 56 ton, solid steel columns completely disintegrated just like those poor wimpy trusses,

Lippy again, with yet another comment she knows nothing about. Because I like showing how silly those comments are, here's the truth.
Those large columns fell over, they didn't disintegrate. You see, they can't stand up by theirself, they have to be tied together with the perimeter beams and the floors, as a unit... structural integrity and all that good stuff. They weren't solid steel either. The article says almost solid and even gives a diagram.
You should quit spouting off wack site bullshit, it makes you look so silly.

Such insight from a music critic? - sounded like one of your snotty comments to me. Sorry if I took it wrong.

On AlterNet, down a bit:

Suicide Bomber Cult Alive and Well in Pakistan

All I want is an impartial and open investigation. If there was one already there would not be unanswered questions.

There will be no shutting down of debate on the issue. No matter how hard you true believers try to portray the madness of those asking questions.

We do not know the truth yet. Plain and simple. I make no claims about that which none of us actually know.

Some post here are completely convinced, why? They have a report from the government and the government never lies?

PUH-LEASE!

capt

It's cool, I was not being sarcastic or ironic, I remembered reading the piece above and remembering Pitts. Casey Casem would not have been as famous with the talent of Pitts (and a few others).

Pitts made those smooth transitions with little word pictures - Casey did not make that stuff up. Then Pitts went on to use that talent to bring some light on issues of race (among other things).

He is one of the few I would ever use the word "excellent" to describe. I think I would use the same word for David Corn, I have not thought about that much.

Not that I agree with everything they write, who does?

capt

Yeah, well Frank Rich used to be the New York Times' drama critic. People evolve, or are multi-talented, or both.

capt, I don't know of one "true believer" on this blog. We all ask questions -- and want answers. Name the true believers -- you use that as an epithet and an accusation. So, because you are accusing, name who you are accusing of being a "true believer."

Methinks you paint with a very broad brush. Prove me wrong. Names, please.

Micki,

I paint with broad strokes when speaking of the mindless drones that worship Bush and his cronies, you know the ones that think he never lied about taking us to war. The ones that think the ground upon which he walks is granted by God that supports warmongers? I do not name them beacuse THAT would be a personal attack and I try to rise above the pettiness that is all over this blog and far too often.

What do you care about the true believers? Do you think I was including you? (silly)

Lighten up, go prove something meaningful, my posts just do not qualify as meaningful especially when they have nothing to do with you, eh?

If what I post bugs you, I can only offer the advice to scroll past. I will address you when speaking to you so you have the luxury to dismiss anything not addressed to you. What is wrong with that? (rhetorical)

capt

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On quotes:

Cracks me right up! People get their underoo's in a wad because I post some quotes - completely missing the point that quotes apply to everybody and nobody.

Most quotes I post because they apply to me, and as such are an effort at self-deprecating humor or some self examination. Instead I get so many responses I just cannot stop! Everybody thinks I am speaking to them specifically. Quotes do that if they make everybody think. That is my goal and I think I do make my mark on that.

Franky, I have to resist the urge to post more quotes when some people are whining about them.

By responding I can only assume some people are being made to think.

Again, scroll or not, I really could care less what some of the people here think especially if it is just insulting or disrespectful, those are the posts I enjoy the luxury of scrolling past.

"When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it." ~ Bernard Bailey

You bellyachers feed my ego, I doubt that was your goal. Scroll past and do not post to me, that would be more healthy for all of us, eh?

Thanks

capt

My, we are all a bit sensitive today, are we not? Too much party-ing last night?

Torture and the Content of our Character

[..]

In short, while some kind of trial for some alleged enemy combatants may well be appropriate, the Warner/McCain/Graham bill should not be seen as an acceptable alternative to the Bush bill. Basic human rights should not be abridged on the back of an envelope without hearings or debate.

Passage of the President's bill seems assured in the House of Representatives. Despite the objection of some Democrats, the House Armed Services Committee majority--including twenty of its twenty-eight Democrats--voted September 13 to send a bill incorporating the President's plans to the full House.

The most visible House dissent has come from a group of twenty-four Democrats led by Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who wrote, "We are opposed to any changes in the War Crimes Act that would have the effect of undermining the proscriptions against torture or other cruel or degrading treatment contained in the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture."

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

This just in at "The Nation" a good piece with some bad news. You have to read the whole thing. The clip is not very good.

capt

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Five Years After

[..]

The 9/11 hijackers used sharp objects, so government security starts confiscating nail clippers. A later would-be airline bomber tries to ignite a bomb in his shoe, so passengers have to start taking off their shoes. Some bozoes in Britain may have talked about using airline bombs involving gels, so passengers are relieved of their hairspray and water bottles.

The pattern is clear: each time the terrorists use a new tactic, the government imposes a new restriction on the rest of us, a restriction designed to combat that specific tactic; so the terrorists switch to a different tactic, followed by new restrictions. If the terrorists switch to targeting trains and buses, more restrictions will be imposed on people riding trains and buses –†until the terrorists switch to standing on overpasses and dropping bombs on cars as they pass.

By the logic of the situation, government restrictions will always increase. When restriction A makes one tactic more difficult, the terrorists switch to a different tactic, so the government imposes restriction B –†but, of course, doesn’¥ remove restriction A. Given the massive variety of tactics for terrorists to switch among, this process has no natural endpoint short of total government control over every aspect of life. What Mises showed with regard to price controls applies equally here.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

A good piece. The article exposes the knee-jerk reaction this government (not totally limited to this administration) has decided is the right over-reaction. The problem is that policy is reactionary not reasonable.

