Jean Schmidt is MiniBush
Not only did this woman say nothing but words that Bush has said in his speeches, but she seemed to think that attending the memorial of a soldier from Iraq means she's more experienced than the guy who actually SERVED in Iraq. Big. Talking. Head. I don't know how David Gregory could stay cool during that interview. I probably would have resorted to Bill O'Reilly's old "SHUT UP!" response.
Go Figure - London Suspects All Caught
Swooped right in and picked up a bunch of suspects, including four they believe are identified on videos, in 8 days. But Dubya's had almost 4 years and no sign of Bin Laden. Amazing! Without firing a shot, police raiding apartments Friday in London and Rome rounded up the last of the four suspected attackers from the failed July 21 transit bombings in Britain.
Two of the suspects were arrested in west London, near the trendy Notting Hill neighborhood, following raids by heavily armed police wearing gas masks and lobbing stun grenades...
So far, about two dozen people have been arrested in connection with the attacks last week in which bombs in backpacks failed to detonate fully on three subway trains and a double-decker bus. Those attacks caused no injuries, unlike the July 7 attacks in London that killed 56 people, including the four suicide bombers.
Hackett on Hardball
Yellow Dog has a great rundown of Paul Hackett's appearance on Hardball last night. Excerpts: MATTHEWS: What is a chicken hawk?
HACKETT: Chicken hawk is somebody who is not willing to fight the fight of their age, their generation, and speaks brashly and with unnecessary bravado when they‘re sending other kids and other sons and daughters, other folks‘ sons and daughters, off to war.
It is—encompasses language like, bring it on. It encompasses language like, you‘re with us or you‘re against us and we‘re going to take it to you. And I think that‘s dangerous. And I‘ve got to tell you, you know, when we‘re over there fighting in Iraq, Marines and soldiers, and we hear language like, bring it on coming from the Oval Office, that‘s a danger. We don‘t need that. That‘s encouraging an...
MATTHEWS: Paul, why did you call the president—why did you call the president of the United States, whose office you respect, a chicken hawk?
HACKETT: I respect the office of the president of the United States. I said those words. I meant them. I stand by them. I would say them again.
And I‘m—look, I‘m not a career politician. I‘m a tough-talking, straight-shooting, forward guy. What you see is what you get. And one of my heroes, Harry Truman, said, if you can‘t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. I‘m taking some heat for it. I‘m OK with it. The hits are easy compared to some of things that I‘ve seen in the last year or so.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
HACKETT: And I stand by it. HOT DAMN! Someone actually standing by their words??? Ah do declare, someone bring me ma smellin' salts!
Bolton Lied? Naaaaah.
How do you forget being interviewed or testifying? Gosh, those guys must have to do it pretty often to forget they did it. John Bolton, President Bush's nominee for U.N. ambassador, mistakenly told Congress he had not been interviewed or testified in any investigation over the past five years, the State Department said Thursday.
Bolton was interviewed by the State Department inspector general in 2003 as part of a joint investigation with the Central Intelligence Agency into prewar Iraqi attempts to buy nuclear materials from Niger, State Department spokesman Noel Clay said.
The admission came hours after another State Department official said Bolton had correctly answered a Senate questionnaire when he wrote that he has not testified to a grand jury or been interviewed by investigators in any inquiry over the past five years...
"It seems unusual that Mr. Bolton would not remember his involvement in such a serious matter," said Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record), D-Del., the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "In my mind, this raises more questions that need to be answered. I hope President Bush will not make the mistake of recess appointing Mr. Bolton." Don't worry, Joe, Bush will do just that, making even MORE mistakes in his joke of a presidency. And so many will just stand by, nod and smile.
Stop EVERYTHING for Gun Rights!
I find it utterly ridiculous that grown men are SO hard up for their weaponry that little else can be done until their agenda goes through the senate - INCLUDING the defense bill. Listen, I don't have a big issue with guns. I like guns. There is nothing sexier than a hot chick with a nice shiny gun. I like shooting guns. They make a nice "bang" and there is a certain something about a gun's kickback that is pretty damn cool. But I don't own a gun. I don't need to. I have a small child in the house and I live in a reasonably safe neighborhood. I don't hunt defenseless animals for sport. I don't expect the government to bust into my house, and if they did, whatever weapon I had would be no match for what THEY had. So what's the NRA's obsession with wanting to keep assault weapons available to the general public? Are they necessary to bring down that rabid buck that's charging you, ready to gore you with his antlers? Are they necessary to keep tresspassers off your lawn? Do they think an assault weapon will keep the government from invading your home without cause? Is the right to keep an assault weapon THAT much more important than passing a defense bill? Nope, I don't get it.
Latoyia Figueroa: Pregnant & Missing 9 Days
A young mother expecting her second child disappeared on June 18th, and bloggers are taking up the cause to help find her. The All Spin Zone, maintained by Richard Blair, has been giving frequent updates on the case. He's rather upset that this case has received so little attention when compared to that of the missing pretty blonde teenager down in Aruba. He's asking that bloggers spread the word, so I thought I'd lend my small hand to it.
Doonesbury for You
Just in case you aren't able to read Doonesbury because your paper pulled it, here's the link :)
Bad Planning To Blame for Current Chaos
As Patrick Fitzgerald continues to interview anyone even remotely connected with the Plame leak, an independent panel headed up by two former US national security advisors says the chaos in Iraq is due to poor post-war planning. Planning for reconstruction should match the serious planning that goes into making war, said the panel headed by Samuel Berger and Brent Scowcroft. Berger was national security adviser to Democratic President Clinton. Scowcroft held the same post under Republican Presidents Ford and George H.W. Bush but has been critical of the current president's Iraq and Mideast policies.
"A dramatic military victory has been overshadowed by chaos and bloodshed in the streets of Baghdad, difficulty in establishing security or providing essential services, and a deadly insurgency," the report said...
