Good move, David. I am so glad you revealed the entree vous (smile) to your comments section. I was beginning to wonder if this was a gated community. (Just kidding)

David,

I finished HUBRIS just moments ago!

Stripping out your and Isikoff's `Bent with the Wind' ideology, I give you a thumb-up for a seemingly well-researched book that's a good read.

Having read the book, I give you (or whoever actually picked it) an "A" for picking the book's title. Repeating my early pre-HUBRIS comment, Bush has risen in your eyes from "Lies" to "HUBRIS". Assuming you will end up with a trilogy on Bush, let's see if "The Savior" would be appropriate.

Truth be told, I'm relieved that Bush & his inner circle, along with David Kay, all truly believed that Saddam possessed WMDs. Selective use of intelligence? We all do that in making the tougher decisions in life! I'm also Happy to know Bush is at peace w/his decision to launch the Iraq War.

In all seriousness, as I read your book, I kept on thinking, why has modern journalism morphed into something resembling ambulance-chasing tort lawyering?

The root cause is likely the polarization of Americans coupled with the regrettable erosion of professionalism among the leaking class! Journalists are not entirely blameless; however, one has to be snoop, at least somewhat, by nature to want to become a reporter or non-fiction author.

BREAKING: Harman Calls for Release of Second Secret Iraq ReportBy Justin Rood - September 26, 2006, There's a second damning Iraq report floating around the intelligence community

.At least, that's according to Rep. Jane Harman (CA), the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee. At an event this morning, Harman disclosed the existence of a classified intelligence community report that gives a grim assessment of the situation in Iraq, and called for it to be shared with the American public -- before the November elections.
The report has not been shared with Congress, although sources say a draft version may have circulated earlier this summer. It is a separate report from the one revealed by major news outlets Sunday, which is said to conclude that the war in Iraq has made the U.S. less secure from terrorist threats.

"This morning at the National Press Club, Jane Harman did say that there is an [National Intelligence Estimate] on Iraq," her spokesman, Ari Goldberg, confirmed. Golberg said he had not read the report, but believes it may be grim. Sources at the event say the document is not officially an NIE, although it was prepared by the National Intelligence Council, an community-wide intelligence body whose primary function is to prepare NIEs.&

Dr. Lawrence Korb, a former senior Defense Department official now with the liberal-progressive Center for American Progress, hasn't seen the report but has discussed it with those who have. "It's a very bleak picture of what's going on in Iraq," he said. Harman called for the White House to share a classified version of the report with Congress -- and to release a declassified version of the document to the American public, prior to the November elections.

Democratic sources on the Hill confirmed that the report has been a topic of discussion, particularly because of concerns that its release was being "intentionally slowed" by the administration. Attendees at the National Press Club event where Harman spoke -- a rollout for a new Democratic defense/intelligence policy group called the National Security Network -- characterized Harman saying the reported was "languishing" under wraps.

In late July, Democratic lawmakers requested the intelligence community to write a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, noting that such a report had not been done in over two years. The Democratic sources say this NIE was prepared separate from that effort. The NIE Harman is asking for "sounds a hell of a lot more complete" than the report being worked on at Congress' request, said one.

at aipac Syria May Face New U.S. Sanctions for Terror Ties Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday that the United States may ask its allies to back new sanctions against Syria in response to Damascus’ role in supporting the terrorist groups Hizballah and Hamas, as well as terrorists targeting U.S. troops in Iraq, Agence France Presse reported. Rice said that Syria’s sponsorship of Hizballah was a factor in sparking the recent war in Lebanon. She also noted that Syria, which harbors Hamas terrorists—including the group’s leader Khaled Meshaal—is undermining attempts to create a Palestinian government that accepts Israel’s right to exist. “The Syrians look as if they’ve made their choice and their choice is to associate with extremist forces in Iran,” Rice said.

Some are reportely employed for no other reason than to troll dem blogs.

Nuff said.

Kathleen, I saw your post about the national debt, if only that were true. And as usual happy doesn't have a clue, that must be why they say ignorance is bliss. The figures below are as of 1-9-2006 and include the unfunded obligations they always leave out of their figures,

words from GAO as quoted in the Treasury report:

The federal government's gross debt in the consolidated financial statements ... excludes such items as the gap between the present value of future promised and funded Social Security and Medicare benefits, veterans health care, and a range of other liabilities (e.g., federal employee and veteran benefits payable), commitments, and contingencies that the federal government has pledged to support.

