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/ Archive
/ 2007
Dennis
Kucinich - 
Joe
Biden
- 
Chris
Dodd
- 
Ron
Paul
- 
Duncan
Hunter
- 
Television
- 
Politics
- 
US
- 
Iraq
- 
Military
- 
2008
Election - 
New
Hampshire - "FOX,
ABC to reduce debate fields." ... "This weekend’s
[New Hampshire] presidential debates and forum will not include some nationally-known
candidates, and the chairmen of the state Republican and Democratic parties
are not happy." ... "Fergus Cullen and Raymond Buckley say the decisions
by ABC News, WMUR and, in Cullen’s case, FOX News, are inconsistent with
the New Hampshire primary’s tradition of providing a level playing field
for all candidates." ... "ABC News and WMUR-TV (Channel 9) confirmed today
that they have established performance-based criteria for Saturday night's
pair of presidential debates. Those rules could leave several relatively
well-known candidates on the outside looking in, including [2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidates] Democrats Dennis Kucinich, Joe Biden
and Chris Dodd." ... "And Cullen confirmed that FOX News has invited only
five presidential candidates to a GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican]
forum scheduled for Sunday night, leaving out [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidates] Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter." ... "GOP candidate
Paul has said that FOX News is “scared of me” and has called the network
“propagandists for this (Iraq) war, and I challenge them on the notion
that they are conservative.”" -By John Distaso
-UnionLeader.com
Money
- Politics
- 
Federal
- 
Housing
- 
Legislation
- 
New
Jersey - 
Georgia
- 
California
- 
Texas
- 
Utah
- 
Maryland- 
Nevada
- 
Oregon
- 
Washington
- 2004
Election - US
- 
Netherlands
- "Lender
Lobbying Blitz Abetted Mortgage Mess: Ameriquest
Pressed For Changes in Laws; A Battle in New Jersey." ... "During the housing
boom, the subprime industry succeeded at more than just writing mortgages.
It also shot down efforts by some states to curtail risky lending to borrowers
with spotty credit." ... "Ameriquest Mortgage Co. [ACC Capital Holdings],
until recently one of the nation's largest subprime lenders, was at the
center of those battles. Working with a husband-and-wife team of Washington
lobbyists, it handed out more than $20 million in political donations and
played a big role in persuading legislators in New Jersey and Georgia to
relax tough new laws. Those victories, in turn, helped blunt efforts by
other states to crack down on reckless lending, critics of the industry
contend." ... "Home loans made by Ameriquest and other subprime lenders
are defaulting now in large numbers, roiling global credit markets and
sparking debate about whether regulators and lawmakers should have anticipated
the mess and taken action. A close look at Ameriquest's lobbying and political
donations shows how the subprime industry maneuvered to defeat legislation
that might have contained some of the damage." ... "Data from federal and
state campaign-finance records, Internal Revenue Service filings, and the
National Institute on Money in State Politics show that from 2002 through
2006, Ameriquest, its executives and their spouses and business associates
donated at least $20.5 million to state and federal political groups. In
comparison, over the same time period, Countrywide Financial, another large
subprime lender, gave about $2 million in campaign gifts, and spent an
additional $6.7 million lobbying in Washington, records indicate." ...
"Some of the giving by Ameriquest executives and associates was high-profile.
[Republican] President Bush received more than $200,000 for his 2004 re-election
campaign, and Ameriquest founder Roland Arnall and his wife, Dawn, contributed
more than $5 million to political organizations that backed the president.
Last year, [Republican] President Bush appointed Mr. Arnall ambassador
to the Netherlands, and his wife took over as chairman of Ameriquest's
parent company. California [Republican Governor] Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's
campaigns received at least $1.4 million, along with stacks of tickets
to a Rolling Stones concert that were used to lure big donors." ... "Last
year, ACC Capital, its [Ameriquest Mortgage Company] parent company, agreed
to pay $325 million to settle regulators' claims that it charged excessively
high mortgage rates and didn't adequately disclose loan risks. Some of
the state attorneys general who signed the settlement, including Greg Abbott
of Texas, received campaign donations from the firm. Utah's attorney general,
Mark Shurtleff, received a $1,000 contribution and Rolling Stones tickets."
... "Ameriquest also handed out Rolling Stones tickets to state legislators
in Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and California,
according to ethics records and local news accounts." ... "Federal lawmakers
didn't pose much of a threat to the subprime industry in recent years.
Members of Congress received at least $645,000 in donations from Ameriquest
and large sums from other big subprime lenders, Federal Election Commission
records indicate." ... "ACC Capital, Ameriquest's parent company, and its
executives gave more than $350,000 to Texas politicians in 2006, including
$100,000 to [Republican Governor] Gov. Rick Perry, according to state records."
-By Glenn R. Simpson -WSJ.com
John
Edwards
- 
Mike
Huckabee - 
Hillary
Clinton
- 
Barack
Obama
- 
Mitt
Romney
- Money
- Religion
- 
People
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- 
Iowa
- 2008
Election - Poll
- "Iowa:
Edwards surges, Huckabees bubble bursts." ... "[2008
Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards has clawed his
way into contention to win Iowa's caucuses on Thursday in the first vote
for the Democratic presidential nomination, gaining strength even as rivals
[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton and [2008
Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama have lost ground,
according to a new McClatchy-MSNBC poll." ... "At the same time, [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney has regained the
lead among Iowa Republicans as [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate]
Mike Huckabee has lost momentum and support, even among the evangelical
Christians who had propelled him into the top spot just weeks ago." ...
"If all second-tier Democratic candidates fall short [in Iowa’s Democratic
caucuses] and their supporters switch to other candidates, Edwards gains
the most, rolling up a clear lead at 33 percent to 26 percent each for
Clinton and Obama." ... "Edwards, pushing a people-versus-the powerful
message, owes his gains to voters looking for a general election winner,
someone who agrees with them on the issues, and those who rank Iraq their
top concern." -By Steven Thomma
-McClatchyDC.com
John
Edwards
- Barack
Obama
- 
Oil
- 
Drug
- Money
- Foreign
- Government
- United
States - Iowa
- 2008
Election - "Edwards
Pledges Ban on Lobbyists." ... "[2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate] John Edwards vowed Saturday that corporate lobbyists
would not be allowed to work in his administration, if elected." ... "“When
I am president of the United States, no corporate lobbyists or anyone who
has lobbied for a foreign government will work in my White House,” Mr.
Edwards said, speaking at a public library." ... "He followed it up with
an implicit attack on [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate
Barack Obama] Mr. Obama." ... "[John Edwards said,] “I hear people argue
that the way you can get things done is you sit at a table with drug companies,
insurance companies, oil companies and negotiate with them, and somehow
they will voluntarily give away their power,” he said. “I think it is a
complete fantasy.”" ... "In a November speech to Iowa Democrats, Mr. Obama
promised that lobbyists would not work in his White House." ... "But he
[Obama] later amended his position, saying that lobbyists would not “dominate”
his White House.”" ... "When campaigning, Mr. Edwards frequently reminds
voters that he has never taken campaign contributions from lobbyists."
-By Julie Bosman -NYTimes
Ron
Paul
- Television
- Politics
- New
Hampshire - Iowa
- US
- Iraq- Military
- 2008
Election - "Paul:
Fox News is 'scared of me'." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] Ron Paul said the decision to exclude
him from a debate on Fox News Sunday the weekend before the New Hampshire
Primary is proof that the network "is scared" of him." ... ""They are scared
of me and don't want my message to get out, but it will," Paul said in
an interview at a diner here. "They are propagandists for this war and
I challenge them on the notion that they are conservative."" ... "Paul,
the Republican Texas Congressman, was wrapping up his final day of campaigning
in New Hampshire until the Iowa Caucuses on Thursday." -By
James Pindell -BostonGlobe
US
- Iraq
- 
Afghanistan
- Military
- Money
- Legislation- Reconstruction
- "Bush
rejects defense bill by pocket veto." ... "[Republican]
President Bush on Friday used a "pocket veto" to reject a sweeping defense
bill because he dislikes a provision that would expose the Iraqi government
to expensive lawsuits seeking damages from the Saddam Hussein era." ...
"In a statement, Bush said the legislation "would imperil billions of dollars
of Iraqi assets at a crucial juncture in that nation's reconstruction efforts.""
... "The president's objections were focused on a provision deep within
legislation that sets defense policy for the coming year and approves $696
billion in spending, including $189 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Also in the legislation were improved veterans benefits and tighter oversight
of contractors and weapons programs." ... "The pocket veto means that troops
will get a 3 percent raise Jan. 1 instead of the 3.5 percent authorized
by the bill." -By Ben Feller
-AP via -Yahoo
John
Edwards
- US
- 
Pakistan
- 2008
Election - "More
on Edwards' Chat With Musharraf." ... "After reiterating
his insistence that Pakistan [leader Pervez Musharraf] "continue on this
path to democratization with free and open elections," [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate John] Edwards expressed some skepticism." ... ""He
assured me he'd do it," said Edwards. "But we have to hold his feet to
the fire because he's made those kind of promises before."" ... ""What
the president and the presidential candidates need to be doing is not talking
about politics and the political advantage supposedly this gives somebody
or somebody else," said Edwards. "This is a crucial, important issue that
presidential candidates need to show some calm and strength and leadership
on."" -By Aaron Lewis
-CBSNews
US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Worldwide
- Military
- Government
- 
Accounting
- 
Terrorism
- Politics
- 
History
- 
Alaska
- 
Ted
Stevens - "Wars
Cost $15 Billion a Month, GOP Senator Says." ...
"The latest estimate of the growing costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
and the worldwide battle against terrorism -- nearly $15 billion a month
-- came last week from one of the Senate's leading proponents of a continued
U.S. [United States] military presence in Iraq." ... ""This cost of this
war is approaching $15 billion a month, with the Army spending $4.2 billion
of that every month," [Alaska GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican Senator] Sen.
Ted Stevens (Alaska), the ranking Republican on the Appropriations defense
subcommittee, said in a little-noticed floor speech Dec. [December] 18."
... "While most of the public focus has been on the political fight over
troop levels, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported this month
that the [Republican President] Bush administration's request for the 2008
fiscal year of $189.3 billion [$189.3/12=$15.775 billion per month] for
Defense Department operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and worldwide counterterrorism
activities was 20 percent higher than for fiscal 2007 and 60 percent higher
than for fiscal 2006." (1, 2)
-By Walter Pincus -WashingtonPost
US
- Iraq
- Military
- "
US
military deaths in Iraq at 3,900." ... "As of Thursday,
Dec. 27, 2007, at least 3,900 members of the U.S. military have died since
the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated
Press count." -AP
via -Yahoo
Pakistan
- Terrorism
- Politics
- 
Police
- Religious
- 
Female
- History
- "Benazir
Bhutto assassinated." ... "Pakistan's former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday in the wake of a suicide
bombing that killed at least 14 of her supporters, doctors, a spokesman
for her party and other officials said." ... "Bhutto suffered bullet wounds
in the aftermath of the bomb attack, TV networks were reporting." ... "Police
warned citizens to stay home as they expected rioting to break out in city
streets as a shocked Pakistan absorbed the news of Bhutto's assassination."
... "Bhutto, who led Paksitan from 1988 to 1990 and was the first female
prime minister of any Islamic nation, was participating in the parliamentary
election set for January 8, hoping for a third term." ... "A terror attack
targeting her motorcade in Karachi killed 136 people on the day she returned
to Pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile." -Contributed
to by Mohsin Naqvi -CNN
John
Edwards
- Barack
Obama
- Hillary
Clinton
- Iowa
- Manufacturing
- 
Jobs
- 
Family
- 
Health-Care
- 
Environment
- Human
Rights - US
- 
China
- Corporations
- Iraq
- Military
- 
Indiana
- 
Idaho
- 
Illinois
- Homes
- Consumers
- 2008
Election - "Behind
the Edwards Surge: Right Message at the Right Time."
... "To a far greater extent than [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidates Barack] Obama or [Hillary] Clinton, [John] Edwards has struck
at the heart of issues that should matter most in the race to replace not
just [Republican President] George W. Bush, but the Bush agenda of corporate
giveaways, job-crushing free trade deals, war profiteering in Iraq, and
subprime mortgage profiteering in Indiana, Idaho, Illinois and, yes, Iowa."
... "Edwards summed up his increasingly aggressive and powerful anti-corporate
themes with a declaration: "What makes America America is at stake: jobs,
the middle class, health care, preserving the environment in the world
for future generations."" ... ""But all those things are at risk. And why
are they at risk? Because of corporate power and corporate greed in Washington,
D.C. And we have to take them on. You can't make a deal with them. You
can't hope that they're going to go away. You have to actually be willing
to fight. And I want every caucus-goer to know I've been fighting these
people and winning my entire life. And if we do this together, rise up
together, we can actually make absolutely certain, starting here in Iowa,
that we make this country better than we left it."" ... "Edwards got to
know workers in Iowa. He stood with them in their struggles." ... "Turning
a broad question about human rights toward the specific issue of trade
policy, the former senator said that human rights, human needs and human
values "should be central to our trade policy."" ... ""But," he added,
"if you look at what's happened with American trade policy, look at what
America got: Big corporations made a lot of money, are continuing to make
a lot of money in China. But what did America get in return? We got millions
of dangerous Chinese toys. We lost millions of jobs." ... ""And right here
in Iowa, the Maytag plant in Newton [Iowa] closed. A guy named Doug Bishop,
who I got to know very well, had worked in that plant, and his family had
worked in that plant literally for generations. And his job is now gone.
The same thing, by the way, happened in the plant that my father worked
in when I was growing up. It is so important that we stop allowing these
corporate powers and corporate profits to run America's policy, whether
it's trade policy, how we engage with China. This is not good for America.
It's not good for American jobs. And it's not good for working people in
this country."" ... "That's an issue Edwards has taken far, far more seriously
than his opponents in what is now a three-way race in Iowa. And that seriousness
has benefitted the former senator." -By John Nichols
-TheNation
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Family
- Poll
- Idaho
- Oregon
- Afghanistan
- "Military
family members share public's division on Iraq war, Bush:
Polls: Almost half say invasion was a mistake." ... "Close family members
of U.S. [United States] troops are split on whether the Iraq invasion was
a mistake, and 55% disapprove of [Republican] President Bush's job performance,
according to USA TODAY/Gallup Polls focusing on immediate relatives of
servicemembers." ... ""They've maxed out on the troops. You've got guys
who are over there on their fourth or fifth tours. It's ridiculous," says
Jeanette Knowles, 40, of Mountain Home, Idaho, whose brother, Jeff, served
a tour in Iraq with the Oregon National Guard." ... "More than 1.5 million
servicemembers have been sent to Iraq or Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001,
and Army combat tours last up to 15 months." -By Gregg
Zoroya -USATODAY
Mitt
Romney
- Political
- Corporation
- Marketing
- History
- Gay-Rights
- Pro-Choice
- Stem
Cell - 
Science
- Health
- Law
- Religious
- Salt
Lake City - Utah
- 
Massachusetts
- New
Hampshire - US
- Torture
- Prison
- Guantanamo
Bay - 
Cuba
- 2008
Election - "Romney
should not be the next president." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt] Romney's main business experience
is as a management consultant, a field in which smart, fast-moving specialists
often advise corporations on how to reinvent themselves. His memoir is
called Turnaround - the story of his successful rescue of the 2002 Winter
Olympics in Salt Lake City [Utah] - but the most stunning turnaround he
has engineered is his own political career." ... "If you followed only
his tenure as governor of Massachusetts, you might imagine Romney as a
pragmatic moderate with liberal positions on numerous social issues and
an ability to work well with Democrats. If you followed only his campaign
for president, you'd swear he was a red-meat conservative, pandering to
the religious right, whatever the cost. Pay attention to both, and you're
left to wonder if there's anything at all at his core." ... "As a candidate
for the U.S. [United States] Senate in 1994, he boasted that he would be
a stronger advocate of gay rights than his opponent, [Massachusetts Democratic
Senator] Ted Kennedy. These days, he makes a point of his opposition to
gay marriage and adoption." ... "There was a time that he said he wanted
to make contraception more available - and a time that he vetoed a bill
to sell it over-the-counter." ... "The old Romney assured voters he was
pro-choice on abortion. "You will not see me wavering on that," he said
in 1994, and he cited the tragedy of a relative's botched illegal abortion
as the reason to keep abortions safe and legal. These days, he describes
himself as pro-life." ... "There was a time that he supported stem-cell
research and cited his own wife's multiple sclerosis in explaining his
thinking; such research, he reasoned, could help families like his. These
days, he largely opposes it. As a candidate for governor, Romney dismissed
an anti-tax pledge as a gimmick. In this race, he was the first to sign."
