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- Terrorism Archive
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WATCH
- 
Noteworthy
- 
Terrorism
- 
Politics
- War
Crimes - 
US
- Freedom
- 
Iraq
- 
Intelligence
- 
Military
- 
Families
- Sports
- 
McCain
- 2008
Election - "Mr.
President, the war isn’t about you — or golf: Olbermann:
[Republican President] Bush's claim he gave up game to honor dead GIs is
ludicrous." ... "President Bush has resorted anew to the sleaziest fear-mongering
and mass manipulation of an administration and public life dedicated to
realizing the lowest of our expectations. And he has now applied these
poisons to the 2008 presidential election, on behalf of the party at whose
center he and [Republican Candidate] John McCain lurk." ... "Mr. Bush has
predicted that the election of a Democratic president could "eventually
lead to another attack on the United States." This ludicrous, infuriating,
holier-than-thou and most importantly bone-headedly wrong statement came
during a
May 13 interview with Politico.com and online users of Yahoo."
... "The question was phrased as follows: "If we were to pull out of Iraq
next year, what's the worst that could happen, what's the doomsday scenario?""
... "The president replied: "Doomsday scenario of course is that extremists
throughout the Middle East would be emboldened, which would eventually
lead to another attack on the United States. The biggest issue we face
is, it's bigger than Iraq, it's this ideological struggle against cold-blooded
killers who will kill people to achieve their political objectives."" ...
"Mr. Bush, at long last, has it not dawned on you that the America you
have now created, includes "cold-blooded killers who will kill people to
achieve their political objectives?" They are those in — or formerly in
— your employ, who may yet be charged some day with war crimes." ... "Through
your haze of self-congratulation and self-pity, do you still have no earthly
clue that this nation has laid waste to Iraq to achieve your political
objectives? "This ideological struggle," Mr. Bush, is taking place within
this country." ... "It is a struggle between Americans who cherish freedom,
ours and everybody else's, and Americans like you, sir, to whom freedom
is just a brand name, just like "Patriot Act" is a brand name or "Protect
America" is a brand name." ... "But wait, there's more: You also said "Iraq
is the place where al-Qaida and other extremists have made their stand
and they will be defeated." They made no "stand" in Iraq, sir, you allowed
them to assemble there!" ... "As certainly as if that were the plan, the
borders were left wide open by your government's farcical post-invasion
strategy of "they'll greet us as liberators." And as certainly as if that
were the plan, the inspiration for another generation of terrorists in
another country was provided by your government's farcical post-invasion
strategy of letting the societal infra-structure of Iraq dissolve, to be
replaced by an American viceroy, enforced by merciless mercenaries who
shoot unarmed Iraqis and then evade prosecution in any country by hiding
behind your skirts, sir." ... "Terrorism inside Iraq is your creation,
Mr. Bush!" ... "Then came Mr. Bush's final blow to our nation's solar plexus,
his last reopening of our common wounds, his last remark that makes the
rest of us question not merely his leadership or his judgment but his very
suitably to remain in office." ... ""Mr. President," he was asked, "you
haven't been golfing in recent years. Is that related to Iraq?"" ... ""Yes,"
began perhaps the most startling reply of this nightmarish blight on our
lives as Americans on our history. "It really is. I don't want some mom
whose son may have recently died to see the Commander in Chief playing
golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be as — to be in solidarity as
best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends
the wrong signal."" ... "Golf, sir? Golf sends the wrong signal to the
grieving families of our men and women butchered in Iraq? Do you think
these families, Mr. Bush, their lives blighted forever, care about you
playing golf? Do you think, sir, they care about you?" ... "You, Mr. Bush,
let their sons and daughters be killed. Sir, to show your solidarity with
them you gave up golf? Sir, to show your solidarity with them you didn't
give up your pursuit of this insurance-scam, profiteering, morally and
financially bankrupting war." ... "Sir, to show your solidarity with them
you didn't even give up talking about Iraq, a subject about which you have
incessantly proved without pause or backwards glance, that you may literally
be the least informed person in the world?" ... "Sir, to show your solidarity
with them, you didn't give up your presidency? In your own words
"solidarity as best as I can" is to stop a game? That is the "best" you
can do?" ... "Four thousand Americans give up their lives and your sacrifice
was to give up golf!" ... "The great Bushian sacrifice — an Army private
loses a leg, a Marine loses half his skull, 4,000 of their brothers and
sisters lose their lives — and you lose golf, and they have to pull you
off the golf course to get you to just do that?" ... "If it's even true."