On the broad strokes I do admit that when I write DINO's (Democrats in name only) I am always thinking of Joe Lieberman although I know there are some that are even more DINO than he is. I do lump D. Feinstein and a few others that I do not like one bit (unfairly) into the DINO label. But that is my weakness. All apologies - my bad.

capt

Taliban rise again

The Role of Fake Media in a Near-Fascist Society

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act"...George Orwell

As we all have our eyes fixated in Iraq, Israel, or the potential for another stolen election this year it is important to not forget the role of media in our everyday lives. So many Americans get their information from the tainted mainstream media machine run by the current government that it is a frightening prospect to merely hope the truth somehow gets through. I am sure we all know people who are seemingly good folk, but somehow they keep getting it wrong on such crucial matters such as election fraud, the war, or any number of Bush-GOP scandals. You have to realize the gauntlet of false news that is thrown at them each day, which is the basis for their political opinions.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

I may have posted this before but I have come back to it and read it several times. It was what motivated me to find the Frank Luntz GOP talking points posted above.

A good piece no matter what.

capt

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Fork in the Road –†My Own Private 9/11

There is an area of spiritual philosophy which teaches that we all choose our path, our destiny, and even create our own reality, reflective of our own conscious thought. Each new decision creates a new reality; all that we dwell upon, whether good or bad, we magnify and manifest in our lives. (Quantum Physics actually supports this notion.) So by that token, it wasn't so much the country had chosen a path (although it clearly did), but that we had, ourselves. We opted to go along for this ride instead of that one over there...we could have chosen a different direction for our own consciousness, but deliberately chose that which we currently share. As my wife and I have frequently asked ourselves over the last five years, with a certain sardonic wit: Why would we choose this one?

The only reason we can come up with, is that it is our path, our purpose, in these uncertain and tragic times, to observe, record, and bear witness to the treasonous perfidy of our officials, and others who pretend to act in our names. It is our task to do our best to set right things that have gone terribly wrong with the American soul, and proffer a way out, to peace, stability, and abundance, all of which provide "security" as a welcome byproduct.

As you contemplate the path this country has taken in the last five years, do not despair. These times shall pass. And when they finally do, there will be a record kept by the uncompromising, freedom-minded people who survived them –†people like you and me –†a record of those who publicly, on principle, went against the prevailing political winds of the era. A record that will both enlighten, and warn future generations against engaging in what Barbara Tuchman called "The March of Folly." This is why we are here. This is why LRC is here, and TLE, Antiwar.com, the Huffington Post, news anchors like Keith Olbermann, and many, many others. Our ranks grow by the day. The Bad Guys aren't on the run yet, but it is clear their time is coming.

We shall bear witness to that, as well

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

A very insightful piece.

capt

Iraq war's signature wound: brain injury

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Lance Cpl. Sam Reyes bears scars from three horrific attacks in Iraq, but his most debilitating wound cannot be seen.

He recovered from the chest wound delivered by a machine gun-toting insurgent and the bullet wound to his back that came during an ambush. He survived the severe burns and broken ribs inflicted by a suicide bomber who struck a lightly armored 18-wheeler he was riding in - an explosion that killed 12 of his fellow Marines.

One injury initially went undetected. It continues to cripple him long after he arrived home with a clean bill of health.

Reyes suffered a traumatic brain injury in the truck explosion. The blast sent a powerful shock wave through his brain tissue, bursting blood vessels and smacking his brain against the inside of his skull.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

This is one of the most sad consequences of the Bush/Iraq occupation. Seems clear enough that Iraq is in a civil war. We need to bring our troops home.

No outside military force has even "won" an occupation. To stay in Iraq during a civil war means we have to choose sides and no matter which side we choose we will always be an occupier.

When is enough enough?

capt

Confessions of Crimes Against the State

According to you, the state, that is the greatest crime of all. I will not go along with the state's intent to kill anyone, even if I'm one of the few people left in the country who refuse to kill. The state can lock me up, bug me, wiretap me, harass me, follow me, arrest me, and jail me, as you have done many times before. The state can even kill me, as it killed Martin Luther King, Jr. I will not give in to its violence, support its wars or weapons, pay taxes for its killing sprees, pledge allegiance to its imperialism, listen to its media sycophants, wave its idolatrous flag or sit quietly while it massacres my beloved sisters and brothers around the world.

I will stand with the global human family. I insist we are all equal, all children of the God of peace, all deserving of a life of peace. I pledge allegiance to God's reign of perfect peace, nonviolent love and equal justice for everyone, including the children of Iraq.

a wack site? that proves he didn't even look. he already knows it all.

Just to clarify - Novak writes for the Chicago Sun-Times - not the Chicago Tribune. Valerie Plame's name was dropped to damage Joe Wilson. There wasn't any other reason for Rove, Libby, and Armitage to be talking about her. I would have liked to be fly on the wall. I'll bet is was a nasty conversation.

But, if you know different, so be it.

Saladin, I don't know anything and neither do you. It's all just speculation. You don't have to get testy with me just because I don't buy the inside job theory. Oh, and is there some reason you used a lower case C in my name? I thought that was used on Bush and his cronies or are you lumping me in with them now?

Carol, please see my post #32. But I will admit to being confused. Somebody posts here using the handle 'carol'. Is 'Carol' a different person than 'carol'?