The report said the critical miscalculation of Iraq war-planning was the conclusion that reconstruction would not require more troops than the invasion itself.
Not only are more troops needed but they should be trained for postwar duty, the task force said.
In Iraq, the task force said, postwar requirements did not get enough attention, and there were misjudgments, as well. This, the report said, "left the United States ill-equipped to address public security, governance and economic demands" after the war. In the past, Bush has replied to this kind of criticism with "...progress is being made."
Paul Hackett for Congress
 Are you from Ohio? Check out Paul Hackett's website. If elected, he'd be the first congressman to have served in Iraq. Good luck, Paul!
Military Lies and Roberts Lies
My o my, this morning's review of the news certainly has given me a lot to chew on. Once you get through this, don't miss my previous post that went up last night. First up: the military's PR department fucks up and uses the same "quote" in two different releases! 'Enemies of humanity' quote raises Iraq PR questions
News release quotes from unidentified Iraqis are virtually the same
Following a car bombing in Baghdad on Sunday, the U.S. military issued a statement with a quotation attributed to an unidentified Iraqi that was virtually identical to a quote reacting to an attack on July 13.
After questioning by news media, the military released the statement without the quotation.
Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, spokesman for the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, said use of the quote was an "administrative error." He said the military was looking into the matter. Administrative error... riiiiiight. Next up: Roberts has "no memory" of belonging to the Federalist Society, despite a 1997-1998 directy listing him on their steering committee along with his law firm's phone number and address.
The Federalist Society was founded in 1982 by conservatives who disagreed with what they saw as a leftist tilt in the nation's law schools. The group sponsors legal symposia and similar activities and serves as a network for rising conservative lawyers. In conservative circles, membership in or association with the society has become a badge of ideological and political reliability. Roberts's membership was routinely reported by news organizations in the context of his work in two GOP administrations and legal assistance to the party during the contested 2000 presidential election in Florida...
"What matters is whether he hung out with them and not whether he signed the form or wrote the dues check," said David Garrow, a law professor at Emory University. "What's important is the intellectual immersion."
Umm, wouldn't you think that someone on a STEERING COMMITTEE would have at least the minimal amount of 'intellectual immersion' into that group? And WTF is this 'hung out with them' shit? I don't 'hang out' with members of the American Cancer Society, but I believe in their work and send donations. I also do not 'hang out' with PETA, and despite the fact that they CAN get little nutty sometimes, I've donated to them, too. I don't write long articles extolling the virtues of either organization, but you may assume that I support their efforts at least a little bit since I gave them money.
I hereby nominate David Garrow for the award of Stupid Statement of the Day.
Back to the subject at hand... The fact that Roberts doesn't even recall being on this group's steering committee tells me he's trying to shed his rep as a hardline right-winger OR he joins any organization he can to make his credentials look good without regard for that group's philosophy. WHATever.
UPDATE: One more news bit on Roberts.
White House Won't Show All Roberts Papers
John Roberts worked for two Republican administrations, offering private legal assessments that have yet to be opened to historians or the public. Now that Roberts is President Bush's choice to join the Supreme Court, some Senate Democrats want to see the documents he produced — all of them.
No, responded one White House representative. We'll see, said another. How about some open honesty for once? Just once???
A Lot Can Happen In 12 Hours...
Okay, surfing around my usual haunts, I discovered a piece of information I did not know about, although the information is apparently 2 years old. Check this out: After Frank Rich wrote an op/ed piece reminding us of this information, Alberto Gonzales admitted on Face The Nation today that on September 29, 2003, the Justice Department notified him that they would proceed with an investigation into who leaked Valerie Plame's identity and that he asked that since it was approximately 8:00pm (and most White House staffers had gone home), would it be alright to officially inform White House staff in the morning. He was given the ok to do so, yet he contacted the Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, prior to making the formal announcement to White House staff that they were required to preserve any and all evidence. So for 12 hours, the White House knew they were going to be investigated but had not officially been told to preserve evidence. Considering that White House staffers are likely to have top-of-the-line communication devices (cell phones, BlackBerrys - or would they be BlackBerries? - email, InstantMessaging...), how many people could Andrew Card have contacted? Did he speak to anyone who returned to the White House that evening? Did someone stay later than usual? Surely there are logs with information as to who entered and exited the premises that evening, right? I'd be very interested in the answers to those questions. UPDATE: WaPo also discusses this on Page Two today (07/25).
Government Defies Court Order to Release More Photos
Again, another big f-ing surprise. Lawyers for the Defense Department are refusing to cooperate with a federal judge's order to release secret photographs and videotapes related to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal.
The lawyers said in a letter sent to the federal court in Manhattan late Thursday that they would file a sealed brief explaining their reasons for not turning over the material, which they were to have released by yesterday.
The photographs were some of thousands turned over by Specialist Joseph M. Darby, the whistle-blower who exposed the abuse at Abu Ghraib by giving investigators computer disks containing photographs and videos of prisoners being abused, sexually humiliated and threatened with growling dogs. Isolated incidents, rogue soldiers, nothing to see here! MOVE ALONG!
Ex-CIA Officers Rip Bush Over Rove Leak
From the hearing today: Former U.S. intelligence officers criticized President Bush on Friday for not disciplining Karl Rove in connection with the leak of the name of a CIA officer, saying Bush's lack of action has jeopardized national security.
In a hearing held by Senate and House Democrats examining the implications of exposing Valerie Plame's identity, the former intelligence officers said Bush's silence has hampered efforts to recruit informants to help the United States fight the war on terror...
"I wouldn't be here this morning if President Bush had done the one thing required of him as commander in chief — protect and defend the Constitution," said Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst. "The minute that Valerie Plame's identity was outed, he should have delivered a strict and strong message to his employees." I am pleased to see that ex-CIA officers are setting the record straight, particularly since ex-CIA officers would know a thing or two about how secret they have to keep their identities.