... "... CBS News has records of you playing golf as late as [October]
Oct. 13 of that year, nearly two months later [two months after Bush claimed
that he had given up golf "in solidarity" with the families of American
troops.]." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-By
Keith Olbermann
-MSNBC
US
- Military
- Families
- Iraq
- 
Afghanistan
- 
Israel
- Consumer
- 
Business
- Terrorism
- Politics- 
History
- "Bush
Says He's Not A Golfer In Wartime." ... "[Republican]
President Bush said yesterday that he gave up golfing in 2003 "in solidarity"
with the families of soldiers who were dying in Iraq, concluding that it
was "just not worth it anymore" to play the sport in a time of war." ...
"Democrats have criticized Bush for allegedly not requiring Americans to
sacrifice enough while waging wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and for urging
people to keep shopping as a way to fight terrorism after the [September]
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Bush was also widely criticized in August 2002
when he decried terrorist bombings in Israel while golfing and then told
reporters: "Now watch this drive."" ... "... [Presidential historian Robert]
Dallek, who is critical of the current president's legacy, said Bush's
remarks about Iraq "speak to his shallowness." Dallek added: "That's his
idea of sacrifice, to give up golf?"" -By Dan Eggen
-WashingtonPost
WATCH:
"Now watch this drive," video of Republican President Bush golfing
immediately after explaining that "We must stop the terror. I call upon
all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers,
thank you. Now watch this drive."
Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - 
Illinois
- US
- Israel
- History
- Terrorism
- Politics
- "House
Republican Leaders Twist Obama Statement on Israel."
... "In an interview with The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, [2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama,
D-Ill. [Democratic-Illinois], talked a great deal about Israel. He was
rather effusive in his support for the Jewish state." ... "Apparently given
nothing of substance to criticize, House Republican leaders then took a
statement Obama made and twisted it to act as if the Democrat had insulted
the Jewish state. Which he had not." ... "After describing some of the
first times he thought about Zionism, Obama said "the idea of a secure
Jewish state is a fundamentally just idea, and a necessary idea, given
not only world history but the active existence of anti-Semitism, the potential
vulnerability that the Jewish people could still experience."" ... "He
talked about how "the idea of Israel and the reality of Israel is one that
I find important to me personally. Because it speaks to my history of being
uprooted, it speaks to the African-American story of exodus, it describes
the history of overcoming great odds and a courage and a commitment to
carving out a democracy and prosperity in the midst of hardscrabble land.""
... "He assailed Hamas as a terrorist organization and said the United
States "should not be dealing with them until they recognize Israel, renounce
terrorism, and abide by previous agreements."" -By
Jake Tapper -ABCNEWS.com
Barack
Obama - John
McCain - 2008
Election - Military
- Terrorism
- Israel
- 
Palestine
- Iraq
- 
Pakistan
- US
- 
Indiana
- 
North
Carolina - "Obama:
McCain is 'losing his bearings'." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama chastised [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain Thursday for engaging in
“smear” politics, and defended himself from critics who question whether
he is capable of being commander-in-chief, during a wide-ranging interview
with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer — his first sit-down since the Indiana and North
Carolina primaries." ... "“This is offensive, and I think it's disappointing,”
Obama told Blitzer, when asked his thoughts about McCain’s comments that
the terrorist organization Hamas wants Obama to be president. “Because
John McCain always says ‘I am not going to run that kind of politics,’
and to engage in that kind of smear is unfortunate, particularly because
my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his." ... "“I’ve said
it’s a terrorist organization and we should not negotiate with them unless
they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and unless they are willing to
abide by previous accords between the Palestinians and the Israelis. So
for him to toss out comments like that I think is an example of him losing
his bearings as he pursues this nomination. We don’t need name calling
in this debate.”" ... "(Related:
Obama:
World wants to see U.S. lead)" ... "On the topic of national security,
Obama said that the American people are looking for a leader with “good
judgment” — a trait the Democratic presidential hopeful said he possessed."