Including these items, the federal government's fiscal exposures now total more than $46 trillion, up from about $20 trillion in 2000. This translates into a burden of about $156,000 per American or approximately $375,000 per full-time worker, up from $72,000 and $165,000 respectively, in 2000...
All more than double in only five years. That's growing a lot faster than the economy. Things have not stabilized, they are getting worse, fast.
==============
They've bankrupted us, most people just haven't realized it yet. No politician can fix this, it's too late. You can thank both parties and the Federal Reserve, we are becoming a slave nation. Maybe that is why the corporate fascists are making plans behind our backs to consolidate Canada, the US and Mexico into one huge corporate union, and why the politicians haven't said shit about it, we have no say in it.

Before bedtime, a word about Patrick Fitzgerald who was the "right" on the last page of HUBRIS.

Based on HUBRIS' account, Fitz has my confidence and thumb-up! Also, you Cornuts can give up your hope for any indictments under Intell.ID Protection Act! David reached same conclusion but didn't admit Plame was NOT covert!

David, if Fitz is `The Man' he appeared to be, I don't think he'd be deterred by or use "difficult to prove" as an excuse! He would want to nail somebody for the puspose the Special Prosecutor was set up for.

You had a huge role in this `Leak' case,...at least admit Plame was NOT COVERT! Fitz has no case! I believe you will gain more credibility by admitting fallibility.

7 The only redeeming value of your blithering posts is your lack of skill using the English language.

This past Saturday we had a roundtable discussion with Congessman Sherrod Brown here in Athens ohio. The discussion went really well, Brown's voting record alone should get him elected Senator of Ohio. But we all know that the Republicans will be slamming Ohio with a great deal of money and lies.

This Sunday/Oct 1 at 10:oo a.m. Sherrod Brown will debate ( put him in a head lock I hope) Dewine on Tim Russerts Meet the Press.

We are encouraging people statewide to go to Sherrod Brown's website and sign up for house parties. But what the hell no harm in asking the Cornfolks to do the same and ask your friends nationwide to do the same.

Please sign up for debate house parties

AS OHIO GOES SO GOES THE NATION!

SHERROD BROWN'S WEBSITE House Party: Meet the Press Debate Watch Party
Sunday, October 1 at 10:00AM
What?
Host or Attend a Meet the Press Debate Watch Party. Click here for more information! www.sherrodbrown.com/houseparties

Where?
House Party in your area

RICE OK'D CLAIM OF 'SAFE AIR'

RICE OK'D CLAIM OF 'SAFE AIR' AFTER 9/11

September 24, 2006 -- Condoleezza Rice's office gave final approval to the infamous Environmental Protection Agency press releases days after 9/11 claiming the air around Ground Zero was "safe to breathe," internal documents show.
Now Secretary of State, Rice was then head of the National Security Council - "the final decision maker" on EPA statements about lower Manhattan air quality, the documents say.

Scientists and lawmakers have since deemed the air rife with toxins.

Not unlike strategic deployment, this is meant to target a group.

There lies serious food for thought....

The Facts Behind the NIE

Although the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) regarding Iraq and terrorism is still classified (UPDATE: The Key Judgments are now declassified and can be found at this link), the data behind the findings is not and has been publicly available for three years. I have written repeatedly on this fact and it has been, I am told, the judgment of the intelligence community for at least two years. The statistics on terrorist activity, until this year, were published in the State Department's annual report on terrorism (Patterns of Global Terrorism). The Bush Administration tried to not publish the report last year because the data showed an unprecedented surge in international terrorist attacks. The following chart shows the bad news (it is based on the statistics collected by the CIA and supplied to the Department of State):

More HERE

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

Forget about all the words - look at the graphic.

capt

Why Didn't Bush Retaliate for the USS Cole Bombing?

Clinton popped his famous cork, saying firmly that he authorized the CIA to kill bin Laden but the CIA failed to get it done. (Former Deputy CIA Director John McLaughlin supported Clinton's version, telling CNN: "President Clinton did aggressively pursue Osama bin Laden. I give the Clinton administration a lot of credit for the aggressiveness with which they went after al Qaeda and bin Laden.") Clinton also told Wallace: "After the Cole, I had battle plans drawn to go into Afghanistan, overthrow the Taliban, and launch a full-scale-attack search for bin Laden. But we needed basing rights in Uzbekistan" _ and the United States did not get that until after the attacks of 9/11.