Could a gal give W a BJ already?

Dr. Benson, I'm the only Carol, or º¿carol, or I guess carol. I saw your post at #32.

I loved the art. And I loved the poetry. great stuff.

BTW, David. An author named Clarice Feldman wrote an article smearing Fitzgerald (and you) in the Weekly Standard magazine. I don't know what Bill Kristol is thinking - and he may want to check some of Clarice's comments on a blog called justoneminute. You remember the first world trade center bombings? According to Clarice - it was Iraq, not Al Queda, that plotted the attack. And Fitzgerald was wrong to throw the Blind Sheik in jail because there was no evidence he was involved. And she thinks the 9/11 commission was involved in a massive coverup on the whole Iraq-Al Queda link. She has plenty of other theories too that are worthy of tin foil. Surprised that Kristol would put her in the magazine, but the neocons are grasping at straws now. Also strange that Andy McCarthy at the National Review would point to an article in the same issue by Stephen Hayes for praise for offering 'evidence' on Iraq-AlQueda link, when Clarice Feldman thinks he and Fitzgerald covered up evidence of thatlink in the New York prosecutions of Al Queda.

Well, I think the tetchiest person of all today is the pope.

I bet he and his pals engaged in way too much party-ing last night. That explains it. No apology. Nada.

bush gets real tetchy, too, when he's hit the bottle. Or maybe it's when the bottle is taken away from him?

Whatever.

To all who read and post:

I did not mean to be so vague as to alarm pals, friends or even any troll-like posters. If I listed the names of people that I think of as "true believers" and DINO's it would tax my typing. Too many names for those lists and I would likely get some flack from others about who I list. I just never thought those specifics were as pertinent as my comment. Another issue I could address with myself.

Most everything I post sounds clear and straightforward in my pointed little head, getting it into a form where it communicates what I mean to others is always a challenge.

Nobody should feel badly about wondering what I mean because when I read some of my posts - I too wonder what the heck am I saying! (true)

capt

And of course (obviously) my feeble efforts at humor usually suck.

Capt, you always mean what you write. You don't have any trouble communicating. I reread everything I post 30 times before I pronounce it good enough to post. I've had no regrets thus far. (don't go off on me saying you weren't addressing me because post #52 was "to all")

Carol,

It really is to all as there have been many that have been making comments to which I will not reply directly.

I do mean what I say. I hold nothing back. If I think something I usually express myself without any need to be coy or obtuse.

It was more the commentary from Micki that prompted that post but it does apply to all.

capt

Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War

by Michael Isikoff, David Corn

March 2003: The United States invades Iraq.

October 2006: The world finds out why.

What was really behind the U.S. led invasion of Iraq? As George W. Bush steered the nation to war, who spoke the truth and who tried to hide it? Hubris takes us behind the scenes at the Bush White House, the CIA, the Pentagon, the State Department, and Congress to answer all the vital questions about how the Bush administration came to invade Iraq.

More HERE

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Hey you guys - I just found the above at eReader.com and downloaded the reader and the book. It is so cool. I can read the book on my computer the eReader will allow full functions like you cannot believe!

You can do all kinds of stuff including changing the background and color, the font and size, margins, justifications, as well as search any word or phrase, highlight, I just got it so it is all new but - WOW this is the coolest.

I HATE my reading glasses and my eyes are not what they used to be with eReader I can make the type as large as I like!

I recommend for everybody. This eReader thing ROCKS!

capt

16 Capt, maybe you should be the only one to post articles or state your opinions. Everyone else's contributions just don't measure up.

Posted by: carol at September 16, 2006 06:30 PM

Capt is one of the best but certanly not the only.

44 Just to clarify - Novak writes for the Chicago Sun-Times - not the Chicago Tribune.
Posted by: Joe at September 16, 2006 08:54 PM

Thanks Joe.

"Capt is one of the best but certanly not the only."

I am not sure if I would ever claim a title of even one of the "best" because so many here are very VERY good and my better.

Thanks for the kind words, they are always the best!

Has anybody else tried the eReader and ebook thing?

The footnotes are linked! I am trippin out on how cool it is.

capt

Airstrikes on Iran are being updated

"President Bush, who addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, has said he prefers diplomacy to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, but he hasn't ruled out using military force. Several former U.S. defense officials who maintain close ties to the Pentagon say they've been told that plans for airstrikes - if Bush deems them necessary - are being updated."

Top Ten Worst

There is nothing George Bush won't do to cover up his own insecurities. The man has been an abject failure in every aspect of his life. He was terrible at school. He was cowardly in the face of battle. He destroyed every business he ran. And he knows it.

#60 Gerald...here we go again. I suppose Manucher Ghorbanifar is the Iranian counterpart to Iraq's Ahmed Chalabi.

I still light candles. Let there be light...

I notice where some of you have critized the Swiftboaters. Let's see:

All were honorably discharged. We don't know if John Kerry was initially discharged honorably, because he won't sign a Form 180 to release his military records. We do know that it wasn't until 1978, under Jimmy Carter's amnesty plan, that he finally received an honorable discharge, some six years after his leaving.

Could it be that his trip to Hanoi prohibits his initial reception of an honorable discharge? We'd know if he signed his Form 180.

Every one of Kerry's superior officers in Viet Nam co-authored the book, "Unfit For Command", including Admiral Hoffman. One of the co-authors is a Medal of Honor winner.

John O'Neill is a staunch Democrat on the Houston and Texas political scene. But he thought that the truth was more important than party loyalty in this case.