... "“Whether it’s my judgment on Iraq and recognizing that that was going
to be a strategic blunder, to my insistence that we need to talk not just
to countries we like, but countries we don’t, to my assessment in terms
of how we had over-invested in the Musharraf government in Pakistan and
that was going to be setting us up for failure later on,” Obama said. “I
think I’ve consistently displayed the kind of judgment that the American
people are looking for in the next president.”" -By
Mark Preston and Alexander Mooney -CNN
Secret
- 
Government
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Politics
- 
Illegal
- 
Surveillance
- 
Investigation
- 
Internet
- Archive
- 
Library
- 
Electronic
- Civil
Liberties - Brewster_Kahle
- Censorship
- San
Francisco - 
California
- 
Student- 
Health
- Consumer
- 
Telephone
- Electronic
- Data
- National
Security Letter - "FBI
Targets Internet Archive With Secret 'National Security Letter', Loses."
... "The Internet Archive, a project to create a digital library of the
web for posterity, successfully fought a secret government Patriot Act
order for records about one of its patrons and won the right to make the
order public, civil liberties groups announced Wednesday morning." ...
"On November 26, 2007, the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] served
a controversial National
Security Letter (.pdf) on the Internet
Archive's founder Brewster Kahle, asking for records about one of the
library's registered users, asking for the user's name, address and activity
on the site." ... "The Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Internet Archive's
lawyers, fought the NSL [National Security Letter], challenging its constitutionality
in a December 14 complaint
(.pdf) to a federal court in San Francisco [California]. The FBI agreed
on April 21 to withdraw the letter and unseal the court case, making some
of the documents available to the public." ... "The Patriot Act greatly
expanded the reach of NSLs, which are subpoenas for documents such as billing
records and telephone records that the FBI can issue in terrorism investigations
without a judge's approval. Nearly all NSLs come with gag orders forbidding
the recipient from ever speaking of the subpoena, except to a lawyer."
... "Brewster Kahle called the gag order "horrendous," saying he couldn't
talk about the case with his board members, wife or staff, but said that
his stand was part of a time-honored tradition of librarians protecting
the rights of their patrons." ... ""This is an unqualified success that
will help other recipients understand that you can push back on these,"
Kahle said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday morning." ...
"Though FBI guidelines on using NSLs warned of overusing them, two Congressionally
ordered audits revealed that the FBI had issued hundreds of illegal requests
for student health records, telephone records and credit reports. The reports
also found that the FBI had issued hundreds of thousands of NSLs since
2001, but failed to track their use. In a letter to Congress last week,
the FBI admitted it can only estimate how many NSLs it has issued." -By
Ryan Singel -Wired
Terrorism
- Politics
- US
- 
International
- 
South
Africa - Race
- History
- "U.S.
has Mandela on terrorist list." ... "Nobel Peace
Prize winner and international symbol of freedom Nelson Mandela is flagged
on U.S. terrorist watch lists and needs special permission to visit the
USA." ... "The requirement applies to former South African leader Mandela
and other members of South Africa's governing African National Congress
(ANC), the once-banned anti-Apartheid organization. In the 1970s and '80s,
the ANC was officially designated a terrorist group by the country's ruling
white minority. Other countries, including the United States, followed
suit." -By Mimi Hall -USATODAY
US- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- Military
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- "US
report says al-Qaida gaining strength." ... "Al-Qaida
has rebuilt some of its pre-[September]Sept. 11 capabilities from remote
hiding places in Pakistan, leading to a major spike in attacks last year
in that country and neighboring Afghanistan, the [Republican President]
Bush administration said Wednesday." ... "Attacks in Pakistan more than
doubled from 375 to 887 between 2006 and 2007, and the number of fatalities
jumped by almost 300 percent from 335 to 1,335, the State Department said
in its annual terrorism report." ... "In Afghanistan, the number of attacks
rose 16 percent, to 1,127 incidents last year, killing 1,966 people, 55
percent more than the 1,257 who died in 2006, it said." ... "The report
said attacks in Iraq dipped slightly between 2006 and 2007, but they still
accounted for 60 percent of worldwide terrorism fatalities, including 17
of the 19 Americans who were killed in attacks last year. The other two
were killed in Afghanistan." -By Matthew Lee
-AP via -SeattleTimes
US
- Worldwide
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Politics
- "More
Suicide Bombers, New Tactics, More Victims: U.S.