Now the news: One day after Clinton's Fox fusillade, Ben-Veniste revealed that Bush's decisions and lack of response were a major topic of the 9/11 Commission's interview with Bush and Cheney. "One of the questions we had _ and I specifically had _ was why President Bush did not respond to the Cole attack," said Ben-Veniste. "And what he told me was that he did not want to launch a cruise-missile attack against bin Laden for fear of missing him and bombing the rubble. And then I asked him ... 'Well, why wouldn't you go after the Taliban in order to get them to kick bin Laden out of Afghanistan?' " Bush's response? "He said that no one had told him that we had made that threat (to the Taliban)," said Ben-Veniste. "And I found that very discouraging and surprising."

This we know: Bush ordered no retaliation for the USS Cole, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, then national security adviser, says she saw no such plans.

Can it be that no one told the new president of the old president's threat that America would attack a sovereign nation for giving sanctuary to the terrorists who attacked America? Or showed him the alleged battle plan to do the job? If true, it is the most grievous failing by an outgoing administration in the history of presidential transitions of power. If false, it is the most grievous example of deceit and buck-passing by an incoming administration.

There can be no middle-ground truth.

More HERE

We need more journalists like David Corn.

I'm tired of reading articles in the paper that make me question: "Am I just remembering this wrong, because I don't remember that playing out that way."

Take the current Clinton fiasco, Saddams "Kicking out" of inspectors, and especially the pre-war "intelligence".

US terror report paints bleak picture

The war in Iraq is breeding deep resentment of the US that is likely to get worse before it gets better, federal intelligence analysts conclude in a report at odds with President George Bush’s talk of a world growing safer.

The bleak report was declassified and released yesterday on Bush’s orders after weekend leaks caused an uproar over its findings that seemed so out of step with the Bush administration’s reassurances.

Compiled from the judgments of the top US analysts, the document concludes that despite serious damage to the leadership of al-Qaida, the threat from Islamic extremists has spread both in numbers and in geographic reach.

Bush and his top advisers have said the formerly classified assessment of global terrorism supported their arguments that the world is safer because of the war. More than three pages of stark judgments that warn of the spread of terror contrasted with the administration’s glass-half-full declarations.

More HERE

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

Without regard to the WH spin the NIE paints a very bleak picture indeed.

capt

Musharraf lashes out at Karzai on terror issue

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf lashed out at Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai in an interview with Canada AM.

"I think he is purposely, purposely not speaking the truth. That is what I think," Musharraf told host Beverly Thomson in an interview to be broadcast Wednesday.

"He knows the truth. He's finding it more convenient for himself to hide the truth and cast all expression on Pakistan."

The two men, who are squabbling over whether Pakistan is doing enough to prevent militants there from supporting the insurgency in Afghanistan, are to meet with U.S. President George Bush on Wednesday.

Bush said Tuesday he wanted "to watch the body language of these two leaders to determine how tense things are."

More HERE

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

Bush said Tuesday he wanted "to watch the body language of these two leaders to determine how tense things are."

Dictator Bunnypants "The Decider" bases global diplomacy on BODY LANGUAGE? What is the world suppose to think of his body language?

capt

All Governments (and Some Journalists) Lie

[..]

Since we now know that Novak is willing to blow the cover of a CIA agent and potentially endanger the lives and operations of those she was involved with, the smear campaign against Stone is thick with irony. This is, after all, exactly the crime of which Communist spies--both real and alleged--were accused. But not even Novak's undeniable guilt in the matter has affected his status as an insider in good standing.

A few voices--mostly on the liberal margins--called on CNN and the Washington Post to fire or at least rebuke Novak. Both refused, with CNN allowing him to decamp to Fox only after he lost his cool, saying "Bullshit" on the air and storming off. Speaking of bullshit, this is the same Robert Novak CNN star anchor Wolf Blitzer praised as "one of the best reporters in the business" after Novak's Wilson/Plame role was revealed.