... "In the 2008 campaign for president, there are numerous issues on which
Romney has no record, and so voters must take him at his word. On these
issues, those words are often chilling. While other candidates of both
parties speak of restoring America's moral leadership in the world, Romney
has said he'd like to "double" the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay [Cuba],
where inmates have been held for years without formal charge or access
to the courts. He dodges the issue of torture - unable to say, simply,
that waterboarding is torture and America won't do it." ... "When New Hampshire
partisans are asked to defend the state's first-in-the-nation primary,
we talk about our ability to see the candidates up close, ask tough questions
and see through the baloney. If a candidate is a phony, we assure ourselves
and the rest of the world, we'll know it." ... "Mitt Romney is such a candidate.
New Hampshire Republicans and independents must vote no."
-ConcordMonitor.com
Mike
Huckabee - Prisoners
- Guantanamo
- Cuba
- US
- Military
- Law
- 
Arkansas
- 2008
Election - "Huckabee:
Gitmo Is "Too Nice"." ... "Asked about Guantanamo
[American military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba], [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate] Mike Huckabee said he had visited the facility
and said it was “disappointing” that military personnel were eating meals
that averaged $1.60 while the detainees were eating Halal meals that cost
over $4 each." ... "“The inmates there were getting a whole lot better
treatment than my prisoners in Arkansas. In fact, we left saying, ‘I hope
our guys don’t see this. They’ll all want to be transferred to Guanatanmo.
If anything, it’s too nice.”" ... "Huckabee has said Guantanamo is more
a “symbolic issue” than anything else since the detainees are treated better
than prisoners in the US. Today Huckabee said, “Where they are detained
is of less importance to me than that they are detained…until we know they
are of no threat to us.”" -By Joy Lin and Mary Hood
-CBSNews
Mitt
Romney
- 
Rudy
Giuliani
- Mike
Huckabee - 
Tom
Tancredo - Criminal
- Illegal
- Employer
- Immigrants
- Employees
- Language
- Terrorism
- History
- 
Colo
- 
New
York
- Arkansas
- US
- 
Mexican
- People
- Noteworthy
- 2008
Election - "GOP
hopefuls run in a hypocrisy derby." ... "Everybody
knows that [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney
was running - as [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Rudy
Giuliani put it - a "sanctuary mansion." But not many people know that
he was not the only one." ... "No less an anti-immigrant zealot than [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Colorado Representative]
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.[Republican-Colorado]), the would-be President
who built a failing campaign on the single issue of persecuting "criminal
aliens" - as he is fond of calling undocumented immigrants - also has a
few skeletons in his closet." ... "Listen to this: Five years ago, when
Tancredo wanted to install a home theater and make other renovations in
his house, he had no qualms hiring a contractor that - gasp! - also employed
undocumented workers." ... "The man who had said, "[The face of illegal
immigration] is the face of murder. It is the face of infiltration into
the country of people who are coming to do us great harm," wasn't at all
troubled by the fact that only two in the crew of five or six laborers
spoke English." ... "[In 1994, then New York Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani
said] "If you come here and you work hard, and you happen to be in an undocumented
status, you're one of the people who we want in this city," he told The
New York Times in 1994." ... "While in Arkansas, he [Arkansas Republican
Governor and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee]
was instrumental in bringing a Mexican Consulate to Little Rock [Arkansas's
capital]. That consulate issued thousands of identification forms that
now, after he has become a presidential hopeful, Huckabee has begun to
call "illegal immigrant identification cards."" ... "And do not forget
that if he is elected President, he has vowed to expel the nation's estimated
12 million undocumented immigrants within 120 days, which comes to deporting
100,000 people per day." -By Albor Ruiz -NYDailyNews.com
Stephen
Johnson - 
Mary
E Peters
- 
Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Political
- 
Gas
- 
Auto
- Makers
- Fuel
- Economy
- Laws
- Environmental
- Health
- Safety
- American
- People
- Transportation
- California
- History
- Global
- 
Climate
- Clean
Air Act - "EPA
blocks California bid to limit greenhouse gases from cars."
... "The [Republican President] Bush administration blocked efforts by
California and 16 other states Wednesday to limit greenhouse gas emissions
from cars and trucks, setting up a political and legal fight over whether
states can take a lead role in combatting global warming." ... "[Republican
President Bush's] Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen
Johnson rejected California's request for a waiver from the federal government
to impose its tough tailpipe emissions standards. The other states were
poised to adopt similar rules if California's request was granted." ...
"The states represent nearly half the U.S. [United States] population,
and their laws would effectively require automakers to cut greenhouse gas
emissions nationwide, despite [Republican] President Bush's rejection of
mandatory national standards." ... "Johnson said Congress' passage of an
energy bill this week that raises fuel economy standards for all cars and
trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 made the state laws unnecessary."
... "California officials said they believed Johnson had long ago decided
to oppose the state's waiver, and said he was using the newly passed energy
bill as an excuse. Nothing in the new law prevents states from taking stronger
action, they said." ... ""I find this disgraceful," said [California Democratic
Senator] Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.[Democratic-California], who helped
write the fuel-economy law. "The passage of the energy bill does not give
the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] a green light to shirk its responsibility
to protect the health and safety of the American people from air pollution.""
... "It was the first time the EPA has flat-out denied a waiver request
by California under the Clean Air Act. The law gives California special
authority to set stronger standards because the state has a long history
of smog and other air-quality problems." ... "California officials complained
that EPA's decision-making process for the waiver was tainted months ago
when documents revealed that Transportation Secretary Mary Peters led a
lobbying campaign to urge lawmakers to call the EPA and oppose the waiver
request." ... "Automakers have been meeting regularly at the White House
to discuss the new fuel-economy standards. The Detroit News reported that
[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney met with the CEOs [Chief Executive
Officers] of Chrysler and Ford this fall to try to influence the policy."
-By Zachary Coile -SFGate.com
Secret
- 
Alberto
R Gonzales - 
David
S Addington - Dick
Cheney
- 
Harriet
E Miers
- Torture
- War
- Crimes
- Tapes
- Censorship
- Law
- Politics
- Military
- Government
- 
Intelligence
- Terrorism
- History
- US
- Iraq
- "Bush
Lawyers Discussed Fate of C.I.A.Tapes." ... "At least
four top [Republican President Bush] White House lawyers took part in discussions
with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether
to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives
from Al Qaeda, according to current and former administration and intelligence
officials." ... "The accounts indicate that the involvement of White House
officials in the discussions before the destruction of the tapes in November
2005 was more extensive than [Republican President] Bush administration
officials have acknowledged." ... "Those who took part, the officials said,
included Alberto R. Gonzales, who served as White House counsel until early
2005; David S. Addington, who was the counsel to [Republican] Vice President
Dick Cheney and is now his chief of staff; John B. Bellinger III, who until
January 2005 was the senior lawyer at the National Security Council; and
Harriet E. Miers, who succeeded Mr. Gonzales as White House counsel." ...
"It was previously reported that some administration officials had advised
against destroying the tapes, but the emerging picture of White House involvement
is more complex. In interviews, several administration and intelligence
officials provided conflicting accounts as to whether anyone at the White
House expressed support for the idea that the tapes should be destroyed."
... "One former senior intelligence official with direct knowledge of the
matter said there had been “vigorous sentiment” among some top White House
officials to destroy the tapes. The former official did not specify which
White House officials took this position, but he said that some believed
in 2005 that any disclosure of the tapes could have been particularly damaging
after revelations a year earlier of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq."
... "The current and former officials also provided new details about the
role played in November 2005 by Jose A. Rodriguez Jr., then the chief of
the agency’s clandestine branch, who ultimately ordered the destruction
of the tapes." ... "The officials said that before he issued a secret cable
directing that the tapes be destroyed, Mr. Rodriguez received legal guidance
from two C.I.A. [Central Intelligence Agency] lawyers, Steven Hermes and
Robert Eatinger. The officials said that those lawyers gave written guidance
to Mr. Rodriguez that he had the authority to destroy the tapes and that
the destruction would violate no laws." ... "Current and former officials
said the two lawyers informed the C.I.A.’s top lawyer, John A. Rizzo, about
the legal advice they had provided." (1, 2)
-By Mark Mazzetti and Scott Shane with contributions
by David Johnston -NYTimes
Iran
- 
Russia
- Fuel
- Business
- Construction
- US
- International
- Military
- Politics
- "Russia
starts nuclear fuel deliveries to Iran." ... "Iran
passed a significant milestone in its quest for nuclear power status yesterday
when it received a first delivery of enriched uranium from Russia, allowing
for the completion of a long-delayed reactor at Bushehr [Iran]." ... "The
head of Iran's atomic energy organisation, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, announced
that 80 tonnes of fuel had been received, with further consignments expected
in the next two months." ... "The delivery appeared to signal a weakening
of the international coalition opposing Iranian nuclear ambitions which
the US and its allies suspect are aimed at building an atomic bomb." ...
"It also means Iran is just months away from having its first nuclear power
station, after years of delays. The Russian contractors building the Bushehr
plant, which will be used to generate electricity, say it could be operational
within six months." -By Robert Tait
-Guardian.co.uk
Wave
- Technology
- Company
- 
Canada
- San
Francisco - California
- Oregon
- US
- Global
- Climate
- "PG&E
agrees to buy power from Canadian firm's proposed 'wave park'."
... "The dream of generating electricity from the ocean's waves will take
a major step forward today when Pacific Gas and Electric Co. announces
its support for plans to build the nation's first commercial wave power
plant off the coast of Northern California, the latest step in the state's
efforts to combat global warming." ... "The plant will consist of eight
buoys bobbing in the water 2 1/2 miles offshore, each buoy generating electricity
as it rises and falls with the waves. If all goes as planned, the "wave
park" will begin operating in 2012." ... "The power it generates won't
be much - enough to light 1,500 homes at most. But it represents another
potential front in the fight against climate change. California has ordered
utilities such as PG&E to buy more power from renewable sources that
don't spew greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and heat the planet. The
utilities are turning to the sun, the wind and now the ocean as a result."
... "San Francisco's [California] PG&E won't build or own the proposed
wave park, near Eureka [California], which will be designed and built by
Canadian company Finavera. Instead, PG&E has agreed to buy the plant's
power." ... "That promise will help Finavera get financing for the project
by showing potential investors that it already has a customer. It's an
unusual step for a technology that, until now, has existed more in the
lab than in the water." ... "There's no guarantee that the project will
work. Finavera's prototype buoy sank off the Oregon coast earlier this
year, for reasons the company hasn't completely nailed down." -By
David R. Baker -SFGate.com
Chris
Dodd
- Corporate
- Government
- 
Spy- Law
- Intelligence
- Politics
- 
Telephone
- 
Internet
- 
E-Mails
- 
Electronic
- Civil
Liberties - 2008
Election - Foreign
- American
- Nevada
- 
Conn
- 
Wisc
- 
VT
- Mass
- "Spy
law showdown postponed until next year." ... "Congress
won't decide until next year whether to pass a complex law that would let
telephone and Internet companies off the hook from lawsuits alleging illicit
cooperation with federal government spies." ... "In something of an unexpected
move, U.S. Senate Majority Leader [Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid
took to the Senate floor on Monday evening and announced he would postpone
debate on the so-called FISA Amendments Act [FISA: Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act]. That bill, which has already been approved in a closed-door
meeting of the Senate Intelligence Committee, would grant such corporate
immunity and make it easier for the feds to snoop on phone calls and e-mails
involving foreigners and Americans without a warrant, drawing rampant criticism
from civil liberties groups." ... "Earlier
in the day, however, it appeared more certain that the Senate would
move ahead with a vote to approve the
controversial Senate measure, which would provide legal immunity to
electronic communications providers that have allegedly opened up their
networks to the National Security Agency and other federal spies since
the September 11, 2001 attacks. Above vocal objections from some Democrats,
the senators nevertheless voted 76-10 to limit debate and other stalling
tactics related to the bill." ... "But in the end, last-minute rallying
from Democrats opposed to the telecommunications immunity provisions applied
the necessary pressure." ... "Perhaps most notably, [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and Connecticut Senator] Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.),
a presidential hopeful, devoted
nearly the entire day to delivering one impassioned speech after another
about his opposition to granting legal immunity to telecommunications companies
accused of providing illegal assistance to government spying programs.
Other influential Democratic senators, including [Wisconsin Democratic
Senator] Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), [Vermont Democratic Senator] Patrick
Leahy (D-Vt.), and [Massachusetts Democratic Senator] Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)
echoed his concerns at various points during the day." -By
Anne Broache -CNET
Mitt
Romney
- Mike
Huckabee - US
- Foreign
- Military
- Mentality
- 2008
Election - "Romney
Again Seeks Huckabee Apology." ... "At a campaign
stop here on Monday, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate]
Mitt Romney continued his blunt criticism of his Republican rival [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mike Huckabee, renewing a call
for Mr. Huckabee to apologize for characterizing the [Republican President]
Bush administration’s foreign policy as “arrogant.”" ... "Mr. Romney once
again accused Mr. Huckabee of using “the language of a Democrat” in an
article
he wrote for the January/February 2008 issue of Foreign Affairs in which
he asserts that “the Bush administration’s arrogant bunker mentality has
been counterproductive at home and abroad.”" -By Michael
Falcone -NYTimes
Mike
Huckabee - Mitt
Romney
- John
Edwards
- New
Hampshire - Iowa
- US
- Foreign
- Corporate
- 2008
Election - "Candidates
Scrambling to Cope With Rise of Huckabee." ... "The
campaign most immediately threatened by [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate Mike] Mr. Huckabee’s rise was that of [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate] Mr. Romney." ... "Mr. Huckabee, in his latest campaign
swing through New Hampshire, sounded almost like [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate] John Edwards, a Democrat running for president,
when he decried what he called “fat cat” chief executive officers and their
outsize paychecks." ... "In Iowa last week, Mr. Romney regularly tore into
Mr. Huckabee’s record, sometimes bringing it up directly with audiences
in town hall forums and other times waiting to do it with reporters afterward.
And after the Foreign Affairs article [where Mike Huckabee described Republican
President Bush's foreign policy as an "arrogant bunker mentality"], he
questioned Mr. Huckabee’s Republicanism." ... "“That’s an insult to the
president, and Mike Huckabee should apologize to the president,” Mr. Romney
said Sunday on the NBC program “Meet the Press.”" ... "The Romney campaign’s
decision to directly engage Mr. Huckabee carries risk; Iowans are known
to dislike negative campaigning." (1, 2)
-By Michael Cooper -NYTimes
Secret
- Surveillance
- Terrorism- Crime
- Telecommunications
- Companies
- Government
- Legislation
- Politics
- Intelligence
- Drug
- Consumer
- Wireless
- Technology
- United
States - Global- 
Space
- Colorado
- New
Jersey - "Wider
Spying Fuels Aid Plan for Telecom Industry." ...
"For months, the [Republican President] Bush administration has waged a
high-profile campaign, including personal lobbying by President Bush and
closed-door briefings by top officials, to persuade Congress to pass legislation
protecting companies from lawsuits for aiding the National Security Agency’s
warrantless eavesdropping program." ... "But the battle is really about
something much bigger. At stake is the federal government’s extensive but
uneasy partnership with industry to conduct a wide range of secret surveillance
operations in fighting terrorism and crime." ... "The N.S.A.’s reliance
on telecommunications companies is broader and deeper than ever before,
according to government and industry officials, yet that alliance is strained
by legal worries and the fear of public exposure." ... "To detect narcotics
trafficking, for example, the government has been collecting the phone
records of thousands of Americans and others inside the United States who
call people in Latin America, according to several government officials
who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the program remains classified.