Rather than spewing ad hominem attacks against men who served their country admirably, you might learn by listening to their story, if you have the intellectual fortitude.

Rather than stifling dialogue, I believe it incumbent to hear all sides of the story. John O'Neill and his cohorts have certainly earned their right to speak.

Ten Reasons for Leaving Iraq

The main reason is not listed! Nazi America needs to leave Iraq so the troops can be ready to go into Iran and continue the endless murders and war crimes.

#62 micki, I am truly saddened at the strong possibility of bombing Iran. micki, under Bush, the murders and war crimes will never end. The stain on the American souls will never go away!!!

micki, Bush's behavior is that of a mentally deranged sub-human!

Who Blew Off Bin Laden?

In its miniseries about the missteps that led to 9/11, ABC spared not only Bill Clinton but also George W. Bush. Our hawkish War President had almost nine months to respond to the USS Cole attack and did nothing, even as his security staff fired off memo after memo fingering Osama bin Laden and urging retaliation.

Clinton claims, feebly, that he didn't have enough evidence to pin the October 2000 attack on bin Laden. But Bush certainly did.

On March 2, 2001, then-senior White House counterterrorism official Roger Cressey sent a memo to then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice relaying intelligence that bin Laden had gloated about the attack on the Cole in a poem he read at his son's wedding. "BIN LADEN on the USS COLE" was the title of the urgent memo.

More HERE

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That would be the warmonger Bush, eh?

capt

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, "Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled"; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Yea, a man may say, "Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works."

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
============================================
What have you done for your fellow man today, other than sitting in front of your computers venting your spleen?

And, please note, it talks about "my works", not "my government's work". It is the moral, philosophical and financial coward who shirks from his personal duty and abdicates such work to the government.

Where is the outrage from the American people for Bush's mentally deranged behavior???

Bush's Evasion

Five years after 9/11, as things increasingly sour in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Bush's public appearances get increasingly more pathetic.

During Bush's August news conference a persistent reporter wouldn't let him get away with his claim that Iraq is the central front on the so-called war on terror. "What did Iraq have to do with 9/11?" reporter Ken Herman asked.

"Nothing," Bush said in a highly uncharacteristic moment of candor. The look on his face was priceless.

In a flash, the president realized he had finally admitted before America and the world what war opponents have said right along: there was no connection between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.

Bush tried to recover, but his performance was quite pitiful. He blustered, "Except for it's part of and nobody's ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a Iraq the lesson of September the 11th is, take threats before they fully materialize, Ken. Nobody's ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq."

More HERE

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911 has nothing to do with Iraq and Iraq is an occupation not a war. The war ended and we won it - that was on the day Bremmer disbanded the iraqi military. Iraq is now a failed occupation because of the Bush BLUNDER not becuase of 911.

capt

Gerald,

What works have you done for your fellow man today?

Iraq war 'disaster for Mid-East'

The UN secretary general has said that most Middle East leaders regard the US-led invasion of Iraq and its aftermath as a disaster for the region.

Kofi Annan, speaking at a briefing following his recent tour of the region, said that the timing of any US withdrawal was now a key issue.

He said some leaders wanted the US to stay in Iraq and stabilise it, while others wanted an immediate withdrawal.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Who cares what the leaders in the middle east think? They do and that is their turf. Bush's stupidity and arrogance will have us at war in any country that does not accept our occupation of Iraq and now Iran.

Honestly, if you lived in a middle eastern country would you feel safe? Exploited? Vulnerable or at risk of subjugation?

capt

I am in the twilight of my life. I will die with the belief that Americans do not consider the people on our planet as God's children. Americans do not believe that we are brothers and sisters in God. America is a nation of hateful people.

Where are the disciples of Jesus Christ in America? Where are the believers in the words of Jesus Christ, "LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVE YOU?"

Where are the disciples of Jesus Christ in America? Where are the believers in the words of Jesus Christ, "LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVE YOU?"

And, so, at the end of the day, it is not the Captains and the Geralds of the world who make a difference. They are failures in life, inacapable of accomplishing anything of import.

They are frustrated, bitter, little men who complain continually in order to try to believe themselves relevant. They are the asses who kick down the barn, but with nary a clue on how to build one.

It is the kathleens in this society who are out putting their proverbial money where their mouths are.

How about the rest of you? What are you doing for your fellow man? And please, no stale bromides about "saving the environment" or "making the world safe for democracy".

What are you doing on a one-on-one, micro basis? How much time do you give to charitable works? How much money do you give to support charitable deeds?

What "works" have you delivered in the name of the Lord Almighty?

Robert J. Perry is Back

So my friend Robert J. Perry, the original swift-boating money man, has just plunked down the $5 million seed money to start up yet another front group entitled the Economic Freedom Fund.

"The Republican donor who helped bankroll the Swift Boat attacks on Democratic Sen. John Kerry's war record has given $5 million to a new group targeting Democratic candidates."

"Bob J. Perry, a Texas homebuilder with close ties to White House advisor Karl Rove and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, recently made the hefty donations to the Economic Freedom Fund, a newly created California group."

"The group is a so-called 527 that is not subject to conventional campaign finance restrictions and can spend unlimited amounts on election advocacy, similar to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. In the 2004 presidential race, the group of Vietnam veterans made unsubstantiated allegations challenging Kerry's record of wartime heroism."