Nice Job, Schmucks!
White House website still has the LIE about Hussein trying to get uranium from Africa on it. Dumbasses. I took a screenshot, will link it for posterity when I get home should they get off their asses and fix it. Dumb. Asses.
National Sex Offender Public Registry Now Online
If you live in any of the following states: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin. You can now search the national sex offender registry at this site: http://www.nsopr.gov/All states except Oregon publish at least some information on some of their convicted sex offenders, but it varies by state. Oregon does offer information by telephone. FYI: I did a search in Morris County, New Jersey and had a hard time with their query system. I found that entering a county and searching the earliest date I could choose gave me results. Luckily, only one freak came up.
Secret? or TOP Secret?
According to AMERICAblog, the Wall Street Journal will be publishing an article that reveals the 07/07/03 memo was not just "Secret", it was "TOP SECRET", which is nice to know since Republican spin has been trying to make it out to only be secret and gosh, that's nothing like TOP secret, so no one did anything wrong. I don't see much of a difference between secret and top secret - I think one could safely assume that information labeled under either heading shouldn't be given to reporters. But hey, that's just me and my silly logic. Oh, I just checked ThinkProgress and someone there has a subscription to the WSJ. I don't, but here's the quote they pulled from the article: A key department memo discussing Joseph Wilson’s Niger trip was classified “Top Secret,” and the passage about his wife’s CIA role was specially marked “S/NF” — not to be shared with any foreign intelligence agencies. Will there be bickering now about whether the ENTIRE MEMO was Top Secret, or if other information contained was just "Secret" and therefor not at bad if it was given to reporters? Guess what - IT DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER. It was information that should not have been shared. The Bush administration didn't get bad intel when justifying the reasons to go into Iraq - THEY LIED. They were told they were wrong and they bamboozled enough people into getting in there. And they lied again when they insisted they had nothing to do with the leak. And they are continuing to deceive us. They should not be rewarded for these deceptions and lies with support. They have thrown away the lives of nearly 2000 US soldiers, not to mention thousands and thousands of Iraqi citizens and soldiers from other countries - all based on their desire to get into Iraq. And the people who should be the most angry are the people who supported Bush. They should be angry for having put their faith in this lying slimeball. They should be angry for believing his lies. They should be out there demanding the truth louder than anyone else.
So, Two Days?
Either I'm psychic, or I'm really getting the hang of Bush's diversionary games. I do believe I predicted the SCOTUS nominations would shift the focus from Rove for one, possibly two days, and lookee here at what the Washington Post has as their Page 1 top story: Plame's Identity Marked As Secret
Memo Central to Probe Of Leak Was Written By State Dept. Analyst
A classified State Department memorandum central to a federal leak investigation contained information about CIA officer Valerie Plame in a paragraph marked "(S)" for secret, a clear indication that any Bush administration official who read it should have been aware the information was classified, according to current and former government officials.
Plame -- who is referred to by her married name, Valerie Wilson, in the memo -- is mentioned in the second paragraph of the three-page document, which was written on June 10, 2003, by an analyst in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), according to a source who described the memo to The Washington Post.
The paragraph identifying her as the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV was clearly marked to show that it contained classified material at the "secret" level, two sources said. The CIA classifies as "secret" the names of officers whose identities are covert, according to former senior agency officials.
Anyone reading that paragraph should have been aware that it contained secret information, though that designation was not specifically attached to Plame's name and did not describe her status as covert, the sources said. It is a federal crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for a federal official to knowingly disclose the identity of a covert CIA official if the person knows the government is trying to keep it secret... So, there was information clearly marked as SECRET, and the information contained Valerie Plame's identity. And this memo was in the possession of White House officials:
The memo was delivered to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell on July 7, 2003, as he headed to Africa for a trip with President Bush aboard Air Force One. Plame was unmasked in a syndicated column by Robert D. Novak seven days later.
Okay, so we're at the point where we know that the Bush administration had a memo in which at least one paragraph, the one mentioning Joseph Wilson's wife, was labeled to indicate sensitive (secret) information was there. Dunno about anyone else, but that would tell me that I shouldn't go flapping my gums about it to reporters, whether THEY bring it up or YOU bring it up. Maybe it's just me and my definition of the word "SECRET".
Former CIA Officers' Open Letter
Here is why - from former CIA officers - the Plame leak IS a big goddamn deal and SHOULDN'T be brushed aside. PDF original here.We, the undersigned former U.S. intelligence officers are concerned with the tone and substance of the public debate over the ongoing Department of Justice investigation into who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, wife of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak and other members of the media, which exposed her status as an undercover CIA officer. The disclosure of Ms. Plame´s name me was a shameful event in American history and, in our professional judgment, may have damaged U.S. national security and poses a threat to the ability of U.S. intelligence gathering using human sources. Any breach of the code of confidentiality and cover weakens the overall fabric of intelligence, and, directly or indirectly, jeopardizes the work and safety of intelligence workers and their sources. The Republican National Committee has circulated talking points to supporters to use as part of a coordinated strategy to discredit Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife. As part of this campaign a common theme is the idea that Ambassador Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame was not undercover and deserved no protection. The following are four recent examples of this "talking point":
* Michael Medved stated on Larry King Live on July 12, 2005, "And let's be honest about this. Mrs. Plame, Mrs. Wilson, had a desk job at Langley. She went back and forth every single day."
* Victoria Toensing stated on a Fox News program with John Gibson on July 12, 2005 that, "Well, they weren't taking affirmative measures to protect that identity. They gave her a desk job in Langley. You don't really have somebody deep undercover going back and forth to Langley, where people can see them."