[United States] Has Bad News on Terror War." ... "Are we winning? Looking
at the just-released State Department report on terrorism, the answer appears
to be "no."" ... "The number of terror victims killed or injured is on
the rise worldwide, according to the report, and al Qaeda's senior leadership
has restored some of its control over the terror group's operations, and
increased its mobility and ability to plan attacks." ... "Most dramatically,
there was a 50 percent increase worldwide in suicide bombings last year.
All told, 66,995 people were killed or wounded in terror attacks in 2007
(up from 59,327 in 2006 and 39,469 in 2005)." -By
Jonathan Karl and Kirit Radia -ABCNEWS.com
US
- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Global
- Usama
bin Ladin
- Military
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- "Country
Reports on Terrorism 2007." ... "Chapter
1 -- Strategic Assessment." ... "AL-QA’IDA AND ASSOCIATED TRENDS:
Al-Qa’ida (AQ) and associated networks remained the greatest terrorist
threat to the United States and its partners in 2007. It has reconstituted
some of its pre-9/11 operational capabilities through the exploitation
of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), replacement of
captured or killed operational lieutenants, and the restoration of some
central control by its top leadership, in particular Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Although Usama bin Ladin remained the group’s ideological figurehead, Zawahiri
has emerged as AQ’s strategic and operational planner." ... "AQ and its
affiliates seek to exploit local grievances for their own local and global
purposes. They pursue their own goals, often at large personal cost to
the local population. These networks are adaptive, quickly evolving new
methods in response to countermeasures. AQ utilizes terrorism, as well
as subversion, propaganda, and open warfare; it seeks weapons of mass destruction
in order to inflict the maximum possible damage on anyone who stands in
its way, including other Muslims and/or elders, women, and children." ...
"Despite the efforts of both Afghan and Pakistani security forces, instability,
coupled with the Islamabad [Pakistan's capital] brokered cease-fire agreement
in effect for the first half of 2007 along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier,
appeared to have provided AQ leadership greater mobility and ability to
conduct training and operational planning, particularly that targeting
Western Europe and the United States. Numerous senior AQ operatives have
been captured or killed, but AQ leaders continued to plot attacks and to
cultivate stronger operational connections that radiated outward from Pakistan
to affiliates throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe." -State.gov
Military
- Terrorism
- Language
- US
- International
- Politics
- Religious
- Vocabulary
- "'Jihadist'
booted from government lexicon." ... "Don't call
them jihadists any more." ... "And don't call al-Qaida a movement." ...
"Federal agencies, including the State Department, the Department of Homeland
Security and the National Counter Terrorism Center, are telling their people
not to describe Islamic extremists as "jihadists" or "mujahedeen," according
to documents obtained by The Associated Press. Lingo like "Islamo-fascism"
is out, too." ... "The reason: Such words may actually boost support for
radicals among Arab and Muslim audiences by giving them a veneer of religious
credibility or by causing offense to moderates." ... "For example, while
Americans may understand "jihad" to mean "holy war," it is in fact a broader
Islamic concept of the struggle to do good, says the guidance prepared
for diplomats and other officials tasked with explaining the war on terror
to the public. Similarly, "mujahedeen," which means those engaged in jihad,
must be seen in its broader context." ... "U.S. [United States] officials
may be "unintentionally portraying terrorists, who lack moral and religious
legitimacy, as brave fighters, legitimate soldiers or spokesmen for ordinary
Muslims," says a Homeland Security report. It's entitled "Terminology to
Define the Terrorists: Recommendations from American Muslims."" ... ""Regarding
'jihad,' even if it is accurate to reference the term, it may not be strategic
because it glamorizes terrorism, imbues terrorists with religious authority
they do not have and damages relations with Muslims around the world,"
the report says." ... "Language is critical in the war on terror, says
another document, an internal "official use only" memorandum circulating
through Washington entitled "Words that Work and Words that Don't: A Guide
for Counterterrorism Communication."" ... "The memo, originally prepared
in March by the Extremist Messaging Branch at the National Counter Terrorism
Center, was approved for diplomatic use this week by the State Department,
which plans to distribute a version to all U.S. embassies, officials said."