But in 2004, one major phone carrier balked at turning over its customers’
records. Worried about possible privacy violations or public relations
problems, company executives declined to help the operation, which has
not been previously disclosed." ... "In a separate N.S.A. [National Security
Agency] project, executives at a Denver [Colorado] phone carrier, Qwest,
refused in early 2001 to give the agency access to their most localized
communications switches, which primarily carry domestic calls, according
to people aware of the request, which has not been previously reported.
They say the arrangement could have permitted neighborhood-by-neighborhood
surveillance of phone traffic without a court order, which alarmed them."
... "The federal government’s reliance on private industry has been driven
by changes in technology. Two decades ago, telephone calls and other communications
traveled mostly through the air, relayed along microwave towers or bounced
off satellites. The N.S.A. could vacuum up phone, fax and data traffic
merely by erecting its own satellite dishes. But the fiber optics revolution
has sent more and more international communications by land and undersea
cable, forcing the agency to seek company cooperation to get access." ...
"[An ATT engineer is claiming in a lawsuit that as early as February 2001,]
“What he saw,” said Bruce Afran, a New Jersey lawyer representing the plaintiffs
along with Carl Mayer, “was decisive evidence that within two weeks of
taking office, the [Republican] Bush administration was planning a comprehensive
effort of spying on Americans’ phone usage.”" (1,
2)
-By Eric Lichtblau, James Risen, and Scott Shane
-NYTimes
John
Edwards
- Barack
Obama
- Hillary
Clinton
- 
North
Carolina - Illinois
- New
York
- 2008
Election - Government
- Oil
- Drug
- Companies
- Health-Care- US
- Iraq
- Military
- Iowa
- Fields
- "Edwards
cuts sharper edge in Iowa trail speeches." ... ""The
few, the powerful, the well-financed, they now control the government,"
[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards told a tight
crowd of about 350 last week. "They've taken over your democracy. And it
affects everything that happens in this country."" ... ""Everything," he
emphasized." ... "During an 18-minute span, the former North Carolina senator
took aim and fired freely at insurance, oil and drug companies and failed
chief executives rewarded with golden parachutes. He described the Republican
field as [Republican President] "George Bush on steroids" and said his
Democratic competitors are talkers, not fighters." ... "In what has often
been portrayed as a two-Democrat battle between [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois
and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator]
Hillary Clinton of New York the populist Edwards is making an eight-day
blitz across the frozen fields of Iowa, a sort of red-meat express to convince
the middle class that he is the one who will wrest the country from the
clutches of "corporate power and greed."" ... ""I know some people suggest
we'll be able to sit at the table with drug companies and oil companies
and think they can get their power away. Right," Edwards said dismissively,
indirectly referring to the approaches he says Obama and Clinton would
take." ... ""I'll tell you when they'll [corporations] lose their power:
when we take it away from them," he told a cheering crowd at the [Iowa]
Grinnell Eagles Club." ... ""There's been a change in America. We have
greater concentration of wealth and power in a few. We have an increasingly
dysfunctional health-care system. We have this war in Iraq that has gotten
much worse," he said. "I think we need a president who's willing to be
tough and to go after these things."" -By Tim Jones
-ChicagoTribune
Mitt
Romney
- Mike
Huckabee - Foreign
- US
- Military- Illegal
- Immigrants
- People
- Baptist
- Iowa
- Massachusetts
- Arkansas
- Ads
- 2008
Election - "Romney
Hits Huckabee for Criticizing Bush." ... "Sensing
an opening in his desperate effort to retake the lead in Iowa, [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate and] former Massachusetts governor Mitt
Romney on Saturday pounced on comments by [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate and] former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in which he characterized
[Republican] President Bush's foreign policy as an "arrogant bunker mentality.""
... "Romney has started heaping criticism on Huckabee as the former baptist
minister has climbed into a comfortable lead in Iowa caucuses. On television
and in mailings to voters, Romney has attacked Huckabee's position on illegal
immigrants in the hopes of halting his momentum." -By
Michael D. Shear -WashingtonPost
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Police
- Terrorism
- Politics
- 
Christmas
- "Christians
in Basra told not to celebrate to protest 2 deaths."
... "The Christian archbishop of Basra on Tuesday canceled the celebration
of Christmas in that southern city to protest the deaths of a brother and
sister, both Christians, as bombings and mayhem struck at cities throughout
Iraq." ... "Archbishop Imad al Banna said Christians in Basra should still
pray to mark Christmas, but should forgo such celebratory trappings as
trees, gift-swapping and family gatherings to protest the deaths of Maysoon
Farid, a 30-year-old cashier at a local pharmacy, and her brother Osama,
33. The two were found dead Monday night, dumped in a neighborhood controlled
by the Shiite Muslim Mahdi Army militia." ... "Meanwhile, two police officers
in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] were killed by a car bomb that struck near
the homes of two prominent politicians, while south of Fallujah, in the
west, family members mourned a 9-year-old girl who they said was killed
by U.S. troops." -By Leila Fadel and Ali al Basri
with contributions by Hussein Kadhim in Baghdad and Jamal al Dulaimy
-McClatchy
John
Edwards
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- Corporate
- Government
- Energy
- Drug
- Health
- Family
- Farmers
- 2008
Election - "AP
Interview: Edwards on Iraq and Dems." ... "While
[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate John] Edwards continues
to invoke ending the [Iraq] war as one of the major challenges facing the
nation, the thrust of his message is that entrenched corporate power has
prevented the government from tackling long-standing domestic problems."
... ""You hear a lot more questions about corporate power, health care,
energy, family farmers," he said. "Those are the things people ask about.""
... ""My focus for these last few weeks is on a positive agenda," he said.
"That's what America rising is all about."" ... "That's not to say Edwards'
message doesn't have an edge." ... "His culprits are "powerful, well-entrenched,
well-financed interests that are distorting the democracy in their favor
and against the interests of most Americans."" ... ""The specific examples
are oil companies, drug companies, insurance companies, power companies,
there are lots more examples," he said. "They've used money and power to
spread their influence and have kept the democracy from working for most
people."" (1, 2)
-By Jim Kuhnhenn -AP
via -NOLA.com
Mike
Huckabee - 
Fred
Thompson
- Mitt
Romney
- Employed
- Illegal
- Immigrants
- Enforcement
- 
Tennessee
- Massachusetts
- Iowa
- 2008
Election - Ad
- US
- Cuba
- Money
- "Huckabee
rivals go on the attack." ... "Former Tennessee [Senator
and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Sen. Fred
Thompson’s campaign kept up a steady stream of attack, criticizing
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate Mike] Huckabee for everything
from past support for ending the Cuban embargo to allegedly allowing state
hard drives and servers to be destroyed while he was governor." ... "And
CNN’s John King reports that former Massachusetts [Governor and 2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] Gov. Mitt
Romney’s campaign announced that it plans to run a television ad
in Iowa that targets Huckabee’s record on illegal immigration. The spot,
which attacks him by name, hits the airwaves Tuesday." ... "Romney spokesman
Kevin Madden said the ad was intended to highlight the difference between
the former Massachusetts governor’s “pro-enforcement record” – under assault
after recent revelations that he employed illegal immigrants on his property
– and Huckabee’s somewhat softer stance in the past." -By
John King, Alexander Mooney and Rebecca Sinderbrand
-CNN
Secret
- Rudy
Giuliani
- Drug
- Government
- Politics
- 
Qatar
- 
Hong
Kong - 
North
Korea - Crime
- Global
- US
- 2008
Election - "Giuliani
Won't Release Client Names." ... "For the past year,
though, Giuliani has declined to identify his clients on the grounds that
they entered into confidentially agreements with his firm." ... "Giuliani
formed the consulting firm in early 2002, offering "management consulting
service to governments and business" and over the next five years it earned
more than $100 million. That income, along with a robust speaking schedule,
helped transform the moderately well-off public servant into a globe-trotting
consultant whose net worth is estimated to be in the tens of millions of
dollars." ... "Giuliani Partners has represented a pharmaceutical company
mired in a lengthy investigation; a confessed drug smuggler who hired Giuliani
to ensure his security company could do business with the federal government;
and the horse racing industry, which was eager to recover public confidence
after a betting scandal." ... "But many of the firm's clients have never
been listed on its web site or identified publicly by associates, and two
of the most controversial arrangements among them only surfaced in recent
weeks. One involved a 2005 agreement to provide security advice to the
government of Qatar. The second stemmed from a deal to assist a partnership
proposing a Southeast Asian gambling venture. Among the partners were relatives
of a Hong Kong billionaire who has ties to the regime of North Korea's
Kim Jong Il and has been linked to international organized crime, according
to a report in the Chicago Tribune." -By Matthew Mosk
-WashingtonPost
Rudy
Giuliani
- Police
- Politics
- Trips
- Apartments
- New
York- Indigent
- Lawyers
- US
- Qatar
- Terrorism
- 2008
Election - "Giuliani
Defends Girlfriend's Expenses." ... "Former New York
Mayor [and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Rudy Giuliani
on Sunday defended the expenses incurred by his security detail as he was
beginning an extramarital affair with current wife Judith Nathan, saying
police made the decision after she had received threats." ... "Giuliani
in recent weeks has faced a barrage of questions about New York police
security costs for his trysts with Nathan and about his business clients,
which have included the Persian Gulf country of Qatar. The Gulf state is
a U.S. ally, but allegations have been made that some prominent Qatari
officials sheltered suspected Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
" ... "Records first reported by Politico.com last month showed repeated
trips between 1999 and 2002 to Long Island, where Nathan had a condominium.
Giuliani's first trip was from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1, 1999 - months before
he acknowledged the breakdown of his second marriage in the spring of 2000."
... "Security costs for those trips were charged to agencies like the New
York City Loft Board, which regulates loft apartments and was billed $34,000.
The Office for People with Disabilities was charged $10,000, while the
Assigned Counsel Administrative Office, which provides lawyers for indigent
defendants, was charged roughly $400,000. " -By Libby
Quaid -AP
via -CBSNews
John
Edwards
- United
States - Canada
- Mexico
- Working
- Families
- Multinational- Corporate
- 
Media
- Government
- 2008
Election - New
Hampshire - "Edwards
Condemns NAFTA." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic
presidential hopeful John Edwards said Saturday he wants to replace the
empty promise that NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] would create
millions of jobs with his own promise to be a tough negotiator on trade
deals." ... "On the 14th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement,
Edwards condemned the deal that lowered trade barriers between the United
States and Canada and Mexico, arguing that it has paved the way for a series
of deals that put the interests of multinational corporations ahead of
working families." ... ""NAFTA was sold to the American people with promises
that it would grow the economy and create millions of new jobs. But today,
we know those promises were empty," he said. "In all three countries, it
has hurt workers and families while helping corporate insiders."" ... "He
also told voters in Derry [New Hamshire] that those corporate powers are
in danger not only of controlling what comes out of government but the
election process itself. Responding to a woman who said she resented media
conglomerates trying to dictate the outcome of the presidential campaign,
Edwards said the concentration of media ownership has become unhealthy
for democracy." ... ""This all goes back to the same problem. Are the big
corporate interests in Washington going to decide what's going to happen
with your democracy and what's going to happen with your government? You
can't let them decide what's going to happen with your elections," he said.
"Then, they're not only controlling your democracy, they're controlling
your elections."" -AP
via -CBSNews
US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military
- Families
- Politics
- Poll
- "Bush
loses ground with military families." ... "Families
with ties to the military, long a reliable source of support for wartime
presidents, disapprove of [Republican] President Bush and his handling
of the war in Iraq, with a majority concluding the invasion was not worth
it, a Los
Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found." ... "The views of the military
community, which includes active-duty service members, veterans and their
family members, mirror those of the overall adult population, a sign that
the strong military endorsement that the [Republican President Bush] administration
often pointed to has dwindled in the war's fifth year." ... "Nearly six
out of every 10 military families disapprove of Bush's job performance
and the way he has run the war, rating him only slightly better than the
general population does." ... "And among those families with soldiers,
sailors and Marines who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, 60% say that
the war in Iraq was not worth the cost, the same result as all adults surveyed."
... "Military families are only slightly more patient: 35% are willing
to stay until victory; 58% want the troops home within a year or sooner."
... "When military families were asked which party could be trusted to
do a better job of handling issues related to them, respondents divided
almost evenly: 39% said Democrats and 35% chose Republicans." -By
Faye Fiore -LAtimes
Howard
Krongard
- US
- Iraq
- 
Blackwater
- Corporate
- Military
- Law
- "Official
in Blackwater probe quits." ... "State Department
Inspector General Howard Krongard, under scrutiny for his brother's link
to the Blackwater security firm, has decided to resign, U.S. officials
said on Friday." ... "Krongard, the State Department's top investigator,
has been accused by current and former subordinates of thwarting probes
into waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq, including alleged arms smuggling by
Blackwater." -By Arshad Mohammed and Andy Sullivan
with contributions by Bill Trott -Reuters
US
- Iran
- 
Nuclear
- Military
- Intelligence
- Politics
- "Bush
told in August that Iran nuke program 'may be suspended'."
... "[Republican] President Bush was told in August that Iran's nuclear
weapons program "may be suspended," the White House said Wednesday, which
seemingly contradicts the account of the meeting given by Bush Tuesday."
... "[Admiral] Adm. Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence,
told Bush the new information might cause intelligence officials to change
their assessment of the Iranian program, but said analysts needed to review
the new data before making a final judgment, White House press secretary
Dana Perino said late Wednesday." ... ""Director McConnell said that the
new information might cause the intelligence community to change its assessment
of Iran's covert nuclear program, but the intelligence community was not
prepared to draw any conclusions at that point in time, and it wouldn't
be right to speculate until they had time to examine and analyze the new
data," Perino said in a statement issued by the White House." ... "The
new account from Perino seems to contradict the president's version of
his August conversation with McConnell and raised new questions about why
Bush continued to warn the American public about a threat from Iran two
months after being told a new assessment was in the works." -By
Ed Henry -CNN
Joe
Biden
- US
- Iran
- Military
- Nuclear
- Intelligence
- History
- 
Delaware
- 2008
Election - "Democrats
incredulous over Bush's account of Iran report."
... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidate [Delaware Senator]
Sen. Joe Biden on Tuesday said he can't believe [Republican] President
Bush hasn't known for months about a recent intelligence estimate that
downplays the nuclear threat from Iran." ... "On Tuesday the president
acknowledged he had given a speech warning that Iran's nuclear development
risked "World War III" about two months after his intelligence chief told
him a reassessment of Tehran's nuclear ambitions was under way." ... "Bush
told reporters during a White House news conference that he was not told
the details of the new assessment until last week and he said the new report,
which found that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons work in 2003, will
not change U.S. policy toward Iran." ... "The Democratic presidential candidates
were incredulous that Bush did not know about the assessment's new finding."
... "Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called
that explanation "unbelievable."" ... ""Are you telling me a president
that's briefed every single morning, who's fixated on Iran, is not told
back in August that the tentative conclusion of 16 intelligence agencies
in the U.S. government said they had abandoned their effort for a nuclear
weapon in '03?" Biden asked in a conference call with reporters." ... ""I
refuse to believe that," he added. "If that's true, he has the most incompetent
staff in modern American history, and he's one of the most incompetent
presidents in modern American history."" -CNN
Consumer
- Health
- Safety
- 
Food
- Agriculture
- Country
- Peoples
- Labor
- Law
- Money
- Politics
- Language
- 
West
Virginia - "Democrats
Use Fine Print to Stymie Bush's Deregulation Agenda."