* Ed Rodgers, Washington Lobbyist and former Republican official, said on July 13, 2005 on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, "And also I think it is now a matter of established fact that Mrs. Plame was not a protected covert agent, and I don't think there's any meaningful investigation about that."
* House majority whip Roy Blunt (R, Mo), on Face the Nation, July 17, 2005, "It certainly wouldn't be the first time that the CIA might have been overzealous in sort of maintaining the kind of top-secret definition on things longer than they needed to. You know, this was a job that the ambassador's wife had that she went to every day. It was a desk job. I think many people in Washington understood that her employment was at the CIA, and she went to that office every day."
These comments reveal an astonishing ignorance of the intelligence community and the role of cover. The fact is that there are thousands of U.S. intelligence officers who "work at a desk" in the Washington, D.C. area every day who are undercover. Some have official cover, and some have non-official cover. Both classes of cover must and should be protected.
While we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation and that the U.S. Attorney General has recused himself, we believe that the partisan attacks against Valerie Plame are sending a deeply discouraging message to the men and women who have agreed to work undercover for their nation's security.
We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act. However, we are confident that Valerie Plame was working in a cover status and that our nation's leaders, regardless of political party, have a duty to protect all intelligence officers. We believe it is appropriate for the President to move proactively to dismiss from office or administratively punish any official who participated in any way in revealing Valerie Plame's status. Such an act by the President would send an unambiguous message that leaks of this nature will not be tolerated and would be consistent with his duties as the Commander-in-Chief.
We also believe it is important that Congress speak with one non-partisan voice on this issue. Intelligence officers should not be used as political footballs. In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor. We stand in her stead and ask that Republicans and Democrats honor her service to her country and stop the campaign of disparagement and innuendo aimed at discrediting Mrs. Wilson and her husband.
Our friends and colleagues have difficult jobs gathering the intelligence, which helps, for example, to prevent terrorist attacks against Americans at home and abroad. They sometimes face great personal risk and must spend long hours away from family and friends. They serve because they love this country and are committed to protecting it from threats from abroad and to defending the principles of liberty and freedom. They do not expect public acknowledgement for their work, but they do expect and deserve their government's protection of their covert status.
For the good of our country, we ask you to please stand up for every man and woman who works for the U.S. intelligence community and help protect their ability to live their cover.
Sincerely yours,
Larry C. Johnson, former Analyst, CIA
JOINED BY: Mr. Brent Cavan, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Vince Cannistraro, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Michael Grimaldi, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Mel Goodman, former senior Analyst, CIA
Col. W. Patrick Lang (US Army retired), former Director, Defense Humint Services, DIA
Mr. David MacMichael, former senior estimates officer, National Intelligence Council, CIA
Mr. James Marcinkowski, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Ray McGovern, former senior Analyst and PDB Briefer, CIA
Mr. Jim Smith, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. William C. Wagner, former Case Officer, CIA
Deflection Is Key
More reports of Bush announcing his SCOTUS nomination early to help shift the focus away from Rove. Bush accelerated his search for a Supreme Court nominee in part because of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's name, according to Republicans familiar with administration strategy.
Bush originally had planned to announce a replacement for retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on July 26 or 27, just before his planned July 28 departure for a month-long vacation at his Crawford, Texas, ranch, said two administration officials, who spoke on the condition they not be named.
The officials said those plans changed because Rove has become a focus of Fitzgerald's interest and of news accounts about the matter. Of course Dan Bartlett says otherwise: Presidential counselor Dan Bartlett said the only reason Bush announced his selection of appeals court Judge John G. Roberts Jr. last night was to allow the nominee to pay courtesy calls on members of the Senate before Congress begins its scheduled summer recess on July 29. Yep, let's draw attention to this Republican lapdog so that no one pays attention to the Brain behind the curtain. We know their game, people. Don't let them get away with it.
Jimmy Doohan Died :(
So sad for Trek fans, Scotty's been beamed up to the big starship in the sky. James Doohan, the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" TV series and movies who responded to the command "Beam me up, Scotty," died Wednesday. He was 85.
Doohan died at 5:30 a.m. at his Redmond, Wash., home with his wife of 28 years, Wende, at his side, Los Angeles agent and longtime friend Steve Stevens said. The cause of death was pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease, he said.
Yep, Judge Sucks - Let's Keep Moving...
The wonderful gal who is doing the Moxie site redesign is a Republican (has a full right-wing blogroll) - we made a pact never to discuss politics, because in all other respects we get along fantastically. Well, after hearing about Bush's SCOTUS nominee, not even SHE is pleased. All I need to say about this judge is that he's an attempt at a diversion from Bush's real problems. This judge was chosen specifically to rile up just about everyone and get them scurrying. I'm not biting. Here is the big picture: Bush wanted to be a wartime president. When Joseph Wilson stated publically that Bush's reasons for going to war were at least partially manufactured, they began a campaign to discredit him however they could and destroyed his wife's career - possibly endangering the lives of many other people. Now they are trying to throw flash and dazzle to divert attention from what has surfaced. How anyone can still firmly support this man and his administration is something I will never understand. Blind faith in someone scares me. I've lived long enough on this earth to know that it a rare human being you can trust implicitly. I wouldn't trust ANY politician, regardless of party afiliation, with the blind faith I've seen people hang on Bush. Going into Iraq has not even remotely stopped terrorism. Taking Saddam Hussein down did not save the US from impending doom. Occupying Iraq has not stopped suicide bombings. It has wasted our energy and resources, resulted in scores of unnecessary deaths, and made the US more vulnerable by sending our National Guard there instead of staying here. Invading and occupying Iraq has done nothing to capture Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind September 11th. Yet so many people are clinging to Bush. So desperate for a leader that they will grasp at whomever is there, attempting to nitpick over the very definition of words and refusing to see the forest for the trees? Our country is dying. Where once we were a strong leader, with innovation, invention, science, technology, we now outsource nearly everything. People buy their $4 coffees while the person behind the counter barely gets paid minimum wage. The computer industry is moving overseas so that corporations can make higher profits - suddenly that programmer is the guy behind the coffee counter. Clothes, appliances, etc - "Made in China", or Taiwan, or Mexico. What Bush is doing isn't helping our country. It's helping to kill it.