... ""It's not what you say but what they hear," the memo says in bold
italic lettering, listing 14 points about how to better present the war
on terrorism." -By Matthew Lee
-AP via -SeattleTimes
Terrorism
- Language
- 
Radio
- Politics
- 2008
Election - Denver
- 
Colorado
- "Rush
Limbaugh Calling For Riots In Denver." ... "Talk
show host Rush Limbaugh is sparking controversy again after he made comments
calling for riots in Denver [Colorado] during the [2008 Election] Democratic
National Convention this summer." ... "He said the riots would ensure a
Democrat is not elected as president, and his listeners have a responsibility
to make sure it happens." ... ""Riots in Denver, the Democrat Convention
would see to it that we don't elect Democrats," Limbaugh said during Wednesday's
radio broadcast. He then went on to say that's the best thing that could
happen to the country." -TheDenverChannel.com
Barack
Obama - 
Hillary
Rodham Clinton - 
Karl
Rove - Terrorism
- Politics
- Osama
bin Laden
- 
Television
- Ad
- Money
- History
- 
Pennsylvania
- Illinois
- 
New
York - 
Iran
- Israel
- US
- Military
- 2008
Election - "The
Low Road to Victory." ... "The Pennsylvania campaign,
which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner,
more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean,
vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it." ... "Voters
are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process; and it
does not work. It is past time for [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate and New York] Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that
the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm
to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election." ... "If nothing
else, self interest should push her in that direction. Mrs. Clinton did
not get the big win in Pennsylvania that she needed to challenge the calculus
of the Democratic race. It is true that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama outspent her 2-to-1. But Mrs.
Clinton and her advisers should mainly blame themselves, because, as the
political operatives say, they went heavily negative and ended up squandering
a good part of what was once a 20-point lead." ... "On the eve of this
crucial primary, Mrs. Clinton became the first Democratic candidate to
wave the bloody shirt of 9/11. A Clinton television ad — torn right from
Karl Rove’s playbook — evoked the 1929 stock market crash, Pearl Harbor,
the Cuban missile crisis, the cold war and the 9/11 attacks, complete with
video of Osama bin Laden. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the
kitchen,” the narrator intoned." ... "If that was supposed to bolster Mrs.
Clinton’s argument that she is the better prepared to be president in a
dangerous world, she sent the opposite message on Tuesday morning by declaring
in an interview on ABC News that if Iran attacked Israel while she were
president: “We would be able to totally obliterate them.”"
-NYTimes
Corporate
- Government
- Psychological
- Military
- Intelligence
- Television
- Radio
- 
Media
- Politics
- Classified
- US
- History
- Guantánamo- Prison- 
Cuba
- Human
Rights - Justice
- 
- Iraq
- Terrorism
- 
Cheney
- 
Gonzales
- "Behind
TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand." ... "In the
summer of 2005, the [Republican President] Bush administration confronted
a fresh wave of criticism over Guantánamo Bay [US military prison
in Cuba]. The detention center had just been branded “the gulag of our
times” by Amnesty International, there were new allegations of abuse from
United Nations human rights experts and calls were mounting for its closure."
... "The administration’s communications experts responded swiftly. Early
one Friday morning, they put a group of retired military officers on one
of the jets normally used by [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney and
flew them to Cuba for a carefully orchestrated tour of Guantánamo."
... "To the public, these men are members of a familiar fraternity, presented
tens of thousands of times on television and radio as “military analysts”
whose long service has equipped them to give authoritative and unfettered
judgments about the most pressing issues of the post-[September]Sept. 11
world." ... "Hidden behind that appearance of objectivity, though, is a
Pentagon information apparatus that has used those analysts in a campaign
to generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance,
an examination by The New York Times has found." ... "The effort, which
began with the buildup to the Iraq war and continues to this day, has sought
to exploit ideological and military allegiances, and also a powerful financial
dynamic: Most of the analysts have ties to military contractors vested
in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air." ... "Those business
relationships are hardly ever disclosed to the viewers, and sometimes not
even to the networks themselves. But collectively, the men on the plane
and several dozen other military analysts represent more than 150 military
contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consultants.