"So far, the new group which lists Perry as its sole donor has spent slightly more than $500,000 on television ads and mailings criticizing Democratic Reps. Jim Marshall of Georgia and Alan Mollohan of West Virginia, according to a disclosure form filed last week with the Federal Election Commission."

Swift Boat Ads Backer Funds New Group

More to come later, no doubt, because as James Boyce just said, Perry isn't just after congressional fish with this much bait.

This is just to let Mr. Perry and his pals know that we know what they're doing and we're ready to push back.

- Taylor Marsh

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

In interviews on the "Daily Show" and "The Today Show", both President Bush and Arizona Senator John McCain declared the so-called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's assertions that John Kerry lied about his military service in Vietnam to be both dishonest and dishonorable. In interviews, they stated they absolutely did not support this groups claims and felt they were liars and dishonoring a hero. President Bush called Kerry's service in Vietnam as "more heroic than my own" stating that "although I did not serve in Vietnam, I would have gone if they called my unit".

What lies have you told today? Still waiting with baited breath for a single fact based post from the feckless/factless wonder.

Are you calling Bush and McCain liars too? I think they were close to being honest, WSY?

capt

BBC:

The UN nuclear watchdog has protested to the US government over a report on Iranís nuclear programme, calling it "erroneous" and "misleading".

In a leaked letter, the IAEA said a congressional report contained serious distortions of the agencyís own findings on Iranís nuclear activity.

The IAEA also took "strong exception" to claims made over the removal of a senior safeguards inspector.

There was no immediate comment from Washington over the letter.

As Yogi Berra said, itís deja vu all over again.

(link)

BBC:

The UN nuclear watchdog has protested to the US government over a report on Iranís nuclear programme, calling it "erroneous" and "misleading".

In a leaked letter, the IAEA said a congressional report contained serious distortions of the agencyís own findings on Iranís nuclear activity.

The IAEA also took "strong exception" to claims made over the removal of a senior safeguards inspector.

There was no immediate comment from Washington over the letter.

As Yogi Berra said, itís deja vu all over again.

(link)

Bankrollers of Swiftboat Vets and McCain Smear in Trouble With the Feds

The Wyly brothers (as in Wiley Coyote) are finally being investigated for their byzantine finances. The guys who funded the smear campaign on John McCain that led to Bush's primary victory in 2000, and more recently, the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, are in trouble for evading taxes.

The Wylys represent the ultra-rich of Dallas.

They started, bought and built several successful businesses including Earth Resources, Sterling Software, Michaels Stores, the Bonanza restaurant chain and electricity supplier Green Mountain Energy.

Sam [Wyly] says they decided to pay for the attack ads because, ultimately, they back their friends.

A report released this month by the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations alleged that the Wylys established the offshore trusts in the Irish Sea's Isle of Man, a commonly used tax haven, to get around their U.S. tax obligations

More HERE

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Just another criminal enterprise. Which criminals did you support today?

capt

Gerald,

When you let forth your vituperations, you do the devil's work. The only sin that God cannot, will not, forgive is despair. You damn yourself by your own words. I sometimes kid you, but you are forfeiting your own immortal soul to the fires of Hell.

Become a better man. Walk in the way of the Lord.

One can either be a part of the problem or a part of the solution. Which are you?

Gerald is the opposite of a warmongering criminal supporting liars like you Fact(less)checker.

You might consider your condemnation of others as prideful sin. All men are equal under God. Do you really think you are better than anybody?

Get with the program, nobody here is your religious punching bag. If you want to be taken seriously you have to at minimum try to act serious.

Who do you think you are?

Tragic small minded liar that supports a criminal enterprise? Compounded by your personal attacks on Gerald? Multiplied by the arrogance of complete ignorance?

I will pray for you, you obviously do not get the whole religious thing.

capt

76. Let's hope he was stinking drunk or had some other influence causing impairment of judgement. I hate to think anybody with a clear mind would post this offensive personal and disrespectful blather.

Maybe he's hoping someone will ask him what's he's done so he can rattle off his checklist of accomplishments.

People like factchecker like to judge themselves favorably by measuring themselves against people they judge as inferior including people they don't even know.

You're the bomb factchecker. Your mother loves you.

One can either be a part of the problem or a part of the solution. Which are you?
Posted by: factchecker at September 17, 2006 01:04 AM

Wow Gerald, You've really gotten under this guys skin. What did you say to him?

Unless and until John Kerry signs his Form 180, releasing all of his military records to whomever wants to see them, we will never know the truth.

What we do know is that Senator Kerry didn't sign it.

What we do know is that George Bush signed one.

What we do know is that Kerry wasn't in Cambodia like he claimed.

What we do know is that every one of his senior officers in Viet Nam co-authored the book, including an admiral and a Medal of Honor winner.

We do know that all of the men co-authoring the book received an immediate honorable discharge, something that didn't come to John Kerry for six years.

Why did it take six years, under Jimmy Carter's amnesty program, for John Kerry to receive his honorable discharge?

We do know that the man who was the leading co-author, John O'Neill, is a staunch Democrat. He got up out of a hospital bed, after having donated a kidney to his now-deceased wife, to run the 2004 campaign.

I didn't support any criminals today. I spent most of it feeding breakfast and lunch to the homeless at our church. I also contributed a new basketball scoreboard to the church.

What did you do today?