... "It is a single sentence, on page 147 of the annual appropriations
bill funding the [Republican President Bush] White House, listed under
the title ``Additional General Provisions.''" ... "The 18-word clause eliminates
the money to pay for political appointees in each federal agency whose
jobs are to approve any new regulations. By cutting the money for the positions,
Congress would effectively repeal President George W. Bush's 11-month old
initiative." ... "Democrats, writing the budget for the first time since
Bush took office, are using their power over the purse to thwart Bush's
campaign to loosen federal regulations. Lawmakers have added fine print
to must-pass appropriations bills that sets new policy goals and increases
funding for regulators such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
and the Consumer Product Safety Commission." ... "``It is critically important
when we are facing beef recalls, toy recalls, mine collapses and workplace
infringements that Congress provide the necessary resources to the relevant
agencies for them to do the jobs they are required to do,'' said Senate
Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd, 90, a West Virginia Democrat."
... "Lawmakers also want agencies to file periodic reports to Congress
charting their progress toward a host of Democratic policy goals, such
as developing workplace ergonomic guidelines for a dozen industries, requiring
country-of-origin labels on meat products and regulating a flavoring chemical
that has been linked to lung disease." -By Brian Faler
-Bloomberg
US
- Iran
- Nuclear
- Military
- Intelligence
- Politics
- Secret
- History
- "U.S.
Finds Iran Halted Its Nuclear Arms Effort in 2003."
... "A new assessment by American intelligence agencies released Monday
concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that
the program remains frozen, contradicting a judgment two years ago that
Tehran [Iran's capital] was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear
bomb." ... "The conclusions of the new assessment are likely to reshape
the final year of the [Republican President] Bush administration, which
has made halting Iran’s nuclear program a cornerstone of its foreign policy."
... "The assessment, a National Intelligence Estimate that represents the
consensus view of all 16 American spy agencies, states that Tehran is likely
to keep its options open with respect to building a weapon, but that intelligence
agencies “do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons.”"
... "Iran is continuing to produce enriched uranium, a program that the
Tehran government has said is intended for civilian purposes. The new estimate
says that the enrichment program could still provide Iran with enough raw
material to produce a nuclear weapon sometime by the middle of next decade,
a timetable essentially unchanged from previous estimates." ... "But the
new report essentially disavows a judgment that the intelligence agencies
issued in 2005, which concluded that Iran had an active secret arms program
intended to transform the raw material into a nuclear weapon. The new estimate
declares instead with “high confidence” that the military-run program was
shut in 2003, and it concludes with “moderate confidence” that the program
remains frozen. The report judges that the halt was imposed by Iran “primarily
in response to increasing international scrutiny and pressure.”" (1, 2)
-By Mark Mazzetti -NYTimes
United
States - Debt
- Government
- Fiscal
- Politics
- People
- Parents
- Accounting
- History
- Homeowners
- 
Japan- China
- 
Britain
- 
Saudi
Arabia - Oil
- Countries
- "National
Debt Grows $1 Million a Minute." ... "Like a ticking
time bomb, the national debt is an explosion waiting to happen. It's expanding
by about $1.4 billion a day -- or nearly $1 million a minute." ... "What's
that mean to you?" ... "It means almost $30,000 in debt for each man, woman,
child and infant in the United States." ... "Even if you've escaped the
recent housing and credit crunches and are coping with rising fuel prices,
you may still be headed for economic misery, along with the rest of the
country. That's because the government is fast straining resources needed
to meet interest payments on the national debt, which stands at a mind-numbing
$9.13 trillion." ... "And like homeowners who took out adjustable-rate
mortgages, the government faces the prospect of seeing this debt -- now
at relatively low interest rates -- rolling over to higher rates, multiplying
the financial pain." ... "The national debt -- the total accumulation of
annual budget deficits -- is up from $5.7 trillion when [Republican] President
Bush took office in January 2001 and it will top $10 trillion [$10,000,000,000,000.00]
sometime right before or right after he leaves in January 2009." ... "Foreign
governments and investors now hold some $2.23 trillion -- or about 44 percent
-- of all publicly held U.S. debt. That's up 9.5 percent from a year earlier."
... "Japan is first with $586 billion, followed by China ($400 billion)
and Britain ($244 billion). Saudi Arabia and other oil-exporting countries
account for $123 billion, according to the Treasury." ... "Democrats are
blaming the runup in deficit spending on [Republican President] Bush and
his Republican allies who controlled Congress for the first six years of
his presidency." (1, 2,
3)
-By Tom Raum -AP
via -ChicagoTribune
Americans'
- Communications
- Freedom
- Government
- Intelligence
- Surveillance
- Law
- Politics
- "Protecting
privacy." ... "Contrary to [TIME Magazine Columnist
Joel] Klein's claims, Democrats want to require individualized warrants
only when the government targets Americans, not foreigners overseas. Klein
is also flat out wrong to suggest there is "broad, bipartisan agreement"
on new surveillance powers. In fact, the [Republican President Bush] administration
and its allies adamantly oppose even modest proposals to protect law-abiding
Americans who are swept up in this new, essentially warrantless surveillance.
Only after the president's illegal wiretapping program was publicly revealed
was the administration forced to comply with the law. Now the administration
is demanding broad new powers that could allow it to collect countless
communications. Congress must make sure that the new law requires independent
court oversight and protects innocent Americans' privacy. That's not "stupid";
that's our sworn and solemn duty." -By United States
Senator Russ Feingold -ChicagoTribune
US
- Iraq
- Military
- 
Pennsylvania
- "Murtha
clarifies surge remarks." ... "Following a headline-grabbing
uproar, [Pennsylvania Democratic Representative] Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania,
moved swiftly Friday to clarify earlier remarks that seemed to suggest
the Iraq surge policy was working." ... "The surge, he said in a statement,
“has created a window of opportunity for the Iraqi government,’’ but so
far the Iraqi government has “failed to capitalize on the political and
diplomatic steps that the surge was designed to provide.”" ... "“The fact
remains that the war in Iraq cannot be won militarily, and that we must
begin an orderly redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq as soon as practicable,”
said the chair of the House Appropriations Committee’s Defense Subcommittee."
-CNN
Joe
Biden
- US
- Iran
- Military
- Law
- Cheney
- Delaware
- 2008
Election - "Biden:
Impeachment if Bush bombs Iran." ... "[Delaware Democratic
Senator and 2008 Election] Presidential hopeful Delaware Sen. Joe Biden
stated unequivocally that he will move to impeach [Republican] President
Bush if he bombs Iran without first gaining congressional approval." ...
""The president has no authority to unilaterally attack Iran, and if he
does, as Foreign Relations Committee chairman, I will move to impeach,"
said Biden, whose words were followed by a raucous applause from the local
audience." ... "Biden said he is in the process of meeting with constitutional
law experts to prepare a legal memorandum saying as much and intends to
send it to the president." ... "When local resident Joel Carp asked Biden
why not impeach now, given what has already been done, Biden said it was
a valid point, but might not be constitutionally valid and potentially
counterproductive. A case for impeachment must have clear evidence, Biden
said, and blame should be directed at the right parties." ... ""If you're
going to impeach George Bush, you better impeach (Vice President Dick)
Cheney first," said Biden, again drawing applause." -By
Adam Leech -SeacoastOnline.com
Rudy
Giuliani
- Terrorism
- Money
- Politics
- US
- Qatar
- Military
- Intelligence
- Osama
bin Laden
- Law
- Enforcement
- 2008
Election - "Giuliani's
Ties to Qatar Raise Questions for Mr. 9/ll." ...
"Contracts awarded to [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate]
Rudy Giuliani's private security firm in the Gulf state of Qatar were overseen
by a government minister suspected of harboring the al Qaeda terrorist
who planned the 9/ll attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, according to security
consultants in the region." ... "Since 2005, Giuliani Partners and its
Giuliani Security & Safety (GS&S) unit has provided security consulting
and advice in Qatar through contracts overseen by the country's Interior
Ministry, which is currently run by a member of the royal family who has
long been accused of supporting al Qaeda, according to security consultants
familiar with the area." ... "The current interior minister, Sheik Abdullah
Bin Khalid al-Thani, was suspected of sheltering Mohammed at his farm and
tipping him off to the arrival of CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] and
FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] teams coming to arrest the al Qaeda
strategist back in 1996, according to the National Security Council's former
chief counterterrorism adviser and ABC News consultant Richard A. Clarke,
former CIA agent Robert Baer and a 2004 Congressional Research Service
report." ... "Khalid al-Thani is also believed to have welcomed Osama bin
Laden on two visits to the farm, according to an Oct. 10, 2007 CRS study."
... "The firm's work in Qatar was too close for comfort to former law enforcement
agents familiar with the country." ... ""We have a guy who could be president
who's taking money from the same accounts that harbored terrorists," said
Baer, the former CIA agent." -By Marcus Baram
-ABCNEWS.com
US
- Iraq
- Blackwater
- Corporate
- Military
- Politics
- Steroids
- North
Carolina - "Witnesses
testify in Blackwater lawsuit." ... "A federal grand
jury investigating Blackwater Worldwide heard witnesses Tuesday as a private
lawsuit accused the government contractor's bodyguards of ignoring orders
and abandoning their posts shortly before taking part in a Baghdad [Iraq's
capital] shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead." ... "Filed this week
in U.S. District Court in Washington, the civil complaint also accuses
North Carolina-based Blackwater of failing to give drug tests to its guards
in Baghdad — even though an estimated one in four of them was using steroids
or other "judgment altering substances."" ... "Before the shootings in
Baghdad last September, the three teams of an estimated dozen Blackwater
bodyguards had already dropped off the State Department official they were
tasked with protecting when they headed to Nisoor Square, according to
the lawsuit filed by lawyers working with the Center for Constitutional
Rights." ... "Blackwater and State Department personnel staffing a tactical
operations center "expressly directed the Blackwater shooters to stay with
the official and refrain from leaving the secure area," the complaint says.
"Reasonable discovery will establish that the Blackwater shooters ignored
those directives."" ... "Additionally, the lawsuit notes: "One of Blackwater's
own shooters tried to stop his colleagues from indiscriminately firing
upon the crowd of innocent civilians but he was unsuccessful in his efforts.""
-By Lara Jakes Jordan with contributions by Matthew
Lee and Matt Apuzzo -AP
via -Yahoo
Secret
- US
- Iraq
- Texas
- Oil
- Money
- Criminal
- 
UN
- Food
- "Texas
oilman Wyatt sentenced to year in prison." ... "Texas
oilman Oscar Wyatt was sentenced to one year and one day in prison on Tuesday
for conspiracy in the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, becoming the most prominent
figure jailed over corruption in the program to buy oil from Saddam Hussein's
Iraq." ... "Under his plea agreement, prosecutors dropped four other counts
against him, cutting short a trial in which they made a case that he paid
secret kickbacks to Saddam's government to win oil contracts from Iraq."
... "U.S. criminal investigations into the corrupted U.N. program has so
far produced the convictions of seven individuals and two companies, including
Chevron Corp. which agreed to pay $30 million to resolve criminal and civil
liabilities." (1, 2)
-By Christine Kearney with contributions by David
Wiessler -Reuters
United
Arab Emirates - US
- Saudi
Arabia - Politics
- "Abu
Dhabi to Bolster Citigroup With $7.5 Billion Capital Infusion:
Government Investment Arm To Become a Top Holder, With Up to a 4.9% Stake."
... "Citigroup Inc., seeking to restore investor confidence amid massive
losses due in credit markets and a lack of permanent leadership, is receiving
a $7.5 billion capital infusion from the investment arm of the Abu Dhabi
government [United Arab Emirates' capital]." ... "The investment by the
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority [ADIA] will help rebuild Citigroup's capital
levels, which have been eroded by a credit crunch that began in the summer.
Citigroup Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Charles Prince resigned
earlier this month after the bank, which had already written off billions
of dollars, said it was facing as much as $11 billion more in losses."
... "As a result of the deal, the investment authority known as ADIA will
become one of Citigroup's largest shareholders, with a stake of no more
than 4.9%. The stake will exceed that of Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal,
long known as one of Citigroup's largest shareholders, according to a person
familiar with the situation." ... "The investment underscores the growing
role that Middle Eastern investors are taking outside their home turf.
Separately yesterday, an investment company owned by Dubai's ruler [Dubai
is one of the seven emirate if the United Arab Emirates federation], Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, bought a stake in Sony Corp. ADIA, which
has almost $1 trillion under management, this summer bought a small stake
in Apollo Management LP." -By Robin Sidel with contributions
by David Enrich -WSJ.com
Mitt
Romney
- Religious
- Politics
- Government
- National-Security
- 2008
Election - People
- Massachusetts
- US
- Foreign
- "Religious
Minority Candidate Mitt Romney Comes Out In Favor Of Religious Bigotry."
... "In a recent interview with [2008 Election] Republican presidential
candidate Mitt Romney, former conservative Fox News pundit Mansoor Ijaz
asked the former [Massachusetts] governor whether he would consider nominating
a Muslim to be a member of his national security cabinet. Ijaz reports:"
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Oil
- Money
- UN
- "Iraqis
may offer US deal to stay longer." ... "Iraq's government,
seeking protection against foreign threats and internal coups, will offer
the U.S. a long-term troop presence in Iraq in return for U.S. security
guarantees as part of a strategic partnership, two Iraqi officials said
Monday." ... "In Washington, [Republican] President Bush's adviser on the
Iraqi war, [Lieutenant General] Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, confirmed the proposal,
calling it "a set of principles from which to begin formal negotiations.""
... "As part of the package, the Iraqis want an end to the current U.N.-mandated
multinational forces mission, and also an end to all U.N.-ordered restrictions
on Iraq's sovereignty." ... "The Americans appeared generally favorable
subject to negotiations on the details, which include preferential treatment
for American investments, according to the Iraqi officials involved in
the discussions." ... "Preferential treatment for U.S. investors could
provide a huge windfall if Iraq can achieve enough stability to exploit
its vast oil resources." -By Qassim Abdul-Zahra
-AP via -Yahoo
Hillary
Clinton
- John
Edwards
- Des-Moines
- Iowa
- New
York
- 2008
Election - International
- Trade
- Jobs
- Health
- History
- "Stumping
for wife, Clinton can help, or hurt, anybody." ...
"[Former Democratic President] Bill Clinton will get his chance in the
Iowa caucuses after all." ... "The Democrat who skipped campaigning in
the state during his own bid for the presidential nomination is stepping
up his role as chief advocate for his wife, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate] Hillary Clinton." ... "Meanwhile, her leading opponents for
the Democrats' nomination subtly but persistently point out the former
president's failures for which they say the New York senator shares responsibility."
... ""Remember in 1993, we had a Democratic president, a Democratic House
and a Democratic Senate," [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate
John] Edwards told an audience in Grinnell [Iowa] last week. "America got
something it didn't need — NAFTA, which cost us millions of American jobs,
and it didn't get something it desperately needed, which is universal health
care."" ... "Edwards uses the Clinton administration's failed health care
effort, which Hillary Clinton led, and the passage of the North American
Free Trade Agreement, which she supported, to paint her as too close to
moneyed interests." ... "But Hillary Clinton holds her White House years
up as an advantage in the campaign, which invites scrutiny, Edwards also
said." ... ""Senator Clinton uses those years as first lady as credentialing
for her readiness to be president," Edwards said in a Des Moines Register
interview. "When she does that, she opens the door. You can't just take
the good; you have to take the whole thing."" ... "Edwards said he does
not give much thought to how to treat President Clinton's tenure, although
he also told a Des Moines [Iowa] audience last week, "I actually think
Bill Clinton was a good president, to be honest with you."" -By
Thomas Beaumont -DesMoinesRegister
United
States - Iraq
- Military
- Politics
- Economic
- History
- "Ex-coalition
leader says Bush failed to have plan: Sanchez: It's
time to withdraw troops, let Iraq take responsibility." ... "Retired Army
[Lieutenant General] Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who led coalition forces
through the first critical year of Iraq's insurgency, said Saturday in
a nationally broadcast radio address that [Republican] President Bush had
failed to "devise a strategy for victory" and that the time had come to
withdraw U.S. troops." ... "In the Democratic rebuttal to Bush's weekly
radio address, Sanchez offered conditional support to a House war funding
bill that requires combat troops to be out of Iraq by the end of 2008."