Supreme Court Issue Moved Up To Help Deflect Attention From Rove
No, actually, I didn't come to that conclusion. Reuters reports: Sources said the timing of an announcement had been moved up in part to deflect attention away from a CIA leak controversy that has engulfed Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove.
A Republican strategist with close to the White House described Clement as the leading candidate. "She's pretty untouchable," he said. "Plus, it helps take Rove off the front pages for a week." I'd argue "a week" - I'll guess closer to one day, maybe two days. After all, there's already organized protests. UPDATE: I keep forgetting to pop this in a post, so I'm putting it here for now... this is from Salon. There's more news out today on that State Department memo on Valerie Plame -- the one Ari Fleischer and other White House officials may have been studying as they flew to Africa on Air Force One on July 7, 2003. The memo may have been the basis for the leaks of Plame's identity to Robert Novak, Matthew Cooper and other reporters. But as the Wall Street Journal is reporting today, anyone reading the memo should have understood that its contents were meant to be confidential. The Journal says that, according to a source familiar with the document, the paragraph of the memo containing information about Plame's job was marked "with a letter designation in brackets to indicate the information shouldn't be shared." As the Journal explains, the designation on the memo "will make it harder for officials who saw the document to claim that they didn't realize the identity of the CIA officer was a sensitive matter."
63 Days
Quick aside from politics. One of the blogs I've found very educational is 63 Days, written by a woman who was forced into one of those wilderness survival camps for troubled teens. At first you might think she's being dramatic, because the conditions she describes are horrific: starvation, rape, cruelty. Because I enjoy researching topics I want to learn more about, I discovered a secret that has yet to be divulged to the public at large. There have been camps where kids have starved to death or been beaten to death and very little has been done about it. One of the first of these camps was the Challenger Program, run by Steve Cartisano. Steve uses several aliases and is still in the business, operating outside the country.
Remembering Michelle chronicles the events that lead to the death of Michelle Sutton. There is a photograph on the website of Michelle's body - left for 22 hours - after she had died of dehydration. Her mother is a frequent visitor and commentor of 63 Days. Several cases, including that of Kristin Chase and Aaron Bacon, are discussed in Loving Them To Death, by Jon Krakauer. "Aaron Bacon, a 5-foot-11-inch teen, began the course weighing 131 pounds. When he died 30 days later, he weighed 108 pounds. " I could go on about what I found, but you can find the majority of info here. And you can find a list of children who died on one of these things here. I don't think it's complete though. Sickeningly, I heard about Brat Camp, the latest "Fakeality" TV show. My only solace is that it's being filmed the entire time, so it's highly unlikely that the counselors will be able to get away with anything. I did find it disturbing that ABC had no issue with putting up bios about the kids, including reasons why they were there. One girl was molested, and has yet to deal with those issues. Apparently making her hike 10 miles with a 40 lbs backpack will do it. Wonder if she has a problem with ABC telling the world about her being molested... The reason I bring this all this up? They killed another kid. It's STILL happening. Do you know parents who are considering this type of program for their troubled teen? I BEG YOU to give them this information first.
All The Pretty Lies...
Well, as I've mentioned before, Bush doesn't want to comment on the Plame thing because he doesn't know all the facts, it's an ongoing investigation, his hand is broken and he can't pick up the phone, he's become a blind-deaf-mute (no offense to blind, deaf and mute people)... Whatever his excuse, the story has yet to show signs of going away quietly. LA Times reports that Rove and Libby set their sights on Wilson and worked feverishly to discredit him (remember kids: WILSON WAS RIGHT - HUSSEIN NEVER TRIED TO BUY ANYTHING FROM NIGER). What I find VERY interesting about this article is this right here: A source directly familiar with information provided to prosecutors said Rove's interest was so strong that it prompted questions in the White House. When asked at one point why he was pursuing the diplomat so aggressively, Rove reportedly responded: "He's a Democrat."
Regardless of Rove's legal liability, the description of his role runs contrary to earlier White House statements that Rove and Libby were not involved in the unmasking of Wilson's wife, and it suggests they were part of a campaign to discredit Wilson. Criminal investigation going on. Bush says he expects all White House Staff to cooperate with investigation. But despite the fact that other people asked Rove why he was so rabid for Wilson, NO ONE COULD POSSIBLY SUSPECT he had anything to do with ruining Plame's career and possibly putting lives at risk? Yep, honesty and integrity. That's the FIRST thing I think of with this administration. PS: Just in case Bush didn't make it absolutely clear - he'll only fire someone if they did something ILLEGAL. Anyone who does something JUST SHY of illegal or gets away with something is a-ok in his book!
Ken Mehlman - Utter Moron
Ken made a complete ass of himself today on CNN, proclaiming: The NAACP unfortunately in the 2000 campaign likened the president to James Byrd, who was a racist killer in east Texas, who the president brought to justice. ...when in actuality, James Byrd was a black man in Texas who was tied to the back of a truck and dragged to his death. Ken, you are an official fucktard. Next time you open yer yap on national TV, make sure you know what the fuck you are talking about, you fucking idiot.
Someone Save Him From The Rabid Press!!!