85 Wow. Very impressive. Good job.

Jane Hamsher on War Profiteering

Having watched over the last two weeks how effective it can be when bloggers and leading Democrats come together to deconstruct right wing propaganda (viz the ABC 9/11 fraudumentary), its remarkable that it doesnít happen more often. So itís great that DPC Chairman Byron Dorgan is getting together with Robert Greenwald for a press conference in Washington DC at the Dirksen Senate Office Building Room SD-124 at 11:00 AM this Monday to talk about the need for oversight of war profiteering. Several former Halliburton and KBR employees who appear in Robertís film, Iraq For Sale, will also be there.

Then at 2pm, the DPC will be holding an oversight hearing to "seek accountability for contracting abuses in Iraq." In attendance will be Dorgan, Harry Reid, Patrick Leahy, Jeff Bingaman and Mark Dayton. Witnesses include many who appear in the film, Iraq for Sale:

Um, no offense but who cares about Kerry?

That was 2004? If that is your "A" game take it walking Fatchunker, you got no game and personal attacks on anybody are just too petty to address.

Maybe someday Corn will outlaw personal attacks and you will be left with nothing.

capt

See, Captain, about all you're good for is the typical liberal retort about "criminal enterprise", "warmongering" and "liar". That went out with the 60's, or are you still wearing your Jerry Rubin bandana?

Don't you have anything the least bit original to offer?

You chide me for condemning Gerald, then condemn me in much more strident terms.

And this was not about me. I only quoted scripture that particularly moved me today. Not until you asked me what I did today did I tell you.

That is why you are weak and cowardly, probably never having accomplished much of anything in your life.

You sit for hours at a time in front of a computer, when you could - should - be out making a difference by your "works".

Try it sometime. Not because I say so, but because Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says so.

Derelict On Detainees

Yesterday, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted out a bill labeled "the Military Commission Act of 2006." Media attention in leading East and West Coast papers generally lauded the senators supposed new-found spine, standing up to the president's suggested rules on military commissions for alleged terrorists seized overseas. But is this really a victory for measured moderation? On closer inspection, it turns out the bill that came out of committee is, in most important respects, practically a blank check when it comes to executive detention authority.

Rather than keeping us safer, this legislation is another obstacle to solving the problem Britain's Lord Falconer recently called a "shocking affront to the principles of democracy." The Warner bill (also backed by Sens. McCain and Graham) contains provisions that seem to delegate to the president sweeping detention powers. These sweeping detention powers apply to both past and future decisions. They would permit the administration to bury the fact that it has swallowed up tens or hundreds of people during its counterterrorism operations who have little or no connection to actual terrorism.

Two key provisions are the most alarming. First is Section 6, which seeks to end any and all judicial review of overseas detention of non-citizens. This section undoes the flawed bipartisan compromise enacted in December 2005, the Detainee Treatment Act. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court declared that this bill closed the door to future cases from detainees held overseas, but left alone ongoing proceedings that were being litigated in the federal courts. The Warner bill would try to shut the litigation door entirely stopping deliberation of cases that have not yet been fully decided.

More HERE

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A good piece. I would have used a different more familiar title but the article speaks to the issue well.

A criminal enterprise is trying to rubber stamp crimes already committed. This is not how the law works.

capt

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation's highest civil award. It was established by President Truman and later re-established by President Kennedy. It is awarded by the President of the United States to persons who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

Factchecker, I hope you take your shopping carts back into the store, or let a car into your lane, or give your kids money instead of lending it to them, or any of the million things a human being can do in any given day to make someone else's life a tad better. Feeding the homeless at your church doesn't tell us anything about you. Judging by your opinions on this blog you're one of those church-going hypocrites.

Capt., Nice of Corn to drop in on a Saturday and give us a new thread. It's also nice that he's able to 'let go' a little on the weekend. Imagine enduring the personal attacks from many angles? Anyway, it would seem he can let it go and enjoy his family, even in the middle of a new book roll-out. Kudos to Corn. He's an Summa Cum Laude graduate of Brown '82. That would make him about 46. It's good to see he leads what appears to be a balanced work/family life.

O'Reilly.

On the war profiteering, I couldn't agree with you more. It is bad enough to rob the government of its resources in peacetime; to do it in time of war is an abomination.

Big article I read in the paper today saying that, from the Pentagon, political loyalty and sway trumped expertise. Outrageous!!

I can't imagine the no-bid contracts that were let. I know that expediency in time of war is important, but some of these things I have read were just ridiculous.

As the mayor in "Jaws" proclaimed, those procurers ",,,need to be hung up by their Buster Browns."

92 Oh boy.

Pathetic troll:

63
I notice where some of you have critized the Swiftboaters. Let's see:

****

That is called trolling, looking for trouble on an issue NOBODY was posting on or about, then when that did not get a response you went for a personal attack on Gerald.

Trolls suck. They should not be allowed to just troll - looking for trouble.

I have a clue for you Jesus boy even in your most fundemental misunderstanding you will answer for your WORDS and your acts:

Romans 3:4
May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written," THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS,AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED."

You are a liar. The bible says so. You need to worry about yourself and not what another does or does not do to your liking.

Should we submit our collective schedules for your approval? Think about the crud you post. Then consider this What would Jesus post?

Begone troll - nobody will be buying what you are selling for some time.

capt

No security clearances revoked over Plame

WASHINGTON --No one in the Bush administration has been stripped of security clearances over the leak of former CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity to reporters three years ago.

In a letter to Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., the CIA said it had no record of anyone in the administration who is no longer privy to the nation's most sensitive secrets because of the Plame leak.