One could say much the same about Ann Coulter, who has been exposed as a fabulist and fabricator so many times she deserves to have a wing named after her in the Liars and Lunatics' Hall of Fame (as soon as one is built). She somehow claims that Stone's career as "a paid Soviet agent" is not only "overwhelmingly documented" but also "confirmed" in "declassified Soviet cables." For such pathetic performances, she is praised by MSNBC's Chris Matthews as "brilliant" and invited to lie without challenge as frequently as she likes on his show. Remember, this is not Fox--it's CNN and MSNBC.

It may be true, as Stone said, that "all governments lie," but democracy cannot function if journalists do too. This is why the success of liars like Novak and Coulter at the center of our political culture is a greater danger to America than a truck full of terrorists bent on doing us harm.

More HERE

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

Novak and Coulter - Talk about birds of a feather?

capt

It's official (or as "official" as the Army can be)...

Spanky called this morning to tell us that he's one of the 4,000 soldiers being extended until the end of February.

(he thinks the "4,000" figure is only the actual 1st brigade of the 1st Armored and doesn't include all the support troops)

So...his "out" date was to be 10/1/06...then he was extended, with his unit in Iraq until November, when he had a hope of being "outprocessed" by Christmas...now THIS horseshit...

The deflation in morale is palpable. The anger is rising in the field and the flames of the homefires are being fanned by the ill winds of reality. As more and more truth about the sinister, bullshit push for this ridiculous "war" is known, the higher the flames will reach.

We don't need no water...Let those MotherF*ckers Burn!

Negroponte Muddies NIE Waters

[..]

Most of the U.S. intelligence community has an intense distaste for the Bush administration rising from pressure on spy agencies by Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration officials before the war, to make the Iraqi threat "larger than life," and from the administration's leaking of the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame.

Also, when deciding whether to invade Iraq, the administration refused to pay attention to an analysis from intelligence agencies, which concluded that even if Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, he was unlikely to use them or give them to terrorists, unless the United States were to back him into a corner by threatening the existence of his regime.

Finally, the administration did not heed the intelligence community warning made in January 2003, before the war, that a U.S. invasion could cause internal strife in Iraq for a long time. Now the administration is learning that paybacks from spy agencies are hell, especially during an important election year.

Given Bush's Iraq invasion and his inflammatory rhetoric in the war on terror designed for domestic voters, using words such as "crusade" and "the struggle for civilization" when combined with the Pope's veiled attack on Islam it's no wonder the U.S. intelligence community has confirmed that the wildfire of radical Islamic terrorism is being intensified worldwide.

It's a shame that our governmental and religious leaders cannot behave more responsibly and make the world a safer place, instead of endangering us all by generating more hatred.

More HERE

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

I think the NIE is a good exercise for Crusader Codpiece. He is not able to admit error and now the whole world gets to see the insane notions he operates under. His alternate reality is exposed for what it is when he releases information he BELIEVES supports his case when the facts betray his delusions. More people are seeing the truth.

capt

Terror report clouds Bush narrative

The National Intelligence Estimate's conclusion that the war in Iraq is "a cause celebre for jihadists" and "breeds a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world..." is the intelligence equivalent of the little boy who pointed out that the emperor had no clothes.

[..]

The NIE accepts something that neither President Bush nor his close ally Tony Blair have acknowledged - that Iraq has fueled international Islamic terrorism.

Mr Blair, for example, in his speech to the British Labor Party conference on Tuesday again pointed out that such terrorism preceded the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: "This terrorism isn't our fault. We didn't cause it. It's not the consequence of foreign policy."

But he said nothing about Iraq adding to the problem, as this NIE does.

More HERE

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

It is like Bush is holding an empty hanger and pointing to the fine craftsmanship of the emperor's new outfit.

Always interesting to hear what they are saying across the pond.

capt

Scooter has a "closed-door" hearing today...trial to begin in January...although Libby's lawyers want to push it back until the start of the Iran bombi...uhm, I mean February.

-T

Byron York--what a smug asshole. Corn dismantles every accusatory "question" York poses and York can only maintain airs of superiority and condescension. What a hack. No wonder Corn gets pissed off. We should all be.

Byron York--what a smug asshole. Corn dismantles every accusatory "question" York poses and York can only maintain airs of superiority and condescension. What a hack. No wonder Corn gets pissed off. We should all be.