... "As the coalition commander, Sanchez said in Saturday's broadcast,
he personally witnessed "the administration's failure to devise a strategy
for victory in Iraq that employed, in a coordinated manner, the political,
economic, diplomatic and military power of the United States. That failure
continues today."" ... "He predicted it would take at least a decade to
reverse the damage done to the Army's ability to fight future wars." ...
"The service, he added, is at its "lowest level"of force readiness since
Vietnam." -By Sig Christenson
-MySanAntonio.com via -Chron
Secret
- Rudolph
W Giuliani
- California
- Money
- Election
- Law
- Politics
- 2008
Election - New
York
- 
Jet
- Poor
- Countries
- "Publicity-shy
Giuliani backer in spotlight: Backer of plan many
Democrats think could sink their chances at presidency." ... "Paul E. Singer
is the founding partner of one of the oldest hedge funds around. And while
he has become a major donor to Republican and conservative causes in recent
years, he has largely managed to stay out of the limelight, even avoiding
having his picture appear in newspapers." ... "But this year Mr. Singer
became one of the biggest supporters of [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] Rudolph W. Giuliani’s presidential campaign, making his jet
available to Mr. Giuliani, while Mr. Singer and workers at his companies
have donated $200,000 to the campaign. And he became the largest individual
backer of a California ballot initiative that many Democrats believe could
sink their chances of winning the presidency." ... "Suddenly, the normally
low-profile Mr. Singer, a New Yorker, found himself singled out by Democrats
intent on beating back the California effort before it gained any steam."
... "Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic Party, questioned “Paul
Singer’s involvement in this dirty trick aimed at stealing the White House.”
A group of Democrats filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission
charging that Mr. Singer had been acting on behalf of Mr. Giuliani in his
efforts to change the California law — which Mr. Singer and the campaign
deny. And the Democratic National Committee drew attention to the part
of Mr. Singer’s business that involves buying the debt of poor countries
at a discount and then seeking repayment in full — prompting an article
in The Times of London labeling his firm, Elliott Associates, a “vulture
fund.”" (1, 2)
-By Michael Cooper and Leslie Wayne
-NYTimes via -MSNBC
US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military
- People
- Brain
- Science
- Accounting
- Politics
- NJ
- "20,000
vets' brain injuries not listed in Pentagon tally."
... "At least 20,000 U.S. troops who were not classified as wounded during
combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have been found with signs of brain injuries,
according to military and veterans records compiled by USA TODAY." ...
"The data, provided by the Army, Navy and Department of Veterans Affairs,
show that about five times as many troops sustained brain trauma as the
4,471 officially listed by the Pentagon through Sept. 30. These cases also
are not reflected in the Pentagon's official tally of wounded, which stands
at 30,327." ... "More than 150,000 troops may have suffered head injuries
in combat, says [New Jersey Democratic Representative] Rep. Bill Pascrell,
D-N.J., founder of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force." ... "About
1.5 million troops have served in Iraq, where traumatic brain injury can
occur despite heavy body armor worn by troops." -By
Gregg Zoroya -USATODAY
Iraq
- United
States - Saudi
Arabia - 
Libya
- 
Syria
- Military
- Terrorism
- Computer
- Intelligence
- Religious
- Politics
- "Foreign
Fighters in Iraq Are Tied to Allies of U.S.." ...
"Saudi Arabia and Libya, both considered allies by the United States in
its fight against terrorism, were the source of about 60 percent of the
foreign fighters who came to Iraq in the past year to serve as suicide
bombers or to facilitate other attacks, according to senior American military
officials." ... "The data come largely from a trove of documents and computers
discovered in September, when American forces raided a tent camp in the
desert near Sinjar, close to the Syrian border. The raid’s target was an
insurgent cell believed to be responsible for smuggling the vast majority
of foreign fighters into Iraq." ... "The most significant discovery was
a collection of biographical sketches that listed hometowns and other details
for more than 700 fighters brought into Iraq since August 2006." ... "The
records also underscore how the insurgency in Iraq remains both overwhelmingly
Iraqi and Sunni. American officials now estimate that the flow of foreign
fighters was 80 to 110 per month during the first half of this year and
about 60 per month during the summer. The numbers fell sharply in October
to no more than 40, partly as a result of the Sinjar raid, the American
officials say." ... "In contrast to the comparatively small number of foreigners,
more than 25,000 inmates are in American detention centers in Iraq. Of
those, only about 290, or some 1.2 percent, are foreigners, military officials
say." ... "About four out of every five detainees in American detention
centers are Sunni Arab, even though Sunni Arabs make up just one-fifth
of Iraq’s population." (1, 2)
-By Richard A. Oppel Jr.
-NYTimes
Afghanistan
- Terrorism
- Politics
- American
- UN
- "Afghanistan
'falling into hands of Taliban'." ... "The Taliban
has a permanent presence in 54% of Afghanistan and the country is in serious
danger of falling into Taliban hands, according to a report by an independent
thinktank with long experience in the area." ... "Despite tens of thousands
of Nato-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country,
the insurgents, driven out by the American invasion in 2001, now control
"vast swaths of unchallenged territory, including rural areas, some district
centres, and important road arteries", the Senlis Council says in a report
released yesterday." ... "On the basis of what it calls exclusive research,
it warns that the insurgency is also exercising a "significant amount of
psychological control, gaining more and more political legitimacy in the
minds of the Afghan people who have a long history of shifting alliances
and regime change"." ... "It says the territory controlled by the Taliban
has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul [Afghanistan's
capital] - a warning echoed by the UN which says more and more of the country
is becoming a "no go" area for western aid and development workers." -By
Richard Norton-Taylor -Guardian.co.uk
Secret
- Rudolph
Giuliani
- Nevada
- New
York
- US- 
Singapore
- China
- North
Korea - International
- Crime
- Law
- 2008
Election - "Giuliani's
business ties create challenge: Was a consultant
for controversial tycoon." ... "Nine days after registering his presidential
exploratory committee last November, [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] Rudolph Giuliani appeared in Singapore to help a Las Vegas [Nevada]
developer make a pitch for a $3.5 billion casino resort." ... "Though the
bid ultimately failed, and there was nothing illegal about the involvement,
it drew Giuliani into a complex partnership with the family of a controversial
Hong Kong [China] billionaire who has ties to the regime of North Korea's
Kim Jong Il and has been linked to international organized crime by the
U.S. government." ... "Giuliani's participation as a security consultant
in the Singapore gambling venture illustrates the challenge he faces while
attempting to win the Republican presidential nomination with a law-and-order
message while maintaining a far-flung, international business portfolio,
an unknown portion of which remains in the shadows." ... "Even today, more
than a year after the former New York mayor signaled his intention to run
for the presidency, it remains impossible to fully evaluate Giuliani's
business dealings because he has declined to list all of the clients in
Giuliani Partners, the consulting firm he founded and heads." (1, 2,
3)
-By Andrew Zajac and Evan Osnos with contributions
by Rick Pearson -ChicagoTribune
US
- Pakistan
- Emergency
- Law
- Journalists
- Human
Rights - Del
- Joseph
R Biden
- 2008
Election - "Bush
More Emphatic In Backing Musharraf: He Says Leader
'Believes in Democracy'." ... "[Republican] President Bush yesterday offered
his strongest support of embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf,
saying the general "hasn't crossed the line" and "truly is somebody who
believes in democracy."" ... "Bush spoke nearly three weeks after Musharraf
declared emergency rule, sacked members of the Supreme Court and began
a roundup of journalists, lawyers and human rights activists. Musharraf's
government yesterday released about 3,000 political prisoners, although
2,000 remain in custody, according to the Interior Ministry." ... "Several
outside analysts and a key Democratic lawmaker expressed incredulity over
Bush's comments and called them a sign of how personally invested the president
has become in the U.S. relationship with Musharraf." ... ""What exactly
would it take for the president to conclude Musharraf has crossed the line?
Suspend the constitution? Impose emergency law? Beat and jail his political
opponents and human rights activists?" asked [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate] Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del. [Delaware]), chairman
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a presidential candidate.
"He's already done all that. If the president sees Musharraf as a democrat,
he must be wearing the same glasses he had on when he looked in Vladimir
Putin's soul."" ... "Bush was asked in the interview if there is any line
Musharraf should not cross. "He hasn't crossed the line. As a matter of
fact, I don't think that he will cross any lines," Bush replied, according
to an ABC transcript." -By Michael Abramowitz and
Robin Wright -WashingtonPost
United
Arab Emirates - US
- Military
- Computer
- Technology
- "Abu
Dhabi buys stake in AMD." ... "Abu Dhabi's [United
Arab Emirates' capital] Mubadala Development Co said on Friday it had bought
8.1 percent of U.S.-based Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.N: Quote,
Profile,
Research),
the second-largest maker of computer processors." ... ""We have already
bought the stake as of today," Mubdala's chief operating officer, Waleed
al-Mokarrab al-Muhairi, told Reuters in a text message." ... "He did not
say how much Mubadala, owned by the government of the world's sixth-largest
oil exporter, had paid for the stake." ... "Still the deal could attract
the attention of the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment, which vets acquisitions
by overseas investors, particularly in technology and defense companies,
on national security grounds, it said." (1, 2)
-By Dayan Candappa with contributions by Valerie Lee,
Justin Grant and Quentin Bryar -Reuters
Saudi
Arabia - Oil
- Industry
- Terrorism
- Osama
bin Laden
- US
- Politics
- "Saudi
builds security force of 35,000 to guard oil." ...
"Saudi Arabia is building up a special 35,000-strong rapid reaction force
to protect its energy installations from attacks by militants targeting
the world's largest oil exporter." ... "The kingdom started recruiting
and training the industrial security force a year ago, after a failed al
Qaeda attack on the world's largest oil processing plant at Abqaiq in February
2006." ... "The network's Saudi branch vowed more strikes on oil facilities
after the attack, the first to directly target the kingdom's oil sector
since militants began a campaign against the U.S.-allied Saudi royals in
May 2003." ... "Al Qaeda's Saudi-born leader, Osama bin Laden, has called
for it to take aim specifically at oil." ... "The new force already has
around 9,000 personnel either in training or already active, and will reach
full strength of up to 35,000 in three to four years, Mansour said." (1,
2,
3)
-By Simon Webb with contributions by Samira Kawar
-Reuters
Iraq
- British
- Politics
- "In
Basra, violence is a tenth of what it was before British pullback, general
says." ... "Attacks against British and Iraqi forces
have plunged by 90 percent in southern Iraq since London [Britain's capital]
withdrew its troops from the main city of Basra, the commander of British
forces there said Thursday." ... "The presence of British forces in downtown
Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, was the single largest instigator of
violence, Maj. Gen. Graham Binns told reporters Thursday on a visit to
Baghdad's Green Zone." ... ""We thought, 'If 90 percent of the violence
is directed at us, what would happen if we stepped back?'" Binns said."
... "Britain's 5,000 troops moved out of a former Saddam Hussein palace
at Basra's heart in early September, setting up a garrison at an airport
on the city's edge. Since that pullback, there's been a "remarkable and
dramatic drop in attacks," Binns said." ... ""The motivation for attacking
us was gone, because we're no longer patrolling the streets," he said."
-AP via -IHT.com
US
- Iraq- Religion
- Military
- Terrorism
- "Iraqis
Wasting An Opportunity, U.S. Officers Say: With Attacks
Ebbing, Government Is Urged to Reach Out to Opponents." ... "Senior military
commanders here [in Camp Liberty, Iraq] now portray the intransigence of
Iraq's Shiite-dominated government as the key threat facing the U.S. effort
in Iraq, rather than al-Qaeda terrorists, Sunni insurgents or Iranian-backed
militias." ... "In more than a dozen interviews, U.S. military officials
expressed growing concern over the Iraqi government's failure to capitalize
on sharp declines in attacks against U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians. A
window of opportunity has opened for the government to reach out to its
former foes, said Army [Lieutenant General] Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno,
the commander of day-to-day U.S. military operations in Iraq, but "it's
unclear how long that window is going to be open."" ... "The lack of political
progress calls into question the core rationale behind the troop buildup
[Republican] President Bush announced in January, which was premised on
the notion that improved security would create space for Iraqis to arrive
at new power-sharing arrangements." ... "The latest news of declining violence
comes as the U.S. troop contingent in Iraq has reached an all-time high.
This week, the U.S. troop number will hit 175,000 -- the largest presence
so far in the 4 1/2 -year war -- as units that are rotating in and out
overlap briefly. But those numbers are scheduled to come down rapidly over
the next several months, which will place an increasing burden on Iraqi
security forces and an Iraqi government that has yet to demonstrate it
is up to the challenge, senior military officials said." ... "Indeed, after
years of seizing on every positive development and complaining that the
good news wasn't being adequately conveyed, American military officials
now warn against excessive optimism. "It's never as bad as it was, and
it's not as good as it's being reported now," said Army [Major General]
Maj. Gen. Michael Barbero, chief of strategic operations for U.S. forces
in Iraq." (1, 2)
-By Thomas E. Ricks with contributions by Karen DeYoung
-WashingtonPost
US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military
- Money
- Legislation
- Opinion
- Torture
- War
Crimes - Terrorism
- "House
passes Iraq bill calling for troops out by December '08."
... "The Democratic-controlled U.S. House Wednesday approved a war-funding
bill with a timeline for troop withdrawal from Iraq and substantially less
funds to conduct the war than [Republican] President Bush has requested."
... "It demands that Bush begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within 30
days of passage, with a goal of having American combat troops out of Iraq
by December 15, 2008." ... "The $50 billion "bridge fund" is about a quarter
of the nearly $200 billion the Bush administration has requested to pay
for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for 2008. Most of the money is slated
for Iraq, where the Pentagon estimates the cost of its operations at about
$10 billion a month." ... "A CNN-Opinion Research poll conducted in early
November found 68 percent of Americans polled oppose the war, and 62 percent
consider the conflict a stalemate." ... "The legislation also would require
the Pentagon to give troops the same amount of time at home as they were
deployed into combat, and bans government agents from using "waterboarding"
-- a technique the United States once prosecuted as a war crime -- against
suspected terrorists." -CNN
Howard
Krongard
- US
- Iraq
- Blackwater
- Business
- Military
- Law
- Politics
- Calif
- "State's
inspector general defends record." ... "In a stunning
move, the State Department official responsible for ensuring the agency
operates ethically recused himself Wednesday from any investigations related
to Blackwater Worldwide after admitting to lawmakers that his brother is
a member of the embattled security contractor's advisory board." ... "The
revelation by Howard Krongard, the department's inspector general, came
as Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee were
defending him from what they said were politically motivated attacks."
... "[California Democratic Representative] Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.,
and other Democrats on the committee seized on the admission as further
evidence Krongard has politicized his office and undermined inquiries that
targeted Blackwater or that might embarrass [Republican President] Bush
administration officials." ... "Krongard first told the committee his brother,
Alvin Krongard, had assured him several weeks ago that he had no financial
interest or connections to Blackwater, which is the subject of several
federal investigations related to its work in Iraq." ... "Before the break,
committee Democrats produced a July 26 letter from Blackwater CEO Erik
Prince inviting Alvin Krongard to join his company's advisory board." -By
Richard Lardner -AP
via -SeattlePI
Money
- Politics
- 
School
- Healthcare
- US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military- Christmas
- National_Debt
- Maryland
- "Bush
vetoes domestic spending bill: His first rejection
of an appropriations measure steps up his budget battle with congressional
Democrats, who deride as hypocritical his complaints about the price tag."
... "Intensifying his battle with Congress over federal spending, [Republican]
President Bush on Tuesday vetoed an appropriations bill for the first time,
rejecting $150.7 billion in spending for school aid, healthcare and other
domestic programs." ... "But as he complained about the cost of that bill,
which would have increased spending on these programs by 4.3% over last
year, Bush signed a $471-billion defense appropriations bill that pushed
up military spending by more than 9.5%." ... "And he urged Congress to
quickly appropriate $196 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."