The CIA also revealed it has not yet completed a formal assessment of the damage to national security that may have been caused by Plame's outing in 2003.

The assessment won't be completed until a criminal investigation of the leak has been concluded, Christopher J. Walker, the CIA's director of congressional affairs, said in the July 19 letter to Lautenberg.

For more than a year, Lautenberg and other Democrats have been calling on President Bush to fire presidential adviser Karl Rove and any other aides who discussed Plame's CIA status with reporters -- or, at the least, to revoke their security clearances.

More HERE

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Here is the liar telling more lies:

BUSH THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF SAID HE'D FIRE ANYONE FOR LEAKING, THAT NOBODY WAS INVOLVED.

Asked in June 2004 if he'd stand by his pledge to fire anyone found to have leaked, Bush replied "yes." [Bush Press Conference: Savannah, GA, 6/10/04]

When the White House was asked specifically whether Karl Rove, Elliot Abrams or Lewis Libby told any reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "Those individuals -- I talked -- I spoke with those individuals, as I pointed out, and those individuals assured me they were not involved in this. And that's where it stands." [White House Briefing, 10/10/03]

"I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action." [Bush Remarks: Chicago, Illinois, 9/30/03]

"The President has set high standards, the highest of standards for people in his administration. He's made it very clear to people in his administration that he expects them to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration." [White House Briefing, 9/29/03]

*****end of second clip*****

Hard to have it both ways. Either Bush is honorable and keeps his word or he is a liar that will say whatever he wants without any concern for the truth. That would be a pathological liar, eh?

capt

And if the Bush admin were only awarding favorable business deals to war contractors it wouldn't be such a complete and total rape of the US Treasury.

In agency after agency, Bush has nominated industry insiders to run the agencies and turn over 200 years of government policy-making on its head.

The obliteration of policy has real world effects. People suffer damages and death while business owners profit like never before.

Take a look what's happening in the Department of the Interior, USDA, FDA, CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, and FEMA. FEMA! - staffed with campaign workers 1500 die in New Orleans due to breached levees and a slow FEMA response.

carol,

I try to do all the things you mention, but I am human and imperfect, just like the rest of us.

Sometimes I kid about superiority, but that is because I know what a totally fallable, inferior human being I am. I sometimes wonder, however, about pontificating liberals who talk a good game but have no "works".

But this is not about me. This is a question Christ asked us all. What "works" do we do? You see, Captain and Gerald have never answered my question about what they do. It would seem them complain a lot, but never lay their life on the line for their Almighty Savior.

And, by the way, how about us all taking a couple of empty carts back into the store, so the kid making minimum wage won't have to break his back pushing a long line of carts back, usually in grueling heat and/or grinding cold?

Just a suggestion.

Rep. Bob Ney Agrees to Plead Guilty

Rep. Bob Ney agreed Friday to plead guilty to two criminal charges in the congressional corruption probe spawned by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Papers in the case said the Ohio Republican had accepted trips worth more than $170,000.

Justice Department officials said prosecutors would recommend the 52-year-old congressman serve 27 months in prison. A formal admission of guilt would make Ney the first lawmaker to confess to crimes in a Republican-heavy scandal that erupted at the dawn of the election year.

After months of stoutly denying wrongdoing, Ney signed a formal plea agreement that outlined charges of conspiracy and making false statements by not disclosing gifts he received from Abramoff on financial disclosure forms required by Congress.

More HERE

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Of course he will plead guilty because he is guilty. I think everybody knows that means they only got him on a small portion of his criminal activity. If they got him on everything he would have nothing to lose. The plea agreement will be made in exchange for letting him keep some of his illegally ill-gotten gains. That is what is called justice these days.

If he pleads guilty to $170,000 you can bet he has a like amount stuffed in some account somewhere. No doubt.

capt

Matthew 7

Judging Others

1"(A)Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

2"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and (B)by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

3"Why do you (C)look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

****

You have a lot to learn funk-licker.

capt

96 It's hard to disagree with this post Capt. The method of operation you describe fits what appears to be increasingly provacative posts by the author this evening.

Bob Ney. I think it's outrageous that they plan to give him 27 months of a potential 120 months.

These people are elected officials of the US government taking cash bribes, CASH BRIBES, CASH BRIBES, CASH BRIBES

Where are the law and order Republicans? Give this guy 10 years and we'll see how many more will misuse their authority to profit personally.

Felten alleges e-vote flaw

Five years ago, computer science professor Ed Felten challenged the music industry by cracking the codes designed to stop music from being copied. Two years ago, he wrote software to show that peer-to-peer networks couldn't be regulated. Now he's broken into another type of supposedly secure data: election results.

On Wednesday, Felten, along with computer science graduate students Alex Halderman '03 and Ariel Feldman, released a paper detailing flaws in the Accuvote-TS, an e-vote machine manufactured by Diebold, Inc.

"If someone had physical access to one of the machines for less than a minute, they could install vote-stealing software or infect it with a virus that would spread to other computers," Halderman said.

Felton criticized Diebold for failing to ensure the security of its e-vote machines.

"We think that there were not many precautions taken in the design of this system against insertion of malicious software, which is the kind of attack we've primarily looked at," Felten said. "It is much too easy for a moderately-skilled programmer to carry out this attack and steal votes in an election."