Happy still lives in his Fox News bubble. About 30 percent of the population still lives in the "create your own reality" universe. I think it has been pretty well established Valerie Wilson was not only a covert agent, but a really important covert agent.

In the bubble, Saddam had nuclear bombs and flying death camels carrying nerve gas.
In the bubble, Iraq is a paradise where the streets are paved in gold and nothing bad ever happens.
In the bubble, everyone has a label. Nobody ever has to think for themselves.
In the bubble, everything is black and white.
In the bubble, country music plays and Nascar drivers go in circles, all day and all night.

Taliban Democrat? The taliban sucks.

You guys hear about that congressional aide that got busted posing as a Democrat posting wierd stuff on a blog. He resigned.

It doesn't matter what the NIE says, the peanuts at PNAC have a plan, it has been a long time coming, this "new american century" where war is safe and peace is dangerous. Nothing less than arrest and inprisonment will stop these lunatics. They don't need no stinkin congress, if they want to nuke the muslamiacs, they will, it definitely makes the world more profitable.

Corky, is this what you are referring to?
Democratic-advocacy site Blue Jersey alleged that a member of the Kean campaign was "astroturfing," posing as a disillusioned Democrat when posting comments critical of Menendez on the site. The Kean campaign denied the charges, but major newspapers (including The New York Times and the Star-Ledger) reported that the IP address used to post the comments was identical to one used by the Kean campaign in their official emails. The Kean campaign could not explain this discrepancy. [12][13] The same IP address was used to make edits to Wikipedia pages related to the election. [14] [15]

Through the looking glass.

On today's Washingtoon Journal (And please note that the guests today were GOPher's Joe Wilson & Peter Hoekstra, then Dem Jane Harman, herself a conservative.) Congresscritter Joe Wilson (R-SC) defended the use of waterboarding specifically. When asked if whether if "you or I were made to feel as if we were drowning, wouldn't we consider it torture?" He answered, "we need to get this information," and said the procedure "was safe."

Later in the program a caller asked about the use of drugs, such as Sodium Pentathal or LSD, which of course the government has a history with, (Anyone can look into MK ULTRA if they wish, on their own, I'll just tangentially remark here that when Gordon Wasson, a wealthy banker was on the trail of the Psilocybe Mexicana in Mexico in 1955 the CIA had an agent within his party.) the good Congresscritter defined that as torture. The strobe lights and loud music are still o.k. though I guess.

walstib

For Sgt. Spanky - Come home alive & with your mates...

ARTIST: Trad and Anon
TITLE: Gee, Mom, I Wanna Go Home

They say that in the Army
The girls are mighty fine
You ask for Betty Grable
They give you Frankenstein

{Refrain, repeat between each verse}
Oh, I don't want no more of Army life
Gee mom, I wanna go home

The biscuits in the Army
They say are mighty fine
One rolled off the table
And killed a pal of mine

They say that in the Army
The coffee's mighty fine
It looks like muddy water
And tastes like turpentine

The say that in the Army
The pay is mighty fine
They give you fifty dollars
And take back forty-nine

A chaplain in the Army
Has a collar on his neck
If you don't listen to him
You'll all wind up in heck

Oh the surgeons in the Army
They say we're mighty bright
We work on soldiers through the day
And nurses through the night

The corporals in the Army
You say we're really green
But if it weren't for us guys
You'd be in the latrine

Oh some guys like the Army
I think that it's a mess
If it's so damn terrific
How come I wear a dress

Friendships in the Army
They say are mighty rare
So I spend all my free time
Carousing with my mare

The girls at the service club
They say are mighty fine
Most are over eighty
And the rest are under nine

{Final refrain}
...Gee, mom, I wanna go
But they won't let me go [back to Ontario]
Gee, mom, I wanna go home

Most Iraqis Favor Immediate U.S. Pullout, Polls Show
Leaders' Views Out of Step With Public
By Amit R. Paley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 27, 2006; Page A22

BAGHDAD, Sept. 26 -- A strong majority of Iraqis want U.S.-led military forces to immediately withdraw from the country, saying their swift departure would make Iraq more secure and decrease sectarian violence, according to new polls by the State Department and independent researchers.