The companies include defense heavyweights, but also scores of smaller
companies, all part of a vast assemblage of contractors scrambling for
hundreds of billions in military business generated by the administration’s
war on terror. It is a furious competition, one in which inside information
and easy access to senior officials are highly prized." ... "Records and
interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access
and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media
Trojan horse — an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from
inside the major TV and radio networks." ... "Analysts have been wooed
in hundreds of private briefings with senior military leaders, including
officials with significant influence over contracting and budget matters,
records show. They have been taken on tours of Iraq and given access to
classified intelligence. They have been briefed by officials from the White
House, State Department and Justice Department, including Mr. Cheney, Alberto
R. Gonzales and Stephen J. Hadley." ... "In turn, members of this group
have echoed administration talking points, sometimes even when they suspected
the information was false or inflated. Some analysts acknowledge they suppressed
doubts because they feared jeopardizing their access." ... "A few expressed
regret for participating in what they regarded as an effort to dupe the
American public with propaganda dressed as independent military analysis."
... "Many also shared with Mr. Bush’s national security team a belief that
pessimistic war coverage broke the nation’s will to win in Vietnam, and
there was a mutual resolve not to let that happen with this war." ... "This
was a major theme, for example, with Paul E. Vallely, a Fox News analyst
from 2001 to 2007. A retired Army general who had specialized in psychological
warfare, Mr. Vallely co-authored a paper in 1980 that accused American
news organizations of failing to defend the nation from “enemy” propaganda
during Vietnam." ... "“We lost the war — not because we were outfought,
but because we were out Psyoped,” he wrote. He urged a radically new approach
to psychological operations in future wars — taking aim at not just foreign
adversaries but domestic audiences, too. He called his approach “MindWar”
— using network TV and radio to “strengthen our national will to victory.”"
(1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
DOCUMENTS)
-By David
Barstow -NYTimes
WATCH
- "How
the Pentagon Spread Its Message." ... "David Barstow,
an investigative reporter for The Times, examines primary source documents
detailing the Pentagon’s response to criticism of then-Secretary of Defense
Donald H. Rumsfeld by a group of prominent retired generals." -By
David
Barstow -NYTimes
US
- Iraq
- Iran
- Military
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Politics
- "Pentagon
institute calls Iraq war 'a major debacle' with outcome 'in doubt'."
... "The war in Iraq has become "a major debacle" and the outcome "is in
doubt" despite improvements in security from the buildup in U.S. [United
States] forces, according to a highly critical study published Thursday
by the Pentagon's premier military educational institute." ... "The report
released by the National Defense University raises fresh doubts about [Republican]
President Bush's projections of a U.S. victory in Iraq just a week after
Bush announced that he was suspending U.S. troop reductions." ... "The
report carries considerable weight because it was written by Joseph Collins,
a former senior Pentagon official, and was based in part on interviews
with other former senior defense and intelligence officials who played
roles in prewar preparations." ... "It was published by the university's
National Institute for Strategic Studies, a Defense Department research
center." ... ""Measured in blood and treasure, the war in Iraq has achieved
the status of a major war and a major debacle," says the report's opening
line." ... "The report said that the United States has suffered serious
political costs, with its standing in the world seriously diminished. Moreover,
operations in Iraq have diverted "manpower, materiel and the attention
of decision-makers" from "all other efforts in the war on terror" and severely
strained the U.S. armed forces." ... ""Compounding all of these problems,
our efforts there (in Iraq) were designed to enhance U.S. national security,
but they have become, at least temporarily, an incubator for terrorism
and have emboldened Iran to expand its influence throughout the Middle
East," the report continued." -By Jonathan
S. Landay and John Walcott
-McClatchyDC.com
John
McCain - Osama
bin Laden
- Terrorism
- 2008
Election - 
Arizona
- US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military
- Politics
- "McCain
reveals confusion over Petraeus role." ... "[2008
Election] Republican presidential candidate [Senator] Sen. John McCain
of Arizona may not have been paying the closest of attention last week
during hearings on the [Republican President] Bush administration’s Iraq
policy." ... "Speaking Monday at the annual meeting of the Associated Press,
McCain was asked whether he, if elected, would shift combat troops from
Iraq to Afghanistan to intensify the search for al-Qaida leader Osama bin
Laden." ... "“I would not do that unless Gen. [David] Petraeus said that
he felt that the situation called for that,” McCain said, referring to
the top U.S. [United States] commander in Iraq." ... "Petraeus, however,
made clear last week that he has nothing to do with the decision. Testifying
last week before four congressional committees, including the Senate Armed
Services Committee on which McCain is the ranking Republican, Petraeus
said the decision about whether troops could be shifted from Iraq to Afghanistan
was not his responsibility because his portfolio is limited to the multi-national
force in Iraq." ... "Decisions about Afghanistan would be made by others,
he said." ... "“I’ve been sort of focused on another task,” Petraeus said
when pressed about whether more troops should be diverted to Afghanistan
rather than Iraq." -By Rick Maze
-ArmyTimes.com
China
- Military
- Police
- Terrorism
- Religious
- Censorship
- 
Oil
- Sports
- Human
Rights - "As
world watches Tibet, China's Muslim Uighurs face growing repression."