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Any second grader can tell you the guys stealing the votes are the ones in office. It is no coincidence the GOP has become more corrupt than ever before in history. They are expert at the stealing of votes not running the country. That is why we are in the mess we are in here at home and abroad. America has never been in such a mess. The GOPhers have never had so much power. No coincidence.

capt

O'Reilly,

Don't get me started on cronyism at all levels of government. For all parties. Try getting an appointment with your Congressman without bringing a big check.

Ain't happenin'.

I am sure we can count on some holiday pardons. Bush will be off the leash. What will he have to lose? Popularity?

Libby will be pardoned of that much I am willing to bet. Anybody want to take a double-sawbuck from me? I will give it up if Scooter actually goes to trial.

capt

O'Reilly,

I think Ney should not be allowed to plea bargain. The complete disregard of the public trust is one of the most heinous white collar crimes imaginable. Full sentencing. Fortunately, the government has done away with the Club Feds.

The question is, how do we eliminate the junkets and the lobbyists without impinging on the right of free speech? McCain-Feingold is a complete abomination, along with all of its predecessors.

If you believe in the public funding of campaigns, you must also believe in the outlawing of all newspaper, television and radio coverage of the campaigns, as they are all slanted for one candidate or the other. Probably have to outlaw the Internet, too.

Good Captain @ 96:

"trolls suck"?

"Jesus boy"?

Oh, come on Captain; that can't be the best you have to offer?

Then, again...

Good night, all.

Arlen Specter is lying about his own bill -- again

In June, both the ACLU and The Washington Post's Walter Pincus reported that the FISA bill proposed by Arlen Specter would expressly immunize Bush officials from any legal consequences arising out of their illegal eavesdropping -- giving them what Pincus called "blanket amnesty" -- by retroactively legalizing warrantless eavesdropping going back to 1978. But that weekend, Specter went on CNN with Wolf Blitzer and categorically denied that his bill contained any such provision, stating:

"Absolutely not. That was an erroneous report. If anybody has violated the law, they'll be held accountable, both as to criminal conduct and as to civil conduct. And in no way did I promise amnesty or immunity or letting anybody off the hook."

At the time of Specter's denial on national television, there was no copy of his bill available online, so I actually wrote a post aggressively criticizing Pincus for his erroneous claim, because I assumed that Sen. Specter (due to self-interest, if for no other reason) would not go on national television and categorically deny that his bill contained what amounts to a Congressional pardon for the administration if it really did contain such a provision.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

These are the members of the criminal enterprise trying to cover their backsides. They are criminals and liars and any knuckle-head that supports "Law and Order" would have been screaming for impeachment long ago because accountability starts at the top not the bottom.

There have been violations of the constitution from the highest office. Let's see how much "Law and Order" the spineless bastard in the oval office can handle.

capt

Matthew 12:36-38

36"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in (A)the day of judgment.

37"For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Suit: Ban computer voting

Attorney fears fraud, says state 'headed for train wreck' in Nov.

Voting on computer screens is so vulnerable to massive fraud that Colorado's November election is "headed for a train wreck," says an attorney who is seeking to have the equipment barred at trial next week.

An expert would need just 2 minutes to reprogram and distort votes on a Diebold, one of four brands of computerized voting systems attacked in the suit, says attorney Paul Hultin. His firm, Wheeler Trigg Kennedy, has taken on the case pro bono for a group of 13 citizens of various political stripes.

And he's not the only one alarmed as details of the case spread this week.

The Colorado Democratic Party on Thursday urged all voters to cast absentee ballots for the November election to avoid potential fraud, after a key state official said in a deposition that he certified the computer voting equipment even though he has no college education in computer science and did little security testing.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Train wreck? How about the death of democracy?

How about the last two elections? How about charging those who sold us out with crimes against the people?

capt

Does it seem like Bunnypants and his merry band of neocons are not the lightest bit worried about a Democratic administration following his failed presidency? A "new" administration of a Democratic party member with all the same power Bush is claiming for himself?

Would the neochronic be willing to allow such extra-constitutional and extra-judicial "unitary" presidential powers is they had the slightest worry about who will be in power?

It seems like a given to me.

capt

Captain @ 101:
1"(A)Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

2"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and (B)by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

3"Why do you (C)look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
===============================================
Captain @ 109:
These are the members of the criminal enterprise trying to cover their backsides. They are criminals and liars and any knuckle-head that supports "Law and Order" would have been screaming for impeachment long ago because accountability starts at the top not the bottom.

There have been violations of the constitution from the highest office. Let's see how much "Law and Order" the spineless bastard in the oval office can handle.
=================================================
Well, which is it, Good Captain?

Are you going to judge people or not judge people?

It would seem you are trying to have it both ways.

But, then again, liberals are stupid, so I guess you can try. This is probably the reasoning you use in life that has made you such a failure. No consistency.

Carol, I did not mean any offense by using a lower case c, I try to remember to address people here the way they write their own name but I don't know how to make an upsidedown question mark. I have never claimed to have all the answers, I believe two things firmly, that they are lying and that buildings don't totally collapse because of minor office fires. The logic of waiting for someone else to confess implies that because bushco has yet to confess to ANY of the crimes they've committed means they are telling the truth, that strikes me as irrational at best. They never tell the truth and they never will, not if they want to maintain their positions. But that's OK, the people are waking up to the facts in droves, they can lie all they want and it won't matter in the end.

The only reliable sources on CNN this morning were Howie and David Corn.

The leak of a CIA agent's name is a big deal. Consider the money, lives, energy, and resources we have invested to set up their networks. It isworse than leaking the secret formula for Coke. The surviv