Current Rove, Plame Timeline - More to Come
UPDATED: July 22, 2005February 2002 - Joseph Wilson goes to Africa to investigate intelligence that Iraq was trying to purchase "yellowcake". September 24, 2002 - British Prime Minister Tony Blair says in a speech, "Saddam has been trying to buy significant quantities of uranium from Africa." after a "white paper" is put together with the Niger claim. October 7, 2002 - In a speech in Cincinnati, Bush states "The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program..." It is later revealed that George Tenet of the CIA had asked that any reference to Iraq's attempt to purchase uranium from Africa be deleted from the speech. January 1, 2003 - Ron Suskind prints article stating that "Rove was fired from the 1992 Bush presidential campaign after he planted a negative story with columnist Robert Novak about dissatisfaction with campaign fundraising chief and Bush loyalist Robert Mosbacher Jr. It was smoked out, and he was summarily ousted."January 28, 2003 - In the State of the Union address, Bush states "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."March 14, 2003 - The documents used to support the idea that Hussein tried to obtain uranium from Africa prove to be "obvious fakes". March 19, 2003 - Invasion of Iraq begins. May 6, 2003 - Nicholas Kristof writes first public account of Wilson's trip to Niger, though he does not use Wilson's name. May 20, 2003 - Ari Fleischer announces his resignation and is expected to stay on through July 2003. June 12, 2003 - Walter Pincus of WaPo publishes article about Wilson's trip to Niger, also not naming him. He later admits that Wilson was one of his sources after being given permission by Wilson to identify him. July 6, 2003 - Joseph Wilson goes public with "What I Didn't Find in Africa", originally printed in the New York Times. In it he states that the CIA told him that VP Cheney had questions about an intelligence report and agency officials asked if he would travel to Niger to investigate further. Wilson determines that there was no valid evidence of attempts by Hussein to obtain "yellowcake", which he relayed to the CIA and also the State Department African Affairs Bureau. July 7, 2003 - A Classified memo is delivered to Colin Powell, with the second paragraph referring to Valerie Wilson being marked with an "S" - an indicator that the information is sensitive and SECRET. July 8, 2003 - Robert Novak apparently initiates call to Karl Rove. Rove says Novak disclosed Plame's name to him, and the circumstances regarding Wilson's Niger trip and responded with something akin to "I heard that, too." This suggests that even if Rove did not specifically know Plame's name, he knew that she was Joseph Wilson's wife. July 11, 2003 - George Tenet, Director of Centeral Intelligence releases a statement that Bush should never have included the infamous "16 words" in his State of the Union speech. July 11, 2003 - Matthew Cooper types email to his bureau chief that states "Spoke to Rove on double super secret background for about two mins before he went on vacation ..." Cooper proceeded to spell out some guidance on a story that was beginning to roil Washington. He finished, "please don't source this to rove or even WH [White House]"July 11, 2003 - Rove emails Bush's #2 Security Advisor [Stephen Hadley] that he mentioned a CIA operative to a reporter. July 12, 2003 - Ari Fleischer tries to cover for Bush's words from the State of the Union address by stating that they were written based on four-year-old intelligence rather than non-credible newer intelligence. July 14, 2003 - Robert Novak's column goes to print - he outs Valerie Plame. "...but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction."July 18, 2003 - British WMD expert David Kelly is found dead, two days after giving testimony to the Intelligence and Security Agency. An email he sent to a New York Times journalist on July 17, 2003 states "...many dark actors playing games."September 16, 2003 - Scott McClellan says it's "totally ridiculous" to say that Rove was the Plame leak. September 29, 2003 - ABC reporter Andrea Owen asks Karl Rove, on camera, " "Did you have any knowledge or did you leak the name of the CIA agent to the press?" Rove: "No." At which point, Mr. Rove shut his car door... September 29, 2003 - At the White House Press Briefing, Scott McClellan asserts "But we've made it very clear that anyone -- anyone -- who has information relating to this should report that information to the Department of Justice."
September 30, 2003 - Larry Johnson states on PBS program that Plame was undercover. October 1, 2003 - Robert Novak prints a follow up column where he admits that one senior administration offical told him about "Wilson's wife" and confirmed her identity with a second senior administration official [Rove] who said "Oh, you know about it."October 10, 2003 - McClellan states: Q Scott, earlier this week you told us that neither Karl Rove, Elliot Abrams nor Lewis Libby disclosed any classified information with regard to the leak. I wondered if you could tell us more specifically whether any of them told any reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA?
MR. McCLELLAN: 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.
Q So none of them told any reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA?
MR. McCLELLAN: They assured me that they were not involved in this. January 17, 2004 - Wilson and Plame are featured in Vanity Fair. February 11, 2004 - Bush: "If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is"June 3, 2004 - Bush announces George Tenet's resignation. Bush also announces that he will hire attorney James Sharp if questioned in the investigation. June 24, 2004 - George W. Bush is questioned by Patrick Fitzgerald for approximately 70 minutes, in the Oval Office and not under oath. July 31, 2004 - Rove tells CNN "I didn't know her name and didn't leak her name." - This has become a hot topic due to the semantics of his carefully chosen words. Many believe he still could have revealed her identity without knowing or speaking her name (i.e. referring to 'Wilson's wife', or 'Valerie Wilson' rather than 'Valerie Plame'). September 15, 2004 - Walter Pincus' source reveals his or her identity to the prosecutor and has given Pincus permission to be questioned. Leak identity remains confidential. February 15, 2005 - Courts demand that Matthew Cooper and Judith Miller cooperate with prosecutors since the case may involve a felony. July 1, 2005 - Lawrence O'Donnell, political analyst for MSNBC, reveals on the McLaughlin Group that Newsweek will reveal Karl Rove as Matthew Cooper's source. July 4, 2005 - Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, reveals that Rove indeed spoke with reporters about Plame before Robert Novak's story was published, which contradicts Rove's earlier assertion that he did not speak to reporters about her until after Plame's identity had been revealed. July 6, 2005 - Judith Miller is jailed for refusing to testify. July 11, 2005 - Time Magazine officially reveals that Karl Rove was Matt Cooper's source, two years to the day that Cooper typed the email revealing that information. July 11, 2005 - Scott McClellan starts hardcore stonewalling when grilled by White House correspondents. July 13, 2005 - Matthew Cooper testifies that Karl Rove was a source. July 13, 2005 - Larry Johnson, former CIA intelligence officer and classmate of Valerie Plame, insists that when Novak outed her, she was a non-official cover officer (which meant she was working without the protection of a diplomatic passport, or "get out of jail free" passport, and could have been executed had she been caught while working overseas). Incomplete list of sources of the above information:
Wikipedia
dKosopedia
NYT Says Rove CONFIRMED Plame's Name to Novak!