In Baghdad, for example, nearly three-quarters of residents polled said they would feel safer if U.S. and other foreign forces left Iraq, with 65 percent of those asked favoring an immediate pullout, according to State Department polling results obtained by The Washington Post.

Nearly three-quarters of residents in one poll said they would feel safer if U.S.-led troops left Iraq. Some Iraqis say they believe the U.S. presence has fueled sectarian warfare.

Another new poll, scheduled to be released on Wednesday by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, found that 71 percent of Iraqis questioned want the Iraqi government to ask foreign forces to depart within a year. By large margins, though, Iraqis believed that the U.S. government would refuse the request, with 77 percent of those polled saying the United States intends keep permanent military bases in the country.

More.

8
7 The....

Posted by: fubi at September 27, 2006 01:25 AM
==============================================
fubi, you word wizard you:

You can't even get the first two words out of your keyboard right!

Hey! Hey! Happy Bubble Boy!! How's life in the Fox News bubble? Has Bill O' Reilly showed you his falafel yet?

Hey Cornuts,

Have you folks thanked the NIE leakers for bringing `Terrorism' onto the center of our political stage! Even better, linking it to Iraq, time and again!

You know things are going in the Right direction when David's call for Releasing the NIE, was immediately echoed next morning by the Wall St. Journal (yesterday). Then presto, the NIE's key conclusions are released! Made for outstanding `fair and balanced' reading.

As distasteful as leaks are (ALL leakers, corporate, military, or political, abuse the integrity of their employment), their timing on leaking the April NIE is pretty Right!

Bring it On!

#9 Kathleen

Sen. Russ Feingold held a forum that promised to give funds from his Progressive Patriots Fund to the senate challenger that recieved the most votes. Sherrod Brown won. Good luck with that campaign.

Did Armitage and Libby abuse the integrity of thier employment?

Hey the stock market is going to reach an all time high! I feel rich don't you! Maybe I can get a Christmas bonus for the first time in four years!

corky, 46 TRILLION in debt, don't count on the stock market for anything, it's a sham. Any raise will never cover the $300,000+ individual worker share in this country. We are really screwed.

Tuesday 26 September 2006

United States Senate
Committee on the Judiciary
224 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Arlen Specter, Chairman
The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy, Ranking Democratic Member

Dear Senators:

We write as experienced intelligence and military officers who have served in the frontlines in waging war against communism and Islamic extremism. We fully support the need for proactive operations to identify and disrupt those individuals and organizations who wish to harm our country or its people. We also recognize that intelligence operations, unlike law enforcement initiatives, enjoy more flexibility and less scrutiny, but at the same time must continue to be guided by applicable US law.

We are very concerned that the proposals now before the Congress, concerning how to handle detainees suspected of terrorist activities, run the risk of squandering the greatest resource our country enjoys in fighting the dictators and extremists who want to destroy us—our commitment as a nation to the rule of law and the protection of divinely granted human rights.

Apart from the moral considerations, we believe it is important that the Congress send a clear message that torture is not an effective or useful tactic. As noted recently by the head of Army Intelligence, Lt. Gen. John Kimmons:

No good intelligence is going to come from abusive practices. I think history tells us that. I think the empirical evidence of the last five years, hard years, tells us that.

Our nation was created in response to the abuses visited on our ancestors by the King of England, who claimed the right to enter their homes, to levy taxes at whim, and to jail those perceived as a threat without allowing them to be confronted by their accusers. Now, 230 years later, we find our own President claiming the right to put people in detention centers without legal recourse and to employ interrogation methods that, by any reasonable legal standard, are categorized as torture.

We ask that the Senate lead the way in upholding the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence and affirmed in the Geneva Conventions regarding the rights of individuals and the obligations of governing authorities towards those in their power. We believe it is important to combat the hatred and vitriol espoused by Islamic extremists, but not at the expense of being viewed as a nation who justifies or excuses torture and incarceration without recourse to a judicial procedure.

The US has been in the forefront of the human rights campaign throughout the 20th century, led by Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. The end of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust inspired the United States to take the lead in making the case that human rights were universal, not parochial. Until recently the policy of our country was that all people, not just citizens of the United States, were entitled to these protections. It is important that the world understand that we remain committed to these principles. In fighting our enemies we must wage this battle in harmony with the traditional values of our society that were enshrined in the opening clause of the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident...."