... "Almost unnoticed amid the wide-scale protests by Tibetans over the
past month is the social unrest among the 8 million or so Muslim Uighurs
in China's resource-rich far western territory." ... "Recently, hundreds
of Muslim women in black veils gathered outside the market in this oasis
city [Khotan, China] in an impromptu protest. Some carried signs demanding
an independent state." ... ""I saw the demonstration myself. There were
500 to 700 women in black, waving placards for East Turkestan," said Wu
Jiangliang, a hydroelectric company employee." ... "China handled the unrest
forcefully, ensuring the stability of a region rich in oil, coal and minerals.
Police moved quickly to quell the March 23 protest, arresting numerous
women and shooing others away. It drew only minor notice." ... "China also
has broken up what it said were two terrorist rings that intended to disrupt
the Beijing [China's capital] Summer Olympic Games and thwarted what it
said was a terrorist attempt last month on a commercial airliner." ...
"But as state officials employed a firm hand against restive Uighurs, pronounced
WEE-gers, they also publicly demonized those behind the social unrest.
Critics now say that while the state has stabilized ethnic areas, the harsh
language may exacerbate tensions." ... ""The problem is that China's policies
are alienating," said Nicholas Bequelin, a Hong Kong-based researcher for
Human Rights Watch, an advocacy group. "They are efficient in that political
repression works. But they increase ethnic tensions."" -By
Tim
Johnson -McClatchyDC.com
Dick
Cheney - 
John
Ashcroft - Torture
- Government
- Military
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Politics
- US
- International
- Law
- War
Crimes - "Bush
Aware of Advisers' Interrogation Talks: President
Says He Knew His Senior Advisers Discussed Tough Interrogation Methods."
... "[Republican] President Bush says he knew his top national security
advisers discussed and approved specific details about how high-value al
Qaeda suspects would be interrogated by the Central Intelligence Agency,
according to an exclusive interview with ABC News Friday." ... ""Well,
we started to connect the dots in order to protect the American people."
Bush told ABC News White House correspondent Martha Raddatz. "And yes,
I'm aware our national security team met on this issue. And I approved.""
... "These top advisers signed off on how the CIA would interrogate top
al Qaeda suspects -- whether they would be slapped, pushed, deprived of
sleep or subjected to simulated drowning, called waterboarding, sources
told ABC news." ... "At the time, the [National Security Council's] Principals
Committee included Vice President Dick Cheney, former National Security
Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary
of State Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney
General John Ashcroft." ... "The so-called Principals who participated
in the meetings also approved the use of "combined" interrogation techniques
-- using different techniques during interrogations instead of using one
method at a time -- on terrorist suspects who proved difficult to break,
sources said." ... "Critics at home and abroad have harshly criticized
the interrogation program, which pushed the limits of international law
and, they say, condoned torture." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-By Jan Crawford Greenburg, Howard L. Rosenberg and
Ariane de Vogue -ABCNEWS.com
Dick
Cheney - John
Ashcroft - 
Jay
Bybee - 
Michael
Mukasey
- Torture
- War
Crimes - Government
- Military
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Politics
- Secret
- Law
- History
- US- Overseas
- "Cheney,
Others OK'd Harsh Interrogations." ... "[Republican
President] Bush administration officials from Vice President Dick Cheney
on down signed off on using harsh interrogation techniques against suspected
terrorists after asking the Justice Department to endorse their legality,
The Associated Press has learned." ... "The officials also took care to
insulate President Bush from a series of meetings where CIA [Central Intelligence
Agency] interrogation methods, including waterboarding, which simulates
drowning, were discussed and ultimately approved." ... "Between 2002 and
2003, the Justice Department issued several memos from its Office of Legal
Counsel that justified using the interrogation tactics, including ones
that critics call torture." ... "The meetings were held in the White House
Situation Room in the years immediately following the [September] Sept.