All ostriches take note:Karl Rove, the White House senior adviser, spoke with the columnist Robert D. Novak as he was preparing an article in July 2003 that identified a C.I.A. officer who was undercover, someone who has been officially briefed on the matter said.
Mr. Rove has told investigators that he learned from the columnist the name of the C.I.A. officer, who was referred to by her maiden name, Valerie Plame, and the circumstances in which her husband, former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, traveled to Africa to investigate possible uranium sales to Iraq, the person said.
After hearing Mr. Novak's account, the person who has been briefed on the matter said, Mr. Rove told the columnist: "I heard that, too."
The previously undisclosed telephone conversation, which took place on July 8, 2003, was initiated by Mr. Novak, the person who has been briefed on the matter said. When specifically asked if "Jane Doe" works for the CIA, the answer should always be "I couldn't possibly comment on anyone who might or might not work for the CIA." Rove confirmed her identity, to Novak and Cooper. And for 2 years the White House has been insisting that Rove had nothing to do with the case - "ridiculous", I believe is how Scottie termed the accusation. THIS. IS. WHAT. A. LIE. IS.
This Sounds SOOOOO Familiar!
I Can't Believe I'm Doing This
A commentor on AMERICAblog posted that FOX News had this to say:
Journalist Matt Cooper on Wednesday confirmed to a grand jury that White House aide Karl Rove was his source for a story about a CIA operative that has investigators deciding whether any laws were broken by the leak of the agent's identity.
Cooper told reporters he would give them details of his grand jury testimony — in a future article for Time magazine.
Link brings you to comment, which contains link to article since y'all should know how I feel about FOX. In other news, Bush can't seem to ask Rove directly whether or not he was involved in this, but would prefer to make the prosecutor jump through hoops before passing judgement on his own "brain". So much for honesty and integrity and doing everything possible to cooperate with the prosecutor. President Bush said Wednesday he will withhold judgment about top aide Karl Rove's involvement in leaking the identity of a CIA operative until a federal criminal investigation is complete. The lack of an endorsement surprised some Bush advisers who expected the president to speak up.
"This is a serious investigation," Bush said at the end of a meeting with his Cabinet, with Rove sitting just behind him. "I will be more than happy to comment on this matter once this investigation is complete.
"I also will not prejudge the investigation based on media reports," he said, when asked whether Rove acted improperly in discussing CIA officer Valerie Plame with a reporter. FYI - David Gregory has an interesting article up. And Scott does more tapdancing.
Reasons Why This IS A Big Deal
For some reason, Ringers don't see why this whole thing with Rove is a big deal. I don't see how they can miss it, but for those with blinders, here are some of the salient points. Almost two years ago, CNN reported on the White House's stance regarding the leak. Quotes: "The president believes leaking classified information is a very serious matter and it should be pursued to the fullest extent by the appropriate agency and the appropriate agency is the Department of Justice," White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters.
McClellan said that if anyone at the White House leaked Plame's identity, he should be fired, and pursued to the "fullest extent."
McClellan said he discussed the matter with Rove and feels confident that accusation of Rove's involvement is "simply not true." (The quotes came from the White House transcripts of the September 23, 2003 Press Briefing.) Bush himself has stated: This is a very serious matter. And our administration takes it seriously… this is a serious charge, by the way. We’re talking about a criminal action. (10/06/03)
Listen, I know of nobody -- 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. (09/30/03)
Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, while spinning the information released that Matthew Cooper communicated with Rove, admitted that his client had contact with with the reporter. Regardless of the spin, THERE WAS COMMUNICATION between Rove and the reporter involved in the outing of a CIA agent. Yes, right now they are harping on the claim that Plame may not have been a CIA operative worthy of being considered classified. That tiny detail remains to be seen, but if her classification was not so high that it was required to remain secret, then why would the prosecutor continue the investigation - an investigation that has been going on for TWO YEARS? The bigger issue is that the White House has, in the past repeatedly stressed that they want everyone to cooperate fully, get to the bottom of the leak and that anyone involved would be fired. Obviously Karl Rove did NOT cooperate, or the Matthew Cooper and Judith Miller would not have had months and months of court appearances - if there was no crime committed, then why didn't Rove come out right away and admit he had spoken with Cooper and told him about "Wilson's wife" (we've since heard all the spin about how he didn't reveal her name, but let's be honest here... if I described Katie Holmes' fucked up Scientologist fiance, most people in the industry know exactly who I am talking about). This was supposed to be a White House administration that restored honesty and integrity. And that is a total sham. Many liberals, Democrats and even moderates have come to the conclusion that this administration prefers to deal in the shade, and THAT is why we want to see them held accountable for their words. PS: Another example of Bush lying... "I wish I wasn’t the war President. Who in the heck wants to be a war President? I don’t." (08/06/04) Except he was VERY EAGER to be a war president... "If I have a chance to invade·.if I had that much capital, I'm not going to waste it. I'm going to get everything passed that I want to get passed and I'm going to have a successful presidency." (see here) That looks like a L.I.E. to me.