Respectfully yours,

CIA Officers:
Milton Bearden, Directorate of Operations
Ray Close, Directorate of Operations
Vincent Cannistraro, Directorate of Operations
Philip Giraldi, Directorate of Operations
James Marcinkowski, Directorate of Operations
Melissa Mahle, Directorate of Operations
Paul Pillar, Directorate of Intelligence
David MacMichael, Directorate of Intelligence
Melvin Goodman, Directorate of Intelligence
Ray McGovern, Directorate of Intelligence
Mary O. McCarthy, DCI professional staff

US Military and Department of Defense:
W. Patrick Lang, (Colonel, US Army retired, Director Defense Humint Services, retired)
A. D. Ackels, (Colonel, US Army, retired)
Karen Kwiatkowski, (Lt. Colonel, USAF, retired)

US Department of State:
Thomas R. Maertens, Deputy Coordinator, Office of Counter Terrorism, US Department of State
Larry C Johnson, Office of Counter Terrorism, US Department of State

Federal Bureau of Investigation:
Christopher Whitcomb, Hostage Rescue Team

My sister heard a military expert on yesterday's Al Franken show on Air America. He says the "October Surprise" will more likely be a naval blockade of Iran. I have read somewhere that plans had been drawn up months ago for a five-day bombing of supposed nuclear sites. I'm guessing the actual Iran attack will perhaps happen after the election. But as the article below says, and I've read this everywhere, the world is deadset against any attacks on Iran.
That should slow the war wagon down a little shouldn't it?

An October Surprise?

Happy award for one of my portfolio companies! Now, I've got some consulting duties to attend to!

Hey, corky, as long as you are tossing duds at me, here's mine: I'll make more in the next 24 hours consulting than however big your X'mas bonus maight be!

Diebold Recognized as a Best Workplace by NorthCoast 99
September 26, 2006

NORTH CANTON, Ohio, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Diebold was selected by the Employers Resource Council (ERC) through its NorthCoast 99 program as one of the best workplaces in Northeast Ohio for its ability to attract, retain and motivate top performers. Diebold achieved this distinction through its foundation of organizational policies and practices designed to support the fundamental needs of talented associates.

NorthCoast 99 honors great workplaces in Northeast Ohio that excel in associate recruitment and retention.....This year, nearly 300 applications were received.

Patrick Perry, president of ERC, said ...."Companies like Diebold that are recognized as a great workplace are uniquely positioned to recruit and retain top talent," Perry said. "In addition, there is substantial evidence to support the theory that organizations that develop excellent workplaces are more profitable than traditionally managed firms."

The selection process.....

....."Diebold is a progressive company that strives to provide industry leading benefits to its associates including adoption assistance, on-site medical screenings and other innovative medical health plans," Rutt said. "Diebold has a long history as an Ohio employer and the NorthCoast 99 award recognizes our efforts to build a company that recognizes the importance of its workforce and rewards performance. This award is an excellent local achievement that we can leverage on a global scale to broaden our talent base and deliver excellence."

dictators and extremists who want to destroy us? By all means, waterboard bushco! Commitment to the rule of law? I'm really laughing now. Can there possibly be a bigger asshole on this blog than happy? What a disgusting person. I hope you choke on your money you little fascist.

Sal, BIG fascist-moneywhore, karma will claim him, no worries.

new thread

Jesus Lord! Happy, you're disgusting for bragging about how much money you make. And for God's sake, you make money off of Diebold? That's traitorous!

I got this link from the Capitol Blue article by Martin Schram, "Why Didn't Bush Retaliate For The USS Cole Bombing?" linked by Capt @#13. It's out of Raw Story and clearly shows Condi to be the liar we all know she is. When I watched her testimony during the 9/11 Commission hearings I came to truly despise her as one of the worst offenders against the truth in the Bush administration along with Cheney, the "chanter-in-chief." (Martin Schram's delightful phrase.) I can't stand to look at her. Just as painful as watching Bush.

By the way Capt, I emailed that article by Schram to friends and family. What a lovely writer he is.

Oh yes! Thank you Kirk for the DVD "9/11: Press For Truth". What a documentary! Fully backed up with factual evidence.

2001 Memo To Rice Contradicts Statements Made About Clinton, Pakistan