... ""Congress' responsibility is clear: It should not go home for the
Christmas holidays without giving our troops on the front lines the funds
they need to succeed," Bush told business leaders in southern Indiana after
excoriating Democrats for mismanaging the federal budget." ... "The president's
veto and his complaints were greeted with derision by congressional Democrats,
who were quick to point out Bush's six-year record of approving unbalanced
budgets passed by Republican Congresses." ... ""It is patently absurd that
President Bush, whose irresponsible policies instigated record budget deficits
and added more than $3 trillion to the national debt, now wants to pretend
that he is somehow an exemplar of fiscal responsibility," said House Majority
Leader [and Maryland Democratic Representative] Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.)."
(1, 2)
-By Noam N. Levey and James Gerstenzang
-LAtimes
Michael
B Mukasey
- US
- Iraq
- Blackwater
- Business
- Military
- Law
- Politics
- North
Carolina - "F.B.I.
Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause." ...
"Federal agents investigating the Sept. 16 episode in which Blackwater
security personnel shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians have found that at
least 14 of the shootings were unjustified and violated deadly-force rules
in effect for security contractors in Iraq, according to civilian and military
officials briefed on the case." ... "The F.B.I. investigation into the
shootings in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] is still under way, but the findings,
which indicate that the company’s employees recklessly used lethal force,
are already under review by the Justice Department." ... "Prosecutors have
yet to decide whether to seek indictments, and some officials have expressed
pessimism that adequate criminal laws exist to enable them to charge any
Blackwater employee with criminal wrongdoing. Spokesmen for the Justice
Department and the F.B.I. declined to discuss the matter." ... "The case
could be one of the first thorny issues to be decided by Michael B. Mukasey,
who was sworn in as attorney general last week. He may be faced with a
decision to turn down a prosecution on legal grounds at a time when a furor
has erupted in Congress about the administration’s failure to hold security
contractors accountable for their misdeeds." ... "Representative David
E. Price, a North Carolina Democrat who has sponsored legislation to extend
American criminal law to contractors serving overseas, said the Justice
Department must hold someone accountable for the shootings." ... "“Just
because there are deficiencies in the law, and there certainly are,” Mr.
Price said, “that can’t serve as an excuse for criminal actions like this
to be unpunished. I hope the new attorney general makes this case a top
priority. He needs to announce to the American people and the world that
we uphold the rule of law and we intend to pursue this.”" (1, 2)
-By David Johnston and John M. Broder with contributions
by Paul von Zielbauer -NYTimes
US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military
- Jobs
- Oil
- Medical
- Politics
- 2008
Election - "'Hidden
Costs' Double Price Of Two Wars, Democrats Say."
... "The economic costs to the United States of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
so far total approximately $1.5 trillion, according to a new study by congressional
Democrats that estimates the conflicts' "hidden costs"-- including higher
oil prices, the expense of treating wounded veterans and interest payments
on the money borrowed to pay for the wars." ... "That amount is nearly
double the $804 billion the White House has spent or requested to wage
these wars through 2008, according to the Democratic staff of Congress's
Joint Economic Committee. Its report, titled "The Hidden Costs of the Iraq
War," estimates that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have thus far cost
the average U.S. family of four more than $20,000." ... "The report argues
that war funding is diverting billions of dollars away from "productive
investment" by American businesses in the United States. It also says that
the conflicts are pulling reservists and National Guardsmen away from their
jobs, resulting in economic disruptions for U.S. employers that the report
estimates at $1 billion to $2 billion." ... "Oil prices have more than
tripled since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the report notes,
to a peak of more than $90 per barrel. "The war in Iraq is certainly not
responsible for all of this increase," the report states, but it estimates
that declining Iraqi production "has likely raised oil prices in the U.S.
by between $4 and $5 a barrel." The report added that "because of the many
factors affecting oil markets, this should be seen as a highly approximate
estimate."" ... "The committee's Democrats estimated that injuries due
to the wars could add more than $30 billion in future disability and medical
care costs, including billions in lost earnings for veterans who cannot
work because of post-traumatic stress disorder." (1, 2)
-By Josh White with contributions by Julie Tate
-WashingtonPost
John
Edwards
- US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military
- Counseling
- Money
- Politics
- New
Hampshire - North
Carolina - "Edwards
unveils plan for vets with PTSD." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic] Presidential contender John Edwards is introducing a $400 million
plan Monday to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, including
those recently returned from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan." ... "Under
Edwards' plan, veterans could seek counseling for post-traumatic stress
disorder outside the Veterans Health Administration system; the number
of counselors would increase; and family members would be employed to identify
cases of PTSD." ... "Edwards, a North Carolina Democrat, was scheduled
to introduce the five-point plan during a speech at New Hampshire's Plymouth
State University." ... ""I strongly believe we must restore the sacred
contract we have with our veterans and their families, and that we must
begin by reforming our system for treating PTSD. We also must act to remove
the stigma from this disorder," Edwards said in prepared remarks his campaign
provided to The Associated Press. "Warriors should never be ashamed to
deal with the personal consequences of war."" -By
Philip Elliott -AP
via -Yahoo
Al
Gore - US
- Global
- Climate
- 
Planet
- Environment
- Energy
- Technology
- Politics
- Lawmakers
- "Al
Gore's next act: Planet-saving VC: The recovering
politician is teaming with a legendary venture capitalist and bigtime moneyman
to make over the $6 trillion global energy business. A Fortune exclusive."
... "[Former Democratic Vice President Al] Gore appears utterly comfortable
with this drill, but in fact he's engaging in some on-the-job training.
The recovering politician, environmental activist, and Nobel laureate is
adding another title to his résumé: venture capitalist. After
"a conversation that's gone on for a year and a half," according to Gore,
he has decided to join his old pal John Doerr as an active, hands-on partner
at Kleiner Perkins, Silicon Valley's preeminent venture firm." ... "According
to Doerr, by 2009 more than a third of Kleiner's latest fund, which was
raised in 2006 and totals $600 million, will be invested in technologies
that aim to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. Already Kleiner has invested
more than $270 million from various funds in 26 companies that make everything
from microbes that scrub old oil wells to electric cars to noncorn ethanol.
Twelve of Kleiner's 22 partners now spend some or all of their time on
green investments." ... "In turn, Doerr, the master networker whose greatest
hits include initial investments in Netscape, Amazon
(Charts,
Fortune
500), and Google
(Charts,
Fortune
500), will join the exclusive advisory board of Generation Investment
Management. That's the $1 billion investment company Gore started three
years ago in London with David
Blood, the former head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, to analyze
and invest in publicly traded "sustainable" companies. Over the past five
weeks Gore, Doerr, and Blood agreed to give Fortune an exclusive look at
their new alliance." ... "Already they've begun to pool information. Generation
came across a small company engaged in carbon trading that Kleiner is analyzing,
and Kleiner has shared intelligence about which startups could threaten
the established companies in Generation's portfolio. In the long term,
though, they want to help drive something much larger, "bigger than the
Industrial Revolution and significantly faster," as Gore puts it." ...
"They argue that to halt global warming, nothing less will be required
than a makeover of the $6 trillion global energy business. Coal plants,
gas stations, the internal-combustion engine, petrochemicals, plastic bags,
even bottled water will have to give way to clean, green, sustainable technologies.
"What we are going to have to put in place is a combination of the Manhattan
Project, the Apollo project, and the Marshall Plan, and scale it globally,"
Gore continues. "It'd be promising too much to say we can do it on our
own, but we intend to do our part."" (1, 2,
3)
-By Marc Gunther and Adam Lashinsky
-Fortune via -CNN
US
- Iraq
- Criminal
- Business
- Military
- Politics
- Accounting
- "Broken
Supply Channel Sent Weapons for Iraq Astray." ...
"As the insurgency in Iraq escalated in the spring of 2004, American officials
entrusted an Iraqi businessman with issuing weapons to Iraqi police cadets
training to help quell the violence." ... "By all accounts, the businessman,
Kassim al-Saffar, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, did well at distributing
the Pentagon-supplied weapons from the Baghdad Police Academy armory he
managed for a military contractor. But, co-workers say, he also turned
the armory into his own private arms bazaar with the seeming approval of
some American officials and executives, selling AK-47 assault rifles, Glock
pistols and heavy machine guns to anyone with cash in hand — Iraqi militias,
South African security guards and even American contractors." ... "“This
was the craziest thing in the world,” said John Tisdale, a retired Air
Force master sergeant who managed an adjacent warehouse. “They were taking
weapons away by the truckload.”" ... "Activities at that armory and other
warehouses help explain how the American military lost track of some 190,000
pistols and automatic rifles supplied by the United States to Iraq’s security
forces in 2004 and 2005, as auditors discovered in the past year." ...
"These discoveries prompted criminal inquiries by the Pentagon and the
Justice Department, and stoked fears that the arms could fall into enemy
hands and be used against American troops. So far, no missing weapons have
been linked to any American deaths, but investigators say that in a country
awash with weapons, it may be impossible to trace where some ended up."
... "While the Pentagon has yet to offer its own accounting of how the
weapons channel broke down, it is clear from interviews with two dozen
military and civilian investigators, contracting officers, warehouse managers
and others that military expediency sometimes ran amok, the lines between
legal and illegal were blurred and billions of dollars in arms were handed
over to shoestring commands without significant oversight." ... "Some investigators
said that because military suppliers to the war zone were not required
to record serial numbers, it was unlikely that the authorities would ever
be able to tell where the weapons went." ... "Many of those weapons were
issued when [General] Gen. David H. Petraeus, now the top American commander
in Iraq, was responsible for training and equipping Iraqi security forces
in 2004 and 2005. " (1, 2,
3)
-By Eric Schmitt and Ginger Thompson with contributions
by Margot Williams and James Glanz -NYTimes
US
- Iraq
- Blackwater
- Business
- Military
- Politics
- "Rice's
Management at Issue: Critics Cite Blackwater, Baghdad
Embassy and Passports." ... "Shortly after Condoleezza Rice took charge
of the 57,000-person State Department in 2005, she said she relished the
challenge of "line responsibility" in leading a large organization. "I
really enjoy that," she said in an interview. "Some of my favorite times
here have been my budget and high-level management reviews."" ... "Nearly
three years later, Rice is under fire from inside and outside the State
Department for a range of crises that are largely managerial in nature
-- the failure to monitor private security guards in Iraq, the delays in
opening the huge U.S. Embassy under construction in Baghdad [Iraq's capital]
and the resistance of some Foreign Service officers to being forced to
serve there. Over the summer, the department also fell woefully short in
processing passport applications, resulting in ruined vacation plans for
many Americans." ... "Within the department, Rice is viewed by many rank-and-file
employees as an aloof manager who relies on a tight circle of aides, leaving
her out of touch with the rest of the staff, in contrast to her predecessor,
Colin L. Powell, a retired Army general who won praise from workers for
treating them as though they were his "troops." At her last town hall meeting
with employees 2 1/2 years ago, Rice told staffers: "I consider myself
the chief management officer of this department." But a poll by the American
Foreign Service Association indicated that an overwhelming majority did
not feel that Rice was their advocate." (1, 2)
-By Glenn Kessler -WashingtonPost
US
- Afghanistan
- Military
- Terrorism
- "2007
Deadliest for US in Afghanistan." ... "Six U.S. troops
were killed when insurgents ambushed their foot patrol in the high mountains
of eastern Afghanistan, officials said Saturday." ... "The six deaths brings
the total number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan this year to at least
101, according to a count by the AP. That makes this year the deadliest
for Americans here since the 2001 invasion, a war initially launched to
oust Taliban and al-Qaida fighters after the terror attacks of Sept. 11,
but one that has evolved into an increasingly bloody counterinsurgency
campaign." ... "Overall violence in Afghanistan this year has been the
deadliest since the Taliban's ouster. More than 5,800 people, mostly militants,
have died in insurgency-related violence, according to an AP count based
on figures from Afghan and Western officials." (1, 2)
-By Jason Straziuso with contributions by Amir Shah
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
John
McCain
- Rudolph
Giuliani
- 
Bernard
Kerik
- US
- Iraq- Police
- Military
- Torture
- Prisoner
- Law
- Politics
- 2008
Election - New
York
- World
- Religion
- "McCain
questions Giuliani's judgment." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain told reporters he had never
approved of [former New York City, New York police commissioner Bernard]
Kerik as a candidate for head of the DHS [Department of Homeland Security]."
... ""I went to Baghdad [Iraq's capital] shortly after the initial victory
and met in Baghdad with Bremer, Sanchez and Kerik was there,” McCain said
referencing former L. Paul Bremmer and [Lieutenant General] Lt. Gen. Ricardo
Sanchez. “Kerik was supposed to be there to help train the police force.
He stayed two months and one day just left.”" ... ""That's why I never
would have supported him to be the head of Homeland Security because of
his irresponsible act when he was over there in Baghdad to try to help
train the police."" ... "McCain also rebuked the [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate Rudolph Giuliani and former] New York mayor for
his unwillingness to categorize water boarding as torture." ... ""He doesn't
understand. He doesn't have the experience or judgment to lead this nation,"
McCain, a former prisoner of war, told reporters." ... ""I mean this is
a defining issue about America. It means that he clearly does not understand
the moral implications of torturing someone and what it does to our standing
in the world and what it does to our ability to win this struggle to win
radical Islamic extremism," he continued." -By Sareena
Dalla -CNN
California
- Air
- Environment
- Enforcement
- Government
- Auto
- Makers
- Global
- Planet
- Climate-
"California
sues EPA over emissions: The state seeks to force
the agency to move more quickly on its request to enforce tough regulations."
... "California sued the federal government today, demanding that the [Republican
President Bush led] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency act now to give
the states the power to enforce tough regulations on automakers in the
fight against global warming." ... "The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the
way last summer for the EPA to approve state regulations to limit emissions
of greenhouse gas from automobile tailpipes. But no action has been forthcoming."
... "The EPA has said it will act on the state's request by year's end,
but today's move was a major assault on the federal government's perceived
lack of action on what many national and world leaders consider the No.
1 threat to the planet." -By Marc Lifsher
-LAtimes
Water
- Politics
- Legislation
- Construction
- Money
- Children's
- Health- Stem-Cell
- Science
- Iraq
- US
- Military-
"Congress
Overrides Bush for First Time on Water Bill (Update3)."
... "Congress handed [Republican] President George W. Bush the first veto
override of his presidency, voting to revive a $23 billion water-projects
measure he rejected last week on grounds it was too expensive." ... "The
Senate voted 79 to 14 today, a two-thirds majority including dozens of
the chamber's Republicans, to approve plans to fund some 800 projects across
the country. Because the House voted 361 to 54 earlier this week to override
Bush, also a two- thirds majority, the bill now becomes law." ... "Lawmakers
defended the plan as critical to maintaining the nation's dams, sewers,
levees, flood-control projects and erosion prevention efforts." ... "It
was Bush's first defeat in a series of veto fights this year with Democrats.
He rejected Democratic proposals to expand a children's health insurance
program, increase federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research and
legislation placing various conditions on Iraq war funding." -By
Brian Faler -Bloomberg
Russia
- Lawmakers
- Military
- History
- US
- "Russian
Lawmakers Vote to Suspend Arms Treaty (Update2)."
... "Russian lawmakers voted to suspend participation in a key Cold War
arms treaty, seeking to raise pressure on the U.S. to compromise on its
plans for a missile shield in Europe." ... "The State Duma, the lower house
of parliament, today unanimously backed suspension of Russia's observance
of the treaty, which limits the size of forces in Europe. The bill now
goes to the upper house, the Federation Council, and then to President
Vladimir Putin, who set the move in motion in July." ... "``Russia is threatening
to withdraw from the treaty in response to the U.S. position on pressing
ahead with the installation'' of the two missile defense bases, Masha Lipman,
an analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center, said by telephone. The U.S. has
tried to reach a compromise on the Treaty for Conventional Armed Forces
in Europe, Lipman said, ``but Russia isn't in the mood to cut deals.''"