11 attacks. Attending the sessions were Cheney, then-Bush aides Attorney
General John Ashcroft, Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George
Tenet and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice." ... "The principals
eventually authorized physical abuse such as slaps and pushes, sleep deprivation,
or waterboarding. This technique involves strapping a person down and pouring
water over his cloth-covered face to create the sensation of drowning."
... "The Office of Legal Counsel issued at least two opinions on interrogation
methods." ... "In one, dated [August] Aug. 1, 2002, then-Assistant Attorney
General Jay Bybee defined torture as covering "only extreme acts" causing
pain similar in intensity to that caused by death or organ failure. A second,
dated
March 14, 2003, justified using harsh tactics on detainees held overseas
so long as military interrogators did not specifically intend to torture
their captives." ... "Both legal opinions since have been withdrawn." ...
"The department issued another still-secret memo in October 2001 that,
in part, sought to outline novel ways the military could be used domestically
to defend the country in the face of an impending attack. The Justice Department
so far has refused to release it, citing attorney-client privilege, and
Attorney General Michael Mukasey declined to describe it Thursday at a
Senate panel where Democrats characterized it as a "torture memo."" -By
Lara Jakes Jordan and Pamel Hess contributed to by Pete Yost
-AP via -SeattleTimes
Dick
Cheney
- John
Ashcroft - Jay
Scott Bybee - Torture
- War
Crimes - Military
- Government
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- US
- International
- Law
- Secret
- Politics
- Prisoners
- "Sources:
Top Bush Advisors Approved 'Enhanced Interrogation':
Detailed Discussions Were Held About Techniques to Use on al Qaeda Suspects."
... "In dozens of top-secret talks and meetings in the [Republican President
Bush] White House, the most senior Bush administration officials discussed
and approved specific details of how high-value al Qaeda suspects would
be interrogated by the Central Intelligence Agency, sources tell ABC News."
... "The so-called Principals who participated in the meetings also approved
the use of "combined" interrogation techniques -- using different techniques
during interrogations, instead of using one method at a time -- on terrorist
suspects who proved difficult to break, sources said." ... "Highly placed
sources said a handful of top advisers signed off on how the CIA [Central
Intelligence Agency] would interrogate top al Qaeda suspects -- whether
they would be slapped, pushed, deprived of sleep or subjected to simulated
drowning, called waterboarding." ... "The high-level discussions about
these "enhanced interrogation techniques" were so detailed, these sources
said, some of the interrogation sessions were almost choreographed -- down
to the number of times CIA agents could use a specific tactic." ... "The
advisers were members of the National Security Council's Principals Committee,
a select group of senior officials who met frequently to advise President
Bush on issues of national security policy." ... "At the time, the Principals
Committee included Vice President Cheney, former National Security Advisor
Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State
Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General
John Ashcroft." ... "Critics at home and abroad have harshly criticized
the interrogation program, which pushed the limits of international law
and, they say, condoned torture. Bush and his top aides have consistently
defended the program. They say it is legal and did not constitute torture."
... "Lawyers in the Justice Department had written a classified memo, which
was extensively reviewed, that gave formal legal authority to government
interrogators to use the "enhanced" questioning tactics on suspected terrorist
prisoners. The August 2002 memo, signed by then head of the Office of Legal
Counsel Jay Bybee, was referred to as the so-called "Golden Shield" for
CIA agents, who worried they would be held liable if the harsh interrogations
became public." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-By Jan Crawford Greenburg, Howard L. Rosenberg and
Ariane de Vogue -ABCNEWS.com
John
C Yoo - Torture- 