Karl Rove Is A Disgrace To The Republican Party
A Conservative's view: What happened to integrity within our party? I am so ashamed of Karl Rove. How could he do such a thing? It is so anti-Republican...
Now NewsWeek is reporting that Karl Rove was the source. This action by Karl Rove is treasonous and an embarassment to the Republican Party. He should leave at once and hand himself over to the authorities to save what little honor he has left. Good luck to you, sir! You shall need it!
Scottie-boy is on CSPAN now!
I can't say I've heard the whole thing - listening to a bit of it now. I heard Scott say the President retains confidence in all the people who work for him, including Rove. A reporter just asked about GOP "talking points" memo, which suggests ways of talking about the Rove thing. Oh he looks so nervous. "ongoing, continuing investigation..." over and over... Bless those reporters, they aren't letting him off the hook. They are trying to get him to talk and Scott is getting all shifty. "I want to talk about it, and will when the investigation is complete..." Oh, someone just threw him a bone - a question about India. Ed brings it right back to Rove. Scott's soooo appreciative of their questions. Long answer on North Korea - probably a delay tactic to avoid more Rove questions (tee hee). Oooh, someone got boisterous asking a question about giving a whole bunch of money to Hammas(sp?)... Scott expresses his condolences for a suicide bomber's action. Yap yap yap, stop attacks, we condemn them... Oooh, reporter got a little pissed off - want to see the transcripts when they come out. Scottie reminds everyone they know him very well (well, sure, they know how shifty he is...) Talkin' bout Supreme Court stuff - blow job, back rub. More "ongoing, continuing investigation" blow offs. Okay, will edit this when the full transcripts come out. Sounds like he's doing a lot of dancing again, like yesterday. UPDATED: Here's the full transcript.
I'd Almost Feel Sorry For The Bastard
 Look at that. I almost feel sorry for the bastard. Almost. Wish I was better at photoshop and could project headlights, but I don't care enough to spend that much time looking at this moron's face. Well folks, it looks like the cat's outta the bag now. EVERYONE's talking about Scott's terrible performance today. Most of the other outlets I found were running the AP article, so I didn't bother listing them, but I think it's safe to say the word is well out there. Watched NBC tonight to see David Gregory's report - *sigh* - what a schoolgirl crush I have now. I'm finding it interesting that the GOP isn't coming to Scottie's defense. Everyone's got their mouths shut pretty tight now. PS: I wonder how fast it took for someone to pick up the phone to Fitzgerald and ask him if he did indeed the WH it would be best if they stopped commenting since that was a central theme in Scottie's comments.
Internet's Abuzz With McClellan's Press Briefing
UPDATED:Holy SHIT. I just read through the Raw Story transcripts. TWIST, MUTHERFUCKER! VIDEO TOO, from CrooksandLiars.com! Oh, and here is the full transcripts by Think Progress. ...QUESTION: Do you stand by your statement from the fall of 2003, when you were asked specifically about Karl and Elliot Abrams and Scooter Libby, and you said, "I've gone to each of those gentlemen, and they have told me they are not involved in this"?
QUESTION: Do you stand by that statement?
MCCLELLAN: And if you will recall, I said that, as part of helping the investigators move forward on the investigation, we're not going to get into commenting on it. That was something I stated back near that time as well.
QUESTION: Scott, this is ridiculous. The notion that you're going to stand before us, after having commented with that level of detail, and tell people watching this that somehow you've decided not to talk.
You've got a public record out there. Do you stand by your remarks from that podium or not?
MCCLELLAN: I'm well aware, like you, of what was previously said. And I will be glad to talk about it at the appropriate time. The appropriate time is when the investigation...
QUESTION: (inaudible) when it's appropriate and when it's inappropriate?
MCCLELLAN: If you'll let me finish.
QUESTION: No, you're not finishing. You're not saying anything.
You stood at that podium and said that Karl Rove was not involved. And now we find out that he spoke about Joseph Wilson's wife. So don't you owe the American public a fuller explanation. Was he involved or was he not? Because contrary to what you told the American people, he did indeed talk about his wife, didn't he?
MCCLELLAN: There will be a time to talk about this, but now is not the time to talk about it.
QUESTION: Do you think people will accept that, what you're saying today?
MCCLELLAN: Again, I've responded to the question.
QUESTION: You're in a bad spot here, Scott...
(LAUGHTER)
... because after the investigation began -- after the criminal investigation was under way -- you said, October 10th, 2003, "I spoke with those individuals, Rove, Abrams and Libby. As I pointed out, those individuals assured me they were not involved in this," from that podium. That's after the criminal investigation began.
Now that Rove has essentially been caught red-handed peddling this information, all of a sudden you have respect for the sanctity of the criminal investigation... I've always liked that David Gregory guy... ever since I heard he posed a question to Bush, then asked President Chirac, in French, if he would comment as well, and Bush got all up in his Cabbage Patch about it. I like any guy who can get Bush cheesed off. FYI: Here's a website that has a list of previous statements by the White House coming to Karl Rove's defense. Hehe, Think Progress reports: This press briefing is stunning. McClellan is refusing to say anything at all, not one word, about the Plame case. The reporters are outraged - NBC’s David Gregory just told McClellan that his stonewalling was “ridiculous.” I would like to announce that I would be more than happy to bear the lovechild of either David Gregory or Terry Moran. I am so in love with them right now.
Leonard Clark's Been Arrested...
for " campaigning for the Senate". Because apparently they couldn't stop him from voicing his opinions, so they needed to tag him with something else. Perhaps I missed the post where he declared his candidacy for Senator (what a long-shot that would be, anyway, what with his butt being in Iraq and all), but I don't recall his intentions to run. God Bless America! Check here for any further updates on Mr. Clark.
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