... "The treaty, signed in 1990, set limits on tanks, artillery and other
conventional weapons in Europe." -By Patrick Henry
and Henry Meyer -Bloomberg
Children
- Safety
- Science- US
- 
Australia
- Canada
- China
- Manufacture
- Industry
- Christmas
- "'Date
rape' drug scare in popular toy: Chinese-made craft
beads pulled from shelves in U.S. and Australia." ... "A toy that has been
hyped on top-10 lists for the Christmas season has been pulled from the
shelves in North America and Australia after scientists found it contains
a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested."
... "Two children in the U.S. and three in Australia were hospitalized
after swallowing the Chinese-made craft beads, called Aqua Dots in the
U.S. and Bindeez in Australia." ... "Aqua Dots, distributed by Toronto[Canada]-based
Spin Master Toys, appeared on many toy experts' list of must-have holiday
toys." ... "Scientists say a chemical coating on the beads, when ingested,
metabolizes into the so-called date rape drug gamma hydroxy butyrate. The
compound -- made from common and easily available ingredients -- can induce
unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death." ... "The toys'
manufacturer, Australia-based Moose Enterprises, said Bindeez and Aqua
Dots are made at the same factory in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong
province." -AP
via -SeattlePI
Dick
Cheney
- Dennis
Kucinich - US
- Iraq
- Military
- Intelligence
- Law
- 
Ohio
- 2008
Election - "Debate
on Cheney impeachment averted." ... "House Democrats
on Tuesday narrowly managed to avert a bruising debate on a proposal to
impeach [Republican Vice President] Dick Cheney after Republicans, in a
surprise maneuver, voted in favor of taking up the measure." ... "Republicans,
changing course midway through a vote, tried to force Democrats into a
debate on the resolution sponsored by longshot [2008 Election Democratic]
presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich." ... "The anti-war Ohio Democrat,
in his resolution, accused Cheney of purposely leading the country into
war against Iraq and manipulating intelligence about Iraq's ties with al-Qaida."
... "The resolution said that Cheney, "in violation of his constitutional
oath to faithfully execute the office of vice president," had "purposely
manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress
of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction
to justify the use of the U.S. Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq
in a manner damaging to our national security interests."" -By
Jim Abrams -AP
via -Yahoo
Dick
Cheney
- Dennis
Kucinich - Ohio
- US
-Iraq
- Politics
- 2008
Election - "House
tied in knots over resolution to impeach Cheney."
... "[Ohio Democratic Representative and 2008 Election Presidential Candidate]
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, is trying to impeach [Republican] Vice President
Cheney for what he describesas
"high crimes and misdemeanors" before the invasion of Iraq."
-USATODAY
US
- Iraq
- Iran
- Military
- "2007
Deadliest Year For U.S. In Iraq: Deaths Of 6 U.S.
Forces Push Toll To 853 During Year Of Massive Troop Buildup." ... "With
nearly two months remaining, 2007 became the bloodiest year of the Iraq
war for American troops - 853 dead. The U.S. military on Tuesday announced
the deaths of five more soldiers and one sailor, pushing the toll past
the previous worst - 850 in 2004." ... "While 2007 became the war's deadliest
year, there has been a sharp downturn in both Iraqi and American deaths
over the past two months and a decline in Iranian weapons deliveries could
be one of several factors for the decrease." ... "Iran publicly denies
that it has sent weapons to Shiite militias in Iraq." ... "The grim milestone
for American forces was passed despite a noticeable drop in U.S. and Iraqi
deaths here in recent months, after a 30,000-strong U.S. force buildup.
There were 39 deaths in October, compared to 65 in September and 84 in
August. " (1, 2)
-AP via -CBSNews
Ron
Paul
- Money
- 2008
Election - US
- British
- Religious
- Government
- Terrorism
- History
- "Guy
Fawkes Day Helps Raise Millions for Paul." ... "Historians
and British schoolchildren remember Guy
Fawkes as the Roman Catholic, anti-Protestant rebel who on Nov. 5,
1605, tried to assassinate King James I by blowing up the Parliament. Supporters
of the Republican primary campaign of the libertarian Representative Ron
Paul may remember Fawkes as a wildly successful fund-raising gimmick."
... "On Monday, a group of Paul supporters helped raised more than $4.07
million in one day — approaching what the campaign raised in the entire
last quarter — through a Web site called ThisNovember5th.com,
a reference to the day the British commemorate the thwarted bombing." ...
"Many fans of Mr. Paul know of the day primarily through a movie based
on the futuristic graphic novel “V for Vendetta,” by Alan Moore and David
Lloyd, in which a terrorist modeled after Fawkes battles a fascist government
that has taken over Britain." -By David D. Kirkpatrick
-NYTimes
US
- Global
- Ron
Paul
- Criminal
- E-Mail
- Internet
- Hacking
- 2008
Election - Politics
- Texas
- "'Criminal'
Botnet Stumps for Ron Paul, Researchers Allege."
... "If Texas congressman [and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate]
Ron Paul is elected president in 2008, he may be the first leader of the
free world put into power with the help of a global network of hacked PCs
spewing spam, according to computer-security researchers who've analyzed
a recent flurry of e-mail supporting the long-shot Republican candidate."
... ""This is clearly a criminal act in support of a campaign, which has
been committed with or without their knowledge," says Gary Warner, the
University of Alabama at Birmingham's director of research in computer
forensics. "The question is, will we see more and more of this, or will
this bring shame to the campaigns and will they make clear that this is
not a form of acceptable behavior by their supporters?" Warner pointed
to provisions of the federal Can-Spam
Act." ... "Ron Paul spokesman Jesse Benton says the campaign has no
knowledge of the scam. Warner himself says that he has no reason to believe
that the Paul campaign had anything to do with these messages." ... "Some
participants in the online political world have long suspected Paul's technically
sophisticated fan base of manipulating online tools and polls to boost
the appearance of a wide base of support. But the UAB analysis is the first
to document any internet shenanigans." -By Sarah Lai
Stirland -Wired
Nancy
A Nord
- Children
- Safety
- Consumer
- Law
- Enforcement
- US
- China
- Manufacturing
- Business
- 
Halloween
- California
- "US
House speaker wants product safety chief to go."
... "The top Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives called on Tuesday
for the nation's chief product safety regulator to resign, following a
wave of recalls this year of millions of lead-tainted toys made in China."
... "As the [Republican President] White House and business groups criticized
legislation meant to beef up safety oversight, House Speaker [California
Democratic Representative] Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats urged the ouster
of Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Acting Chairman Nancy Nord."
... "The safety agency, criticized at a September hearing for having just
one employee testing toys, has come under intense scrutiny amid the flurry
of recalls." ... "In early October alone, recalls ranged from Cub Scout
badges to play blocks and Halloween candy buckets." ... ""Any commission
chair who ... says we don't need any more authority or any more resources
to do our job does not understand the gravity of the situation," Pelosi
said." (1, 2,
3)
-By Kevin Drawbaugh and Diane Bartz with contributions
by Julie Vorman -Reuters
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Government
- Law
- Politics
- Blackwater
- Criminal
- Business
- "Exclusive:
ABC News Obtains Text of Blackwater Immunity Deal:
State Department Grants Immunity to Guards Investigated for Shooting Iraqi
Civilians." ... "ABC News has learned the exact wording of the immunity
deal the State Department granted Blackwater security guards involved in
a September shooting incident that left 17 Iraqis dead." ... "The security
guards were given a limited immunity called "use immunity" in exchange
for giving sworn statements about their involvement in the Sept. 16 shooting
incident." ... "The wording of the immunity is included at the beginning
of the Blackwater guards' sworn statements, which have been obtained by
ABC News." ... "In each of the statements, the guards begin by saying "I
understand this statement is being given in furtherance of an official
administrative inquiry," and that, "I further understand that neither my
statements nor any information or evidence gained by reason of my statements
can be used against me in a criminal proceeding, except that if I knowingly
and willfully provide false statements or information, I may be criminally
prosecuted for that action under 18 United States Code, Section 1001.""
... "The immunity deal was granted in the immediate aftermath of the shooting
by State Department officials in Iraq who were under intense pressure to
quickly explain what happened in the face of allegations by Iraqi officials
that the contractors murdered civilians in cold blood." ... "The immunity
granted to the Blackwater guards is more limited in scope than so-called
"transactional immunity" which would prevent any proscution for the alleged
crimes. But the immunity granted to the guards means that anything said
in the statements -- and anything learned as a result of the statements
-- cannot be used by prosecutors." ... ""It's a nightmare for prosecutors,"
said legal expert Eugene Fidell. " (1, 2)
-By Jonathan Karl and Kirit Radia
-ABCNEWS.com
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Government
- Politics
- Blackwater
- Criminal
- Business
- "U.S.
promised Blackwater guards immunity, officials say."
... "State Department investigators promised Blackwater guards immunity
from prosecution for last month's deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians
in Baghdad [Iraq's capital], according to officials familiar with the matter."
... "That could potentially complicate any attempt to bring criminal charges
in the case, the officials said." ... ""They were told their statements
can't be used against them," said one U.S. government official. "But this
doesn't necessarily mean charges can never be brought against these guys.""
... "A second official called the limited immunity "surprising and confusing"
and questioned the authority of the State Department's diplomatic security
investigators to unilaterally make immunity decisions." -By
Terry Frieden with contributions by Elise Labott
-CNN
Dennis
Kucinich - US
- Iran
- Nuclear
- Military
- Mental
- Health
- 2008
Election - Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- "Kucinich
questions Bush's mental health." ... "[2008 Election]
Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich questioned President
Bush's mental health in light of comments he made about a nuclear Iran
precipitating World War III." ... ""I seriously believe we have to start
asking questions about his mental health," Kucinich, an Ohio congressman,
said in an interview with [Pennsylvania's] The Philadelphia Inquirer's
editorial board on Tuesday. "There's something wrong. He does not seem
to understand his words have real impact."" ... "He [Republican President
Bush] said: "I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding World
War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them (Iran)
from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.""
-AP via -Yahoo
Australia
- World
- Agriculture
- Business
- Weather
- Water
- History
- "Australia
Cuts Wheat Crop Forecast for Third Time (Update1)."
... "Australia reduced its wheat harvest forecast for the third time this
year as the nation's worst drought on record hurt production, adding pressure
to shrinking world supplies that drove up prices to a record last month."
-By Gemma Daley and Madelene Pearson
-Bloomberg
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Government
- Politician
- EMail
- 2008
Election - Computer
- Web
- Hacking
- "Gen.
Petraeus' Spokesman Denies Sending Angry Email -- Plot Thickens."
... "A disturbing email allegedly sent by a top U.S. military spokesman
to a leading blogger at Salon.com this past weekend is just starting to
draw mainstream attention. Howard Kurtz at The Washington Post mentioned
it today, for example. It requires a good deal of background information
to fully appreciate it, so I will provide a link to Glenn Greenwald’s blog
page at Salon where he offered extensive postings (and updates) Sunday
[*]
and today [*]
about the email purportedly from Army [Colonel] Col. Steven Boylan. But
E&P has its own correspondence from Boylan, and I want to focus on
that." ... "The long and short of the Greenwald postings: For months the
popular blogger -- a former attorney and author of the recent bestseller
"A Tragic Legacy" -- has criticized the growing “politicization” of the
military attached to Iraq, starting earlier this year and peaking around
the appearance of [General] Gen. David Petraeus before Congress (and the
media) in September. This was even before William Safire declared, this
past weekend, that the general ought to be considered as a running mate
for a [2008 Election] Republican candidate for president next year." ...
"In the past, Greenwald had received, and printed, emails from Boylan,
a public affairs officer and chief spokesman for Gen. Petraeus, denying
this trend and/or defending the general. So when he received an angry email
from Boylan yesterday, he posted much of it on his blog (and linked to
the entire message), while asserting that the views and language in it
proved his point about “politicization.”" ... "Then it got really interesting.
Boylan in another note to Greenwald seemed to deny that he wrote the email,
while denouncing Greenwald for publishing it. But he did not state this
clearly and refused to respond to Greenwald’s subsequent request for clarity.
Meanwhile, various purported computer experts compared past and present
emails from Boylan to Greenwald and suggested (to the latter) that they
did seem to come from the same military email address. But no one was certain
and, at the least, it raised troubling questions about someone "hijacking"
the email account of Gen. Petraeus's chief spokesman. " -By
Greg Mitchell
-EditorAndPublisher.com
India
- US
- Child
- Labor
- Factory
- Christmas
- 
Clothing
- "Indian
'slave' children found making low-cost clothes destined for Gap."
... "Child workers [in India], some as young as 10, have been found working
in a textile factory in conditions close to slavery to produce clothes
that appear destined for Gap Kids, one of the most successful arms of the
high street giant." ... "Speaking to The Observer, the children described
long hours of unwaged work, as well as threats and beatings." ... "Gap
said it was unaware that clothing intended for the Christmas market had
been improperly subcontracted to a sweatshop using child labour. It announced
it had withdrawn the garments involved while it investigated breaches of
the ethical code imposed by it three years ago." ... "The discovery of
the children working in filthy conditions in the Shahpur Jat area of Delhi
[India] has renewed concerns about the outsourcing by large retail chains
of their garment production to India, recognised by the United Nations
as the world's capital for child labour." ... "According to one estimate,
more than 20 per cent of India's economy is dependent on children, the
equivalent of 55 million youngsters under 14." -By
Dan McDougall -Observer.co.uk
via -Guardian.co.uk
Mitch
McConnell - Criminal
- Money
- Politics
- Military
- 
KY
- US
- Britain
- Saudi
Arabia - "McConnell
marks funds for contractor: Firm Under Investigation
for Bribery." ... "[Kentucky Reputlican Senator] Sen. Mitch McConnell,
R-Ky., is pushing $25 million in earmarked federal funds for a British
defense contractor that is under criminal investigation by the U.S. Justice
Department and suspected by American diplomats of a "longstanding, widespread
pattern of bribery allegations."" ... "McConnell tucked money for three
weapons projects for BAE Systems into the defense appropriations bill,
which the Senate approved Oct. 3. The Defense Department failed to include
the money in its own budget request, which required McConnell to intercede,
said BAE spokeswoman Susan Lenover." ... "BAE is based in Great Britain
but has worldwide operations, including a Louisville [Kentucky] facility
that makes naval guns and employs 322. McConnell has taken at least $53,000
in campaign donations from BAE's political action committees and employees
since his 2002 re-election. United Defense Industries, which BAE purchased
two years ago, pledged $500,000 to a political-science foundation the senator
created, the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville." ... "In
June, BAE confirmed that the Justice Department is investigating possible
corruption in its Saudi Arabian deals. According to British media reports,
BAE set up a slush fund with hundreds of millions of dollars in a Washington,
D.C., bank to bribe Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan in order to win weapons
contracts. Bandar, who heads the Saudi National Security Council, has denied
the allegation." -By John Cheves
-Kentucky.com
Humanity
- Global
- Environmental
- Science
- Disaster
- Politics
- UN
- Earth
- Climate
- Animals
- Rivers
- "Environmental
failures 'put humanity at risk': · UN report
bemoans lack of urgency by governments· Five-year study involved
more than 1,400 scientists." ... "The future of humanity has been put at
risk by a failure to address environmental problems including climate change,
species extinction and a growing human population, according to a new UN
report." ... "In a sweeping audit of the world's environmental wellbeing,
the study by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that governments
are still failing to recognise the seriousness of major environmental issues."
... "The study, involving more than 1,400 scientists, found that human
consumption had far outstripped available resources. Each person on Earth
now requires a third more land to supply his or her needs than the planet
can supply, it finds." ... "Meanwhile, biodiversity is seriously threatened
by the impact of human activities: 30% of amphibians, 23% of mammals and
12% of birds are under threat of extinction, while one in 10 of the world's
large rivers runs dry every year before it reaches the sea." ... "The report
- entitled Global Environment Outlook: Environment for Development - reviews
progress made since a similar study in 1987 which laid the groundwork for
studying environmental issues affecting the planet." ... "It addresses
a number of areas where environmental degradation is threatening human
welfare and the planet, including water, over-fishing and biodiversity
- where the UNEP says a sixth, human-induced, extinction is under way."
-By Martin Hodgson
-Guardian.co.uk
US
- Government
- Global
- Climate
- Politics
- Human
- Health
- Environmental
- Science
- Food
- Water
- Air
- "Scientists
Denounce Global Warming Report 'Edits': Public Health
Experts Say Edits Represent Censoring of Science." ... "Environmental and
public health experts overwhelmingly denounced editing by the White House
of a federal health agency head's testimony to Congress Tuesday. Significant
deletions were made from the testimony, concerning global warming and the
potential impact on human health." ... "The original, unedited testimony
presented to Congress by Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and obtained by ABC News was 14
pages long, but the White House Office of Management and Budget edited
the final version down to a mere six pages." ... "Scientists and public
health organizations called the move "frustrating," "terrible" and "appalling."
The edits essentially deleted all sections that referred to climate change
as a public health concern -- including the risks of increased food-borne
and waterborne diseases, worsening extreme weather events, worsening air
pollution and the effect of heat stress on humans." ... ""Dr. Gerberding
is the lead of the premiere public health agency in the U.S.," said Kim
Knowlton, a science fellow on global warming and health at the National
Resources Defense Council in New York. "It's shocking that she was not
allowed to say in a public discussion some of these vital details." ...
""One has to wonder why was this is so threatening to the White House.""
(1, 2,
3)
-By Raja Jagadeesan, M.D. and Carla Williams
-ABCNEWS.com
US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military
- Politics
- "War
costs may total $2.4 trillion." ... "The cost of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could total $2.4 trillion through the
next decade, or nearly $8,000 per man, woman and child in the country,
according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate scheduled for release
Wednesday." ... "A previous CBO estimate put the wars' costs at more than
$1.6 trillion. This one adds $705 billion in interest, taking into account
that the conflicts are being funded with borrowed money." -By
Ken Dilanian -USATODAY
Special
Report
- Global
- Environment
- "In
the Greenhouse: Confronting a Changing Climate."
... "" -WashingtonPost
China
- Military
- "Hu
Stronger As China Communists Regroup." ... "President
Hu Jintao emerged politically stronger after the Communist Party handed
him a second five-year term on Monday, allowing him a freer hand to manage
tensions over a rising wealth gap and boost spending on long-neglected
social services." ... "Yet, in a potentially ominous sign, the country's
top communists also promoted two potential successors as part of a new
leadership lineup." ... "The move, likely a compromise adopted to postpone
a final decision, conjured up the potential for internal divisions, an
old bugbear for a party obsessed with unity but which has repeatedly suffered
near-lethal splits during its history." ... "``We are keenly aware of our
difficult tasks and great responsibilities,'' Hu said while introducing
the new nine-man Politburo Standing Committee, the party's highest body."
... "Hu was also reappointed chairman of the commission controlling China's
2.3 million-member armed forces, which are officially loyal to the Communist
Party, not the Chinese state. Hu wrested that position from his predecessor
Jiang Zemin in 2004 as part of a consolidation of his power." -By
Christopher Bodeen -AP
via -Guardian.co.uk
Special
Report
- Global
- Environment
- "Planet
in Peril: Environmental Coverage."
-CNN
US
- Guantanamo
Bay - Cuba
- Political
- Military
- Prisoner
- Terrorism
- Secret
- Law
- 2008
Election - "Pressure
Alleged in Detainees' Hearings: Ex-Prosecutor Says
Pentagon Pushing 'Sexy' Cases in '08." ... "Politically motivated officials
at the Pentagon have pushed for convictions of high-profile detainees ahead
of the 2008 elections, the former lead prosecutor for terrorism trials
at Guantanamo Bay [Cuba] said last night, adding that the pressure played
a part in his decision to resign earlier this month." ... "Senior defense
officials discussed in a September 2006 meeting the "strategic political
value" of putting some prominent detainees on trial, said Air Force Col.
Morris Davis. He said that he felt pressure to pursue cases that were deemed
"sexy" over those that prosecutors believed were the most solid or were
ready to go." ... "Davis said his resignation was also prompted by newly
appointed senior officials seeking to use classified evidence in what would
be closed sessions of court, and by almost all elements of the military
commissions process being put under the Defense Department general counsel's
command, something he believes could present serious conflicts of interest."
... ""There was a big concern that the election of 2008 is coming up,"
Davis said. "People wanted to get the cases going. There was a rush to
get high-interest cases into court at the expense of openness."" -By
Josh White -WashingtonPost
Noteworthy
- Global
- Climate
- Disaster
- Environment
- Water
- "Rising
seas threaten 21 mega-cities." ... "Cities around
the world are facing the danger of rising seas and other disasters related
to climate change." ... "More than one-tenth of the world's population,
or 643 million people, live in low-lying areas at risk from climate change,
say U.S. and European experts." -AP
via -Yahoo
Oil
- History
- World
- US
- 
EU
- "Crude
Oil Breaches $90 a Barrel on Dollar Drop Against Euro."
... "Crude oil breached $90 a barrel in New York for the first time as
the dollar traded near a record low against the euro, enhancing the appeal
of commodities as an investment." ... "Investors purchased oil on speculation
the Federal Reserve will cut borrowing costs to bolster the U.S. economy
when policy makers meet on Oct. 31. Interest-rate futures show a 70 percent
likelihood the Fed will lower its target rate for overnight loans a quarter-percentage
point to 4.5 percent. The euro reached a record $1.4310 yesterday. " -By
Bill Murray and Nesa Subrahmaniyan -Bloomberg
US
- Iraq
- 
Kuwait
- Charles
E Williams - Howard
Krongard
- Military
- Government
- Construction
- Corporation
- Criminal
- "Criminal
probe into U.S. Embassy in Iraq construction." ...
"A mortar shell smashed into the hulking new U.S. [United States] Embassy
that's under construction in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] last May, damaging
a wall and causing minor injuries to people inside the building. It also
exposed enormous problems in the management of what's become a $592 million
government construction project." ... "The State Department contractor
in charge of the project, James L. Golden, attempted to alter the scene
of the blast, according to government officials familiar with the incident.
The State Department inspector general prevented Department officials from
investigating the incident, according to interviews and documents." ...
"A congressional committee is examining whether the walls of the still-unfinished
embassy complex, which are supposed to be blast-resistant, performed as
they should have during the mortar attack." ... "U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker
banished Golden from Iraq, but he continues to oversee the construction
of the embassy in Baghdad; to be the liaison with the contractor, Kuwait-based
First Kuwaiti General Trading and Contracting Co.; and to supervise other
projects for the State Department's Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO)
bureau." ... "McClatchy Newspapers has also learned that:" ... "— Aspects
of the embassy's construction are the subject of at least one U.S. government
criminal investigation, according to officials in Congress and the administration."
... "— In order to rush the project, the long-time head of OBO, retired
Army Maj. Gen. [Major General] Charles Williams, signed a waiver in July
2005 allowing a sole-source contract to be awarded to First Kuwaiti." ...
"In a letter to State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard last
month, [California Democratic Representative Henry] Waxman said that former
and current staff members in Krongard's office told the committee that
he'd refused to help investigate alleged wrongdoing by First Kuwaiti and
an unnamed top State Department official." -By Warren
P. Strobel and
Jonathan S.
Landay -McClatchyDC.com
Iraq
- Iran
- China
- US
- Construction
- Power
- Politics
- Military
- "Iraqi
Contracts With Iran and China Concern U.S.." ...
"Iraq has agreed to award $1.1 billion in contracts to Iranian and Chinese
companies to build a pair of enormous power plants, the Iraqi electricity
minister said Tuesday. Word of the project prompted serious concerns among
American military officials, who fear that Iranian commercial investments
can mask military activities at a time of heightened tension with Iran."
... "The Iraqi electricity minister, Karim Wahid, said that the Iranian
project would be built in Sadr City, a Shiite enclave in Baghdad that is
controlled by followers of the anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr. He
added that Iran had also agreed to provide cheap electricity from its own
grid to southern Iraq, and to build a large power plant essentially free
of charge in an area between the two southern Shiite holy cities of Karbala
and Najaf." ... "The expansion of ties between Iraq and Iran comes as the
United States and Iran clash on nuclear issues and about what American
officials have repeatedly said is Iranian support for armed groups in Iraq.
American officials have charged that Iranians, through the international
military wing known as the Quds Force, are particularly active in support
of elite elements of the Mahdi Army, a militia largely controlled by Mr.
Sadr." ... "At the same time, it is possible to view Iranian and Chinese
investment as giving those countries a stake in Iraqi stability. The power
plants could also boost a troubled reconstruction effort in Iraq." ...
"The agreements between Iraq and Iran come after the American-led reconstruction
effort, which relied heavily on large American contractors, has spent nearly
$5 billion of United States taxpayer money on Iraq’s electricity grid.
Aside from a few isolated bright spots, there was little clear impact in
a nation where in many places electricity is still available only for a
few hours each day." (1, 2)
-By James Glanz with contributions by Alissa J. Rubin
and Ahmad Fadam -NYTimes
US
- Mexico
- China
- Manufacturing
- Politics
- Duncan
Hunter
- US
Immigration - Law
- Calif
- 2008
Election - "Lawmakers
blast DHS for building border fence with Chinese steel."
... "House members allied with the domestic steel industry blasted the
[Republican President Bush run] Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on
Thursday for building a fence on the Mexican border with Chinese steel."
... "GOP presidential hopeful Rep. [California Republican Representative
and 2008 election Presidential Candidate] Duncan Hunter (Calif.), who authored
a bill signed into law last year mandating 850 miles of fence along the
border, said DHS should have gone to U.S. producers to procure any necessary
steel or pipe." ... "“The Department of Homeland Security has, the last
time I checked, $800 million cash on hand available to build the border
fence. So they don’t have to go and get cut-rate deals to build the border
fence,” Hunter said. U.S. pipe makers can “easily” supply the products
necessary for the fence, Hunter insisted." -By Ian
Swanson -TheHill.com
US
- Iraq
- International
- Blackwater
- War
Crimes - Business
- Military
- Politics
- "America's
own unlawful combatants? Using private guards in
Iraq could expose the U.S. to accusations of treaty violations, some experts
think." ... "As the [Republican President] Bush administration deals with
the fallout from the recent killings of civilians by private security firms
in Iraq, some officials are asking whether the contractors could be considered
unlawful combatants under international agreements." ... "The question
is an outgrowth of federal reviews of the shootings, in part because the
U.S. officials want to determine whether the administration could be accused
of treaty violations that could fuel an international outcry." ... "Unresolved
questions are likely to touch off new criticism of Bush's conduct of the
unpopular Iraq war, especially given the broad definition of unlawful combatants
the president has used in justifying his detention policies at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba." ... "The designation of lawful and unlawful combatants is set
out in the Geneva Convention. Lawful combatants are nonmilitary personnel
who operate under their military's chain of command. Others may carry weapons
in a war zone but may not use offensive force. Under the international
agreements, they may only defend themselves." ... "For a guard who is only
allowed to use defensive force, killing civilians violates the law of war,
said Michael N. Schmitt, a professor of international law at the Naval
War College and a former Air Force lawyer. "It is a war crime to kill civilians
unlawfully in an armed conflict," he said." -By Julian
E. Barnes -LAtimes
US
- Iraq
- Blackwater
- Company
- Politics
- "Blackwater
Is Soaked: An arrogant attitude only adds fuel to
the criticism." ... "The colonel was furious. "Can you believe it? They
actually drew their weapons on U.S. soldiers." He was describing a 2006
car accident, in which an SUV full of Blackwater operatives had crashed
into a U.S. Army Humvee on a street in Baghdad's [Iraq's capital] Green
Zone. The colonel, who was involved in a follow-up investigation and spoke
on the condition he not be named, said the Blackwater guards disarmed the
U.S. Army soldiers and made them lie on the ground at gunpoint until they
could disentangle the SUV. His account was confirmed by the head of another
private security company. Asked to address this and other allegations in
this story, Blackwater spokesperson Anne Tyrrell said, "This type of gossip
has led to many soap operas in the press."" ... "Whatever else Blackwater
is or isn't guilty of—a topic of intense interest in Washington—it has
a well-earned reputation in Iraq for arrogance and high-handedness. Iraqis
naturally have the most serious complaints; dozens have been killed by
Blackwater operatives since the beginning of the war." (1, 2)
-By Rod Nordland and Mark Hosenball with contributions
by Larry Kaplow and Michael Hastings -Newsweek
via -MSNBC
United
States - Iraq
- Military
- Politics
- 
Kansas
- Illinois
- "At
an Army School for Officers, Blunt Talk About Iraq."
... "Here at the intellectual center of the United States Army [Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas], two elite officers were deep in debate at lunch on a recent day
over who bore more responsibility for mistakes in Iraq — the [Republican
President Bush's] former defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld, or the
generals who acquiesced to him." ... "“The secretary of defense is an easy
target,” argued one of the officers, Maj. [Major] Kareem P. Montague, 34,
a Harvard graduate and a commander in the Third Infantry Division, which
was the first to reach Baghdad [Iraq's capital] in the 2003 invasion. “It’s
easy to pick on the political appointee.”" ... "“But he’s the one that’s
responsible,” retorted Maj. [Major] Michael J. Zinno, 40, a military planner
who worked at the headquarters of the Coalition Provisional Authority,
the former American civilian administration in Iraq." ... "No, Major Montague
shot back, it was more complicated: the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the top
commanders were part of the decision to send in a small invasion force
and not enough troops for the occupation. Only Gen. [General] Eric K. Shinseki,
the Army chief of staff who was sidelined after he told Congress that it
would take several hundred thousand troops in Iraq, spoke up in public."
... "“You didn’t hear any of them at the time, other than General Shinseki,
screaming, saying that this was untenable,” Major Montague said." ... "Much
of the debate at Leavenworth has centered on a scathing article, “A Failure
in Generalship,” written last May for Armed Forces Journal by Lt. Col.
[Lieutenant Colonel] Paul Yingling, an Iraq veteran and deputy commander
of the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment who holds a master’s degree in political
science from the University of Chicago [Illinois]. “If the general remains
silent while the statesman commits a nation to war with insufficient means,
he shares culpability for the results,” Colonel Yingling wrote." -By
Elisabeth Bumiller -NYTimes
US
- Iraq
- Political
- Economic
- History
- "'No
end in sight' in Iraq, retired general says." ...
"Retired Army Lt. Gen. [Lieutenant General] Ricardo S. Sanchez, who led
U.S. forces in Iraq for a year after the March 2003 invasion, accused the
Bush administration Friday of going to war with a "catastrophically flawed"
plan and said the United States is "living a nightmare with no end in sight.""
... "Sanchez described the current troop increase in Iraq as "a desperate
attempt by the administration that has not accepted the political and economic
realities of this war."" ... ""The administration, Congress and the entire
interagency, especially the State Department, must shoulder the responsibility
for this catastrophic failure, and the American people must hold them accountable,"
Sanchez told military reporters and editors. "There has been a glaring
unfortunate display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national
leaders."" -WashingtonPost
via -LAtimes
US
- Iraq
- Politics
- "Sanchez,
former U.S. commander in Iraq, calls war 'a nightmare with no end in sight'."
... "The former top commander of U.S. troops in Iraq slammed the handling
of the war and gave a bleak assessment of the current situation in Iraq."
... "“There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end
in sight,” retired Lt. Gen. [Lieutenant General] Ricardo Sanchez told a
convention of military journalists on Friday." ... "But Sanchez reserved
most of his venom Friday for U.S. officials, saying the U.S. government
still has not brought all the resources needed to win in Iraq." ... "“From
a catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan, to the
administration’s latest surge strategy, this administration has failed
to employ and synchronize the political, economic and military power,”
Sanchez said." ... "Continuing changes to military strategy alone will
not achieve victory, rather it will only “stave off defeat,” he said."
... "“The administration, Congress 
